Four starters return from last year's conference tournament champs, led by brothers fBrett McKnight and fChris McKnight;
7-0 freshman cZeke Marshall gives coach Keith Dambrot a formidable front line. (Replacing fNate Linhart should be
no problem.)
In the weak Mid-American
,
the Zips will battle Buffalo (featuring bRodney Pierce) for the top spot in the East (and overall); in the West,
Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan (featuring bDavid Kool) will fight it out for the division title.
In league play, big road games in January will make it tough to control the race.
***
11/10 w @88-38 v {Mt Union}
11/15 L @77-80 v Austin Peay (GLENN WILKES CLASSIC)
11/20 L 55-64 v NC State (GLENN WILKES CLASSIC @ Daytona Beach, FL)
11/21 W 63-59 v Drake (GLENN WILKES CLASSIC @ Daytona Beach, FL)
11/22 W 69-52 v Howard (GLENN WILKES CLASSIC @ Daytona Beach, FL)
They didn't have to play the top seed (Jackson State) on the way
to taking the conference tournament crown ... but that's not their fault. Handle the job that's in front of you. All five starters return from last year's losing team, led by bTerrance Calvin;
fLebaron Weathers has experience as well for young coach George Ivory's squad. (Reserve 6-6 fGavin Montgomery is the son
of the one and only Vic Bolton!)
In the weak Southwestern Athletic
,
Jackson State will battle Prairie View A&M
and the Lions' five returning starters for the title.
Get this -- they play their first fourten games on the road!!!
In league play, the big games are well spaced home-and-away across the schedule.
3 /16 [S17a] W 61-44 v # [S17b]Winthrop (NCAA PRELIMINARY PLAY-IN @ Dayton, OH)
3 /19 [S17a] L 44-73 v # [S1]Duke (NCAA POD @ Jacksonville, FL)
At the midpoint of conference play, the Red Wolves were alone in first place in the West (and overall). No one is having
a great season out of conference, though.
Two starters return from last year's losing team, led by bDonald Boone; fJeJuan Brown has experience
as well for coach John Brady's squad. (Replacing fEric McKinney and fShawn Morgan is the main task.)
In the dangerous Sun Belt, Western Kentucky
is the team to beat in the East (and overall) ahead of Troy; in the West,
five returning staters at both North Texas and Denver will battle
for the top spot.
(The Red Wolves were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, two big games in the first week of conference play could put them in an early hole.
Nothing special to recommend them other than a winning record, but with the total washout
of Holy Cross, winning games at all is worth more attention.
Four starters return from last year's losing team, led by tCleveland Richard and 5-11 gMarcus Nelson;
replacing fDoug Williams won't be a problem for still young coach Jim Crews.
In the weak Patriot
,
Holy Cross is the favorite with everyone else in rebuilding mode;
what's left at Navy will only spoil.
(The Cadets were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, their big games come on the road first.
They're not the first knock off Texas, but it's still a good enough win to warrant tracking this team
(and ranking them for this week, anyway).
Two starters return from last year's winning team, led by bLaceDarius Dunn; 5-11 pTweety Carter
has is a solid contributor as well; freshmen 6-5 bNolan Dennis and 6-9 fCory Jefferson should be ready
sooner rather than later for still young coach Scott Drew's squad. (Replacing bCurtis Jerrells, fKevin Rogers
and gHenry Dugat won't happen right away.)
In the strong Big 12, five returning starters make
Kansas the favorite for a sixth-straight regular season title;
fortified Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State
and Kansas State will all contend; Iowa State (featuring cCraig Brackins) can only spoil.
(The Bears were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, they have the tougher "South Division" schedule but at least they get Kansas
and Missouri at home.
2 / 3 (#16) W @84-63 v .Iowa St
2 / 6 (#16) L 71-@78 @ # .Texas A&M (TX)
2 /10 W 55-@53 @ .Nebraska
2 /13 W @64-62 v #14 .Missouri
2 /16 (#21) W @88-70 v .Texas Tech (TX)
2 /20 (#21) L 75-@82 @ # .Oklahoma St
2 /24 W @70-66 v #22 .Texas A&M (TX)
2 /27 W 70-@63 @ .Oklahoma
3 / 2 (#24) W 86-@68 @ .Texas Tech (TX)
3 / 6 (#24) W @92-77 v #21 .Texas (TX)
3 /11 [2b] W 86-67 v # .[6a]Texas (TX) (BIG 12 TOURNAMENT @ Kansas City, MO)
3 /12 [2b] L 75-@82 @ # .[2a]Kansas St (BIG 12 TOURNAMENT @ Kansas City, MO)
3 /18 [S3] W 68-59 v # [S14]Sam Houston St (TX) (NCAA POD @ New Orleans, LA)
3 /20 [S3] W 76-68 v # [S11]Old Dominion (NCAA POD @ New Orleans, LA)
3 /26 [S3] W 72-49 v # [S10]St Mary's (NCAA SOUTH REGIONAL @ Houston, TX)
3 /28 [S3] L @71-78 v # [S1]Duke (NCAA SOUTH REGIONAL @ Houston, TX)
Lookahere! Thanks to Jacksonville, there's a four-way tie for first place
(along with Lipscomb and Campbell).
Only one starter returns from last year's winning team for veteran coach Rick Byrd.
(Replacing the likes of bAlex Renfro, fMatthew Dotson, gAndy Wicke and tShane Dansby is essentially starting over completely
from scratch.)
Four starters return from last year's conference regular season tri-champs, led by tJonathan Tavernari and gJimmer Fredette;
gJackson Emery is a a solid support player as well for young coach Dave Rose's squad. (Replacing tLee Cummard is
a major task, however.)
A thoroughly dominant performance in winning LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS. Forget the grudge match loss at Utah State
and go from here. An excellent preseason has the Cougars the slight favorite in the league race now.
Four starters return from last year's winning team, led by the trio of tJohn Holland, gCorey Lowe and fJake O'Brien;
fScott Brittain is a solid contributor as well for coach new coach Pat Chambers (after Dennis Wolff was fired).
(Replacing tMatt Wolff won't be too hard for an experienced bench.)
In the weak America East
,
(after the implosion of the program at the SUNY-B [Binghamton] -- the dismissal of 6 players, the head coach
and the Athletic Director), the Terriers and Vermont are
now the conference favorites.
In league play, the biggest matchup comes on the road first.
***
11/13 L 73-@82 @ Iona
11/17 L @59-69 v Geo Washington
11/19 L 70-80 v # Kansas St (PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF @ San Juan, PR)
11/20 W 71-67 v Indiana (PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF @ San Juan, PR)
11/22 L 67-85 v # Georgia Tech (PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF @ San Juan, PR)
All five starters return from the three-time defending conference regular season champs, led by tGordon Hayward
and fMatt Howard; bWillie Veasley, gZach Hahn and gShelvin Mack are solid contributors as well
for young coach Brad Stevens' squad.
In the Horizon, the Bulldogs are the team to beat;
Wright State will only spoil.
In league play, meeting Wright State on the road first won't worry a veteran squad.
***
11/ 1 (#16) w @77-45 v {DePauw}
11/ 7 (#16) w @75-44 v {Taylor-IN} (IN)
11/14 (#16) W @73-62 v Davidson
11/18 (#16) W 67-@54 @ Northwestern
11/21 (#16) W 64-@60 @ Evansville (IN)
11/26 (#18) L 73-82 v #20 Minnesota (ANAHEIM CLASSIC @ Anaheim, CA)
The Bulldogs couldn't take advantage of a huge opportunity to step forward and legitimize their lofty national ranking.
"America's Team", "Media Darlings" -- whatever -- even beating UCLA gives little solace when lesser teams are beating
the Bruins by 20.
12/ 2 W 59-@38 @ Ball St (IN)
12/ 5 W @84-67 v .Valparaiso (IN)
12/ 8 L 65-72 v #17 Georgetown (JIMMY V CLASSIC @ New York, NY /MSG/)
fMatt Howard(9p6r;1/9fg) was thoroughly overmatched
against Georgetown's cGreg Monroe(24p15r) in the JIMMY V CLASSIC. At least, they salvaged
something from their disappointing preseason with a win over undermanned Bluegrass rival Ohio State.
tGordon Hayward did his part -- 24p8r in each game.
Thanks to the road wins at Wright State and Detroit, the Bulldogs have opened up a two-game gap on the league already
(the only team to do so this early in any conference nationwide). Keep it rolling 'cause their only chance at a name win
appears to be Northern Iowa in BRACKETBUSTERS (which ain't much).
There are too many teams around the country that are playing well (and, frankly, they didn't do enough themselves
in the preseason) to warrant Anti-Spoiler status, but an undefeated start with a two-game gap lead in a solid Mid-Major
should still get you a national ranking.
An undefeated run in conference play with a five-game gap has already clinched the regular season title.
They're now officially Anti-Spoilers this season. Take care of business in the conference tourney, boys.
2 /17 (#22) W @73-55 v .IL-Chicago
2 /20 (#22) W @70-53 v # Siena ([BB] BRACKETBUSTERS)
The Bulldogs turned it up in the second half to rout Siena. Don't trip up in the conference tourney,
and these ones should be Sweet 16-bound and maybe beyond.
Four starters return from last year's NCAA team, led by the trio of pJerome Randle, bPatrick Christopher
and fTheo Robertson; fJamal Boykin is a solid presence inside as well for veteran coach Mike Montgomery's squad.
(Height will be a problem with the departure of 7-0 cJordan Wilkes).
In another down year for the depleted Pac-10, the Bears have
the best combination of talent and experience, but they'll be challenged by young squads at Washington, Arizona and UCLA
and veteran/fortified Oregon State.
In league play, the big games are well spaced out on the schedule -- no advantage either way.
***
11/ 5 (#21) w @84-42 v {Chico St} (CA)
11/ 9 (#21) W @75-70 v # Murray St (COACHES VS CANCER CLASSIC)
- 29-30R;gJRandle(18p4a),[fTRobertson(14p6r)]
11/11 (#21) W @95-61 v Detroit (COACHES VS CANCER CLASSIC)
- 30/35FT,42-29R;gJRandle(22p;12/12ft),gTRobertson(22p1a),bPChristopher(18p5r)
/ 35%FG,4/18 3S
11/19 (#21) L 73-@95 @ # Syracuse (COACHES VS CANCER CLASSIC @ New York, NY /MSG/)
11/20 (#21) L 65-71 v #13 Ohio St (COACHES VS CLASSIC @ New York, NY /MSG/)
A disappointing showing in New York. You can blame some of it on the absence of fTheo Robertson, but even with him
there are serious issues in the paint offensively and defensively. pRandle can't do it all by himself.
11/24 W @79-47 v # Jacksonville
11/29 W @81-60 v Princeton
12/ 2 L 78-@86 @ # New Mexico
12/ 5 W @82-63 v # Iowa St (PAC-10/BIG 12 HARDWOOD SERIES)
12/ 9 W 79-@54 @ # Pacific (CA)
12/22 L 69-@84 @ #1 Kansas
12/28 W @85-51 v UT Valley (GOLDEN BEAR CLASSIC @ Berkeley, CA)
12/29 W @87-66 v # UC-Santa Barbara (CA) ([2vGOLDEN] BEAR CLASSIC @ Berkeley, CA)
The Bears share first place with Arizona at the midconference break. It's not saying much that nobody can seem
to separate themselves from the pack in such a down year for the conference.
Completing the season sweep of Arizona State gives the Bears a one-game lead with one game left, clinching
the Pac-10 title (their first conference title in 50 years)! Great job! Unfortunately, this BCS league is
only 1BC this year, so all they guaranteed themselves at this point is a trip to the NIT. Keep working.
3 / 6 W 71-@61 @ .Stanford (CA)
3 /11 [1] W @90-74 v .[8b]Oregon (PAC-10 TOURNAMENT @ Los Angeles, CA)
3 /12 [1] W 85-@72 @ .[5b]UCLA (PAC-10 TOURNAMENT @ Los Angeles, CA)
3 /13 [1] L @75-79 v # .[3]Washington (PAC-10 TOURNAMENT @ Los Angeles, CA)
3 /19 [S8] W 77-62 v # [S9]Louisville (NCAA POD @ Jacksonville, FL)
3 /21 [S8] L 53-68 v # [S1]Duke (NCAA POD @ Jacksonville, FL)
With Jacksonville gone bust, try this team as the standard-bearer for the leuage. Five starters return from last year's losing team, led by fJonathan Rodriguez,
for still young coach Robbie Laing.
At the midconference break, the Camels are in a three-way tie for first place; but there's no need to track
more than one team as the standard-bearer for this 1BC league, so go back
to Jacksonville after all.
1 /27 L 57-@72 @ # .E Tennessee St
1 /30 L @50-75 v # .Belmont
2 / 1 L @59-60 v # .Lipscomb
2 / 4 W 65-@47 @ .Stetson
2 / 6 w 64-@52 @ .{FL Gulf Coast}
2 /12 W @69-63 v .Mercer
2 /15 W @71-64 v .Kennesaw St
2 /17 w @66-46 v .{SC Upstate}
2 /19 W @79-57 v # .E Tennessee St
2 /25 L 52-@65 @ # .Jacksonville
2 /27 W 57-@49 @ .N Florida
3 / 4(2:30P) [1d] L 64-72 v # .[5]E Tennessee St (A-SUN TOURNAMENT @ Macon, GA /Mercer/)
The road rout of Louisville is just the punctuation mark on a fine (and unexpected) start
to the season.
Three starters return from last year's losing team, led by the backcourt duo pDiJuan Harris
and gIan Anderson; freshman 6-8 fChris Braswell should start immediately; so should
transfer 6-6 fShamari Spears (ex-Boston College) for veteran coach Bob Lutz' squad. (Replacing bLamont Mack
and fCharlie Coley III are the main task, but the return of several players who missed much of last year with injuries
should greatly add to the depth this year and ease the transition.)
In the Atlantic 10, Dayton will battle veteran squads
fortified with new/returning talent at La Salle (five returning starters) and Richmond
to establish supremacy.
(The 49ers were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, getting Dayton and La Salle on the road and Richmond twice is tougher
than it could have been.
12/ 8 (#18) w @94-52 v {Winston-Salem St} (NC)
12/12 (#18) W @95-66 v Gardner-Webb (NC)
12/20 (#23) W 57-@47 @ # Winthrop
12/23 (#23) L 48-@81 @ # Old Dominion
12/29 W @91-80 v Mercer
1 / 2 L @67-76 v # Georgia Tech
1 / 6 L 71-@88 @ # Tennessee
1 / 9 W @57-54 v .St Bonaventure
1 /13 L 74-@86 @ # .Xavier
1 /17 W @63-61(OT) v .St Louis
1 /20 W 71-@59 @ # .Richmond
1 /23 W 84-@82 @ .La Salle
1 /27 W @74-64 v #19 .Temple
1 /30 W 72-@58 @ .Massachusetts
2 / 3 W @72-68 v .Geo Washington
2 / 6 W 77-@72 @ .Fordham
2 /10 L 47-@75 @ # .Dayton
2 /17 L @77-83 v .Duquesne
2 /20 L @67-81 v # .Xavier
2 /24 W @95-58 v .St Joseph's
2 /27 L 70-@75 @ .Geo Washington
3 / 3 L 58-@80 @ # .Rhode Island
3 / 6 L @84-89(OT) v # .Richmond
3 / 9 [5b] L @56-59 v .[11a]Massachusetts (A-10 TOURNAMENT on-campus)
A preseason where they held their own and now a big-time win to start league play. That's enough to garner
a national ranking (this week, anyway). How quickly has this become freshman gLance Stephenson's stick?
Four starters return from last year's winning team, led by pDeonta Vaughn and fYancy Gates;
6-6 freshman superstar bLance Stephenson should make an immediate impact for still young coach Mick Cronin's squad.
(Replacing fMike Williams shouldn't be a problem.)
In the Big East, things are down from last year's heady heights
(three #1-seeds) but the league is still deep; Villanova is the favorite; the fortified Huskies
and Notre Dame as well as veteran West Virginia and Louisville
will all be right there to contend as well; revamped Seton Hall, Georgetown
and the Bearcats will only be good enough to spoil.
In league play, they double up with Connecticut, Notre Dame and South Florida -- tougher than
it could have been.
Midway through conference play, they're in a tie for ninth place. It's a tough conference, to be sure;
but there are too many decent teams out there to warrant tracking this one individually at this point.
2 /13 W 60-@48 @ # .Connecticut
2 /16 L 57-@65 @ .S Florida
2 /21 L @76-79(OT) v # .Marquette
2 /24 W @74-69 v .DePaul
2 /27 L 68-@74 @ #10 .W Virginia
3 / 2 L @73-77 v #6 .Villanova
3 / 6 L 47-@74 @ #13 .Georgetown
3 / 9 [11a] W 69-68 v .[14]Rutgers (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
3 /10 [11a] W 69-66 v # .[5b]Louisville (BG) (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
3 /11 [11a] L 51-54 v # .[2b]W Virginia (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
3 /17 [m2] W @76-62 v # [m7]Weber St (NIT on-campus)
3 /22 [m2] L @66-81 v # [m3]Dayton (OH) (NIT on-campus)
Continued solid play against quality opponents means it's time to stop holding their collapse
against Illinois against them.
Two starters return from last year's NCAA tournament team -- fTrevor Booker and pDemontez Stitt;
freshmen fMilton Jennings, tNoel Johnson and fDevin Booker (Trevor's younger brother) should all be ready to contribute
sooner rather than later for veteran coach Oliver Purnell's squad. (Replacing bK.C. Rivers, gTerrence Oglesby
and fRaymond Sykes is a lot to ask in one season but there's enough new talent coming in to eventually do the job.)
The rout win over North Carolina probably says more about UNC than it does about the Tigers,
but they'll take it just the same. Keep the roll going through this week and you might have something.
1 /19 (#14) L 64-@66 @ #16 .Georgia Tech
1 /23 (#14) L @47-60 v #3 .Duke
1 /26 (#18) L 69-@75 @ .Boston Col
1 /31 (#18) W @62-53 v # .Maryland
2 / 6 L 59-@70 @ # .Virginia Tech
2 /10 W @77-67 v # .Florida St
2 /13 W @74-66 v .Miami-FL
2 /20 W @72-49 v .Virginia
2 /24 L 79-@88 @ # .Maryland
2 /28 W 53-@50 @ # .Florida St
3 / 2 W @91-80 v # .Georgia Tech
3 / 7 L 65-@70 @ # .Wake Forest
3 /11 [5b] L 57-@59 @ .[9c]NC State (ACC TOURNAMENT @ Greensboro, NC)
3 /19 [E7] L 78-86 v # [E10]Missouri (NCAA POD @ Buffalo, NY)
The Chanticleers came through the first half of conference play in first place with a two-game gap lead. Clearly,
this team is the rightful standard-bearer for the league (despite the home loss
to second-place Radford). Five starters return from last year's losing team, led by cJoseph Harris;
reserve fAnthony Breeze is a solid contributor as well for veteran coach Cliff Ellis' squad.
In the weak Big South
,
Radford is the team to beat; UNC-Asheville, Gardner-Webb
and Winthrop can only spoil.
(The Chanticleers were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, January is loaded with four big games out of five in a row -- make or break time.
Three starters return from last year's winning team, led by gAndrew Goudelock; gTony White Jr. and reserve fJeremy Simmons
provide solid support as well for veteran coach Bobby Cremins' squad. (The loss of fJermaine Johnson and fDustin Scott
must be addressed somehow.)
It's back to regular 1BC-status
for the Southern
.
the Cougars are the favorites over five returning starters from upstart Wofford in the South (and overall);
in the North, five returning starters at Western Carolina and also at Appalachian State
will battle for the Division title.
In league play, the big games don't come until the middle of the schedule -- they could be on quite a roll by then.
***
11/ 7 w @94-92 v {SC-Aiken} (SC)
11/13 L 59-@70 @ # Co Carolina (SC)
11/17 W @69-57 v # Winthrop (SC)
11/25 L 71-@77 @ # E Tennessee St
11/27 L 69-@86 @ #19 Tennessee
12/ 3 W @68-59 v .Georgia So
12/ 5 W @67-55 v .Davidson
12/ 7 W 67-@64 @ .UNC-Greensboro
12/16 W @87-74 v Charleston So (Charleston,SC)
12/19 L 55-@94 @ # Clemson (SC)
12/22 L 71-@84 @ Hawaii (DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC @ Honolulu, HI)
12/23 W 72-71 v SMU (DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC @ Honolulu, HI)
12/25 L 63-66 v We Michigan (DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC @ Honolulu, HI)
A comeback win in overtime over North Carolina!!!??? Wow! Yeah, it probably says more
about the Tar Heels than it does about the Cougars, but they'll take it just the same! "Rain threes [13] and hustle"
was pretty much the formula. Sad truth, though, is that even that win (and a name win in BRACKETBUSTERS)
still wouldn't get them an at-large bid. Pure 1BC, baby.
Essentially at the midpoint of conference play, the Cougars are still undefeated with a two-game gap
over Western Carolina overall (and a three-game gap over Wofford in the South Division).
Their two biggest road games still remain, though (starting Monday).
1 /25 L 90-@100 @ .We Carolina
1 /28 L 71-@86 @ .Davidson
1 /30 W 90-@72 @ .Georgia So
2 / 4 W @86-74 v .Chattanooga
2 / 6 W @75-54 v .Samford
2 / 8 L @65-72 v .The Citadel (Charleston,SC)
2 /11 W @80-77 v .Elon
2 /17 W @73-72 v .Appalachian St
2 /20 W 85-@83 @ # Geo Mason ([BB] BRACKETBUSTERS)
Only two starters return from last year's Final Four team -- bJerome Dyson and fStanley Robinson; gKemba Walker
should make an easy transition from reserve to starter; freshmen 6-9 fAlex Oriakhi, 6-7 tJamal Coombs-McDaniel
and 6-2 gDarius Smith should all be ready to contribute immediately for veteran coach Jim Calhoun. (Replacing the likes
of 7-3 cHasheem Thabeet, pA.J. Price, fJeff Adrien and gCraig Austrie won't happen overnight.)
In the Big East, things are down from last year's heady heights
(three #1-seeds) but the league is still deep; Villanova is the favorite; the fortified Huskies
and Notre Dame as well as veteran West Virginia and Louisville
will all be right there to contend as well; revamped Seton Hall, Georgetown
and Cincinnati will only be good enough to spoil.
In league play (doubles: NotreDame, Louisville, Cincinnati), six tough games plus an extra game against
a spoiler team is tougher than most have it.
***
11/ 4 (#8) w @106-67 v {American International} (@ Hartford, CT)
11/ 8 (#8) w @88-50 v {MA-Lowell}
11/13 (#8) W @75-66 v William & Mary
11/16 (#9) (2n) W @77-63 v Colgate (NIT SEASON TIP-OFF @ Storrs, CT)
11/17 (#9) (2n) W @76-67 v (6n)Hofstra (NIT SEASON TIP-OFF @ Storrs, CT)
11/25 (#12) (2n) W 81-55 v (3s)LSU (NIT SEASON TIP-OFF @ New York, NY /MSG/)
11/27 (#12) (2n) L 59-68 v #7 Duke(1e) (NIT SEASON TIP-OFF @ New York, NY /MSG/)
12/ 2 (#18) W @92-64 v Boston U (@ Hartford, CT)
12/ 6 (#18) W @79-73 v Harvard
12/ 9 (#14) L @61-64 v #4 Kentucky (BIG EAST/SEC INVITATIONAL @ New York, NY /MSG/)
12/20 (#18) W @60-51 v C Florida (@ Hartford, CT)
12/22 (#17) W @71-54 v Maine (@ Hartford, CT)
12/27 (#17) W @93-74 v Iona (@ Hartford, CT)
12/30 (#11) L 69-@71 @ .Cincinnati
1 / 2 (#11) W @82-70 v # .Notre Dame (@ Hartford, CT)
1 / 6 (#23) W @71-63 v .Seton Hall
1 / 9 (#23) L 69-@72 @ #7 .Georgetown
1 /13 (#18) L @57-67 v #9 .Pittsburgh (@ Hartford, CT)
When it rains, it pours. Coach Jim Calhoun has had to take an indefinite leave of absence from the team for medical reasons.
Somehow the team was able to use that situation and come good with the huge win over top-ranked Texas
(behind 32p from bJerome Dyson). Like Tennessee, the issue now becomes can you take that
short-term emotional fortitude and make it last over the long haul?
1 /27 (#15) L 66-@81 @ .Providence
1 /30 (#15) L @68-70 v # .Marquette (@ Hartford, CT)
Jim Calhoun is back coaching again, but it may not be in time to salvage much. The regular season is a bust, which means
they'll get a tough draw in the conference tournament (and nothing short of winning the whole thing would probably
get them into the NCAAs at this point).
This shocking win at Villanova may be just enough just in time before this season became
a complete bust. Still gotta finish the regular season strong and go deep into the conference tournament to secure
an at-large bid, though.
2 /22 W @73-62 v #10 .W Virginia (@ Hartford, CT)
2 /28 L @76-78 v # .Louisville
3 / 3 L 50-@58 @ # .Notre Dame
3 / 6 L 68-@75 @ .S Florida
3 / 9 [11b] L 51-@73 @ .[13]St John's (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
3 /16 [e4] W @59-57 v [e5]Northeastern (NIT on-campus)
Five senior starters return from the two-time defending conference champs, led by fRyan Wittman, cJeff Foote
and gLouis Dale; fAlex Tyler provides quality support as well; plus, transfers fMark Coury (ex-Kentucky) and gMiles Asafo-Adjei
(ex-Massachusetts) could provide immediate depth for still young coach Steve Donahue.
In the weak Ivy League, the Big Red are the overwhelming favorites to pull off
the three-peat; five returning starters at Princeton will do well to spoil a run
at an undefeated conference season.
In league play, they should be on a serious roll before they have to face Princeton inside two weeks in February.
***
11/14 W 71-@67 @ Alabama
11/18 W 74-@61 @ Massachusetts (LEGENDS CLASSIC)
11/20 L @79-89 v Seton Hall
11/24 L 73-@88 @ #4 Syracuse (NY)
11/27 W 78-60 v Toledo (LEGENDS CLASSIC @ Philadelphia, PA)
11/28 W 67-59 v Vermont (LEGENDS CLASSIC @ Philadelphia, PA)
11/29 W 61-@54 @ Drexel (LEGENDS CLASSIC @ Philadelphia, PA)
12/ 2 W 104-@98(OT) @ Bucknell
12/ 6 W @78-66 v St Joseph's
12/20 W @91-88(OT) v Davidson (HOLIDAY FESTIVAL @ New York, NY /MSG/)
12/21 W @71-@66 @@ #11 St John's ([2@@HOLIDAY] FESTIVAL @ New York, NY /MSG/)
Fantastic job winning the HOLIDAY FESTIVAL over a very good St. John's team!!! This cohort has had
such a three-year run of success that they deserved to have some prize outside of league titles (like the few special groups
before them). They've done the undefeated league title thing once (but twice would be nice). All that remains is
the elusive NCAA splash win. (And this victory will help get their seeding up for a more manageable first-round opponent.)
Close only counts in horseshoes. They led Kansasat their place with 1 minute left,
but couldn't complete the deal. Nice effort (but with KU's losing its first game next time out, it makes it all seem
about their weakness rather than the Big Red's strength.) Oh, well. Put it behind you. Dominate in conference --
(undefeated is the goal) -- and build towards that elusive NCAA win at the end of the rainbow.
The shocking loss at Penn nearly caused a major problem on the national scene (and it still might). Fortunately,
the Big Red held on to win at Princeton to earn a tie atop the league standings.
(Had they gone two games down in the loss column, it would have been extremely difficult to make that up [and earn
the automatic NCAA bid that goes to the regular season champion] -- and that would have caused them to take an at-large bid
away from some other deserving team.) Whew!
The season sweeps of Harvard and Princeton have secured the conference championship
(and an automatic bid to the NCAAs). Probably not quite enough to garner a #12 seed, but if you can push the #1 team
in the land to the wire at their place, no reason you can't pull of a #13-#4 upset in the tournament (and why not a #13-#5
in Round 2!?)
3 / 5 W 95-@76 @ .Brown
3 / 6 W 79-@59 @ .Yale
3 /19 [E12] W 78-65 v # [E5]Temple (NCAA POD @ Jacksonville, FL)
3 /21 [E12] W 87-69 v # [E4]Wisconsin (NCAA POD @ Jacksonville, FL)
3 /25 [E12] L @45-62 v # [E1]Kentucky (NCAA EAST REGIONAL @ Syracuse, NY)
Three starters return from last year's co-regular season champs, led by gP'Allen Stinnett; bJustin Carter and cKenny Lawson
are solid contributors; reserve gKaleb Korver can shoot likes his brothers before him; JuCo transfer 6-6 fWayne Runnels
should start immediately and provide much needed inside power for veteran coach Dana Altman's squad.
(Replacing gBooker Woodfox is the main task.)
In the downgraded MVC, last year's co-regular season and tournament champ
Northern Iowa (with all five starters back) will battle the defending co-champ Bluejays
for the top spot; Illinois State will push them both but only spoil.
In league play, getting to play the biggest game at home right away could set them on their way.
***
11/ 4 w @94-69 v {Missouri We St}
11/ 8 w @93-77 v {NE-Omaha} (NE)
11/14 L 80-@90 @ #18 Dayton
11/17 W @78-53 v Florida A&M
11/22 W @80-65 v AR-Little Rock
11/26 L 76-83(OT) v #13 Michigan (ORLANDO CLASSIC @ Orlando, FL)
11/27 L 67-80 v # Xavier (ORLANDO CLASSIC @ Orlando, FL)
11/29 L 55-63 v Iona (ORLANDO CLASSIC @ Orlando, FL)
12/ 6 W @67-61 v # Nebraska (NE)
12/12 L 72-@75 @ Geo Mason
12/16 W @77-62 v Savannah St
12/19 L 61-@66 @ #19 New Mexico (MVC/MWC CHALLENGE)
As if an uninspiring preseason weren't enough reason, they got off to a 1-2 start in league play to boot
(including a home loss to Northern Iowa). No need to further track this team.
1 \ 6 v .Drake
1 / 9 L 58-@70 @ .Wichita St
1 \13 v .So Illinois
1 /16 W @57-56 v .Wichita St
1 /20 L 62-@71 @ .Illinois St
1 /24 W @76-72 v .Missouri St
1 \27 @ .Bradley
1 \30 @ .Drake
2 \ 3 v .Evansville
2 / 6 L 52-@70 @ .Missouri St
2 \ 9 v .Indiana St
2 /13 L @63-67 v .Illinois St
2 /16 L 52-@70 @ # .No Iowa
2 /20 W @78-58 v # Loyola-IL ([BB] BRACKETBUSTERS)
2 \23 @ .So Illinois
2 \27 v .Bradley
3 / 5 [4] L 62-81 v .[5a]Bradley (MVC TOURNAMENT @ St. Louis, MO)
Four starters return from last year's first-round splash, conference runners-up, led by fChris Wright; gMarcus Johnson is
a solid backcourt contributor; gLondon Warren and fChris Johnson are capable support players as well
for still young coach Brian Gregory's squad. (Replacing fCharles Little is not a major task.)
In the Atlantic 10, the Flyers will battle veteran squads fortified
with new/returning talent at La Salle (five returning starters) and Richmond
to establish supremacy.
In league play, they don't play the strongest teams until the second half -- they could be well in control by then.
***
11/ 3 (#18) w @88-73 v {Ferris St}
11/ 9 (#18) w @71-61 v {No Kentucky}
11/14 (#18) W @90-80 v Creighton
11/19 (#18) W 63-59 v # Georgia Tech (PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF @ San Juan, PR)
11/20 (#18) L 65-71 v #5 Villanova (PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF @ San Juan, PR)
11/22 (#18) L 75-83 v # Kansas St (PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF @ San Juan, PR)
A mixed result from PUERTO RICO. Beating Georgia Tech and staging a strong comeback against
Villanova are on the plus side; getting down 18 to Villanova and losing straight-up
to Kansas State are on the minus side. Depends on how you want to look at it, I suppose.
Three starters return from last year's Sweet 16, conference tournament champs, led by tKyle Singler and gJon Scheyer;
gNolan Smith, fLance Thomas and 7-1 cBrian Zoubek have experience; freshmen 6-10 fRyan Kelly and 6-10 fMason Plumlee
will provide a much needed inside presence for veteran coach Mike Krzyzewski's squad. (Replacing bGerald Henderson
is the major task; pGreg Paulus won't be missed.)
In league play, they get Georgia Tech twice in the first half, and young North Carolina twice
in the second half -- frankly, it'd be better if it were switched.
***
10/24 (#9) w @128-70 v {Pfeiffer}
11/ 3 (#9) w @84-48 v {Findlay}
11/13 (#9) W @96-62 v UNC-Greensboro (NC)
11/16 (#8) (1e) W @74-49 v # Co Carolina (NIT SEASON TIP-OFF @ Durham, NC)
11/17 (#8) (1e) W @101-59 v # (8e)Charlotte(NC) (NIT SEASON TIP-OFF @ Durham, NC)
11/21 (#8) W @104-67 v Radford
11/25 (#7) (1e) W 64-53 v (4w)Arizona St (NIT SEASON TIP-OFF FIRST FOUR @ New York, NY /MSG/)
11/27 (#7) (1e) W 68-59 v #12 Connecticut(2n) ([2v2:NIT T-O] SEASON TIP-OFF FIRST FOUR @ New York, NY /MSG/)
The Blue Devils passed an important test -- they handled a quality team that had more quickness than they do.
pJohn Scheyer is off to a great start to the season -- (a 10-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio earlier this week).
No need to overreact to an endplay road loss, but it's significant in that the loss at Wisconsin
was the Blue Devils' first ever in the ACC/BIG 10 CHALLENGE. UW matched up well: an athletic guard with good size
to defend gJon Scheyer(10p4a) and savvy big men who were more versatile than Duke's frontcourt.
12/15 (#8) W @113-68 v Gardner-Webb (NC)
- pJScheyer(38p9a8r)
12/19 (#8) W @76-41 v #14 Gonzaga (AP CLASSIC @ New York, NY /MSG/)
A brutally ugly game (from both teams) for most of the first half at AP, but the Blue Devils were eventually able
to settle down and get some smooth offense going while maintaining their defensive stranglehold
on Gonzaga (which had no players in double-figures, shot 28% from the floor (including
1-for-10 on three-pointers). It wasn't all Duke D, but much of it was.
Two squeak losses on the road aren't that big of a deal in the big picture (especially, when other teams are showing
even more vulnerability). Still, ... in both losses, it's dominant performances in the paint that they haven't been able
to contain. Such a consistent weak point is a worry in the long run.
A truly inexplicable loss -- and this wasn't a squeaker at the buzzer, either; they were beaten by N.C. State.
And the big three (bSingler[22p5r], gScheyer[21p], gSmith[18p]) all had solid games, they controlled the boards
38-23 and they shot plenty of free throws (25-for-33) ... AND STILL THEY LOST BY 14!!!.
That's worrisome in a way that you can't even put a finger on what to correct.
If you're vulnerable in the paint then Georgetown's cGreg Monroe (21p5r5a) isn't the guy
you want to face. But the Blue Devils couldn't stop the Hoyas at all -- 72% from the floor; 17 three-pointers.
Yikes!
2 / 4 (#8) W @86-67 v #20 .Georgia Tech
2 / 6 (#8) W 66-@63 @ .Boston Col
2 /10 (#8) W 64-@54 @ .N Carolina (NC)
2 /13 (#8) W @77-56 v # .Maryland
2 /17 (#6) W 81-@74 @ .Miami-FL
2 /21 (#6) W @67-55 v # .Virginia Tech
2 /25 (#5) W @70-52 v # Tulsa
2 /28 (#5) W 67-@49 @ .Virginia
3 / 3 (#4) L 72-@79 @ # .Maryland
3 / 6 (#4) W @82-50 v .N Carolina (NC)
3 /12 [1a] W @57-46 v .[9a]Virginia (ACC TOURNAMENT @ Greensboro, NC)
3 /13 [1a] W @77-74 v .[12]Miami-FL (ACC TOURNAMENT @ Greensboro, NC)
3 /14 [1a] W @65-61 v # .[7]Georgia Tech ([ACC] TOURNAMENT @ Greensboro, NC)
3 /19 [S1] W 73-44 v # [S17a]AR-Pine Bluff (NCAA POD @ Jacksonville, FL)
3 /21 [S1] W 68-53 v # [S8]California (NCAA POD @ Jacksonville, FL)
3 /26 [S1] W 70-57 v # [S4]Purdue (NCAA SOUTH REGIONAL @ Houston, TX)
3 /28 [S1] W 78-@71 @ # [S3]@Baylor (NCAA SOUTH REGIONAL @ Houston, TX)
4 / 3 [3/S1] W 78-57 v # [7/E2]W Virginia (NCAA FINAL FOUR @ Indianapolis, IN)
4 / 5 [3/S1] W 61-@59 @ # [20/W5]Butler ([NCAA] NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP @ Indianapolis, IN)
First the Bucs spoiled Jacksonville's bid to win the regular season outright,
then they became the ultimate spoilers, winning the conference tournament on the road in the final
against host Mercer. (And they did it without tMike Smith, who was out early on
with a knee injury.)
Two starters return from last year's conference tournament champs, led by tMike Smith; fIsiah Brown
has experience; so too for reserve bTommy Hubbard; newcomer 6-3 gJustin Tubbs should contribute sooner rather than later
for coach Murry Bartow's squad. (Replacing fKevin Tiggs, gCourtney Pigram and fGreg Hamlin is a major task.)
Welcome to the rankings! Not only did the Gators trounce a quality Florida State team
in their State Title rivalry game. But then they knocked off solid Michigan State on a neutral floor
and went on to take the LEGENDS CLASSIC. Excellent. The youngsters are well ahead of schedule.
Three starters return from last year's winning team, led by fAlex Tyus; fChandler Parsons
and fDan Werner have experience as well; reserve pErving Walker is a solid contributor as well; freshman 6-2 gKenny Boynton
will make an immediate impact and 6-10 Erik Murphy should be ready sooner rather than later for coach Billy Donovan's squad.
(Replacing bNick Calathes isn't possible. A completely new dynamic is in order.)
In the upgraded SEC, Kentucky is the overwhelming favorite
in the East (and overall); five returning starters at Tennessee
and Vanderbilt will contend for second place; veteran South Carolina (featuring pDevan Downey)
can only spoil.
(The young Gators were not expected to be a factor.)
In the West, a healthy Mississippi, veteran Mississippi State
and five returning starters at Arkansas will battle for the title; LSU (featuring fTasmin Mitchell) will only spoil.
In league play, at least the big early game with UK is at home, but the second half is loaded.
12/ 1 (#4) W @80-59 v Florida A&M (FL)
12/ 4 (#4) W 85-@67 @ # Jacksonville (FL)
12/10 (#5) L @73-85 v #3 Syracuse (SEC/BIG EAST CHALLENGE @ Tampa, FL)
12/19 (#9) L @53-56 v # Richmond (ORANGE BOWL CLASSIC @ Miami(Sunrise), FL)
Normally, a loss to Richmond in front of an ORANGE BOWL home crowd would have dropped the Gators
a lot more than three places in the rankings -- (and check back in a week, by the way) -- but the Spiders are actually
having a very solid season so far. Some softer opponents might be just what the doctor ordered at this point.
The one heady preseason win seems to be the anomaly in retrospect. The up and down results since then seem more in line
with what this team appears to be on paper. Still, they may be one of the few teams who can stop
Kentucky's bid for an undefeated season.
1 /12 L @77-89 v #2 .Kentucky
1 /16 W @72-58 v .LSU
1 /21 W 71-@66 @ .Arkansas
1 /23 W @58-56 v .S Carolina
1 /27 W @87-71 v .Georgia
1 /31 L 60-@61 @ #14 .Tennessee
2 / 4 W 66-@65 @ .Alabama
2 / 6 W @69-62 v # .Mississippi St
2 /10 L 71-@77 @ .S Carolina
2 /13 L @64-76 v # Xavier
2 /18 W @78-70 v .Auburn
2 /20 W 64-@61 @ # .Mississippi
2 /23 W @75-62 v #17 .Tennessee
2 /27(4P) L 76-@78 @ .Georgia
3 / 2 L @60-64 v #14 .Vanderbilt
3 / 7 L 66-@74 @ #3 .Kentucky
3 /11 [E4] W 78-69 v .[W4b]Auburn (SEC TOURNAMENT @ Nashville, TN /Vanderbilt/)
3 /12 [E4] L 69-75 v # .[W1a]Mississippi St (SEC TOURNAMENT @ Nashville, TN /Vanderbilt/)
3 /18 [E10] L 92-99(2OT) v # [E7]BYU (NCAA POD @ Oklahoma City, OK)
The pounding at the hands of Florida hurts, but the Seminoles rebounded nicely and came out victorious
in the solid ORLANDO CLASSIC. Nice job.
Three starters return from last year's NCAA team, led by 7-1 cSolomon Alabi; fChris Singleton
and bDerwin Kitchen have experience as well; freshman bMichael Snaer should make an immediate impact
for veteran coach Leonard Hamilton's squad. (Replacing bToney Douglas is an impossible task; fUche Echefu's contributions
will be easier to duplicate.)
In the loaded ACC, reloaded North Carolina will battle
veteran Duke for the top spot; Maryland, young Georgia Tech
and Clemson will only be able to spoil.
(The Seminoles were not expected to be a factor.)
Beating Jacksonville is no problem; winning at Florida or Ohio State (ACC/BIG 10) will be. ORLANDO (Michigan, Creighton,
Baylor, Marquette, Xavier, Alabama) is a big ask, even with home-crowd support.
In league play, the big games are well spaced across the schedule.
12/ 2 (#22) L 64-@77 @ #12 Ohio St (ACC/BIG 10 CHALLENGE)
The Seminoles would probably get more love if they could beat good teams by more than a few points here and there.
They've swept Georgia Tech by a grand total of two points (in regulation).
Nothing special the Hoyas did this week. Just the generally solid start while those around them are flopping.
Three starters return from last year's NIT team, led by cGreg Monroe; gChris Wright and gAustin Freeman
are solid contributors; freshman 6-6 fHollis Thompson should provide much needed help in the paint
for still young coach John Thompson III's squad. (Replacing fDaJuan Summers and gJessie Sapp is an issue for a team
without much depth.)
In the Big East, things are down from last year's heady heights
(three #1-seeds) but the league is still deep; Villanova is the favorite;
fortified Connecticut and Notre Dame
as well as veteran West Virginia and Louisville will all be right there to contend
as well; revamped Seton Hall, the Hoyas and Cincinnati will only be good enough to spoil.
In league play, a rough stretch to close the season could spell a collapse at the worst possible time.
12/ 8 (#17) W 72-65 v # Butler (JIMMY V CLASSIC @ New York, NY /MSG/)
12/12 (#17) W 74-66 v # Washington (JOHN WOODEN CLASSIC @ Anaheim, CA)
Two solid wins on the week: cGreg Monroe(24p15r) dominated
Butler's fMatt Howard(9p6r;1/9fg) at JIMMY V. Then, an impressive second half put away
Washington at JOHN WOODEN. (But the Hoyas know well that what matters is consistent performance
over the long haul.)
Normally, a home loss to Old Dominion would be a major cause for alarm, but the Monarchs are actually
having a solid season so far. Outside shooting is still a weak point for the Hoyas.
An awesome performance in routing Duke as the Hoyas shot 72% from the floor and hit 17
three-pointers. (Almost makes you forget their 14-0 start at Syracuse which turned into
a rout loss.
Forget the loss to South Florida and focus on the impressive runaway win over Villanova, instead.
The best center in the country, excellent guard play, all that's really missing is a power forward to help solidify
the paint.
The rout wins are impressive as you could want, but the pesky losses to no-account teams are more troublesome. Which team
are you ('cause you only get one chance to be the bad one come tournament time)?
2 /18 (#7) L @71-75 v #4 .Syracuse
2 /23 (#11) W 70-@60 @ # .Louisville
2 /27 (#11) L @64-78 v # .Notre Dame
3 / 1 (#13) L 68-@81 @ #11 .W Virginia
3 / 6 (#13) W @74-47 v .Cincinnati
3 /10 [7b] W 69-49 v .[9a]S Florida (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
3 /11 [7b] W 91-@84 @ # .[1]Syracuse (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
3 /12 [7b] W 80-57 v # .[5a]Marquette (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
3 /13 [7b] L 58-60 v # .[2b]W Virginia (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
3 /18 [M3] L 83-97 v # [M14]Ohio U (NCAA POD @ Providence, RI)
Three starters return from last year's losing squad, led by fTrey Thompkins; pDustin Ware has some experience
running the show for new coach Mark Fox (ex-Nevada). (Replacing tTerrance Woodbury is the biggest challenge.)
Two great efforts -- the grudge match win over a talented Georgia Tech team; and then they gave
Kentucky quite a scare on the road in its bid for an undefeated season.
Ever since the blowout loss at Missouri, the Dawgs have competed well against five quality opponents
and come away with two victories (including the shocking blowout of Tennessee). Maybe this guy Fox
can coach a little.
Three starters return from last year's losing season; gJoe Dukes and gTrae Goldston are solid contributors;
newcomer 6-9 fRashanti Harris should provide some much needed help on the boards for coach Rod Barnes. (The loss
of gLeonard Mendez and fRashad Chase won't be hard to handle.)
Returning starter 6-7 fTrey Hampton and reserves 6-4 gDante Curry, 6-10 fXavier Hansbro
and 6-6 fOusman Krubally provide experience, but not much else; hopefully, newcomers 6-10 tJames Vincent, 6-4 gMi'kyel Nero
and 6-8 fJamar Taylor can contribute sooner rather than later.
In the Colonial, five returning starters
at Old Dominion will battle with veteran squads at Northeastern
and Hofstra for the top spot, with the remnants of VCU only able to spoil.
(The Panthers don't figure to be in the mix even to spoil.)
In league play, lots of tough games come in January but at least most of them are at home.
***
11/ 3(7P) w @72-68 v {Shorter Col} (GA)
11/12 L 53-@69 @ NC State (GLENN WILKES CLASSIC)
- 2DF,37%FG,3/16 3S,6/12FT;[cOKrubally(14p10r),fXHansbro(13p9r),pJDukes(7p6a)]
/ 3/16 3S,26/35FT,9TO;cTSmith(18p11r;10/12ft),gJMays(16p;10/11ft),gDHorner(15p)
11/17(7P) w @77-53 v {Carver Bible Col}
11/20 L 58-65 v Drake (GLENN WILKES CLASSIC @ Daytona Beach, FL)
11/21 W 57-33 v Howard (GLENN WILKES CLASSIC @ Daytona Beach, FL)
11/22 L 56-67(OT) v IUPUI (GLENN WILKES CLASSIC @ Daytona Beach, FL)
11/25 W 59-52 v UT Valley (SOUTH ALABAMA THANKSGIVING TOURNAMENT @ Mobile, AL)
11/26 L 66-@70 @ S Alabama (SOUTH ALABAMA THANKSGIVING TOURNAMENT @ Mobile, AL)
11/30(7P) W @64-54 v # Jacksonville
12/ 5 W 49-@44 @ .James Madison
12/13 L 58-@60 @ Florida A&M
12/15 L 55-@62 @ # Florida St
12/19(4P) W @66-65 v Ea Michigan
12/22(7P) W @85-65 v Georgia So (GA)
1 / 2(6P) W @70-61 v .Towson
1 / 4(7P) L @57-72 v .Drexel
1 / 6 L 50-@57 @ .UNC-Wilmington
1 / 9(12N) L @54-66 v .Northeastern
1 /13 L 49-@52 @ .Geo Mason
1 /16(6P) L @69-82 v .VCU
1 /20(7P) W @79-74 v .UNC-Wilmington
1 /23 L 74-@76(OT) @ .Delaware
1 /28 L 40-@56 @ # .Old Dominion
1 /30 L 62-@78 @ .VCU
2 / 3(7P) W @61-57 v .Geo Mason
2 / 6(6P) L @56-59 v .William & Mary
2 /10 L 53-@62 @ .Northeastern
2 /13 L 69-@74(OT) @ .Towson
2 /16(7P) W @77-72 v .James Madison
2 /20(6P) W @67-52 v # SC State ([BB] BRACKETBUSTERS)
2 /23(7P) L @62-75 v # .Old Dominion
2 /27 L 74-@87 @ .Hofstra
3 / 5 [9b] L 67-68 v .[7]Hofstra (COLONIAL TOURNAMENT @ Richmond, VA /VCU/)
Four starters return from last year's losing team, led by cGani Lawal and pIman Shumpert; fZack Peacock has talent
and experience; tD'Andre Bell returns after spine surgery; freshman 6-10 fDerrick Favors is as good as it gets;
frosh 6-2 pMfon Udofia and 6-5 tGlen Rice Jr. (yes, that Glen Rice) have loads of talent as well;
(freshman 6-8 fKemmeon Holsey will redshirt while recovering from injury). It's a talented roster for coach Paul Hewitt,
but he needs to deliver a competitive season (i.e., one that includes postseason play) or it might be his last at Tech.
(There's enough new talent coming in to replace the contributions of gLewis Clinch and fAlade Aminu -- but stats are
one thing; wins are another.)
In the loaded ACC, reloaded North Carolina will battle
veteran Duke for the top spot; Maryland, the young Yellow Jackets
and Clemson will only be able to spoil.
In league play, a young squad may not be ready to handle big games in early January.
***
10/24(6P) - {Open Scrimmage}
11/ 8(5P) w @84-76(OT) v {Indiana U}
11/14(7P) W @100-59 v Florida A&M
11/19 L 59-63 v #18 Dayton (PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF @ San Juan, PR)
11/20 W 70-62 v Geo Mason (PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF @ San Juan, PR)
11/22 W 85-67 v Boston U (PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF @ San Juan, PR)
Talent on the roster, consistent performances in the preseason -- it all adds up to an eventual national ranking.
Not sure how much I really believe in this team over the long haul, but give them props for a solid win
at Charlotte.
A great win over Duke, but we can't forget about the disappointing loss
at Georgia. fGani Lawal (21p in both games) is having a fine season, leading
a more solid supporting cast than he has had in recent years.
Only one starter returns from last year's Sweet 16, conference regular season and tournament champs -- gMatt Bouldin;
reserve gSteven Gray saw plenty of action; gDememtri Goodson and 7-0 cRobert Sacre will be expected to step up in a major
way; freshman fMangisto Arop is expected to contribute right away for coach Mark Few's squad.
In the downgraded WCC, the 'Zags still should have enough to remain on top,
but they'll be pushed by five returning starters at Portland.
In league play, having to go on the road to Portland first might be a watershed moment in the WCC.
Surprise, surprise! Things aren't so gloomy in Spokane after all! The 'Zags looked just fine nearly upsetting
Michigan State on the road. cRobert Sacre was better than expected, and freshman 6-7 fElias Harris
was quite unexpected as a major contributor right away. (Same old flaw, though: they bail out with jump shots
on key possessions way too soon.)
11/23 (#16) W 76-72 v Colorado (MAUI INVITATIONAL @ Lahaina, HI)
11/24 (#16) W 74-61 v # Wisconsin (MAUI INVITATIONAL @ Lahaina, HI)
11/25 (#16) W 61-59(OT) v Cincinnati ([3:MAUI] INVITATIONAL @ Lahaina, HI)
Judging the cheap shot from fElias Harris aside, his ejection from the Wake Forest game revealed
how little depth the 'Zags actually have. That game turned completely around without him on the floor. Their athleticism
in the paint took a huge hit and Wake took control immediately.
12/ 9 (#15) w @79-40 v {Augustana-IL}
12/12 (#15) W @103-91 v Davidson (BATTLE IN SEATTLE @ Seattle, WA)
12/19 (#14) L 41-@76 @ #8 Duke (AP CLASSIC @ New York, NY /MSG/)
The 'Zags are lucky it's a strange week. No way a blowout loss to Duke should make you move up
in the rankings. (Don't worry, it won't last.) You might have expected Gonzaga to be more athletic up front
and have a push at big guard. Instead, they were thoroughly dominated -- 28% shooting (including 1-for-10
on three-pointers and no players in double-figures. Ugh.
12/28 (#18) W @94-52 v Ea Washington (WA)
12/31 (#18) W @83-69 v Oklahoma (RMH CLASSIC)
1 / 2 (#18) W 85-@83(OT) @ # Illinois (@ Chicago, IL)
Great win at St. Mary's. That should set them up for yet another regular season title -- (it would be their 10th straight
year with at least a share of first place).
The overtime loss at San Francisco means the Bulldogs have fallen back into a first-place tie with St. Mary's. The team
is once again in Anti-Spoiler position this season, so you don't want to see any surprise losses that could muck things up
at bid time.
Four starters return from last year's winning team, led by bR.J. Evans; fAndrew Keister is a solid contributor;
gAndrew Beinert and fEric Meister have experience as well for new head coach Sean Kearney
(former assistant at Notre Dame, after Ralph Willard left to become associate head coach
at Louisville). (Replacing fColin Cunningham shouldn't be too difficult.)
In the weak Patriot
,
the Crusaders are the favorite with everyone else in rebuilding mode; what's left at Navy will only spoil.
In league play, getting Navy at home first only makes their favorite status more secure.
***
11/ 2 w @79-67 v {Assumption}
11/13 L @77-87 v Harvard (MA)
11/17 L 67-@69 @ St Joseph's
11/20 L @73-76 v Loyola-IL
11/22 L 75-@92 @ # Rhode Island
11/25 L 59-@80 @ # UNLV
11/28 L 54-@64 @ We Michigan
11/30 W @68-56 v Marist
12/ 2 W 85-@79(OT) @ Brown
12/ 5 L @63-84 v Massachusetts (MA) (@ Worcester, MA)
The ultimate spoilers! The Cougars crashed the NCAA party with a surprise crown in the C-USA tourney.
Four starters return from last year's winning team, led by bAubrey Coleman; bKelvin Lewis
and fQa'rraan Calhoun are solid contributors as well for veteran coach Tom Penders' squad. (Replacing cMarcus Cousin
is the only worry.)
In downgraded Conference USA, the league is in danger of dropping
from Anti-Spoiler status
down to regular 1BC unless Tulsa
and what's left of Memphis can make some noise in the preseason; the Cougars will likely only spoil.
In league play, they only have to play Tulsa once (at home) -- not bad.
3 /19 [M13] L 77-89 v # [M4]Maryland (NCAA POD @ Spokane, WA)
Three starters return from last year's NCAA team, led by the trio of fMike Davis, 7-1 cMike Tisdale and pDemetri McCamey;
freshmen gD.J. Richardson and gBrandon Paul should provide needed firepower for coach Bruce Weber's squad.
(Replacing pChester Frazier and gTrent Meacham must be replaced, which could take time even with a talented newcomers.)
In league play (singles: @Michigan, vMinnesota), there are only eight big games but five of them
all come in a row at season's end -- good news and bad news.
***
10/30 (#23) w @95-67 v {Missouri So}
11/ 8 (#23) w @84-63 v {Quincy}
11/13 (#23) w @96-69 v {SIU-Edwardsville} (IL)
11/17 (#23) W @80-61 v No Illinois (IL)
11/21 (#23) w @94-48 v {Presbyterian} (LAS VEGAS-THANKSGIVING INVITATIONAL)
11/24 (#22) W @78-64 v # Wofford (LAS VEGAS-THANKSGIVING INVITATIONAL)
11/27 (#22) L 58-60 v Utah (LAS VEGAS-THANKSGIVING INVITATIONAL @ Las Vegas, NV /OHA/)
11/28 (#22) L 68-72 v Bradley (LAS VEGAS-THANKSGIVING INVITATIONAL @ Las Vegas, NV /OHA/)
An awesome comeback from down 22 points on the road to completely turn around the Clemson
game. Better still, they finished the job by winning the endplay. This year's squad is more athletic and shoots the ball
better as well. Sorely needed improvements.
12/ 8 W @79-68 v # Vanderbilt
12/13 W @88-53 v We Michigan
12/19 L 67-@70 @ Georgia (@ Duluth, GA /GWINNETT/)
12/23 L @68-@81 @@ # Missouri (BRAGGIN' RIGHTS @ St. Louis, MO)
Three starters return from last year's conference runner-up, led by fGrant Maxey; fGarrison Johnson and gRod Melvin
provide support as well for coach Tevester Anderson's squad. (Big shoes must be filled with the departure
of bDarrion Griffin and fJeremy Caldwell.)
In the weak Southwestern Athletic
,
the Tigers will battle Prairie View A&M
and five returning starters at Arkansas-Pine Bluff for the title.
In league play, the first big road game isn't until February -- they could be in control of the race by then.
11/ 5 w @70-40 v {Millsaps}
11/10 w @72-47 v {Miles}
11/13 L 53-@82 @ # Memphis
11/17 L 69-@86 @ Alabama
11/21 L 61-@62 @ Stephen F Austin
11/24 L 58-@68 @ # N Texas
12/ 1 L @68-79 v Stephen F Austin
12/ 5 L @55-77 v SE Louisiana
12/15 L 60-@90 @ # Baylor
12/17 L 39-@92 @ #25 Tulsa (LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC)
12/19 L 41-@57 @ Nebraska (LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC)
A winless preseason is as bad as it gets. No other conferencemate is having a particular strong start, either; but anyone
else must be better than these ones. Try Texas Southern for now.
12/22 L 62-71 v Wagner (LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC @ Las Vegas, NV /OHA/)
12/23 W 72-67 v Ea Washington (LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC @ Las Vegas, NV /OHA/)
Four starters return from last year's regular season champs, led by gBen Smith; fLehmon Colbert and fAyron Hardy are
solid contributors as well for young coach Cliff Warren's squad. (Replacing fMarcus Allen will be done by committee.)
Only one win in the preseason, and already two early losses in conference means this is the wrong team
to track as the standard-bearer for the league. Try Campbell instead.
12/29 W @83-73 v Buffalo (UCF HOLIDAY CLASSIC @ Orlando, FL)
12/30 W 61-@51 @ C Florida ([2@UCF] HOLIDAY CLASSIC @ Orlando, FL)
The Stumblin' Down home loss to East Tennessee State results in a four-way tie for first place
(along with Campbell, Belmont
and Lipscomb; with ETSU one game back in fifth place).
3 / 3(9P) [1b] W @76-69 v .[7]N Florida (A-SUN TOURNAMENT @ Macon, GA /Mercer/)
3 / 5(9P) [1b] L 63-@66 @ .[6]Mercer (A-SUN TOURNAMENT @ Macon, GA /Mercer/)
Great news! They received the automatic bid to the NCAA as the Atlantic Sun representative after all (despite not being
the top seed in the conference tournament).
3 /16 [w8] W 67-@66 @ [w1]Arizona St (NIT on-campus)
3 /20 [w8] L 64-@69 @ [w5]Texas Tech (NIT on-campus)
All five starters return from last year's Sweet 16, five-time defending regular season champs,
the inside-outside duo of cCole Aldrich and pSherron Collins; pTyshawn Taylor is a solid contributor; bMario Little,
gBrady Morningstar and twins fMarcus Morris and fMarkieff Morris all have experience; freshmen 6-6 gXavier Henry,
6-8 fThomas Robinson and 6-2 gElijah Johnson are all good enough to start immediately for coach Bill Self's squad.
(There weren't enough minutes to go around last year -- team chemistry is the only thing that could derail
this juggernaut.)
In the strong Big 12, the Jayhawks' five returning starters make them
the favorites for a sixth-straight regular season title; fortified Texas,
Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State will all contend;
Iowa State (featuring cCraig Brackins) can only spoil.
In league play, they always get the easier "North Division" schedule, but only one big game is at home.
As if that weren't enough, they're essentially playing at home in the conference tournament.
***
11/ 3 (#2) w @107-68 v {Ft Hays St}
11/10 (#2) w @103-45 v {Pittsburg St}
11/13 (#2) W @101-65 v Hofstra
11/17 (#1) W 57-55 v # Memphis (HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE @ St. Louis, MO)
11/19 (#1) W @94-44 v C Arkansas (HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE)
11/25 (#1) W @89-59 v # Oakland (HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE)
11/27 (#1) W @112-75 v Tennessee Tech ([:3vHOF-A] HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE)
Only one loss on the week officially, but they deserved two. Cornell had the Jayhawks down,
but gSherron Collins(33p;13/14ft) saved the day. He couldn't quite duplicate that (22p5a)
at depleted Tennessee. For all their supposed depth, they're a three-man team (pCollins, bXavier Henry
and cCole Aldrich) when push comes to shove.
Midway through conference play, the Jayhawks are undefeated with a three-game gap lead. Yeah, they've got
the easier "North Division" schedule, but Texas, in particular, has failed do its part in the league race.
Not the worst thing in the world to lose a (meaningless) road game against a tough opponent this late in the season.
They've already clinched a share of their SIXTH STRAIGHT REGULAR SEASON TITLE -- impressive, to say the least.
They're a lock for a #1-seed in the NCAAs barring injury. Just fine tune and collect the conference tournament hardware
that's rightfully yours.
3 / 3 (#2) W @82-65 v #5 .Kansas St
3 / 6 (#2) W 77-@56 @ #19 .Missouri
3 /11 [1] W @80-68 v .[9a]Texas Tech (BIG 12 TOURNAMENT @ Kansas City, MO)
- 2000 wins all-time for KU basketball
3 /12 [1] W @79-66 v # .[2c]Texas A&M (BIG 12 TOURNAMENT @ Kansas City, MO)
3 /13 [1] W @72-@64 @@ # .[2a]Kansas St (KS) ([vBIG 12] TOURNAMENT @ Kansas City, MO)
3 /18 [M1] W @90-74 v # [M16]Lehigh (NCAA POD @ Oklahoma City, OK)
3 /20 [M1] L @67-69 v # [M9]No Iowa (NCAA POD @ Oklahoma City, OK)
Beating Dayton was huge. That win will look great at season's end -- and it's not bad right now
since the Flyers were playing well.
Four starters return from last year's winning team, led by the solid backcourt of gDenis Clemente
and gJacob Pullen; fDominque Sutton and fLuis Colon have experience as well; freshman 6-9 fWally Judge should contribute
immediately and freshman 6-4 gRodney McGruder will be ready sooner rather than later for young coach Frank Martin's squad.
(Replacing fDarren Kent is no big deal.)
In the strong Big 12, five returning starters make
Kansas the favorite for a sixth-straight regular season title;
fortified Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and the Wildcats
will all contend; Iowa State (featuring cCraig Brackins) can only spoil.
In league play, they get the easier "North Division" schedule, plus two out of three "South" powers at home -- as good
as you could ask.
11/28 (#23) W @70-57 v IUPUI (K-STATE HOLIDAY CLASSIC @ Kansas City, MO)
12/ 1 (#25) w @83-76 v {Ft Hays St}
12/ 5 (#25) W @86-69 v # Washington St (BIG 12/PAC-10 HARDWOOD SERIES)
12/ 8 (#23) W @71-56 v # Xavier
12/12 (#23) W 95-@80 @ #19 UNLV (@ Las Vegas, NV /OHA/)
The backcourt of bJacob Pullen and pDenis Clemente combined for 50p
against previously unbeaten UNLV. (And the home rout of Xavier is a nice result as well.)
The Wildcats performed so solidly against Texas that the game didn't even feel like an upset
as it played out. But the win went to their heads and they couldn't hold serve on their home turf
against Oklahoma State. No rest for the weary in this league.
1 /26 (#11) W 76-@74 @ # .Baylor
1 /30 (#11) L @79-81(OT) v #2 .Kansas
2 / 2 (#9) W 76-@57 @ .Nebraska
2 / 6 (#9) W 79-@75 @ .Iowa St
2 /13 (#9) W @68-51 v .Colorado
2 /17 (#8) W @91-87 v .Nebraska
2 /20 (#8) W 83-@68 @ .Oklahoma
2 /23 (#7) W 83-@64 @ .Texas Tech
2 /27 (#7) W @63-53 v #12 .Missouri
3 / 3 (#5) L 65-@82 @ #2 .Kansas
3 / 6 (#5) L @82-85(OT) v .Iowa St
3 /11 [2a] W @83-64 v # .[6b]Oklahoma St (BIG 12 TOURNAMENT @ Kansas City, MO)
3 /12 [2a] W @82-75 v # .[2b]Baylor (BIG 12 TOURNAMENT @ Kansas City, MO)
3 /13 [2a] L @64-@72 @@ # .[1]Kansas (KS) (BIG 12 TOURNAMENT @ Kansas City, MO)
3 /18 [W2] W @82-62 v # [W15]N Texas (NCAA POD @ Oklahoma City, OK)
3 /20 [W2] W @84-72 v # [W7]BYU (NCAA POD @ Oklahoma City, OK)
3 /25 [W2] W 101-96(2OT) v # [W6]Xavier (NCAA WEST REGIONAL @ Salt Lake City, UT)
3 /27 [W2] L 56-63 v # [W5]Butler (NCAA WEST REGIONAL @ Salt Lake City, UT)
It's the first year of full eligibility in Division-I for the postseason for the Owls. Five starters return from last year's losing team, led by tJon-Michael Nickerson;
gKevin McConnell and gKurtis Woods provide solid support as well for coach Tony Ingle.
Tied for first place (with Central Michigan) at the midconference break and a solid overall record is reason enough
to track this team individually.
Two starters return from last year's winning team -- bChris Singletary and fAnthony Simpson;
gTyree Evans and cBrandon Parks have experience as well for young coach Geno Ford's squad. (Replacing gAl Fisher
and fJrdan Mincy is a tough task.)
In the weak Mid-American
,
Akron will battle Buffalo (featuring bRodney Pierce) for the top spot in the East (and overall);
in the West, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan (featuring bDavid Kool) will fight it out
for the division title.
(The Golden Flashes were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, their first three big games are at home -- that should put them off to a great start.
2 /10 W @76-42 v .Ball St (BG)
2 /13 L 55-@70 @ .Buffalo
2 /17 W @74-67 v # .Ohio U (OH)
2 /20 W @74-72 v # We Carolina ([BB] BRACKETBUSTERS)
2 /24 W 75-@69 @ .Bowling Green (OH)
2 /27 W @66-58 v .Miami-OH (OH)
3 / 5 W 74-@61 @ .Akron (OH)
3 /11 [1] L @64-@81 @@ # .[9]@Ohio U (OH) (MAC TOURNAMENT @ Cleveland, OH)
3 /17 [m4] W @75-74 v # [m5]Tulsa (NIT on-campus)
3 /22 [m4] L 58-@75 @ # [m1]Illinois (NIT on-campus)
The unceremonious dismissal of the former coach (Billy Gillispie); the NCAA's vacating of all wins from national runner-up
season two years ago at the former school of the new coach (Memphis 2007-08 under John Calipari);
the unfortunate coincidence that the NCAA also vacated all wins at a former school of the new coach the only other time
he took a team to the Final Four (Massachusetts 1995-56 under John Calipari) -- it's all fodder for distraction,
but don't count on it affecting the on-court results.
Three starters return from last year's winning team, led by fPatrick Patterson; fPerry Stevenson
has experience; but it's the nation's most talented crop of newcomers that are the story: JuCo transfer 6-7 gDarnell Dodson,
freshmen 6-4 gJohn Wall, 6-11 fDeMarcus Cousins, 6-6 gJon Hood, 6-1 gEric Bledsoe and 6-10 fDaniel Orton are all good enough
to start immediately for new coach John Calipari. (Replacing gJodie Meeks would be a huge task in any other season
but this one.)
In the upgraded SEC, the loaded Wildcats are the overwhelming favorites
in the East (and overall); five returning starters at Tennessee
and Vanderbilt will contend for second place; veteran South Carolina (featuring pDevan Downey)
can only spoil. In the West, a healthy Mississippi, veteran Mississippi State
and five returning starters at Arkansas will battle for the title; LSU (featuring fTasmin Mitchell) will only spoil.
In league play, more big games come in the second half -- a bonus for a young squad which needs time
to gel.
***
11/ 2 (#3) w @74-38 v {Campbellsville}
11/ 6 (#3) w @117-52 v {Clarion} (KY)
11/13 (#3) W @75-59 v Morehead St (KY)
11/16 (#2) W @72-70 v Miami-OH (BG)
11/19 (#2) W @102-92 v # Sam Houston St (CANCUN CHALLENGE)
11/21 (#2) W @92-63 v Rider (CANCUN CHALLENGE)
11/24 (#2) W 73-49 v Cleveland St (BG) (CANCUN CHALLENGE @ Cancun, MEXICO)
11/25 (#2) W 73-65(OT) v Stanford ([2v2:CANCUN] CHALLENGE @ Cancun, MEXICO)
It's getting to be time for the 'Cats to start focusing on defense and offensive execution rather than relying
on their considerable individual talent. No way this team has any business going into overtime
against lowly Stanford.
11/30 (#8) W @94-57 v UNC-Asheville (@ Louisville, KY)
After taking North Carolina's first hit and trailing 2-9 to start the game, the Wildcats adjusted
to the jump in talent level of their opponent and responded with a spectacular 28-2 run to take control.
Credit the Tar Heels for fighting their way back on the road to make this an endplay result, but UK showed just how good
it can be in that stretch.
12/ 9 (#4) W 64-@61 @ #14 Connecticut (SEC/BIG EAST INVITATIONAL @ New York, NY /MSG/)
A familiar pattern is developing: a brilliant streak of end-to-end play, followed by a lull where they let the opponent
back in the game, then they have to come through with clutch execution at the endplay. Relying on Superman (bJohn Wall)
to rescue you in the nick of time is a formula for a snake-bite upset in the NCAAs.
12/19 (#4) W @90-69 v Austin Peay
12/21 (#4) W @88-44 v Drexel
- 2000 wins all-time for UK basketball
By the time the Arkansas game came along, the Wildcats were already the only unbeaten team left in the country. Gotta love
how they responded. This team might just be so young it won't feel the full effect of the pressure of going undefeated.
(Plus, it helps that the league is still down from where it should be. Even so, there's still a few tricky road games left
that could trip them up.)
Successfully escaping two big road games with wins is excellent. We know you can win blowouts, but winning
squeakers in tougher environments than they'll face in the NCAAs is exactly what you're looking for.
They're the most explosively talented team around. As long as they can negotiate the early rounds without being snakebit,
they'll do better against the Big Boys.
The loss at Tennessee isn't overly troubling except for the 2-for-23 three-point shooting.
Don't forget, they won't face anything in the postseason that remotely resembles a hostile crowd (because the Wildcat Nation
travels). Finish the job in conference, earn the #1 seed that's rightfully yours and go all in.
3 / 3(8P) (#3) W 80-@68 @ .Georgia
3 / 7 (#3) W @74-66 v # .Florida
3 /12 [E1] W 73-67 v .[W4a]Alabama (SEC TOURNAMENT @ Nashville, TN)
At the midconference break, the Mountain Hawks are tied for first place with Lafayette, but they're clearly the strongest
team that should be the proper standard-bearer for the league.
Four starters return from last year's winning team, led by fZahir Carrington; 5-11 bMarquis Hall
is a solid contributor as well for young coach Brett Reed's squad. (Replacing cPhil Anderson is the main task.)
In the weak Patriot
,
Holy Cross is the favorite with everyone else in rebuilding mode;
what's left at Navy will only spoil.
(The Mountain Hawks were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, more big games are on the road in the first half of the season -- not ideal.
2 / 6 W 77-@65 @ .American
2 /10 L @78-85 v .Navy
2 /13 W @78-66 v .Army
2 /17 W 91-@81 @ .Colgate
2 /21 L 75-@90 @ .Lafayette (PA)
2 /24 W @81-59 v .Bucknell (PA)
2 /27 W @91-80 v .Holy Cross
3 / 3 [1] W @64-45 v .[8]Army (PATRIOT TOURNAMENT on-campus)
3 / 7 [1] W @79-57 v .[4a]American (PATRIOT TOURNAMENT on-campus)
3 /12 [1] W @74-59 v # .[3]Lafayette (PA) ([vPATRIOT] TOURNAMENT on-campus)
3 /18 [M16] L 74-@90 v # [M1]@Kansas (NCAA POD @ Oklahoma City, OK)
Lookahere! Thanks to Jacksonville, there's a four-way tie for first place
(along with Belmont and Campbell).
Four starters return from last year's winning team, led by fAdrian Hodzic; bJosh Slater is
a solid contributor as well; fBrandon Brown and fMichael Teller also have experience
for still young coach Scott Sanderson's squad. (Replacing gMichael Lusk won't be a difficult task.)
Kind of a raw deal: the automatic bid to the NIT went to Jacksonville
instead of the Bisons (even though Lipscomb was the top seed for the conference tournament). LU gets nada.
Four starters return from last year's conference runners-up, led by the trio of fT.J. Robinson, tLarry Anderson
and gStephan Gilling, for coach Dan Monson. (Replacing gDonovan Morris is the top priority.)
In the weak Big West
,
the 49ers will battle rebuilding squads at UC-Santa Barbara, Cal State-Northridge
as well as improving UC-Davis for the top spot.
In league play, the big games are well spaced across the schedule.
***
11/14 w @86-65 v {AK-Anchorage}
11/17 W 67-@58 @ Pepperdine (CA)
11/19 L 62-@82 @ #11 Notre Dame
11/21 W 81-@69 @ WI-Green Bay
11/26 L @62-85 v #14 W Virginia (ANAHEIM CLASSIC @ Anaheim, CA)
11/27 L @79-87 v # Clemson (ANAHEIM CLASSIC @ Anaheim, CA)
11/29 W @79-@68 @ UCLA (ANAHEIM CLASSIC @ Anaheim, CA)
It's been apparent for some time that this wasn't the proper team to represent the league; but it took until the midpoint
of conference play to determine that the rightful standard-bearer should be Pacific.
2 \ 4 v .Cal St-Fullerton (CA)
2 / 6 W @65-51 v .Cal St-Northridge (CA)
2 \11 @ .Cal Poly-SLO (CA)
2 /13 L 62-@64 @ # .UC-Santa Barbara (CA)
2 /17 L @52-74 v # .Pacific (CA)
2 /20 W 77-@66 @ # Idaho ([BB] BRACKETBUSTERS)
2 /25 W 68-@65 @ .UC-Davis (CA)
2 /27 L 51-@61 @ # .Pacific (CA)
3 \ 5 v .UC-Riverside (CA)
3 /11 [3a] W @79-69 v .[6]Cal Poly-SLO (CA) (BIG WEST TOURNAMENT @ Anaheim, CA)
3 /12 [3a] W @68-61 v # .[1b]Pacific (CA) (BIG WEST TOURNAMENT @ Anaheim, CA)
3 /13 [3a] L @64-@69 @@ # .[1a]@UC-Santa Barbara (CA) (BIG WEST TOURNAMENT @ Anaheim, CA)
Four starters return from last year's winning team, led by tDana Smith and gKevin Swecker; fAntwan Carter and pDurann Neil
provide solid support as well; newcomer Aaron Mitchell should contribute right away for coach Mike Gillian's squad.
Among the remaining weak Independents, the Lancers are the class of the group;
{SIU-Edwardsville}, {Seattle} and {Cal State-Bakersfield} have enough talent
to avoid being complete flops, but that's about it.
In league play, the first three games against Division-I Independents are on the road.
***
11/13 L 72-@85 @ Virginia (VA)
11/15 L @76-79 v Navy
11/17 L 59-@68 @ # Old Dominion (VA) (SOUTH PADRE ISLAND INVITATIONAL)
11/20 L 61-@72 @ Columbia
11/24 L 52-@65 @ # Richmond (VA) (SOUTH PADRE ISLAND INVITATIONAL)
11/27 L 62-66 v Bethune-Cookman (SOUTH PADRE ISLAND INVITATIONAL @ South Padre Island, TX)
11/28 L 70-74 v Chattanooga (SOUTH PADRE ISLAND INVITATIONAL @ South Padre Island, TX)
The Lancers' 3-2 record against Independents rates better than Seattle's 1-0,
so declare them the official "Independent Champion" for the year (in spite of their much lower overall rating).
It's clear that this team is the rightful standard-bearer for the league.
Three starters return from last year's losing squad, led by bKyle Gibson and cMagnum Rolle;
gJamel Guyton is a solid contributor as well; 5-11 JuCo transfer pDeAndre Brown should make an immediate impact
for young coach Kerry Rupp. (Replacing gJames Loe is not a big deal).
In the WAC, Nevada has the best player
and will battle with veteran squads at New Mexico State (with five returning starters), Idaho
and what's left at defending TiTo champ Utah State;
Boise State is good enough to spoil.
(The Bulldogs were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, three of four big games in the first half are at home -- great for a young squad.
1 /30 L @77-91 v # .New Mexico St
2 / 4 W @71-64 v .San Jose St
2 / 8 L 68-@70 @ # .New Mexico St
2 /13 W @66-60 v .Hawaii
2 /17 L 61-@67 @ # .Utah St
2 /20 W 70-@67 @ # Northeastern ([BB] BRACKETBUSTERS)
2 /25 L @59-72 v .Boise St
2 /27 W @60-49 v .Idaho
3 / 4 L 59-@66 @ .Fresno St
3 / 6 L 68-@79 @ .Nevada
3 /11 [4] W 74-66 v .[5]Fresno St (WAC TOURNAMENT @ Reno, NV /Nevada/)
3 /12 [4] L 55-85 v # .[1]Utah St (WAC TOURNAMENT @ Reno, NV /Nevada/)
Off-court scandal surrounding the personal life of coach Rick Pitino will be a tabloid distraction, but shouldn't affect
things on-court very much.
Only two starters return from last year's Elite Eight,
conference TiTo regular season and tournament champs -- gEdgar Sosa
and gJerry Smith; reserves fSamardo Samuels and fTerrence Jennings are solid contributors; gPreston Knowles provides
experience in the backcourt; freshmen 5-11 pPeyton Siva and 6-8 fRakeem Buckles should make an impact
sooner rather than later for veteran coach Rick Pitino.
In the Big East, things are down from last year's heady heights
(three #1-seeds) but the league is still deep; Villanova is the favorite;
fortified Connecticut and Notre Dame as well as the veteran Mountaineers
and Louisville will all be right there to contend as well; revamped Seton Hall,
Georgetown and Cincinnati will only be good enough to spoil.
\
In league play (doubles: Connecticut, Syracuse, St John's), three of five big games are at home
and no extras against spoilers is as good as anybody has it.
***
10/28 (#15) w @80-68 v {Georgetown Col} (KY)
11/ 4 (#15) w @88-65 v {Bellarmine}
11/17 (#15) W 96-66 v Arkansas (HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE @ St. Louis, MO)
11/21 (#15) W @69-56 v # E Tennessee St (HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE)
11/22 (#15) W @90-81 v # Morgan St (HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE)
11/23 (#15) W @80-53 v Appalachian St ([:3vHOF-B] HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE)
The wheels have really come off after two shocking home losses. Bad news is that this year's squad is thin on talented
depth. Worse news is that the fate of the season rests in the sometime strained relationship between Rick Pitino
and pEdgar Sosa.
12/16 W @94-57 v Oral Roberts
12/19 W @102-75 v We Kentucky (KY) (BILLY MINARDI CLASSIC @ Louisville, KY)
One of their poorest performances all season (the rout loss at St. John's)
was followed by one of the best performances all season (the upset win at top-ranked Syracuse).
Go figure
2 /17 W @91-89(2OT) v # .Notre Dame (BG)
2 /20 W 68-@59 @ .DePaul
2 /23 L @60-70 v #11 .Georgetown
2 /28 W 78-@76 @ # .Connecticut
3 / 2 L 48-@69 @ # .Marquette
3 / 6 W @78-68 v #1 .Syracuse
3 /10 [5b] L 66-69 v .[11a]Cincinnati (BG) (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
3 /19 [S9] L 62-77 v # [S8]California (NCAA POD @ Jacksonville, FL)
Past the midpoint of conference play, the Golden Eagles are still in the upper half of the standings. Gotta track 'em,
like it or not.
Only one starter returns from last year's first-round splash team -- tLazar Hayward;
6-3 JuCo transfer gDwight Buycks should make an immediate impact; freshmen 6-6 fJeronne Maymon and 6-1 gJunior Cadougan
should contribute sooner rather than later for young coach Buzz Williams' squad. (Replacing the cohort of bJerel McNeal,
bWesley Matthews and pDominic James isn't possible.)
In the Big East, things are down from last year's heady heights
(three #1-seeds) but the league is still deep; Villanova is the favorite;
fortified Connecticut and Notre Dame
as well as veteran West Virginia and Louisville will all be right there
to contend as well; revamped Seton Hall, Georgetown
and Cincinnati will only be good enough to spoil.
(The Golden Eagles were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, four straight big games (including Villanova twice) right from the start is a tough way
to begin conference play.
2 /24 W 63-@61(OT) @ .St John's
2 /28 W 84-@83(OT) @ .Seton Hall
3 / 2 W @69-48 v # .Louisville
3 / 6 L @60-63(OT) v # .Notre Dame
3 /10 [5a] W 57-@55 @ .[13]St John's (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
3 /11 [5a] W 80-76 v # .[2a]Villanova (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
3 /12 [5a] L 57-80 v # .[7b]Georgetown (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
3 /18 [E6] L 78-80 v # [E11]Washington (NCAA POD @ San Jose, CA)
The surprising Terrapins are tied for first place at the midconference break. Good on 'yas, then.
Sweeping Florida State and routing North Carolina
are their best results.
Four starters return from last year's NCAA first-round splash team, led by tGreivis Vasquez;
fLandon Milbourne is a solid contributor as well; gEric Hayes also has experience; 6-9 freshman fJordan Williams
should contribute sooner rather than later for veteran coach Gary Williams' squad. (Replacing fDave Neal shouldn't be
a problem.)
The wins over Clemson and at Virginia Tech have secured second place
in the league race (and probably an NCAA bid as well) for the Terps. pGreivis Vasquez' 41p6a7r performance
against VT took 33 shot attempts to produce, though.
3 / 3 W @79-72 v #4 .Duke
3 / 6 W 74-@68 @ .Virginia
3 /12 [1b] L 64-69 v # .[7]Georgia Tech (ACC TOURNAMENT @ Greensboro, NC)
3 /19 [M4] W 89-77 v # [M13]Houston (NCAA POD @ Spokane, WA)
3 /21 [M4] L 83-85 v # [M5]Michigan St (NCAA POD @ Spokane, WA)
The departure of coach John Calipari (for Kentucky) is the biggest factor
in the fortunes of the Tigers' future. Worse, the NCAA has vacated all of their 38 wins from the 2007-08 season
due to violations surrounding the eligibility of (allegedly) pDerrick Rose ('08) and cJoey Dorsey ('05-08).
Too bad. Unofficially, they'll start the season only 3 wins short of the all-time record
for consecutive wins against conference opponents (They're currrent at 61-straight, only 3 behind the standard
set by Kentucky [SEC]). A 5th-straight TiTo finish is possible
(but a tough ask, especially with main rival Tulsa hosting the conference tournament this year);
and certainly don't expect a 4th-straight undefeated conference season.
Only one starter returns from last year's Sweet 16, four-time defending TiTo conference champs --
gDoneal Mack; reserves bRobert Sallie and gWillie Kemp are solid support players who will be expected to step up;
newcomers freshman 6-7 fLatavious Williams, transfer 6-4 gElliot Williams (ex-Duke; eligible immediately
due to a family health issue) and JuCo transfer 6-9 fWill Coleman should all contribute right away
for new coach Josh Pastner's squad.
(Replacing the likes of bTyreke Evans, tAntonio Anderson, fRobert Dozier and fShawn Taggart won't really be possible.)
In downgraded Conference USA, the league is in danger of dropping
from Anti-Spoiler status
down to regular 1BC unless Tulsa
and what's left of the Tigers can make some noise in the preseason; Houston will likely only spoil.
In league play, expect them to break the all-time record for consecutive conference wins against UTEP
in January. Getting Houston and Tulsa twice is slightly more difficult than what either of those two face.
***
11/ 3 w @98-68 v {LeMoyne-Owen Col}
11/ 9 w @66-45 v {Christian Brothers}
11/13 W @82-53 v # Jackson St
11/17 L 55-57 v #1 Kansas (HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE @ St. Louis, MO)
11/20 W @92-59 v Tennessee Tech (TN) (HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE)
It was a one-man gang -- bEliot Williams -- but the Tigers were a buzzer-beater away from knocking off the #1 team
in the land (Kansas). Not bad at all, considering UM is the one scrambling with a new lineup
and new coach while KU had five returning starters and superfrosh. Don't hand over C-USA to Tulsa just yet after all.
11/24 (#17) W @81-49 v C Arkansas (HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE)
11/30 (#15) W @77-46 v # Oakland (HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE)
Give them credit for hanging onto their ranking for this long. At some point, though, a moral victory isn't enough
to earn a spot. And a loss to a .500 team is certainly grounds for dismissal.
12/22 W @87-57 v SE Missouri St
12/28 W @87-67 v IUPUI
12/31 L @59-66 v #25 Tennessee (TN)
1 / 3 w @93-52 v {Houston Baptist}
1 / 6 L 57-@74 @ #6 Syracuse
1 / 9 W 59-@57 @ .So Mississippi
1 /13 W @77-57 v .E Carolina
1 /16 W 80-@66 @ .Rice
- 52nd straight C-USA regular season win (new NCAA record);
- 64th straight C-USA win overall (tied for NCAA record with Kentucky[SEC] 1945-50)
Hats off to the Tiger program. Their win over Rice was their 52ND CONSECUTIVE REGULAR SEASON WIN
AGAINST CONFERENCE USA OPPONENTS, breaking the all-time conference regular season win streak
held by Kentucky (SEC 1950-54). (Of course, as far as the NCAA is concerned, the entire 2007-08 season has been vacated.)
The loss to UTEP means the Tigers' OVERALL CONFERENCE-USA WIN STREAK ENDED
AT 64 CONSECUTIVE GAMES, leaving them in a tie for the all-time overall conference win streak record
with Kentucky (SEC 1945-50). (Again, neither record is likely to be officially recognized by the NCAA
because of the vacation of the entire 2007-08 season.)
1 /27 W 75-@72 @ .Marshall
1 /30 L 60-@70 @ .SMU
2 / 3 W @85-75 v # .UAB
2 / 6 L @58-66 v #21 Gonzaga
2 /10 W @76-70 v .C Florida
2 /13 W 93-@86 @ # .Tulsa
2 /17 W 77-@64 @ .Tulane
2 /20 W @76-63 v .SMU
2 /24 L 75-@92 @ # .Houston
2 /27 W @76-69 v .So Mississippi
3 / 3 W 70-@65 @ # .UAB
3 / 6 W @75-53 v # .Tulsa
3 /11 [2] L 65-66 v # .[7a]Houston (C-USA TOURNAMENT @ Tulsa, OK /Tulsa/)
- ends streak of 12 straight C-USA tournament wins
3 /17 [w3] W @73-71 v [w6]St John's (NIT on-campus)
3 /19 [w3] L 81-@90 @ # [w2]Mississippi (NIT on-campus)
Four starters return, led by scorer gJames Florence and rebounder cDaniel Emerson, from last year's winning team;
gE.J. Kusnyer is a solid contributor as well for coach Bob Hoffman's squad. (There is plenty of experienced depth around
to replace fCalvin Henry.)
Four starters return from last year's first-round splash team, led by tManny Harris and fDeShawn Sims;
freshman 6-4 pDarius Morris is expected to contribute immediately for veteran coach John Beilein's squad.
tManny Harris is having a fine season to be sure, but things are degenerating into the Wolverines' being a one-man team.
That's a very bad sign because more effort from your best player only makes things worse.
12/ 2 L @58-62 v # Boston Col (BIG 10/ACC CHALLENGE)
Just a generally disappointing campaign overall. Not that this team isn't fully capable of spoiling inside conference play,
but that's not enough of a reason to track them.
12\31 @ .Indiana
1 / 3 W @73-64 v # .Ohio St
1 \ 7 @ .Penn St
1 /10 L @62-68 v .Northwestern
1 \14 v .Indiana
1 /17 W @68-63 v #18 Connecticut
1 /20 L 48-@54 @ #19 .Wisconsin
1 /23 L 59-@69 @ #9 .Purdue
1 /26 L @56-57 v #6 .Michigan St (MI)
1 \30 v .Iowa
2 / 2 L 52-@67 @ .Northwestern
2 / 6 L @44-62 v #15 .Wisconsin
2 /11 W 71-@63 @ .Minnesota
2 \16 @ .Iowa
2 \20 v .Penn St
2 /23 L @44-51 v # .Illinois
2 /27 L 55-@66 @ #8 .Ohio St
3 / 2 W @83-55 v .Minnesota
3 / 7 L 48-@64 @ #8 .Michigan St (MI)
3 /11 [7b] W 59-52 v .[9a]Iowa (BIG 10 TOURNAMENT @ Indianapolis, IN)
3 /12 [7b] L 68-69 v # .[1a]Ohio St (BIG 10 TOURNAMENT @ Indianapolis, IN)
Three starters return from last year's national runners-up, conference regular season champs, led by gKalin Lucas;
fRaymar Morgan and gDurrell Summers are solid contributors; gChris Allen and fDelvon Roe have experience as well;
freshmen 6-10 fGarrick Sherman and c6-9 Derrick Nix should make an immediate impact in the paint for coach Tom Izzo's squad.
(Replacing cGoran Suton, gTravis Walton and fMarquise Gray is a big task, but at least there's enough depth from last year
and solid talent coming in this year to do the job. The only question is how soon they can mesh with a new rotation.)
In the deep Big 10, the Spartans will battle five returning starters
at Purdue, Ohio State and Minnesota,
talented Michigan and fortified Illinois -- all with a chance to contend
for the title.
In league play (singles: vOhioSt, @Indiana), no big road games until the end of January
(and they don't go to Ohio State at all) -- a pretty good schedule for a team that's retooling.
***
11/ 1 (#6) w @76-45 v {Northwood U}
11/ 9 (#6) w @76-53 v {Grand Valley St}
11/13 (#6) w @97-58 v {FL Gulf Coast}
11/17 (#6) W @75-71 v # Gonzaga
11/20 (#6) W @75-62 v Toledo (LEGENDS CLASSIC)
11/22 (#6) W @90-60 v Valparaiso (LEGENDS CLASSIC)
11/27 (#3) L 74-77 v # Florida (LEGENDS CLASSIC @ Atlantic City, NJ)
11/28 (#3) W 106-68 v Massachusetts (LEGENDS CLASSIC @ Atlantic City, NJ)
Almost losing at home to Gonzaga was curious. Losing on a neutral site
to young Florida is quite disturbing. A veteran squad shouldn't have this problem.
12/ 1 (#10) L 82-@89 @ #9 N Carolina (BIG 10/ACC CHALLENGE)
pKalin Lucas injured his ankle in the loss at Wisconsin, and he missed the Illinois
game completely. Suddenly, their massive three-game gap lead on the pack that they had just last week
at the midconference break is down to one game ahead of three teams tied for second place.
pKalin Lucas is back on court and led the way in the win over Penn State. Too bad their three-game losing streak
eliminated their runaway (undefeated) lead at the midconference break.
The muddy mess of conference play ended in a three-way tie for first place at 13-5
(along with North Texas and Troy) -- Ugh.
Two starters return from last year's winning team, led by fDesmond Yates; fMontarrio Haddock is
a solid contributor as well for coach Kermit Davis' squad. (Replacing the backcourt of pKevin Kanaskie and bDemetrius Green
is the main task.)
In the dangerous Sun Belt, Western Kentucky
is the team to beat in the East (and overall) ahead of Troy; in the West,
five returning staters at North Texas and Denver will battle
for the top spot.
(The Blue Raiders were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, four of six big games are at home -- not bad.
3 / 7 [E1b/1c] L 58-73 v .[6a]Denver (SUN BELT TOURNAMENT @ Hot Springs, AR)
All five starters return from last year's NCAA team; gLawrence Westbrook, fDamian Johnson, gAl Nolen
and fRalph Sampson III share the wealth offensively; gBlake Hoffarber and fPaul Carter have experience;
JuCo transfer 6-8 fTrevor Mbakwe and freshmen 6-7 fRoyce White and 6-7 fRodney Williams will all push for time right away
for veteran coach Tubby Smith's squad.
In league play (singles: @Illinois, vWisconsin), two of three early big games come on the road,
as do two of three big games at the end -- a tough schedule (and they have to play at Illinois to boot).
***
11/ 5 (#22) w @114-47 v {MN-Duluth} (MN)
11/ 9 (#22) w @98-49 v {MN State-Moorhead} (MN)
11/13 (#22) W @87-50 v Tennessee Tech
11/16 (#22) W @82-42 v Stephen F Austin
11/19 (#22) W @76-51 v UT Valley
11/26 (#20) W 82-73 v #18 Butler (ANAHEIM CLASSIC @ Anaheim, CA)
11/27 (#20) L 56-61 v Portland (ANAHEIM CLASSIC @ Anaheim, CA)
11/29 (#20) L 65-66 v # Texas A&M (ANAHEIM CLASSIC @ Anaheim, CA)
12/ 2 L 58-@63 @ # Miami-FL (BIG 10/ACC CHALLENGE)
Four starters return from last year's injury-plagued season, led by bTerrico White; back from injury are stars pChris Warren
and bEniel Polynice; fMurphy Holloway has experience; freshman 6-8 fReginald Buckner should provide needed muscle
in the paint for young coach Andy Kennedy's squad. (Replacing bDavid Huertas is a major task; fMalcolm White's numbers
are more easily duplicated.)
In the upgraded SEC, loaded Kentucky is
the overwhelming favorite in the East (and overall); five returning starters at Tennessee
and Vanderbilt will contend for second place; veteran South Carolina (featuring pDevan Downey)
can only spoil. In the West, the healthy Rebels, veteran Mississippi State
and five returning starters at Arkansas will battle for the title; LSU (featuring fTasmin Mitchell) will only spoil.
In league play, three of four big games are on the road -- that's a rough schedule.
***
11/ 6 w @102-62 v {Auburn-Montgomery}
11/13 W @92-64 v AR-Little Rock
11/16 W @90-53 v Alabama St
11/19 W 89-71 v Indiana (PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF @ San Juan, PR)
11/20 W 86-74 v # Kansas St (PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF @ San Juan, PR)
11/22 L 67-79 v #5 Villanova (PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF @ San Juan, PR)
Four starters return from last year's conference tournament champs, led by shot-blocker cJarvis Varnado; gBarry Stewart,
tRavern Johnson and gDee Bost are all solid contributors; reserve bPhil Turner has experience;
if he's deemed eligible to play, freshman 6-10 fRenardo Sidney will make a major impact right away
for coach Rick Stansbury's squad.
In the upgraded SEC, loaded Kentucky is
the overwhelming favorite in the East (and overall); five returning starters at Tennessee
and Vanderbilt will contend for second place; veteran South Carolina (featuring pDevan Downey)
can only spoil. In the West, a healthy Mississippi, the veteran Bulldogs
and five returning starters at Arkansas will battle for the title; LSU (featuring fTasmin Mitchell) will only spoil.
In league play, one big road game right away and then the rest are at home -- a veteran squad
should be able to handle that.
***
10/31 w @82-54 v {Oklahoma City}
11/ 7 w @90-70 v {Georgetown-KY}
11/13 L @74-88 v Rider
- cJVarnado(22p14r)
11/19 W @82-67 v SE Louisiana
11/21 W @67-51 v Bethune-Cookman (SOUTH PADRE ISLAND INVITATIONAL)
11/24 W @75-50 v TX Pan American (SOUTH PADRE ISLAND INVITATIONAL)
11/27 L 62-63 v # Richmond (SOUTH PADRE ISLAND INVITATIONAL @ South Padre Island, TX)
11/28 W 69-55 v # Old Dominion (SOUTH PADRE ISLAND INVITATIONAL @ South Padre Island, TX)
12/ 5 W @105-53 v St Bonaventure
12/10 W @76-45 v # DePaul (SEC/BIG EAST CHALLENGE @ Tampa, FL)
cJarvis Varnado became the NCAA's all-time leader in shot blocks (536 and counting) against Alabama. Nice job.
Now close strong and make the tournament!!!
3 / 3 L 80-@89 @ .Auburn
3 / 6 L @59-75 v #15 .Tennessee
3 /12 [W1a] W 75-69 v # .[E4]Florida (SEC TOURNAMENT @ Nashville, TN)
The big win over Kansas State shows that this year's squad is greater than the sum of its parts
on paper.
Only two staters return from last year's conference tournament champ, Elite Eight team --
pJ.T. Tiller and pZaire Taylor for still young coach Mike Anderson's squad. (Replacing the likes of fDeMarre Carroll,
fLeo Lyons and tMatt Lawrence won't be easy.)
In the strong Big 12, five returning starters make
Kansas the favorite for a sixth-straight regular season title;
fortified Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State
and Kansas State will all contend; Iowa State (featuring cCraig Brackins) can only spoil.
(The Tigers were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, they have the easier "North" schedule plus three out of four big "South" games at home.
They were seemingly no-names last year and they made it to the Elite Eight, so why hold that against them
this year? They're tied for second place in the arguably the toughest conference in the nation. That's gotta be worth
a ranking at the least. (Still don't see anything here more than all out hustle, though.)
1 /25 (#17) L 65-@84 @ #2 .Kansas
1 /30 (#17) W @95-80 v #22 .Oklahoma St
2 / 3 (#13) L @74-77 v # .Texas A&M
- snaps Missouri's 32-game home win streak
2 / 6 (#13) W 84-@66 @ .Colorado
2 /10 (#14) W @65-56 v .Iowa St
2 /13 (#14) L 62-@64 @ # .Baylor
2 /17 (#15) W @82-77 v #14 .Texas
2 /20 (#15) W 74-@59 @ .Nebraska
2 /24 (#12) W @92-63 v .Colorado
2 /27 (#12) L 53-@63 @ #7 .Kansas St
3 / 2 (#19) W 69-@67(OT) @ .Iowa St
3 / 6 (#19) L @56-77 v #2 .Kansas
3 /10 [5] L @60-75 v .[12]Nebraska (BIG 12 TOURNAMENT @ Kansas City, MO)
3 /19 [E10] W 78-66 v # [E7]Clemson (NCAA POD @ Buffalo, NY)
3 /21 [E10] L 59-68 v # [E2]W Virginia (NCAA POD @ Buffalo, NY)
A solid start, complete with a signature win over Tulsa. Plus, they did their part
for the league challenge with the MWC. (Don't expect the ranking to last, though.)
Three starters return from last year's losing team, led by fKyle Weems; fWill Creekmore has
experience as well for young coach (former Purdue great) Cuonzo Martin's squad. (Replacing fChris Cooks
and gSpencer Laurie are the top priorities and must come from transfers and JuCo players.)
In the downgraded MVC, the defending co-regular season and tournament champ
Panthers (with all five starters back) will battle last year's co-champ Creighton
for the top spot; Illinois State will push them both but only spoil.
(The Bears were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, the big games come on the road first -- a tough assignment for a young squad.
The Bears have struggled to stay in contact in the first half of conference play. Honestly, there's not enough
from the non-conference record to warrant continuing to track them.
1 /27 W @76-66 v .Evansville
1 /30 L @54-55 v # .No Iowa
2 / 3 L 67-@73 @ .So Illinois
2 / 6 W @70-52 v .Creighton
2 /10 W @77-72 v .So Illinois
2 /14 L 64-@66 @ .Wichita St
2 /17 L 72-@76 @ .Illinois St
2 /20 W @62-60 v # Nevada ([BB] BRACKETBUSTERS)
2 /24 W @75-59 v .Drake
2 /27 L 72-@75(OT) @ .Indiana St
3 / 4 [7] W @52-46 v .[10]Evansville (MVC TOURNAMENT @ St. Louis, MO)
3 / 5 [7] L @63-73 v # .[2]Wichita St (MVC TOURNAMENT @ St. Louis, MO)
A spectacular performance by gAnthony Johnson(42p;GWFG) is the reason their season has been extended. AWESOME!!!
Three starters return from last year's winning team, led by gAnthony Johnson; reserve cBrian Qvale
has experience as well for young coach Wayne Tinkle's squad. (Replacing fJordan Hasquet and fKyle Sharp is the main task.)
In the weak Big Sky
,
Weber State should repeat; the Grizzlies will contend;
Idaho State (featuring bAmorrow Morgan) will only spoil.
In league play, two huge road games early on could make or break their season.
3 /18 [E14] L 57-62 v # [E3]New Mexico (NCAA POD @ San Jose, CA)
Four starters return from last year's conference tournament champs, led by rebounding terror cKenneth Faried (13rpg);
gMaze Stallworth and gDemonte Harper are solid contributors as well for young coach Donnie Tyndall's squad. (Replacing
fLeon Buchanan is Priority One.)
In the weak Ohio Valley
,
the Eagles will battle Murray State for the title.
In league play, a big road trip in December could make or break their season before even gets rolling.
The blowout loss at rival Murray State virtually hands the regular season away.
They'd have to play perfectly from here on out just to keep pace and hope to get a return win at the end of February.
That's a long way off. No sense tracking two teams from this 1BC league.
12\15 v {St Catharine}
12/18 W @60-58 v # E Tennessee St
12/21 L 72-@79 @ # Utah St (BT INVITAIONAL-UT @ Logan, UT /Utah St/)
12/22 L 64-@66 v # Weber St (BT INVITATIONAL-UT @ Logan, UT /Utah St/)
12/23 W 69-62 v Cal St-Fullerton (BT INVITATIONAL-UT @ Logan, UT /Utah St/)
12/28 W 66-@64 @ # {S Dakota}
1 \ 2 v .Austin Peay
1 \ 4 v .Tennessee St
1 \ 7 @ .Tennessee Tech
1 \ 9 @ .Jacksonville St
1 \14 v .SE Missouri St
1 \16 v .Ea Illinois
1 \19 v {SIU-Edwardsville}
1 \23 @ .Ea Kentucky (KY)
1 \28 @ .Tennessee St
1 \30 @ .Austin Peay
2 \ 4 v .Jacksonville St
2 \ 6 v .Tennessee Tech
2 \11 @ .Ea Illinois
2 \13 @ .SE Missouri St
2 \17 v .Ea Kentucky (KY)
2 /20 L 62-@71 @ # Illinois St (BRACKETBUSTERS)
2 /25 W @70-65 v # .Murray St (KY)
2 \27 v .TN-Martin
3 / 2 [2] W @87-54 v .[7]Jacksonville St (OVC TOURNAMENT on-campus)
Two starters return from last year's conference regular season and tournament champs, led by fReggie Holmes;
reserve bKevin Thompson provides solid support as well for still young coach Todd Bozeman.
(Replacing the loss of fMarquise Kately and bRogers Barnes is first priority from last year's bench players.)
In the weak Mid-Eastern Athletic
,
what's left of the Bears will battle to hold off similar remnants at South Carolina State, North Carolina A&T,
Norfolk State and five returning starters at Bethune-Cookman.
In league play, a December showdown could set up the rest of the regular season one way or the other.
In league play, three big road games in January will make it tough to start will in conference play.
***
11/13 W 69-@65 @ Albany
11/15 W 72-@57 @ MD-Baltimore Co (Baltimore,MD)
11/19 W @72-61 v # E Tennessee St (HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE)
11/22 L 81-@90 @ #15 Louisville (HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE)
11/24 W 97-@94 @ Arkansas (HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE)
11/28 L 92-@93(OT) @ Appalachian St (HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE)
12/ 1 L 66-@78 @ Loyola-MD (Baltimore,MD)
12/ 5 W 80-@67 @ .Coppin St (Baltimore,MD)
12/ 8 L 64-@94 @ Minnesota
12/12 W @83-74 v Manhattan
12/22 W @87-80 v .Towson (?Baltimore?,MD)
12/29 L 62-76 v Ea Kentucky (DP CLASSIC @ Chattanooga, TN)
12/30 W 87-76 v Long Island (DP CLASSIC @ Chattanooga, TN)
Three starters return from last year's conference runners-up, led by gJeremy Goode; gJean Cajou and fKelly Beidler are
solid contributors as well; reserve fShawn Atupem is a strong support player as well for still young coach Milan Brown's
squad. (Replacing fSam Atupem and fMarkus Mitchell shouldn't be too hard to accomplish.)
In the weak Northeast
,
the Mount will battle veteran squads at Long Island and Quinnipiac for the top spot;
Central Connecticut State and what's left at Robert Morris will only spoil.
In league play, more tough games come at home -- that's better than most.
Not so terrible outside the league (since no one managed a winning record; but after an early 0-2 start,
there are better teams to track as the standard-bearer for the league.
Try Robert Morris, instead.
12/22 L 77-@86 @ Boston U
12/30 L @69-71 v Vermont
1 / 2 L 76-@79(OT) @ # Siena
1 / 7 L 63-@64 @ .Quinnipiac
1 \ 9 @ .Sacred Heart
1 \14 v .St Francis-NY
1 \16 v .Long Island
1 \21 @ .St Francis-NY
1 \23 @ .Long Island
1 \28 v .Sacred Heart
1 /30 W @61-56 v .Quinnipiac
2 \ 4 v .Wagner
2 \ 6 @ .Wagner
2 \11 @ .Monmouth
2 \13 @ .Fairleigh Dickinson
2 \18 v .C Connecticut St
2 \20 v .{Bryant}
2 \25 v .St Francis-PA
2 /27 W @63-61 v # .Robert Morris
3 / 4 [3] W @65-50 v .[6a]St Francis-PA (NEC TOURNAMENT on-campus)
The home rout of Morehead State effectively hands over the regular season
to the Racers. Better to track this team as the standard-bearer for the league.
Three starters return from last year's winning team, led by gIsacc Miles; gDanero Thomas and fIvan Aska
are solid contributors as well; fJeffery McClain and fTony Easley have experience as well for coach Billy Kennedy's squad.
(Replacing gTyler Holloway and gKevin Thomas should not be a problem with key reserves ready to play a larger role.)
In the weak Ohio Valley
,
Morehead State will battle the Racers for the title.
In league play, the early showdown with Morehead State can set the tone for the entire conference race.
The Racers are unbeaten just past the halfway point of conference play. Morehead State
is still only one game behind in second place, but their blowout win the first time around says there's no need to worry
about who's already behind them.
1 /27 w @84-51 v .{SIU-Edwardsville}
1 /30 W 77-@45 @ .TN-Martin
2 / 4 W @76-54 v .Tennessee St
2 / 6 W @65-63 v .Austin Peay
2 /11 W 94-@62 @ .Tennessee Tech
2 /13 W 75-@67 @ .Jacksonville St
2 /16 W @80-68 v .SE Missouri St
2 /20 W @75-66 v # Morgan St ([BB] BRACKETBUSTERS)
They've clinched the regular season title and they played a solid game to beat
Morgan State in BRACKETBUSTERS. Still, they're no Anti-Spoilers, so winning
the OVC tourney is a must. After that, can they pull off a shocking first-round splash? Certainly, no one would see it
coming.
2 /25 L 65-@70 @ .Morehead St (KY)
2 /27 W 88-@74 @ .Ea Kentucky (KY)
3 / 2 [1] W @84-51 v .[8]Tennessee St (OVC TOURNAMENT on-campus)
3 / 5 [1] W 55-51 v .[3b]Ea Illinois (OVC TOURNAMENT @ Nashville, TN /Tennessee St/)
3 / 6 [1] W 62-51 v # .[2]Morehead St (KY) ([OVC] TOURNAMENT @ Nashville, TN /Tennessee St/)
3 /18 [W13] W 66-65 v # [W4]Vanderbilt (NCAA POD @ San Jose, CA)
3 /20 [W13] L 52-54 v # [5]Butler (BG) (NCAA POD @ San Jose, CA)
Three starters return from last year's conference runners-up, led by cLuke Babbitt; gArmon Johnson is a solid contributor;
fDario Hunt has experience as well for new coach David Carter (who moves up from assistant after Mark Fox left
for Georgia). (Replacing fMalik Cooke is the main task.)
In the WAC, the Wolf Pack has the best player and will battle
with veteran squads at New Mexico State (with five returning starters), Idaho and what's left
at defending TiTo champ Utah State; Boise State
is good enough to spoil.
In league play, more big games are at home the first time around -- better than not.
***
11/10 w @90-63 v {Chico St}
11/14 W @75-61 v Montana St
11/18 L 75-@88 @ # UNLV (NV)
11/21 W @112-99 v # Houston
11/27 L 76-@85 @ VCU
11/29 L 73-@80 @ #9 N Carolina
12/ 5 L 58-@61 @ # Pacific
12/ 8 w @89-67 v {Fresno Pacific}
12/12 W @92-72 v SD State
12/17 W @73-70 v Ea Washington (LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC)
12/19 W @74-61 v Wagner (LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC)
12/22 L @104-110 v # BYU (LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC @ Las Vegas, NV /OHA/)
12/23 W @99-68 v #25 Tulsa (LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC @ Las Vegas, NV /OHA/)
Midway through conference play, the Wolf Pack is in fourth place (and has struggled to make noise outside the league
other than the rout of Tulsa). There are better teams than this to track for this league
(e.g., Louisiana Tech and Utah State).
2 / 6 L 65-@76 @ # .Utah St
2 /10 W 67-@66 @ .Idaho
2 /13 W @88-80(OT) v .Boise St
2 /17 W @74-70 v .Fresno St
2 /20 L 60-@62 @ # Missouri St (BRACKETBUSTERS)
2 /25 W 83-@79 @ .San Jose St
2 /27 L 63-@74 @ .Hawaii
3 / 4 W @100-92 v # .New Mexico St
3 / 6 W @79-68 v # .Louisiana Tech
3 /11 [2a] W @87-71 v .[6b]Idaho (WAC TOURNAMENT @ Reno, NV /Nevada/)
3 /12 [2a] L @79-80 v # .[2b]New Mexico St (WAC TOURNAMENT @ Reno, NV /Nevada/)
3 /17 [e6] W 74-@70 @ # [e3]Wichita St (NIT on-campus)
3 /22 [e6] L 83-@85 @ # [e3]Rhode Island (NIT on-campus)
Can't do any more than win all your games. A nice win over preseason darling California and a road win
against in-season favorite Texas A&M. Gotta give 'em credit.
Three starters return from last year's conference regular season tri-champs, led by tRoman Martinez;
gDairese Gary is a solid contributor as well forcoach Steve Alford's squad. (Replacing tTony Danridge, fDaniel Faris
and gChad Toppert is a big task.)
In the rebuilding Mountain West, BYU will battle
UNLV and San Diego State for league supremacy.
(The Lobos were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, two of three big games are at home first time around -- better than not.
12/16 (#19) W @96-57 v No Arizona
12/19 (#19) W @66-61 v # Creighton (MWC/MVC CHALLENGE)
Or NOT not!!! Hats off to the Aggies for doing it the hard way, earning an NCAA bid (that wouldn't have come,
otherwise), by taking the conference tournament crown, beating the host school (Nevada)
and the #1-seed (Utah State) as well! Can't ask for more. All five starters return from last year's winning team, led by bJahmar Young
and 6-6 cWendell McKines (10rpg); gJonathan Gibson, cHamidu Rahman and gHernst Laroche as well
as reserves fTroy Gillenwater and gGordo Castillo all have experience for young coach Marvin Menzies' squad.
In the WAC, Nevada has the best player
and will battle with veteran squads, the Aggies and Idaho, and what's left
at defending TiTo champ Utah State;
Boise State is good enough to spoil.
In league play, two big home games right away is tough, but a veteran squad should be able to handle it.
3 /19 [M12] L 67-70 v # [M5]Michigan St (NCAA POD @ Spokane, WA)
Only one starter returns from last year's NCAA and conference regular season champs -- fDeon Thompson; fully healthy
fEd Davis and tMarcus Ginyard should be bigger factors; five freshmen could be in the regular rotation:
6-10 fJohn Henson, 6-3 pDexter Strickland, twins 6-10 fDavid Wear and 6-10 fTravis Wear, and 6-4 gLeslie McDonald
are all good enough to start immediately for veteran coach Roy Williams' squad. (Replacing all-time great cTyler Hansbrough,
pTy Lawson, gWayne Ellington and tDanny Green is an impossible task.)
In the loaded ACC, the reloaded Tar Heels will battle
veteran Duke for the top spot; Maryland), young Georgia Tech
and Clemson will only be able to spoil.
In league play, Georgia Tech twice and road games at Maryland and Clemson is a tougher schedule
than most.
***
11/ 6 (#4) w @107-59 v {Belmont Abbey}
11/ 9 (#4) W @88-72 v FL International (COACHES VS CANCER CLASSIC)
- 56%FG,4/13 3S,42-21R,26TO;cDThompson(20p10r),[cEDavis(13p11r)]
11/11 (#4) w @89-42 v {NC Central} (NC) (COACHES VS CANCER CLASSIC)
- 59%FG,42-16R,29A,10S;gMGinyard(17p),[fDThompson(13p7r),fTZeller(12p6r)]
/ 1DF,26%FG,4/9 3S,9A,20TO
11/15 (#4) W @88-77 v Valparaiso
11/19 (#3) W 77-73 v #13 Ohio St (COACHES VS CANCER CLASSIC @ New York, NY /MSG/)
11/20 (#3) L 71-@87 @ # Syracuse (COACHES VS CANCER CLASSIC @ New York, NY /MSG/)
The slight vulnerability that showed against Valparaiso was exposed even more against Ohio State
(which came back from 19-down) and was completely exploited by Syracuse. A fine collection
of frontcourt talent isn't much good with a bargain-bin cadre of backcourt pretenders. (See Villanova.)
The Heels were couldn't rebound against diminutive OSU and couldn't shoot from outside against the 'Cuse zone. Much work
to do.
11/23 (#9) W @93-72 v Gardner-Webb (NC)
11/29 (#9) W @80-73 v Nevada
12/ 1 (#9) W @89-82 v #10 Michigan St (ACC/BIG 10 CHALLENGE)
A great start against Kentucky got them to an impressive 9-2 start, but then the Wildcats put on
a spectacular 28-2 run that UNC couldn't handle. But also give the Tar Heels credit for fighting back on the road
an turning what could easily have been a rout into an endplay on the road.
An overtime loss on the road at College of Charleston!!!??? Ugh. Anything is possible now
for this team. Don't expect an ACC title (regular season or tournament); and there's no North Carolina Pod this year
to give them a free pass to the Sweet 16, either.
It's going from bad to worse. The guardplay is so bad that the big men aren't even getting the ball to exploit
their best advantage. Now fTy Zeller is out at least a month with a foot injury.
There's time to regroup, but I'm not sure this bunch has it in them.
Say it ain't so. The ugly truth is that the Tar Heels are in tenth place midway through conference play.
Forget an NCAA bid; they're not even looking good for an NIT bid at this point. Could UNC possibly wind up invited only
to the CBI!!!??? (and would they even accept?) Yikes.
2 /10 L @54-64 v #8 .Duke (NC)
2 /13 W @74-61 v .NC State (NC)
2 /16(9P) L 51-@68 @ # .Georgia Tech
2 /20 L 67-@71 @ .Boston Col
2 /24 L @67-77 v # .Florida St
2 /27 W 77-@68 @ # .Wake Forest (NC)
3 / 2 W @69-62 v .Miami-FL
- 2000 wins all-time for UNC basketball
3 / 6 L 50-@82 @ #4 .Duke (NC)
3 /11 [9b] L @58-62 v # .[7]Georgia Tech (ACC TOURNAMENT @ Greensboro, NC)
3 /16 [s4] W @80-72 v [s5]William & Mary (NIT on-campus /Carmichael/)
3 /20 [s4] W 76-@74 @ # [s1]Mississippi St (NIT on-campus)
3 /23 [s4] W 60-@55 @ # [s2]UAB (NIT on-campus)
3 /30 [s4] W 68-67(OT) v # [e2]Rhode Island (NIT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
4 / 1 [s4] L 68-79 v # [m3]Dayton (NIT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
The muddy mess of conference play ended in a three-way tie for first place at 13-5
(along with Middle Tennessee and Troy) -- Ugh. All five starters return from last year's winning team, led by fEric Tramiel; bTristan Thompson,
5-10 pJosh White, 5-10 pDominique Johnson and fGeorge Odufuwa all have experience as well
for still young coach Johnny Jones' squad.
In the dangerous Sun Belt, Western Kentucky
is the team to beat in the East (and overall) ahead of Troy; in the West,
the Mean Green's five returning staters and also at Denver will battle for the top spot.
In league play, the first two big games are on the road -- Ugh.
3 / 7 [1b/W1] W 69-66 v .[10]LA-Monroe (SUN BELT TOURNAMENT @ Hot Springs, AR)
3 / 8 [1b/W1] W 63-56 v .[6a]Denver (SUN BELT TOURNAMENT @ Hot Springs, AR)
3 / 9 [1b/W1] W 66-63 v # .[1a/E1a]Troy ([SUN BELT] TOURNAMENT @ Hot Springs, AR)
3 /18 [W15] L 62-@82 v # [W2]@Kansas St (NCAA POD @ Oklahoma City, OK)
Four returning starters from last year's winning team, led by the backcourt of bMatt Janning and bChaisson Allen;
fManny Adako and fNkem Ojougboh provide solid support as well for young coach Bill Coen's squad. (Replacing tEugene Spates
shouldn't be a problem.)
In the Colonial, five returning starters
at Old Dominion will battle with veteran squads from the Huskies and Hofstra for the top spot,
with the remnants of VCU only able to spoil.
In league play, they have to be careful not to trip up against VCU early before their home showdown with ODU.
The Huskies rebounded from a lousy start to claim an Unwelcome Guest crown (CABLE CAR) and then to post a solid record
in conference play -- a three-way tie for first place at the midconference point.
1 /27 L @48-61 v .Drexel
1 /30 W @74-64 v # .Old Dominion
2 / 2 W 67-@51 @ .Delaware
2 / 6 W 75-@55 @ .Hofstra
2 /10 W @62-53 v .Georgia St
2 /13 L 52-@53 @ .William & Mary
2 /16 W 65-@56 @ .UNC-Wilmington
2 /20 L @67-70 v # Louisiana Tech (BRACKETBUSTERS)
2 /23 L @62-73 v .Hofstra
2 /27 W 50-@48 @ .Geo Mason
3 / 6 [2] W 74-71(2OT) v .[7]Hofstra (COLONIAL TOURNAMENT @ Richmond, VA /VCU/)
3 / 7 [2] L 45-@47 v .[3a]@William & Mary (COLONIAL TOURNAMENT @ Richmond, VA /VCU/)
3 /16 [e5] L 57-@59 @ # [e4]Connecticut (NIT on-campus)
Nothing happened in the preseason to recommend Weber State as the trackable team
from this league. Two Unwelcome Guest tournament wins is plenty enough to nominate these ones in their place.
Three starters return from last year's losing team, led by the backcourt duo of gWill Figures
and gDeveon Beitzel; reserve fMike Proctor should be ready to contribute more for young coach Tad Boyle's squad.
(Replacing fJabril Banks is the main task.)
In the weak Big Sky
,
Weber State should repeat; Montana will contend;
Idaho State (featuring bAmorrow Morgan) will only spoil.
(The Bears were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, an early December road game could set the tone for the regular season.
Five starters return from last year's conference (co-)regular season and tournament champs, led by fAdam Koch,
gKwadzo Ahelegbe and 7-1 cJordan Eglseder; gAli Farokhmanesh ad fLucas O'Rear are solid support players as well
for young coach Ben Jacobson's squad.
In the downgraded MVC, the defending co-regular season and tournament champ
Panthers (with all five starters back) will battle last year's co-champ Creighton
for the top spot; Illinois State will push them both but only spoil.
In league play, the biggest game starts right off the bat on the road -- make or break time.
***
10/31 (#25) w @67-39 v {Upper Iowa} (IA)
11/ 7 (#25) w @79-44 v {UNC Pembroke}
11/13 (#25) W 71-@65 @ Denver
11/20 (#25) L 52-60 v DePaul (PARADISE JAM @ St. Thomas, VI)
11/21 (#25) W 74-68 v E Carolina (PARADISE JAM @ St. Thomas, VI)
The Panthers should have been one of the few teams ready to hit the ground running at the start of the season. Instead,
they've played The Hunted and have struggled to take a step forward instead of a step backward.
11/23 W 81-69 v Boston Col (PARADISE JAM @ St. Thomas, VI)
They missed their chance at an "A" for the preseason, but the rout of struggling Siena is the way
to pull a "B" out of the rest of their opportunities. Their balanced attack -- five players in double-figures --
was the key to their success last season.
A 3-0 start in league play is more than enough to make up for one bad preseason performance. Took care of business
against reeling Creighton and handled the challenge
from Missouri State.
1 / 6 (#25) W 61-@49 @ .So Illinois
1 / 9 (#25) W 59-@44 @ .Illinois St
1 /12 (#25) W @52-50 v .Bradley
1 /16 (#25) W @62-40 v .Indiana St
1 /19 (#22) L 51-@60 @ .Wichita St
1 /24 (#22) W 67-@58 @ .Indiana St
1 /27 W @67-51 v .Drake (IA)
1 /30 W 55-@54 @ .Missouri St
2 / 3 W @59-56 v .Wichita St
2 / 6 W @55-52 v .So Illinois
2 /10 (#24) W 57-@48 @ .Drake (IA)
2 /13 (#24) L 54-@68 @ .Bradley
2 /16 W @70-52 v .Creighton
2 /19 W @71-62 v # Old Dominion ([BB] BRACKETBUSTERS)
Even without cJordan Eglseder (who's sitting out a 3-game suspension), they were able to handle a good
Old Dominion team in BRACKETBUSTERS. All cylinders are firing. (They deserve to be ranked,
but an opening didn't become available.) The MVC should be a multi-bid conference so there's not even the pressure
of being Anti-Spoilers.
2 /23 L 54-@55 @ .Evansville
2 /27 W @61-55 v .Illinois St
3 / 5 [1] W 55-40 v .[8]Drake (IA) (MVC TOURNAMENT @ St. Louis, MO)
3 / 6 [1] W 57-40 v .[5a]Bradley (MVC TOURNAMENT @ St. Louis, MO)
3 / 7 [1] W 67-52 v # .[2]Wichita St ([MVC] TOURNAMENT @ St. Louis, MO)
3 /18 [M9] W 66-63 v # [M8]UNLV (NCAA POD @ Oklahoma City, OK)
3 /20 [M9] W 69-@67 v # [M1]@Kansas (NCAA POD @ Oklahoma City, OK)
3 /26 [M9] L 52-59 v # [M5]Michigan St (NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL @ St. Louis, MO)
Well, look what we have here! A surprisingly easy win over favored Notre Dame and, better yet,
they followed it up with a tough win over Iowa State to take the CHICAGO crown. Great job. This year was supposed to be
a bust without their best player.
Three starters return from last year's NIT team; pMichael Thompson is a solid contributor; fJohn Shurna
and 7-0 cKyle Rowley have experience as well for coach Bill Carmody's squad. (Losing fKevin Coble
to season-ending knee surgery is a huge blow. Replacing gCraig Moore was already going to be an issue as it was. This is
back to Square One.)
In the deep Big 10, Michigan State will battle
five returning starters from Purdue, Ohio State
and Minnesota, talented Michigan and fortified Illinois --
all with a chance to contend for the title.
(The Wildcats were not expected to be a factor.)
Don't expect wins over vs Butler or at N.C. State (BIG 10/ACC); beating Stanford may be the best they can look forward to;
no chance to make noise in CHICAGO (Notre Dame, Iowa State, St. Louis, Kennesaw State).
In league play, the first half is brutal, but if they can survive, the second half is actually easy.
12/ 1 (#20) W 65-@53 @ # NC State (BIG 10/ACC CHALLENGE)
Two starters return from last year's winning team, led by cLuke Harangody; pTory Jackson is excellent in the backcourt;
transfer 6-3 fBen Hansbrough (ex-Mississippi State) figures to add needed toughness -- transfer 6-8 fScott Martin
would have been a big help inside, but he's out for the season with a torn ACL;
freshman 6-9 fThomas Knight should help sooner rather than later for coach Mike Brey's squad. (Replacing the likes
of gKyle McAlarney, fRyan Ayers, fLuke Zeller and fZach Hillesland won't be easy, but it's more a matter of chemistry
than talent for the new lineup.)
In the Big East, things are down from last year's heady heights
(three #1-seeds) but the league is still deep; Villanova is the favorite;
fortified Connecticut and the Irish as well as veteran West Virginia
and Louisville will all be right there to contend as well; revamped Seton Hall,
Georgetown and Cincinnati will only be good enough to spoil.
In league play (doubles: Connecticut, Cincinnati, SFlorida), three of five big games are on the road
and they get an extra game against a spoiler -- tougher than not, but not the worst schedule.
***
11/ 1 (#11) w @70-54 v {Lewis}
11/ 6 (#11) w @75-54 v {Quincy}
11/14 (#11) W @86-65 v N Florida
11/16 (#11) W @95-72 v St Francis-PA
11/19 (#11) W @82-62 v Long Beach St
11/22 (#11) W @91-72 v Liberty (CHICAGO INVITATIONAL CHALLENGE)
11/24 (#11) W @80-62 v Kennesaw St (CHICAGO INVITATIONAL CHALLENGE)
11/27 (#11) L 58-@72 @ Northwestern (CHICAGO INVITATIONAL CHALLENGE @ Chicago, IL)
11/28 (#11) W 64-52 v St Louis (CHICAGO INVITATIONAL CHALLENGE @ Chicago, IL)
The loss to Northwestern is disastrous. It's back to the drawing board for a team
with one of the best players in the country that doesn't play like an elite squad.
Did I say the loss to Northwestern was disastrous? Well then, what do you call a home loss to 4-7 Loyola Marymount!?
This is no way to prepare for conference play. Yikes.
Don't read too much into a squeak home win, but also give them full credit for beating
West Virginia. tTim Abromaitis is the key to the season -- how tough/smooth he can be will determine
whether they can garner an NCAA bid this time around.
1 /16 (#17) L 58-@60 @ .Cincinnati (BG)
1 /18 L @71-84 v #5 .Syracuse
1 /23 W @87-77 v .DePaul
1 /27 L 72-@90 @ #5 .Villanova
1 /30 L 73-@74 @ .Rutgers
2 / 4 W @83-65 v .Cincinnati (BG)
2 / 7 W @65-62 v .S Florida
2 /11 L 87-@90 @ .Seton Hall
2 /14 L @68-69 v .St John's
- cLHarangody(DNP/knee)
cLuke Harangody's knee injury is the nail in the coffin. Ninth place (and going nowhere fast) isn't worth tracking.
See ya.
2 /17 L 89-@91(2OT) @ # .Louisville (BG)
2 /24 W @68-53 v #9 .Pittsburgh
2 /27 W 78-@64 @ #11 .Georgetown
Mar 1
Holy of Holies! Without their best player, they produce their two best wins of the season! Ouch! Still,
they have to close strong and make a deep run into the conference tournament to get anywhere near an NCAA bid.
3 / 3 W @58-50 v # .Connecticut
3 / 6 W 63-@60(OT) @ # .Marquette
3 /10 [7a] W 68-59 v .[9b]Seton Hall (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
3 /11 [7a] W 50-45 v # .[2a]Pittsburgh (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
3 /12 [7a] L 51-53 v # .[2b]W Virginia (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
3 /18 [S6] L 50-51 v # [S11]Old Dominion (NCAA POD @ New Orleans, LA)
Four starters return from last year's winning team, led by cKeith Benson and pJohnathon Jones; fWill Hudson
and reserve fDerick Nelson are solid contributors as well for veteran coach Greg Kampe's squad. (No one player can replace
the contribution of gErik Kangas.)
In the weak Summit
,
the Grizzlies are the favorites ahead of IUPUI; five returning starters at South Dakota State will only be
good enough to spoil.
In league play, the biggest game comes at home first -- better for getting a leg up on the closest contender.
***
11/10 w @97-62 v {Hope Col}
11/14 L @77-81 v Ea Michigan (MI)
11/18 L 42-@58 @ # Wisconsin
11/21 w @97-63 v {Rochester Col} (Rochester,MI)
11/23 W 77-@56 @ Tennessee Tech (HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE)
11/25 L 59-@89 @ #1 Kansas (HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE)
11/28 W @83-75 v C Arkansas (HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE)
11/30 L 46-@77 @ #15 Memphis (HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE)
Not particularly a flop preseason; it's just that Oral Roberts has made some noise
with some national splash wins. So track them instead as the standard-bearer for the league.
All five starters return from last year's NCAA team, led by tEvan Turner; gWilliam Buford and shooter gJon Diebler
are solid contributors; talented fDavid Lighty can still get better for coach Thad Matta's squad.
(7-0 cB.J. Mullens was one-and-done last year, but his spotty production won't be missed.)
In league play (singles: @MichiganSt, vNorthwestern), three big road games start the regular season
and a tough five-game stretch ends things -- a tough schedule.
***
11/ 4 (#13) w @86-48 v {Walsh}
11/ 9 (#13) W @100-60 v Alcorn St (COACHES VS CANCER CLASSIC)
- 5DF,53%FG,14/33 3S,8-12FT,29A,6TO;gJDiebler(22p;6/93s),gWBuford(19p),tETurner(14p17r10a)
11/12 (#13) W @72-44 v James Madison (COACHES VS CANCER CLASSIC)
- 4/17 3S,8/12FT,11S,9TO;cETurner(24p17r4a),[gDLight(14p),gWBuford(12p)]
/ 0DF,31%FG,4/22 3S,8/12FT,6A
11/19 (#13) L 73-77 v #3 N Carolina (COACHES VS CANCER CLASSIC @ New York, NY /MSG/)
11/20 (#13) W 76-70 v #21 California (COACHES VS CANCER CLASSIC @ New York, NY /MSG/)
tEvan Turner has started the season even better than expected -- and that's saying a lot -- but all of his gaudy rebounding
numbers individually really mean the team overall has serious problems in the paint.
11/24 (#10) W @84-64 v # Lipscomb
11/28 (#10) W @110-47 v St Francis-PA
12/ 2 (#12) W @77-64 v #22 Florida St (BIG 10/ACC CHALLENGE)
The loss of tEvan Turner (who was off to a Player of the Year-calibre start) is devastating, not just for the Buckeyes,
but for all of college basketball. At least 8 weeks to recover after a serious back injury -- frankly, he'd be better off
sitting out the entire season with that kind of physical problem.
Great news! tEvan Turner is back on the court much earlier than expected. Understandably, he's not quite at the level
he was playing at before the injury, though. But such a thin team depth-wise can use any minutes he can provide.
(And maybe his absence helped tDavid Lighty and bWilliam Buford step forward a bit more than they had been doing.)
tEvan Turner's career-high 32p against Purdue should be plenty of evidence that's he's back
to full strength. That puts the Buckeyes back in the national conversation (and him back into consideration
for Player of the Year).
1 /19 (#15) W @76-56 v #25 .Northwestern
1 /23 (#15) L 65-@71 @ #12 W Virginia
1 /27 (#12) W 65-@57 @ .Iowa
1 /31 (#12) W @85-63 v .Minnesota
2 / 3 (#12) W @75-62 v .Penn St
2 / 7 (#12) W @68-58 v .Iowa
2 /10 (#12) W 69-@52 @ .Indiana
2 /14 (#12) W 72-@53 @ # .Illinois
2 /17 (#9) L @57-60 v #5 .Purdue (BG)
2 /21 (#9) W 74-@67 @ #10 .Michigan St
2 /24 (#8) W 75-@67 @ .Penn St
2 /27 (#8) W @66-55 v .Michigan
3 / 2 (#7) W @73-57 v # .Illinois
3 /12 [1a] W 69-68 v .[7b]Michigan (BIG 10 TOURNAMENT @ Indianapolis, IN)
3 /13 [1a] W 88-81(2OT) v # .[5]Illinois (BIG 10 TOURNAMENT @ Indianapolis, IN)
3 /14 [1a] W 90-61 v # .[6]Minnesota ([BIG 10] TOURNAMENT @ Indianapolis, IN)
3 /19 [M2] W 68-51 v # [M15]UC-Santa Barbara (NCAA POD @ Milwaukee, WI)
3 /21 [M2] W 75-66 v # [M10]Georgia Tech (NCAA POD @ Milwaukee, WI)
3 /26 [M2] L 73-76 v # [M6]Tennessee (NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL @ St. Louis, MO)
At least they earned their ticket to the NCAAs, winning four games, beating four higher seeds
(including the two best teams in the league) to take the conference tournament crowd. Hats off!!
Only two starters return from last year's losing team -- gSteven Coleman and gTommy Freeman --
for young coach John Groce's squad. (Replacing all-time great fJerome Tillman and fJustin Orr is a tough task.)
In the weak Mid-American
,
Akron will battle Buffalo (featuring bRodney Pierce) for the top spot in the East
(and overall); in the West, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan (featuring bDavid Kool)
will fight it out for the division title.
(The Bobcats were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, the second half is tougher than the first half -- good thing for young squad.
3 /18 [M14] W 97-83 v # [M3]Georgetown (NCAA POD @ Providence, RI)
3 /20 [M14] L 68-83 v # [M6]Tennessee (NCAA POD @ Providence, RI)
Give the Bobcats credit for pulling off one of the most inexplicable upsets in recent memory.
Georgetown had seemed to be back playing at a high level in the Big East tournament,
but OU throttled the Hoyas in an embarrassing fashion.
Two starters return from last year's Elite Eight team, led by gWillie Warren; gTony Crocker has experience;
freshmen 6-9 cKeith "Tiny" Gallon, 5-10 pTommy Mason-Griffin and 6-8 fAndrew Fitzgerald will all likely contribute
right away for still young coach Jeff Capel's squad. (Replacing cBlake Griffin isn't really possible; fTaylor Griffin
and gAustin Johnson will be missed as well, though.)
In the strong Big 12, five returning starters make
Kansas the favorite for a sixth-straight regular season title;
fortified Texas, the Sooners, Oklahoma State and Kansas State
will all contend; Iowa State (featuring cCraig Brackins) can only spoil.
In league play, they have the tougher "South Division" schedule and Kansas on the road to boot --
as bad as anybody else has it.
Don't panic too much. The loss at VCU had extraneous elements to it (mainly, Jeff Capel's return
to the school where he previously coached). Also, the glaring problem was terrible outside shooting, which shouldn't be
a long-term issue for this squad.
11/25 L 64-76 v San Diego (GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT @ Anchorage, AK)
11/26 L 93-100 v # Houston (GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT @ Anchorage, AK)
11/28 W 81-60 v Nicholls St (GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT @ Anchorage, AK)
12/ 2 W @67-47 v Arkansas
12/ 6 W @79-62 v # Arizona (BIG 12/PAC-10 HARDWOOD SERIES)
12/ 9 W @86-62 v Centenary
12/12 W 78-@73(OT) @ Utah
12/19 W @80-79 v No Colorado
12/21 L @74-89 v # UTEP (ALL-COLLEGE CLASSIC @ Oklahoma City, OK)
Three starters return from last year's first-round splash team, led by tJames Anderson; tObi Muonelo is a solid contributor;
fMarshall Moses and gKeiton Page have experience; freshmen 5-9 pRay Penn and 6-5 fRoger Franklin will add needed depth
for coach Travis Ford's squad. (Replacing pByron Eaton and bTerrel Harris is the main task.)
In the strong Big 12, five returning starters make
Kansas the favorite for a sixth-straight regular season title;
fortified Texas, Oklahoma, the Cowboys and Kansas State
will all contend; Iowa State (featuring cCraig Brackins) can only spoil.
In league play, they have the tougher "South Division" schedule, but at least they get Kansas at home.
***
11/ 7 (#20) w @89-80 v {C Oklahoma} (OK)
11/10 (#20) w @97-55 v {Dillard}
11/14 (#20) W @86-64 v # {Seattle} (LAS VEGAS-THANKSGIVING INVITATIONAL)
11/18 (#20) W @93-61 v Southern (LAS VEGAS-THANKSGIVING INVITATIONAL)
11/21 (#20) W @82-68 v # N Texas
11/24 (#21) W @80-58 v Prairie View A&M
11/27 (#21) W 68-57 v Bradley (LAS VEGAS-THANKSGIVING INVITATIONAL @ Las Vegas, NV /OHA/)
11/28 (#21) W 77-55 v Utah ([2v2:LVI-T] LAS VEGAS-THANKSGIVING INVITATIONAL @ Las Vegas, NV /OHA/)
A solid job winning LAS VEGAS (even though they didn't have to beat anyone spectacular to do so). No matter. Win the games
in front of you and worry about being appreciated later.
12/ 2 (#17) L 65-@86 @ # Tulsa (OK)
12/ 5 (#17) W @61-55 v TX-San Antonio
12/13 W @81-66 v # AR-Pine Bluff
12/16 W 71-@70 @ # Stanford (BIG 12/PAC-10 HARDWOOD SERIES)
12/21 W @77-62 v La Salle (ALL-COLLEGE CLASSIC @ Oklahoma City, OK)
12/29 W @66-50 v # Pacific
1 / 2 L 59-@63 @ # Rhode Island (@ Uncasville, CT)
Beating red-hot Kansas Stateon the road is a huge win. The bigger challenge will be
whether they can sustain any kind of momentum in such a tough league.
1 /27 (#22) W @76-69 v # .Texas A&M
1 /30 (#22) L 80-@95 @ #17 .Missouri
2 / 1 (#18) L @60-72 v #10 .Texas
2 / 6 (#18) L 74-@81 @ .Texas Tech
2 /13 W @97-76 v .Oklahoma
2 /17 W 69-@64 @ .Iowa St
2 /20 W @82-75 v #21 .Baylor
2 /24 (#21) L 59-@69 @ #15 .Texas
2 /27 (#21) W @85-77 v #1 .Kansas
3 / 3 (#20) L 61-@76 @ # .Texas A&M
3 / 6 (#20) W @74-55 v .Nebraska
3 /10 [6b] W 81-67 v .[9b]Oklahoma (OK) (BIG 12 TOURNAMENT @ Kansas City, MO)
3 /11 [6b] L 64-@83 @ # .[2a]Kansas St (BIG 12 TOURNAMENT @ Kansas City, MO)
3 /19 [M7] L 59-64 v # [M10]Georgia Tech (NCAA POD @ Milwaukee, WI)
All five starters return from last year's inauguaral CIT (CollegeInsider.com Tournament) champion,
led by fGerald Lee and tBen Finney; fFrank Hassell and pDarius James provide solid support as well
for coach Blaine Taylor's squad.
In the Colonial, the Monarchs' five returning starters will battle
with veteran squads at Northeastern and Hofstra for the top spot, with the remnants
of VCU only able to spoil.
In league play, they could be on a serious roll before they have to play any tough road games.
***
11/ 2 w @91-62 v {Barton}
11/ 7 w @86-48 v {Elizabeth City St}
11/15 W @69-38 v Bethune-Cookman (SOUTH PADRE ISLAND INVITATIONAL)
11/17 W @98-59 v Longwood (VA) (SOUTH PADRE ISLAND INVITATIONAL)
11/19 W 73-@41 @ Liberty (VA)
11/21 W @70-62 v Marshall
11/27 L 61-66 v # Missouri (SOUTH PADRE ISLAND INVITATIONAL @ South Padre Island, TX)
11/28 L 55-69 v # Mississippi St (SOUTH PADRE ISLAND INVITATIONAL @ South Padre Island, TX)
Not so much anything that Oakland did wrong; it's just that this team has made
some real noise with a few national splash wins. So swap them in as the standard-bearer for the league.
(Tough news that founder, The Oral Roberts, passed away recently.
Only two starters return from last year's winning team -- the frontcourt duo of fKevin Ford
and fDominique Morrison -- for still young coach Scott Sutton. (Replacing gRobert Jarvis and fMarcus Lewis is
a major task.)
In the weak Summit
,
Oakland is the favorite ahead of IUPUI; five returning starters
at South Dakota State will only be good enough to spoil.
(The Golden Eagles were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, the big games are well spaced home and away throughout the schedule.
Whatever's going on in this weak league, it's definite not Long Beach State
who's the best representative. Wait until the official midconference point next week to officially decide
between these ones and UC-Santa Barbara, though.
At the midpoint of conference play, it's the Tigers who are in first place (and performing the strongest overall as well).
Track them as the standard-bearer for the league then.
Two starters return from last year's winning team, led by fSam Willard; fMichael Nunnally has
experience as well for veteran coach Bob Thomason's squad. (Replacing gChad Troyer, pMichael Kirby and fAnthony Brown
is a lot to accomplish in one season.)
In the weak Big West
,
Long Beach State will battle rebuilding squads
at UC-Santa Barbara, Cal State-Northridge as well as improving UC-Davis
for the top spot.
(The Tigers were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, more big games come in the second half of the schedule -- better to build up confidence
for a young squad.
2 / 4 L @48-61 v # .UC-Santa Barbara (CA)
2 / 6 W @67-61 v .Cal Poly-SLO (CA)
2 /10 L 59-@62 @ .UC-Davis (CA)
2 /13 w 71-@44 @ {Cal St-Bakersfield} (CA)
2 /17 W 74-@52 @ .Long Beach St (CA)
2 /20 L @78-84 v # New Mexico St (BRACKETBUSTERS)
2 /25 L @53-62 v .UC-Riverside (CA)
2 /27 W @61-51 v .Long Beach St (CA)
3 / 4 W 70-@64 @ .Cal St-Fullerton (CA)
3 / 6 W 66-@47 @ .Cal St-Northridge (CA)
3 /12 [1b] L 61-@68 v .[3a]@Long Beach St (CA) (BIG WEST TOURNAMENT @ Anaheim, CA)
3 /17 W 86-@76 @ Loyola Marymount (CA) (CIT on-campus)
Whodda thunk that no-name Pitt would be the ones to hand Syracuse its first loss of the season ...
on the road, no less! This is all credit to the coaching ability of Jamie Dixon, 'cause this was supposed to be
a rebuilding year with last year's headliners having all departed. As much as any coach, he does a great job of grooming
last year's support players to be this year's stars.
Only one starter returns from last year's Elite Eight squad -- gJermaine Dixon; gBrad Wannamaker,
bGilbert Brown and gAshton Gibbs all have experience; 6-9 freshman fDante Taylor is expected to contribute right away
for still young coach Jamie Dixon. (Replacing the likes of cDeJuan Blair, tSam Young and pLevance Fields is an impossible
task in one season.)
In the Big East, things are down from last year's heady heights
(three #1-seeds) but the league is still deep; Villanova is the favorite;
fortified Connecticut and Notre Dame
along with veteran West Virginia and Louisville will all be right there to contend
as well; revamped Seton Hall, Georgetown and Cincinnati will only be
good enough to spoil.
(The Panthers were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, a brutal start with three big road games in the first two weeks of January -- Ouch.
A home win over Villanova and the 3-OT thriller victory against West Virginia
vault the overachieving Panthers right back into the middle of the conversation.
2 /24 (#9) L 53-@68 @ # .Notre Dame
2 /27 (#9) W 71-@64 @ .St John's
3 / 4 (#12) W @73-71 v .Providence
3 / 6 (#12) W @83-54 v .Rutgers
3 /11 [2a] L 45-50 v # .[7a]Notre Dame (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
3 /19 [W3] W 89-66 v # [W14]Oakland (NCAA POD @ Milwaukee, WI)
3 /21 [W3] L 68-71 v # [W6]Xavier (NCAA POD @ Milwaukee, WI)
Five starters return from last year's conference runners-up, led by junior 6-3 gDan Mavraides
and sophomore 5-11 gDouglas Davis; senior 6-10 cPawel Buczak, senior 6-3 gMarcus Schroeder and junior 6-8 fKareem Maddox
have plenty of experience; freshman 6-6 fIan Hummel will contribute sooner rather than later
for young coach Sydney Johnson's squad.
In the weak Ivy League, two-time defending champ
Cornell (with five returning starters) is the overwhelming favorite to pull off
the three-peat; the Tigers' five returning starters will do well to spoil a run at an undefeated conference season.
In league play, four straight road games to start could have them playing catch-up before their twice-in-two-weeks double
against Cornell in February.
The Tigers came up just short against mighty Cornell. Too bad. Had they won that game,
they'd have had a two-game lead and the inside track on spoiling the NCAA hopes of some more deserving at-large team.
(They've still got a shot at pulling off, too.)
The home loss to Brown is costly. It was already going to be a tough task to steal a road win
at Cornell, but now that wouldn't even put them in the driver's seat in the conference race.
Any shot they have now means beating the Big Red twice. Sorry.
Two endplay losses to Cornell are tough to swallow. It's been a solid season, though. No NIT,
but maybe CBI or CIT at the end as a consolation would be nice.
3 / 5 W @71-43 v .Dartmouth
3 / 6 W @54-51 v .Harvard
3 / 9 W @68-59 v .Penn
3 /17 [2e] W @65-51 v [3e]Duquesne (CBI on-campus)
3 /22 [2e] W 74-@68(2OT) @ [4e]IUPUI (CBI on-campus)
3 /24 [2e] L 59-@69 @ [1m]St Louis (CBI on-campus)
All five starters return from last year's Sweet 16, conference tournament champs, led by the trio
of bE'Twuan Moore, fJaJuan Johnson and fRobbie Hummel; gLewis Jackson, gChris Kramer and reserve gKeaton Grant are
all solid support players as well for still young coach Matt Painter's squad.
In league play (singles: vMichigan, @Northwestern), four of five big games in the first half
come at home -- that should make for a great start (and no trip to Michigan is a nice bonus).
***
11/ 3 (#7) w @78-44 v {California-PA}
11/ 9 (#7) w @74-52 v {KY Wesleyan}
11/13 (#7) W @89-64 v Cal St-Northridge
11/20 (#7) W 74-63 v SD State (PARADISE JAM @ St. Thomas, VI)
11/22 (#7) W 85-60 v St Joseph's (PARADISE JAM @ St. Thomas, VI)
11/23 (#8) W 73-72 v #19 Tennessee ([3:PARADISE] JAM @ St. Thomas, VI)
Great job withstanding the pressure of the speed posed by Tennessee in the PARADISE JAM final.
They tried to run with the Vols in the first half but, thankfully, settled things down in the second half and played
with the lead throughout.
12/ 1 (#6) W @69-58 v # Wake Forest (BIG 10/ACC CHALLENGE)
A mature win. On the road at Alabama (hyped up on the news that their star running back had just won the Heisman Trophy),
they were down 15 points in the second half and steadily tightened the clamps and came away with a solid victory.
(They might not get enough easy points to make it to the Final Four, but this is a solid Sweet 16/Elite 8 squad to be sure.)
12/19 (#5) W @69-@49 @@ Ball St (IN) (JOHN WOODEN TRADITION @ Indianapolis, IN)
The Boilermakers are three games back from first-place Michigan State
at the midconference break. It's not likely that they'll catch the Spartans. More importantly, though, pLewis Jackson
is back on the court after being injured. They may a few steps back while integrating him back into the rotation,
but they'll be much better for it in the long-run come tournament time.
A devastating blow to lose tRobbie Hummel to a season-ending knee injury this late. A conference title and maybe even
a #1 seed were within their grasp. Now, unfortunately, they'll likely not get anything except an overseed
for the tournament and a "shocking" upset loss. (The NCAA Seeding Committee can't drop them below a #4, but that's where
they belong without him.)
3 / 3 (#10) W @74-55 v .Indiana (IN)
3 / 6 (#10) W 64-@60 @ .Penn St
3 /12 [1b] W @69-61 v .[7a]Northwestern (BIG 10 TOURNAMENT @ Indianapolis, IN)
3 /13 [1b] L @42-69 v # .[6]Minnesota (BIG 10 TOURNAMENT @ Indianapolis, IN)
3 /19 v [S4] W 72-64 v # [S13]Siena (NCAA POD @ Spokane, WA)
3 /21 v [S4] W 63-61(OT) v # [S5]Texas A&M (NCAA POD @ Spokane, WA)
3 /26 v [S4] L 57-70 v # [S1]Duke (NCAA SOUTH REGIONAL @ Houston, TX)
Midway through conference play, the Bobcats are tied for first place
with Robert Morris and well worth tracking and warrants being the standard-bearer
for the league to boot.
Three starters return from last year's losing team, led by cJustin Ruddy; bJames Feldeine is
a major performer; reserve bJeremy Baker is a solid contributor as well; gJames Johnson and returning gEvann Baker
have experience as well for young coach Tom Moore's squad.
In the weak Northeast
,
Mount St. Mary's will battle veteran squads Long Island and the Bobcats
for the top spot; Central Connecticut State and what's left of Robert Morris
will only spoil.
In league play, their biggest games don't come until the second half.
Four starters return from last year's conference regular season and tournament champs, led by 6-11 cArt Parakoushki;
pAmir Johnson and fJoey Lynch-Flohr are solid contributors as well for young coach Brad Greenberg's squad. (Replacing
bKenny Thomas won't be done by just one player.)
In the weak Big South
,
the Highlanders are the team to beat; UNC-Asheville, Gardner-Webb
and Winthrop can only spoil.
In league play, a couple of December road games shouldn't trip up a veteran squad.
Despite beating first-place Coastal Carolina head-to-head on the road,
the Highlanders are still two games back in second place at the break. That's not good enough to be
the proper standard-bearer for the league.
1 /28 W 80-@73 @ .Gardner-Webb
1 /31 L 84-@92 @ .UNC-Asheville
2 \ 2 @ .VMI (VA)
2 \ 6 v .High Point
2 \11 v .Charleston So
2 /13 L @51-52 v # .Co Carolina
2 \16 @ .Liberty (VA)
2 /20 W @76-68 v # UNC-Wilmington ([BB] BRACKETBUSTERS)
2 \25 v .{Presybterian}
2 /27 W @54-52 v # .Winthrop
3 / 2 [2] W @64-61(OT) v .[7]Charleston So (BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT on-campus)
3 / 4 [2] L 46-@61 v # .[3]@Winthrop (BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT @ #1-seed[Co Carolina]/on-campus)
This team (and this league) is too strong not to at least track them. Only 1-2 against conference powers so far,
but they have a road win to cancel out their home loss.
Three starters return from last year's winning team, led by fDelroy James; gKeith Cothran,
gMarquis Jones and reserve fLamonte Ulmer have experience as well for veteran coach Jim Baron's squad. (Replacing
gJimmy Baron and fRahiem Seawright is a major task.)
In the Atlantic 10, Dayton will battle veteran squads
fortified with new/returning talent at La Salle (five returning starters) and Richmond
to establish supremacy.
(The Rams were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, the big games are balanced home and away pretty evenly throughout the schedule.
2 /10 L @67-69 v # .Richmond
2 /13 L 56-@78 @ # .Temple
2 /17 L 57-@62 @ .St Louis
2 /20 W @101-75 v .Fordham
2 /27 L 74-@81 @ .St Bonaventure
3 / 3 W @80-58 v # .Charlotte
3 / 6 L 67-@69 @ .Massachusetts
3 / 9 [5a] W @87-76 v .[13]St Joseph's (A-10 TOURNAMENT on-campus)
3 /12 [5a] W 63-47 v .[4]St Louis (A-10 TOURNAMENT @ Atlantic City, NJ)
3 /13 [5a] L 44-57 v # .[1a]Temple (A-10 TOURNAMENT @ Atlantic City, NJ)
3 /17 [e2] W @76-64 v [e7]Northwestern (NIT on-campus)
Here's a team that come from nowhere to take the SOUTH PADRE crown. Great job (but don't expect the ranking to last).
Four starters return from last year's CBI team, led by the backcourt duo of gKevin Anderson
and bDavid Gonzalvez; fJustin Harper has experience as well; the return of fDan Geriot (out with a knee injury a year ago)
is the biggest reason for optimism for young coach Chris Mooney's squad. (Replacing fJarhon Giddings shouldn't be
a problem.)
In the Atlantic 10, Dayton will battle veteran squads
fortified with new/returning talent at La Salle (five returning starters) and the Spiders to establish supremacy.
Beating Old Dominon or VCU will be tough even in front of home crowds; winning at South Carolina, Florida or Wake Forest
won't happen; don't expect them to make noise in SOUTH PADRE (Mississippi State, Old Dominion, Missouri, Longwood).
In league play, they only have to play Dayton and Temple once, and both games are at home --
couldn't be better.
12/ 2 (#23) W @67-60 v # Old Dominion (VA)
12/12 (#20) L @57-@65 @@ # VCU (Richmond,VA) (BLACK & BLUE CLASSIC)
The South Carolina game was 52-52 with 8 minutes left, so that's not the complete blowout it might appear to be --
just a horrible collapse on the road. Great job shaking that off and beating host Florida
in the ORANGE BOWL. Competing in the paint continues to be the challenge for this team.
Great win over Temple. The Spiders are in a three-way tie for third place in the league. Multiple bids
are coming, to be sure; but they still need to stay in close contact with first place in order to play it safe.
2 /10 W 69-@67 @ # .Rhode Island
2 /13 W 68-@44 @ .St Bonaventure
2 /17 W @84-56 v .Fordham
2 /20 W @74-70 v .Geo Washington
2 /28 L 76-@78(2OT) @ # .Xavier
3 / 4 W @60-56 v # .Dayton
3 / 6 W 89-@84(OT) @ # .Charlotte
3 /12 [3] W 77-72 v .[11a]Massachusetts (A-10 TOURNAMENT @ Atlantic City, NJ)
3 /13 [3] W 89-85(OT) v # .[1b]Xavier (A-10 TOURNAMENT @ Atlantic City, NJ)
3 /14 [3] L 52-56 v # .[1a]Temple (A-10 TOURNAMENT @ Atlantic City, NJ)
3 /18 [S7] L 71-80 v # [S10]St Mary's (NCAA POD @ Providence, RI)
With no good reason to track Mount St. Mary's, try this team as the standard-bearer
for the league, instead.
Three starters return from last year's regular season and conference tournament champs,
led by fRob Robinson; 5-11 gJimmy Langhurst is a solid contributor as well for young coach Mike Rice's squad.
(Replacing bJeremy Chappell is a big task.)
In the weak Northeast
,
Mount St. Mary's will battle veteran squads at Long Island
and Quinnipiac for the top spot; Central Connecticut State
and what's left of the Colonials will only spoil.
In league play, a December game sets the tone, but most of the big games come in the second half --
good for a young squad.
Yes, the Colonials are tied for first place at the midconference break; but this 1BC league only warrants one team
to be tracked as its standard-bearer and Quinnipiac is having a stronger season
overall.
The Colonials stumbled down the stretch, losing a huge game
at Mount St. Mary's to finish the regular season tied for first place
with Quinnipiac. If somebody else wins the conference tournament now, they won't even
get an NIT bid -- it's CBI or CIT!!! Ugh.
3 / 4 [1b] W @71-63 v .[6b]C Connecticut St (NEC TOURNAMENT on-campus)
3 / 7 [1b] W @80-62 v .[3]Mt St Mary's (NEC TOURNAMENT on-campus)
A couple of nice wins (over struggling Siena and solid Templein The Palestra) have the Johnnies visiting the national rankings this week. Great job (but don't expect
a long stay). All five starters return from last year's losing team, led by tD.J. Kennedy and fSean Evans;
fJustin Burrell has experience as well; much depends on the return of fAnthony Mason Jr. (foot surgery last year;
rehabbing a hamstring injury until December this year) for still young coach Norm Roberts' squad.
In the Big East, things are down from last year's heady heights
(three #1-seeds) but the league is still deep; Villanova is the favorite;
fortified Connecticut and Notre Dame
as well as veteran West Virginia and Louisville will all be right there to contend
as well; revamped Seton Hall, Georgetown and Cincinnati will only be
good enough to spoil.
(The Johnnies were not expected to be a factor.)
Don't expect a win in PHILLY (Siena, at Temple) or at Duke; beating Georgia (BIG EAST/SEC) shouldn't be a problem;
winning the HOLIDAY FESTIVAL (Cornell) might not be a cakewalk.
In league play, there are plenty of tough games, but at least they're as well spaced out
as you could ask.
12/ 2 (#21) W @63-55 v # Stony Brook (NY)
12/ 5 (#21) L 71-@80 @ #5 Duke
12/ 9 W @66-56 v # Georgia (BIG EAST/SEC INVITATIONAL @ New York, NY /MSG/)
12/13 W @73-56 v Fordham (NY)
12/20 (#15) W @72-60 v Hofstra (NY) (HOLIDAY FESTIVAL @ New York, NY /MSG/)
12/21 (#11) L @66-@71 @@ # Cornell (HOLIDAY FESTIVAL @ New York, NY /MSG/)
The loss to a very good Cornell team in the HOLIDAY FESTIVAL final means the end
of their national ranking. As the year goes on, beating Siena and Temple wouldn't have been enough to keep them up there,
anyway. Good News is there are lots of ranked teams on the conference schedule ... or is that Bad News!?
After a 2-6 first half in conference play, the hard truth is that there's no need to track these team
as far as postseason viability. The league is just to strong for just an "OK" squad.
2 \ 2 @ .Rutgers
2 / 6 L @60-79 v #11 .W Virginia
2 /11 W @74-55 v # .Louisville
2 /14 W 69-@68 @ # .Notre Dame
2 \17 v .Seton Hall
2 \20 @ .S Florida
2 /24 L @61-63(OT) v # .Marquette
2 /27 L @64-71 v #9 .Pittsburgh
3 / 2 L 66-@85 @ #1 .Syracuse (NY)
3 \ 5 @ .DePaul
3 / 9 [13] W @73-51 v # .[11b]Connecticut (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
3 /10 [13] L @55-57 v # .[5a]Marquette (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
3 /17 [w6] L 71-@73 @ # [w3]Memphis (NIT on-campus)
Only a road win at Utah State way back when rates as a quality win, but the overall season
in a decent enough league means you have at least track this squad.
Only one starter returns from last year's winning team -- cOmar Samhan --
for still young coach Randy Bennett. (Replacing pPatrick Mills and fDiamon Simpson is a lot to ask in just one season.)
In the downgraded WCC, Gonzaga still should have enough
to remain on top, but they'll be pushed by five returning starters at Portland.
In league play, the two biggest games come at home the first time around -- as good as you could ask.
2 /25 W @76-49 v .Pepperdine (CA)
2 /27 W @88-80 v .Loyola Marymount
3 / 7 [2] W 69-55 v .[3]Portland (WCC TOURNAMENT @ Las Vegas, NV /OHA/)
3 / 8 [2] W 81-62 v # .[1]Gonzaga ([WCC] TOURNAMENT @ Las Vegas, NV /OHA/)
3 /18 [S10] W 80-71 v # [S7]Richmond (NCAA POD @ Providence, RI)
3 /20 [S10] W 75-68 v # [S2]Villanova (NCAA POD @ Providence, RI)
3 /26 [S10] L 49-72 v # [S3]Baylor (NCAA SOUTH REGIONAL @ Houston, TX)
Three starters return from last year's division champs, led by gCorey Allmond and pAshton Mitchell; fPreston Brown is
a solid contributor as well for Bob Martin's squad. (There's plenty enough experience from last year's reserves to cover
the loss of fBarkley Falkner and fDeLuis Ramirez.)
In the weak Southland
the Bearkats will battle to stay ahead of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas-San Antonio and Texas-Arlington in the West
(and overall); Nicholls State should hold off Southeast Louisiana in the East.
In league play, five of eight big games are on the road (including all three in January) -- that's a tough schedule.
***
11/14 w @73-42 v {LeTourneau}
11/16 w @91-57 v {Texas Col} (TX)
11/19 L 92-@102 @ #2 Kentucky (CANCUN CHALLENGE)
11/21 L 65-@80 @ Cleveland St (CANCUN CHALLENGE)
11/24 W 71-65 v Oral Roberts (CANCUN CHALLENGE @ Cancun, MEXICO)
11/25 W 80-68 v Rider (CANCUN CHALLENGE @ Cancun, MEXICO)
Guess again! The Aztecs did it the hard way, earning a NCAA bid (and removing any doubt)
by taking the conference tournament crown, beating both the #1-seed (New Mexico)
and the host school (UNLV) on its own floor. Hats off you!
Only two starters return from last year's winning team, led by fBilly White; fTim Shelton has
experience as well; JuCo transfer 6-8 fMalcolm Thomas should make an immediate impact;
so, too, for freshman 6-7 fKawhi Leonard; transfer 6-5 bTyrone Shelley (ex-Pepperdine) should contribute right away as well
for veteran coach Steve Fisher's squad. (Replacing the likes of fLorenzo Wade, fKyle Spaine and fRyan Amoroso is
a lot to accomplish.)
In the rebuilding Mountain West, BYU will battle
UNLV and the Aztecs for league supremacy.
In league play, the big games are well spaced across the full home-and-away schedule.
3 /18 [M11] L 59-62 v # [M6]Tennessee (NCAA POD @ Providence, RI)
With Longwood a complete bust, try tracking this squad as the standard-bearer
for Independents.
gChris Gweth returns from last year's winning team for first-year head coach Cameron Dollar
(former player at UCLA and Douglass High School). (Replacing fAusten Powers and fMichael Wright is a big task.)
Among the remaining weak Independents,
Longwood is the class of the group; {SIU-Edwardsville}, the Redhawks
and {Cal State-Bakersfield} have enough talent to avoid being complete flops, but that's about it.
There's no Independent "League" by definition, but they only even play one other Independent team
at all -- CSB, at home.
With the Redhawks' only playing one Independent team all season, it's hard to declare them the "Independent Champion"
just for being 1-0 (vs {Cal State-Bakersfield}). Instead, give the crown
to 3-2 Longwood (in spite of their much lower overall rating).
Four starters return from the two-time first-round splash, conference regular season and tournament champs, led by
tEdwin Ubiles and fAlex Franklin; fRyan Rossiter and bRonald Moore are solid contributors as well; reserve gClarence Jackson
has plenty of experience for coach Fran McCaffrey's squad. (gJackson should step into a starting role to replace
gKenny Hasbrouck with no difficulty.)
In the strong Metro Atlantic,
the Saints are good enough for an at-large bid regardless, but they'll be pushed inside the league by Niagara and Rider
(featuring tRyan Thompson).
In league play, the big games come at home first -- all the better to lead from the top.
It's been a disappointing start to the season for such a veteran squad. Outside shooting has been especially poor --
and that's been the strength of this squad the past couple of years. Just a lack of focus and they haven't been serious
enough about things.
11/24 W @90-56 v Delaware (PHILLY CLASSIC)
11/27 L 68-77 v St John's (NY) (PHILLY CLASSIC @ Philadelphia, PA /Palestra/)
11/28 W 99-79 v Brown (PHILLY CLASSIC @ Philadelphia, PA /Palestra/)
Well, their disappointing preseason performance kills any chance at Anti-Spoiler territory. They're strictly in
a no-mistake/1BC trap in the MAAC tournament now. No one BRACKETBUSTERS win could be enough now to garner an at-large bid.
The road win over Fairfield gives them a two-game gap lead (undefeated). There are too many teams playing well
around the country (and, frankly, they didn't do enough themselves in the preseason) to garner Anti-Spoiler status,
but dominating a decent Mid-Major conference should be good enough for a national ranking for these veterans.
Yes, they've clinched the regular season title; but they're not Anti-Spoilers. They won't get an at-large bid, so winning
the conference tournament is still a must. (A third straight first-round splash doesn't seem to be in the cards this year.
Although pRonald Moore leads the nation in assists, they don't have the same lethal three-point attack this year
that was the central piece of their game in previous years.
2 /26 W 80-@54 @ .Rider
2 /28 W @76-51 v .Marist (NY)
3 / 6 [1] W @78-@61 @@ .[9]@Manhattan (NY) (MAAC TOURNAMENT @ Albany, NY /Siena/)
3 / 7 [1] W @72-62 v .[5a]Rider (MAAC TOURNAMENT @ Albany, NY /Siena/)
3 / 8 [1] W @72-65(OT) v # .[2]Fairfield ([vMAAC] TOURNAMENT @ Albany, NY /Siena/)
3 /19 [S13] L 64-72 v # [S4]Purdue (NCAA POD @ Spokane, WA)
With the disappointing preseason performance by Western Kentucky, try tracking
this team, instead, as the standard-bearer for the league.
Only one starter returns from last year's winning team for coach Ronnie Arrow. (A complete overhaul
is in order with the departure of gDomonic Tilford, fBrandon Davis and fDeAndre Coleman.)
In the dangerous Sun Belt, Western Kentucky
is the team to beat in the East (and overall) ahead of Troy; in the West,
five returning staters at both North Texas and Denver will battle
for the top spot.
(The Jaguars were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, more big games come on the road in the first half -- not ideal for a young team.
At the midpoint of conference play, no one team has emerged as dominant. The Jaguars are in ninth place, though,
so it clearly ain't them! Try Arkansas State for now.
1 \28 v .FL Atlantic
1 /30 L 66-@73(OT) @ # .Troy (AL)
2 \ 4 @ .New Orleans
2 / 6 L @68-80 v # .Mid Tennessee
2 \11 v .FL International
2 \13 v .LA-Lafayette
2 /18 L 69-@99 @ .We Kentucky
2 /20 L 54-@81 @ # .Mid Tennessee
2 /25 W @54-52 v .Denver
3 / 6 [9] W 52-51 v .[6c]FL Atlantic (SUN BELT TOURNAMENT @ Hot Springs, AR)
3 / 7 [9] L 55-67 v # .[1a/E1a]Troy (AL) (SUN BELT TOURNAMENT @ Hot Springs, AR)
The Coyotes won't be fully eligible for Division I until 2012-13 (but the league champion will receive an automatic bid
to the CIT postseason tournament).
Three starters return from last year's winning team, led by fTyler Cain; gLouie Krogman
and fRoman Gentry are also solid contributors for veteran coach Dave Boots' squad.
In the new (but weak) Great West, the Coyotes will battle with Utah Valley
and {North Dakota} for the title; Chicago State (featuring fCarl Montgomery) will only spoil.
In league play, the big games come on the road first -- not the best schedule.
***
11/13 L 49-@88 @ Texas Tech (DUEL IN THE DESERT CLASSIC @ Lubbock, TX)
11/14 L 47-62 v Oregon St (DUEL IN THE DESERT CLASSIC @ Lubbock, TX)
11/15 W 76-@73 @ Texas A&M-CC (DUEL IN THE DESERT CLASSIC @ Lubbock, TX)
11/20 w @99-67 v {Mayville St}
11/24 L 68-@93 @ # Marquette
11/28 w @100-65 v {Dana Col}
11/29 w @104-71 v {Midland Lutheran Col}
12/ 2 w @111-59 v {Dakota St} (SD?)
12/11 L 81-@96 @ Drake (DRAKE INVITATIONAL @ Des Moines, IA)
12/13 W 89-77 v SUNY-B (DRAKE INVITATIONAL @ Des Moines, IA)
12/20 L 74-@86 @ Wyoming
12/28 L @64-66 v Morehead St
1 / 3 L 69-@91 @ #17 Kansas St
1 / 8 L @65-71 v # Cornell
1 / 9 w @100-76 v {SIU-Edwardsville}
1 /12 W @75-63 v Longwood
1 /16 w @74-64 v .{N Dakota}
1 /21 L 68-@86 @ .UT Valley
1 /23 w 82-@64 @ .{N Dakota}
1 /28 w 92-@70 @ .{Houston Baptist}
1 /30 W 72-@71 @ .TX Pan American
2 / 5 w 91-@69 @ {SIU-Edwardsville}
2 /11 W @79-74 v .Chicago St
2 /18 W @59-55 v .UT Valley
2 /25 W 68-@58 @ .NJIT
2 /27 W 77-@73 @ .Chicago St
3 / 4 W @85-79(OT) v .TX Pan American
3 / 6 w @97-84 v .{Houston Baptist}
3 / 7 W @83-49 v .NJIT
3 /12 [1] W 76-71 v .[5a]TX Pan American (GREAT WEST TOURNAMENT @ Orem, UT /UT Valley/)
3 /13 [1] W 91-86 v # .[2]{Houston Baptist} ([GREAT WEST] TOURNAMENT @ Orem, UT /UT Valley/)
Only two starters return from last year's winning team, led by fLandry Fields. Not much else to look forward to
for young coach Johnny Dawkins. (Replacing gAnthony Goods, fLawrence Hill and pMitch Johnson is a major task
with no candidates available to immediately step in.)
In another down year for the depleted Pac-10, California has
the best combination of talent and experience, but they'll be challenged by young squads at Washington, Arizona and UCLA
and veteran/fortified Oregon State.
(The Cardinal figures to be no factor.)
In league play, the toughest games comes right off the bat. Ouch!
***
11/ 6 w @82-61 v {Sonoma St} (CA)
11/13 L 64-@77 @ San Diego (CA)
11/15 W @70-53 v Cal Poly-SLO (CA)
11/18 L @81-83 v Oral Roberts (CANCUN CHALLENGE)
11/21 W @99-69 v Florida A&M (CANCUN CHALLENGE)
11/24 W 57-52 v Virginia (CANCUN CHALLENGE @ Cancun, MEXICO)
11/25 L 65-73(OT) v #2 Kentucky (CANCUN CHALLENGE @ Cancun, MEXICO)
You can't beat Oral Roberts at home yet you take Kentucky to overtime
on a neutral court? Go figure. A great effort in CANCUN that fell just a little bit shy. Maybe there's reason
for a little optimism yet after all.
12/13 W @85-69 v UC-Davis (CA)
12/16 L @70-71 v # Oklahoma St (PAC-10/BIG 12 HARDWOOD SERIES)
12/19 L 62-@70 @ Northwestern
12/22 L 87-@100 @ Texas Tech
12/29 W @80-76 v James Madison
1 / 2 L 66-@92 @ # .California (CA)
1 / 6 W @54-53 v .USC (CA)
1 / 9 W @70-59 v .UCLA (CA)
1 /14 L 61-@94 @ # .Washington
1 /16 L 73-@77 @ .Washington St
1 /21 W @59-35 v .Oregon St
1 /23 W @84-69 v .Oregon
1 /28 L 68-@76 @ .Arizona
1 /30 L 70-@88 @ .Arizona St
2 / 4 L 73-@77 @ .UCLA (CA)
2 / 6 L 49-@54 @ .USC (CA)
2 /11 W @60-58 v .Washington St
2 /13 L @61-78 v # .Washington
2 /18 W 72-@65 @ .Oregon
2 /20 W 65-@55 @ .Oregon St
2 /25 L @60-68 v .Arizona St
2 /27 L @69-71 v .Arizona
3 / 6 L @61-71 v # .California (CA)
3 /11 [8a] W @70-61 v .[2]Arizona St (PAC-10 TOURNAMENT @ Los Angeles, CA)
3 /12 [8a] L @64-79 v # .[3]Washington (PAC-10 TOURNAMENT @ Los Angeles, CA)
At the midpoint of conference play, the Seawolves were in a three-way tie for first place with Maine and
Boston University (and the strongest team overall).
Four starters return from last year's winning team, led by bMuhammad El-Amin; gBryan Dougher is
a solid contributor as well; fTonny Brenton, fDallis Joyner and reserve gChris Martin all have experience as well
for still young coach Steve Pickell's squad.
In the weak America East
,
(after the implosion of the program at the SUNY-B [Binghamton] -- the dismissal of 6 players, the head coach
and the Athletic Director), Boston University
and Vermont are now the conference favorites.
(The Seawolves were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, the big games all come on the road first time around -- tough, but a veteran squad
should be able to handle it.
11/ 9 W @75-43 v Albany (NY) (COACHES VS CANCER CLASSIC)
- Jim Boeheim's 800th career win;5DF,2/17 3S,21TO;gAOnuaku(14p4r),fWJohnson(12p8r4a6s)
/ 27%FG,32TO
11/11 W @100-60 v # Robert Morris (COACHES VS CANCER CLASSIC)
- 5DF,58%FG,26A,17S,14B,23TO;gARautins(22p;7/10 3s),gWJohnson(15p0a),[fAOnuaku(14p5r)]
11/19 W @95-73 v #21 California (COACHES VS CANCER CLASSIC @ New York, NY /MSG/)
11/20 W @87-71 v #3 N Carolina ([2v2vCVC] COACHES VS CANCER CLASSIC @ New York, NY /MSG/)
First of all, hats off to Jim Boeheim for win #800. But, keep in mind that Syracuse is one of those teams (like Duke)
who always starts the season looking better than they finish -- 11 of their 12 preconference games are
in the state of New York, and opposing teams struggle against their zone this early. That said, things aren't as bad
as they seemed on paper. Slightly better athletically with the presence of fWesley Johnson and bBrandon Triche;
plus, pScoop Jardine and gAndy Rautins have been a capable pass-and-shoot backcourt so far. Two impressive blowouts
over North Carolina and California may have more to do with holes in those squads
than how whole the Orange are. Still, they'll take the COACHES VS CANCER crown, thank you!
Only two starters return from last year's Sweet 16 team -- fArinze Onuaku and fRick Jackson;
gAndy Rautins can shoot the 3; pScoop Jardine is back after missing last season with injury; transfer (ex-Iowa State)
fWesley Johnson will be the immediate go-to player for Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim's squad.
In the Big East, things are down from last year's heady heights
(three #1-seeds) but the league is still deep; Villanova is the favorite;
fortified Connecticut and Notre Dame
as well as veteran West Virginia and Louisville will all be right there to contend
as well; revamped Seton Hall, Georgetown and Cincinnati will only be
good enough to spoil.
(The Orange were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play (doubles: Louisville, Georgetown, Providence), back-to-back road games in late January could put them
behind early in the regular season race.
The Orange were thoroughly in control on the road against Florida in the BIG EAST/SEC CHALLENGE.
cRick Jackson(21p11r) scored at will point blank in the paint. This year's squad can put five athletes
on the floor at once -- that makes a huge difference in the 2-3 zone, and multiple players can get their own shot on offense
to boot. What's not to like!?
Taken as a whole, it's the preseason performance of the Orange that rates #1. Forget about the appeal of talent
of individual players on other teams. What matters is results, baby. SU handled UNC
more authoritatively than did Texas
And just as quickly, it's Back To Reality for the Orange. They had to rally to beat Seton Hall on the road,
and then were manhandled at home against surprising Pittsburgh.
Down 0-14 right out of the gates against Georgetown, the Orange made a spectacular comeback
and ultimately routed the Hoyas -- (and Georgetown had a pretty good week after that). This team is excellent.
Let's hope it's just fatigue that is responsible for two weak performances -- the squeak win
over Connecticut and the home loss to Louisville. OK.
Now that that's out of your system, back to work.
This team has more weapons than anyone in the country -- not the biggest weapons, just the most. It's hard to key
on one player to shut down the squad. They have a real chance to complete the greatest season in school history
if they can keep up this level for one more month.
3 / 2 (#1) W @85-66 v .St John's (NY)
3 / 6 (#1) L 68-@78 @ # .Louisville
3 /11 [1] L @84-91 v # .[7b]Georgetown (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY /MSG/)
cArinze Onuaku injured his quad during the loss to Georgetown. While one of the Orange's strengths
is that they get contributions from lost of players (and you can't key on any single one in particular and expect to stop
the team), they do get different contributions from each one. Without cOnuaku, they don't have anyone to replace
his presence inside on defense or offense.
3 /19 [W1] W @79-56 v # [W16]Vermont (NCAA POD @ Buffalo, NY)
3 /21 [W1] W 87-65 v # [W8]Gonzaga (NCAA POD @ Buffalo, NY)
3 /25 [W1] L 59-63 v # [W5]Butler (NCAA WEST REGIONAL @ Salt Lake City, UT)
This ranking figures to be short-lived. The win over Siena is nice, but that team didn't look good
in its other games, either. Taking Georgetown to the wire on the road is pretty good, too, though.
Still, they'll have to follow through and win PHILLY to keep themselves on the charts.
Only two starters return from the two-time defending conference tournament champs, led by fLavoy Allen;
bRyan Brooks has experience as well for veteran coach Fran Dunphy's team. (Replacing bDionte Christmas won't happen
from one player.)
In the Atlantic 10, Dayton will battle veteran squads
fortified with new/returning talent at La Salle (five returning starters) and Richmond
to establish supremacy.
(The Owls were not expected to contend.)
In the BIG 5, Villanova is
overwhelming favorite for a sixth straight title.
(Again, the Owls were not expected to contend.)
In league play, they only have four games against the toughest teams -- not bad.
11/24 (#24) W @66-46 v Ball St
11/27 (#24) W @61-50 v # Virginia Tech (PHILLY CLASSIC @ Philadelphia, PA /Palestra/)
11/28 (#24) L @48-55 v St John's (PHILLY CLASSIC @ Philadelphia, PA /Palestra/)
12/ 1 W 76-@70 @ We Michigan
12/ 5 W @45-42 v Penn St (PA)
12/ 8 W 64-@42 @ Miami-OH
12/13 W @75-65 v #7 Villanova (Philadelphia,PA) (BIG 5)
Surprise, surprise! It was the Owl guards, gJuan Fernandez(33p4a) and bRyan Brooks(20p5r), who outplayed
the backcourt of Villanova (while cLavoy Allen controlled the boards to the tune
of 17 rebounds).
12/19 (#16) W 71-@65 @ Seton Hall
12/28 (#14) W @63-39 v Bowling Green
12/30 (#14) W 70-@60 @ No Illinois
1 / 2 (#14) L @52-84 v #3 Kansas
1 / 6 (#16) W @73-46 v .St Joseph's (Philadelphia,PA)
1 /10 (#16) W 68-@64(OT) @ # .Rhode Island
1 /13 (#21) W 60-@45 @ Penn (Philadelphia,PA) (BIG 5) (/Palestra/)
All five starters return from last year's division co-champs, led by fTyler Smith; fWayne Chism, tJ.P. Prince
and tScotty Hopson are solid contributors; gBobby Maze and cBrian Williams have experience;
JuCo transfer 5-11 pMelvin Goins and freshman 6-8 Kenny Hall will push for playing time right away for Bruce Pearl's squad.
In the upgraded SEC, loaded Kentucky is
the overwhelming favorite in the East (and overall); five returning starters from the Volunteers
and Vanderbilt will contend for second place; veteran South Carolina (featuring pDevan Downey)
can only spoil. In the West, a healthy Mississippi, veteran Mississippi State
and five returning starters at Arkansas will battle for the title; LSU (featuring fTasmin Mitchell) will only spoil.
In league play, they've got a favorable first half schedule -- a bonus for a veteran squad.
Even though, they aren't the official hosts, having the conference tourney in their home state doesn't
hurt.
***
10/30 (#10) w @117-79 v {N Alabama}
11/ 4 (#10) w @97-58 v {Lincoln Memorial}
11/13 (#10) W @83-54 v Austin Peay (TN)
11/17 (#10) W @124-49 v UNC-Asheville
11/20 (#10) W 105-65 v E Carolina (PARADISE JAM @ St. Thomas, VI)
11/22 (#10) W 57-53 v DePaul (PARADISE JAM @ St. Thomas, VI)
11/23 (#19) L 72-73 v #8 Purdue (PARADISE JAM @ St. Thomas, VI)
11/27 (#19) W @86-69 v Col of Charleston
12/ 2 (#14) W @78-66 v # E Tennessee St (TN)
12/11 (#12) W @75-@54 @@ # Mid Tennessee (TN) (SUN BELT CLASSIC @ Nashville, TN)
The Vols got down to USC on the road and couldn't get back in the game. Putting on the press only allowed the Trojans
to shoot 56% from the floor. Meanwhile UTn was dominated on the backboards 17-42 and shot
2-for-22 on three-pointers. Yikes. There's a lot to fix, and sometimes The System is The Problem.
Adversity has brought this team together. fTyler Smith was dismissed entirely for his part in an off-court run-in
with authorities. Down four players, the rest stepped it up and played their two best games of the season, including
the unthinkable upset of Kansas. Can they ride this emotion for the entire rest of the season?
Who knows? But give them full credit for now for what they've accomplished.
tCameron Tatum and gMelvin Goins have been reinstated to the team. If the roster is set from her on out, maybe they can
focus purely on the court and deliver a postseason that's worthy of their regular season this time.
You hate to say that they played much better when all four suspended players were not around. Still, how can you avoid
thinking about why they layed such an egg at Georgia in the first game with tCameron Tatum
and gMelvin Goins reinstated.
How do you account for a team that has now beaten two #1 seeds this season (and loses at Florida
in the same week)? Frustrating? Home court advantage? Inconsistent!!!???
3 / 3 (#15) W @80-73 v .Arkansas
3 / 6 (#15) W 75-@59 @ # .Mississippi St
3 /11 [E3] W @59-49 v .[W6]LSU (SEC TOURNAMENT @ Nashville, TN)
3 /12 [E3] W @76-65 v # .[W1b]Mississippi (SEC TOURNAMENT @ Nashville, TN)
3 /13 [E3] L @45-74 v # .[E1]Kentucky (SEC TOURNAMENT @ Nashville, TN)
3 /18 [M6] W 62-59 v # [M11]San Diego St (NCAA POD @ Providence, RI)
3 /20 [M6] W 83-68 v # [M14]Ohio U (NCAA POD @ Providence, RI)
3 /26 [M6] W 76-73 v # [M2]Ohio St (NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL @ St. Louis, MO)
3 /28 [M6] L 69-70 v # [M5]Michigan St (NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL @ St. Louis, MO)
Three starters return from last year's first-round splash team, led by tDamion James; cDexter Pittman, fGary Johnson
and gJustin Mason all provide solid support; transfer pJai Lucas (ex-Florida) and freshmen gAvery Bradley, tJordan Hamilton
and tShawn Williams will all demand immediate playing time for veteran coach Rick Barnes' squad. (Replacing gA.J. Abrams
and fConnor Atchley may not be as big a task as you'd imagine.)
In the strong Big 12, five returning starters make
Kansas the favorite for a sixth-straight regular season title; the fortified Longhorns,
Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State will all contend;
Iowa State (featuring cCraig Brackins) can only spoil.
In league play, they have the tougher "South Division" schedule -- a tough three-game stretch
in January is the key (but at least they get Kansas at home).
***
11/15 (#5) W @89-42 v UC-Irvine (CBE CLASSIC)
11/18 (#4) W @73-41 v We Carolina (CBE CLASSIC)
11/23 (#6) W 85-60 v Iowa (CBE CLASSIC @ Kansas City, MO)
11/24 (#6) W 78-62 v # Pittsburgh ([2v2:CBE] CLASSIC @ Kansas City, MO)
Granted, it didn't take much to win CBE. But give the Longhorns credit for routing every opponent even as they work
their way into forming an identity for this team with all the new talent.
12/ 3 (#2) W @69-50 v # USC (BIG 12/PAC-10 HARDWOOD SERIES)
12/ 7 (#2) W @107-74 v Long Beach St
12/12 (#2) W @87-54 v Texas St (TX)
12/15 (#3) W @104-42 v TX Pan American (TX)
12/19 (#3) W @103-90 v #10 N Carolina (@ Arlington, TX /COWBOYS/)
Yikes. The Longhorns were pretty much able to stay in "All-Star" mode and outrunNorth Carolina.
Better distribution of talent allowed the guards to get theirs (bJ'Covan Brown[21p5r3a] and gAvery Bradley[20p])
and also open up room in the paint for the big me (xDamion James[25p15r] and cDexter Pittman[23p15r]) ...
and they dominated the boards (56-36) to boot. Mighty impressive!
An impressively solid performance against another tough opponent. The Longhorns' combination of talent and execution
exceeds Kansas at this point. The only reason they weren't rated #1 for the entire preseason is
that Syracuse handled North Carolina with more authority.
It says something about their depth that they were able to get this far into the season still playing
in "All-Star" mode (i.e., with multiple players getting equal minutes and everyone playing "Can You Top This?").
It caught up to them in a big way in their back-to-back road losses at Kansas State
and Connecticut.
The losses keep coming. The team chemistry is a major problem between the talented freshmen and the talented upperclassmen.
tJordan Hamilton has great range, but there are no assists or rebounds to go with it. The entire team is shooting woefully
from the free throw line to boot.
The season-ending knee injury to pDogus Balbay turns the reins over pJustin Mason and the undisciplined freshmen. A season
that included the school's first-ever #1 ranking could very well end with a first-round exit from the NCAA tournament.
Yikes.
3 / 1 (#21) W @87-76 v .Oklahoma
3 / 6 (#21) L 77-@92 @ #24 .Baylor (TX)
3 /10 [6a] W 82-75 v .[9c]Iowa St (BIG 12 TOURNAMENT @ Kansas City, MO)
3 /11 [6a] L 67-86 v # .[2b]Baylor (TX) (BIG 12 TOURNAMENT @ Kansas City, MO)
3 /18 [E8] L 80-81(OT) v # [E9]Wake Forest (NCAA POD @ New Orleans, LA)
Nothing they did this past week, especially. More a reassessment of the total season so far.
Three starters return from last year's first-round splash team, led by fBryan Davis; gDonald Sloan
is a solid contributor; gB.J. Holmes has experience as well; freshman 6-5 bNaji Hibbert should add scoring punch
for coach Mark Turgeon's squad. (Replacing tJosh Carter and fChenemelu Elonu is the main task.)
In the strong Big 12, five returning starters make
Kansas the favorite for a sixth-straight regular season title;
fortified Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State
and Kansas State will all contend; Iowa State (featuring cCraig Brackins) can only spoil.
(The Aggies were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, with three of four big games on the road in the first half, they could get off to
a rough start in the standings and never recover.
12/ 7 (#21) W @75-65 v # N Texas (TX)
12/12 (#21) L @81-84 v # New Mexico (@ Houston, TX)
Somehow the Aggies are in a tie for second place at the midconference break. Don't worry what's going wrong at other places
around the league; just focus on getting your own act together.
2 /13 (#18) W 67-@65 @ .Texas Tech (TX)
2 /15 (#20) L @54-59 v #1 .Kansas
2 /20 (#20) W 60-@56 @ .Iowa St
2 /24 (#22) L 66-@70 @ # .Baylor (TX)
2 /27 (#22) W @74-58 v #15 .Texas (TX)
3 / 3 W @76-61 v #20 .Oklahoma St
3 / 6 W 69-@54 @ .Oklahoma
3 /11 [2c] W 70-64 v .[12]Nebraska (BIG 12 TOURNAMENT @ Kansas City, MO)
3 /12 [2c] L 66-@79 @ # .[1]Kansas (BIG 12 TOURNAMENT @ Kansas City, MO)
3 /19 [S5] W 69-53 v # [S12]Utah St (NCAA POD @ Spokane, WA)
3 /21 [S5] L 61-63(OT) v # [S4]Purdue (NCAA POD @ Spokane, WA)
What recommends this team to be the standard-bearer for the league is that,
unlike Jackson State, they at least have a win over a Division-I opponent.
Only two starters return from last year's losing team -- gDeAndre Hall and fRicky Boyles --
for young coach Tony Harvey's squad. Replacing gMatthew Miller and fJacques Jones is the first priority.)
In the weak Southwestern Athletic
,
Jackson State will battle Prairie View A&M
and five returning starters at Arkansas-Pine Bluff for the title.
(These Tigers were not expected to be a factor.)
Don't expect any noise in the preseason, even at lowly MINTON (at Air Force).
In league play, more big games come at home the first time around -- better than not.
Don't hold a squeak road loss at Wichita State against them too much. Besides, they're being swept into the rankings
this week thanks to the strong play of Washington, whom they've already defeated.
Four starters return from last year's losing team, led by pJohn Roberson and fMike Singletary;
gNick Okorie is a solid contributor as well for young coach Pat Knight's squad. (Replacing bAlan Voskuil is
the main priority.)
In the strong Big 12, five returning starters
at Kansas make them the favorites for a sixth-straight regular season title;
fortified Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State
and Kansas State will all contend; Iowa State (featuring cCraig Brackins) can only spoil.
(The Red Raiders were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, four of the first five biggest games are on the road -- tough way to start.
The muddy mess of conference play ended in a three-way tie for first place at 13-5
(along with North Texas and Middle Tennessee --
Ugh.
Four starters return from last year's winning team, led by gBrandon Hazzard; bRichard Delk
and pMichael Vogler are solid contributors as well for veteran coach Don Masetri's squad. (Replacing 7-0 cTom Jervis is
the main task.)
In the dangerous Sun Belt, Western Kentucky
is the team to beat in the East (and overall) ahead of the Trojans; in the West, five returning staters
at both North Texas and Denver will battle for the top spot.
In league play, three of four big games are at home -- nice.
3 / 7 [1a/E1a] W 67-55 v .[9]S Alabama (AL) (SUN BELT TOURNAMENT @ Hot Springs, AR)
3 / 8 [1a/E1a] W 54-48 v .[4]We Kentucky (SUN BELT TOURNAMENT @ Hot Springs, AR)
3 / 9 [1a/E1a] L 63-66 v # .[1b/W1]N Texas (SUN BELT TOURNAMENT @ Hot Springs, AR)
3 /17 [w7] L 65-@84 @ # [w2]Mississippi (NIT on-campus)
Four starters return from last year's conference runners-up, led by 7-0 cJerome Jordan; bBen Uzoh is a force
in the backcourt; gJustin Hurtt is a solid contributor as well for young coach Doug Wojcik's squad. (Replacing fRay Reese
is the main task.)
In downgraded Conference USA, Elvis has left the building, so the league is
in danger of dropping from Anti-Spoiler status
down to regular 1BC unless the Hurricanes
and what's left at Memphis can make some noise in the preseason; Houston
will likely only spoil.
In league play, an early road game at Houston is dangerous, but they could be on a roll
by the time they face Memphis twice in the second half. Hosting the conference tournament is a bonus.
The home rout of Oklahoma State makes up for the road loss at Missouri State
(and MOSt's continued solid play makes that results less suspect as well). They gave a ranked team its first loss
of the season in convincing fashion. Give credit where credit is due.
12/17 (#25) W @92-39 v # Jackson St (LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC)
12/19 (#25) W @86-49 v Chicago St (LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC)
12/22 (#25) L 70-74 v Nebraska (LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC @ Las Vegas, NV /OHA/)
12/23 (#25) L 68-@99 @ Nevada (LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC @ Las Vegas, NV /OHA/)
1 / 2 W @84-59 v Colorado
1 / 6 W @73-59 v .Tulane
1 / 9 W 86-@80 @ # .Houston
1 /13 W 63-@56 @ .SMU
1 /16 W @90-70 v .C Florida
1 /20 W 57-@52 @ # Oral Roberts (Tulsa,OK)
1 /23 W @62-58 v .Rice
1 /26 L 55-@65 @ # .UAB
1 /30 W 55-@50 @ .C Florida
2 / 3 W @73-69 v .Marshall
2 / 6 L 59-@73 @ # .UTEP
2 /10 W @60-52 v .So Mississippi
2 /13 L @86-93 v # .Memphis
2 /17 L 58-@64 @ .Marshall
2 /20 L @70-78 v #25 .UTEP
2 /25 L 52-@70 @ #5 Duke
2 /27 W 85-@73 @ .E Carolina
3 / 3 W @58-55 v .SMU
3 / 6 L 53-@75 @ # .Memphis
3 /10 [5] W @73-62 v .[12]Rice (C-USA TOURNAMENT @ Tulsa, OK /Tulsa/)
3 /11 [5] W @80-64 v .[3b]Marshall (C-USA TOURNAMENT @ Tulsa, OK /Tulsa/)
3 /12 [5] L @61-75 v # .[1]UTEP (C-USA TOURNAMENT @ Tulsa, OK /Tulsa/)
3 /17 [m5] L 74-@75 @ # [m4]Kent St (NIT on-campus)
Tied for third at the midconference break (plus the preseason win over Butler is enough to warrant
tracking this team individually.
Only two starters return from last year's winning team -- fHoward Crawford and 5-8 pAaron Johnson --
for still young coach Mike Davis' squad. (Replacing the likes of tRobert Vaden, bPaul Delaney III, fLawrence Kinnard
and bChanning Toney is an impossible task.)
In downgraded Conference USA, the league is in danger of dropping
from Anti-Spoiler status
down to regular 1BC unless Tulsa
and what's left of Memphis can make some noise in the preseason; Houston
will likely only spoil.
(The Blazers were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, they only get Tulsa once (at home) -- better than not.
2 /13 L @74-81 v .Marshall
2 /17 W 59-@54 @ .So Mississippi
2 /20 W @75-66 v # .Houston
2 /24 W 53-@49 @ .C Florida
2 /27 W @76-55 v .Tulane
3 / 3 L @65-70 v # .Memphis
3 / 6 L 50-@52 @ # .UTEP
3 /11 [3a] L 44-58 v .[6]So Mississippi (C-USA TOURNAMENT @ Tulsa, OK /Tulsa/)
3 /16 [s2] W @65-49 v # [s7]Co Carolina (NIT on-campus)
3 /20 [s2] W @72-52 v [s6]NC State (NIT on-campus)
3 /23 [s2] L @55-60 v [s4]N Carolina (NIT on-campus)
Whatever's going on in this weak league, it's definite not Long Beach State
who's the best representative. Wait until the official midconference point next week to officially decide
between these ones and Pacific, though.
Four starters return from last year's winning team; transfer 6-5 fOrlando Johnson (ex-Loyola Marymount)
should contribute immediately; reserve fJesse Byrd has experience as well for veteran coach Bob Williams' squad.
(Replacing fChris Devine is the main task.)
In the weak Big West
,
Long Beach State will battle rebuilding squads including the Gauchos,
Cal State-Northridge as well as improving UC-Davis for the top spot.
In league play, the big games are well spaced out on the schedule -- no advantage either way.
A great start to the season just got a turbo boost when they pulled off the big win over Louisville.
The schedule seems inviting enough that they could keep it going for a while, too.
Only two starters return from last year's NIT team, led by bTre'Von Willis; gOscar Bellfield
and reserve gKendall Wallace have experience as well; transfer (ex-UCLA) tChace Stanback will contribute immediately;
so too for tDerrick Jasper (back from injury); freshman 6-3 gAnthony Marshall should be ready sooner rather than later
for veteran coach Lon Kruger's squad. (Replacing the likes of bWink Adams, tRene Rougeau and fJoe Darger means this team
is in for a complete overhaul. It may take time to develop a new identity.)
Home wins over Nevada, Southern Illinois (MWC/MVC), Holy Cross, Kansas State and Weber State are all possible;
beating Louisville (even at home) and Arizona isn't; DIAMOND HEAD (Northeastern, USC, St. Mary's, at Hawaii,
College of Charleston) is a new crown completely up for grabs.
In league play, going on the road to BYU right off the bad is a bad schedule for a young squad.
The rout home loss to Kansas State says more about the quality of the KSU backcourt
than anything terribly wrong with the Rebels, who played a solid game for the most part (but had trouble guarding
out on the perimeter).
12/15 W 77-@59 @ So Utah
12/17 W @72-63 v # Weber St
12/19 w @88-58 v {SC Upstate}
12/22 W 67-53 v SMU (DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC @ Honolulu, HI)
12/23 W 77-@53 @ Hawaii (DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC @ Honolulu, HI)
12/25 L 56-67 v USC (DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC @ Honolulu, HI)
Give the Runnin' Rebels full credit for being one of the few teams to pull off a significant win on the road --
nice job beating solid New Mexico. If gKendall Wallace can keep burying open 3s, they might have
something here.
Well, whaddaya know? A Pac-10 team worth tracking! The second-semester addition of gMike Gerrity has made an immediate
and significant impact on their fortunes. Rout Tennessee? Check. Win the inaugural DIAMOND HEAD
CLASSIC? Double-check! How do you like me now?
Only one starter returns from last year's conference tournament champ, first-round splash team --
fDwight Lewis; transfer fAlex Stephenson (ex-UNC) will contribute immediately for new coach Kevin O'Neill (ex-Arizona),
who takes over after the resignation of Tim Floyd. (Replacing the likes of cTaj Gibson, fDeMar DeRozan
and pDaniel Hackett -- not to mention adjusting to a new coach -- won't happen in one season.)
In another down year for the depleted Pac-10, California has
the best combination of talent and experience, but they'll be challenged by young squads at Washington, Arizona and UCLA
and veteran/fortified Oregon State.
In league play, the toughest games are well spaced out home-and-away on the full balanced schedule.
Sub .500 at the break in a weak league, a poor performance out of conference -- it doesn't add up to enough to warrant
continued tracking this team individually.
Tied for first place at the midconference break is reason enough to individually track this team (especially with wins
over Memphis, UAB and Tulsa.
Three starters return from last year's winning team, led by gRandy Culpepper; fArnett Moultrie
and pJulyan Stone have experience as well; transfers fDerrick Caracter (ex-Louisville)
and gChristian Polke (ex-Arizona State) also figure to make an impact for young coach Tony Barbee's squad. (Replacing
bStefon Jackson is an impossible task.)
In downgraded Conference USA, the league is in danger of dropping
from Anti-Spoiler status
down to regular 1BC unless Tulsa
and what's left of Memphis can make some noise in the preseason; Houston
will likely only spoil.
(The Miners were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, three of four big games come on the road -- Ouch!
At the midway point of conference play, the Aggies are in a three-way tie for the first place. Guess it's time to track
them individually.
Four starters return from last year's regular season and conference tournament champs,
led by bJared Quayle and fTai Wesley, for veteran coach Stew Morrill's squad. (Replacing fGary Wilkinson is
an impossible task.)
In the WAC, Nevada has the best player
and will battle with veteran squads at New Mexico State (with five returning starters), Idaho
and what's left at the defending TiTo champ Aggies;
Boise State is good enough to spoil.
In league play, all their big games are on the road the first time around -- that's rough,
but a veteran squad should be able to handle it.
2 / 3 W @80-62 v .Idaho
2 / 6 W @76-65 v .Nevada
2 /11 W 72-@67 @ .Boise St
2 /13 W 81-@65 @ .San Jose St
2 /17 W @67-61 v # .Louisiana Tech
2 /20 W @68-58 v # Wichita St ([BB] BRACKETBUSTERS)
Two solid home wins, over rival Louisiana Tech and a good Wichita State team
in BRACKETBUSTERS makes for a strong week. (They deserve to be ranked, but not enough spaces became available this week.)
2 /25 W 61-@50 @ .Hawaii
3 / 1 W 76-39 v .Fresno St
3 / 6 W @81-63 v # .New Mexico St
3 /11 [1] W 84-60 v .[8]Boise St (WAC TOURNAMENT @ Reno, NV /Nevada/)
3 /12 [1] W 85-55 v # .[4]Louisiana Tech (WAC TOURNAMENT @ Reno, NV /Nevada/)
3 /13 [1] L 63-69 v # .[2b]New Mexico St (WAC TOURNAMENT @ Reno, NV /Nevada/)
3 /19 [S12] L 53-69 v # [S5]Texas A&M (NCAA POD @ Spokane, WA)
The home win over Florida is a sign that -- at least in-conference -- that the Commodores are a factor
to be dealt with. A preseason win over Missouri looks pretty good now as well. Five starters return from last year's winning team, led by cA.J. Ogilvy; tJeffrey Taylor
is a solid contributor as well; gJermaine Beal and gBrad Tinsley also have experience; 6-4 freshman gJohn Jenkins
should make an immediate impact for coach Kevin Stallings' squad.
In the upgraded SEC, Kentucky is the overwhelming favorite
in the East (and overall); five returning starters at Tennessee
and the Commodores will contend for second place; veteran South Carolina (featuring pDevan Downey) can only spoil.
In the West, a healthy Mississippi, veteran Mississippi State
and five returning starters at Arkansas will battle for the title; LSU (featuring fTasmin Mitchell) will only spoil.
In league play, a tough road trip at the end of January could make or break their conference season.
The Commodores completed a sweep of Tennessee and keep getting better. Athletic on the perimeter
and a skilled big men in the center. All they lack is muscle in the paint.
2 /18 (#17) W 82-@78 @ # .Mississippi
2 /20 (#17) L @56-58 v #2 .Kentucky
2 /25 (#16) W @96-94(OT) v .Georgia
2 /27 (#16) W 89-@72 @ .Arkansas
3 / 2 (#14) W 64-@60 @ # .Florida
3 / 6 (#14) L @73-77 v .S Carolina
3 /12 [E2] W @78-66 v .[E6]Georgia (SEC TOURNAMENT @ Nashville, TN /Vanderbilt/)
3 /13 [E2] L @52-62 v # .[W1a]Mississippi St (SEC TOURNAMENT @ Nashville, TN /Vanderbilt/)
3 /18 [W4] L 65-66 v # [W13]Murray St (NCAA POD @ San Jose, CA)
With Boston University having a losing preseason, try this team as the standard-bearer
for the league, instead.
Three starters return from last year's regular season conference co-champs, led by fMarqus Blakely,
for coach Mike Lonergan's squad. (Replacing gMike Trimboli and fColin McIntosh is a big task.)
In the weak America East
,
(after the implosion of the program at the SUNY-B [Binghamton] -- the dismissal of 6 players, the head coach
and the Athletic Director), Boston University and the Catamounts are
now the conference favorites.
In league play, the big game comes at home first -- better than not.
Three starters return from last year's Final Four team, led by gScottie Reynolds; gCorey Fisher and gCorey Stokes are also
solid backcourt players; bReggie Redding and fAntonio Pena have experience as well; plenty of new talent has arrived
that will be ready to contribute right away (transfer 6-6 fTaylor King (ex-Duke) and freshmen 6-9 fMouphtaou Yarou,
6-1 gMaalik Wayns, 6-6 gDominic Cheek and 6-8 fIsaiah Armwood) for coach Jay Wright's squad. (Replacing the production
of fDante Cunningham, tDwayne Anderson and fShane Clark is one thing; replacing their experience is another.)
In the Big East, things are down from last year's heady heights
(three #1-seeds) but the league is still deep; the Wildcats are the favorite; fortified Connecticut
and Notre Dame as well as veteran West Virginia and Louisville
will all be right there to contend as well; revamped Seton Hall, Georgetown
and Cincinnati will only be good enough to spoil.
In the BIG 5, the Wildcats are
overwhelming favorites for a sixth straight title.
In league play (doubles: WVirginia, Georgetown, Marquette), they only have five big games
(and three are at home) -- nice.
***
11/ 5 (#1) w @110-84 v {Kutztown}
11/13 (#1) W @84-61 v Fairleigh Dickinson
11/16 (#5) W @103-65 v Penn (Philadelphia,PA) (BIG 5)
11/19 (#5) W 69-68 v Geo Mason (PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF @ San Juan, PR)
11/20 (#5) W 71-65 v #18 Dayton (PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF @ San Juan, PR)
11/22 (#5) W 79-67 v # Mississippi ([3:P.RICO] PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF @ San Juan, PR)
A fine collection of backcourt talent can still be pretty good even with a bargain-bin cadre of frontcourt pretenders.
(See North Carolina.) Some help is on the way when bReggie Redding returns in December,
but still, everything will rest on how well big guards can rebound like small forwards. But they'll take the PUERTO RICO
crown, thank you!
11/28 (#5) W @81-63 v La Salle (Philadelphia,PA) (BIG 5)
Playing SmallBall finally caught up to them. They finally met a backcourt in Temple's
that outplayed them (and they couldn't control the boards). The good news is that some rebounding help is on the way
when bReggie Redding becomes eligible for the second semester. (Whether fMouphtauo Yarou can recover from illness
and be effective is questionable.)
12/19 (#17) W 96-@58 @ Fordham (@ East Rutherford, NJ)
The road win at West Virginia was impressive. pScottie Reynolds is having a great season,
as is gCorey Fisher. They're doing a good job battling on the boards -- 37-27 against WVU -- and they're getting
solid contributions from several players off the bench as well.
In a three-way tie for third place at the midconference break is reason enough to at least track this team individually.
Three starters return from last year's winning team, led by pMalcolm Delaney; fJeff Allen is
a solid contrbutor as well for coach Seth Greenberg's squad. (Replacing the likes of bA.D. Vassallo won't be easy.)
In the loaded ACC, reloaded North Carolina
will battle veteran Duke for the top spot; Maryland,
young Georgia Tech and Clemson will only be able to spoil.
(The Hokies were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, the big games are well spaced on throughout the schedule home and away.
2 /10 W 72-@52 @ .NC State
2 /13 W @61-55 v .Virginia (VA)
2 /16 W @87-83 v # .Wake Forest
2 /21 L 55-@67 @ #6 .Duke
2 /24 L 60-@80 @ .Boston Col
2 /27 L @100-104(2OT) v # .Maryland
3 / 3 W @71-59 v .NC State
3 / 6(4P) W 88-@82 @ # .Georgia Tech
3 /12 [3b] L 65-70 v .[12]Miami-FL (ACC TOURNAMENT @ Greensboro, NC)
3 /17 [e1] W @81-61 v # [e8]Quinnipiac (NIT on-campus)
3 /22 [e1] W @65-63 v [e4]Connecticut (NIT on-campus)
3 /24 [e1] L @72-79 v # [e2]Rhode Island (NIT on-campus)
At 5-4, they're not a significant factor in the conference race, but their rating is so solid you need to keep tracking them
as a reference point.
Four starters return from last year's regular season and conference tournament champs,
led by fLarry Sanders; 5-10 g Joey Rodriguez is a solid contributor as well; fKiril Pishchalnikov also has experience;
6-4 gDarius Theus should contribute sooner rather than later for new coach Shaka Smart (who takes over
after Anthony Grant departed for Alabama). (Replacing all-timer pEric Maynor is an impossible task -- but they can hope
for a Year After effect.)
In the Colonial, five returning starters
at Old Dominion will battle with veteran squads at Northeastern and Hofstra
for the top spot, with the remnants of the Rams only able to spoil.
In league play, the biggest games are well spaced home and away throughout the schedule.
Second place in the ACC in the second half of conference place ought to at least be worth tracking, right?
Three starters return from last year's NCAA team, led by fAl-Farouq Aminu; 7-0 cChas McFarland,
bL.D. Williams and pIshmael Smith all have experience as well; 6-7 fAri Stewart will make an impact sooner
rather than later for still young coach Dino Gaudio's squad. (Replacing pJeff Teague, fJames Johnson and gHarvey Hale
is a tough task.)
In the loaded ACC, reloaded North Carolina
will battle veteran Duke for the top spot; Maryland,
young Georgia Tech and Clemson will only be able to spoil.
(The Demon Deacons were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, three big games out of the first four is a tough way to start conference play.
2 /16 L 83-@87 @ # .Virginia Tech
2 /20 L 54-@68 @ .NC State (NC)
2 /27 L @68-77 v .N Carolina (NC)
3 / 3 L 47-@51 @ # .Florida St
3 / 7 W @70-65 v # .Clemson
3 /11 [5a] L @62-83 v .[12]Miami-FL (ACC TOURNAMENT @ Greensboro, NC)
3 /18 [E9] W 81-80(OT) v # [E8]Texas (NCAA POD @ New Orleans, LA)
3 /20 [E9] L 60-90 v # [E1]Kentucky (NCAA POD @ New Orleans, LA)
Frankly, there's no signature win that warrants tracking, but it's still hard to believe that no one in this league is
worth keeping an eye on.
Three starters return from last year's regular season champ, first-round splash team,
led by 5-8 gIsaiah Thomas and fQunicy Pondexter; 5-11 gVenoy Overton has experience as well; freshman 6-3 pAbdul Gaddy
should be a factor right away for coach Lorenzo Romar's squad. (Replacing cJon Brockman is no easy task; gJustin Dentmon's
stats won't be hard to reproduce.)
In another down year for the depleted Pac-10, California has
the best combination of talent and experience, but they'll be challenged by the young Huskies, Arizona and UCLA,
and veteran/fortified Oregon State.
In league play, more big games come on the road first time around -- not what you want for a young team.
12/19 W @89-54 v Portland
12/22 W @73-64 v #21 Texas A&M (PAC-10/BIG 12 HARDWOOD SERIES)
Three starters return from last year's regular season champions, led by gDamian Lillard; fKyle Bullinger provides
solid support as well; JuCo transfer gFranklin Session will be expected to provide immediate help
for young coach Randy Rahe's squad. (The loss of gKellen McCoy and fDaviin Davis will be tough to overcome.)
In the weak Big Sky
,
the Wildcats should repeat; Montana will contend;
Idaho State (featuring bAmorrow Morgan) will only spoil.
In league play, a quick start in January can set up the rest of the regular season schedule.
***
11/ 2 w @110-58 v {CO-Colorado Springs}
11/ 7 w @75-65 v {Colorado Christian}
11/13 L @60-66 v # Utah St (UT)
11/17 L 57-@66 @ # UC-Santa Barbara
11/22 L 87-@91 @ # {Seattle}
11/24 w @89-62 v {Western St-CO}
11/27 L 70-@87 @ #25 BYU (UT)
12/ 2 W @83-76 v Utah (UT)
12/ 5 W 80-@65 @ .Sacramento St
12/ 9 w @73-70 v {Montana Tech}
12/12 W @84-66 v So Utah (UT)
12/17 L 63-@72 @ # UNLV
12/21 W @82-71 v Cal St-Fullerton (BT INVITATIONAL-UT @ Logan, UT /Utah St/)
12/22 W @66-64 v Morehead St (BT INVITATIONAL-UT @ Logan, UT /Utah St/)
12/23 L 73-@85 @ # Utah St (UT) (BT INVITATIONAL-UT @ Logan, UT /Utah St/)
Four starters return from last year's NCAA team, led by the duo of fDa'Sean Butler and fDa'Sean Butler;
gDarryl "Truck" Bryant is a solid contributor; fKevin Jones has experience; JuCo transfer 6-4 gCasey Mitchell
should contribute immediately for veteran coach Bob Huggins' squad. (Replacing tAlex Ruoff won't be as easy as you think.)
In the Big East, things are down from last year's heady heights
(three #1-seeds) but the league is still deep; Villanova is the favorite;
fortified Connecticut and Notre Dame as well as the veteran Mountaineers
and Louisville will all be right there to contend as well; revamped Seton Hall,
Georgetown and Cincinnati will only be good enough to spoil.
In league play (doubles: Villanova, Seton Hall, Pittsburgh), three of five big games are on the road
and an extra game against a spoiler -- tougher than most.
***
11/ 8 (#14) w @104-82 v {Mountain St}
11/15 (#14) W @83-60 v Loyola-MD
11/24 (#14) W @69-50 v The Citadel (@ Charleston, WV)
11/26 (#14) W 85-@62 @ Long Beach St (ANAHEIM CLASSIC @ Anaheim, CA)
11/27 (#14) W 73-66 v # Texas A&M (ANAHEIM CLASSIC @ Anaheim, CA)
11/29 (#14) W 84-66 v Portland ([3@ANAHEIM] CLASSIC @ Anaheim, CA)
Granted, the draw opened up for them and they didn't actually beat anyone of much note. Still, ANAHEIM had (on paper,
anyway) the deepest field of any preseason tournament ... and the Mountaineers emerged the winners. Give credit
where credit is due.
It's not the two squeak wins to open regular season play. It's not losing at Purdue.
It's being routed at Purdue and seemingly powerless to put up a fight.
The more teams that do it, the less credit you get when it's your turn, but they still get props for the road win
at Louisville (and a nice early league win over Wofford is even more important). Five starters return from last year's winning team, led by bHarouna Mutombo; gBrandon Giles,
gBrigham Waginger and fRichie Gordon have experience as well for young coach Larry Hunter's squad.
It's back to regular 1BC-status
for the Southern
.
College of Charleston is the favorite over five returning starters
from upstart Wofford in the South (and overall); in the North, the Catamounts' five returning starters
and also at Appalachian State will battle for the Division title.
In league play, their big cross-division games both come at home -- nice.
Following a Sweet 16 performance in 2008, WKU still made the Round of 32 last year despite the departure of star players
and their head coach. So who doesn't believe they can't do the same this year?
Four starters return from last year's first-round splash, two-time defending conference regular season
and tournament champs, led by gA.J. Slaughter and tSergio Kerusch; tSteffphon Pettigrew and fJeremy Evans are
solid contributors as well for second-year coach Ken McDonald's squad. (Replacing gOrlando Mendez-Valdez is
the first priority.)
In the dangerous Sun Belt, the Hilltoppers are the team to beat in the East
(and overall) ahead of Troy; in the West, five returning staters
at both North Texas and Denver will battle for the top spot.
In league play, the biggest games come on the road first -- no problem for a veteran squad.
***
11/10 (#24) w @90-37 v {Xavier-LA}
11/16 (#24) (5s) W 69-65 v WI-Milwaukee (NIT SEASON TIP-OFF @ Baton Rouge, LA)
11/17 (#24) (5s) L 60-@71 @ LSU(3s) (NIT SEASON TIP-OFF @ Baton Rouge, LA)
A big opportunity slipped away when they couldn't come through on the road at LSU. There are other prizes to be had
on their preseason schedule, but they can't let this setback damage their confidence.
11/23 (5s) W @68-67 v Cal St-Northridge (NIT SEASON TIP-OFF Cons @ Bowling Green, KY)
11/24 (5s) L @63-64 v Indiana St (NIT SEASON TIP-OFF Cons @ Bowling Green, KY)
The win over Northern Iowa confirms their place as a solid contender in league play (and legitimzes
their solid-but-non-noisy preseason).
Two starters return from last year's .500 team -- pClevin Hannah and bToure Murry --
for coach Gregg Marshall's squad. (Replacing fRamon Clemente is not a big deal.)
In the downgraded MVC, last year's co-regular season and tournament champ
Northern Iowa (with all five starters back) will battle
defending co-champ Creighton for the top spot; Illinois State will push them both
but only spoil.
(The Shockers were not even expected to be a factor as a spoiler.)
In league play, the big games are well spaced home and away throughout the full balanced schedule.
1 /27 W @74-66 v .Illinois St
1 /31 W 55-@54 @ .So Illinois
2 / 3 L 56-@59 @ # .No Iowa
2 / 6 W @76-70 v .Indiana St
2 / 9 L 62-@65 @ .Evansville
2 /14 W @66-64 v .Missouri St
2 /17 W @76-70(OT) v .Evansville
2 /20 L 58-@68 @ # Utah St (BRACKETBUSTERS)
2 /24 L 73-@75 @ .Bradley
2 /27 W @76-55 v .So Illinois
3 / 5 [2] W 73-@63 v .[7]@Missouri St (MVC TOURNAMENT @ St. Louis, MO)
3 / 6 [2] W 65-61 v # .[3]Illinois St (MVC TOURNAMENT @ St. Louis, MO)
3 / 7 [2] L 52-67 v # .[1]No Iowa (MVC TOURNAMENT @ St. Louis, MO)
Splitting in the regular season is one thing; winning on the road in the conference tournament final with an NCAA bid
on the line is another thing completely. Wow!!! Welcome to The Dance!
Four starters return from last year's losing team, led by tMantoris Robinson and fCharles Corbin;
newcomer 6-4 bRobbie Dreher is expected to contribute immediately for still young coach Randy Peele's squad.
(Replacing fCameron Stanley isn't a major task.)
In the weak Big South
,
Radford is the team to beat; UNC-Asheville, Gardner-Webb
and the Eagles can only spoil.
In league play, a big December game with Radford may come too early for both teams.
3 /16 [S17b] L 44-61 v # [S17a]AR-Pine Bluff (NCAA PRELIMINARY PLAY-IN @ Dayton, OH)
Once again, Bo Ryan manages to do more with less. A great win over Duke in the BIG 10/ACC CHALLENGE.
gTrevon Hughes matched up well defensively against gJon Scheyer, and fKeaton Nankovil and fJon Leuer showed more savvy
in the paint than their Duke counterparts.
Three starters return from last year's first-round splash team, led by gTrevon Hughes;
gJason Bohannon and fJon Leuer have experience as well for veteran coach Bo Ryan's squad. (Replacing fMarcus Landry
and fJoe Krabbenhoft won't be that hard.)
In the deep Big 10, Michigan State will battle
five returning starters at Purdue, Ohio State
and Minnesota, talented Michigan and fortified Illinois --
all with a chance to contend for the title.
(The Badgers were not expected to do more than spoil.)
In league play, at least the few breathers on the schedule are well spaced.
Coming up with a split after that tough double is pretty good, actually. Handing Purdue its first loss
is a more than even trade for a road loss at Michigan State. The bigger issue, by far,
is the wrist injury to fJon Leuer, who is out indefinitely.
A rout of Michigan is one thing; a rout of Michigan State
is quite another. Bo Ryan has done a terrific job of coaching this team through the loss of fJon Leuer.
Beating College of Charleston also put the Terriers in first place in the league race.
Great job! All five starters return from last year's winning team, led by fNoah Dahlman; bJunior Salters
and tTim Johnson are solid contributors as well for still young coach Mike Young.
It's back to regular 1BC-status
for the Southern
.
the Cougars are the favorites over five returning starters from the upstart Terriers in the South (and overall);
in the North, five returning starters at Western Carolina and also at Appalachian State
will battle for the Division title.
In league play, their first two league games (in December) are brutal.
Two big home wins against Charlotte and Dayton is proof enough that this team
must be tracked (and ranked, for this week, anyway) as a national contender.
Only two starters return from last year's regular season champ, Sweet 16 team -- fJason Love
and bDante Jackson; much is expected from gJordan Crawford (aka "The Man Who Dunked On LeBron James" -- in a summer league
and LeBron's people trade to confiscate the tape of it); 7-0 cKenny Frease and gBrad Redford also have
experience as well for new coach Chris Mack (who steps up from assistant coach after Sean Miller left for Arizona).
(Replacing fDerrick Brown, tB.J. Raymond and tC.J. Anderson means a complete revamping job for this season.)
In the Atlantic 10, Dayton will battle veteran squads
fortified with new/returning talent at La Salle (five returning starters) and Richmond
to establish supremacy.
(The Musketeers were not expected to be a factor.)
In league play, two of three big games early on will make or break their regular season.
The thriller win over Richmond puts the Musketeers into a tie for first place in the conference race
(and a national ranking -- this week, anyway). Nice job. The sophomore backcourt of gJordan Crawford
and gTerrell Holloway is quick on quick.
3 / 3 (#23) W 82-@56 @ .Fordham
3 / 6 (#23) W @93-72 v .St Bonaventure
3 /12 [1b] W 78-73 v # .[7]Dayton (OH) (A-10 TOURNAMENT @ Atlantic City, NJ)
3 /13 [1b] L 85-89(OT) v # .[3]Richmond (A-10 TOURNAMENT @ Atlantic City, NJ)
3 /19 [W6] W 65-54 v # [W11]Minnesota (NCAA POD @ Milwaukee, WI)
3 /21 [W6] W 71-68 v # [W3]Pittsburgh (NCAA POD @ Milwaukee, WI)
3 /25 [W6] L 96-101(2OT) v # [W2]Kansas St (NCAA WEST REGIONAL @ Salt Lake City, UT)
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HOOP, LINE AND SINKER Ron McBay's Men's College Basketball Website www.ronmcbay.us/HLS