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Just the fact that him and Ben don't like playing against each other...but money talks
The College Basketball Post
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by allen3xis,
- Start date
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L for you.Originally Posted by allen3xis
ESPN got themselves a nice Big Monday opener tho
AJ Price! Long Island!
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Arizona is just a better job, too.
I'd be surprised if he or Few don't take the job. (IF those are the top targets)
I think they are similar this year too, with their best teams to break through...if they don't they might not want to wait around for that chance again.
I'd be surprised if he or Few don't take the job. (IF those are the top targets)
I think they are similar this year too, with their best teams to break through...if they don't they might not want to wait around for that chance again.
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afraid it is, they're just too big.Originally Posted by JamesOnNT
L for you.Originally Posted by allen3xis
ESPN got themselves a nice Big Monday opener tho
AJ Price! Long Island!
...
Mon, Dec 29 at (2) Connecticut
Sat, Jan 3 (3) Pittsburgh
Mon, Jan 5 at (
Sat, Jan 10 Providence
Wed, Jan 14 (17) Syracuse
Sat, Jan 17 at (5) Duke
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Originally Posted by allen3xis
afraid it is, they're just too big.Originally Posted by JamesOnNT
L for you.Originally Posted by allen3xis
ESPN got themselves a nice Big Monday opener tho
AJ Price! Long Island!
...
Mon, Dec 29 at (2) Connecticut
Sat, Jan 3 (3) Pittsburgh
Mon, Jan 5 at (Notre Dame
Sat, Jan 10 Providence
Wed, Jan 14 (17) Syracuse
Sat, Jan 17 at (5) Duke
These games will probably define the rest of the season for you though ..
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Welcome to The Show! On Wednesday, ESPN.com college basketball writer Dana O'Neil will stop by to chat about the new season in college hoops.
Send your questions now and join Dana in The Show on Wednesday at noon. ET!
O'Neil Archive: Columns | Chats
DanaO'Neil: Hello holiday hoops fans. Lots of interesting games to discuss, so on Calipari, on Boeheim, on Izzo and Crean. Ok sorry... questions...
Michael (Little Rock, AR): Dana, thanks for your time, I have one burning question. Why one earth is Texas A&M getting no respect? Theyare 10-1 and have proven they can win and are still far from being ranked in the Top 25. Since neutral floor loss to Tulsa, A&M has quality wins overArizona in College Station, Alabama in Tuscoloosa, and LSU in Houston. Does that not prove anything? People love to talk about Arizona and LSU but they areforgetting A&M beat them both! Please explain.
Dana O'Neil: Michael: Can't explain. Nodoubt the Aggies have been flying off radar all season (which can be a good thing). Believe that will change this week and it should. They have very good winsand the loss to Tulsa is far from a bad one.
Derek Fortney Fairview WV: Do you think that with the game Alex Ruoff had last night, that the Mountaineers have a good chance to beat theoverrated buckeyes of Ohio State???????
Dana O'Neil: Derek: I think w/ Ruoff andMazzulla healthy, the Mountaineers are another team flying under the radar. They were without 3 starteres against Davidson and still gave them all they couldhandle. Never count out a Bob Huggins team.
Brian (Orlando): Dana: Will my Gators make the tournament this year? Calathes is great, but the team looks too soft to me. However, ifCalathes comes back next year, I think the additions of Macklin and Boynton and the maturation of the young bigs should make us a top 15 team. Thoughts?
Dana O'Neil: Brian: I just don't know. Ihaven't really been that impressed this year, to be honest. Very erratic. Definitely should be a good team next year and I would hope Calathes comes back.
Timmy C. (Lancaster, PA): Dana, You've got Texas ranked #4 in last weeks power rankings. What makes you think they're a 1 seed comeMarch?
David (New York City, NY): Dana - what are your impressions of the past Saturday UConn vs Gonzaga matchup?
Albert Hayes Bowling GreenKy: Do you think Kentucky will a top contender in the sec,or ncaa
Dana O'Neil: Albert: Should be a player in theSEC. The league is wide-open awful. Meeks has been crazy good and if Patterson can start to hang with him, Kentucky could steal the league. As for NCAA, notsure if this team is built for a deep run
Kevin (Cincy): So is Xavier overrated? Is it possible to be overrated when you were underrated a week ago? And what about Dayton? Is the A-14a 2-bid league?
Dana O'Neil: Kevin: over-ranked, definitely.Xavier was the beneficiary of a high ranking based on last year coupled with teams in front of them losing. Remember. They lost 4,000 points from last year.Still a good team, still favored in the league but need more consistency out of Holloway. As for Dayton, very good team with a nice win over Marquette. To me,Xavier, Dayton and Temple - if it gets its act together - all are vying for an NCAA spot.
Steve (Syracuse, NY): Is Cuse a better team without Devo?
Dana O'Neil: Steve; No.
Jeff (Piscataway, NJ): Dana, still think Louisville can win the National Championship? After that bad loss to Minnesota....
Dana O'Neil: Jeff: Ummmm... Hangin on by athread. Convinced Pitino will make them better but Sosa is a fiasco. You can't be a handful AND not play well. Pick one. But national championship? Gulp.Probably not.
Alex (Princeton): It's next week, but Temple-Villanova. Who are you picking? What should we expect?
Dana O'Neil: Alex: Think it could be aninteresting game. Looking forward to going. Curious to see how the Argentinean point guard, Juan Fernandez is for Temple. Not sure how much he'll play. Iwouldn't be stunned even a little if Temple won.
Mike Morgantown, WV: Hey Dana I am a Cincinnati Bearcats fan and as you may know are mens basketball team is off to a great start do you thinkwe can make the tournament even though were in the toughest conference in the nation?
Dana O'Neil: Mike: Brutal league, yes butbecause of that Cincy can build its case. Steal a few games on the road, be tough to beat at home and why not? I thought 9 or 10 teams could get in from thatleague and still believe so. No reason why Cincy couldn't supplant say Providence for that last spot.
Arthur (Newark, DE): Hi Dana. There's been a lot of hype about the Big East being 'by far' the best conference in the country, butso far the ACC has a better conference winning % and more big wins. I would argue the ACC has been the best conference so far. What are your thoughts?
Dana O'Neil: Arthur: Completely 100 percentagree. Just wrote an ACC glance that will post later today and said exactly that. The ACC has more wins against BCS opponents and is 6-5 against the Big East.Since this isn't Big 12 football, that says it all right there.
Brad (Chi): Dana, Beilein ball is back! Do you see Michigan making some noise in the Big Ten and finally dancing again come March?
Dana O'Neil: Brad: Spoke to Coach Beileinyesterday for a story for next week. one of the best in the business as a coach and a person. He's very understated about the Wolverines and I understandthat. They're much, much better but it's so early. I think they can be viable in the Big 10, maybe play way into the NCAA but they are still a youngteam learning how to win. Patience.
Mark Teixiera: I like money.
Dana O'Neil: Mark: Yes you do. Think you shouldshare the wealth. Or the Yankees should hire the free world and stop the recession
Arthur (Newark, DE): OK Dana, if the national championship was today, which two teams would you have in it, and who would win?
Dana O'Neil: Arthur: obvious answer isUConn-Carolina and the Heels have given me absolutely no reason to pick against them.
Dana O'Neil:
Timmy C. (Lancaster, PA): Dana, What happened, you didn't answer my questions: You've got Texas ranked #4 in last weeks powerrankings. What makes you think they're a 1 seed come March?
Dana O'Neil: Timmy: I dunno. Technical glitch.Basically I said think whoever comes out of the BIg 12 can earn a 1 seed and based on quallity of competition, currently give Texas a slight edge overOklahoma.
larry arvada: what do you feel about the HOME COURT the north carolina-based teams get during the ROAD to the Final Four that no other teamsget... if they are that great.. then they need to travel... not stay at home
Dana O'Neil: Larry: It is a bit of a joke, Iagree. I forget the numbers but I looked it up last year and Duke in Carolina during the NCAAs is crazily better than anywhere else. The catch is, the NCAAknows those games will be very very well attended.
Eric(BTown): Hey Dana, Happy Holidays! My Hoosiers have shown their predicted signs of inexperience and lack of speed. What does coach Creanneed to do to get this current team ready for the B10 season?
Dana O'Neil: Eric: Drink spiked egg nog? This isgoing to be a look for incremental improvement kind of season. You just have to be realistic. Almost like a throwaway season, which is a pity but the truth.
Jon (Hartford, CT): I'm a UConn student and I'm scared by how good UNC looks. Are they really this good and how much better do theybecome when Ginyard returns?
Dana O'Neil: Jon: yes, they're really thatgood. They could be the second best team in the Eastern Conference right now and only get better w/ Ginyard. That said your Huskies are very good and verydeep. Need Price to play like he did against the Zags.
Josh (NJ): You didn't answer the UConn/Gonzaga question from above.
Dana O'Neil: Josh: Darn computers. I forget thequestion but think it was bout hte game in general. Great, great game that I watched while writing Xavier-Duke, not a great, great game. Was very impressedwith UConn winning in that environment but also thought it was very good to see Price finally be a huge factor. That makes the Huskies monumentally better.
Chris St.Paul, Minnesota: Hey Dana my golden gophers are off to its biggest start in a long time people say that we are not a legit team tobeat but after that win over Louisville I think we can win the big ten and maybe have a shot at the sweet sixteen or the elite 8, so i just want your take onall of this.
Dana O'Neil: Chris: I'm in the not yet soldcrew. Am impressed with how much better Minnesota is and the Louisville game was an eye opener. Otherwise, though, Minnesota has played a CYO schedule. Need toshow me more against quality opponents to make me a complete believer.
Steiny (NYC): Is Theus interested in the Arizona job?
Dana O'Neil: Steiny: That's what I read. Ofcourse he's unemployed so that would make most paying jobs intriguing. And yes, also read that Kruger doesn't want it.
Ben ( Las Vegas , nevada): The Mountain West conference has a terrible television contract, do you think that influences rankings? go UNLV!!!!!!!
Dana O'Neil: Ben: It shouldn't influencerankings but certainly exposure helps people know who the heck you are and what you're doing.
Matt (PA): How good really is Notre Dame?
Dana O'Neil: Matt: I'm not sure, to behonest. They've been more inconsistent than I expected and can't pinpoint why. Think they're NCAA good, certainly, but a little off right now.
Brian (Baltimore): Penn State is off to their best start in a LONG time. How good can they be this year?
Dana O'Neil: Brian: Not sure entirely because ofthe soft schedule. The win at Georgia Tech, even though Tech is down, was impressive. And I also think that building confidence with easier wins isn't abad idea. Definitely have more talent, especially w/ Talor Battle. NIT maybe?
John (Chicago): what, if any, chance do you give Wake against UNC on Jan 11? Personally I think Wake matches up pretty well against Duke butUNC is scary...
Dana O'Neil: John: It's going to be tough,particularly for a younger team like Wake has. But here's the thing. It's at home and Carolina really hasn't been tested at all. If, huge if, theycan make it a game you just never know. I think it's going to be awfully tough for Carolina to go undefeated going through the ACC.
Jon(CT): can nova finish in the top 5 of the big east?
Dana O'Neil: Jon: Maybe, though I need to seemore production out of Corey Fisher and more steady production out of Corey Stokes. Also need more from guys like Shane Clark and Antonio Pena. ScottieReynolds and Dante Cunningham can't do it alone.
Kori Cincinnati, Ohio: Hey Dana what do you think of gonzagas loss last night to Portland state from the beginning i knew they werent for realand after last night i think my theory was correct. so what do you think. and bye the way who are you rooting for.
Dana O'Neil: Kori: Watched the last sevenminutes completely stunned. Thought for sure when they got the lead back, they'd coast. I chalk that up to a UConn hangover and still think the Zags arevery good. Who am I rooting for? Penn State in the Rose Bowl.
Tim (Milwaukee): Question regarding the Butler Bulldogs. Does the win at Xavier give them a shot at an at-large bid?
Dana O'Neil: Tim: not sure if they'll needit. Butler is much, much better than I thought. Could win the league.
Ron Hunter(IUPUI): How many games to I have to coach barefoot for my team to get recognition??? We got snubbed from the NCAA tourny last year,and we just beat a good Setan Hall team!!!
Dana O'Neil: Ron, my friend, you are one of fmyfavorite people. Gotta win your league, all there is to it. And I hate to break it to you but Seton Hall is fairly awful. Good win for your club, yes, but theyhave 7 scholarship players.
Tom (Austin): Dana, what do we make of the Duke extermination... err win over Xavier. Does anybody actually know how good Duke is?
Dana O'Neil: Tom: Do I know? Probably not but Ihave opinions. I think Duke is very good. Very athletic and much faster and smarter w/ Nolan Smith at the point. Zoubek isn't a great big man but he'sserviceable for the way they want to play. Defense is excellent. Xavier couldn't get a shot and when they move the ball like they did on Saturday, wow, theoffense can be pretty.
Patrick (Ohio): Hello Dana, Ohio State has looked impressive, especially with Evan Turner's development into one of the top players in theBig Ten. With such a young team, what are their shots of making a run in the tournament?
Dana O'Neil: Patrick: Think Ohio State breaksinto the top 3 in the league, at least until Wisconsin puts it together. Very young team, yes, but Purdue proved last year that doesn't matter. Think theBuckeyes are an NCAA team. How deep? That depends on match ups.
Jim (Knoxville): Dana, just finished reading Lunardi's first Bracketology (along with the comments). While I know you had nothing to dowith it, a point blank question ... as of today, is UNLV tournament worthy? Thx and Merry Xmas
Dana O'Neil: Jim: Merry Christmas to you aswell. As of today, I have to waffle and say that they are point blank on the bubble.
Steiny (NYC): Biggest surprise of this season?
Dana O'Neil: Michigan, maybe.
Brad Stevens, Butler Bulldogs : Hey Dana I believe im the youngest coach in the game and after that win over xavier last night i belive myclub has a shot at getting back to the sweet sixteen and no body realized how good we were till that win last night!!! I gurantee another sweet sixteen andmaybe an elite 8 i cant count on it
Dana O'Neil: Brad: I'm quoting you on that.But I agree, no one thought you'd be this good.
Tom (Austin): Dana, I think we might be at a point in which we can stop saying that Duke has no big man. The Zoubek-Thomas combo has turnedout to be a pretty productive one (15ppg, 8 rpg).
Dana O'Neil: Tom: Fair statement. I guess when Isay that, I m ean dominant big man.
Tom (Houston): Best defense in America right now is _________
Dana O'Neil: Tom: Georgetown statistically atleast.
SprungOnSports (Long Island): Dana, is Kentucky regretting letting Tubby Smith go the way he has seemingly revitalized Minnesota, or are theyhappy with Gillepise?
Dana O'Neil: SprunggOn; Is Kentucky ever happyunless it's hoisting an NCAA trophy? I'm sure there are some who have buyer's remorse but I also think it's early in Gillispie' s tenure.
Dana O'Neil:
Ben (Charlotte): what are your thoughts on Manny Harris & DeShawn Sims as draft prospects?
Dana O'Neil: Ben: I hate judging pro prospectsbecause I tend to look at guys who are good basketball players and NBA guys look at all this junk about upside and wingspan. I''ll say this, Harris andSims are doing a great, great job resuscitating Michigan.
Nolan (Albany): Dana, thoughts on big Monday with Georgetown and Uconn?
Dana O'Neil: Nolan: Yes I think I should hijackthat game from Andy Katz. Expect it to be a very good game. Anxious to see how Monroe handles Thabeet and how Price and Wright go at it.
Ben (Cincinnati): I was at the Xavier/Duke "game" and I was sad to see my Muskies play such terrible basketball. But with the wayDuke played, and if they play like that, do you think they could at least split the regular season with UNC? By the way, Xavier will improve, don't countthem out yet!
Dana O'Neil: Ben: Agree on both parts.Definitely Duke could split with Carolina if they play - and shoot - like that. And I'm far from counting Xavier out. Holloway will mature over time andthat will make them much much better.
Steiny (NYC): Happy Holidays Dana and thanks for everything this year.
Dana O'Neil: to your and yours as well
Matt (Bethlehem, PA): What are your impressions of Kansas thus far?
Dana O'Neil: Matt: Eh. I mean, the loss to UMasswas very odd. Then life and death with Temple for a bit there. Now the loss to Arizona. Think they'll be OK and also think they have a legit excuse. Theylost a lot. but right now, growing pains.
Jim (Ionia, MI): How many teams from the Big Ten will make the tourney this year? There is so much love for the Big East, but doesn't theB10 have more quality wins so far?
Dana O'Neil: jim: Michigan State, Purdue are in.Wisconsin will get in. Michigan and MInnesota building a very good case. Not sure the numbers w/ quality wins but certainly the Big 10 has some good ones tohang their hats on. Also some bad losses too....
josh (buffalo): hey dana, duke played incredible versus xavier( i know xavier is overrated) but they made them look bad. so if duke keepsplaying this well and getting good cotributions from brian zoubek how far do u think they can go in the tourney this year?
Dana O'Neil: Josh: Very far if they play likethat and if Zoubek helps with some inside play. I really didn't like Duke last year and really lilke them last year. Could be a Final Four team, easily.
Clark Griswald (Chicago, IL): Top line from *Christmas Vacation?*
Dana O'Neil: Clark: Such a man question. Wechicks rarely memorize lines. When Clark goes off on his boss - blood-sucking, etc. - is classic.
Wes (Atlanta): OK Dana, last week you told me Clemson would get some respect if they beat Miami, which they did soundly and are now ranked.They really appear to be the third best team in the acc right now. thoughts?
Dana O'Neil: Wes: I think that was exactly thesort of legit win that team needed. I'd put them and Wake as 3A/3B in the ACC.
PA: What do you think of your job and what's it like?
Dana O'Neil: PA: I think it beats working for aliving.
Nate (Minneapolis, MN): Dana! Happy Holidays! Where do you think the Big 10 will rank overall in terms of conference strength. I know beforethe season started, people were only picking four teams to make the field in March. Now it seems like there could be 6-7.
Dana O'Neil: Nate: Agree it is much better thanoriginally anticipated. Wisconsin, though, isn't as good as I thought and Michigan and Minnesota are clearly better. Definite improvements.
Dana O'Neil: Alright folks time to ready for theman in the red suit. Happy holidays to one and all and see you next week on the eve of a new year.
Send your questions now and join Dana in The Show on Wednesday at noon. ET!
O'Neil Archive: Columns | Chats
Michael (Little Rock, AR): Dana, thanks for your time, I have one burning question. Why one earth is Texas A&M getting no respect? Theyare 10-1 and have proven they can win and are still far from being ranked in the Top 25. Since neutral floor loss to Tulsa, A&M has quality wins overArizona in College Station, Alabama in Tuscoloosa, and LSU in Houston. Does that not prove anything? People love to talk about Arizona and LSU but they areforgetting A&M beat them both! Please explain.
Derek Fortney Fairview WV: Do you think that with the game Alex Ruoff had last night, that the Mountaineers have a good chance to beat theoverrated buckeyes of Ohio State???????
Brian (Orlando): Dana: Will my Gators make the tournament this year? Calathes is great, but the team looks too soft to me. However, ifCalathes comes back next year, I think the additions of Macklin and Boynton and the maturation of the young bigs should make us a top 15 team. Thoughts?
Timmy C. (Lancaster, PA): Dana, You've got Texas ranked #4 in last weeks power rankings. What makes you think they're a 1 seed comeMarch?
David (New York City, NY): Dana - what are your impressions of the past Saturday UConn vs Gonzaga matchup?
Albert Hayes Bowling GreenKy: Do you think Kentucky will a top contender in the sec,or ncaa
Kevin (Cincy): So is Xavier overrated? Is it possible to be overrated when you were underrated a week ago? And what about Dayton? Is the A-14a 2-bid league?
Steve (Syracuse, NY): Is Cuse a better team without Devo?
Jeff (Piscataway, NJ): Dana, still think Louisville can win the National Championship? After that bad loss to Minnesota....
Alex (Princeton): It's next week, but Temple-Villanova. Who are you picking? What should we expect?
Mike Morgantown, WV: Hey Dana I am a Cincinnati Bearcats fan and as you may know are mens basketball team is off to a great start do you thinkwe can make the tournament even though were in the toughest conference in the nation?
Arthur (Newark, DE): Hi Dana. There's been a lot of hype about the Big East being 'by far' the best conference in the country, butso far the ACC has a better conference winning % and more big wins. I would argue the ACC has been the best conference so far. What are your thoughts?
Brad (Chi): Dana, Beilein ball is back! Do you see Michigan making some noise in the Big Ten and finally dancing again come March?
Mark Teixiera: I like money.
Arthur (Newark, DE): OK Dana, if the national championship was today, which two teams would you have in it, and who would win?
Timmy C. (Lancaster, PA): Dana, What happened, you didn't answer my questions: You've got Texas ranked #4 in last weeks powerrankings. What makes you think they're a 1 seed come March?
larry arvada: what do you feel about the HOME COURT the north carolina-based teams get during the ROAD to the Final Four that no other teamsget... if they are that great.. then they need to travel... not stay at home
Eric(BTown): Hey Dana, Happy Holidays! My Hoosiers have shown their predicted signs of inexperience and lack of speed. What does coach Creanneed to do to get this current team ready for the B10 season?
Jon (Hartford, CT): I'm a UConn student and I'm scared by how good UNC looks. Are they really this good and how much better do theybecome when Ginyard returns?
Josh (NJ): You didn't answer the UConn/Gonzaga question from above.
Chris St.Paul, Minnesota: Hey Dana my golden gophers are off to its biggest start in a long time people say that we are not a legit team tobeat but after that win over Louisville I think we can win the big ten and maybe have a shot at the sweet sixteen or the elite 8, so i just want your take onall of this.
Steiny (NYC): Is Theus interested in the Arizona job?
Ben ( Las Vegas , nevada): The Mountain West conference has a terrible television contract, do you think that influences rankings? go UNLV!!!!!!!
Matt (PA): How good really is Notre Dame?
Brian (Baltimore): Penn State is off to their best start in a LONG time. How good can they be this year?
John (Chicago): what, if any, chance do you give Wake against UNC on Jan 11? Personally I think Wake matches up pretty well against Duke butUNC is scary...
Jon(CT): can nova finish in the top 5 of the big east?
Kori Cincinnati, Ohio: Hey Dana what do you think of gonzagas loss last night to Portland state from the beginning i knew they werent for realand after last night i think my theory was correct. so what do you think. and bye the way who are you rooting for.
Tim (Milwaukee): Question regarding the Butler Bulldogs. Does the win at Xavier give them a shot at an at-large bid?
Ron Hunter(IUPUI): How many games to I have to coach barefoot for my team to get recognition??? We got snubbed from the NCAA tourny last year,and we just beat a good Setan Hall team!!!
Tom (Austin): Dana, what do we make of the Duke extermination... err win over Xavier. Does anybody actually know how good Duke is?
Patrick (Ohio): Hello Dana, Ohio State has looked impressive, especially with Evan Turner's development into one of the top players in theBig Ten. With such a young team, what are their shots of making a run in the tournament?
Jim (Knoxville): Dana, just finished reading Lunardi's first Bracketology (along with the comments). While I know you had nothing to dowith it, a point blank question ... as of today, is UNLV tournament worthy? Thx and Merry Xmas
Steiny (NYC): Biggest surprise of this season?
Brad Stevens, Butler Bulldogs : Hey Dana I believe im the youngest coach in the game and after that win over xavier last night i belive myclub has a shot at getting back to the sweet sixteen and no body realized how good we were till that win last night!!! I gurantee another sweet sixteen andmaybe an elite 8 i cant count on it
Tom (Austin): Dana, I think we might be at a point in which we can stop saying that Duke has no big man. The Zoubek-Thomas combo has turnedout to be a pretty productive one (15ppg, 8 rpg).
Tom (Houston): Best defense in America right now is _________
SprungOnSports (Long Island): Dana, is Kentucky regretting letting Tubby Smith go the way he has seemingly revitalized Minnesota, or are theyhappy with Gillepise?
Ben (Charlotte): what are your thoughts on Manny Harris & DeShawn Sims as draft prospects?
Nolan (Albany): Dana, thoughts on big Monday with Georgetown and Uconn?
Ben (Cincinnati): I was at the Xavier/Duke "game" and I was sad to see my Muskies play such terrible basketball. But with the wayDuke played, and if they play like that, do you think they could at least split the regular season with UNC? By the way, Xavier will improve, don't countthem out yet!
Steiny (NYC): Happy Holidays Dana and thanks for everything this year.
Matt (Bethlehem, PA): What are your impressions of Kansas thus far?
Jim (Ionia, MI): How many teams from the Big Ten will make the tourney this year? There is so much love for the Big East, but doesn't theB10 have more quality wins so far?
josh (buffalo): hey dana, duke played incredible versus xavier( i know xavier is overrated) but they made them look bad. so if duke keepsplaying this well and getting good cotributions from brian zoubek how far do u think they can go in the tourney this year?
Clark Griswald (Chicago, IL): Top line from *Christmas Vacation?*
Wes (Atlanta): OK Dana, last week you told me Clemson would get some respect if they beat Miami, which they did soundly and are now ranked.They really appear to be the third best team in the acc right now. thoughts?
PA: What do you think of your job and what's it like?
Nate (Minneapolis, MN): Dana! Happy Holidays! Where do you think the Big 10 will rank overall in terms of conference strength. I know beforethe season started, people were only picking four teams to make the field in March. Now it seems like there could be 6-7.
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Jamie Skeen transferring to VCU
Cassiem Drummond to Marist.
And Keon Lawerence has withdrawn his waiver request
Cassiem Drummond to Marist.
And Keon Lawerence has withdrawn his waiver request
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KU played so bad last night...but I wasn't even mad really...I knew thats how it was gonna be this year and winning it all last year makes me relax aboutthis year...
But Budinger's dunk
I laughed at Cole...
But Budinger's dunk
I laughed at Cole...
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[h1]Big East: UConn and Pitt are teams to beat heading into '09[/h1]
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: December 24, 2008, 1:42 PM ET
Favorite: In a slight nod, it goes to Connecticut over Pitt. The Huskies have the most intimidating force in Hasheem Thabeet (when he wants to be assertive). And they still have a healing all-conferenceguard in A.J. Price and plenty of depth at every position. Connecticut also provedits toughness and March capability with one of the most impressive wins of the season by beating Gonzaga in Seattle. Its win over Buffalo, on the road, alsowas gritty, even if it was against a middle MAC team. But don't for a second think that Pitt can't win this conference. The Panthers are equally tough,as they survived a poor-shooting game to win at Florida State and have as many veteran players as -- if not more than -- the Huskies. Circle March 7, becausethat's when the Huskies and the Panthers could be deciding the regular-season title in Pittsburgh.
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Sam Young has emerged as the early favorite for Big East Player of the Year … and Pitt has looked the most likely to challenge UConn for the league crown.
Most surprising team: Georgetown lost plenty, including its center and point guard and other role players, through exhausted eligibilityand transfers. Yet, the Hoyas have been impressive, led by freshman Greg Monroe andsophomore guard Chris Wright. The wins over Maryland and Memphis were strongindicators this squad will be a factor throughout the conference season.
Most disappointing team: Louisville. The Cardinals were supposed to be a Final Four favorite. They might still get there, but they'vewhiffed on two significant games, losing to Western Kentucky in Nashville and then to Minnesota in Glendale, Ariz. Louisville has done nothing so far to makeitself stand out as one of the handful of teams that could make it to Detroit. The season is far from over, and the Cards could cause plenty of trouble in theBig East. But so far, they look like they'll settle behind Connecticut, Pitt and maybe even Notre Dame, Syracuse and Georgetown.
Mystery team: Villanova. Just how good is this squad? The Wildcats lost to Texas at the Jimmy V Classic. But they haven't beenseriously tested yet, outside of a Big Five game against an average Saint Joseph's team.
Best player: Sam Young, Pitt. You could make arguments for plentyof players in this category, but Young has been the most consistent player in the conference, averaging 20.1 points a game. Adrian Branch, my colleague atESPNU, picked Young as a first-team All-American in the preseason. I wasn't sure then, but Young is making a strong push to be considered for first-teamstatus.
Top performance: Kyle McAlarney, Notre Dame. He scored 39 points,even if it was in a losing effort, against North Carolina in the Maui Invitational final. He made 10 3s in the game. Expect him to be the top 3-point threatthroughout the Big East season.
Strangest score: Northwestern 63, DePaul 36. Northwestern is muchimproved, but the Blue Demons have to muster more than 36 points if they want to be competitive in this conference.
What you might not have realized: Georgetown has a really good Big East schedule, so good that the Hoyas might finish higher thanprojected. They visit Connecticut on Dec. 29 to open conference play. But then they get Pitt and Louisville at home and don't have to return the games.Going to Notre Dame won't be a treat, and neither will the home-and-home with Syracuse. But escaping those road trips to two of the toughest places couldhelp the Hoyas finish in the top four.
Reason to brag: Syracuse. The Orange have won three games away from the Carrier Dome, beating Kansas and Florida on consecutive nights inKansas City and then winning at Memphis. Syracuse usually doesn't have that kind of stretch in the nonconference.
Reason to worry: Seton Hall. The Pirates had plenty of good vibes with neutral-court wins over USC and Virginia Tech in Puerto Rico. Thoserecently were canceled out by a home loss to IUPUI and then a road loss at James Madison.
Who's going dancing?: The locks seem to be Connecticut, Pitt, Syracuse, Georgetown, Louisville and Notre Dame -- with Marquette andWest Virginia likely to perform well enough to join them for a total of eight NCAA bids. Cincinnati, Providence and Seton Hall aren't dead but have plentyof work to do if the Big East is to reach nine or 10 bids.
[h1]Carolina is king, but BC is surprising[/h1]
By Dana O'Neil
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: December 24, 2008
Favorite: Gonna go out on a limb here and say North Carolina. The caveat? Going undefeated in this league, and consequently for the season,will be a herculean task, particularly if Duke continues to play at a high level.
Most surprising team: Picked to finish 11th in the conference, Boston College is 10-2 with decent wins over UAB and Providence. Always agood scorer, Tyrese Rice has become a better playmaker. He's averaging 6 assistsper game.
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Nick Laham/Getty Images
Tyrese Rice has led BC to a surprising 10-2 start.
Most disappointing team: Miami. This was supposed to be the Hurricanes' big year. Instead, Miami has played three statement gamesand lost all three, to Connecticut, to Ohio State and a 19-point beatdown by Clemson. Miami desperately needs someone other than Jack McClinton to contribute steadily.
Mystery team: Maryland. Welcome to the ACC cliffhanger. Will the Terps return to the NCAA tournament? Can Gary Williams keep his job? Yes.Maryland thumped Michigan State 80-62 in Orlando, Fla. No. The Terps needed overtime to beat Vermont. Maybe. That seems about right. Maryland is in hoopspurgatory right now, a team that could play its way into the tournament or play its way back to irrelevance.
Best player: Tyler Hansbrough. OK, so he missed four games, butHansbrough has made up for it, averaging 22.7 points and 7.1 rebounds since his return. With 10 ACC Player of the Week honors in his career, Hansbrough lookssure to add another record to his résumé before he graduates. Antawn Jamison owns the record with 12 ACC weekly honors.
Top performance: Hansbrough against Notre Dame. In his third game back from a stress reaction, Hansbrough went for 34 points, outmusclingLuke Harangody in a battle of top big men.
Strangest score: Northwestern 73, Florida State 59. How the Seminoles not only suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of theWildcats but got trounced remains a mystery.
What you might not have realized: Duke is rated the No. 4 team in the country according to kenpom.com. The Blue Devils are the 13th mostefficient team on offense (ranking points per 100 possessions) but -- here's the surprise -- eighth in defensive efficiency.
Reason to brag: The ACC, not the Big East, has put up the nonconference numbers to stake a claim as strongest league in the country. ACCteams are 104-22, with winning records against every other conference except the Big East, against which they are 6-6.
Reason to worry: Eliminate North Carolina, Duke, Clemson and Wake Forest (combined 9-1), and the rest of the league is 6-14 against teamsranked in the top 50 according to the Sagarin ratings.
Who's going dancing: North Carolina, Duke, Clemson and Wake Forest are on the right side of the bubble; Miami, Maryland, NC State areeither on it or popped off.
[h1]Much like football, Big 12 offenses are up, defenses down[/h1]
By Dana O'Neil
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: December 24, 2008
Favorite: The Red River Rivalry extends into the winter. Like football, Texas and Oklahoma are clearly the class of the conference. Thegood news in hoops? Whoever plays for the Big 12 crown will be determined on the court, not in the computers.
Most surprising team: Missouri. The pasting at the hands of Illinois was something of a disturbing eye-opener but there's still noarguing the Tigers, rid of the drama and off-court issues, are better. They're 9-2 with a great tandem in Leo Lyons and DeMarreCarroll. To be NCAA good, however, the swarming defense that bills itself as part of the fastest 40 minutes in college basketball, needs to be about 300percent better than it was against the Illini.
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AP Photo/Bob Levey
Don't sleep on Texas A&M in the Big 12. Donald Sloan and the Aggies are off to a 10-1 start including wins over LSU and Arizona.
Most disappointing team: Kansas State. OK, so the Wildcats lost Michael Beasley and Bill Walker, but c'mon. The schedule reads likea "Who's that?" instead of a who's who. K-State played one Division II team (Emporia State), two Summit League schools (Oakland andCentenary), and one each from the MEAC (Florida A&M), Ohio Valley (Southeast Missouri State) and Big South (Gardner-Webb). In all, the less-than-wild Catshave faced three teams from the BCS conferences -- Kentucky, Oregon and Iowa -- and lost to all three of them.
Mystery team: Oklahoma State. With a coaching and philosophy change, the Cowboys are going to be something of an enigma. They haven'ttaken any bad losses -- Gonzaga, Michigan State and Washington -- but haven't grabbed that headline-making win yet, either. Travis Ford's guard-heavy,up-tempo offense could give people fits in the league, but will need to keep the turnovers down.
Best player: Following in the footsteps of Beasley and Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin isn't just the most dominant player in his league; he might be the best inthe country. Griffin leads the nation in rebounding (14.1 boards per game) and is on pace to top the OU single-season mark of 13.3 held by Alvin Adams.He's also No. 12 nationally in scoring (23 points per game) and fourth in field-goal percentage (68.3).
Top performance: Blake Griffin vs. Gardner-Webb (35 points, 21 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 block).
Strangest score: Texas Tech 167, East Central 115. Apparently Bob Stoops and Gary Pinkel were calling the defenses.
What you might not have realized: Texas A&M has quietly rolled to a 10-1 record, including wins against Arizona, Alabama and LSU. TheAggies have just one senior (Josh Carter) but have been buoyed by more steady playfrom point guard Donald Sloan. A year after struggling to replace Acie Law,Sloan's assists are up and his turnovers are down.
Reason to brag: The hoops teams have followed the leads of their pigskin peers. Five of the 12 league teams are ranked among the top 30nationally in scoring offenses. Making Mike Leach proud, Texas Tech is the highest-ranked (fifth in the country), and sure to put a smile on Chase Daniel'sface, Missouri is close behind in eighth, tied with Oklahoma State.
Reason to worry: The hoops teams have followed the leads of their pigskin peers. Not much defense going on in this league. Only Nebraska,ranked fourth in the nation, is among the top 40 schools in scoring defense. Making Leach blanch, Texas Tech is 312th.
Who's going dancing: Texas, Oklahoma and Baylor are in. Kansas should be, but it's inconsistency (losing to a sub-par UMass teamplus Arizona) could send the defending champs to the bubble. Off-radar A&M is quietly building a strong case. Missouri will need strong conference play toerase the mess against Illinois after finally cracking the Top 25
Dana O'Neil covers college basketball for ESPN.com and can be reached at [email protected].
[h1]Bulk of Big Ten off to hot starts[/h1]
By Dana O'Neil
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: December 24, 2008
Favorite: Michigan State and Purdue. Rumors of the deaths of the Spartans and Boilermakers were greatly exaggerated. With a healthyGoran Suton in the lineup, Michigan State reasserted itself with a win at Texas; andPurdue, knocked back by Duke and Oklahoma, pounded Davidson.
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AP Photo/Bob Levey
After a humiliating loss to North Carolina, Michigan State took advantage of its second opportunity against a top-10 team, beating Texas in Houston.
Most surprising team: Michigan. John Beilein is practically throwing cautionary flags on the court, reminding people that it's stilla little early to go entirely gaga on the Wolverines. But the same team that finished 10-22 last season already has beaten UCLA and Duke, topping two top-fiveteams for the first time in 21 years.
Most disappointing team: Indiana. The results aren't the disappointing part; those are expected. What's disappointing is watching aonce-proud program turn into a car accident, complete with rubberneckers waiting to see just how bad the Hoosiers can be (a 13-point loss to Northeastern inwhich IU scored its fewest points at Assembly Hall seems a good jumping off point), all because of one man's inability to abide by the rules.
Mystery team: Minnesota. The Gophers are 10-0, their best start in 32 years, including a win over Louisville and Tubby Smith's formerboss, Rick Pitino. The catch is, aside from beating the Cardinals, Minnesota has feasted on a cupcake nonconference schedule -- North Dakota State and SouthDakota State are among the victims, and aside from Louisville, no team is among the top 100 in the RPI. So the question is: Are the Gophers really good or justsmart schedulers?
Best player: Manny Harris. The sophomore has been incredible forMichigan, scoring in double figures in 10 of the Wolverines' 11 games. He's averaging 19 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists.
Top performance: A little off the radar, but Penn State's TalorBattle's 18 points, seven assists and four rebounds against Georgia Tech count as supremely significant. Why? It marked the Lions' firstnonconference road win against a BCS opponent since Dec. 1, 2004.
Strangest score: Northwestern 73, Florida State 59. Heaven knows the Seminoles haven't been the picture of stability in recent years,but to watch the Wildcats put together a 20-2 run to start the second half and simply paste FSU was flat-out jaw-dropping.
What you might not have realized: The most efficient point guard in the country isn't Ty Lawson or DarrenCollison. It's Michigan State sophomore Kalin Lucas, who leads the nationwith a gaudy 6.5-1 assist-turnover ratio. Through 10 games, Lucas is averaging 29.5 minutes yet has committed just 10 turnovers to 65 assists.
Reason to brag: Even regular bottom-feeders, Penn State and Northwestern, are off to hot starts and have helped bulk the league to secondin the conference RPI standings behind the ACC. The Nittany Lions are 11-2, with a quality win at Georgia Tech. The Wildcats are 8-2, with the stunner overFlorida State.
Reason to worry: Penn State started last season 10-4 and finished 15-16, though in the Lions' defense, the team lost its best player,Geary Claxton, to a knee injury. Northwestern started the 2008 season 5-4 and finished 8-22. And then there's Indiana.
Who's going dancing: Michigan State, Wisconsin, Purdue and Ohio State are set. Michigan, with its huge wins over UCLA and Duke, hasbuilt a good nonconference résumé. Minnesota has the gaudy record but needs more than just one quality win.
[h1]Pac-10: It's still UCLA's title to lose[/h1]
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: December 24, 2008, 12:53 PM ET
Favorite: UCLA. The Bruins haven't stood out nationally yet, losing to Michigan and then falling to Texas. So the Bruins still haveroom to grow, especially in the post. They still have the top point guard in the conference in Darren Collison, the best freshman in the league in Jrue Holiday and, when healthy, a Final Four veteran player in wing Josh Shipp. The Bruins may be devoid of a consistent scoring presence in the post but thedefense is still Ben Howland-solid and the Bruins have the core experience in this league that will make it hard to dethrone them from the conference title inMarch.
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Despite offseason turmoil, Arizona still boasts top-level talent and is a tough out with the likes of Chase Budinger.
Most surprising team: Arizona. Stanford or Cal would have been easy choices here, but the Wildcats were expected to fall flat withoutLute Olson. Arizona also lost its top incoming freshman in Jeff Withey after Olson departed. But the Wildcats still have three talented players, two of whomcould be the best in the conference at their respective positions in big man JordanHill and wing Chase Budinger. And Nic Wise has been more than serviceable at the point. Arizona's win over Gonzaga inPhoenix signaled that the Wildcats have figured out how to play together again. Arizona did completely botch the end of the UAB game, fell flat at UNLV andcouldn't close out a road game at Texas A&M. But the win over San Diego State was convincing, and the Wildcats should be a major factor in the leaguerace from January to March.
Most disappointing team: Washington. The Huskies returned the core of their team, including potential player of the year Jon Brockman. UW may still wake up and go on a roll in the conference. But Washington whiffedin its two high-profile games in the CBE Classic, losing to Kansas and Florida. That came after starting the season with a road loss at Portland. The Huskieshave yet to be impressive. Beating Portland State, maybe the top team in the Big Sky, by one point isn't going to scare any conference opponent.
Mystery team: Cal. During the preseason, Mike Montgomery said the Bears were far from good because they were learning everything fromscratch. But Cal clearly understands Montgomery's system as witnessed by quality wins over UNLV and Utah on the road and over Nevada at home. But setbacksto Florida State on a neutral court in Las Vegas and Missouri in Columbia (a blowout loss) exposed a bit of the Bears' deficiencies. Yet a 9-2 startcertainly puts the Bears in the mix heading into the Pac-10.
Best player: James Harden, Arizona State. Harden has beensensational for the Sun Devils. He's averaging 23.7 points, 4.2 assists and 6.3 rebounds, and is shooting 57.7 percent from the floor, 80 at the free-throwline and 47.9 on 3s. With Harden on the court, the Sun Devils have a real shot to compete for the league title.
Top performance: Harden again. He lit up UTEP for 40 points in November's 76 Classic in Anaheim. He was proficient in making 14 of 25shots, all six of his 3-point attempts and 6 of 7 at the free-throw line. He also grabbed eight boards. He has had only one single-digit game -- nine pointsagainst IUPUI -- and that was only a one-point win for the Sun Devils.
Strangest score: Howard 47, Oregon State 45. Craig Robinson had a roughdebut with a road loss to one of the MEAC's weaker teams. Howard lost eight straight games after that one, including 90-54 to the same Beavers inCorvallis. The Beavers have since figured out Robinson's system and beaten teams like Nebraska and Fresno State, the latter on the road. Oregon State willlikely win a couple of Pac-10 games -- up from zero last season -- and winning up to four in the league isn't out of the question, either.
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Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
The numbers say it all when measuring James Harden's impact for Arizona State this season.
What you might not have realized: Stanford did return three starters in Anthony Goods, LawrenceHill and Mitch Johnson. Sure, the Cardinal lost the Lopez twins. But the Cardinalprobably should have been given more preseason credit for the return of their veteran guards. Johnny Dawkins, with his experienced staff of former head coachesin %%%+ Davey and Rodney Tention, had enough to work with to get a great start on the season. Josh Owens and LandryFields have been quality impact players for the Cardinal. Stanford is putting itself in position to possibly earn an NCAA berth, quite an accomplishmentfor a program that was supposed to go through an upheaval.
Reason to brag: Arizona gave Gonzaga its first loss of the season. The way the Zags are playing, it might be one of only a handful. Arizonawas the better team on that day, and that win might be the kind that gets the Wildcats noticed on Selection Sunday.
Reason to worry: Washington State. The Cougars desperately need to beat LSU in Baton Rouge on Saturday for a nonconference win that willstand out in March. The Cougs had a difficult stretch, but losses to Pitt in New Jersey and Gonzaga and Baylor at home help the power rating, if not the image,of a possible NCAA team. Washington State did beat Mississippi State in New Jersey, but the Bulldogs aren't looking NCAA-ready now.
Who's going dancing?: UCLA and Arizona State should make it with some room to spare. Arizona is playing well enough to likely warrant aspot. USC is figuring out how to defend, freshman DeMar DeRozan is improving and theTrojans will likely be a tough out. OK, so that's four spots the Pac-10 likely can count on in March. Stanford and Cal have done enough to be in positionto earn bids if they can challenge for a top-five finish in the league. Washington State and Washington have work to do.
[h1]SEC: Everyone but Tennessee has work left to do[/h1]
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: December 24, 2008, 1:17 PM ET
Favorite: Tennessee. The Vols are proving to be quite beatable, but no one else in the league is screaming for the favorite tag. The Volsare vulnerable when J.P. Prince doesn't play (see: loss to Temple and near missagainst Belmont). The Vols do have a stud in Tyler Smith, quickness in the backcourtand a rising power player in Wayne Chism, but Tennessee can be had. The key is forthe Vols to ensure that Knoxville doesn't become a place for an opposing to team to steal a win. But the Vols have to live up to expectations to hold ontothe favorite tag and earn a top-four seed. The daunting nonconference slate with a road trip to Kansas and home games against Gonzaga and Memphis still to comewill make Tennessee the top power rating team in the conference.
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Will Wayne Chism and Tennessee become more consistent once SEC play begins?
Most surprising team: Ole Miss. Yes, the Rebels qualify here because it's simply amazing how they were able to get off to an 8-4start despite all sorts of injuries. Ole Miss nearly beat West Virginia and Louisville, and also lost to Utah and New Mexico. So the Rebels don't have asignificant win. But somehow Andy Kennedy is holding this group together despite losing the best lead guard in the league in Chris Warren to an ACL injury (against Louisville). The Rebels may fall flat in the leaguewithout Warren, but so far they have been surprising. This also speaks to how soft some of the schedules have been for teams with gaudy records.
Most disappointing team: Alabama. Tide coach Mark Gottfried was so giddy about his team in the preseason. He truly believed he had apotential SEC West title contender. And he still might. But Ronald Steele is stillcoming back from major knee injuries, JaMychal Green isn't a dominant freshmanyet and the Tide do miss Richard Hendrix's experience inside. The Tide failed to beat an average Oregon team in Maui, lost at home to Mercer andcouldn't close out Texas A&M at home.
Mystery team: Florida. The Gators have enough talent to warrant being considered a favorite for the league title. They have one of the mostversatile players in Nick Calathes, a developing force inside in Alex Tyus and a two-time national championship coach in Billy Donovan. But the Gatorsdon't have a standout win yet. The Gators lost to Syracuse in Kansas City, beat a disappointing Washington squad and fell by two at Florida State. The SECis hardly imposing, so a lofty record could be forthcoming.
Best player: Nick Calathes, Florida. You could go in myriad directions here. Tyler Smith would be a fine choice. But picking Calathes alsomakes sense. Calathes leads the SEC in assists at 6.8 per game through his first 11 games. He was also No. 11 in scoring (15.6 ppg) and he is as critical tohis team's performance as any single player on any other team so far. Mississippi State's Jarvis Varnado should also get consideration for his monster numbers: 14.3 points, 9.8rebounds and six blocks a game.
Top performance: Jodie Meeks, Kentucky. Meeks was sensational inscoring 46 points in a win over Appalachian State at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky., on Dec. 20. Meeks was 14-of-21 from the field, 9-of-10 from thefree-throw line and 9-of-14 on 3s. He had three assists, four steals and committed just two fouls in 34 minutes. Meeks is making a strong case to be a seriousSEC Player of the Year candidate. How Kentucky finishes will determine if he can get the award.
Strangest score: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 80, Georgia 79 (OT) inAthens. The Islanders were coming off a loss at Savannah State. Georgia also lost to Loyola of Illinois in West Lafayette, Ind., in the Preseason NIT Tip-Off.Georgia is heading toward an abysmal season and a likely last-place finish.
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AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
Courtney Fortson's steady play has been a pleasant surprise for Arkansas.
What you might not have realized: Arkansas has one of the top freshmen in the country in point guard Courtney Fortson. He's averaging 6.5 assists a game, which is second-best in the SEC. Inthe preseason, Arkansas assistant coach Rob Evans said the Hogs had a special player in Fortson, a player who could be an NBA point guard. Fortson is doing alittle bit of everything for the Hogs, with 15.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Reason to brag: Tennessee beat Georgetown and Marquette. Those are clearly the league's best wins so far. The Vols have more chancesfor "name" wins upcoming. But the league can't brag about much in the nonconference slate. South Carolina, which started 8-1, and LSU, whichbegan 9-1, can boast about the records, but cleaning up against weaker competition doesn't mean much to the selection committee.
Reason to worry: Everyone but Tennessee when it comes time for an NCAA bid. No one else has the résumé built yet to ensure a bid, andit's nearly January.
Who's going dancing? Tennessee. That's a lock. Expect Kentucky and Florida to be there as well because each team will win enoughgames in the SEC to get a bid. LSU has the most starting talent in the SEC West to put up a gaudy record. The one team you shouldn't count out yet isAlabama. The talent is too good to dismiss this team in a league that offers up wins. The Tide could pull a Kentucky from a year ago and win double-figuregames after a subpar nonconference stretch and earn an NCAA bid.
[h1]It's likely an Ohio battle for the A-10 crown[/h1]
By Dana O'Neil
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: December 24, 2008
Favorite: That exposing loss to Duke notwithstanding, coupled with last night's loss to Butler, it's still hard to pick againstXavier. The Musketeers play great defense and have seasoned talent in Derrick Brown,C.J. Anderson and Dante Jackson. The missing piece is Terrell Holloway. If the rookie can develop into a solid point guard, X is that much more thefavorite. Otherwise, Sean Miller's crew will be pushed by in-state rival Dayton, already 11-1 with a win against Marquette, and by Temple.
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AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr
Dionte Christmas scored 35 points in Temple's win over Tennessee.
Most surprising team: Xavier. The Musketeers lost more than 4,000 points in the form of Stanley Burrell, Drew Lavender and Josh Duncan,yet are back among the conference's elite.
Most disappointing team: Massachusetts. With their starting backcourt intact, the Minutemen should have been able to better weather thecoaching-change adjustments. Things appear to be settling in for Derek Kellogg's squad, but there's still no way to explain losses to JacksonvilleState, Wisconsin-Green Bay and a Toledo team that has just one other win.
Mystery team: Temple. Will the real Owls please stand up? The same Owls that beat Tennessee and gave Kansas a game also lost to Buffalo andended Long Beach State's four-game skid. Fran Dunphy's squad has all the makings of a tourney team but has to develop some consistency.
Best player: Dionte Christmas. His national coming-out party cameagainst Tennessee, when he exploded for 35 points, but Philadelphia folks know the sort of presence Christmas gives the Owls. Except for two bad games (11points against Miami (Ohio) and 2 against Penn State), the senior has been scoring in bunches. And despite taking a host of shots, he still hits 45 percent ofthem from the floor.
Top performance: Rhode Island's Jimmy Baron against Duke.Thanks to the coach's son, the Rams gave the Devils all they could handle. Baron scored 24 points, all on 3-pointers. He connected on 8 of 10 from thearc.
Strangest score: Duke 82, Xavier 64. Fans in the Meadowlands are still waiting for the Musketeers to show up. They were down 18-1 at thefirst TV timeout, turning a much-anticipated top-10 game into a Blue Devils walkover.
What you might not have realized: Rick Majerus is slowly incorporating his defense-first philosophy at St. Louis. The Billikens rankseventh in the nation in scoring defense (allowing just 55 points per game) and are smothering opponents at the arc, where they lead the nation. Opponentsshoot just 23.7 percent from the 3-point line against SLU.
Reason to brag: Kansas, Tennessee, Memphis, Auburn and Marquette have been victimized by Atlantic 10 teams.
Reason to worry: Appalachian State, Columbia, Jacksonville State and Holy Cross have victimized A-10 teams.
Who's going dancing: Bank on Xavier's making its eighth trip in nine years. Dayton is also in, barring an in-conference meltdown,and presuming Temple finds some consistency, the Owls ought to be happy on Selection Sunday, as well.
[h1]C-USA: UAB and UTEP could challenge Memphis in March[/h1]
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: December 24, 2008, 1:01 PM ET
Favorite: Memphis. The Tigers have the most talent, the top freshman and the toughest place to play in the conference. They've also gotan intimidation factor until something changes. That doesn't mean the Tigers will run the table this season. The schedule isn't as favorable as it hasbeen and going to Tulsa, UTEP and UAB will test this team. Don't be surprised if the Tigers win the league with two losses, maybe even three.
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Joe Murphy/Getty Images
Jerome Jordan and Tulsa took their lumps with a tough nonconference schedule. How will the Golden Hurricane respond when C-USA play begins?
Most surprising team: Houston. East Carolina could get this honor as well for starting out 8-1 before losing two in a row to ACC teams.But the Cougars ripped off eight straight wins after a disappointing season-opening loss to Georgia Southern. Houston was supposed to be in a rebuilding mode,and maybe it still will be by the end of the regular season.
Most disappointing team: UTEP. Maybe this is being too harsh on the Miners. The losses are all against quality teams in UNLV, Wake Forest,Arizona State and New Mexico State. All but one of those games was away from El Paso (UNLV was at home). But UTEP coach Tony Barbee was adamant in thepreseason that he had a league-title contender and an NCAA-type team. That may still happen with the Miners in C-USA play. The win over Saint Mary's is thebest win so far. If UTEP can roll through the conference and knock off Memphis at least once, then the Miners can make it back into the conversation for apossible at-large berth. But a 6-4 start out of a league like C-USA isn't going to stand out.
Mystery team: Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane have one of the top players in the conference in Jerome Jordan. But he started out with a few subpar performances, notably scoring just eightpoints and grabbing three boards in a loss at Oklahoma State. He also scored in single digits in losses to Ohio and Oklahoma, the latter a reach for Tulsa towin. Tulsa played quality competition in its nonconference games, giving Texas A&M its only loss. But losing to Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Illinoisprevented the Golden Hurricane from distinguishing themselves. Maybe Tulsa will be just fine in C-USA. It's hard to tell since the schedule wasdaunting.
Best player: Stefon Jackson, UTEP. He has been the mostconsistent player so far in averaging 23.6 points a game. Jackson gives the Miners a chance in any game they'll play this season. Jackson scored 30 pointsor more against Wake Forest, Sam Houston and New Mexico State (at home). He gets to the line a ton, going there at least 10 times in seven of his first 10games.
Top performance: Robert Vaden, UAB. Vaden nailed eight 3s and hita high percentage (8 of 13 and 10 of 17 shots overall) in a 28-point performance in a 77-62 win at Old Dominion. That win came on the heels of the Blazerswinning at Arizona and before UAB had to go to New York for the NIT Season Tip-Off. While Jackson gets to the bucket, Vaden is the one you want to make a3-pointer for you.
Strangest score: Arkansas Pine-Bluff 64, SMU 62. It was close and fewerthan 2,000 fans witnessed it. But a C-USA school should win its "guarantee" games against teams like Pine-Bluff.
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With Stefon Jackson's scoring ability, UTEP is sure to be in the hunt in C-USA.
What you might not have realized: Conference USA is essentially hurting its chances to get multiple bids by continuing to put theconference tournament in Memphis. The best way to ensure the league gets multiple bids is to take the tournament out of Memphis. A year ago it wouldn'thave mattered where the Tigers played the tourney. They would have won regardless of the venue, but in a season like this one when the Tigers aren't asdaunting there is hope for the other teams to win in an elimination-type game away from the FedEx Forum.
Reason to brag: UTEP has the one win over Saint Mary's. That may be one of the best wins the league gets this season unless Memphis cango to Gonzaga and knock off the Zags or take out Tennessee in Knoxville. The Miners need to make sure the win over the Gaels matters by getting on a roll inthe league. UAB can claim the bizarre win over Arizona in Tucson as a win to shout about, but the Blazers need to ensure that win will mean something in March,too.
Reason to worry: Memphis. The Tigers don't have to fret that they won't be good enough to win the conference. But Memphis has donelittle to stand out for a high seed at this juncture. Road games at Tennessee and Gonzaga are upcoming. Those might be necessary for the Tigers to deserve atop-four seed. Otherwise, the Tigers could be looking at a lower seed that will make advancing in March much more difficult.
Who's going dancing?: Memphis. UAB and UTEP have the best talent and star players in Vaden and Jackson to put themselves in positionfor a bid among the rest of the teams. But they're heading for the bubble at this juncture.
[h1]Butler, Gonzaga resume role as mid-major favorites[/h1]
By Kyle Whelliston
Special to ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: December 24, 2008, 1:00 PM ET
Where do the mid-majors stand as we near the end of nonconference play? How did they get to this point? Here's the breakdown:
[h2]The favorites[/h2]Butler (Horizon League): Graduating four-fifths of the starting lineup from a round of 32 team won'tinspire many to expect a repeat performance. But the Bulldogs are back.
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Jim Owens/Icon SMI
Despite a tough nonconference schedule, Matt Howard and Butler are off to a strong start.
Returnee forward Matt Howard, now a sophomore, anchors a group of youngsterswho have achieved a 10-1 record despite playing one of the nation's toughest schedules. Remember names like Shelvin Mack and GordonHayward. They're freshmen, but they're learning how to win very early in their careers -- and Butler's giant nine-point win over Xavier onTuesday shows that it is already ready for big W's. Gonzaga (West Coast): Although the Bulldogs' recent struggles (consecutive lossesto UConn and Portland State) may raise questions, the talent and depth Mark Few has assembled should return in 2009 meaner for the experience. An improved WCCwill toughen them up, a departure from the two-month spring training that softened Bulldogs squads of the past. It's definitely the biggest team of theGonzaga era, with two high-scoring big men in Josh Heytvelt and Austin Daye. This could still be the year they match the Elite Eight run from 1999 thatoriginally put them on the map.[h2]Most surprising teams[/h2]Portland State (Big Sky): The Vikings tore through the conference with 14 wins and earned theirfirst NCAA bid last season. Turns out that was just a preview of things to come. PSU is out to a 9-3 start fueled by balanced scoring (five double-figurescorers) and smart ball control. It made a statement in beating Gonzaga 77-70 on Tuesday. Jeremiah Dominguez stands at 5-foot-6 but came up big against the Zags with 25 points.Cleveland State (Horizon League): Many predicted Cleveland State, coming off its first postseason bid in two decades, to edge past Butler andwin the HL. While the Bulldogs have picked up where they left off, the Vikings have been exceeding expectations. A 9-4 record and an active four-game winstreak includes a 26-point drubbing of MAC champs Kent State and the iconic 72-69 win over previously unbeaten Syracuse on Dec. 15, sealed by Cedric Jackson's "SportsCenter"-worthy 60-foot buzzer-beater. That miracle shothides the fact that the Vikings were leading for much of that game.[h2]Most disappointing teams[/h2]San Diego (West Coast): Remember the Toreros' thrilling 70-69 overtime upset ofConnecticut in last season's NCAA tournament first round? It seems a lot longer than nine months ago after a tough 6-7 start. Returning all key cogs, USDwas picked to contend with Gonzaga and Saint Mary's in the challenging WCC but has dealt with a series of tough issues. Brandon Johnson, who scored 18 in the UConn game, tore his ACL after eight games and willmiss the rest of the season. Head coach Bill Grier also has had to dole out discipline, with 17 man-games (and counting) lost to suspensions for three Toreros.Siena (Metro Atlantic): Another round of 32 squad that has underachieved is the Saints, who have lived under the mid-major microscope aftertheir crushing 13-over-4 victory over Vanderbilt (in the same Tampa pod that produced the San Diego shocker). A virtually intact team simply hasn't been upto a murderous schedule, going 6-4 with wide losses to Pitt, Tennessee and Oklahoma State. Fran McCaffery's bunch hasn't been able to find compensationfor the size disadvantage, something that was overcome with hot shooting and ball control last season. Neither has arrived yet.[h2]Best players[/h2]Stephen Curry, Davidson: Thebrightest star in mid-majordom may be struggling under the expectations and seemingly endless hype, but he has assumed the weight with class and dignity. Thenation's runaway leading scorer (30 points per game) has led the Elite Eight Wildcats to wins over North Carolina State and West Virginia and inspiredLoyola (Md.) head coach Jimmy Patsos to double-team him all over the court. Take out that scoreless performance, and he'd be averaging 33.3 ppg -- enoughto lead the pros, eclipsing NBA BFF LeBron James. Lester Hudson,Tennessee-Martin: His Skyhawks may have been overwhelmed in TV showcases against USC and Tennessee, but the muscular 6-foot-2 senior is putting upnumbers similar to last season, which concluded with an impressive trip to the pre-draft camp and a last-second early-entry withdrawal.
AP Photo/Wade Payne
Tennessee-Martin's Lester Hudson has picked up where he left off last season.
Hudson is the nation's seventh-leading scorer at 23.8 ppg and hasn't scored fewer than 20 in UTM's first nine games. His rebound numbersmight be down a board and a half to 6.2 rpg (other Skyhawks have been picking up the slack), but he's picking up more steals (2.9) and has improved hisfree-throw shooting to 85.3 percent. Omar Samhan, Saint Mary's:Soph sensation Patty Mills (20 ppg) is drawing plenty of attention from opponents and the media, but this 6-foot-11 senior is the improved, overlooked herowho's savagely ripping rebounds down and handing Mills the ball to bring up the court. His 15-point, 12-rebound performance at Oregon last week was hisfifth double-double of the season (he's averaging one with 14.4 ppg and 10 rpg), and he has helped the Gaels to a 10-1 record. The upcoming WCC battleswith Gonzaga's twin towers will be epic indeed.[h2]Top single-game performances[/h2]Ben Woodside, NorthDakota State, Dec. 12 versus Stephen F. Austin: In the opening round of a minitourney at Drake, the Bison's 5-foot-11 senior went off for 60points (14-for-32 from the floor and 30-for-35 from the stripe), the most points in a Division I game since Arizona State's Eddie House scored 61 in adouble-overtime win over Cal in 2000. The Bison lost 112-111 in triple overtime, but Woodside followed up his 60 by leading NDSU to a win against GeorgiaSouthern the following day, scoring 31 points and dishing 10 assists. Stephen Curry, Davidson, Nov. 18 at Oklahoma: No. 30 in red has providedan ever-growing number of masterpieces, the kind of performances that fans at bars will try and one-up each other with. Remember that NIT Season Tip-Off gameon ESPN, when he went shot-for-shot with Blake Griffin and brought Davidson from 21down in the second half? He couldn't pull out a win (the Wildcats lost 82-7
, but Curry's 44-point game on 12-for-29 shooting was something viewerswill remember for a long time.[h2]Strangest scores[/h2]at Texas-San Antonio 136, East Central 68 (Nov. 22): Most of the time when Division I schools playteams from the lower tiers in the early season, it counts in the Div. I team's standings but is only an exhibition for the road team. So in thishigh-scoring double-up by a Southland Conference squad over a Division II school from the Lone Star Conference, the Tigers didn't mind much if the scorewas run up on them Globetrotters-style. After all, East Central had been thrashed at Texas Tech's Legends Classic two days earlier, 167-115, in a similarlystructured reality duality. at Maryland-Eastern Shore 46, New Jersey Tech 42 (Dec. 6): NJIT is 0-11 and hasn't won a game since beatingLongwood on Feb. 19, 2007 -- a streak of 44 straight losses. How low is the Highlanders' luck? In this game, they held similarly winless UMES to 26 percentshooting … yet still lost. Tech shot 33 percent and was outrebounded by a 3-to-2 margin. This holiday season, a DVD of this game is a suitable swap-out forstocking coal.[h2]What you might not have realized[/h2]The Horizon League is really good. Retooled Butler is just a three-point loss to OhioState from perfection. Illinois-Chicago beat Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech on the road. Cleveland State's stock rose when the Vikings shocked Syracuse, butit went up even higher after Syracuse turned around and beat Memphis five days later. If the cards fall right in conference play, two tourney bids aren'tout of the question. Some sweet-as-honey basketball is being played in the Beehive State. Utah State looks poised to dominate the WesternAthletic Conference, with an 9-1 record, the nation's best shooting (52.9 percent) and WAC POY candidate Gary Wilkinson (16.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg).
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AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac
Utah State is in good hands with WAC POY candidate Gary Wilkinson.
BYU, led by emergent junior Jonathan Tavernari (17.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg), is 10-1 andplaying some solid defense. The America East just might feature the country's hottest race for a single bid. After struggling to a 41-74noncon record last season, teams from this conference scheduled remarkably well, choosing only games they stood a chance to win and staying away from playingtoo many non-Div. I teams. This season, the AE's winning percentage has consistently hovered around .500. Six of the nine teams have records of .500 orbetter, including old familiar champions like Vermont (6-3) and Albany (8-4).[h2]Reasons to brag[/h2]The Atlantic 10 is doing it again. A-10 teams are taking it to ranked opponents -- look atXavier's wins over four BCS schools (Missouri, Va. Tech, Cincinnati and Auburn), as well as those of UMass (beat Kansas), Dayton (Marquette) and Temple(Tennessee). The conference's depth and dangerousness have been on full display -- check out its perfect 3-0 record against the Big Ten. If the leaguetable doesn't end up with a giant tangle of 8-8s, as was the case last season, the Big Dance could experience a true A-10 invasion of four or more teams.A couple of the teams chasing Davidson in the Southern Conference have boast-worthy results early on. The College of Charleston is 10-1,including a 5-0 mark away from its sparkly new Carolina First Center. Chattanooga may have started 0-5, but it exposed the Wildcats' defense in a 100-95losing effort on Dec. 13, the first game all its players and new transfers were eligible. The Mocs are certainly eyeing that Jan. 28 home date with Davidson.SoCon contenders are lining up to make sure that Stephen Curry & Co. don't go on a 20-0 tear through the league again. Presbyterian, a schoolthat made the leap to Division I just last season, spent its first season on an endless road trip, going 5-25 with all five wins coming at home. Withnewfound provisional membership in the Big South, the Blue Hose already have matched their 2007-08 win total with a 5-7 record (2-0 BSC). Al'Lonzo Coleman, a 6-foot-7 sophomore paint presence, has been a standout with 15.8 ppgand 7.4 rpg, but head coach Gregg Nibert plans to redshirt him next season so he'll be eligible for Presby's first postseason-eligible season in2011-12. The current record is nice, but they're hoping to brag about a shock NCAA bid in three years.[h2]Reasons to worry[/h2]The Mid-American Conference: The best and toughest perennial one-bid league in the country got a No.9 seed out of Kent State last season. This season has been a major step backward. With a noncon winning percentage of .364 (40-70) and no wins overpower-conference opponents, the MAC has melted like cheese. Miami (Ohio), after coming close at UCLA and blowing out Temple on the road, was poised to be theleague's saving grace. But the RedHawks struggled mightily Saturday in an 82-46 blowout loss at West Virginia marked with poor guard play.Memphis: The national runner-up Tigers are used to treating the Conference USA championship as a birthright, winning three consecutive titlessince the Big East exodus of 2005 stripped away strong competition (such as Louisville and Cincinnati). But with CDR and D-Rose off in the NBA, the youngTigers are 7-3 and are struggling through some severe shooting problems (at least the free-throw percentage is up four percentage points to 65.6). UTEP hasposted strong wins over Saint Mary's and Texas Tech; former Auburn transfer KelvinLewis is lighting it up for 7-1 Houston, an older and wiser team coming off a 24-win season and a College Basketball Invitation run. Could this finally bethe season that the Tigers hear footsteps in the "new" C-USA?
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: December 24, 2008, 1:42 PM ET
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Favorite: In a slight nod, it goes to Connecticut over Pitt. The Huskies have the most intimidating force in Hasheem Thabeet (when he wants to be assertive). And they still have a healing all-conferenceguard in A.J. Price and plenty of depth at every position. Connecticut also provedits toughness and March capability with one of the most impressive wins of the season by beating Gonzaga in Seattle. Its win over Buffalo, on the road, alsowas gritty, even if it was against a middle MAC team. But don't for a second think that Pitt can't win this conference. The Panthers are equally tough,as they survived a poor-shooting game to win at Florida State and have as many veteran players as -- if not more than -- the Huskies. Circle March 7, becausethat's when the Huskies and the Panthers could be deciding the regular-season title in Pittsburgh.
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AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
Sam Young has emerged as the early favorite for Big East Player of the Year … and Pitt has looked the most likely to challenge UConn for the league crown.
Most surprising team: Georgetown lost plenty, including its center and point guard and other role players, through exhausted eligibilityand transfers. Yet, the Hoyas have been impressive, led by freshman Greg Monroe andsophomore guard Chris Wright. The wins over Maryland and Memphis were strongindicators this squad will be a factor throughout the conference season.
Most disappointing team: Louisville. The Cardinals were supposed to be a Final Four favorite. They might still get there, but they'vewhiffed on two significant games, losing to Western Kentucky in Nashville and then to Minnesota in Glendale, Ariz. Louisville has done nothing so far to makeitself stand out as one of the handful of teams that could make it to Detroit. The season is far from over, and the Cards could cause plenty of trouble in theBig East. But so far, they look like they'll settle behind Connecticut, Pitt and maybe even Notre Dame, Syracuse and Georgetown.
Mystery team: Villanova. Just how good is this squad? The Wildcats lost to Texas at the Jimmy V Classic. But they haven't beenseriously tested yet, outside of a Big Five game against an average Saint Joseph's team.
Best player: Sam Young, Pitt. You could make arguments for plentyof players in this category, but Young has been the most consistent player in the conference, averaging 20.1 points a game. Adrian Branch, my colleague atESPNU, picked Young as a first-team All-American in the preseason. I wasn't sure then, but Young is making a strong push to be considered for first-teamstatus.
Top performance: Kyle McAlarney, Notre Dame. He scored 39 points,even if it was in a losing effort, against North Carolina in the Maui Invitational final. He made 10 3s in the game. Expect him to be the top 3-point threatthroughout the Big East season.
Strangest score: Northwestern 63, DePaul 36. Northwestern is muchimproved, but the Blue Demons have to muster more than 36 points if they want to be competitive in this conference.
What you might not have realized: Georgetown has a really good Big East schedule, so good that the Hoyas might finish higher thanprojected. They visit Connecticut on Dec. 29 to open conference play. But then they get Pitt and Louisville at home and don't have to return the games.Going to Notre Dame won't be a treat, and neither will the home-and-home with Syracuse. But escaping those road trips to two of the toughest places couldhelp the Hoyas finish in the top four.
Reason to brag: Syracuse. The Orange have won three games away from the Carrier Dome, beating Kansas and Florida on consecutive nights inKansas City and then winning at Memphis. Syracuse usually doesn't have that kind of stretch in the nonconference.
Reason to worry: Seton Hall. The Pirates had plenty of good vibes with neutral-court wins over USC and Virginia Tech in Puerto Rico. Thoserecently were canceled out by a home loss to IUPUI and then a road loss at James Madison.
Who's going dancing?: The locks seem to be Connecticut, Pitt, Syracuse, Georgetown, Louisville and Notre Dame -- with Marquette andWest Virginia likely to perform well enough to join them for a total of eight NCAA bids. Cincinnati, Providence and Seton Hall aren't dead but have plentyof work to do if the Big East is to reach nine or 10 bids.
[h1]Carolina is king, but BC is surprising[/h1]
By Dana O'Neil
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: December 24, 2008
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Favorite: Gonna go out on a limb here and say North Carolina. The caveat? Going undefeated in this league, and consequently for the season,will be a herculean task, particularly if Duke continues to play at a high level.
Most surprising team: Picked to finish 11th in the conference, Boston College is 10-2 with decent wins over UAB and Providence. Always agood scorer, Tyrese Rice has become a better playmaker. He's averaging 6 assistsper game.
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Tyrese Rice has led BC to a surprising 10-2 start.
Most disappointing team: Miami. This was supposed to be the Hurricanes' big year. Instead, Miami has played three statement gamesand lost all three, to Connecticut, to Ohio State and a 19-point beatdown by Clemson. Miami desperately needs someone other than Jack McClinton to contribute steadily.
Mystery team: Maryland. Welcome to the ACC cliffhanger. Will the Terps return to the NCAA tournament? Can Gary Williams keep his job? Yes.Maryland thumped Michigan State 80-62 in Orlando, Fla. No. The Terps needed overtime to beat Vermont. Maybe. That seems about right. Maryland is in hoopspurgatory right now, a team that could play its way into the tournament or play its way back to irrelevance.
Best player: Tyler Hansbrough. OK, so he missed four games, butHansbrough has made up for it, averaging 22.7 points and 7.1 rebounds since his return. With 10 ACC Player of the Week honors in his career, Hansbrough lookssure to add another record to his résumé before he graduates. Antawn Jamison owns the record with 12 ACC weekly honors.
Top performance: Hansbrough against Notre Dame. In his third game back from a stress reaction, Hansbrough went for 34 points, outmusclingLuke Harangody in a battle of top big men.
Strangest score: Northwestern 73, Florida State 59. How the Seminoles not only suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of theWildcats but got trounced remains a mystery.
What you might not have realized: Duke is rated the No. 4 team in the country according to kenpom.com. The Blue Devils are the 13th mostefficient team on offense (ranking points per 100 possessions) but -- here's the surprise -- eighth in defensive efficiency.
Reason to brag: The ACC, not the Big East, has put up the nonconference numbers to stake a claim as strongest league in the country. ACCteams are 104-22, with winning records against every other conference except the Big East, against which they are 6-6.
Reason to worry: Eliminate North Carolina, Duke, Clemson and Wake Forest (combined 9-1), and the rest of the league is 6-14 against teamsranked in the top 50 according to the Sagarin ratings.
Who's going dancing: North Carolina, Duke, Clemson and Wake Forest are on the right side of the bubble; Miami, Maryland, NC State areeither on it or popped off.
[h1]Much like football, Big 12 offenses are up, defenses down[/h1]
By Dana O'Neil
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: December 24, 2008
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Favorite: The Red River Rivalry extends into the winter. Like football, Texas and Oklahoma are clearly the class of the conference. Thegood news in hoops? Whoever plays for the Big 12 crown will be determined on the court, not in the computers.
Most surprising team: Missouri. The pasting at the hands of Illinois was something of a disturbing eye-opener but there's still noarguing the Tigers, rid of the drama and off-court issues, are better. They're 9-2 with a great tandem in Leo Lyons and DeMarreCarroll. To be NCAA good, however, the swarming defense that bills itself as part of the fastest 40 minutes in college basketball, needs to be about 300percent better than it was against the Illini.
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AP Photo/Bob Levey
Don't sleep on Texas A&M in the Big 12. Donald Sloan and the Aggies are off to a 10-1 start including wins over LSU and Arizona.
Most disappointing team: Kansas State. OK, so the Wildcats lost Michael Beasley and Bill Walker, but c'mon. The schedule reads likea "Who's that?" instead of a who's who. K-State played one Division II team (Emporia State), two Summit League schools (Oakland andCentenary), and one each from the MEAC (Florida A&M), Ohio Valley (Southeast Missouri State) and Big South (Gardner-Webb). In all, the less-than-wild Catshave faced three teams from the BCS conferences -- Kentucky, Oregon and Iowa -- and lost to all three of them.
Mystery team: Oklahoma State. With a coaching and philosophy change, the Cowboys are going to be something of an enigma. They haven'ttaken any bad losses -- Gonzaga, Michigan State and Washington -- but haven't grabbed that headline-making win yet, either. Travis Ford's guard-heavy,up-tempo offense could give people fits in the league, but will need to keep the turnovers down.
Best player: Following in the footsteps of Beasley and Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin isn't just the most dominant player in his league; he might be the best inthe country. Griffin leads the nation in rebounding (14.1 boards per game) and is on pace to top the OU single-season mark of 13.3 held by Alvin Adams.He's also No. 12 nationally in scoring (23 points per game) and fourth in field-goal percentage (68.3).
Top performance: Blake Griffin vs. Gardner-Webb (35 points, 21 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 block).
Strangest score: Texas Tech 167, East Central 115. Apparently Bob Stoops and Gary Pinkel were calling the defenses.
What you might not have realized: Texas A&M has quietly rolled to a 10-1 record, including wins against Arizona, Alabama and LSU. TheAggies have just one senior (Josh Carter) but have been buoyed by more steady playfrom point guard Donald Sloan. A year after struggling to replace Acie Law,Sloan's assists are up and his turnovers are down.
Reason to brag: The hoops teams have followed the leads of their pigskin peers. Five of the 12 league teams are ranked among the top 30nationally in scoring offenses. Making Mike Leach proud, Texas Tech is the highest-ranked (fifth in the country), and sure to put a smile on Chase Daniel'sface, Missouri is close behind in eighth, tied with Oklahoma State.
Reason to worry: The hoops teams have followed the leads of their pigskin peers. Not much defense going on in this league. Only Nebraska,ranked fourth in the nation, is among the top 40 schools in scoring defense. Making Leach blanch, Texas Tech is 312th.
Who's going dancing: Texas, Oklahoma and Baylor are in. Kansas should be, but it's inconsistency (losing to a sub-par UMass teamplus Arizona) could send the defending champs to the bubble. Off-radar A&M is quietly building a strong case. Missouri will need strong conference play toerase the mess against Illinois after finally cracking the Top 25
Dana O'Neil covers college basketball for ESPN.com and can be reached at [email protected].
[h1]Bulk of Big Ten off to hot starts[/h1]
By Dana O'Neil
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: December 24, 2008
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Favorite: Michigan State and Purdue. Rumors of the deaths of the Spartans and Boilermakers were greatly exaggerated. With a healthyGoran Suton in the lineup, Michigan State reasserted itself with a win at Texas; andPurdue, knocked back by Duke and Oklahoma, pounded Davidson.
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AP Photo/Bob Levey
After a humiliating loss to North Carolina, Michigan State took advantage of its second opportunity against a top-10 team, beating Texas in Houston.
Most surprising team: Michigan. John Beilein is practically throwing cautionary flags on the court, reminding people that it's stilla little early to go entirely gaga on the Wolverines. But the same team that finished 10-22 last season already has beaten UCLA and Duke, topping two top-fiveteams for the first time in 21 years.
Most disappointing team: Indiana. The results aren't the disappointing part; those are expected. What's disappointing is watching aonce-proud program turn into a car accident, complete with rubberneckers waiting to see just how bad the Hoosiers can be (a 13-point loss to Northeastern inwhich IU scored its fewest points at Assembly Hall seems a good jumping off point), all because of one man's inability to abide by the rules.
Mystery team: Minnesota. The Gophers are 10-0, their best start in 32 years, including a win over Louisville and Tubby Smith's formerboss, Rick Pitino. The catch is, aside from beating the Cardinals, Minnesota has feasted on a cupcake nonconference schedule -- North Dakota State and SouthDakota State are among the victims, and aside from Louisville, no team is among the top 100 in the RPI. So the question is: Are the Gophers really good or justsmart schedulers?
Best player: Manny Harris. The sophomore has been incredible forMichigan, scoring in double figures in 10 of the Wolverines' 11 games. He's averaging 19 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists.
Top performance: A little off the radar, but Penn State's TalorBattle's 18 points, seven assists and four rebounds against Georgia Tech count as supremely significant. Why? It marked the Lions' firstnonconference road win against a BCS opponent since Dec. 1, 2004.
Strangest score: Northwestern 73, Florida State 59. Heaven knows the Seminoles haven't been the picture of stability in recent years,but to watch the Wildcats put together a 20-2 run to start the second half and simply paste FSU was flat-out jaw-dropping.
What you might not have realized: The most efficient point guard in the country isn't Ty Lawson or DarrenCollison. It's Michigan State sophomore Kalin Lucas, who leads the nationwith a gaudy 6.5-1 assist-turnover ratio. Through 10 games, Lucas is averaging 29.5 minutes yet has committed just 10 turnovers to 65 assists.
Reason to brag: Even regular bottom-feeders, Penn State and Northwestern, are off to hot starts and have helped bulk the league to secondin the conference RPI standings behind the ACC. The Nittany Lions are 11-2, with a quality win at Georgia Tech. The Wildcats are 8-2, with the stunner overFlorida State.
Reason to worry: Penn State started last season 10-4 and finished 15-16, though in the Lions' defense, the team lost its best player,Geary Claxton, to a knee injury. Northwestern started the 2008 season 5-4 and finished 8-22. And then there's Indiana.
Who's going dancing: Michigan State, Wisconsin, Purdue and Ohio State are set. Michigan, with its huge wins over UCLA and Duke, hasbuilt a good nonconference résumé. Minnesota has the gaudy record but needs more than just one quality win.
[h1]Pac-10: It's still UCLA's title to lose[/h1]
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: December 24, 2008, 12:53 PM ET
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Favorite: UCLA. The Bruins haven't stood out nationally yet, losing to Michigan and then falling to Texas. So the Bruins still haveroom to grow, especially in the post. They still have the top point guard in the conference in Darren Collison, the best freshman in the league in Jrue Holiday and, when healthy, a Final Four veteran player in wing Josh Shipp. The Bruins may be devoid of a consistent scoring presence in the post but thedefense is still Ben Howland-solid and the Bruins have the core experience in this league that will make it hard to dethrone them from the conference title inMarch.
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Despite offseason turmoil, Arizona still boasts top-level talent and is a tough out with the likes of Chase Budinger.
Most surprising team: Arizona. Stanford or Cal would have been easy choices here, but the Wildcats were expected to fall flat withoutLute Olson. Arizona also lost its top incoming freshman in Jeff Withey after Olson departed. But the Wildcats still have three talented players, two of whomcould be the best in the conference at their respective positions in big man JordanHill and wing Chase Budinger. And Nic Wise has been more than serviceable at the point. Arizona's win over Gonzaga inPhoenix signaled that the Wildcats have figured out how to play together again. Arizona did completely botch the end of the UAB game, fell flat at UNLV andcouldn't close out a road game at Texas A&M. But the win over San Diego State was convincing, and the Wildcats should be a major factor in the leaguerace from January to March.
Most disappointing team: Washington. The Huskies returned the core of their team, including potential player of the year Jon Brockman. UW may still wake up and go on a roll in the conference. But Washington whiffedin its two high-profile games in the CBE Classic, losing to Kansas and Florida. That came after starting the season with a road loss at Portland. The Huskieshave yet to be impressive. Beating Portland State, maybe the top team in the Big Sky, by one point isn't going to scare any conference opponent.
Mystery team: Cal. During the preseason, Mike Montgomery said the Bears were far from good because they were learning everything fromscratch. But Cal clearly understands Montgomery's system as witnessed by quality wins over UNLV and Utah on the road and over Nevada at home. But setbacksto Florida State on a neutral court in Las Vegas and Missouri in Columbia (a blowout loss) exposed a bit of the Bears' deficiencies. Yet a 9-2 startcertainly puts the Bears in the mix heading into the Pac-10.
Best player: James Harden, Arizona State. Harden has beensensational for the Sun Devils. He's averaging 23.7 points, 4.2 assists and 6.3 rebounds, and is shooting 57.7 percent from the floor, 80 at the free-throwline and 47.9 on 3s. With Harden on the court, the Sun Devils have a real shot to compete for the league title.
Top performance: Harden again. He lit up UTEP for 40 points in November's 76 Classic in Anaheim. He was proficient in making 14 of 25shots, all six of his 3-point attempts and 6 of 7 at the free-throw line. He also grabbed eight boards. He has had only one single-digit game -- nine pointsagainst IUPUI -- and that was only a one-point win for the Sun Devils.
Strangest score: Howard 47, Oregon State 45. Craig Robinson had a roughdebut with a road loss to one of the MEAC's weaker teams. Howard lost eight straight games after that one, including 90-54 to the same Beavers inCorvallis. The Beavers have since figured out Robinson's system and beaten teams like Nebraska and Fresno State, the latter on the road. Oregon State willlikely win a couple of Pac-10 games -- up from zero last season -- and winning up to four in the league isn't out of the question, either.
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The numbers say it all when measuring James Harden's impact for Arizona State this season.
What you might not have realized: Stanford did return three starters in Anthony Goods, LawrenceHill and Mitch Johnson. Sure, the Cardinal lost the Lopez twins. But the Cardinalprobably should have been given more preseason credit for the return of their veteran guards. Johnny Dawkins, with his experienced staff of former head coachesin %%%+ Davey and Rodney Tention, had enough to work with to get a great start on the season. Josh Owens and LandryFields have been quality impact players for the Cardinal. Stanford is putting itself in position to possibly earn an NCAA berth, quite an accomplishmentfor a program that was supposed to go through an upheaval.
Reason to brag: Arizona gave Gonzaga its first loss of the season. The way the Zags are playing, it might be one of only a handful. Arizonawas the better team on that day, and that win might be the kind that gets the Wildcats noticed on Selection Sunday.
Reason to worry: Washington State. The Cougars desperately need to beat LSU in Baton Rouge on Saturday for a nonconference win that willstand out in March. The Cougs had a difficult stretch, but losses to Pitt in New Jersey and Gonzaga and Baylor at home help the power rating, if not the image,of a possible NCAA team. Washington State did beat Mississippi State in New Jersey, but the Bulldogs aren't looking NCAA-ready now.
Who's going dancing?: UCLA and Arizona State should make it with some room to spare. Arizona is playing well enough to likely warrant aspot. USC is figuring out how to defend, freshman DeMar DeRozan is improving and theTrojans will likely be a tough out. OK, so that's four spots the Pac-10 likely can count on in March. Stanford and Cal have done enough to be in positionto earn bids if they can challenge for a top-five finish in the league. Washington State and Washington have work to do.
[h1]SEC: Everyone but Tennessee has work left to do[/h1]
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: December 24, 2008, 1:17 PM ET
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Favorite: Tennessee. The Vols are proving to be quite beatable, but no one else in the league is screaming for the favorite tag. The Volsare vulnerable when J.P. Prince doesn't play (see: loss to Temple and near missagainst Belmont). The Vols do have a stud in Tyler Smith, quickness in the backcourtand a rising power player in Wayne Chism, but Tennessee can be had. The key is forthe Vols to ensure that Knoxville doesn't become a place for an opposing to team to steal a win. But the Vols have to live up to expectations to hold ontothe favorite tag and earn a top-four seed. The daunting nonconference slate with a road trip to Kansas and home games against Gonzaga and Memphis still to comewill make Tennessee the top power rating team in the conference.
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Will Wayne Chism and Tennessee become more consistent once SEC play begins?
Most surprising team: Ole Miss. Yes, the Rebels qualify here because it's simply amazing how they were able to get off to an 8-4start despite all sorts of injuries. Ole Miss nearly beat West Virginia and Louisville, and also lost to Utah and New Mexico. So the Rebels don't have asignificant win. But somehow Andy Kennedy is holding this group together despite losing the best lead guard in the league in Chris Warren to an ACL injury (against Louisville). The Rebels may fall flat in the leaguewithout Warren, but so far they have been surprising. This also speaks to how soft some of the schedules have been for teams with gaudy records.
Most disappointing team: Alabama. Tide coach Mark Gottfried was so giddy about his team in the preseason. He truly believed he had apotential SEC West title contender. And he still might. But Ronald Steele is stillcoming back from major knee injuries, JaMychal Green isn't a dominant freshmanyet and the Tide do miss Richard Hendrix's experience inside. The Tide failed to beat an average Oregon team in Maui, lost at home to Mercer andcouldn't close out Texas A&M at home.
Mystery team: Florida. The Gators have enough talent to warrant being considered a favorite for the league title. They have one of the mostversatile players in Nick Calathes, a developing force inside in Alex Tyus and a two-time national championship coach in Billy Donovan. But the Gatorsdon't have a standout win yet. The Gators lost to Syracuse in Kansas City, beat a disappointing Washington squad and fell by two at Florida State. The SECis hardly imposing, so a lofty record could be forthcoming.
Best player: Nick Calathes, Florida. You could go in myriad directions here. Tyler Smith would be a fine choice. But picking Calathes alsomakes sense. Calathes leads the SEC in assists at 6.8 per game through his first 11 games. He was also No. 11 in scoring (15.6 ppg) and he is as critical tohis team's performance as any single player on any other team so far. Mississippi State's Jarvis Varnado should also get consideration for his monster numbers: 14.3 points, 9.8rebounds and six blocks a game.
Top performance: Jodie Meeks, Kentucky. Meeks was sensational inscoring 46 points in a win over Appalachian State at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky., on Dec. 20. Meeks was 14-of-21 from the field, 9-of-10 from thefree-throw line and 9-of-14 on 3s. He had three assists, four steals and committed just two fouls in 34 minutes. Meeks is making a strong case to be a seriousSEC Player of the Year candidate. How Kentucky finishes will determine if he can get the award.
Strangest score: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 80, Georgia 79 (OT) inAthens. The Islanders were coming off a loss at Savannah State. Georgia also lost to Loyola of Illinois in West Lafayette, Ind., in the Preseason NIT Tip-Off.Georgia is heading toward an abysmal season and a likely last-place finish.
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AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
Courtney Fortson's steady play has been a pleasant surprise for Arkansas.
What you might not have realized: Arkansas has one of the top freshmen in the country in point guard Courtney Fortson. He's averaging 6.5 assists a game, which is second-best in the SEC. Inthe preseason, Arkansas assistant coach Rob Evans said the Hogs had a special player in Fortson, a player who could be an NBA point guard. Fortson is doing alittle bit of everything for the Hogs, with 15.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Reason to brag: Tennessee beat Georgetown and Marquette. Those are clearly the league's best wins so far. The Vols have more chancesfor "name" wins upcoming. But the league can't brag about much in the nonconference slate. South Carolina, which started 8-1, and LSU, whichbegan 9-1, can boast about the records, but cleaning up against weaker competition doesn't mean much to the selection committee.
Reason to worry: Everyone but Tennessee when it comes time for an NCAA bid. No one else has the résumé built yet to ensure a bid, andit's nearly January.
Who's going dancing? Tennessee. That's a lock. Expect Kentucky and Florida to be there as well because each team will win enoughgames in the SEC to get a bid. LSU has the most starting talent in the SEC West to put up a gaudy record. The one team you shouldn't count out yet isAlabama. The talent is too good to dismiss this team in a league that offers up wins. The Tide could pull a Kentucky from a year ago and win double-figuregames after a subpar nonconference stretch and earn an NCAA bid.
[h1]It's likely an Ohio battle for the A-10 crown[/h1]
By Dana O'Neil
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: December 24, 2008
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Favorite: That exposing loss to Duke notwithstanding, coupled with last night's loss to Butler, it's still hard to pick againstXavier. The Musketeers play great defense and have seasoned talent in Derrick Brown,C.J. Anderson and Dante Jackson. The missing piece is Terrell Holloway. If the rookie can develop into a solid point guard, X is that much more thefavorite. Otherwise, Sean Miller's crew will be pushed by in-state rival Dayton, already 11-1 with a win against Marquette, and by Temple.
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AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr
Dionte Christmas scored 35 points in Temple's win over Tennessee.
Most surprising team: Xavier. The Musketeers lost more than 4,000 points in the form of Stanley Burrell, Drew Lavender and Josh Duncan,yet are back among the conference's elite.
Most disappointing team: Massachusetts. With their starting backcourt intact, the Minutemen should have been able to better weather thecoaching-change adjustments. Things appear to be settling in for Derek Kellogg's squad, but there's still no way to explain losses to JacksonvilleState, Wisconsin-Green Bay and a Toledo team that has just one other win.
Mystery team: Temple. Will the real Owls please stand up? The same Owls that beat Tennessee and gave Kansas a game also lost to Buffalo andended Long Beach State's four-game skid. Fran Dunphy's squad has all the makings of a tourney team but has to develop some consistency.
Best player: Dionte Christmas. His national coming-out party cameagainst Tennessee, when he exploded for 35 points, but Philadelphia folks know the sort of presence Christmas gives the Owls. Except for two bad games (11points against Miami (Ohio) and 2 against Penn State), the senior has been scoring in bunches. And despite taking a host of shots, he still hits 45 percent ofthem from the floor.
Top performance: Rhode Island's Jimmy Baron against Duke.Thanks to the coach's son, the Rams gave the Devils all they could handle. Baron scored 24 points, all on 3-pointers. He connected on 8 of 10 from thearc.
Strangest score: Duke 82, Xavier 64. Fans in the Meadowlands are still waiting for the Musketeers to show up. They were down 18-1 at thefirst TV timeout, turning a much-anticipated top-10 game into a Blue Devils walkover.
What you might not have realized: Rick Majerus is slowly incorporating his defense-first philosophy at St. Louis. The Billikens rankseventh in the nation in scoring defense (allowing just 55 points per game) and are smothering opponents at the arc, where they lead the nation. Opponentsshoot just 23.7 percent from the 3-point line against SLU.
Reason to brag: Kansas, Tennessee, Memphis, Auburn and Marquette have been victimized by Atlantic 10 teams.
Reason to worry: Appalachian State, Columbia, Jacksonville State and Holy Cross have victimized A-10 teams.
Who's going dancing: Bank on Xavier's making its eighth trip in nine years. Dayton is also in, barring an in-conference meltdown,and presuming Temple finds some consistency, the Owls ought to be happy on Selection Sunday, as well.
[h1]C-USA: UAB and UTEP could challenge Memphis in March[/h1]
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: December 24, 2008, 1:01 PM ET
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Favorite: Memphis. The Tigers have the most talent, the top freshman and the toughest place to play in the conference. They've also gotan intimidation factor until something changes. That doesn't mean the Tigers will run the table this season. The schedule isn't as favorable as it hasbeen and going to Tulsa, UTEP and UAB will test this team. Don't be surprised if the Tigers win the league with two losses, maybe even three.
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Jerome Jordan and Tulsa took their lumps with a tough nonconference schedule. How will the Golden Hurricane respond when C-USA play begins?
Most surprising team: Houston. East Carolina could get this honor as well for starting out 8-1 before losing two in a row to ACC teams.But the Cougars ripped off eight straight wins after a disappointing season-opening loss to Georgia Southern. Houston was supposed to be in a rebuilding mode,and maybe it still will be by the end of the regular season.
Most disappointing team: UTEP. Maybe this is being too harsh on the Miners. The losses are all against quality teams in UNLV, Wake Forest,Arizona State and New Mexico State. All but one of those games was away from El Paso (UNLV was at home). But UTEP coach Tony Barbee was adamant in thepreseason that he had a league-title contender and an NCAA-type team. That may still happen with the Miners in C-USA play. The win over Saint Mary's is thebest win so far. If UTEP can roll through the conference and knock off Memphis at least once, then the Miners can make it back into the conversation for apossible at-large berth. But a 6-4 start out of a league like C-USA isn't going to stand out.
Mystery team: Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane have one of the top players in the conference in Jerome Jordan. But he started out with a few subpar performances, notably scoring just eightpoints and grabbing three boards in a loss at Oklahoma State. He also scored in single digits in losses to Ohio and Oklahoma, the latter a reach for Tulsa towin. Tulsa played quality competition in its nonconference games, giving Texas A&M its only loss. But losing to Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Illinoisprevented the Golden Hurricane from distinguishing themselves. Maybe Tulsa will be just fine in C-USA. It's hard to tell since the schedule wasdaunting.
Best player: Stefon Jackson, UTEP. He has been the mostconsistent player so far in averaging 23.6 points a game. Jackson gives the Miners a chance in any game they'll play this season. Jackson scored 30 pointsor more against Wake Forest, Sam Houston and New Mexico State (at home). He gets to the line a ton, going there at least 10 times in seven of his first 10games.
Top performance: Robert Vaden, UAB. Vaden nailed eight 3s and hita high percentage (8 of 13 and 10 of 17 shots overall) in a 28-point performance in a 77-62 win at Old Dominion. That win came on the heels of the Blazerswinning at Arizona and before UAB had to go to New York for the NIT Season Tip-Off. While Jackson gets to the bucket, Vaden is the one you want to make a3-pointer for you.
Strangest score: Arkansas Pine-Bluff 64, SMU 62. It was close and fewerthan 2,000 fans witnessed it. But a C-USA school should win its "guarantee" games against teams like Pine-Bluff.
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With Stefon Jackson's scoring ability, UTEP is sure to be in the hunt in C-USA.
What you might not have realized: Conference USA is essentially hurting its chances to get multiple bids by continuing to put theconference tournament in Memphis. The best way to ensure the league gets multiple bids is to take the tournament out of Memphis. A year ago it wouldn'thave mattered where the Tigers played the tourney. They would have won regardless of the venue, but in a season like this one when the Tigers aren't asdaunting there is hope for the other teams to win in an elimination-type game away from the FedEx Forum.
Reason to brag: UTEP has the one win over Saint Mary's. That may be one of the best wins the league gets this season unless Memphis cango to Gonzaga and knock off the Zags or take out Tennessee in Knoxville. The Miners need to make sure the win over the Gaels matters by getting on a roll inthe league. UAB can claim the bizarre win over Arizona in Tucson as a win to shout about, but the Blazers need to ensure that win will mean something in March,too.
Reason to worry: Memphis. The Tigers don't have to fret that they won't be good enough to win the conference. But Memphis has donelittle to stand out for a high seed at this juncture. Road games at Tennessee and Gonzaga are upcoming. Those might be necessary for the Tigers to deserve atop-four seed. Otherwise, the Tigers could be looking at a lower seed that will make advancing in March much more difficult.
Who's going dancing?: Memphis. UAB and UTEP have the best talent and star players in Vaden and Jackson to put themselves in positionfor a bid among the rest of the teams. But they're heading for the bubble at this juncture.
[h1]Butler, Gonzaga resume role as mid-major favorites[/h1]
By Kyle Whelliston
Special to ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: December 24, 2008, 1:00 PM ET
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Where do the mid-majors stand as we near the end of nonconference play? How did they get to this point? Here's the breakdown:
[h2]The favorites[/h2]Butler (Horizon League): Graduating four-fifths of the starting lineup from a round of 32 team won'tinspire many to expect a repeat performance. But the Bulldogs are back.
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Despite a tough nonconference schedule, Matt Howard and Butler are off to a strong start.
Returnee forward Matt Howard, now a sophomore, anchors a group of youngsterswho have achieved a 10-1 record despite playing one of the nation's toughest schedules. Remember names like Shelvin Mack and GordonHayward. They're freshmen, but they're learning how to win very early in their careers -- and Butler's giant nine-point win over Xavier onTuesday shows that it is already ready for big W's. Gonzaga (West Coast): Although the Bulldogs' recent struggles (consecutive lossesto UConn and Portland State) may raise questions, the talent and depth Mark Few has assembled should return in 2009 meaner for the experience. An improved WCCwill toughen them up, a departure from the two-month spring training that softened Bulldogs squads of the past. It's definitely the biggest team of theGonzaga era, with two high-scoring big men in Josh Heytvelt and Austin Daye. This could still be the year they match the Elite Eight run from 1999 thatoriginally put them on the map.[h2]Most surprising teams[/h2]Portland State (Big Sky): The Vikings tore through the conference with 14 wins and earned theirfirst NCAA bid last season. Turns out that was just a preview of things to come. PSU is out to a 9-3 start fueled by balanced scoring (five double-figurescorers) and smart ball control. It made a statement in beating Gonzaga 77-70 on Tuesday. Jeremiah Dominguez stands at 5-foot-6 but came up big against the Zags with 25 points.Cleveland State (Horizon League): Many predicted Cleveland State, coming off its first postseason bid in two decades, to edge past Butler andwin the HL. While the Bulldogs have picked up where they left off, the Vikings have been exceeding expectations. A 9-4 record and an active four-game winstreak includes a 26-point drubbing of MAC champs Kent State and the iconic 72-69 win over previously unbeaten Syracuse on Dec. 15, sealed by Cedric Jackson's "SportsCenter"-worthy 60-foot buzzer-beater. That miracle shothides the fact that the Vikings were leading for much of that game.[h2]Most disappointing teams[/h2]San Diego (West Coast): Remember the Toreros' thrilling 70-69 overtime upset ofConnecticut in last season's NCAA tournament first round? It seems a lot longer than nine months ago after a tough 6-7 start. Returning all key cogs, USDwas picked to contend with Gonzaga and Saint Mary's in the challenging WCC but has dealt with a series of tough issues. Brandon Johnson, who scored 18 in the UConn game, tore his ACL after eight games and willmiss the rest of the season. Head coach Bill Grier also has had to dole out discipline, with 17 man-games (and counting) lost to suspensions for three Toreros.Siena (Metro Atlantic): Another round of 32 squad that has underachieved is the Saints, who have lived under the mid-major microscope aftertheir crushing 13-over-4 victory over Vanderbilt (in the same Tampa pod that produced the San Diego shocker). A virtually intact team simply hasn't been upto a murderous schedule, going 6-4 with wide losses to Pitt, Tennessee and Oklahoma State. Fran McCaffery's bunch hasn't been able to find compensationfor the size disadvantage, something that was overcome with hot shooting and ball control last season. Neither has arrived yet.[h2]Best players[/h2]Stephen Curry, Davidson: Thebrightest star in mid-majordom may be struggling under the expectations and seemingly endless hype, but he has assumed the weight with class and dignity. Thenation's runaway leading scorer (30 points per game) has led the Elite Eight Wildcats to wins over North Carolina State and West Virginia and inspiredLoyola (Md.) head coach Jimmy Patsos to double-team him all over the court. Take out that scoreless performance, and he'd be averaging 33.3 ppg -- enoughto lead the pros, eclipsing NBA BFF LeBron James. Lester Hudson,Tennessee-Martin: His Skyhawks may have been overwhelmed in TV showcases against USC and Tennessee, but the muscular 6-foot-2 senior is putting upnumbers similar to last season, which concluded with an impressive trip to the pre-draft camp and a last-second early-entry withdrawal.
AP Photo/Wade Payne
Tennessee-Martin's Lester Hudson has picked up where he left off last season.
Hudson is the nation's seventh-leading scorer at 23.8 ppg and hasn't scored fewer than 20 in UTM's first nine games. His rebound numbersmight be down a board and a half to 6.2 rpg (other Skyhawks have been picking up the slack), but he's picking up more steals (2.9) and has improved hisfree-throw shooting to 85.3 percent. Omar Samhan, Saint Mary's:Soph sensation Patty Mills (20 ppg) is drawing plenty of attention from opponents and the media, but this 6-foot-11 senior is the improved, overlooked herowho's savagely ripping rebounds down and handing Mills the ball to bring up the court. His 15-point, 12-rebound performance at Oregon last week was hisfifth double-double of the season (he's averaging one with 14.4 ppg and 10 rpg), and he has helped the Gaels to a 10-1 record. The upcoming WCC battleswith Gonzaga's twin towers will be epic indeed.[h2]Top single-game performances[/h2]Ben Woodside, NorthDakota State, Dec. 12 versus Stephen F. Austin: In the opening round of a minitourney at Drake, the Bison's 5-foot-11 senior went off for 60points (14-for-32 from the floor and 30-for-35 from the stripe), the most points in a Division I game since Arizona State's Eddie House scored 61 in adouble-overtime win over Cal in 2000. The Bison lost 112-111 in triple overtime, but Woodside followed up his 60 by leading NDSU to a win against GeorgiaSouthern the following day, scoring 31 points and dishing 10 assists. Stephen Curry, Davidson, Nov. 18 at Oklahoma: No. 30 in red has providedan ever-growing number of masterpieces, the kind of performances that fans at bars will try and one-up each other with. Remember that NIT Season Tip-Off gameon ESPN, when he went shot-for-shot with Blake Griffin and brought Davidson from 21down in the second half? He couldn't pull out a win (the Wildcats lost 82-7
, but Curry's 44-point game on 12-for-29 shooting was something viewerswill remember for a long time.[h2]Strangest scores[/h2]at Texas-San Antonio 136, East Central 68 (Nov. 22): Most of the time when Division I schools playteams from the lower tiers in the early season, it counts in the Div. I team's standings but is only an exhibition for the road team. So in thishigh-scoring double-up by a Southland Conference squad over a Division II school from the Lone Star Conference, the Tigers didn't mind much if the scorewas run up on them Globetrotters-style. After all, East Central had been thrashed at Texas Tech's Legends Classic two days earlier, 167-115, in a similarlystructured reality duality. at Maryland-Eastern Shore 46, New Jersey Tech 42 (Dec. 6): NJIT is 0-11 and hasn't won a game since beatingLongwood on Feb. 19, 2007 -- a streak of 44 straight losses. How low is the Highlanders' luck? In this game, they held similarly winless UMES to 26 percentshooting … yet still lost. Tech shot 33 percent and was outrebounded by a 3-to-2 margin. This holiday season, a DVD of this game is a suitable swap-out forstocking coal.[h2]What you might not have realized[/h2]The Horizon League is really good. Retooled Butler is just a three-point loss to OhioState from perfection. Illinois-Chicago beat Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech on the road. Cleveland State's stock rose when the Vikings shocked Syracuse, butit went up even higher after Syracuse turned around and beat Memphis five days later. If the cards fall right in conference play, two tourney bids aren'tout of the question. Some sweet-as-honey basketball is being played in the Beehive State. Utah State looks poised to dominate the WesternAthletic Conference, with an 9-1 record, the nation's best shooting (52.9 percent) and WAC POY candidate Gary Wilkinson (16.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg).[+] http://sports.espn.go.com...3791884&story=3791510','Popup','width=640,height=550,scrollbars=no,noresize'); return false;">Enlarge
http://sports.espn.go.com...3791884&story=3791510','Popup','width=640,height=550,scrollbars=no,noresize'); return false;">
AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac
Utah State is in good hands with WAC POY candidate Gary Wilkinson.
BYU, led by emergent junior Jonathan Tavernari (17.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg), is 10-1 andplaying some solid defense. The America East just might feature the country's hottest race for a single bid. After struggling to a 41-74noncon record last season, teams from this conference scheduled remarkably well, choosing only games they stood a chance to win and staying away from playingtoo many non-Div. I teams. This season, the AE's winning percentage has consistently hovered around .500. Six of the nine teams have records of .500 orbetter, including old familiar champions like Vermont (6-3) and Albany (8-4).[h2]Reasons to brag[/h2]The Atlantic 10 is doing it again. A-10 teams are taking it to ranked opponents -- look atXavier's wins over four BCS schools (Missouri, Va. Tech, Cincinnati and Auburn), as well as those of UMass (beat Kansas), Dayton (Marquette) and Temple(Tennessee). The conference's depth and dangerousness have been on full display -- check out its perfect 3-0 record against the Big Ten. If the leaguetable doesn't end up with a giant tangle of 8-8s, as was the case last season, the Big Dance could experience a true A-10 invasion of four or more teams.A couple of the teams chasing Davidson in the Southern Conference have boast-worthy results early on. The College of Charleston is 10-1,including a 5-0 mark away from its sparkly new Carolina First Center. Chattanooga may have started 0-5, but it exposed the Wildcats' defense in a 100-95losing effort on Dec. 13, the first game all its players and new transfers were eligible. The Mocs are certainly eyeing that Jan. 28 home date with Davidson.SoCon contenders are lining up to make sure that Stephen Curry & Co. don't go on a 20-0 tear through the league again. Presbyterian, a schoolthat made the leap to Division I just last season, spent its first season on an endless road trip, going 5-25 with all five wins coming at home. Withnewfound provisional membership in the Big South, the Blue Hose already have matched their 2007-08 win total with a 5-7 record (2-0 BSC). Al'Lonzo Coleman, a 6-foot-7 sophomore paint presence, has been a standout with 15.8 ppgand 7.4 rpg, but head coach Gregg Nibert plans to redshirt him next season so he'll be eligible for Presby's first postseason-eligible season in2011-12. The current record is nice, but they're hoping to brag about a shock NCAA bid in three years.[h2]Reasons to worry[/h2]The Mid-American Conference: The best and toughest perennial one-bid league in the country got a No.9 seed out of Kent State last season. This season has been a major step backward. With a noncon winning percentage of .364 (40-70) and no wins overpower-conference opponents, the MAC has melted like cheese. Miami (Ohio), after coming close at UCLA and blowing out Temple on the road, was poised to be theleague's saving grace. But the RedHawks struggled mightily Saturday in an 82-46 blowout loss at West Virginia marked with poor guard play.Memphis: The national runner-up Tigers are used to treating the Conference USA championship as a birthright, winning three consecutive titlessince the Big East exodus of 2005 stripped away strong competition (such as Louisville and Cincinnati). But with CDR and D-Rose off in the NBA, the youngTigers are 7-3 and are struggling through some severe shooting problems (at least the free-throw percentage is up four percentage points to 65.6). UTEP hasposted strong wins over Saint Mary's and Texas Tech; former Auburn transfer KelvinLewis is lighting it up for 7-1 Houston, an older and wiser team coming off a 24-win season and a College Basketball Invitation run. Could this finally bethe season that the Tigers hear footsteps in the "new" C-USA?
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From NBAdraft.net
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[h1]Stock Watch[/h1]
Submitted by Aran_Smith on Wed, 12/24/2008 - 4:07am.
By Aran Smith
Rising
Jordan Hill 6-10 226 PF Arizona Jr.
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Jordan Hill
Photo: IconSMI
[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [/tr][/table]The Arizona bigman has made the biggest "climb" in the past two weeks going from a late first rounder all the way to the projected 5th pick in the draft. It's quite possible that he's the most improved player in the nation.
Hill's game has made a huge transformation from last year, with added strength which has given him the confidence to play stronger inside and finish plays at the rim. He has become a dominant force on the college level, and has developed the tools to make an impact at the next level.
One of the most athletic and agile power forward prospects in the nation, Hill is showing vast improvement in a number of aspects of his game.
He has become a threat from both inside and out as his 18 foot jumpshot has become highly consistent. He also shows the ability to put the ball on the deck to get around defenders both facing the basket and in the post.
His post game is showing more polish as he's able to use hook shots, drop steps and good footwork, plus using both hands to finish.
His defensive game has also shown excellent progress as he has learned to use his great leaping ability and length to be a force as a shot rejecter, and improving his team defensive understanding. He's matured tremendously by limiting the unnecessary fouls and staying out of foul trouble, something that plagued him during his first two seasons.
While Hill got a late start on the game, having picked up competitive basketball halfway through high school, he has been a quick study showing supreme "coachability" and improvement.
Hill stepped up big in Arizona's 69-64 upset win over Gonzaga scoring a game high 22 points (on 9-14 shooting) with 6 boards while holding Gonzaga 's inside presence Josh Heytvelt to 6 points on 1-for-6 shooting. He was also impressive against UNLV despite Arizona's loss going for 16 and 13 despite constant double and triple teams.
Long criticized for losing his focus at times, Hill's bouts of inconsistency are becoming far less frequent. Hill is currently averaging 18.5 ppg, 11.9 rpg and 2.8 blocks per game. Numbers that are sure to continue to impress as his competition in the Pac-Ten is unlikely put up much resistance.
His vast array of skills and wiry, strong frame are similar to Toronto Raptor forward Chris Bosh, and like Bosh, Hill could see his name called in the top 5 picks on draft night if he continues to play at his current level.
His 23 and 11 to Cole Aldrich's 10 and 4 in Arizona's Tuesday night win confirmed his potential top 5 draft status... Fear the Dreads!
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Earl Clark
Photo: IconSMI
[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [/tr][/table]Earl Clark 6-8 230 SF Louisville Jr.
Possibly the most impressive small forward prospect in the country, Earl Clark's versatility gives him a great deal of potential for the next level.
His body has gotten stronger, and he appears to be a guy who can continue to put on weight without losing any athleticism or mobility.
Clark has started off the year showing newfound confidence in his outside shot. While it's still an area of concern, Clark has hit 6-for-16 on shots from 3 (37.5%) through the first third of the season.
Against Ole Miss, Clark had a career best performance going for 25 and 16 with 4 ast, and 5 blocks. His first half outburst showed the type of talent he possesses.
Clark doesn't appear to be a guy who will average 20 ppg on the NBA level, unless his jumpshot vastly improves, but he can possibly be an excellent third of fourth fiddle type with his tremendous all around skills.
With the ability to handle and pass like a player much smaller, plus the size and athleticism to be a force on the boards as well as an excellent defender, Clark's package of skills and versatility is mouth watering.
Clark is an extremely unselfish player who will need to become more aggressive offensively in order to maximize his potential.
The key variable for his draft position will be his shooting numbers. If he can show consistency shooting from mid-long range, Clark has the potential to go in the top half of the 2009 lottery.
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Jarvis Varnado
Photo: IconSMI
[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [/tr][/table]Jarvis Varnado 6-9 210 PF Miss.St. Jr.
Although he's still severely underweight to bang inside at the NBA level, Varnado shows the necessary heart and passion to battle players much bigger and stronger than himself.
Over his past three games, Varnado has exploded for 21, 24 and 24 points on a combined 82% from the field (9-11, 10-13 and 8-9). His 67% from the floor on the season shows just how effective he is.
While many of his shots come on dunks and lay ins, he has shown an expanding repertoire of offensive moves.
In a recent game against Cincinnati, he scored on a number of hook shots and nifty turnarounds.
Varnado's greatest asset is his shot blocking ability. At 6-foot-9, he combines cat quick reflexes, and great explosiveness with a huge wingspan making him a terror in the paint.
Although it's unusual for power forwards to be consistent shot blockers on the NBA level, Varnado appears to be an exception.
He currently leads the nation with 6 blocks per game, coming off his sophomore season in which he averaged 4.6 blocks per game.
His all around skills and feel for game have shown solid improvement over the course of his college career.
He would be wise to return to school for one more season and really concentrate on improving his body. If his game continues to improve we could be looking at a lottery selection by 2010.
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DaJuan Summers
AP Photo
[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [/tr][/table]DaJuan Summers 6-8 225 SF G'town Jr.
In the first CBS Nationally televised broadcast of the year, DaJuan Summers was the best player on the court helping Georgetown defeat Memphis with 21 points (7-12 fg) and 7 boards plus 3 blocks.
While freshman Greg Monroe has gotten off to a quick start and received a lot of hype, his junior teammate Summers shows more potential for the next level.
Summers ability to attack the rim with strength and explosiveness, plus his perimeter shooting makes him an enticing talent. He's shooting 55% from the floor and 41% from 3 while leading the Hoyas team in scoring at 14.4 ppg.
He still needs to tighten his handle in order to improve his ability to create offense for himself, but has shown improvement over the course of his career.
He also shows the knack for raising his level of play in big games. Should Georgetown finish the year strong and make a solid push in the postseason, Summers stands a good chance to find a spot in the late lottery to mid first round area.
AJ Price 6-2 180 PG UConn Sr.
After starting the first month of the season getting upstaged by freshman Kemba Walker, AJ Price has officially retained control of the Huskies and his place as a potential first round pick.
Price stepped up huge knocking down a game tying three against Gonzaga in the "Battle of Seattle" on Saturday to send the game into overtime. He was the best player in the biggest game of the season so far pitting two final four contenders against each other. He made all the plays and would not let the Huskies lose.
Price has shot the ball well this year (46% from 3), but has been slow to gain playing time, but finally appears to be playing back close to 100% after the knee injury from last season.
Despite being a senior, Price has a lot of upside and is easily one of the most efficient point guards on the college level when his game is on.
He appears to be back on track and barring any meteors falling on his head, he should have an excellent shot of landing in the first round, despite all the setbacks.
Falling
Stephen Curry 6-1 180 PG Davidson Jr.
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Stephen Curry
Photo: IconSMI
[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [/tr][/table]Curry hasn't fallen far, but it's important not to set the expectations for his NBA potential too high. Curry has the goods to succeed if put in the right situation.
He has shown some point guard skills, in particular the ability to make good decisions with the ball. However his physical limitations are evident and will likely keep him from being more than a specialty player at the next level.
Curry has struggled recently with teams keying on him defensively. Against West Virginia at Madison Square Garden, Curry struggled mightily with 8 turnovers and just 4-16 shooting from 3 (9-27 overall), however he did hit the big shots at the end to win the game.
Against Purdue, Curry had his worst outing of the season shooting just 5-26 (2-12 from 3) for 13 points with 6 turnovers in the loss.
While Curry is a phenomenal individual talent with a great feel for the game, a lot of his future success could depend on the situation he lands in at the next level.
Curry will get looks in the late lottery area but would fit in best with a playoff level team in need of outside shooting, as opposed to a struggling team in search of a "savior".
Jeremy Pargo 6-2 208 PG Gonzaga Sr.
While Pargo's assist to turnover numbers have shown vast improvement this season: 2.88 to 1, his play in big games has not been great. The team has now lost 3 of 4 and in those games Pargo has turned the ball over a total of 17 times.
Pargo's decision making during the closing minutes of the UConn game was costly. He made 3 bad passes which helped UConn get back in the game and was thoroughly outplayed by AJ Price. While his scoring and athleticism was on display, his point guard skills remain raw and unpolished.
His great strength and ability to overpower opposing point guards can be a detriment as frequently he will try to bulldoze his way to the basket and pick up fouls. Too often he gets caught up in attacking the rim, instead of getting everyone involved in the offense.
Pargo's outside shooting is another weakness, he's shooting 29% from 3, 62% from the line and 48% from the floor. He's averaging under 10 ppg on the season, which is understandable considering his focus on point guard duties and the level of talent on the team, however his decision making in crucial moments must improve.
Aside from his standout athleticism, Pargo doesn't have any one skill that he can hang his hat on. He currently lacks a great feel for running a team, and his shooting and scoring ability is just average. He's a supremely explosive athlete who gives good energy defensively, but his difficulty running a team will likely make him a second round pick come draft night.
Merry Christmas everyone!!!
He's played well, but I don't buy Jordan Hill as a top 5 pick (or lottery pick in general for that matter).
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If Jordan Hill goes top 5 I will retire this SN.
Just kidding. But, yeah, he's nothing special.
He will find a place in the league, though.
(I never did this big space thing before and I usually hate when I see that *!*% in a thread but it felt right here)
Just kidding. But, yeah, he's nothing special.
He will find a place in the league, though.
(I never did this big space thing before and I usually hate when I see that *!*% in a thread but it felt right here)
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I'll retire my name if that happens.
DaJuan better than Greg on the next level? No, don't think so.
DaJuan better than Greg on the next level? No, don't think so.
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Arizona just produces the pros
C Bud is gonna be nice too
C Bud is gonna be nice too
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Katz dont think Illinois will get in? Alex Legion is gone be there for Big 10 play
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Withey to Kansas.
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How does AJ have upside as a 5th year senior off an ACL injury who's coach doubts his true PG ability?
And I like AJ...but I'd be surprised to see him find Round 1.
And I like AJ...but I'd be surprised to see him find Round 1.
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wow @ that 3 week stretch for GTown. If y'all go 4-2, I'd be very happy if I were you. Definitely looking forward to the matchups with UConn, Pitt andDuke.
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how the hell does jeremey slip to the 2 round..$@$%%
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Jeremy was 2nd round last year.
I $%*++ w/ Jeremy heavy, but he's definitely looking at the end of the 1st, Early 2nd .
Mon, Dec 29 at (2) Connecticut
Sat, Jan 3 (3) Pittsburgh
Mon, Jan 5 at (Notre Dame
Sat, Jan 10 Providence
Wed, Jan 14 (17) Syracuse
Sat, Jan 17 at (5) Duke
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Originally Posted by dreClark
Mon, Dec 29 at (2) Connecticut
Sat, Jan 3 (3) Pittsburgh
Mon, Jan 5 at (Notre Dame
Sat, Jan 10 Providence
Wed, Jan 14 (17) Syracuse
Sat, Jan 17 at (5) Duke
Who schedule is that?
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Rumor: Beas Hamga to transfer to UK.
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Who schedule is that?Originally Posted by RKO2004
Originally Posted by dreClark
Mon, Dec 29 at (2) Connecticut
Sat, Jan 3 (3) Pittsburgh
Mon, Jan 5 at (Notre Dame
Sat, Jan 10 Providence
Wed, Jan 14 (17) Syracuse
Sat, Jan 17 at (5) Duke
Georgetown I believe
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Big East is no joke
Wed, Jan 14@ Georgetown
Sat, Jan 17 vs Notre Dame
Mon, Jan 19@ Pittsburgh
Sun, Jan 25 vs Louisville
Thats our toughest stretch
waittttttt
Wed, Feb 4 vs West Virginia
Sat, Feb 7 @ Villanova
Wed, Feb 11 @ Connecticut
Sat, Feb 14 vs Georgetown
Sun, Feb 22 vs Villanova
Wed, Jan 14@ Georgetown
Sat, Jan 17 vs Notre Dame
Mon, Jan 19@ Pittsburgh
Sun, Jan 25 vs Louisville
Thats our toughest stretch
waittttttt
Wed, Feb 4 vs West Virginia
Sat, Feb 7 @ Villanova
Wed, Feb 11 @ Connecticut
Sat, Feb 14 vs Georgetown
Sun, Feb 22 vs Villanova
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did u pay attn after his workouts..my dude was first round..trust me
If he was 1st round, guaranteed 1st round, he woulda left.
Word to Ty Lawson.
