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Seton Hall is racking up on transfers.
Herb Pope, Robinson, and someone from Missouri right?
Herb Pope, Robinson, and someone from Missouri right?
The College Basketball Post
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by allen3xis,
- Start date
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yah, Keon Lawrence.
Gonzo is takin ANYONE with talent
Gonzo is takin ANYONE with talent
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^ word.
Favors vs Cousins on ESPN2 at 9 tonight ..
Favors vs Cousins on ESPN2 at 9 tonight ..
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It wasn't too long ago that ACC fans were debating whether North Carolina could go undefeated in conference play. Now they're wondering when the TarHeels will earn their first conference win.
North Carolina heads to Virginia for Thursday night's game with a 0-2 conference record. The Tar Heels opened league play with an inexplicablehome loss to Boston College, then followed with a loss at Wake Forest. All of a sudden, the universal preseason pick to win the national titlelooks surprisingly vulnerable.
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[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Roy Williams has watched his Tar Heels start ACC play with two losses.[/td] [/tr][/table]"Three weeks ago when everyone was saying [we would go] undefeated and [be] 50 points better than everyone else, I thought it was a bunch ofhogwash," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. "Now that we'resitting here 0-2, I really don't think we're going to go 0-16 in the league, either. But the bottom line is that we haven't played worth a darn,and the other teams have had a great deal to do with that."
While the Tar Heels remain a top Final Four contender, their league start should put to rest the notion that this is one of the great teams in ACC history.In fact, North Carolina might not even be the best team in the conference this season.
Wake Forest looked every bit North Carolina's equal Sunday. Duke has looked impressive. And as much as people might want to dismiss Clemson's fast start as theresult of a soft non-conference schedule, the Tigers did play North Carolina down to the wire last season in three losses to the Tar Heels.
"I'm stunned," North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson said afterthe 92-89 loss to Wake. "I'm a competitor. I love to win. It's hurting right now. We've got to change something."
What has to change? Here's a rundown of what has gone wrong for UNC.
Shooting: North Carolina has shot 37 percent overall and 29 percent from 3-point range in its two losses. The Tar Heels have shot 52percent overall and 39 percent from beyond the arc in their wins. WayneEllington was expected to emerge as one of the nation's top shooters this season, but his scoring numbers and shooting percentages are down from lastseason.
Taking care of the ball: The Tar Heels had 18 turnovers and only nine assists in the loss to Wake Forest, though that seems like more of anaberration than anything else. North Carolina ranks fifth in the nation with a 1.50-1 assist-turnover ratio.
The Hansbrough factor: Tyler Hansbrough has performed like aNaismith Award candidate for most of the season, but he has shot 33 percent (9-of-27) in UNC's two losses and arguably was outplayed by the unheraldedChas McFarland in the Wake Forest game. Williams noted that all of NorthCarolina's frontcourt players - not just Hansbrough - have been settling for midrange jumpers instead of asserting themselves in the paint."They're being willing to accept what the defense forces them to [accept from] 10 or 12 feet out as opposed to getting low," Williams said.
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[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Jeff Teague scored a career-high 34 points against North Carolina.[/td] [/tr][/table]High-scoring guards: North Carolina allowed Boston College's Tyrese Rice to score 25 points and watched Wake Forest sophomore Jeff Teague deliver a career-high 34 points. This seems like the problem most likely tohaunt North Carolina all season.
For all the talk surrounding Hansbrough, Ellington, Lawson and all the other stars on North Carolina's roster, the guy the Tar Heels miss is therelatively anonymous Marcus Ginyard.
Ginyard's offense - he has scored a total of four points in the three games he has played this season - doesn't matter. The Heels miss his defense;he is the team's best defender. Ginyard, a 6-foot-5 senior swingman, is out indefinitely with a foot injury.
As he talked about how much the Tar Heels missed Ginyard, Williams compared him to former North Carolina blue-collar workers Jackie Manuel and Wes Miller.Williams said Manuel had a knack for doing the little things "that everybody can do, but they just don't do."
North Carolina's 2004-05 national championship team featured first-round draft picks Sean May, Rashad McCants, Raymond Felton and Marvin Williams, butthe Tar Heels might not have won the title without Manuel's contributions on defense. And the Heels may not challenge for a title this season unlessGinyard comes back or someone can fill the void created by his absence.
Then again, recent history suggests North Carolina has plenty of time to recover, even if it loses to Virginia tonight. The Tar Heels haven't droppedtheir first two ACC games since 1996-97, when they actually started 0-3 in conference play. That team went on to reach the Final Four.
Irish have cause for concern
Notre Damespent the first 40 minutes of its game at Louisville demonstrating why it has one of the best 16 teams in the country. The Irish then spent overtime showing why theycould have a tough time advancing to the Sweet 16.
ND apparently stands for "no depth."
Notre Dame has four players (Luke Harangody, Kyle McAlarney, Tory Jackson and Ryan Ayers) averaging at least 30 minutes per game. Harangody, McAlarney and Jackson areplaying at least 33.6 minutes per game.
Baylor is the onlyother team in The Associated Press Top 25 that has four guys averaging at least 30 minutes per game. Notre Dame is the lone top 25 team that has three playersaveraging 33 minutes per game, and Louisville is the only other ranked squad that even has two guys (Terrence Williams and Earl Clark) playing that much.
Notre Dame simply ran out of gas Monday. The Irish made just one basket in the final 12 minutes of their 87-73 overtime loss to Louisville. And the Irishwere only playing their fifth Big East game of the season. After making it through the grind of the 18-game Big East schedule, the Irish might not have muchenergy left for the NCAA tournament.
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[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Jodie Meeks torched Tennessee for 54 points - hitting 10 3-pointers along the way.[/td] [/tr][/table]Meeks exposes Vols' problem
Moving the 3-point line back a foot certainly hasn't caused any problems for Tennessee opponents this season.
Jodie Meeks' school-record 54-point performance Tuesday in Kentucky's90-72 triumph over Tennessee represented the most glaring example of a season-long weakness for the Volunteers, who rank last in the SEC in 3-point percentagedefense and total 3-pointers allowed.
Tennessee foes are shooting 36.9 percent from 3-point range and making 7.8 3-pointers per game.
Last year, Vols opponents shot 31.2 percent from beyond the arc and made 6.4 3-pointers per game.
By contrast, Tennessee has made 6.7 3-pointers per game while shooting 30.4 percent from that distance this season after sinking 8.7 treys and shooting 35.7percent from beyond the arc last season.
Busy week for Robinson
OregonState's schedule prevented Beavers coach Craig Robinson from making adifficult decision. Robinson, the brother-in-law of President-elect Barack Obama, will hold a practice on Oregon State's campus Sunday before flying toWashington on Monday to attend Tuesday's inauguration. He then will fly straight from Washington to Berkeley, Calif., to rejoin his team for its Thursdaynight game at California.
What if Oregon State had a game on its schedule Tuesday? Robinson said he probably would have passed up the inauguration to remain with his team.
"That's easy for me to say now," Robinson said. "My sister probably would have killed me, but I can say it now. I wouldn't havemissed a game.
"That would have been a tough one. It probably really depended on what game it would have been."
Team of the week: California
Mike Montgomery's return to his former school isn't the only reason towatch Saturday's California-Stanford game. In his first season at Cal, Montgomery has made the Golden Bears (15-2) worth watching. California'sweekend sweep at Washington State and Washington extended the Bears' winning streak to nine games and gave them their best startsince the 1959-60 squad that lost to Ohio State in the NCAA final.
Team in trouble: Tennessee
After winning 37 consecutive games at Thompson-Boling Arena, Tennessee suddenly has lost two in a row at home and has dropped four of its past five overall.Good thing the Vols have those non-conference victories over Marquette and Georgetown, which have kept their RPI in the top 35.
Tip-ins
• Kudos to Northern State (S.D.) coach Don Meyer for earning his 903rd career victory Saturday - four months after a car accident nearly killed him - topass Bob Knight as college basketball's all-time winningest men's coach. How impressive is Meyer's achievement? Consider that he has 86 morevictories than Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, whose 817-268 record makes him thewinningest active Division I coach. Meyer's son, Jerry, is a Rivals.com basketball recruiting analyst.
• The rest of Conference USA finally is making Memphis occasionally break a sweat. Three days after Memphis rallied from an eight-point second-half deficit to win atUCF, the Tigers needed alayup from Antonio Anderson at the buzzer to win at Tulsa 55-54 for their 45th consecutiveconference victory.
• You can argue all day about the identity of the nation's best player (Oklahoma's Blake Griffin? Hansbrough? Harangody? Arizona State'sJames Harden? Teague?), but Meeks' performance Tuesday should have endedany debate over which guy is the nation's most improved performer. Meeks scored in double figures just three times all of last season while sitting out 20games with a variety of injuries. This season, he's averaging 25.9 points per game.
• Former five-star prospect Beas Hamga is transferring to Valparaiso, wherehe will become eligible after the 2009 fall semester. Hamga was the No. 5 center and No. 26 overall prospect in the 2007 recruiting class when he signed withUNLV. He played fivegames with the Rebels this season and was averaging about five minutes per game when he was granted a release from his scholarship.
• The only freshman ranked among the nation's top 50 scorers is Liberty's Seth Curry, whose 20.4 points per game puts him 24th on the list. (That's 8.1 fewerpoints per game than his brother, Stephen Curry.) Last season, four freshmenfinished in the top 37: No. 3 Michael Beasley of Kansas State (26.2 ppg), No. 21 Eric Gordon of Indiana (20.9), No. 25 O.J. Mayo of USC (20.7) and No. 37 Jerryd Bayless ofArizona (19.7).
North Carolina heads to Virginia for Thursday night's game with a 0-2 conference record. The Tar Heels opened league play with an inexplicablehome loss to Boston College, then followed with a loss at Wake Forest. All of a sudden, the universal preseason pick to win the national titlelooks surprisingly vulnerable.
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While the Tar Heels remain a top Final Four contender, their league start should put to rest the notion that this is one of the great teams in ACC history.In fact, North Carolina might not even be the best team in the conference this season.
Wake Forest looked every bit North Carolina's equal Sunday. Duke has looked impressive. And as much as people might want to dismiss Clemson's fast start as theresult of a soft non-conference schedule, the Tigers did play North Carolina down to the wire last season in three losses to the Tar Heels.
"I'm stunned," North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson said afterthe 92-89 loss to Wake. "I'm a competitor. I love to win. It's hurting right now. We've got to change something."
What has to change? Here's a rundown of what has gone wrong for UNC.
Shooting: North Carolina has shot 37 percent overall and 29 percent from 3-point range in its two losses. The Tar Heels have shot 52percent overall and 39 percent from beyond the arc in their wins. WayneEllington was expected to emerge as one of the nation's top shooters this season, but his scoring numbers and shooting percentages are down from lastseason.
Taking care of the ball: The Tar Heels had 18 turnovers and only nine assists in the loss to Wake Forest, though that seems like more of anaberration than anything else. North Carolina ranks fifth in the nation with a 1.50-1 assist-turnover ratio.
The Hansbrough factor: Tyler Hansbrough has performed like aNaismith Award candidate for most of the season, but he has shot 33 percent (9-of-27) in UNC's two losses and arguably was outplayed by the unheraldedChas McFarland in the Wake Forest game. Williams noted that all of NorthCarolina's frontcourt players - not just Hansbrough - have been settling for midrange jumpers instead of asserting themselves in the paint."They're being willing to accept what the defense forces them to [accept from] 10 or 12 feet out as opposed to getting low," Williams said.
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For all the talk surrounding Hansbrough, Ellington, Lawson and all the other stars on North Carolina's roster, the guy the Tar Heels miss is therelatively anonymous Marcus Ginyard.
Ginyard's offense - he has scored a total of four points in the three games he has played this season - doesn't matter. The Heels miss his defense;he is the team's best defender. Ginyard, a 6-foot-5 senior swingman, is out indefinitely with a foot injury.
As he talked about how much the Tar Heels missed Ginyard, Williams compared him to former North Carolina blue-collar workers Jackie Manuel and Wes Miller.Williams said Manuel had a knack for doing the little things "that everybody can do, but they just don't do."
North Carolina's 2004-05 national championship team featured first-round draft picks Sean May, Rashad McCants, Raymond Felton and Marvin Williams, butthe Tar Heels might not have won the title without Manuel's contributions on defense. And the Heels may not challenge for a title this season unlessGinyard comes back or someone can fill the void created by his absence.
Then again, recent history suggests North Carolina has plenty of time to recover, even if it loses to Virginia tonight. The Tar Heels haven't droppedtheir first two ACC games since 1996-97, when they actually started 0-3 in conference play. That team went on to reach the Final Four.
Irish have cause for concern
Notre Damespent the first 40 minutes of its game at Louisville demonstrating why it has one of the best 16 teams in the country. The Irish then spent overtime showing why theycould have a tough time advancing to the Sweet 16.
ND apparently stands for "no depth."
Notre Dame has four players (Luke Harangody, Kyle McAlarney, Tory Jackson and Ryan Ayers) averaging at least 30 minutes per game. Harangody, McAlarney and Jackson areplaying at least 33.6 minutes per game.
Baylor is the onlyother team in The Associated Press Top 25 that has four guys averaging at least 30 minutes per game. Notre Dame is the lone top 25 team that has three playersaveraging 33 minutes per game, and Louisville is the only other ranked squad that even has two guys (Terrence Williams and Earl Clark) playing that much.
Notre Dame simply ran out of gas Monday. The Irish made just one basket in the final 12 minutes of their 87-73 overtime loss to Louisville. And the Irishwere only playing their fifth Big East game of the season. After making it through the grind of the 18-game Big East schedule, the Irish might not have muchenergy left for the NCAA tournament.
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Moving the 3-point line back a foot certainly hasn't caused any problems for Tennessee opponents this season.
Jodie Meeks' school-record 54-point performance Tuesday in Kentucky's90-72 triumph over Tennessee represented the most glaring example of a season-long weakness for the Volunteers, who rank last in the SEC in 3-point percentagedefense and total 3-pointers allowed.
Tennessee foes are shooting 36.9 percent from 3-point range and making 7.8 3-pointers per game.
Last year, Vols opponents shot 31.2 percent from beyond the arc and made 6.4 3-pointers per game.
By contrast, Tennessee has made 6.7 3-pointers per game while shooting 30.4 percent from that distance this season after sinking 8.7 treys and shooting 35.7percent from beyond the arc last season.
Busy week for Robinson
OregonState's schedule prevented Beavers coach Craig Robinson from making adifficult decision. Robinson, the brother-in-law of President-elect Barack Obama, will hold a practice on Oregon State's campus Sunday before flying toWashington on Monday to attend Tuesday's inauguration. He then will fly straight from Washington to Berkeley, Calif., to rejoin his team for its Thursdaynight game at California.
What if Oregon State had a game on its schedule Tuesday? Robinson said he probably would have passed up the inauguration to remain with his team.
"That's easy for me to say now," Robinson said. "My sister probably would have killed me, but I can say it now. I wouldn't havemissed a game.
"That would have been a tough one. It probably really depended on what game it would have been."
Team of the week: California
Mike Montgomery's return to his former school isn't the only reason towatch Saturday's California-Stanford game. In his first season at Cal, Montgomery has made the Golden Bears (15-2) worth watching. California'sweekend sweep at Washington State and Washington extended the Bears' winning streak to nine games and gave them their best startsince the 1959-60 squad that lost to Ohio State in the NCAA final.
Team in trouble: Tennessee
After winning 37 consecutive games at Thompson-Boling Arena, Tennessee suddenly has lost two in a row at home and has dropped four of its past five overall.Good thing the Vols have those non-conference victories over Marquette and Georgetown, which have kept their RPI in the top 35.
Tip-ins
• Kudos to Northern State (S.D.) coach Don Meyer for earning his 903rd career victory Saturday - four months after a car accident nearly killed him - topass Bob Knight as college basketball's all-time winningest men's coach. How impressive is Meyer's achievement? Consider that he has 86 morevictories than Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, whose 817-268 record makes him thewinningest active Division I coach. Meyer's son, Jerry, is a Rivals.com basketball recruiting analyst.
• The rest of Conference USA finally is making Memphis occasionally break a sweat. Three days after Memphis rallied from an eight-point second-half deficit to win atUCF, the Tigers needed alayup from Antonio Anderson at the buzzer to win at Tulsa 55-54 for their 45th consecutiveconference victory.
• You can argue all day about the identity of the nation's best player (Oklahoma's Blake Griffin? Hansbrough? Harangody? Arizona State'sJames Harden? Teague?), but Meeks' performance Tuesday should have endedany debate over which guy is the nation's most improved performer. Meeks scored in double figures just three times all of last season while sitting out 20games with a variety of injuries. This season, he's averaging 25.9 points per game.
• Former five-star prospect Beas Hamga is transferring to Valparaiso, wherehe will become eligible after the 2009 fall semester. Hamga was the No. 5 center and No. 26 overall prospect in the 2007 recruiting class when he signed withUNLV. He played fivegames with the Rebels this season and was averaging about five minutes per game when he was granted a release from his scholarship.
• The only freshman ranked among the nation's top 50 scorers is Liberty's Seth Curry, whose 20.4 points per game puts him 24th on the list. (That's 8.1 fewerpoints per game than his brother, Stephen Curry.) Last season, four freshmenfinished in the top 37: No. 3 Michael Beasley of Kansas State (26.2 ppg), No. 21 Eric Gordon of Indiana (20.9), No. 25 O.J. Mayo of USC (20.7) and No. 37 Jerryd Bayless ofArizona (19.7).
tmukg21
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springfieldxd
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Richardson returns to Arkansas
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Seth Davis
Since this seems to be a good week to throw out tortured political metaphors, allow me to toss another one out to explain how you should look at RPIrankings in mid-January. Think of the season as an election night where the polls have just closed. We can spot some trends based on the early returns(Pittsburgh and Duke are 1-2, for example), but until more districts report their tallies (e.g., until we get deeper into conference play), it's too earlyto declare definitively what has happened.
There is one exception, though, and that is the non-conference strength of schedule rankings. While most teams have only played two or three league games,everybody has completed more than 90 percent of their non-league contests. So we can analyze those rankings knowing they will not change much between now andSelection Sunday.
The non-conference SOS rankings are especially critical for bubble teams, because the men's basketball committee has been very explicit aboutemphasizing the portion of a team's schedule over which it has control. For example, last year Arizona State beat Arizona twice during the season, and theSun Devils finished ahead of Arizona in the Pac-10 by one game. But Arizona's non-conference SOS was ranked fifth, while Arizona State's was 294th. SoArizona got a bid and Arizona State didn't.
Thus, before getting to this week's mail, I've identified eight teams who helped themselves during the first two months of the season, and eight whohurt themselves. I only wish I had one of those cool hand-manipulated plasma TVs to break down the numbers a la CNN's JohnKing.
Next to each team, I've included their non-conference SOS ranking as measured by CollegeRPI.com.
[h3]Eight Teams Who Helped Themselves[/h3]
Butler (3): It's hard to envision the Bulldogs being on the bubble when they're ranked 17th in the AP poll, but when you play in amid-major league, you can't take anything for granted. Butler's road win at Xavier is going to look really good in two months, but its two best otherRPI wins, over Evansville (ranked 39th in the RPI) and UAB (43rd), are not going to hold up since those rankings will sink as conference play rolls on.
Utah (17): Give Jim Boylen credit for a brilliant schedule -- the Utes have played just one team ranked lower than 200 inthe RPI -- but aside from the win over Gonzaga, they haven't won a lot of quality games. The overall strength of the Mountain West should help, but theUtes will also be rooting like heck for LSU, a team Utah routed by 30 points in Salt Lake City.
Oregon (27): This ranking is all well and good, but this is one case where a coach overscheduled his team. The Ducks have lost fourstraight to drop to 6-10 overall (0-4 in the Pac-10). Their only win over a team ranked in the top 100 of the RPI was against No. 97 Long Beach, whichwon't be in the top 100 much longer.
Wisconsin (29): The Badgers are 11-4 and 3-1 in the Big Ten, but they don't have as much margin for error as you might think. They havea great win at Michigan, but they lost their three premiere non-conference games -- to Connecticut on a neutral court, on the road at Marquette and at homeagainst Texas.
West Virginia (41): The good news for the Mountaineers is that Kentucky has turned things around, so their loss to the Wildcats on Nov. 29doesn't look as bad as it did at the time. Otherwise, I see a few problems. The Mountaineers were unable to pull off a win over Davidson, they won at OhioState in the Buckeyes' first game without the injured David Lighty. Also, their non-conference SOS ranking is a bit inflated since theirbest RPI win was over Miami (Ohio), which despite its current ranking in the RPI (16), won't be there for long. Oh, and the Big East is pretty good thisyear.
Washington (57): The Huskies looked like they might be in trouble when they lost to Kansas and Florida in Kansas City in November, but theyrebounded from there to win 10 in a row. The problem is, nine of those games were at home. If they barely miss getting into the tournament, they might look atthat triple overtime home loss to California last weekend as the difference.
Kansas (59): The Jayhawks have four wins over teams ranked in the top 50 of the RPI, and all of those have a chance to hold up: Washington,Temple, Tennessee and Siena. You also have to give them credit for playing true road games at Arizona and Michigan State, even though they lost both. Theironly clunker was a one-point loss to UMass in Kansas City. The bottom line is, this is a tournament team, but should they stumble in the Big 12, the Jayhawkshave bought themselves some house money.
Florida State (84): If you throw out that loss at not-as-awful-as-usual Northwestern, the Seminoles have two high-quality home losses toPittsburgh and Duke. Otherwise, they have neutral court victories over Cincinnati and California (that one's looking real good now!), a pivotal win at homeover Florida (another potential bubble team) plus a win over a Western Kentucky team that won at Louisville. Leonard Hamilton usually plays aweak non-conference schedule, but this year's slate could have his team well-positioned for an NCAA bid. Combine this with the fact that the Pac-10 and theSEC are so down, and you've got to conclude the ACC has a decent shot to get seven teams into the tournament.
[h3]Eight Who Hurt Themselves[/h3]
LSU (326): The Tigers are the only team from a BCS conference whose non-conference SOS is ranked lower than 300, and believe me that isgoing to hurt. Furthermore, their best win, which came at home against Washington State, is looking less impressive by the day. LSU didn't get off to agood start in league play by losing at Alabama, which is ranked 134th in the RPI.
Illinois State (320): It's always difficult for a team from a mid-major conference to get an at-large bid, but this ranking revealsjust how wafer-thin the Redbirds' 14-0 start was. Losing two straight road games at Bradley and Indiana State (212nd in the RPI) doesn't help,either.
N.C. State (279): Not only is the Wolfpack's schedule ranked low, but they also lost all three of the quality games that were on it: atDavidson, vs. Marquette (on a buzzer-beating three by Dominic James) and at Florida (by two). In conference play, N.C. State faces theACC's big three five times. They need to win at least once to justify even being considered on Selection Sunday.
Stanford (27
: The Cardinal caused a little ripple by winning their first 10 games. Given this ranking, and given that only three of thosegames were on the road, you can understand why the rubber has hit the road in league play, where Stanford dropped three of its first four. You never say never,but it's pretty tough to imagine a scenario where this team could get an at-large bid.
Texas A&M (251): It's a shame Mark Turgeon stacked his schedule with so many bad teams, because the Aggies haveshown the ability to beat good ones. They knocked off a solid Kent State team on a neutral court, they edged Arizona by one at home, and they won on the roadagainst an Alabama team that is showing signs of life. Texas A&M will have four chances to get a high-quality road win in conference play this season. Isuggest the Aggies take advantage.
Arkansas (242): For the Razorbacks to be ranked this low even though they played Texas and Oklahoma at home gives you some sense of justhow lame the rest of their schedule was. Plus, all but two games were at home, and one of the road games was a loss at Missouri State. Still, there won'tbe too many other bubble teams with two wins over teams ranked in the top 25 of the RPI. It's incumbent upon the Razorbacks to prove in SEC play that thosewins were not flukes.
Minnesota (233): The Gophers will be clinging to that neutral court win over Louisville as hard as they can until they start beating goodteams in the Big Ten. (We don't know yet if Ohio State will still be thought of as a "good team" two months hence.) With this SOS ranking, itwon't be enough just for Minnesota to beat up on the bottom feeders of the league.
Alabama (231): The Crimson Tide began the season in rocky fashion, losing to Mercer and Oregon within their first three games. You may haveread that from there they righted the ship by winning nine out of 10 games, but two of those wins were against non-Division I teams, and the other sevenopponents averaged an RPI ranking of 238. Lotta work to do, fellas.
Not surprisingly, I got quite a few questions regarding last week's Stock Report. To begin with:
I agree with your assessment of my alma mater, Florida, this year [rated a Sell]. However, what do you see for them next year with the incomingrecruiting class and if Calathes comes back?
-- Francis Taylor Raleigh, NC
First of all, I have to chuckle at the suggestion that Nick Calathes wouldn't come back. Then again, I flat-out belly laughed whenMarreese Speights left last season, and he ended up getting drafted 16th overall and is playing about 15 minutes a game with the Philadelphia76ers. Even though this is going to be a weak draft, I'm not hearing a lot of clamoring for Calathes to turn pro.
Assuming the Gators return intact, I do expect them to take a big step up next year. Not only will they be bringing in Kenny Boynton, aphysical, 6-2 scoring machine from Florida, but also Vernon Macklin, a tough rebounder who transferred from Georgetown, will be eligible.Plus, Eloy Vargas, a highly-skilled 6-11 freshman who has been slowed by injuries this season, should be healthy. Further down the road,Billy Donovan has a verbal commitment from Austin Rivers, a young phenom who is Doc Rivers's son, butsince Austin is only a sophomore in high school, Francis and her fellow Gator lovers will have to wait three more years to see Rivers in action in the ODome.
You asked the question of how Xavier can only score 65 against Butler? Play on a neutral court at home due to a freak ice storm that keeps the fansat home or in a ditch off the road. This team will have its ups and downs but XU is continuing the smart strategy of playing a tough schedule to prep forFebruary and March. It will pay off again.
-- Brian Garry Cincinnati, Ohio
Brian makes an excellent point: Xavier's non-conference strength of schedule is No. 5. However, Brian makes a less-than-excellent point about the Butlergame. Setting aside that the game was played in Cincinnati, the real concern was that it came right after the humiliation against Duke. The Musketeers shouldhave been breathing fire regardless of the weather. I know Butler is good, but if you want to be considered an elite team, you've got to win that game.
Having said that, there are still a lot of things to like about Xavier. I was checking out their stats over the weekend, and I was amazed to see thatDerrick Brown was shooting 47.6 percent from three-point range. The main question moving forward will be whether their guard play can matchwhat they have up front on both ends of the floor. I know Terrell Holloway is talented, but he's still a freshman, and he has big shoes tofill (figuratively, anyway) in replacing Drew Lavender. Consider that the Musketeers are ranked 192nd nationally in made three-pointers (6.0per game), they're 235th in turnovers (15.2) and 311th in steals (5.1). Those are all guard-oriented stats.
Of course, Xavier has two things working in its favor. It plays in a lousy conference, and it has one of the best coaches in the country in SeanMiller. So there's plenty to be optimistic about, despite my Sell rating.
No mention of my Maryland Terrapins? Have the Terps become that irrelevant?
-- Eddie DuPriest Atlanta
As a Maryland native, it pains me to say that, yes, irrelevant is a pretty good word to describe Maryland these days. The Terps are neither good enough norbad enough to make you sit up and take notice. Sure, they shocked the world by pummeling Michigan State in Orlando, but they followed that up by losing toGonzaga and Georgetown by 22 and 27 points, respectively. Then they beat Michigan at home and set off on a slew of home games against no-name opponents -- andyet they still found a way to lose to Morgan State.
It makes sense that the Terrapins have been so up and down, because they are quarterbacked by the maddeningly inconsistent Greivis Vazquez,but it's unfair to lay all of their problems on him. The fact is, if Vazquez doesn't play superbly, this team has a hard time beating even decentteams. They don't rebound very well (their rebound margin is ranked last in the ACC), and they don't shoot well either (11th in the league inthree-point percentage). Nor do I see a significant influx of talent on its way to College Park, either. So I'm sorry to say, Eddie, Maryland looks likeit's going to be irrelevant for the foreseeable future. On the bright side, the state still has great crabs.
The inside-out combo of Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson at Kentucky could be one of the best in the country. Can you let me know what you think ofthis duo and other inside-out tandems that are on your radar?
-- Matt McGary Chicago, IL
After Meeks's historical, 54-point performance on Tuesday at Tennessee, I think Matt can take the "could be" out of his question. You couldpair Meeks up with Stewart Mandel in the post, and they'd still be one of the best. So in honor of Meeks, let me catch Matt's feed andtake my best shot. Here's how I rank the top 10 inside-out duos in the country:
1. Levance Fields-DaJuan Blair, Pittsburgh
2. Tywon Lawson-Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
3. Jodie Meeks-Patrick Patterson, Kentucky
4. Willie Warren-Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
5. Manny Harris-Deshawn Sims, Michigan
6. Kyle McAlarney-Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
7. A.J. Price-Hasheem Thabeet, UConn
8. Sherron Collins-Cole Aldrich, Kansas
9. James Harden-Jeff Pendergraph, Arizona State
10. Chris Wright-Greg Monroe, Georgetown
Hello, Seth. Sacramento Kings fan looking to the future. Can Jeff Teague play point guard in the NBA?
-- Julian Newman Sacramento, CA
Can the Maloofs throw a good party in Vegas? Teague has everything you could want in an NBA point guard. He's big, he can beat defenders off thedribble, he can knock down long-range jumpers, he can find open teammates, he's a great leader and he can defend the heck out of the other team'spoint. Wake Forest fans better hope Teague cools off a little bit, or the folks in Sacramento -- or some other NBA city -- are going to get a firsthand look athow good Teague is real soon.
Inconsistency regarding Butler: Why did you write how Butler is an elite team at 14-1 and then leave them out of your top 25? Couldn't you bejustifiably accused of hypocrisy?
-- Thomas Hollinger Gaithersburg, Md.
Thomas can be justifiably accused of misquoting me. I didn't say Butler was one of the elite teams in the country, I said it was one of the eliteprograms, mid-major or otherwise. Just because I have left Butler off my AP ballot to this point does not mean I am down on them. It only means there are otherteams who I thought deserved to be there a little more. Butler's case revolves around its terrific win at Xavier, a solid (albeit close) win at ClevelandState and a good three-point loss at Ohio State. I've watched the Bulldogs play on television three or four times, and as an AP voter I have to decidewhether I really believe they are better than teams like Gonzaga, Michigan, Illinois and California, who were all ranked below 20 on my ballot.
That said, if Butler keeps winning it's probably only a matter of time before they sneak onto my ballot. It could happen next week now that Tennesseehas convinced me (and, I presume, my fellow AP voters) that it does not belong in the rankings. Then again, Kentucky has proved that it does belong. Thesespots are hard to come by.
Seth Davis' book, When March Went Mad: Magic, Bird and the Game That Transformed Basketball, will be published by Times Books in March, 2009. Clickhere to preorder a copy.
Since this seems to be a good week to throw out tortured political metaphors, allow me to toss another one out to explain how you should look at RPIrankings in mid-January. Think of the season as an election night where the polls have just closed. We can spot some trends based on the early returns(Pittsburgh and Duke are 1-2, for example), but until more districts report their tallies (e.g., until we get deeper into conference play), it's too earlyto declare definitively what has happened.
There is one exception, though, and that is the non-conference strength of schedule rankings. While most teams have only played two or three league games,everybody has completed more than 90 percent of their non-league contests. So we can analyze those rankings knowing they will not change much between now andSelection Sunday.
The non-conference SOS rankings are especially critical for bubble teams, because the men's basketball committee has been very explicit aboutemphasizing the portion of a team's schedule over which it has control. For example, last year Arizona State beat Arizona twice during the season, and theSun Devils finished ahead of Arizona in the Pac-10 by one game. But Arizona's non-conference SOS was ranked fifth, while Arizona State's was 294th. SoArizona got a bid and Arizona State didn't.
Thus, before getting to this week's mail, I've identified eight teams who helped themselves during the first two months of the season, and eight whohurt themselves. I only wish I had one of those cool hand-manipulated plasma TVs to break down the numbers a la CNN's JohnKing.
Next to each team, I've included their non-conference SOS ranking as measured by CollegeRPI.com.
[h3]Eight Teams Who Helped Themselves[/h3]
Butler (3): It's hard to envision the Bulldogs being on the bubble when they're ranked 17th in the AP poll, but when you play in amid-major league, you can't take anything for granted. Butler's road win at Xavier is going to look really good in two months, but its two best otherRPI wins, over Evansville (ranked 39th in the RPI) and UAB (43rd), are not going to hold up since those rankings will sink as conference play rolls on.
Utah (17): Give Jim Boylen credit for a brilliant schedule -- the Utes have played just one team ranked lower than 200 inthe RPI -- but aside from the win over Gonzaga, they haven't won a lot of quality games. The overall strength of the Mountain West should help, but theUtes will also be rooting like heck for LSU, a team Utah routed by 30 points in Salt Lake City.
Oregon (27): This ranking is all well and good, but this is one case where a coach overscheduled his team. The Ducks have lost fourstraight to drop to 6-10 overall (0-4 in the Pac-10). Their only win over a team ranked in the top 100 of the RPI was against No. 97 Long Beach, whichwon't be in the top 100 much longer.
Wisconsin (29): The Badgers are 11-4 and 3-1 in the Big Ten, but they don't have as much margin for error as you might think. They havea great win at Michigan, but they lost their three premiere non-conference games -- to Connecticut on a neutral court, on the road at Marquette and at homeagainst Texas.
West Virginia (41): The good news for the Mountaineers is that Kentucky has turned things around, so their loss to the Wildcats on Nov. 29doesn't look as bad as it did at the time. Otherwise, I see a few problems. The Mountaineers were unable to pull off a win over Davidson, they won at OhioState in the Buckeyes' first game without the injured David Lighty. Also, their non-conference SOS ranking is a bit inflated since theirbest RPI win was over Miami (Ohio), which despite its current ranking in the RPI (16), won't be there for long. Oh, and the Big East is pretty good thisyear.
Washington (57): The Huskies looked like they might be in trouble when they lost to Kansas and Florida in Kansas City in November, but theyrebounded from there to win 10 in a row. The problem is, nine of those games were at home. If they barely miss getting into the tournament, they might look atthat triple overtime home loss to California last weekend as the difference.
Kansas (59): The Jayhawks have four wins over teams ranked in the top 50 of the RPI, and all of those have a chance to hold up: Washington,Temple, Tennessee and Siena. You also have to give them credit for playing true road games at Arizona and Michigan State, even though they lost both. Theironly clunker was a one-point loss to UMass in Kansas City. The bottom line is, this is a tournament team, but should they stumble in the Big 12, the Jayhawkshave bought themselves some house money.
Florida State (84): If you throw out that loss at not-as-awful-as-usual Northwestern, the Seminoles have two high-quality home losses toPittsburgh and Duke. Otherwise, they have neutral court victories over Cincinnati and California (that one's looking real good now!), a pivotal win at homeover Florida (another potential bubble team) plus a win over a Western Kentucky team that won at Louisville. Leonard Hamilton usually plays aweak non-conference schedule, but this year's slate could have his team well-positioned for an NCAA bid. Combine this with the fact that the Pac-10 and theSEC are so down, and you've got to conclude the ACC has a decent shot to get seven teams into the tournament.
[h3]Eight Who Hurt Themselves[/h3]
LSU (326): The Tigers are the only team from a BCS conference whose non-conference SOS is ranked lower than 300, and believe me that isgoing to hurt. Furthermore, their best win, which came at home against Washington State, is looking less impressive by the day. LSU didn't get off to agood start in league play by losing at Alabama, which is ranked 134th in the RPI.
Illinois State (320): It's always difficult for a team from a mid-major conference to get an at-large bid, but this ranking revealsjust how wafer-thin the Redbirds' 14-0 start was. Losing two straight road games at Bradley and Indiana State (212nd in the RPI) doesn't help,either.
N.C. State (279): Not only is the Wolfpack's schedule ranked low, but they also lost all three of the quality games that were on it: atDavidson, vs. Marquette (on a buzzer-beating three by Dominic James) and at Florida (by two). In conference play, N.C. State faces theACC's big three five times. They need to win at least once to justify even being considered on Selection Sunday.
Stanford (27
: The Cardinal caused a little ripple by winning their first 10 games. Given this ranking, and given that only three of thosegames were on the road, you can understand why the rubber has hit the road in league play, where Stanford dropped three of its first four. You never say never,but it's pretty tough to imagine a scenario where this team could get an at-large bid.Texas A&M (251): It's a shame Mark Turgeon stacked his schedule with so many bad teams, because the Aggies haveshown the ability to beat good ones. They knocked off a solid Kent State team on a neutral court, they edged Arizona by one at home, and they won on the roadagainst an Alabama team that is showing signs of life. Texas A&M will have four chances to get a high-quality road win in conference play this season. Isuggest the Aggies take advantage.
Arkansas (242): For the Razorbacks to be ranked this low even though they played Texas and Oklahoma at home gives you some sense of justhow lame the rest of their schedule was. Plus, all but two games were at home, and one of the road games was a loss at Missouri State. Still, there won'tbe too many other bubble teams with two wins over teams ranked in the top 25 of the RPI. It's incumbent upon the Razorbacks to prove in SEC play that thosewins were not flukes.
Minnesota (233): The Gophers will be clinging to that neutral court win over Louisville as hard as they can until they start beating goodteams in the Big Ten. (We don't know yet if Ohio State will still be thought of as a "good team" two months hence.) With this SOS ranking, itwon't be enough just for Minnesota to beat up on the bottom feeders of the league.
Alabama (231): The Crimson Tide began the season in rocky fashion, losing to Mercer and Oregon within their first three games. You may haveread that from there they righted the ship by winning nine out of 10 games, but two of those wins were against non-Division I teams, and the other sevenopponents averaged an RPI ranking of 238. Lotta work to do, fellas.
Not surprisingly, I got quite a few questions regarding last week's Stock Report. To begin with:
I agree with your assessment of my alma mater, Florida, this year [rated a Sell]. However, what do you see for them next year with the incomingrecruiting class and if Calathes comes back?
-- Francis Taylor Raleigh, NC
First of all, I have to chuckle at the suggestion that Nick Calathes wouldn't come back. Then again, I flat-out belly laughed whenMarreese Speights left last season, and he ended up getting drafted 16th overall and is playing about 15 minutes a game with the Philadelphia76ers. Even though this is going to be a weak draft, I'm not hearing a lot of clamoring for Calathes to turn pro.
Assuming the Gators return intact, I do expect them to take a big step up next year. Not only will they be bringing in Kenny Boynton, aphysical, 6-2 scoring machine from Florida, but also Vernon Macklin, a tough rebounder who transferred from Georgetown, will be eligible.Plus, Eloy Vargas, a highly-skilled 6-11 freshman who has been slowed by injuries this season, should be healthy. Further down the road,Billy Donovan has a verbal commitment from Austin Rivers, a young phenom who is Doc Rivers's son, butsince Austin is only a sophomore in high school, Francis and her fellow Gator lovers will have to wait three more years to see Rivers in action in the ODome.
You asked the question of how Xavier can only score 65 against Butler? Play on a neutral court at home due to a freak ice storm that keeps the fansat home or in a ditch off the road. This team will have its ups and downs but XU is continuing the smart strategy of playing a tough schedule to prep forFebruary and March. It will pay off again.
-- Brian Garry Cincinnati, Ohio
Brian makes an excellent point: Xavier's non-conference strength of schedule is No. 5. However, Brian makes a less-than-excellent point about the Butlergame. Setting aside that the game was played in Cincinnati, the real concern was that it came right after the humiliation against Duke. The Musketeers shouldhave been breathing fire regardless of the weather. I know Butler is good, but if you want to be considered an elite team, you've got to win that game.
Having said that, there are still a lot of things to like about Xavier. I was checking out their stats over the weekend, and I was amazed to see thatDerrick Brown was shooting 47.6 percent from three-point range. The main question moving forward will be whether their guard play can matchwhat they have up front on both ends of the floor. I know Terrell Holloway is talented, but he's still a freshman, and he has big shoes tofill (figuratively, anyway) in replacing Drew Lavender. Consider that the Musketeers are ranked 192nd nationally in made three-pointers (6.0per game), they're 235th in turnovers (15.2) and 311th in steals (5.1). Those are all guard-oriented stats.
Of course, Xavier has two things working in its favor. It plays in a lousy conference, and it has one of the best coaches in the country in SeanMiller. So there's plenty to be optimistic about, despite my Sell rating.
No mention of my Maryland Terrapins? Have the Terps become that irrelevant?
-- Eddie DuPriest Atlanta
As a Maryland native, it pains me to say that, yes, irrelevant is a pretty good word to describe Maryland these days. The Terps are neither good enough norbad enough to make you sit up and take notice. Sure, they shocked the world by pummeling Michigan State in Orlando, but they followed that up by losing toGonzaga and Georgetown by 22 and 27 points, respectively. Then they beat Michigan at home and set off on a slew of home games against no-name opponents -- andyet they still found a way to lose to Morgan State.
It makes sense that the Terrapins have been so up and down, because they are quarterbacked by the maddeningly inconsistent Greivis Vazquez,but it's unfair to lay all of their problems on him. The fact is, if Vazquez doesn't play superbly, this team has a hard time beating even decentteams. They don't rebound very well (their rebound margin is ranked last in the ACC), and they don't shoot well either (11th in the league inthree-point percentage). Nor do I see a significant influx of talent on its way to College Park, either. So I'm sorry to say, Eddie, Maryland looks likeit's going to be irrelevant for the foreseeable future. On the bright side, the state still has great crabs.
The inside-out combo of Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson at Kentucky could be one of the best in the country. Can you let me know what you think ofthis duo and other inside-out tandems that are on your radar?
-- Matt McGary Chicago, IL
After Meeks's historical, 54-point performance on Tuesday at Tennessee, I think Matt can take the "could be" out of his question. You couldpair Meeks up with Stewart Mandel in the post, and they'd still be one of the best. So in honor of Meeks, let me catch Matt's feed andtake my best shot. Here's how I rank the top 10 inside-out duos in the country:
1. Levance Fields-DaJuan Blair, Pittsburgh
2. Tywon Lawson-Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
3. Jodie Meeks-Patrick Patterson, Kentucky
4. Willie Warren-Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
5. Manny Harris-Deshawn Sims, Michigan
6. Kyle McAlarney-Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
7. A.J. Price-Hasheem Thabeet, UConn
8. Sherron Collins-Cole Aldrich, Kansas
9. James Harden-Jeff Pendergraph, Arizona State
10. Chris Wright-Greg Monroe, Georgetown
Hello, Seth. Sacramento Kings fan looking to the future. Can Jeff Teague play point guard in the NBA?
-- Julian Newman Sacramento, CA
Can the Maloofs throw a good party in Vegas? Teague has everything you could want in an NBA point guard. He's big, he can beat defenders off thedribble, he can knock down long-range jumpers, he can find open teammates, he's a great leader and he can defend the heck out of the other team'spoint. Wake Forest fans better hope Teague cools off a little bit, or the folks in Sacramento -- or some other NBA city -- are going to get a firsthand look athow good Teague is real soon.
Inconsistency regarding Butler: Why did you write how Butler is an elite team at 14-1 and then leave them out of your top 25? Couldn't you bejustifiably accused of hypocrisy?
-- Thomas Hollinger Gaithersburg, Md.
Thomas can be justifiably accused of misquoting me. I didn't say Butler was one of the elite teams in the country, I said it was one of the eliteprograms, mid-major or otherwise. Just because I have left Butler off my AP ballot to this point does not mean I am down on them. It only means there are otherteams who I thought deserved to be there a little more. Butler's case revolves around its terrific win at Xavier, a solid (albeit close) win at ClevelandState and a good three-point loss at Ohio State. I've watched the Bulldogs play on television three or four times, and as an AP voter I have to decidewhether I really believe they are better than teams like Gonzaga, Michigan, Illinois and California, who were all ranked below 20 on my ballot.
That said, if Butler keeps winning it's probably only a matter of time before they sneak onto my ballot. It could happen next week now that Tennesseehas convinced me (and, I presume, my fellow AP voters) that it does not belong in the rankings. Then again, Kentucky has proved that it does belong. Thesespots are hard to come by.
Seth Davis' book, When March Went Mad: Magic, Bird and the Game That Transformed Basketball, will be published by Times Books in March, 2009. Clickhere to preorder a copy.
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I feel like Georgetown will break our home non-conference winning streak on Saturday
Wait, how the hell you a Jacksonville fan and you posted up in MD. It's damn near religious to be a Ravens or Skins fan in the state of MD.
It just happened that way, don't ask me why. I just started liking them their inaugural season when I was a little kid. My family is full of *******sfans, but I kind of broke away I guess. I still like the Wizards, Capitals, and Orioles, but I just don't root for either of the football teams in thearea. My pops also liked the Jags because Lynyrd Skynyrd is from Jacksonville and he says everyone was rockin Panthers gear when they came out so he decidedto go for the other cats.I still remember going to Ravens/Jags gamesat Memorial Stadium with my Jaguars starter jacket and catchin' an earful from those drunk dudes with their purple camo pants. Now I live in Florida andhave season tickets for the Jaguars...
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How many transfers do they have on their squad???
Bobby G
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With a subpar freshman class, a weak international crop and a lack of star potential, the 2009 NBA draft is shaping up to be the weakest in years. And NBAscouts are looking for bright spots wherever they can find them. This year, the one shining light is that the draft is chock-full of excellent point-guardprospects. A whopping nine point guards are currently ranked in our top 30, and 14 are ranked in the top 60. As many as eight of those point guards could evencrack the lottery this year.
For this week's Stock Watch, we've spoken with numerous GMs and NBA scouts to get their take on the top 10 players at one of the most importantpositions in the draft.
1. Ricky Rubio, Spain
Rubio has been on NBA radar screens for years. But it was his solid play against Team USA in the Olympics that convinced NBA scouts and players that he had thegoods to make it in the league. A wrist injury kept him out of action for the first month of the season, but he's slowly finding his way on the court. Hisscoring is down, but his assists are up; he recorded an impressive 12 assists in his most recent game.
While there are legitimate questions about Rubio's draft eligibility this year -- he has a large buyout with his team DKV Joventut -- I'm told hewill likely declare for the draft and come to the NBA as long as he's a top-three pick. Given the need for point guards at the top of the draft, that seemslike a safe bet.
2. Jrue Holiday,UCLA
Holiday isn't even playing the point for UCLA. But neither did Russell Westbrook, who was drafted No. 4 in the 2008 draft and is now running the point forthe Thunder. While Holiday's game isn't flashy, he has the complete package of athleticism, basketball IQ and defensive tenacity that scouts love. Hecurrently looks like he could go anywhere from 4 to 10 on draft night if he declares.
3. Stephen Curry, Davidson
Curry might be the most controversial player on this list. Some scouts don't believe he's a point guard. Others worry about his diminutive stature orhis lack of explosiveness as an athlete. Still others fret about some of Curry's disappearing acts against quality teams. However, no one doubts thatCurry's shooting ability, basketball IQ and clutch play -- combined with an excellent basketball pedigree -- make him a player that will likely be draftedin the lottery. There's been talk that the Bobcats could be the club that covets him (and the seats he'd fill) the most … but it's way too earlyfor that speculation. Besides, you'd think MJ and company would have learned by now that drafting players with local or marketing appeal (e.g., RaymondFelton, Sean May and Adam Morrison) doesn't help much if they're not going to be stars.
4. Brandon Jennings, Italy
Jennings took a huge risk by bypassing college and going straight to Europe. To date, the experiment has had a mixed bag of results. On the positive side,Jennings is playing on an excellent team in a talented league. The experience has been priceless. On the flip side, Jennings hasn't exactly been lightingup the competition over there. He's been improving lately, but not to the point that it's clear he's an elite prospect.
Many scouts still believe Jennings is the best point-guard prospect in the draft based on pure talent. But his study-abroad trip makes it tough to tellwhether he's as bad as his stats sometimes suggest, or whether the brilliance of his game is just somehow lost in translation.
Workouts will be the key to where Jennings ultimately gets drafted. The range is still pretty wide open. No one would be shocked if he were a top-five pick.Nor would anyone be surprised if he slipped into the mid-first round.
5. Willie Warren, Oklahoma
Warren has quietly become one of the top freshmen in the country. Scouts have been impressed with his combination of size, athleticism and ability to score.While there is a legitimate question about what Warren's true position is, the truth is he has the size to play multiple positions in the NBA. If Oklahomagoes deep in the tournament, Warren might end up cracking the lottery.
6. Jonny Flynn, Syracuse
Flynn is the little engine that could. His toughness and fearlessness have scouts buzzing. He has hit a bit of a slump lately, but earlier in the season manyscouts and a few GMs began mentioning him as a lottery pick, despite his lack of size and questionable defensive ability. Right now he's looking like apotential mid-first-round pick.
7. Jeff Teague, Wake Forest
Teague is the fastest riser on the board. He has been on a tear lately and has led Wake Forest to an undefeated record, with huge wins over BYU and NorthCarolina. He's averaging over 30 points a game in his past three outings and has shown he can score from anywhere. One minute he's nailing a 3; thenext he's taking it to the basket for the bucket or a foul. While scouts fear he's more of a scorer than a distributor, it hasn't affected hisstock with the way he's been playing. He has moved up to No. 18 on our big board and could continue to rise into the lottery if he keeps this up.
8. Ty Lawson, North Carolina
Poor Ty Lawson. He's had one of the most volatile stock ratings of any player we've ever tracked. One minute scouts think he might be a lottery pick.The next, scouts have him on the first-round bubble. Lawson has been excellent for most of the season, but after Teague abused him in a rare Tar Heels loss,you could hear the air begin to escape from Lawson's bubble. While he still has the talent to crack the lottery, it will take a brilliant performance inthe NCAA tournament -- something he hasn't been able to pull off in the past -- to convince an NBA team to hand over the keys to him.
9. Patrick Mills, St. Mary's(Calif.)
Mills is still basking in the rave reviews he earned this summer while playing for Australia in the Olympics. However, his numbers at St. Mary's are good,but not stellar. His high turnover rate and poor shooting percentage have dipped his stock back onto the first-round bubble.
10. Darren Collison, UCLA
Collison has to be struggling with the idea that for the second straight year an NBA team might draft a player that sits behind him on the depth chart at UCLA.Still, Collison continues to do his thing. He has terrific speed and has improved as a shooter. But his smallish stature and questionable floor leadership havehim stuck on the first-round bubble.
Other point-guard prospects in the top 100: NickCalathes, Florida; Eric Maynor, VirginiaCommonwealth; Sherron Collins, Kansas; Kemba Walker, UConn, Curtis Jerrells, Baylor; Jeremy Pargo, Gonzaga; Nando De Colo, France; Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas; A.J. Price, UConn; Courtney Fortson, Arkansas; Scottie Reynolds, Villanova; Jeremy Lin, Harvard
Here's a look at five players who have helped their draft stock over the past week. Jerome Jordan, C, Tulsa
Before the season began, we had Jordan ranked as the 10th-best prospect in the draft. His size and agility, combined with an impressive performance atLeBron's summer camp, had scouts drooling. After a lukewarm start to the season, Jordan has been phenomenal of late. He has dropped double-doubles in fiveof his past six games, including an impressive 20-point, 13-rebound performance against Memphis on Tuesday, carrying Tulsa on his shoulders and almostproducing the upset. While Jordan needs to get stronger and tougher, the raw tools and skills are all there. He has moved back into our top 15, and could risehigher if he continues to produce.
[h4]Chad Ford's Draft Watch[/h4]
B.J. Mullens, C, Ohio State
We've been waiting all season for Mullens to produce with any sort of consistency. We've seen flashes from time to time on particular plays or againstbad teams, but nothing that screamed "lottery pick." That has changed in the past few weeks.
Mullens has scored in double digits in the past threegames, including a strong 16-point, 6-rebound performance against Michigan State and a 14-point, 8-rebound performance against Indiana. While that might not beenough to justify a top-five pick, it's enough for us to keep him in our projected lottery.
DeJuan Blair, PF, Pittsburgh
Blair turned a lot of heads this past week when he dominated Georgetown's Greg Monroe. Teams have always loved his toughness, reboundingand intensity, but to see him pull it off against an elite talent has swayed the opinions of a lot of scouts. Before, teams worried about his lack of size andposition in the league. Now names like Carl Landry and Jason Maxiell are floating around as comparisons. If Blair can stay consistent and help lead Pittsburghto a Big East title, he should be a first-round pick.
Tyreke Evans, G, Memphis
I was critical of Evans a few weeks ago for his high turnover rate and poor shot selection. Since that time, John Calipari has moved him to the point and,suddenly, Evans has been a different player. His assists are up and his shooting percentage is way up. Looks like Evans just needed the ball in his hands to beeffective. While I don't think anyone believes he has NBA point-guard skills, he's been able to show off the fact that, put in the right position, hecan score on anyone. Evans still hasn't cracked our top 14, but he has slowly moved back into our top 20 with a string of great games.
Jodie Meeks, SG, Kentucky
We've known for a while that Meeks could score. But his 54-point performance against Tennessee really caused some waves. While not an ideal draft prospectdue to his lack of height and lack of extreme athleticism, Meeks has been so good at scoring the ball that some scouts compare his game to Eddie House's(at worst) or Ben Gordon's (at best). While we still have him ranked in the second round, he'll move up if he keeps dominating. You can't deny hisproduction.
For this week's Stock Watch, we've spoken with numerous GMs and NBA scouts to get their take on the top 10 players at one of the most importantpositions in the draft.
1. Ricky Rubio, Spain
Rubio has been on NBA radar screens for years. But it was his solid play against Team USA in the Olympics that convinced NBA scouts and players that he had thegoods to make it in the league. A wrist injury kept him out of action for the first month of the season, but he's slowly finding his way on the court. Hisscoring is down, but his assists are up; he recorded an impressive 12 assists in his most recent game.
While there are legitimate questions about Rubio's draft eligibility this year -- he has a large buyout with his team DKV Joventut -- I'm told hewill likely declare for the draft and come to the NBA as long as he's a top-three pick. Given the need for point guards at the top of the draft, that seemslike a safe bet.
2. Jrue Holiday,UCLA
Holiday isn't even playing the point for UCLA. But neither did Russell Westbrook, who was drafted No. 4 in the 2008 draft and is now running the point forthe Thunder. While Holiday's game isn't flashy, he has the complete package of athleticism, basketball IQ and defensive tenacity that scouts love. Hecurrently looks like he could go anywhere from 4 to 10 on draft night if he declares.
3. Stephen Curry, Davidson
Curry might be the most controversial player on this list. Some scouts don't believe he's a point guard. Others worry about his diminutive stature orhis lack of explosiveness as an athlete. Still others fret about some of Curry's disappearing acts against quality teams. However, no one doubts thatCurry's shooting ability, basketball IQ and clutch play -- combined with an excellent basketball pedigree -- make him a player that will likely be draftedin the lottery. There's been talk that the Bobcats could be the club that covets him (and the seats he'd fill) the most … but it's way too earlyfor that speculation. Besides, you'd think MJ and company would have learned by now that drafting players with local or marketing appeal (e.g., RaymondFelton, Sean May and Adam Morrison) doesn't help much if they're not going to be stars.
4. Brandon Jennings, Italy
Jennings took a huge risk by bypassing college and going straight to Europe. To date, the experiment has had a mixed bag of results. On the positive side,Jennings is playing on an excellent team in a talented league. The experience has been priceless. On the flip side, Jennings hasn't exactly been lightingup the competition over there. He's been improving lately, but not to the point that it's clear he's an elite prospect.
Many scouts still believe Jennings is the best point-guard prospect in the draft based on pure talent. But his study-abroad trip makes it tough to tellwhether he's as bad as his stats sometimes suggest, or whether the brilliance of his game is just somehow lost in translation.
Workouts will be the key to where Jennings ultimately gets drafted. The range is still pretty wide open. No one would be shocked if he were a top-five pick.Nor would anyone be surprised if he slipped into the mid-first round.
5. Willie Warren, Oklahoma
Warren has quietly become one of the top freshmen in the country. Scouts have been impressed with his combination of size, athleticism and ability to score.While there is a legitimate question about what Warren's true position is, the truth is he has the size to play multiple positions in the NBA. If Oklahomagoes deep in the tournament, Warren might end up cracking the lottery.
6. Jonny Flynn, Syracuse
Flynn is the little engine that could. His toughness and fearlessness have scouts buzzing. He has hit a bit of a slump lately, but earlier in the season manyscouts and a few GMs began mentioning him as a lottery pick, despite his lack of size and questionable defensive ability. Right now he's looking like apotential mid-first-round pick.
7. Jeff Teague, Wake Forest
Teague is the fastest riser on the board. He has been on a tear lately and has led Wake Forest to an undefeated record, with huge wins over BYU and NorthCarolina. He's averaging over 30 points a game in his past three outings and has shown he can score from anywhere. One minute he's nailing a 3; thenext he's taking it to the basket for the bucket or a foul. While scouts fear he's more of a scorer than a distributor, it hasn't affected hisstock with the way he's been playing. He has moved up to No. 18 on our big board and could continue to rise into the lottery if he keeps this up.
8. Ty Lawson, North Carolina
Poor Ty Lawson. He's had one of the most volatile stock ratings of any player we've ever tracked. One minute scouts think he might be a lottery pick.The next, scouts have him on the first-round bubble. Lawson has been excellent for most of the season, but after Teague abused him in a rare Tar Heels loss,you could hear the air begin to escape from Lawson's bubble. While he still has the talent to crack the lottery, it will take a brilliant performance inthe NCAA tournament -- something he hasn't been able to pull off in the past -- to convince an NBA team to hand over the keys to him.
9. Patrick Mills, St. Mary's(Calif.)
Mills is still basking in the rave reviews he earned this summer while playing for Australia in the Olympics. However, his numbers at St. Mary's are good,but not stellar. His high turnover rate and poor shooting percentage have dipped his stock back onto the first-round bubble.
10. Darren Collison, UCLA
Collison has to be struggling with the idea that for the second straight year an NBA team might draft a player that sits behind him on the depth chart at UCLA.Still, Collison continues to do his thing. He has terrific speed and has improved as a shooter. But his smallish stature and questionable floor leadership havehim stuck on the first-round bubble.
Other point-guard prospects in the top 100: NickCalathes, Florida; Eric Maynor, VirginiaCommonwealth; Sherron Collins, Kansas; Kemba Walker, UConn, Curtis Jerrells, Baylor; Jeremy Pargo, Gonzaga; Nando De Colo, France; Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas; A.J. Price, UConn; Courtney Fortson, Arkansas; Scottie Reynolds, Villanova; Jeremy Lin, Harvard
Here's a look at five players who have helped their draft stock over the past week. Jerome Jordan, C, Tulsa
Before the season began, we had Jordan ranked as the 10th-best prospect in the draft. His size and agility, combined with an impressive performance atLeBron's summer camp, had scouts drooling. After a lukewarm start to the season, Jordan has been phenomenal of late. He has dropped double-doubles in fiveof his past six games, including an impressive 20-point, 13-rebound performance against Memphis on Tuesday, carrying Tulsa on his shoulders and almostproducing the upset. While Jordan needs to get stronger and tougher, the raw tools and skills are all there. He has moved back into our top 15, and could risehigher if he continues to produce.
[h4]Chad Ford's Draft Watch[/h4]
B.J. Mullens, C, Ohio State
We've been waiting all season for Mullens to produce with any sort of consistency. We've seen flashes from time to time on particular plays or againstbad teams, but nothing that screamed "lottery pick." That has changed in the past few weeks.
Mullens has scored in double digits in the past threegames, including a strong 16-point, 6-rebound performance against Michigan State and a 14-point, 8-rebound performance against Indiana. While that might not beenough to justify a top-five pick, it's enough for us to keep him in our projected lottery.
DeJuan Blair, PF, Pittsburgh
Blair turned a lot of heads this past week when he dominated Georgetown's Greg Monroe. Teams have always loved his toughness, reboundingand intensity, but to see him pull it off against an elite talent has swayed the opinions of a lot of scouts. Before, teams worried about his lack of size andposition in the league. Now names like Carl Landry and Jason Maxiell are floating around as comparisons. If Blair can stay consistent and help lead Pittsburghto a Big East title, he should be a first-round pick.
Tyreke Evans, G, Memphis
I was critical of Evans a few weeks ago for his high turnover rate and poor shot selection. Since that time, John Calipari has moved him to the point and,suddenly, Evans has been a different player. His assists are up and his shooting percentage is way up. Looks like Evans just needed the ball in his hands to beeffective. While I don't think anyone believes he has NBA point-guard skills, he's been able to show off the fact that, put in the right position, hecan score on anyone. Evans still hasn't cracked our top 14, but he has slowly moved back into our top 20 with a string of great games.
Jodie Meeks, SG, Kentucky
We've known for a while that Meeks could score. But his 54-point performance against Tennessee really caused some waves. While not an ideal draft prospectdue to his lack of height and lack of extreme athleticism, Meeks has been so good at scoring the ball that some scouts compare his game to Eddie House's(at worst) or Ben Gordon's (at best). While we still have him ranked in the second round, he'll move up if he keeps dominating. You can't deny hisproduction.
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For some reason I think Jennings gon kill in workouts..i believe his experience over there.playin a different type of basketball. is gonna help him soo much
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I think what Dajuan did is fine. I actually liked it. I just wish it was Flynn or Devo becuase they would have done or said something. No ++@@Summers would have +%#!+# them up. But its not like they woulda fought, but they would have made it more interesting.
Devo isn't tough. He just is a loud mouth
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What the @@%+ is this? Is this the new thing?
At 6'3-6'4...if you aren't a big time athlete...it makes playing that wing position that much harder.
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i think Jrue comes back for second year
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At 6'3-6'4...if you aren't a big time athlete...it makes playing that wing position that much harder.
I see that, but it almost seems as though that they are making !@*% up. Oh he has athleticism, but not extreme athleticism.
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Co-sign. dudes playing in a systyem that i harder than NBA system's. He is a true pass first point guard, I just like the intangibles hebrings to the floor.
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Yea he is going to kill the workouts.
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ShannonsCrooks wrote:
lack of extreme athleticism
What the @@%+ is this? Is this the new thing?
not really..if dude possesed any type of actual point guard skills im sure his athletic ability wouldnt be in questionlook at ben gordon..dude plays the 2 simply because he has explosiveabilities. otherwise he would be S.O.L
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UConn vs St John's
UNC vs Virginia
Purdue vs Northwestern
Derrick Favors vs Demarcus Cousins on ESPN2 at 9
..
UConn wins big.
UNC wins big .. Landesberg puts up 20+.
Purdue wins in a boring game.
I have no idea .. just interested to see these dudes live.
UNC vs Virginia
Purdue vs Northwestern
Derrick Favors vs Demarcus Cousins on ESPN2 at 9
..
UConn wins big.
UNC wins big .. Landesberg puts up 20+.
Purdue wins in a boring game.
I have no idea .. just interested to see these dudes live.
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Home game for UConn tonight at MSG....let's see if good ol' "SJU" can't pull off the upset
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the only thing gettin upset is my stomach when i watch sju play
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Lets go SJU
J's I know u got some faith lol
J's I know u got some faith lol
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Dele is the most worthless player. It's sad that he is too dumb to put 1 and 1 together because he has some raw ability. And I can't blame the staff onhim, he is just stupid.
Boy wonder Rob Thomas
The gym better have this game on TV.
Boy wonder Rob Thomas
The gym better have this game on TV.
