LeBron Ineligible

LeBron not going to college. Good.

by Jed Tai

So, LeBron James has finally been declared ineligible.

To this college basketball writer…

Who cares?

Despite the fact that nothing was set in stone, there was no way LeBron James was going to play college basketball. He could have named off all the schools in the world, but everyone and their mother knew that he was going to be playing for pay next year. And even if he did decide to do so — did anyone in their right mind actually believe the young man – who shoe companies are already wooing for endorsements – would ever be still eligible as an amateur?

So, I’m with fellow Hoopville writer Dan Hauptman: College hoops has lost nothing.

But that’s not to say I don’t have an opinion about all this mess.

What’s really interesting is how James has responded to all of the controversy so far to date.

“It will be in the paper, but remember, I’m on the honor roll with a 3.5 grade-point average,” said James.

Great LeBron, you’re a guy with a good GPA. But maybe you could have some knowledge of the rules, or – gasp – have some common sense? Did you really think that accepting over 800 dollars of free clothing would slide by? Now, not only can you not play, you’ve cost your team dearly.

It could be argued that the OHSAA (Ohio High School Athletic Association) really didn’t have much of a choice but to rule James ineligible. After all of the hubbub surrounding his receiving a hummer for his birthday, if they allowed this violation to slide, it would have been a PR nightmare. Sure, money will be lost by the OHSAA and by plenty of others now that James’ mug won’t be all over pay-per-view television and in the state tournament.

But rules are rules, and the OHSAA should be commended for doing the right thing this time.

However with that said – this isn’t over.

Rumor is that James will appeal – which is a no-brainer. There’s always the threat of a lawsuit. Heck, the James gang almost considered it last year in challenging the NBA’s early entrant rules for the draft. Or, maybe the OSAA will allow James to return the merchandise in return for his eligibility.

Yup, that’s the answer – that’ll teach him.

The worst thing about the media circus around James has been this — it has taken attention away from others who will be legitimate college basketball players. Whenever a game between St. Vincent-St. Mary has been shown on television, the opposing team more than likely has a few players who are considered college basketball prospects. And they will be in college basketball next season. Yet, because of the presence of James, they don’t get any attention. Even some of James’ talented teammates don’t get proper credit that they deserve.

And because of the likely legal battles ahead, they still won’t.

And you can bet that somehow he’ll still be eligible to play in the McDonald’s All-Star Game – an event that was scheduled in Cleveland just for his benefit.

But hey, we have no one but ourselves to blame. James didn’t ask to have every one of his games televised, his photo all over magazines, etc. The public – and the media – asked for it. And thus, it was delivered.

No one to blame but ourselves.

Northeast Notebook

Northeast Conference Notebook

by Chris Roddy

Central Connecticut: Turning the Beat Around

After selecting the Blue Devils to finish first in my NEC pre-season ballot and watching them perform poorly (losing six of seven), I was fearful my career as an oracle was a no go. But, CCSU has rebounded strongly with the commencement of inter-conference play, going 4-1 over their last five games and posting an overall 5-2 record in the NEC.

A recent 71-66 loss to Monmouth, currently in 2nd place, set the Blue Devils back to an even 8-8 record. Despite CCSU’s inability to dominate the league as they did last year, Howie Dickenman’s group looks like they’re finally starting to gel as a squad. Led by their no longer slothful swingman, junior Ricardo Scott, CCSU is starting to look like they could go back to The Dance for a second straight season. Scott, a second team all-NEC pick last year, has been struggling all season and was even benched from being a starter for four games. He scored 14 and 13 points respectively against Robert Morris and Fairleigh Dickinson last week. Scott added 11 rebounds in recording his first double-double of the year against FDU.

Bobcats Go From Growl to Purr

Consistency is a misnomer in the Northeast Conference, or at least with my friends at that hard-to-spell university. Playing tepid ball over the past month or so, Quinnipiac is riding a wacky roller coaster of momentum. They won six games, lost five, won two and then lost two. A sub-par conference record (2-4) has Quinnipiac headed toward a similar fate as last season.

Of course, that seemed to work out pretty well for the Bobcats last season as they coasted through the NEC tournament until succumbing in the championship against CCSU. With an 8-7 overall record, Quinnipiac can still align themselves into a higher spot before conference tourney time. Look for the ‘Cats to be led by junior forward Rashaun Banjo. Banjo has five 20-point outings this season and has been shooting over .700 over the past three weeks.

A Tale of Two Seasons

Monmouth is 6-1 in NEC play and 1-7 in non-league play. A tough schedule, which pitted the Hawks against Princeton, Kansas State, Seton Hall and Rider, may account for the club’s resiliency to start off inter-conference games on such a good foot. After a tough loss to NEC leader Wagner (63-45), Monmouth reeled off victories against Sacred Heart, Quinnipiac and CCSU.

Then again, perhaps the slow start for Monmouth has more to do with the maturation of freshman guard phenom Chris Kenny. He scored 18 points as the seventh man off the bench against Sacred Heart, including four free throws to ensure the win. Two days later, he threw down 19 points and went 5-8 from three-point range.

Could this turnaround have something to do with the Hawks’ stifling defense? Monmouth has held opponents to 33% shooting over the past two weeks (aside from the Wagner game) and improved their shooting to nearly sixty-percent.

The Magic Number is . . . 6

Long Island University has surpassed its win total from last season with a lot of hoops left to play. After beating UMBC twice last week, the second win being a thrilling 22-point comeback effort, the Blackbirds notched six wins. Last season, LIU won only five games total. The Blackbirds will not have the services of senior JaJa Bey for the rest of the season. He has reportedly left the team for personal reasons. He was the team’s second best scorer and only 22 points away from hitting 1,000 for his collegiate career.

Ssssssssmokin’!

Wagner is finally starting to hit its stride. A mediocre start to the season, much like CCSU, had critics (aka me) doubting if the Seahawks would even make it to the NEC tournament. Fear not. Wagner has rolled to an 8-2 record over the last ten games and put up 101 points against Robert Morris last week. Wagner has never started league play with a 6-1 record; the last time they went 5-1 was in 1992.

The Seahawks have been led by senior forward Jermaine Hall, averaging over 24 points a game and nearly ten rebounds. He has been awarded the NEC player of the week award four times already and poured in 31 points against Robert Morris. Hall (1,941) is five points away from passing NBA great Rik Smits and will become only the fourth player in NEC history to amass 2,000 points or more.

Of course, it helps if you have another stellar senior. Guard Dedrick Dye tied a school record with seven trifectas last week against Robert Morris and is Wagner’s all-time leader with 228 three-pointers.

Lastly (but not leastly, err, if that was a word) there is Nigel Wyatte, Wagner’s junior center. He’s starting to catch fire as he now has four straight double-doubles. Wyatte has been averaging nearly 17 points a game and 13 rebounds during his streak.

Icing on the cake? Wagner finally ended a fifteen game losing streak at Monmouth University. The Seahawks had lost very game at Boylan Gymnasium since 1986, but un-jinxed themselves with a 63-45 victory last week.

Colonial Notebook

Colonial Notebook

by Adam Shandler

It’s A Jumble Out There

Those who follow the CAA probably thought that this season would be a carbon copy of last year. UNC-Wilmington would simply recline in the warehouse balcony, watching the other teams scratch it out in the cockfight that is known as the Colonial Athletic Association. UNCW is, both overall and conference-wise, the top team in the CAA, but only by one game. There are two teams locked into second place (Drexel and Old Dominion at 6-3), three in third (VCU, Delaware and George Mason at 5-4), and one in fourth (Hofstra, still trying to prove it’s a contender at 4-5).

The Goldsberries Taste Like Goldsberries!

With Apologies to Mr. Wonka, the Colonial Conference is asking fans, “Which newcomer in 2002-2003 is makng the biggest impact in the CAA?” The winner? UNC-Wilmington guard John Goldsberry, by an overwhelming 91 percent of the vote. Hard to argue. Through January 30th, he’s 9th in the conference in assists at 59 total and 3.47 a game, second in steals with 35 and 2.06 a game, and first in assist-to-turnover ratio with a 2.81 clip.

Mark Davis of George Mason will be happy to know that he came in second in fan voting. With 4 percent.

A Wild Wednesday

In a night that made the CAA look like a Salvador Dali painting, two teams notched unlikely victories and threw conference fans for a loop. On January 29th, Old Dominion shocked Drexel 72-69, to jump into a share of second place with their rival Dragons. The Monarchs John Walker drained the winning three with no time remaining and disappointed fans at Drexel’s Daskalakis Center — one of the toughest places to play and pronounce.

Hofstra is getting their Pride back. They also did the unthinkable, beating Delaware 64-62 in Hempstead. Kenny Adeleke posted a double-double of 19 and 16, and two-guard Rick Apodaca scored 20 points and doled out 6 assists. The Pride have now won two of their last three. Delaware, on the other hand, slipped into that three-way tie for third place.

Honors

Who da CAA Player of the Week? Brett’s the CAA Player of the Week. The senior two-guard from UNCW averaged 24 points, 4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 4 steals in wins over Towson and Virginia Commonwealth.

Rookie of the Week props go to a freshman guard from Old Dominion by the name of Isaiah Hunter. (What’s the deal with all the good guards being named Isaiah? Can’t another Old Testatment figure get some love? Just once I’d like to see an Aaron, Jacob or Joseph bring up the ball. Anyway, I’m rambling…) Hunter, a bench player from Charlotte, averaged 12 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists and helped the Monarchs grab wins over George Mason and James Madison.

Game of the Week: The War on the Shore

A must-see for lovers of the CAA and mid-major hoops. Tons of talent will be on the floor when UNC-Wilmington squares off with Drexel this Saturday in Wilmington. When these two powerhouses met each other on January 11, UNCW pulled out an 88-86 overtime win. Brett Blizzard dropped in 33 points despite a terrible cold and Drexel’s Eric Schmeider hit for 21.

Saturday’s rematch will be broadcast at noon eastern by Comcast SportsNet-Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet-Philadelphia, FOX SportsNet-New York, FOX SportsNet South in North Carolina, Canadian Home Shopping Club and Al-Jazeera (tape delay).

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Friday, January 31st, 2003

by Jon Gonzalez

Act like you’ve been there before, act like your going back. That was Stanford’s feeling in regards to its 82-77 win over top-ranked Arizona. Funny thing is, Stanford didn’t have to act, because winning at the McKale Center is nothing new to the Cardinal.

For the third season in a row, Stanford (15-5, 6-2) beat Arizona in Tucson. Matt Lottich led Stanford with 23 points and knocked down a three-pointer with 58 seconds left to solidify the Cardinal’s shocking upset win.

Turnovers and poor free throw shooting were two factors that did in the Wildcats. Arizona (15-2, 7-1) turned the ball over 19 times and shot only 53 percent from the line, as opposed to Stanford’s 68 percent. But not only did Stanford shoot at a better clip from the line, the Cardinal hit the big ones when they had to. Julius Barnes hit both ends of a one-and-one with 8.5 seconds that allowed Stanford to hold on.

Two bright spots for Arizona were Jason Gardener and Luke Walton, who scored 22 and 20 points, respectively. In addition to Walton’s 20, the star forward also grabbed nine boards. But aside from Walton and Gardener, the rest of the team just looked slow and sluggish. It was as if they had eaten too many candy bars.

Maybe it was the candy that the Wildcats stole over the weekend in Lawrence, Kansas? But all kidding aside, the Wildcats surely cannot blame their loss to Stanford on the alleged vending machine incident. It would be hard to believe that the reason Arizona lost was because all of the players were just too concerned about the incident and were ridden with guilt. But you know what, you never know? Lute’s kids are pretty clean cut, so don’t put guilt over stealing some candy bars past them. Maybe their consciences were weighing them down so much that they couldn’t hit their free throws or take proper care of the basketball? You know what, it doesn’t sound so nutty after all.

Before the game, Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood addressed the candy situation and said that the school investigated the incident and has taken action in compliance with the school and the NCAA. Livengood did not mention specifically what action was taken.

Side Dishes

The Hits Just Keep On Coming: UCLA might have played one of its better games of the season, but it wasn’t good enough to avoid a seventh straight defeat. The Bruins 96-91 OT loss to Oregon extends UCLA’s skid that is the school’s longest in 57 years. Luke Jackson, tapped hand and all, led No.21 Oregon (15-4, 5-3) with 27 points and freshman Ian Crosswhite chipped in with 22 points. UCLA (4-12, 2-6) had a chance to win at the end of regulation, but Ryan Walcott airballed an uncontested shot as time expired.

Butler Comes Up Short: Say this for the Butler Bulldogs, they played with heart and looked unfazed by playing in Cameron Indoor Stadium. But with all the heart they could muster, the Bulldog’s talent just could not match Duke’s. No.7 Duke (14-2, 4-2), led by freshman Shavlik Randolph, outscored Butler (16-3, 6-1) 80-60 on Thursday night. Randolph played his best game of the season and scored a season-high 24 points on 11-13 shooting. The freshman also added 10 rebounds. Dhantay Jones also had a big night scoring 25 as the Devils won their 23rd straight at Cameron. The game Bulldogs were led by Darnell Archey, who scored 14 points and hit some long-range three pointers.

Sun Devils Stop Cal: Curtis Millage scored 21 points and hit some crucial free throws for Arizona State as the Sun Devils beat No.24 California (14-3, 7-1) 75-70 on Thursday night. The loss snaps Cal’s eight game winning streak. Aside from Millage, ASU also got a good game from Shawn Redhage, who scored 10 points in 17 minutes of play. The win is another check mark Arizona State (13-6, 5-3) can add to its NCAA Tournament resume. Joe Shipp led Cal with 27 points.

Terps Take Sole Possession of First: No. 9 Maryland (13-4, 6-1) showed NC State that to be the best in the ACC, they’re gonna have to go through the Terps us first. The feisty Wolfpack could not and lost 75-60 on Thursday night. Despite leading at halftime 28-27, NC State was overmatched by Maryland’s hot shooting and inside dominance. The Terps, led by Drew Nicholas’ hot hand, pulled away from NC State in the second-half thanks in large part to a 14-0 Terp run. Nicholas hit two straight three pointers during the run and scored all of his 13 points in the second-half. The Pack countered with a 10-0 run of their own but could only pull within six before running out of gas. Stephen Blake led the Terrapins with 20 points on 7-10 shooting. NC State (11-5, 4-2), coming off of wins against UNC and Duke, was led by Marcus Melvin, who tallied 15 points. At halftime of the game, the Terps honored former coach Lefty Driesell, who recently retired from Georgia State.

Lobos’ Carey Undergoes Surgery: New Mexico senior point guard Senque Carey was left without most movement on his left side following spinal surgery. The surgery was to remove a bulging disc from Carey’s upper spine and fuse the spine in that area. Carey injured his spine on Nov.25 against Northwestern State.

More News:

The Big East acknowledged on Thursday that Seton Hall had six men on the court in the final seconds of regulation in the Pirates 93-82 overtime win. The league also said there is nothing they can do about it and cannot change the outcome.

Harding’s Aaron Farley fell nine short of an NCAA record for consecutive free throws. Farley missed the back end of a two shot technical to stop his streak at 88. The current record is held by Northern Kentucky’s Paul Cluxton, who made 98 in a row during the 1996-97 season. Harding won the game, beating Arkansas Tech 91-66.

Arkansas has until the end of February to respond to a lawsuit filed by former coach Nolan Richardson. The lawsuit claims that Richardson was fired because he was black and had his free speech rights violated. The new deadline is Feb.28.

Alcorn State center Lee Cook was dismissed from the team on Thursday for an unspecified rules violation. Cook was averaging 16.7 points a game.

Tonight’s Menu

• Big Ivy league action tonight as Yale takes on Columbia, Brown is at Cornell and Dartmouth tangles with Penn. All those games tip at 7 p.m. Also, Princeton takes on Harvard at 7:30 p.m.

• The academies square off at 9 p.m. as Navy makes a visit to Army.

• Surging mid-major Manhattan visits Niagara at 7 p.m.

• A Pac-Ten match-up of note as Washington State visits Washington at 10:30 p.m. Eastern time.

• For all of you Eastern time zone night owls, no pun intended, Rice visits Hawai’i at 12:05 a.m.

Have an eventful Friday. I am out.

Hoopville Theater

Hoopville Theater

by Adam Shandler

The Hoopville Players (a very community-minded theater company, mind you) are busy putting the pieces in place for their next big production “Season (thus far) In Song.” The theater has been working painstaking hours to unite members of the college hoops community for this colossal (and quite large) extravaganza!

Never before have you heard the standards of Broadway heard like this. After you do, you’ll wish you didn’t. Act now…tickets aren’t going anywhere, but don’t make us beg.

Okay, here’s a taste!

It’s— “The Season In Song” (now performing at the Bucks County Playhouse, at nursing homes and in elementary school auditorium/gym/cafeterias.)

Hear: Bobby Knight mellifluously matriculate while marching to win Number 800!

“I am the very model of a modern, major General. I’ve only thrown one fit this year, I know it’s unbelievable…”

Sway: with a talented chorus of Michigan Boosters as they fall on their swords!

“Webber-lovin’, gave him some cash. Webber-lovin’, thought it would last. Took the banners, off of the beams…Chris was loaded, ya know what I mean…!”

Cry: as LeBron James reprises his role of Tevya!

“If I was a rich man (which I am). Blingy-blingy-blingy-blingy-blingy-blingy-blingy-blingy-bliiiiiing! All day long I’d cruise across the land…but I will not play for Cleve-land. Oy!”

Tap your toe: to the stunning voice of Darnell Archey as he sings the songs of ABBA!

“Free-throw King. Watch me sink — number 83…”

Your heart will melt when you hear Roy Williams croon:

“To dream, the impossible dream…”

You’ll fall in love: with Kelvin Sampson, and his trusty companion, Hollis Price:

“OOOOOklahoma, where the wins keep piling up each daaaaaay. And if Duke keeps losing, then we’ll be cruising to the…NC double Ayyyyyyyyy!

You know the lyrics: join Julie Andrews as she provides a note-by-note account of teams that have slipped in the rankings:

“Or-e-gon, I think they’re done. X, hey where’s the Musketeeeeers?”

Special appearances by Tyne Daly! Choreography by Twyla Tharp! And something for the kids — The Croft Puppets!

And, of course, Lynda Lavin…and Steve Lavin, in a never-before-heard duet!

“I’m (You’re) gonna comb that grease right into (my) your hair. “I’m (you’re) gonna stay right here, not going nowhere. I’m (you’re) gonna scratch and claw till they till me to leave…”

This play is rated for immature audiences only.

Bracket Buster Pairings

Touring Around New England

by Phil Kasiecki

In recent seasons, college basketball fans have witnessed the rise of mid-major schools and conferences. March Madness will always include Cinderella teams, but great upsets are also coming during the regular season and fans are learning about mid-majors earlier in the season.

Last season saw mid-majors reach a new high with success stories, though it ended on low notes with Butler being left out of the NCAA Tournament despite winning 25 games and Gonzaga getting a number 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament despite going 29-3 with impressive wins throughout the regular season. This points to one thing that has not changed during the rise of mid-majors: teams in the top conferences benefit from their standing. Every season, teams in major conferences make the NCAA Tournament with a less-than-stellar record because of their schedule; Georgia made it three years ago with a 16-14 record on the basis of having the nation’s toughest schedule. The Bulldogs did not even get the last at-large bid, as they were a number 8 seed. Meanwhile, mid-majors that win games all season long, even against quality competition, get left out or get a bad seed like Gonzaga last season.

In the offseason, ESPN made deals with 18 schools to play in Bracket Buster Saturday, to be held on February 22. The hope is that it will give these schools much-needed exposure, since many typically have only hard data on these teams to go by when it comes time to select the teams for the NCAA Tournament and numbers do not tell the whole story. It has its pros and cons like anything else; the exposure will be there, but many are also of the feeling that mid-majors playing each other does not help, that they would be better off playing lower teams from the top conferences.

The last point is well-taken, but let’s be honest: who in a conference like the ACC will admit to being one of the lower teams, then take the perceived risk of playing a mid-major school in something like this, even at home? Major conference teams ducking mid-majors is well-documented, as playing them is seen by some as a no-win situation. One can look no further than Boston College for an example of this perception. The 9-8 Eagles are the only major conference team in metropolitan Boston, and have played every Division I school in the Boston area this season. They won easily against Boston University and held off a late run by Harvard, but lost to upstart Northeastern and a fine Holy Cross team. Many felt that BC head coach Al Skinner took a chance in scheduling them because the wins are not quality wins and the losses are seen as bad losses. The reality is that a major conference team that is good enough will win the games, period. They should not have to duck mid-major teams out of the fear of the impact of a loss; if the team is really a good team, why be afraid of playing anyone?

Against that backdrop, the Bracket Buster is probably the best that can be done until major conference teams drop their fear of mid-major teams altogether and those on the selection committee watch more games of mid-major schools. Around Monday, February 3, all of the matchups will be set; right now, the only matchup that is set is Tulsa visiting Gonzaga, a game the two schools had previously agreed to. The teams ESPN chose were based on preseason projections, some of which looked questionable at the time. How are the selections holding up as the date approaches? Let’s take a look at each team.

Gonzaga (14-5, 5-0 West Coast) lost All-American Dan Dickau, but returned one of the nation’s biggest and deepest frontlines. That, along with the return of two-year starter Blake Stepp on the wing, was enough to land Gonzaga in most preseason Top 25 projections. But the Bulldogs did not have their usual success in non-conference play, losing to Indiana and Kentucky, and later losing to Georgia in a game where they played poorly in the first half. Their other two losses both came together, first to Stanford and then to St. Joseph’s. They have since won six straight games. Their tough schedule has given them a high RPI (40 at press time) and they have defeated two Pac Ten teams (albeit bottom-feeders Washington and Washington State) and North Carolina State before showing that they are still the team to beat in the West Coast Conference. The Bulldogs may not be living up to the preseason hype, but they have certainly validated their selection for this.

Like its Bracket Buster opponent, Tulsa (11-5, 4-3 WAC) lost a star point guard, but Greg Harrington was not an All-American – instead, one of the best players you never knew about because of his tremendous floor leadership. With seniors Antonio Reed, Dante Swanson and Kevin Johnson leading four returning starters, the Golden Hurricane didn’t miss a beat early, as they cracked the Top 25 by winning their first four games en route to a 7-1 start. They proceeded to lose two straight after that. They have wins over Arkansas and Texas Christian to their credit, but lost to Kansas and Iowa. The Golden Hurricane is in third place in the WAC with recent losses to Boise State and SMU, but their RPI (57) shows that they belong.

The most trendy mid-major team is Creighton (18-2, 8-1 Missouri Valley), a team that has received a lot of ink for its success coming out of the Missouri Valley Conference. They have been ranked for most of the season, reaching number 9 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll and number 10 in the Associated Press poll last week before losing to Evansville. The Bluejays started off with 10 straight wins, including taking the Guardians Classic with a win over Notre Dame and later beating Brigham Young and Nebraska before Xavier broke their winning streak. The Bluejays have left no doubt that they belong in this event and barring a collapse, will be in the NCAA Tournament regardless of how they fare in the Missouri Valley Tournament.

Southern Illinois (13-4, 8-1 Missouri Valley) made a surprise run to the Sweet 16 last season. The Salukis started the season with four straight wins before dropping two straight. They played just eight non-conference games before starting Missouri Valley play, and they lost two games to major conference teams (Charlotte and St. Louis from Conference USA) while knocking off Colorado State. Their other two losses have come against other participants in the Bracket Buster, Illinois-Chicago and Creighton. The Salukis belong in this, and look to need a win for their NCAA Tournament resume since their RPI is 77 at press time.

Illinois State (2-15, 1-8 Missouri Valley) has had some recent success with stars like Rico Hill and Tarise Bryson. The Redbirds could have been a serious contender if Bryson got the sixth year he had applied for, but he was denied. That left the Redbirds without a proven scorer, though they returned an all-conference player in Baboucarr Bojang and a double-digit scorer in Gregg Alexander while adding North Carolina State transfer Trey Guidry. This season has been a disaster, as the Redbirds’ have only defeated Jacksonville and Northern Iowa. Clearly, the Redbirds do not belong, though they looked like a borderline pick in the preseason.

The fourth and final Missouri Valley team is Northern Iowa (5-12, 2-7 Missouri Valley), a head-scratching selection in the preseason. The went 14-15 last season (8-10 in conference play) and lost two starting guards, including leading scorer Robbie Sieverding, and returned a relatively inexperienced team. Most preseason projections had Northern Iowa in the second division of the Missouri Valley Conference, and those projections have been accurate as the Panthers have struggled to a 5-12 record. They are not one of the good picks for this.

One of the surprises of this season has been Fresno State (15-3, 8-1). The Bulldogs aren’t as newsworthy with Jerry Tarkanian having retired, but the lack of star power also contributes as they did not have a preseason first team All-WAC player. But without a star, they have quietly run up a good record with a schedule loaded with mid-majors and lower-level schools. The Bulldogs’ only losses are against Oklahoma State, Washington State and Hawaii (all road games as well), though they have a win against Tulsa as well. The Bulldogs are a good selection for this.

Another WAC team in this is Hawai’i (11-5, 4-4 WAC). Some preseason publications tabbed the Rainbows as the top team in the WAC, but so far they have not looked the part due to a familiar problem: struggles on the mainland. The Rainbows lost their only non-conference game on the mainland, at San Diego State, and their only road win was against Texas-El Paso in early January. Given their road struggles, this game will be a good test since they are on the road and could use a good road win for their NCAA Tournament resume.

The last of four WAC teams is Louisiana Tech (5-9, 2-6 WAC), a team in its second season in the WAC after playing in the Sun Belt Conference. The Bulldogs returned a good veteran team led by three-year starter Antonio Meeking on the post and solid point guard Lavelle Felton, but questions were present with the loss of Gerrod Henderson, who led the team in scoring and made a lot of clutch shots. The Bulldogs can be aptly described as a disappointment; two of their five wins are against non-Division I teams, and they were blown out by almost every major conference team they played in non-conference play. While they looked like a good projection in the preseason, the Bulldogs clearly do not belong.

Last season’s surprise Elite Eight team, Kent State (14-2, 7-1 MAC), is one of four teams from the Mid-American Conference. Originally, the Golden Flashes seemed like a questionable selection; they lost four starters from last season’s team and Stan Heath took the head coaching position at Arkansas. But they won their first six games before losing at St. Bonaventure, and their only other loss has come at the hands of fellow Bracket Buster participant Bowling Green. The Golden Flashes certainly belong here, and this will be a good test for them.

With Theron Smith pulling out of the NBA Draft to return for his senior season, Ball State (7-10, 2-5 MAC) looked like the favorite in the depleted MAC in the preseason. But Smith tore an ACL in the pre-draft camp that had not improved by the start of the season, and will have to sit out the year. The Cardinals have struggled mightily without him, losing seven straight games at one point, though his loss has not been the only problem. The Cardinals force fewer turnovers than any other MAC team and only two MAC teams shoot the ball worse. The Cardinals look like a bad selection now, though in the preseason they looked like a good one.

Marshall (9-6, 5-2 MAC) looked like a questionable selection in the preseason, as the Thundering Herd lost two all-MAC players from last season. During non-conference play, Marshall looked at times like it might be among the favorites, and also started out conference play with three straight wins. But they recently lost three straight games, and with no quality wins in non-conference play (one win came against a non-Division I team), the Thundering Herd has a low RPI (147 at press time) and will not be gunning for an at-large NCAA bid. They are a questionable selection.

Like Marshall, Bowling Green (9-7, 5-3 MAC) suffered heavy personnel losses as departed seniors Keith McLeod and Len Matela took nearly 39 points per game with them. The Falcons have been unable to recoup the losses and struggled in non-conference play, losing three straight at one point and getting two wins over non-Division I teams. Their RPI at press time is only slightly higher than Marshall, making them at best a questionable selection as well.

The Horizon League is well-represented, with Wisconsin-Milwaukee (14-5, 6-2 Horizon) leading the way. The Panthers looked to be the class of the league with Clay Tucker leading a solid backcourt that added Colorado transfer Jose Winston. Overall, they have held up their end of the bargain, winning eight straight games at one point. They haven’t lost at home all season, but don’t have a quality non-conference win as they lost at Wisconsin and at Georgia in addition to losing against Southeast Missouri State in the New Orleans Knockout. Still, the Panthers are among the better mid-major teams and have validated their selection for this.

Illinois-Chicago (13-5, 7-2 Horizon) took home the Horizon League Tournament title last season and was among the preseason favorites. They return a solid backcourt of juniors Martell Bailey and Cedric Banks to lead the way. The Flames have not lost consecutive games all season, but they have just one non-conference win against a major conference opponent (Northwestern) while losing to Evansville and Indiana State. They have knocked off fellow Bracket Buster participant Wisconsin-Milwaukee, while splitting with Detroit. They have shown that they belong in this.

Perry Watson has made Detroit (9-8, 5-4 Horizon) into a consistent winner, with four postseason appearances in the last five seasons. This season’s team had just two returning starters, making it a challenge for Watson to keep the team near the top of the Horizon League. The Titans had a light non-conference schedule, with Wyoming being the only major conference opponent; the Titans lost, 74-60. They have struggled to get a winning streak going until recently, as they had only won consecutive games once (the first two games of the season) prior to their recent three-game winning streak. The Titans looked like a questionable selection in the preseason, and still do now.

One of the disappointments of this season has been Western Kentucky (11-7, 4-2 Sun Belt), though the Hilltoppers have shown some life in Sun Belt play. They were ranked in most preseason polls, but All-American center Chris Marcus has been slow to return from injury and the Hilltoppers have looked overrated. Losing to Arizona is understandable, but most figured they would give the Wildcats a contest (they lost by 39). Non-conference losses also include Evansville and Pacific, though they have wins against Auburn and Southern Mississippi to their credit. The Hilltoppers recently won four straight before losing at New Mexico State, another good mid-major school. The Hilltoppers’ haven’t lived up to their preseason hype, but look to be a decent selection (RPI is 85 at press time) for this and could come out with an important win.

The Big West is represented by Cal-Santa Barbara (8-9, 5-2 Big West), which has been a disappointment. The Gauchos looked to be the class of the conference and a sleeper, as they returned two of the league’s top players in wings Mark Hull and Branduinn Fullove among four starters from last season’s 20-11 team. At one point, they lost five straight, including a loss to Bucknell in the azcentral.com Classic. The Gauchos have picked it up in conference play, but can only reach the NCAA Tournament by winning the Big West Tournament.

Overall, it looks like ESPN did a credible job with its selections. A few teams have sub-.500 records and clearly do not belong, while a few look to be questionable selections and likely won’t benefit from this in terms of their NCAA Tournament resume because they would need to win their conference tournament. In fact, about half of the selections look questionable or like bad selections. This is not entirely bad, as it further illustrates that the games need to be played and trying to select top teams for something like this in the preseason is a crapshoot.

What teams would have been good alternatives – teams that looked good in the preseason and have held up thus far? A few that come to mind are Butler (16-2, Horizon), Western Michigan (12-4, 4-3 MAC), Louisiana-Lafayette (12-6, 4-1 Sun Belt), Manhattan (15-3, 8-1 MAAC), Utah State (15-4, 6-2 Big West), UNC-Wilmington (12-5, 6-2 Colonial), Oral Roberts (13-5, 4-1 Mid-Continent) and Weber State (14-5, 4-0 Big Sky).

Last, but not least, here is one idea for the matchups, aside from the pre-determined Tulsa at Gonzaga matchup. The home and road teams have been pre-determined, and the idea of this is to match up the best teams for the most attractive matchups.

Fresno State at Creighton
Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Kent State
Hawai’i at Southern Illinois
Bowling Green at Illinois-Chicago
Detroit at Western Kentucky
Northern Iowa at Marshall
Ball State at Cal-Santa Barbara
Illinois State at Louisiana Tech

Stay tuned for the pairings next week, and enjoy the games on February 22nd.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Thursday, January 30th, 2003

by Brian Seymour

Never let it be said that Hoopville is above (or below) hyping Robert Montgomery Knight’s race to 800 career victories, as the legendary (or infamous) coach won No. 799 on Wednesday, a 66-56 decision for Texas Tech over Colorado. Knight’s Red Raiders go for the historic 800th win Saturday at Texas A&M. Andre Emmitt’s 19 led Texas Tech, which upped its mark to 12-4 overall, 2-3 in the Big 12.

Meanwhile, in other matters Knight-related, the Big 12′s investigation of the timekeeping fiasco in Texas Tech’s loss last week to Oklahoma led the conference to conclude that human error was likely to blame in the Sooners getting an extra 1.6 seconds to make the game-tying shot in regulation.

As a result of the review, the Big 12 is mandating that officials use wireless pack technology (whatever that is) to start the clock in the final minute of regulation and overtimes. Also, Oklahoma is replacing the person responsible for operating the clock at OU home games, though the man is contracted by the university and is not an employee of the university.

As you might expect, The General has an opinion on all of this.

“There is too much at stake, and the consequences too great for the school and the other team if something goes wrong with the clock, as poorly as it was handled in our game against Oklahoma,” Knight said Monday in the league’s weekly conference call with media. “I don’t think with all that’s at stake in games today, that the clock should be handled by someone that’s an employee of the institution. I’ve always felt that way.”

For those of you keeping score at home, according to the Associated Press, the person who keeps the clock at Texas Tech home games is a Tech employee.

Side Dishes

One streak ends, others continue: Brian Cook’s 26 second-half points rallied No. 15 Illinois to a 67-60 victory over Michigan, ending the Wolverines win streak at 13. Illinois trailed by as many as 11 early in the second half, but an untimely technical foul on Michigan’s Bernard Robinson Jr. led to Cook sinking four straight free throws and cutting Illinois’ deficit to 51-50, from which point it was pretty much all Illini.

Meanwhile, the longest streaks in the nation were extended quite easily. No. 10 Oklahoma State’s win streak was pushed to 15 games with a 68-55 triumph over Iowa State and No. 8 Louisville’s winning streak reached 14 games after a 94-65 whitewashing of Southern Mississippi.

Speaking of the Magnolia State: Rivals Mississippi and No. 19 Mississippi State played one of the evening’s most exciting contests, a 58-57 win for MSU, thanks to Derrick Zimmerman’s layup with 1.5 seconds left. Mississippi had just taken its first lead of the second half after Emmanuel Wade converted a three-point play with six seconds remaining, but Zimmerman dribbled the length of the floor and attacked the basket for the winning bucket. Mario Austin scored 16 points for the Bulldogs (13-4, 3-3), who won their third straight to claw back into the race for the SEC West title. Justin Reed’s 17 points led Mississippi.

Georgia only ranked team to fall: No. 16 Georgia was the only Hoopville Top 25 squad to suffer a defeat after dropping a 94-91 decision to Vanderbilt in Nashville, the 44th loss in 56 games for Georgia at Vandy. Matt Freije scored a career-high 31 points for the Commodores (9-8, 2-4), who halted a three-game losing streak. Meanwhile, Georgia lost for only the second time in its last 13 games and fell to 12-5, 4-2. Ezra Williams scored 18 points for Georgia.

Key loss for Bearcats: Cincinnati has won or shared the regular-season Conference USA crown in every season of the league’s existence, as impressive an active streak as exists in college basketball. It’s a bit early to know for sure, but it’s looking like that string of dominance could be coming to an end. Cincinnati dropped its first conference game on the road to DePaul, 56-52, putting the Bearcats (13-4 overall, 6-1) in a tie for second place in American Division with Marquette, one half game behind Louisville (6-0). The loss to the Blue Demons (11-6, 3-3) puts even more emphasis on the next two games for Cincinnati if it is going to extend that streak — at home Saturday against Marquette and at Louisville on Feb. 5.

Zips work overtime — again: These multiple overtime, 100-plus point games are getting to be old hat for Akron. The Zips broke a four-game losing streak with a 101-100 double overtime victory over Northern Illinois, the third overtime game in eight conference contests for Akron and the third time they’ve reached the 100-point threshold in those games. Akron is 2-1 in OT this season.

Tonight’s Menu

A typically light Thursday evening of action — only five Top 25 squads in action, including three in the Pac 10. No one will blame you for watching “Must See TV” instead of hoops. You have my permission. But should you not be able to resist the pull of the roundball…

• Certainly, one of the most intriguing games of the evening finds major mid-major program Butler facing No. 7 Duke in a nationally televised contest from Durham, N.C.

• The top two teams in the ACC — No. 9 Maryland and upstart North Carolina State — meet at the Comcast Center in College Park, Md.

• The top team in all the land will likely face a tough battle as Stanford comes calling to Tucson, Ariz. to face No. 1 Arizona.

Impotent Dick Vitale

Impotent Dick Vitale

by Michael Ermitage

Dick Vitale considers himself the luckiest man alive. Hugh Hefner may have something to say about that. Although some would say that there is no bigger boob than Dick Vitale.

The hyperactive Vitale has been screaming into your living room since ESPN launched in 1979. He called the first college basketball game ever to air on the network – a DePaul victory against Wisconsin. Since then, he has called nearly 1000 basketball games, both college and professional. And he has transcended the sport. If college hoops were a sitcom, Vitale would be Jerry Seinfeld. But even as successful sitcoms begin to grow tired, so has Vitale’s act. His once-funny high volume alliterations are now impetus to reach for the remote as quickly as possible. His on-air candor and continual promotion of college basketball has grown annoying, like a child repeatedly asking you the same question over and over again.

And the college basketball universe has become everything Vitale. There’s Dick Vitale books, Dick Vitale promotional tapes, Dick Vitale speaking engagements, Dick Vitale impersonation contests, Dick Vitale posters, Dick Vitale gift sets (yes, gift sets), a Dick Vitale segment on Sportscenter, Dick Vitale t-shirts, Dick Vitale hats, Dick Vitale bobbleheads ($12.95) and Dick Vitale cut-out masks. Oh, and of course, there’s a Dick Vitale web site where you can get all the aforementioned Vitale merchandise – called V-Gear, of course.

Lost in all the hoopla, excuse my pun, are the good things about Dick Vitale. Vitale knows his basketball. He was a coach from 1963 to 1979, instructing on every level from junior high through to the pros. He was an excellent high school coach, winning four state sectional championships. As a college coach, he had a winning percentage of .722. His insight into the strategy of the game is spectacular, when it is displayed on telecasts. His feel for the flow of a game is also superb, often sensing a run just before it happens.

But beyond Vitale’s knowledge and insight, he brings legitimate enthusiasm. As over-the-top and farcical Vitale’s enthusiasm has become, it is still obvious that he loves college basketball. And in time, many will point to him as being one of the main reasons college basketball has reached such heights of popularity.

In the midst of traveling cross country, giving inspirational talks and ignoring his Ritalin prescription, Vitale is also quite the philanthropist. His work with the Boys and Girls Club of Sarasota, Fla. has prompted the association to name a building after him as well as induct Vitale into the Sarasota Boys and Girls Club Hall of Fame. I’m not sure who else graces that particular Hall of Fame, but an honor nonetheless. Many are familiar with Vitale and his tireless work with the Jimmy V foundation, started in honor of Vitale’s friend Jim Valvano, who passed away of cancer. That foundation has raised millions for cancer research, thanks much to Vitale’s efforts with the organization.

Furthermore, Vitale finds time to reach out to his fans personally. A journalist friend of mine who was born with a degenerative eye disease wrote to Vitale to share with him his story since both are vision-impaired journalists. I, of course, scoffed at the notion, thinking that me-me-me Vitale would never respond. But he did. He sent autographed copies of his books and included a letter sharing some of his experiences. A real pick me up for a down-on-his-luck college student.

Somewhere through the years, Vitale has become more media machine than man, more talking head than free-thinking mind. There’s a common ground, where the college basketball fan mutes the in-your-face Vitale but keeps an open ear to the educated, well-meaning Vitale. And Dick remembers that not everyone is high-octane, that there’s a proper place for celebration and excitement just as there’s a proper place for criticism and analysis. In Vitale’s own words . . . that would be AWESOME BABY!!!

Down with the King

Down with the King

by Dan Hauptman

We don’t need him.

Let him keep wearing his NBA headband, his socks with the silhouette of Jerry West on them, and worst of all, the “King James” label on his teeth. College basketball is better off without the prospect of LeBron James gracing Chapel Hill, Durham, Columbus or anywhere else with his exaggerated presence.

James has taken all of the media hype surrounding his high school play and believed it to be true enough to change the way he lives.

It is amazing that we are even discussing the way he lives, as he is only 18 years old, barely old enough to drive the Hummer that somehow he rolls in, and at a time in his life when most kids his age are finding out which colleges they got into and where they will be spending the next, and probably best, four years of their lives.

But no, LeBron is out there traveling in limousines, signing autographs for celebrities, and appearing in newspapers and on television every time he touches the orange ball or acts like your not-so-average teenager. It has become more than a joke at this point. The collective amount of attention that James has gotten thus far in his life is bordering on apocalyptic.

As a result, I have 18 (one for each year that he has been alive) words of advice from the college basketball world to the man known to himself as King James: Just drive your SUV to the NBA, and try not to get into another accident on the way.

He does not deserve to play in our game.

Hauptman’s Hits

• Enough already with the fans rushing the court. It is happening a few times a night these days. I can see fans storming the court once in awhile, but like the goalpost-jumping phenomenon that has had an awful and dangerous impact on college football, this silly act has become way too overplayed on hardwood courts all across America. When will it stop!? When a player or coach is trampled by a horde of drunk, delirious fans? I hope we never see that day, but unfortunately, it will probably be upon us sooner than later.

• I know it means nothing in terms of the NCAA Tournament or anything else, but what Tommy Amaker has done with his Michigan Wolverines is simply mind boggling. It reminds me a little of what Frank Robinson did with the Montreal Expos in baseball last season. Robinson had a team that was left for dead playing hard and playing the role of spoiler all season long. Amaker has done the same thing in Ann Arbor the last thirteen games. After beginning the season 0-6, with losses to schools such as St. Bonaventure, Western Michigan and Central Michigan, the Wolverines have not lost since and are currently sitting on top of the Big Ten with a remarkable 6-0 mark in conference games.

If Michigan, which is on self-imposed probation and barred from appearing in the NCAA Tournament this year, continues its conference domination and wins the Big Ten postseason tournament, then the Big Ten’s automatic berth into March’s big dance would go to the school with the best record in the regular season, or second best if Michigan wins the regular season championship as well. Let the ridiculousness continue in the Midwest.

• Of the top 10 teams in the latest Hoopville poll, the only school with a virtually unknown coach is No. 2 Pittsburgh with Ben Howland. Howland is currently in his fourth season at Pittsburgh, and the school has improved every year that he has led the Panthers. In 1999-2000, Howland’s boys finished 13-15. The next season, the Panthers went 19-14 and lost in the second round of the NIT. Last season, Pittsburgh won a school-record 29 games and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1993. This season, Pitt is 15-1 and on the verge of bring ranked No. 1 in either poll for the first time in school history.

Needless to say, Howland has done a great job at Pittsburgh and his team should be a real candidate for the Final Four come April. However, in order to go from a good team to an elite team, the Panthers have to dramatically improve their free throw shooting. The team is only hitting 61% of its foul shots this season, and the figure goes down to a conference-low 56% in Pittsburgh’s five Big East games. Also, two of Pitt’s best two players, Chevon Troutman (54%) and Brandin Knight (43%), have been absolutely awful from the foul line this season. As Duke and Jason Williams showed the world in last year’s third round tournament loss to Indiana, poor free throw shooting can take down a good team and send the players back to school a lot sooner than expected.

WAC Notebook

WAC Notebook

by Phil Dailey

Is Fresno State for real?

There comes a point in the season when a team shows its true colors. For Fresno State, they still keep winning, even when they shouldn’t. It seems like every week Fresno State gets some kind of accolade. Well, they should because they just won’t lose.

The Bulldogs (15-3 overall, 8-1 Western Athletic Conference) have shown all year that they deserve to be mentioned with the top teams in the country-at least with the top mid-major teams in the country.

Last week, the Bulldogs redeemed themselves for their earlier loss to Hawai’i (11-5, 4-4), beating the Warriors by one point.

“They were obviously well prepared,” head coach Ray Lopes said modestly.

“It was a good win for us to defeat the defending WAC champs,” continued Lopes.

Sure, the Bulldogs have three losses, but losing at Hawai’i and at Oklahoma State, who just cracked the top 10, is excusable. The loss that looks bad on their NCAA tournament resume is the letdown in Pullman, Wash. against Washington State 69-66.

It’s not like they lost to Evansville by eight or Wisconsin-Milwaukee, right?

It will only be a matter of time before the basketball world knows if the Bulldogs are a fraud or not.

Six of Fresno State’s final games are on the road. If they get through that undefeated…Watch out!

There’s a new guy in El Paso

Most coaches recruit players for the following season – not Texas El Paso Head Coach Billy Gillespie.

It must be legal, because last Saturday night against Boise State (9-8, 3-4), UTEP (4-12, 2-5) unveiled its newest recruit.

The Miners have been so desperate for players; they spanned the globe and came up with 6-foot-8 Brazilian Thomas Gehrke.

Gehrke made an instant impact scoring 15 points and blocking five shots in the 85-78 overtime win against the Broncos.

“It’s a lot of fun to watch him play, I had no idea he would make that kind of impact,” said Gillespie.

“It was a great win for us.”

The loss of starters Roy Smallwood to a season-ending knee injury and freshman John Tofi for the next few weeks, the Miners were only dressing seven players.

It hasn’t been the greatest of years for Gillespie and the Miners, but at least it looks like the Miners can compete with some other teams in the WAC.

“I just don’t want to many people to get their expectations too high,” continued Gillespie about their new acquisition.

WAC Player of the Week

Quintin Ross blew up last week helping Southern Methodist (9-8, 4-3) to wins against Tulsa (11-5,4-3) and Rice (12-5, 4-3). Ross scored 25 points in the overtime win against the Golden Hurricane-the first victory ever for SMU in the Reynolds Center inn Tulsa, Okla.

Ross scored 27 points and grabbed nine boards in the win against Rice Both Mustang victories came on the road.

Since UTEP won last weekend, and by the looks of it might be a while until they do that again, it’s time to hand this years first honorable mention player of the week to freshman Giovanni St. Amant. Amant played his best game of the season since scoring 26 points against Hawai’i.

Amant shot 9-15 from the floor in the win against Boise State for a game high 25 points.

Missouri Valley Notebook

Missouri Valley Notebook

by Alan Rubenstein

A week after earning the school’s first top ten ranking and becoming the first Valley team since 1986 to accomplish the feat, Creighton was stunned at Evansville, 74-66. The Aces used a stifling defense on Creighton All-America candidate Kyle Korver and rode the hot hand of conference player of the week Clint Cuffle. Cuffle was outstanding on both ends of the court as he shadowed Korver and contributed 21 points and eight rebounds while limiting Korver to 1-12 from the field and only five points. The Aces followed up the win with an 85-74 victory over cellar dweller Illinois State. Evansville came back from a seven point deficit at the half. The back-to-back wins by Evansville was the first time the Purple Aces accomplished that feat this season.

Southern Illinois will look to extend its 21-game home court winning streak against Bradley January 29. The Salukis extended the streak with a 60-48 win over Indiana State and now have the nation’s fifth-longest home court winning streak. SIU has not lost a home game since February 24, 2001 to Evansville, 79-74. The Salukis lit up the Cedar Falls sky by hitting 14 three-point field goals in an 88-78 victory at Northern Iowa.

Wichita State’s 6-1 start means the Shockers are off to their best start since 1985. They will also be looking for their first winning record in the conference since 1998. Wichita State is tied for second place in the Valley with Southwest Missouri State, a half game behind Creighton and SIU.

Creighton’s 89-79 win over Texas Christian on Sunday gave Blue Jay head coach Dana Altman his school record 163rd win. Creighton overcame a 12 point halftime deficit and 15 point first half deficit to post the win. The Jays trailed 48-36 at the half before outscoring TCU 53-31 in the second stanza. Korver recovered from his rough outing in Evansville by scoring 23 points and pulling down nine rebounds while hitting 4-7 from three point range.

You will often hear the phrase throw-back player used probably a bit too often. Northern Iowa point guard Chris Foster, the Valley’s leader in assists is certainly a modern day warrior. After breaking a bone is his hand at Bradley January 18th, the sophomore was expected to be out for three to five weeks. He returned to the court on Saturday night and contributed three points and three assists in a 70-53 loss to Southwest Missouri State.

After missing the season’s first 15 games with a stress fracture, Bradley junior forward Jason Faulnor returned for two games only to re-injure the foot. Faulnor gave the Braves 6.5 points per game and 4.5 rebounds during his two game return.

Illinois State’s Victor Greene needs only 14 steals to become the school’s all time leader.

Barry Hinson, who has Southwest Missouri State off to their best start ever in the MVC, will be attempting to get his 100th career win as a head coach when the Bears host Drake January 28th.

Big 12 Notebook

Big 12 Conference Notebook

by Mitch Schneider

Rocky Mountain high

In case you missed it, the Colorado Buffaloes pulled off one of the biggest wins in school history last Wednesday night, as CU edged Kansas, 60-59 in Boulder.

CU’s narrow victory put an end to the Jayhawks’ 27-game winning streak over the Buffs (12-5, 2-2) – a streak that began more than a decade ago.

“We hadn’t beaten Kansas in something like 11 years and 11 months,” Colorado forward Stephane Pelle told the Associated Press after the game. “To do what people say is impossible is great.”

Just as legendary soccer star Pele was known for hitting the back of the net with tremendous precision, CU’s own Pelle also made like a sharpshooter against KU. Pelle scored a game-high 27 points on 10 of 16 shooting, and added eight boards in the win.

Pelle also contributed the game-clinching score – a ten-footer with 25.3 seconds left – that represented the final bucket of the night. That shot not only gave Colorado coach Ricardo Patton his first-ever win over Kansas (1-16), but helped secure Big 12 Player of the Week honors for Mr. Pelle.

As for the Jayhawks, the Buffs’ last-minute victory snapped KU’s 23-game winning streak in conference play (a Big 12 record)… not to mention Kansas’ 10-game winning streak this season.

After the game, hundreds of CU students piled onto the floor at the Coors Events Center. Onlookers are still debating whether or not the Buffalo faithful were celebrating the win, or trying to find a misplaced ski pass.

Cowboys ahead of the pack

Oklahoma State, ranked No. 10 in this week’s Hoopville poll, may be the hottest team in America.

The Cowboys (16-1) are riding a 14-game winning streak (including wins over Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas Tech), and are sitting atop the Big 12 standings with a 5-0 conference mark.

What’s really interesting about O-kie State’s emergence as a national contender is the fact the Cowboys are playing superb ball despite ranking seventh in the Big 12 in scoring (73.9 points per game), tenth in rebounding (37.1) and eleventh in turnovers (15.2).

Oklahoma State does not have a single player in the conference’s top ten in scoring, and does not feature a starter taller than 6-foot-8.

So, how have the Cowboys done it?

Here are three reasons:

1. Deep bench: On top of O-kie State’s talented starting five, Eddie Sutton’s squad has a trio of bench players – Cheyne Gadson, Jason Miller and Janavor Weatherspoon – who are all workhorses and are capable of playing well off the pine.

2. Home court advantage: The Cowboys are 11-0 this season in Stillwater at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Oklahoma State is outscoring its opponents by an average margin of 16.3 points at home, and hasn’t lost there in nearly a year.

3. Tony Allen: The 6-4 JuCo transfer has quickly adapted to Big 12 play, and has made the ‘Boys a contender in the early going. Allen leads O-kie State in scoring (16.3 PPG) and minutes played, and has also posted solid numbers in rebounds (5.2) and assists (3.0) per game.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: ‘How ’bout ‘dem Cowboys!’

Baylor bottoms out

The Baylor Bears have fallen back down to Earth.

After opening the season with eight wins in ten games, Baylor has dropped its last five – all in Big 12 play.

Over their recent slide, the Bears (8-7, 0-5) have had trouble scoring (64.4 PPG) and defending (74.6 PPG), and have been out-rebounded 171-135. They have dropped 12 straight Big 12 contests dating back to last season, and have not won a conference road game in the last two years.

To make matters worse for Dave Bliss and company, Baylor has yet to tackle the meatiest part of its 2003 schedule. The Bears still have Oklahoma, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Texas to play in February… assuming they manage to survive a cold January.

Don’t bears usually hibernate this time of year…? Guess so.

Collison collars Texas

Did you happen to catch Kansas forward Nick Collison’s monster game against Texas on Monday?

The 6-9 forward poured in 24 points and 23 boards (nine offensive) in KU’s 90-87 win over the Longhorns.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a person be so relentless on the backboard as Nick Collison was,” Jayhawks’ coach Roy Williams told the AP after the game. “If those NBA scouts sitting over there tonight say there’s anybody in the world with a bigger heart, then they’re just blind.”

Collison also added three blocks to his stat sheet before fouling out in the game’s closing minutes.

Kansas (14-5, 4-1) needed Collison’s gigantic effort as the short-handed ‘Hawks put an abrupt end to their two-game losing streak (Colorado, Arizona). The win also created a three-way tie for second place in the Big 12 standings between KU, Oklahoma and Texas.

Collison’s heroics kept Kansas from dropping its third straight game for the first time in nine years.

Not one three-game skid in almost a decade…? Not one U.S. President can even boast such a record.

Intriguing match-ups of the week:

Wednesday, Jan. 29 – Iowa State at Oklahoma State
Wednesday, Jan. 29 – Colorado at Texas Tech
Saturday, Feb. 1 – Oklahoma at Kansas State
Saturday, Feb. 1 – Oklahoma State at Texas

Horizon Notebook

Horizon League Notebook

by Brian Seymour

No team in the Horizon League helped itself as much as Wisconsin-Milwaukee last week.

Not only did the Panthers manage to halt Butler’s winning ways and pull themselves within a game of the Bulldogs, but thanks to an upset over Illinois-Chicago by Detroit, UWM still controls its own destiny in the Horizon League.

Two early season losses had taken some of the shine off the preseason favorites for the league crowd, but a 69-65 win Thursday over Butler, which had been knocking on the door of the national polls, could propel the Panthers through the rest of their season.

UWM tore off a 8-0 run with the game tied at 54 to pull away from the Bulldogs and hand them only their second loss of the season. The game was the second-largest crowd at the Klotsche Center in Milwaukee and the first time UWM defeated Butler in Milwaukee since 1978. Incidentally, last season’s contest against Butler is the largest crowd in school history.

Including a weekend win over Wright State, UWM moved to 15-5 overall and 6-2 in the conference, one half game behind Butler’s 6-1 mark. The Bulldogs are 16-2 overall and bounced back with a 68-53 road victory over Wisconsin-Green Bay on Saturday.

UIC’s share of lead short lived

A record-breaking effort from Detroit’s Willie Green made UIC’s share of the league lead with Butler last very short indeed.

Green’s 43-point performance was a season-high for the league and a record for the UIC Pavilion. Green was 18-of-29 from the field to help the Titans 10-8, 5-4 snap a five-game winning streak for the Flames, who fell to 12-5, 6-2, one half game behind Butler. Terrell Riggs pitched in with a double-double performance of 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Cedrick Banks scored 27 points for UIC, who will look to bounce back with a tough road contest against Wright State (7-10, 1-6) on Wednesday.

The win was very crucial for the hot-and-cold Titans, who climbed into fourth place by themselves. It was the third straight road win for the Titans, who have struggled at home this season. At one point last season, Detroit held the longest home winning streak in the country.

Statement game for Butler

National TV. Cameron Indoor Stadium. A chance for Butler to pretty much cement at least an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Should make for a pretty good game.

Butler gets a shot at a suddenly struggling No. 7 Duke Thursday in a 7 p.m. (EST) contest that will be televised on ESPN2. It certainly should be a lot closer a contest than many casual observers might expect. The Bulldogs’ seniors are 5-3 against teams from the Big 10, Pac 10, Big East and ACC.

The Bulldogs haven’t gotten much love from the pollsters despite a 16-2 mark, but that would certainly change if they can figure out a way to pull off what would be one of the biggest victories (and possibly the biggest regular-season victory) in school history.

Big performance for Loyola big men

Loyola Chicago helped itself to some “alphabet soup”, posting a 80-71 non-conference win over IPFW Saturday.

For the record, that’s Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne. Demetrius Williams and Paul McMillan combined for 46 points and 20 rebounds in the road win for the Ramblers, who needed a big performance after struggling at times this season to a 9-12 record and 4-4 in the Horizon.

Another big chance to prove themselves awaits on Saturday, when Loyola hosts a suddenly resurgent Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Patriot League Notebook

Patriot League Notebook

by Harry Adams

Mountain Hawks soaring

With two victories this past weekend over Lafayette and Army, the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks (13-5, 5-0) find themselves sitting atop the Patriot League in sole possession of first place.

In the first nationally televised Direct TV Patriot League “Game of the Week”, the Mountain Hawks defeated their cross-valley rival Lafayette 85-73 in front of a rowdy home crowd at Stabler Arena. Leading the way for the Mountain Hawks was senior point guard Zlatko Savovic who finished the contest with 28 points, seven assists, four rebounds, and five steals. Savovic’s dominating play proved to be the key to the game for Lehigh. After entering halftime with the score tied at 39, Lehigh opened up the second half with a 9-2 run and never look back. Once again, leading the way was Savovic. In addition to shooting 55.6 percent, the Mountain Hawks were able to convert Lafayette’s twelve turnovers into 24 points. Lafayette placed four players in double figures led by Winston Davis who tallied eighteen points in the losing effort.

Then, on Super Bowl Sunday, the Mountain Hawks played host to the Black Knights of Army in a game that, at one point, saw Lehigh open up a 30 point lead. However, that lead was cut to 13 points with approximately five minutes remaining in the contest. Lehigh used a 14-0 first half run, combined with a strong defensive effort that held the Black Knights scoreless for 6:28 to lead 39-23 at the half. Then came the Army run! Led by Andrew Pawling’s 16 points, the Black Knights rallied with a 15-0 run to cut the lead to 66-55 with 5:14 to play. But Lehigh countered by scoring the next seven points. They were led, once again, by Savovic who finished with 18 points and 5 assists. Lehigh proved too strong for the Black Knights (5-12, 0-5 Patriot League) who have yet to win a game in Patriot League Play.

Player of the week

Zlatko Savovic, Lehigh

The 6-3 senior from Everett, Washington led the way in both of this past weekend’s victories over cross-valley rival Lafayette and the Black Knights of Army. Against Lafayette on Friday, Savovic finished with 28 points, seven assists, four rebounds, and five steals as well as a 28 footer to beat the buzzer before half. Sunday versus Army, Savovic once again paved the way for the victorious Mountain Hawks with 18 points and 5 assists.

Game of the week

The first place Lehigh Mountain Hawks (13-5, 5-0) versus the second place Holy Cross Crusaders (14-4, 4-1)

A Lehigh win would move the Mountain Hawks two games ahead of second place, and two-time defending Patriot League champions, Holy Cross. A Holy Cross victory would tie the two teams atop the Patriot League. Lehigh is led by Matt Logie and Zlatko Savovic, 15.9 ppg and 14.7 ppg respectively. Holy Cross has four players who average double figures led by Tim Szatko (11.9 ppg).

SEC Notebook

Southeastern Conference Notebook

by Rainer Sabin

What is going on in Tuscaloosa? That is the question fans, reporters, and Alabama coach Mark Gottfried are trying to answer. On Saturday, No. 7 Kentucky (15-3, 5-0 SEC) walked in to Coleman Coliseum and handed the No. 23 Crimson Tide a 63-46 loss that highlighted Alabama’s offensive deficiencies. The Tide, which has lost five of its last seven ball games, produced its lowest output at home in 34 years. The last time Alabama scored so few points was 1969 when the Tide lost to Tennessee 70-43. Ouch.

In a nationally televised game broadcast by ESPN, Alabama (12-5, 2-4 SEC) put up a real stinker, as the Tide converted just 10 of the 42 shots it attempted against the Wildcats. Considering that forwards Erwin Dudley and Kenny Walker combined to miss all 13 field goals they attempted, it really is no surprise that the Tide were hard-pressed to light up the scoreboard.

During the first half, the Tide went twelve minutes between baskets, yet still was able to close within five, 26-21, before halftime. In the second stanza, Alabama’s offense continued to sputter, as the Tide was manhandled by Kentucky’s Marquis Estill inside the paint. Estill finished with 12 points, but more importantly, proved his worth on the defensive end where he repeatedly altered shots and disrupted the flow of Alabama’s offense. While Alabama continued to struggle, Kentucky pulled away in the second half and cruised to a comfortable win. “We had a pretty good effort down in Tuscaloosa,” Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said in a Monday news conference with the SEC. “I think our guys played pretty well. We didn’t shoot the ball well, but Alabama had a lot to do with that.”

The latest setback for Alabama showed just how far the Tide has fallen since it was ranked No. 1 in December. Since SEC play started, Alabama is tenth in the league in scoring offense and eleventh in field goal percentage. Meanwhile, Kentucky’s impressive victory in a hostile environment proved how much the Wildcats have risen since it lost to in-state rival Louisville in non-conference play. This was a tale of two teams headed in opposite directions.

Dogs Bite Tigers

Who needs a healthy Jarvis Hayes? Apparently, Georgia (12-4, 4-1 SEC) can survive without his full arsenal. With the All-American candidate hampered by a hip flexor that limited his mobility, Georgia was still able to earn an 85-79 victory over Auburn (15-4, 4-2 SEC) as Coach Jim Harrick sought contributions from his other players.

They didn’t disappoint. Guard Ezra Williams, who leads the league in scoring with 20.4 points per game in five league contests, tallied 19 points. Forward Steven Thomas added 16 points, as the Bulldogs were able to counter Auburn’s high-flying attack. Tigers’ forward Brandon Robinson scored a career-high 25 points and guard Marquis Daniels contributed 20 points. But it was not enough to outlast Georgia, which is currently first in the RPI rankings.

Auburn, which was ranked No. 24 last week in the Associated Press poll, has lost two consecutive games.

Bayou Bengals Broken . . . Again

LSU (12-5, 1-4 SEC) continued its tumble in the SEC West standings, as the Tigers fell into last place in the division with a 67-64 loss to No. 21 Mississippi State (12-4, 2-3 SEC) Saturday. The Bulldogs almost blew a 12-point advantage with 55 seconds remaining. Trailing 65-53, the Tigers made a trio of three-pointers, which proved more devastating as Mississippi State failed to convert the front end of two one-and-one opportunities.

After Bulldogs’ point guard Derrick Zimmerman hit two free throws, the Tigers were down 67-64. LSU guard Torris Bright’s last-second three-point attempt badly missed and the Tigers lost for the fourth time in five conference games.

The Tigers will return to the hardwood Wednesday, when they face No. 4 Florida in Baton Rouge. The Gators (16-2, 5-0 SEC) have not played since beating Vanderbilt last Wednesday and will be well rested. Florida is led by their two freshmen, Matt Walsh and Anthony Roberson, who average 14.8 and 14.3 points, respectively.

Louisville Escapes with a Win

Eighth-ranked Louisville needed some last-minute heroics to pull out a 72-69 victory over Tennessee (9-6, 2-3 SEC) in a non-conference match-up in Knoxville last Saturday. Taquan Dean buried a three-pointer and Kendall Dartez hit a jumper that catapulted the Cardinals into the lead after coming back from a 12-point deficit. “I’m very disappointed,” Tennessee coach Buzz Peterson said. “Give Louisville credit for coming back in the second half with some big three-point baskets. We were completely worn out with about seven minutes left in the game. Give Louisville credit. They hit the baskets when they needed to”

For Peterson, it was just one of the many hard-luck losses he has suffered in his short career at Tennessee. In fact, it was second time in as many years that he watched the Volunteers succumb to the Cardinals in the final minute. Last year, Tennessee lost by one point, 73-72, when Reece Gaines nailed a three-pointer with 1.8 seconds left to cap a furious comeback that was aided by Louisville’s hot perimeter shooting. Coincidentally, it was Reece that led the Cardinals in scoring, with 22 points, in last Saturday’s victory.

Ole Miss Pulls Away, Beats Arkansas

Things fall apart. That has been the story for the Arkansas Razorbacks (6-10, 1-4 SEC) in close games this season. And it didn’t change Saturday. In front of 8,784 spectators at the Tad Smith Coliseum in Oxford, Ole Miss defeated Arkansas for the sixth consecutive time, 73-54.

With 12:05 remaining in regulation, the Rebels (12-4, 3-2 SEC) embarked on a 12-0 run, which transformed Ole Miss’ precarious 47-46 lead into a sizable 59-46 advantage. Benefiting from Arkansas’ sputtering offense, which failed to score for nearly seven minutes, the Rebels created a margin too wide for the Hogs to close. The Razorbacks’ lack of productivity betrayed them late in the second half, as Arkansas was unable to convert a field goal for over eleven minutes. As a result, the Hogs could not sustain an early second half run that closed a 10-point halftime deficit to one. Instead, Harper and Ole Miss forward Justin Reed, the game’s high scorer with 17 points, helped stifle Arkansas and establish a wider gap.

Big Ten Notebook

Big Ten Notebook

by Chris Burke

Consider Purdue’s message received.

After flying under the national and Big Ten radar for the start of the year, Purdue served notice that it is ready to contend for the Big Ten title and an NCAA tournament berth, hammering nationally-ranked Indiana, 69-47 over the weekend to improve to 4-1 in the conference and 12-4 overall.

The Boilermakers came out emotional and excited, while Indiana was flat the entire game. Purdue led by 12 at the half and blew the game open with some tenacious defense in the second half.

Indiana shot, believe it or not, only 29 percent from the field. That’s not going to get the job done in many Big Ten games. Point guard Tom Coverdale led the way with 13 points for the Hoosiers, but they were severely outplayed.

Purdue received a very balanced attack, led by Kenny Lowe’s 19 and Big Ten Player of the Year candidate Willie Deane’s 18. The Boilermakers also outrebounded the Hoosiers, 39-30, thanks in no small part to the horrible Indiana shooting.

The lone conference loss for the Boilermakers came at the hands of Illinois in Champaign, but at home Purdue has taken down Michigan State, Northwestern and Indiana while also knocking off Penn State in Happy Valley. This week, Purdue hosts Ohio State and travels to Iowa — two more potential victories.

Not bad for a team that it was thought might drive Gene Keady to retirement.

Maize and Blue take back the state

Speaking of teams that not much was expected of, Michigan now has a big red bullseye on its chest after its 60-58, pride-recovering victory of Michigan State moved the Wolverines to 6-0 in the Big Ten and extended the the nation’s second-longest winning streak to 13 games.

It was the Wolverines first win over the Spartans in their last nine tries, and it came in front of a sold-out Crisler Arena and a national television audience as a prequel to the Super Bowl.

Even more amazing was that Michigan was able to pull out the victory despite senior LaVell Blanchard — Michigan’s leading scorer — being held to two measly points, both coming on free throws in the final minute to help the Wolverines lock up a win.

As they have done through much of this winning streak, the Wolverines got the job done on the defensive side of the ball. After Spartan point guard Chris Hill hit a running finger-roll with just over six minutes left to put Michigan State up 52-47, Michigan put the clamps on, not allowing another point by Michigan State until a desperation 3-pointer by Hill with 11 seconds left in the game and Michigan up by six.

The Wolverines were outrebounded and outshot by the Spartans, but Michigan State converted on just 5-of-11 free throws compared to the Wolverines 19-of-24 mark. Michigan also committed just six turnovers, none by freshman point guard Daniel Horton, who played all 40 minutes and scored 17 points including a beat-the-shot clock 3-pointer with 1:24 left in the game to put Michigan up four.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was distraught after the game at his team’s inability to close out the win despite the second half lead, while Michigan coach Tommy Amaker continued to preach one step at a time for his young, red-hot club.

Buckeye surprise

Just when it looked like Ohio State was dead in the water, the Buckeyes pulled out their biggest win of the season Saturday, knocking off Iowa 83-72 in Iowa City.

The win moved the Buckeyes to 2-4 in the conference and 9-8 overall, keeping their postseason hopes very realistic and sparking again their currently slim NCAA Tournament chances.

For the Hawkeyes, meanwhile, it was a stunning loss at home to a struggling team that dropped Iowa from the top three in the Big Ten to the logjam in the middle. Iowa is now 3-2 in the Big Ten, 11-5 overall.

Ohio State was on a three-game slide prior to the upset win, with home losses to Michigan and Wisconsin and a road defeat by Indiana. But the inconsistent Buckeyes showed the form that had helped them spank the Hoosiers to start the conference campaign, hang with Duke on the road and nearly pull out an upset over Louisville.

The Buckeyes travel to Purdue before hosting Minnesota and Northwestern. They realistically must go at least 2-1 to keep the postseason hopes alive, because four of their last seven games are on the road.

This week in the Big Ten

Indiana and Michigan State open a huge conference week for both on Tuesday night, when the Hoosiers head to East Lansing. Both teams are struggling and desperate for a win and it should be a knock-down affair.

No one would have expected it when they looked at the schedule to start the year, but Wednesday’s Michigan-Illinois game has title implications. Illinois needs a win desperately to stay in the hunt. A loss would be the Illini’s third of the year in the Big Ten. Michigan, meanwhile, could take a stranglehold on the conference race midway through the year with an upset as the Wolverines would move to 7-0. Remember, last year’s 4-way title tie was won with 11 wins.

Also on Wednesday, Ohio State is at Purdue; Northwestern at Wisconsin; and Minnesota at Penn State.

America East Notebook

America East Conference Notebook

by Adam Reich

The Battle of Boston

Case Gymnasium was rocking Saturday afternoon with Boston University leading cross-town rival Northeastern 46-30 with just over 16 minutes left in the game. But with the Terriers perhaps counting their seventh straight conference win, the Huskies woke up and decided to play a little ball. Sparked by reserve guard Derrel Keys, who before Saturday was averaging less than five minutes per game, the Huskies went on a 7-0 run. An Aaron Davis steal and lay-up brought NU to within six, 56-50, with 9 minutes to play. Coach Dennis Wolff called a timeout to regroup his troops, but the Huskies just kept on rolling. Back to back threes by Javorie Wilson and Sylbrin Robinson tied the game with 7 minutes and change remaining. A pair of free throws by Jose Juan Barea capped a 10-0 run and gave NU its first lead since 5-4, as the usually raucous BU students were made silent by now boisterous Husky fans.

But, the BU student section didn’t remain quiet for long. A monstrous follow-up dunk by Rashad Bell brought the house down, and just like that the momentum swung back in favor of the Terriers. Adding insult to injury, Barea picked up his 4th foul on the next BU possession, thus causing the Huskies to play without their floor leader for valuable minutes down the stretch. Bell was immense for BU in crunch time, scoring on consecutive drives to give BU a 64-63 lead with 1:50 left. A pair of Robinson free throws gave NU a brief lead until Billy Collins knotted the game by hitting one of two with one minute to go. This set the stage for Barea, who had just stepped back on the court with his four fouls. With the shot clock winding down, Barea threw up a 25-footer that hit nothing but net. Matt Turner’s three-point bid to tie the game went in and out, and the Huskies hit four straight from the line to ice the game. The 72-69 victory was only the Huskies second in their last nine meetings with the Terriers.

Jose Juan Barea led the Huskies (9-10, 2-4) with eighteen points, thirteen of which came after the break. Sylbrin Robinson, who notched his seventh double-double of the season, tallied sixteen points and ten boards. Rashad Bell had another monster game for BU (11-7, 6-1), hitting nine-of-twelve field goals and all seven of his free throw attempts for a game-high 24 points. Billy Collins added eighteen points and nine rebounds for the Terriers. Matt Turner, whose game-tying three was off the mark, had a horrid shooting day, hitting only four-of-fifteen. Derrel Keys, who had season highs in points, rebounds and steals in seventeen huge minutes off the bench, shadowed Turner for much of the game.

The best of the rest

Led by Jerrel Parker’s fifteen second-half points, the Hartford Hawks (9-8, 4-2) knocked off the Catamounts in Burlington on Saturday, 63-55. The loss ended Vermont’s school-record 16 game home winning streak. UVM (11-8, 5-2) shot 29% from the floor in the second half, and connected on just two-of-fifteen attempts from beyond the arc. Hartford’s pressing defense confused the Catamounts, forced turnovers and led to easy scores on the other end. A 14-2 run midway through the second half lifted the Hawks into the lead, while clutch shooting down the stretch thwarted all Catamount comeback attempts. Taylor Coppenrath had a game-high 21 points for UVM. Balanced scoring paced the Hawks as four players hit for double figures.

In a non-conference battle Saturday, Albany (5-12, 1-5) outlasted Dartmouth 85-84 in triple overtime. A back in forth game the entire way, the outcome wasn’t decided until super freshman Jamar Wilson calmly netted a pair of free throws to put Albany ahead with under a minute left. Antione Johnson had a season-high 25 points, including eleven in the overtimes. Five Great Danes finished in double figures, while Rhasheed Peterson and Levi Levine each recorded double-doubles in points and rebounds. Five players for the Green Wave also reached double figures led by Charles Harris’ game-high 32 points. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Great Danes.

Stony Brook held off a late Maine charge to pull out an 81-79 victory at home on Sunday. The Seawolves (8-9, 3-4) looked golden as they nursed an eleven-point lead with only a minute to go in the game. However, Clayton Brown and the Black Bears refused to die. Brown drilled a pair of treys and had a conventional three-point play before solid free throw shooting from the Seawolves finally secured the win. D.J. Munir had a game-high 25 points for Stony Brook, while Jairus McCollum added sixteen. Brown and Rickey White each had nineteen points for Maine. The Black Bears (8-11, 3-4) held a significant rebounding edge, 42-33, but terrific shooting by the Seawolves (49%) was too much to overcome.

A packed house in West Gym saw host Binghamton cruise past New Hampshire 82-71 Sunday afternoon. The Wildcats (3-15, 1-6) managed only four field goals in the first half, while Anthony Green scored fourteen of his game-high 22 points before the break. The Bearcats didn’t ease up on UNH in the second half either, shooting 59% from the floor, and connecting on seven treys after halftime. Despite being overmatched, four Wildcats were in double figures, led by Shejdie Childs’ twenty points. Binghamton (10-7, 5-2), by far the biggest surprise in the conference, is now tied for second place in the standings.

Player of the week

Jairus McCollum, Stony Brook

In wins over Northeastern and Maine, McCollum averaged fourteen points, six rebounds and three assists per game, and did not commit a single turnover.

Game to watch

Vermont at Binghamton, Sunday at 1 p.m.

Binghamton is the hottest team in the league right now, while Vermont looks to rebound from their first home loss in seventeen games.

ACC Notebook

Atlantic Coast Conference Notebook

by Michael Protos

Home Sweet Home

As the nine ACC teams approach the midpoint of conference play, no single team appears ready to dominate the conference. Each team must defend its home court to earn the right to appear in the post-season. Last week’s ten contests proved this point.

The upset of the week occurred Jan. 22, when the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils exited Raleigh with their second consecutive conference loss. The NC State Wolfpack won a crucial game that could send the Pack onto a winning streak that will erase memories of bad losses on the road to Massachusetts and at home to Boston College. Senior guard Clifford Crawford turned in one of his best performances of the season with 21 points, propelling NC State to an 80-71 victory.

A few days later, NC State outlasted its other Triangle rival, North Carolina, 86-77. The resounding statement made by the Wolfpack in these two solid ACC victories is that no team can enter Raleigh and expect to win. Based on the way the NCAA tournament selection committee has acted in recent years, home victories are essential to building a strong resume. Road wins are of an even higher quality, especially in the nation’s top conferences.

And that brings us to No. 13 Maryland and its journey south to face North Carolina and then Clemson. That’s two roads games in hostile arenas, and two great wins to post on an increasingly impressive Terrapin resume. Maryland stormed into Chapel Hill to out-rebound the Tar Heels by ten and out-shoot them by 23 percent. Maryland went ice cold from the floor, though, against Clemson, shooting 34 percent. But they held Clemson to 32 percent and out-rebounded the Tigers by ten, too. And Clemson is no pushover on the boards.

Outside of Maryland’s road success, every other ACC team lost when leaving the security of home. No. 17 Wake Forest traveled to Virginia and lost 85-75, but defeated Florida State at home 71-60. Aforementioned Florida State defeated Clemson in Tallahassee. Georgia Tech waxed Elon University, then received a waxing from an angry bunch of Blue Devils in Durham. The only other non-conference game last week sent Virginia on the road to Virginia Tech. Guess which team won? The home team, 73-55.

So, with this theme in mind, keep an eye on the ACC teams that can post road victories. Each road win over a conference opponent is a piece of the puzzle that could yield an NCAA berth in March.

Putting Virginia Back on the Mapp

Sorry, it’s just too easy. Virginia’s heart and soul resides in one man, junior guard Majestic Mapp. Gradually working his way back into the lineup, Mapp energizes the Cavaliers every time he steps on to the court. Mapp returned from a knee injury that forced him to miss two years. His presence transforms University Hall into a deafening environment. Wake Forest learned first-hand last week that winning at Virginia will not come easy. Mapp played 17 minutes, scored three points and dished out four assists to his teammates. This week Florida State will come to visit Virginia and attempt to keep the crowd out of the game. But with fans willing to roar at the sight of one man doing nothing but stepping onto the court, the Seminoles essentially must ignore the crowd and play their game regardless of the hostile conditions.

ACC Player of the Week

NC State sophomore guard Julius Hodge lit up the North Carolina Tar Heels for a career-high 30 points. Add 18 points from an 80-71 victory over Duke and you have a 24 point per game average. Hodge also contributed 7.5 rebounds and 5 assists to the Wolfpack in two impressive wins.

ACC Rookie of the Week

North Carolina guard Raymond Felton single-handedly kept the Tar Heels close against NC State, scoring 28 points and making 8 of 12 shots from three-point range. For the week, Felton averaged 21 points per game, 5 rebounds and 5.5 assists. The rebounds are perhaps the most significant statistic considering Felton stands 6-0 and still pulled down all those boards. Think UNC misses injured freshman forward Sean May?

ACC Coaches’ Clipboard

North Carolina coach Matt Doherty has the unenviable task of finding a way to stop the bleeding against tough ACC opponents this week. The Tar Heels travel to Georgia Tech Wednesday and host Wake Forest Sunday. Doherty must find a way for his team to score in the paint and to keep opponents from dominating the Heels on the glass.

Game of the Week

The most intriguing game this week features No. 3 Duke against… Butler. It’s a classic battle between the best of a major conference and the best of a mid-major conference. Every year, match-ups like this provide the drama in March that shocks the basketball world. Last year, Kent State rode the mid-major euphoria all the way to the Elite 8. Is Butler for real? A trip to Durham may answer that question.

Other Great Games

Thursday: No. 13 Maryland vs. NC State
Sunday: North Carolina vs. No. 17 Wake Forest

Mid-Continent Notebook

Mid-Continent Conference Notebook

by Matt Amis

Hate to say I told you so, but — look out for Valpo.

The Crusaders pushed their current winning streak to five while staying perfect in conference, defeating Oakland, 72-70 Saturday in Rochester, Mich.

Joaquim Gomes hit two free throws with four seconds left in the game to give Valpo (10-7, 5-0 Mid-Con) a razor-thin win over the Golden Grizzlies (8-9, 2-3 Mid-Con). Raitis Grafs led Valpo with 22 points, with Stalin Ortiz adding 18 points and a team-best five rebounds.

Gomes’ heroics were set up by a steal by Greg Tonagel, who passed the ball to Gomes with four seconds remaining. Mike Helms immediately fouled the 6-9 junior, who calmly drained both free throws in the collective grill of the Oakland student section.

Helms led Oakland with a game-high 37 points, while Cortney Scott finished with a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Valpo pushed its all-time record against Oakland to 9-0 in comeback fashion, as it overcame a 25-10 Grizzlies run in the second half.

Oral Roberts stays hot

Not to be outdone, Oral Roberts won its fourth straight game, defeating UMKC, 76-62.

ORU (13-5, 4-1 Mid-Con) used a 21-6 run late in the second half to defeat the Kangaroos (2-16, 1-4 Mid-Con) in Kansas City.

In the second half, ORU’s guards finally solved UMKC’s zone defense and proceeded to hit 6-of-9 from 3-point range over the final 20 minutes.

Reggie Borges led the Golden Eagles scoring 15 of his team-high 25 points in the first half, while Tyrone Tiggs finished with 14. UMKC was, as usual, led by Michael Watson, who netted 25 points and went 11-of-15 from the charity stripe.

This ought to be a good one – Oral Roberts heads to Valpo Thursday night to scrap over first place.

IUPUI heads north of .500

In other exciting Mid-Con action, IUPUI knocked off visiting Western Illinois, 76-62, pushing its conference record over .500.

IUPUI (9-11, 3-2 Mid-Con) drilled 15-of-24 from the floor in the second half en route to the 10-point win over the reeling Leathernecks (6-11, 2-3 Mid-Con).

IUPUI ran the floor in the second half and the Leathernecks got no closer than 13 down the stretch and opted against fouling to stop the clock over the final minutes of the game.

Josh Mullins led four Jaguars in double-figures with 17, while Josh Murray and Odell Bradley had 16 each. Murray also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.

J.D. Summers and Will Lewis led the Leathernecks with 16 and ten points respectively in the loss. The duo also tied for the team lead in rebounds with six apiece.

TV audience gets surprise treat

The first of seven games that will be televised as part of the Mid-Con’s television package kicked off this past weekend. However, it remains doubtful that anyone expected this doozie of a premier.

Mid-Con enthusiasts across the Midwest were treated to a surprisingly entertaining meeting between Southern Utah and Chicago State, with the Thunderbirds topping the Cougars 65-64 in Cedar City, Utah.

CSU’s comeback attempt fell one point short as Derrick Wimmer’s driving shot in the lane at the buzzer was blocked clean by Southern Utah’s David Palmer.

Wimmer’s two three-pointers and two free throws in the final five minutes helped the comeback become reality – from double digit points down to within one (65-64 with 10.8 seconds remaining). The Cougars trailed by as many as 19 in the second half.

CSU fouled SUU’s Jay Collins and he missed a one-and-one free throw with 8.5 seconds left, setting up Wimmer’s final shot in the lane.

Craig Franklin led the Cougars (3-16, 0-5, Mid-Con) with 18 points. Wimmer totaled 12 and Clark Bone had 15 points for CSU.

David Palmer scored 13 points and Donnie Jackson and Jay Collins each had 12 to lead the Thunderbirds. Craig Franklin led all scorers with 20 points for the Cougars in the loss, while Clark Bone added 15 points and a game-high eight rebounds.

The loss spoiled the debut of interim head coach Kevin Jones, who takes over for the fired Bo Ellis. Ellis’ five-year record with the Cougars – 23-104.

Ouch.

Big West Notebook

Big West Conference Notebook

by Shaan Hassan

Three-Headed Monster Leads the Way

Just a few weeks into the conference season, it’s becoming apparent that
the same three teams that vied for the conference title last season may
do so again this season.

Utah State (6-2), UC Irvine (5-2), UC Santa Barbara (5-2) and even
Pacific (4-3) have clearly shown that they are a level above the rest.
However, it took one wild week to let it fall into place.

Utah State started Jan. 23 in an easy 77-58 win over UC Riverside (2-5)
powered by forward Desmond Penigar’s 18 points and center Spencer
Nelson’s 14 points and 12 rebounds as he continues his impressive
season. Center Klaus Schille led the Highlanders with 12 points.

The first half remained somewhat close, ending with an Aggie three-point
lead, but then Utah State shot an amazing 62 percent from the field to
cruise in the second half and the take the win.

Two days later, the Aggies hosted Cal State Fullerton (3-4) and
struggled mightily for the victory. Forward Cardell Butler hit two free
throws with under five seconds left to give the Aggies the 61-60
advantage. Penigar scored 11 for Utah State, while guard Ralphy Holmes
led Fullerton with 18 points as the Titans continue their up and down,
inconsistent season.

Irvine, meanwhile, started the week off right by visiting Pacific.

Normally, visiting the Tigers hasn’t turned out well for most teams, but
UCI changed that with a 66-62 win. They weren’t led by center Adam
Parada or even forward Jordan Harris who had 18 points and eight
rebounds, but rather guard-turned-recent-hero Mike Hood, whose play of
recently has been nothing short of remarkable. Hood scored 20 points on
8-10 shooting and 4-5 from behind the arc. Hood was also responsible for
the Anteaters victory over Utah State two weeks ago and had a huge shot
against Riverside prior to that. Guard Demetrius Jackson led the Tigers
with 17 points while forwards Christian Maraker and Matt Kemper added 11
each.

However, as impressive as UCI was in that victory, they were equally
disappointing in their Jan. 25 69-63 loss at Cal State Northridge (3-4).
Guard Curtis Slaughter led the Matadors with 21 points on 8-14 shooting
and 4-6 from three-point range. Harris led UCI with 19 points while Hood
contributed with 17 and Parada added 10. CSUN has won three straight
games, now.

In UCSB’s lone game of the week, they handled Cal Poly SLO 70-61.
Leading the way for the Gauchos was forward Mark Hull who had a
double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Cal Poly (3-4) led early
on, but then UCSB delivered the thunder in their Thunderdome to take the
rest. UCSB hit 25 of 29 from the free throw line.

After their loss to UCI, Pacific had no problem coming back Jan. 26 to
destroy Long Beach State (1-6) 93-60, proving despite a 57 winning
percentage, they too are a team not to be forgotten in the race for the
west. The Tigers had five players score in double figures and two more
with eight points, while the 49ers’ leading scorer was forward Antoine
Jackson who could only muster 12 points, but did have 10 rebounds.

The Week Ahead

Of the games featured this week, four stand out: UCSB at UC Irvine Jan.
30, CSUN at Fullerton Jan. 30, Utah State at Idaho Feb. 1 and Pacific at
Fullerton Feb. 1.

The UCSB/UCI match-up features last season’s conference champion
visiting the team they knocked out of the tourney. Currently, UCSB and
UCI are third and second in the conference, respectively, and a loss
from either team here would send them down to the middle of the pack.

CSUN and Fullerton both stand at 3-4 so whichever team sweeps their
games this week they could suddenly find themselves in the top five in
the conference. CSUN also visits UCR.

Utah State is looking to stay perched atop the conference, while Idaho
(4-4), which won both their games last week by a combined 10 points, is
one of many teams hoping to ride a short winning streak to push
themselves into the top five.

Pacific plays UCR and Fullerton on the road and a week’s sweep could
easily tie them with the “Big Three” if one of them should lose.

CSUN’s Curtis Slaughters Opponents En Route to Honor

Due to his two consecutive 20-point performances, CSUN guard Curtis
Slaughter was named Big West Player of the Week Jan. 27. In his team’s
85-77 win over Long Beach State, Slaughter scored 20 points and added
six assists. Against UCI in CSUN’s 69-63 win, Slaughter had 21 points,
17 of which came in the second half including four three-pointers.