McDonald’s All-Americans

Presenting the McDonald’s All-Americans

by Jed Tai

Sigh.

The national press is at it again.

The McDonald’s All-American team has been announced, as 24 of the nation’s top high school basketball players receive what is considered the top honor today in prep basketball – to be named a Mickey-D All-American.

So, in the news release, we should be treated to the entire list of this elite group of hoopsters, should we not?

Instead, we are given the following headline off the AP wire, an article that only mentions one current member of this year’s team in its entire length:

“LeBron James accepts invite to play in McDonald’s game”

Lest I sound like a broken record, but it’s not all about LeBron James.

In fact, I’m going to make a stand. That’s the last time I will evoke the name that’s being treated these days like the second coming of Christ (so, I’ll instead call him The Chosen One). Last time I checked, there will be 23 other players who will be on the same court in Cleveland at Gund Arena, on national television, each one of whom are every bit as important as the guy who wouldn’t be there if the Ohio High School Athletics Association had any guts.

So, instead of talking any more about the kid who will get more than enough coverage during the game, let’s breakdown who else was selected for the East and West squads for the 26th annual event. First, let’s look at the individuals by position (listed with height, high school, and college committed to):

Point Guards (5)
Aaron Brooks, 6-0, Franklin HS (Seattle, WA), Oregon
Shannon Brown, 6-3, Proviso East HS (Maywood, IL), Michigan State
Brandon Cotton, 6-0, St. Martin DePorres HS (Detroit, MI), Michigan State
Andrew Lavender, 5-7, Brookhaven HS, (Columbus, OH), Oklahoma
Chris Paul, 6-1, West Forsyth HS (Clemmons, NC), Wake Forest

Shooting Guards (4)
Olu Famutimi, 6-5, Northwestern Edison HS (Flint, MI), Arkansas
J.R. Giddens, 6-6, John Marshall HS (Oklahoma City, OK), Kansas
Michael Jones, 6-5, Thayer Academy (Braintree, MA), Maryland
Mustafa Shakur, 6-3, Friends Central HS (Philadelphia, PA), Arizona

Small Forwards (5)
Brandon Bass, 6-8, Capitol HS (Baton Rouge, LA), Louisiana State
Luol Deng, 6-8, Blair Academy (Blairstown, NJ), Duke
Leon Powe, 6-8, Oakland Tech HS (Oakland, CA), California
Vakeaton Wafer, 6-6, Heritage Christian (Cleveland, TX), Florida State
… and The Chosen One

Power Forwards (5)
Ndudi Ebi, 6-9, Westbury Christian HS (Houston, TX), Arizona
Ivan Harris, 6-7, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, VA), Ohio State
Kris Humphries, 6-9, Hopkins HS (Minnetonka, MN), Duke
Travis Outlaw, 6-9, Starkville HS (Starkville, MS), Mississippi State
Charlie Villanueva, 6-10, Blair Academy (Blairstown, NJ), Illinois

Centers (5)
Brian Butch, 6-11, Appleton West HS (Appleton, WI), Wisconsin
Jackie Butler, 6-10, McComb HS (McComb, MS), Mississippi State
James Lang, 6-10, Central Park Christian HS (Birmingham, AL), Undecided
David Padgett, 6-11, Reno HS (Reno, NV), Kansas
Kendrick Perkins, 6-10, Clifton J. Ozen HS (Beaumont, TX), Memphis

There’s a great group of talent in this year’s game, which is balanced at all five positions. In some years, there is a dearth of big men available. But that’s not the case this season. All five centers on this year’s squad were highly regarded nationally, and were highly pursued by all the top programs. In fact, two of the big guys – Lang and Perkins – may very well make the jump to the NBA (to join The Chosen One).

In terms of versatile players, this group also has ‘em. Leading the way are high school teammates Charlie Villanueva and Luol Deng from Blair Academy, who will be playing in their last official game together on the same team. Deng, who committed to Duke, is a silky smooth, multi-purpose player who may be able to play all five positions on the court. Hopefully a bum heel won’t keep him out of action. Villanueva, who verbally committed to Illinois and is still considering a jump to the NBA, is an explosive offensive player who has been compared to Kevin Garnett. A third athletic forward is Westbury Christian’s Ndudi Ebi. Ebi has the ability to do just about anything on the court that he wants to, and his battles with Deng and Villanueva on the court should be fun to watch.

At guard, there are players who will be difference makers at the next level. Andrew Lavender may be only 5-7, but he is a one-of-a-kind point guard who plays at a breakneck pace. Shannon Brown is a great shooter and scorer who simply has a great feel for the game. Olu Famutimi, a native of Canada, is an explosive athlete and leaper who is worth the price of admission. And Brandon Cotton is a proven winner who just led his high school team to an undefeated record and a league championship.

Along with talent, there are also some great stories with many of these kids. Leon Powe (as profiled by Hoopville’s Nicholas Lozito) has triumphed over tragedy to become not only one of the nation’s top players, but a standout student as well. Vakeaton Wafer’s rise from total obscurity in tiny Lisbon, LA into one of the top scorers and shooters in the country is also a great tale. And the story of Chris Paul’s 61-point scoring tribute to his late grandfather should bring a tear to anyone’s eye.

Hopefully these stories aren’t lost with all the hype given to The Chosen One.

The 26th Annual McDonald’s All-American Game will be played on March 26.

Conference Distribution

How well did the conferences do in recruiting the top players in America? Here is a breakdown of the number of McDonald’s All-Americans by conference (for those who have decided):

ACC (5): Deng, Humphries, Jones, Paul, Wafer
Big 10 (5): Brown, Butch, Cotton, Harris, Villanueva
Big 12 (3): Giddens, Lavender, Padgett
C-USA (1): Perkins
Pac-10 (4): Brooks, Ebi, Powe, Shakur
SEC (4): Bass, Butler, Famutimi, Outlaw

Overall, a balanced distribution across the country, albeit all to the major conferences in the land.

One thing to note – there’s not a single North Carolina or Kentucky recruit in this year’s game. That’s the first time in the game’s history that no future Tar Heel or Wildcat will be playing.

Great Job

A round of applause should go to the committee as they did a tremendous job in selecting this year’s squad, as all those who made the team were well-deserving. As always, there were some players left out who could have been on the team (for example, Trevor Ariza and Thomas Gardner could both have a case), but it’s always a tough task to select a group of finalists. But the committee did their best – a job well done.

Checking the Calendar

You Know What Month It Is…

by Bill Thayer

Saturday is the first of the month. No, wait, that doesn’t sound quite right, let me try again.

Saturday is the first of THE month. That’s better.

While the Bracket Buster Saturday was not quite what many associated it had hoped, this weekend may be a bigger make-or-break weekend around the country. Many smaller conferences are hitting their final regular season games, some teams are fighting for conference titles, postseason seeding and even at-large NCAA Tournament bids. Here’s a look around the country at some of the games that can have huge long term impact, or at least some major short term effects (all records through Wednesday’s action).

Ivy League Showdowns (Friday and Saturday)

Penn and Princeton at Brown and Yale

Possibly the biggest of any games you’ll see listed here as Brown, 8-1 in conference, hosts first place Penn (9-0) and third place Princeton (7-2). With only four games remaining, the Quakers can clinch a share of the regular season title by winning their two games, but they will have a fight when they face Brown on Friday night. Penn won the first meeting, 73-66 in Philadelphia, holding Earl Hunt to 14 points in the win. If the Bears do knock off the Quakers, they’ll have to turn around and take on the Tigers, who will look to remain alive despite losing at home against Brown for the first time in school history on Valentine’s Day. A year ago Penn, Princeton and Yale finished in a three way tie, leading to a mini-tournament for the automatic bid (the Ivy League does not use tiebreakers to determine their champion). Yale will have to beat Penn to have a shot this year.

Crystal Ball Out West (Saturday night)

Gonzaga at San Diego

The new-look West Coast Conference Tournament gives the top two teams a major advantage, as they get byes to the semifinal (call it the Gonzaga Rule since the Bulldogs RPI fell after winning their first round matchup last year). Each of these teams have clinched those byes, with seeding yet to be determined. Most likely, we’ll see this game in the WCC Championship, as they’ll have a team who just played the previous night (or two nights in a row if its the 5-8 seeds in the semifinal), so this could be a preview of things to come. Keep an eye on how the Zags handle the Jenny Craig Pavilion crowd, the Toreros will be hosting the conference tournament, so the fans will look to one up the infamous Kennel. With an RPI in the 40s, Gonzaga could still find itself squarely on the bubble if it falls short in its bid to gain the automatic bid, but if the Bulldogs do not have a regular season championship as part of their resume, the likelihood for an at-large bid will dwindle.

A New-Day Dawning? (Saturday night)

Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Butler

Consider their brackets busted last week. The Panthers had a chance to increase their RPI and get a huge quality, late-season win against Southern Illinois but lost it in the final seconds. Heading into Thursday night (each team had another game when this was being written) the Panthers and Bulldogs were tied atop the Horizon at 12-2, so the winner will get the claim of regular season championship to add to their portfolio in case they fall short in the conference tournament (starting to catch that theme at all?). Many claimed Butler deserved to make the tournament last year, but with an RPI in the high 70s and very few quality wins, it was tough to justify the bid, even though the Bulldogs won 25 games. A win here could push them over the top, but the Panthers, with a win earlier this season, may have Butler’s number.

Rising From The Valley (Saturday night)

Creighton at Southern Illinois

If the Horizon was the big loser on Bracket Buster Saturday, then the Missouri Valley is the big winner. Creighton added another quality win to their resume (and locked down a tournament bid in my mind) when they knocked off Fresno State. Meanwhile, Southern Illinois may have pushed themselves into the dance when they knocked off Wisc.-Milwaukee. Despite losses to SMS and Wichita State in recent weeks, the Valley regular season champions will get crowned after this game. Creighton owns a win earlier this season over the Salukis, but they’ll have to deal with a sold out SIU Arena. Students slept out for tickets and snatched up their allotment of 2,000 in just 45 minutes. It’s never easy to win in the Valley and SIU can give themselves an even bigger push heading into March with a Missouri Valley Championship and win over top 25 opponent.

A Red Hot Blizzard (Saturday afternoon)

UNC Wilmington at VCU

UNC Wilmington’s Brett Blizzard became the Colonial Athletic Association’s all-time leading scorer, then broke 2,000 career points last week, but he’ll face a stiff test against VCU’s Willie Taylor. Taylor has been one of the most dangerous offensive threats in the conference and has been a big part of VCU’s turnaround (9-1 in their last ten games after a 4-4 conference start). VCU and Drexel have been jockeying for position behind the defending conference champions, who is lacking the quality wins needed to be considered for an at-large bid. UNCW carries a game and a half lead over both the Rams and Dragons and can wrap up their second straight title by winning out. UNCW trashed VCU 81-50 in their first meeting, at home, and has enough experience to be able to handle playing on the road (where they are 10-4 this year). This game features two of the youngest coaches in the nation, UNCW’s Brad Brownell (34 years old) against VCU’s Jeff Capel (27 years old).

Prove Yourself (Sunday afternoon)

Holy Cross at Lehigh

At 10-1, Holy Cross has run away with the Patriot League regular season title. They are followed by a pack of teams, Lehigh, Bucknell, American, Colgate and Lafayette, who are seperated by two games. American shut down Holy Cross in their only loss of the season in what appeared to be more of an off-night for Holy Cross than anything else. The Mountain Hawks controls their own destiny for second place, which could be the difference in facing 2-10 Navy in the first round of the conference tournament or 6-5 Lafayette. They are looking to wrap up their first ever undefeated season at home (11-0 heading into Thursday’s game against Colgate). Not to mention what a psycological boost Lehigh would have heading into the conference tournament (played at a neutral site in Upper Marlboro, MD).

One other factor here: any of these teams could very easily come away with a win or two in the NCAA Tournament. Keep a close eye on each of these teams, or else you might find your favorite squad on the losing end against them two weeks down the road. Enjoy!

SWAC Notebook

Southwestern Athletic Notebook

by Kendrick Marshall

It’s funny how things change

One week ago the bottom feeders of the conference were in battle to stay afloat, while the kings of the hill were basking in the glory of cruising into the SWAC tourney. This week the underdogs have stepped to the forefront and pulled off huge upsets and changed the complexion of the SWAC tourney race.

Powerhouse Alabama State fell hard to two teams that they should have easily dispatched over the weekend. The Hornets lost to 5-10 Southern by three and suffered a humiliating loss to Alcorn 69-50 at home. The boo birds let the team hear it after the game. After the two bad defeats Alabama State fell to 9-5 and into a share for third place in the conference with Texas Southern.

The boys from Houston also felt the wrath of lost opportunity as well. They fell to MVSU and hapless Arkansas Pine- Bluff respectively. The worst loss had to be against Pine-Bluff, who has only won three games in the conference (3-11) before Saturday’s matchup. The downfall for Southern was their horrible shooting from the field, which was a abysmal 40% and committing too many turnovers as well – a robust 21 to be exact. This in a game that could have put them in first place all by themselves.

On the other side of the spectrum the teams that were facing falling completely out of the race have come back into the picture. MVSU, who just a week ago was in the fourth spot, now find themselves on top of the conference at 11-4 after wins over Texas Southern and second place Prairie View. The key to the success of the Delta Devils has been their good outside shooting and their tough defense. During their hot streak they have averaged 75.6 points per game, which leads the conference. Ashley Robinson shot lights-out, hitting on 6-of-13 from the arc, scoring 22 points Saturday. The defense, which is only giving up 73.9 points per game – fourth in the conference – and that type of play could vault them all the way to the SWAC title come tournament time.

The other Mississippi team fighting for a place in the tournament is the Alcorn State braves. They were reeling a week ago but picked up a big win over the Hornets where four of their players were in double figures for the first time this season. Dion Callans recorded 14 huge points and had help from Howard Myles, who chipped in with 16 of his own to lead the Braves to victory. The Braves forced 23 turnovers and held the hornets to 34% shooting from the field, which shows that defense can lead to a big win.

The Tigers of Jackson State University are probably the hottest team in the conference right now, winning their last four games in a row and reaching the .500 mark in the conference at 7-7. They reached that mark by winning impressively over Grambling State 80-75 at home in Jackson. In order for the team to win early in the season they needed scoring from their two big scorers in Tim Henderson and Cliff Walker. Now the team is finding points from other places in Ishmael Joyce and KC Cavette. Cavette had 18 points and dished out 6 assists in the win over Grambling and Ishmael Joyce continued his hot shooting in leading the Tiger team with 20 points.

News and Notes

It appears as if Alcorn State head basketball coach Davey Whitney is retiring from the coaching ranks at the end of the season. He brought the Braves to prominence and a staple as a SWAC powerhouse and his antics will be missed by all.

SWAC Player of the Week

Grambling State freshman guard Brian Rush.

Rush scored a career- high 27 points in a loss verses Jackson State University Saturday

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Friday, February 28th, 2003

by Jon Gonzalez

Just a few short weeks ago, Louisville seemed destined to earn a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament. Now, if doesn’t look as if the Cardinals will be the top seed in the C-USA Tournament.

Behind Dwyane Wade’s 28 points, No.10 Marquette avenged a 73-70 home loss to No. 9 Louisville suffered on Feb. 15. It wasn’t easy, but Marquette fought back from 19 points down in the first half to earn 78-73 victory Thursday.

After Wade hit a free throw with 23.4 seconds left, Marquette was up by three points. Louisville had a chance to tie the game, but Reece Gaines missed an open 3-pointer with 10-seconds left. Marquette then got the ball back and Travis Diener sealed the victory by sinking two free throws with 6-seconds remaining.

Marquette’s comeback started when the Golden Eagles were down 42-23 in the first half. Marquette (21-4, 12-2) would trim Louisville’s lead to 11 by halftime and came out smoking in the second half. With the Cardinals up 57-45 three minutes into the second half, Marquette went on an 18-4 run, took the lead and held off a late Cardinal run.

Louisville (19-5, 9-4), who was led by Francisco Garcia’s 24 points, has lost four out of its last five games after winning 17 straight. Marquette, on the other hand, moves closer to a regular season Conference USA championship.

What is going on with Louisville? Here’s a team that was on top of the world, being praised by every basketball expert in the country, and then they lost to St. Louis. If not for Reece Gaines against Marquette in Louisville’s prior meeting with the Golden Eagles, Louisville would be in the midst of a five game losing skid. Did the Cardinals start listening to all the talk of how they could win it all? Has the national recognition caused Louisville to lose its hunger?

Rick Pitino came to Louisville last season with high expectations. It was said that he would bring the Cardinals back to national prominence in due time. The Cardinals struggled last season, but after all, Pitino did get 19 wins and an NIT berth out of the Cards. Coming into this season, the bar was raised a little higher and a NCAA berth was the goal. But after the Cards went on a 17 game win streak, talk then shifted to how the Cards would not only be in the big dance, but have a legitimate chance of winning it. Pitino of course wants to win, but does he want the whole country singing his young teams praises so early? More importantly, does he want his players to listen? There is a lot of pressure involved when you are an inexperienced, young team that is then thrust into the national spotlight. All of a sudden, the Cardinals have high expectations to live up to.

But in all fairness to Louisville, their struggles can be found no further than the opposition they have played. Aside from that loss to St. Louis, who is playing quality basketball of late, the Cards lost to a good Memphis team and a good Cinncy team in Ohio. They were fortunate to beat Marquette the first time, but losing to one of the best teams in America is nothing to feel bad about.

The Cards have three games left until the C-USA tourney against teams they should beat. Should the Cardinals continue to falter before the NCAA tournament, Louisville might go into the big dance with expectations that are substantially lower than they were a month ago. It seems as if that is how the Cardinals like it.

Side Dishes

Cats Too Much: Salim Stoudamire made six 3-pointers and scored 20 points as No.1 Arizona (22-2, 14-1) defeated No.24 Cal 88-75 Thursday at Haas Pavilion. It was Cal’s first loss at home all season and snaps Cal’s 17 game home winning streak. The last time the Golden Bears lost at home, it was to Arizona last season. The loss also eliminates Cal (19-6, 12-4) from Pac-10 regular season championship contention. Arizona was just too much for Cal, proving why they are the best team in America. Brian Wethers led Cal with 18 points. Arizona can clinch the Pac-10 with a win Saturday against Stanford.

The Perfect Gift: Stanford coach Mike Montgomery turned 56 on Thursday, so his 19th ranked Cardinal decided to get him a gift. Stanford (22-6, 13-3) wrapped up Arizona State 88-77 Thursday night and gave their coach a victory on his birthday. Julius Barnes led Stanford with 29 points. It was the Cardinal’s sixth straight victory. Although Arizona State has dropped two in a row, the Sun Devils are a lock for the NCAA’s. Ike Diogu scored 26 points for Arizona State (17-9, 9-6)

Elsewhere, Tulsa tripped up Hawaii 76-51, Oregon stopped USC 79-66, Seton Hall dropped Villanova 57-56 and Manhattan lost to Siena 72-68.

Trouble in GA?: Tony Cole was kicked off the Georgia men’s team last season after he was accused of rape. Now, Cole is out for revenge. Cole told ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap that Jim Harrick and his son Jim Harrick, Jr.paid Cole’s phone and hotel bills and helped Cole fraudulently achieve high grades at two schools. If true, these actions are in violation of NCAA policy. The paid phone bills occurred when Cole was staying at a friend’s house during summer school. Cole ran up a 300 dollar phone bill and Jim Harrick, Jr.sent a 300 dollar money order to Eva Davis, the mother of Cole’s friend. ESPN showed the statement from the 300 hundred dollar money order. Harrick Jr. also paid for Cole’s hotel expenses when he stayed at a Howard Johnson’s before he was enrolled. As for the academic fraudulence, Cole alleges Harrick Jr. did schoolwork for Cole while he attended Lincoln Trail Community College in Illinois and gave Cole an A for a class taught by Harrick Jr. at Georgia that Cole never attended. Furthermore, Cole says he was forced by Harrick Jr. to sign a statement that stated Cole was able to take care of himself financially. Cole was cleared on rape charges against him.

Jayhawk Down: Wayne Simien’s season is over. The Kansas sophomore will miss the remainder of the year after dislocating his right shoulder for the second time in Kansas’ 85-45 win over Texas A&M on Wednesday. Simien first dislocated his shoulder on Jan.4 against Kansas City-Missouri. Simien will likely undergo surgery in March and will need at least three months of rehab.

Not Quite Yet: Colorado big man David Harrison will return for his junior season. The seven-foot center does not believe he is ready for the pro game. Harrison told the Rocky Mountain News that his love for college basketball and Colorado also helped him to make his decision.

Bye Bye Bonnie: Jamil Terrell, exit right. The St. Bonaventure center Jamil Terrell was declared ineligible by the NCAA for failing to meet transfer guidelines. St. Bonaventure did not disclose what guidelines Terrell did not meet, but university spokesperson David Ferguson said the school is petitioning the NCAA to have Terrell reinstated. The junior spent the last two seasons at Coastal Georgia Community College before joining the Bonnies this season. Terrell started 18 games this season.

Bad News For Heels: It’s official, Sean May will not see action in a Tar Heel uniform until next season. The UNC center was advised by doctors to sit out the rest of the season because of a broken foot. May, who averaged 12 points, broke his foot on Dec.27 against Iona and expected to be back within 8 to 10 weeks. Although the bone is healing as expected, May is still experiencing soreness and the risk of further injury is too great. Without May, UNC is 7-10 after starting the season at 7-3.

Tonight’s Menu

It’s Friday so we all know what that means: Ivy League Action.

• Princeton travels to New Haven to take on Yale, Dartmouth is at Columbia, Harvard is at Cornell and Penn travels to Brown. The Penn/Brown game is the biggest Ivy game of the night, as Penn is atop the conference at 9-0 and Brown is right behind at 9-1. All games tip at 7 p.m.

• Out west, St. Mary’s (CA) takes on Pepperdine at 10 p.m. and San Fran is at Loyola Marymount for a 10:00 p.m. tip.

• In the south’s lone match-up, Samford plays Belmont at 8 p.m.

OK kids, have a great day and enjoy your last day of February. Bye.

Ivy League Notebook

Ivy League Notebook

by Jason Haslam

The Penn-Brown Rematch: Win and In?

The Quakers (17-5, 9-0) have hit full stride at just the right time. The Quakers followed up their win over Princeton by dispatching Yale and Brown at the Palestra last weekend. Going into the Brown contest, both squads were undefeated with the winner usurping sole possession of first place. The Bears played solid throughout, but went scoreless the final 4:56 of the game to lose their first conference game of the season, 73-66.

Once again, Ugonna Onyekwe put together a dominating performance to as he netted 21 points along with 13 rebounds and four blocks, for his third consecutive double-double. The game opened with the Bears looking confident and hardly intimidated by the frenzied crowd. Bear senior center Alai Nuualiitia looked brilliant, however, was limited to just eight minutes because of three first-half fouls. In addition, the Quakers took advantage of the Bears 11 turnovers for a 40-34 halftime lead.

The second half saw nine lead changes and three ties as the Bears clawed back to take their largest lead of the game 66-61 with 4:56 left.

Quaker guards Dan Klatsky and Jeff Schiffner nailed back-to-back threes giving them the lead. With under a minute left and up two Klatsky finished off the Bears with another three pointer as the shot clock expired causing pandemonium throughout the Palestra.

“At the start of the second half we were not very good,” coach Fran Dunphy said. “Ugonna had a couple of turnovers, we just didn’t come out with any kind of intensity and fire, and I don’t know whether or not you can look to the fact that we had three difficult games this week.”

“It’s a position you always want to be in to hit that shot and I liked it a lot, so if you get the chance to knock it down it felt good.”

“Not a lot of coaching goes on during those last couple minutes I can guarantee you that. You just hope that someone like David can make a shot or Ugonna can grab a rebound.”

For the first time in 10 games the Bears were outshot from the free throw line and coach Glen Miller was seething after the game and allude to the press that
Penn and Princeton are treated favorably by the referees.

“You can’t go to Penn or Princeton and get a fair shake. Our guys outplayed them the entire game, we got jammed up our asses by three officials,” Miller
said.

“No response, no response. Coach Dunphy can hold a press conference down here. Coach Thompson III can hold a conference down here. Coach Miller from Brown: no respect. Brown University: no respect,” Miller added.

Miller’s claims were a little presumptuous considering that the night before his Bears shot 18 more free throws in their historic win, that ended a 52-game skid at Jadwin Gym. Against the Quakers the Bears were outshot from the line 21-7.

Since the loss the Bears have put together two straight wins and a rematch with the Quakers looms this Friday at Brown. With Princeton literally out of the picture due to the abrupt exit of star forward Spencer Gloger, this game will essentially decide whether the Quakers are NCAA-bound or if an Ivy title will be decided by another one-game playoff.

Another Ivy Star Declared Ineligible

Princeton’s Spencer Gloger, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding was dismissed from both the basketball team and university after being declared academically ineligible. The decision was effective immediately February 20. He will be eligible again in the spring semester of 2004.

Gloger is the second high profile Ivy League player to be ruled ineligible this month. Earlier this February Harvard guard Patrick Harvey, who was second in the conference in scoring, was dismissed from his school for inadequate performance in the classroom. The enigmatic career of Gloger ends prematurely. He arrived to Princeton in 1998 and as a freshman averaged 12 points a game, but after then-coach Bill Carmody’s decision to coach at Northwestern, Gloger decided to jettison the Tigers as well and move back home so he could attend UCLA. After more indecision Gloger opted to return back to Princeton and sat out yet another year due to NCAA regulations.

With the loss of Gloger the Tigers have managed to pull out two straight wins over Dartmouth and Harvard, but their chances of contending for the conference title are all but diminished now.

Columbia: Chasing Futility

The Lions are on the verge of losing all 14 league games, a feat that hasn’t happened since Dartmouth did it in the 1965-66 season. To say it’s been a tough season for the Lions would be an understatement. They have no player on their roster that averages double-digits in points and as we enter March they are still searching for their first win of the New Year.

Out of the 327 Division I-A basketball programs, the Lions are ranked last in scoring averaging only 50.5 points a contest and 324th in team field goal percentage. Ostensibly, offense is not this team’s strong suit. The most telling statistic about these Lions are the combined 13 freshman and sophomores on the team. The team is just not talented enough to win yet. Nevertheless seniors Marco McCottery and Chris Weidemann will do anything possible to keep the Lions from making history through futility.

McCottery leads the team with 8.8 points and 7.4 rebounds a game as the team’s lone bright spot.

MEAC Notebook

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Notebook

by Jon Gonzalez

The Art of Losing

One year. That’s how long its been since North Carolina A&T has won a basketball game. During that one year span, A&T has lost 26 straight games, including 23 straight this season. The closest that the Aggies have come to a win was a two point loss to NC Central, a Division II school. No such thing as a gimmie when it comes to NC A&T.

To make matters worse, the Aggies’ best player, freshman Tyrone Green, broke his hand after punching something in the locker room during halftime of a game against Delaware State on February 15. A team knows it’s doomed to fail when it loses its first 20 games of the year and then loses its best player after he broke his hand out of frustration.

The teams’ latest setback, a 105-81 shellacking to Howard, was a microcosm of the Aggies’ entire season. In that game, A&T could not shoot, play D or take care of the basketball. Scoring, defense, ballhandling; if you can’t hack those three things, you aren’t going to win many games. The lone bright spot in the game for A&T was senior Landon Beckwith, who scored 26 points. Beckwith was solid in that game, and has been throughout the year. If only the Aggies had 12 Landon Beckwiths.

The Aggies next challenge on their way to the perfect season is on March 1 against Hampton, one of the top two teams in the MEAC. If the Aggies can lose by 24 to a middle of the pack MEAC team, losing to the Pirates should be no problem. After Hampton, the Aggies then take on Norfolk State and SC State. If A&T can hang on for three more games, the big O-fer is theirs.

Its not easy being the worst team in D-I, but some team has to do it.

Down to the Wire

With three games left for both South Carolina State and Hampton, the race for the MEAC regular season championship and the top seed in the MEAC Tournament couldn’t be any tighter. The schedule making gods have set up the battle for the MEAC crown nicely. Both teams play Norfolk State and NC A&T in addition to a March 3 game against each other. NC A&T will be cake for both teams. Norfolk State, while not at the same level of cream cake as A&T, should be a win for Hampton and SC State as well. So all in all likelihood, the March 3 match-up will be for all the marbles. Should SC State win, the Bulldogs would clinch the regular season championship.

Thank Goodness for the MEAC

If not for conference play, Coppin State might be in the same predicament as NC A&$38T, winless. The Eagles are 0-9 against non-conference opponents and 9-6 against the MEAC, good for a 9-15 overall mark. The last time Coppin State beat a non-MEAC team was on Dec.21, 2001, when the Eagles slipped by powerhouse Puerto Rico-Mayaquez 57-56. The last time they beat a real non-conference opponent was on Nov. 19 of that same year. The Eagles tripped up Loyola MD.

MEAC Quick Hits

Delaware State: The Hornets are the other good team in the MEAC this year that is currently in third behind Hampton and SC State. Although they can’t win the regular season championship, the Hornets can still lock up a number two finish at best.

Howard: If only they could play NC A&T every night. Howard put up 105 points against the Aggies, its second highest output of the season. What was Howard’s biggest output you ask? A 107-70 win over you guessed it, NC A&T. In that game, Howard’s Ron Williamson scored 52 points. In Howard’s latest win over the Aggies, Williamson scored 39 points. In Howard’s past six games, Williamson is averaging 34 points a game. Can you say MEAC MVP?

Florida A&M: If the Rattlers can win one of their final three games, FAMU would have its first winning record in a decade. But while a winning record is nice, lets not forget the Rattlers reached the NCAA Tournament in 1999 with a losing record.

Norfolk State: Ryan Grier and Chakowby Hicks scored 17 points a piece for the Spartans on Monday against FAMU. The Spartans next take on SC State on Saturday.

Morgan State, Bethune Cookman, MD Eastern Shore: If not for NC A&T, these three teams would be battling for last in the MEAC. How valuable those Aggies can be. Even though neither of these teams will finish in the cellar, they don’t want to be the team that finished right above the Aggies, either.

Player of the Week

This one is a no brainer. Howard’s Ron Williamson scorched NC A&T for 39 points on Monday and had 29 points in a loss to SC State on Saturday.

Game to Watch

The MEAC game of the year tips-off March 3 when Hampton hosts SC State. The Pirates will be looking to avenge a 77-69 loss to the Bulldogs suffered in January. The winner could very well be the MEAC regular season champion.

WAC Notebook

WAC Notebook

by Phil Dailey

“Bracket Buster” not so kind to the WAC

Last Saturday four Western Athletic Conference teams were thrust to the front of
“mid-major” hoops with an attempt to improve their RPI giving the winner an added
boost come NCAA tourney selection time.

Fresno State (19-6, 12-3 WAC) started off the nationally televised one-day
tournament against Creighton. The Bulldogs played well, but fell short by one-point
against the No. 17-ranked Bluejays.

Terry Pettis scored 17 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Noel Felix tossed in
16. Both Major and Jonathan Woods each had 12. Woods also led the Bulldogs had 11
rebounds.

This year’s overachieving Bulldog team showed many critics around the country
that they might not be a fraud. Despite the loss, it may have helped Fresno State get
noticed for an at-large bid if they fall short in the WAC tourney in a few weeks.
Louisiana Tech (12-11, 9-6) was the lone WAC team to host a “Bracket Buster” as
they welcomed Northern Iowa to Ruston, La.

Louisiana Tech had been on recent tear through the WAC, winning its last three games,
but was unable to get it started against the long-range shooting of the Panthers.
Northern Iowa made nine 3-pointers against the Bulldogs, the second most since Rice unloaded
ten back on January 25th.

Antonio Meeking keeps brining it for Tech as he went for 23 points and grabbed seven boards.
Hawai’i (15-8,7-7) has always been known for being a team that can’t win on the
road, and even more, a team that is unable to win in the Eastern Time Zone – a feat
they haven’t accomplished since 1974 – until Saturday night.

After what could easily be called one of the most disappointing seasons in
recent memory, given the talent, the Warriors are only a few weeks away from accepting
a NIT bid – that is if they are unable to win the WAC tourney of course.
Give the Warriors credit for taking on Kent State; a team that made it all the
way to the Elite 8 last season, but this year’s Golden Flashes squad is less talented than
the team that won 30 games only a season ago.

Either way, a win on the road should never be taken for granted, especially when
it comes against a team that has 18 wins.

That’s exactly what Hawai’i got after beating the Golden Flashes 79-78, in Ohio
behind WAC Player of the Year favorite Carl English. English went for 22 points in the
win.

The main event of “Bracket Buster” Saturday was between arguably two of the most
successful “mid-major” teams in the last five years.

Much like Hawai’i, Tulsa (15-9,8-6) has been a “mid-major” letdown this season.
It looked like the Golden Hurricane were in the process of doing the impossible, or
near impossible until last week, of beating Gonzaga on its home floor.

Last Wednesday, the Zags had its 21-game home winning streak broken by Portland.
Gonzaga shot just under 30 percent from the floor in the first half as Tulsa
opened leads of as many as 11 points. The second half proved to be a much different story as
the Bulldogs shot over 53 percent (16-for-30) from the field in the second half
ending the game with a 69-60 win over Tulsa.

Jason Parker led all scorers with 24 points for Tulsa. The loss for the Golden
Hurricane no doubt eliminates them for any hope of gaining an at large bid next month
for the NCAA tourney.

It’s true the WAC only won one of its four games on the nationally televised
“Bracket Buster”, but showed up in all of its games. Unfortunately, for all but one of
these teams (Fresno State) their brackets were busted weeks ago.

WAC Player of the Week

Quintin Ross blew up against Rice (16-8, 8-6) last Saturday for 30 points in the
73-63 win over the Owls. With the win, Southern Methodist (13-12, 8-6) now sits in a tie
for fourth place along with Tulsa and Rice.

Ross also grabbed 11 rebounds along with three steals in the win. This week the Mustangs travel to Boise State (11-13, 5-9) and then to WAC doormat Texas El Paso (4-20, 2-12), which had the honor of dropping its 20th game of the year to Boise
State 69-52 in the BSU Pavilion on Saturday night.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Thursday, February 27th, 2003

by Brian Seymour

Wednesday was a good night to be in Hoopville’s Top 25.

Well, unless your school’s name rhymes with Chokelahoma.

Yes, the No. 3 Sooners were the lone casualty among the thirteen Top 25 teams in action last evening, a 67-52 loser at Missouri. The Tigers remained perfect at home (14-0) thanks to a gutsy performance from guard Ricky Clemons, who scored 13 points while playing with a broken left hand.

The game likely clinched an NCAA Tournament bid for Missouri (17-7, 8-5), though one more regular-season win would certainly let Quin Snyder’s team breathe easily on Selection Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Sooners’ dominating performance against Kansas on Sunday — which earned them a share of first place in the Big 12 — was wasted, as the loss dropped them to 19-5 overall and 10-3 in the conference. An eight minute long scoring drought in the first half and 27.3 percent shooting for the game helped do in the Sooners, who were led by Hollis Price’s 16 points.

It wasn’t all wine and roses for the rest of the Top 25 despite their victorious performances. No. 7 Kansas’ 85-45 rout of Texas A&M was marred by the loss of sophomore forward Wayne Simien, who left the game after aggravating a dislocated right shoulder.

Simien only played one minute against the Aggies before having to leave the game, but reports out of the Jayhawk camp are saying that he’ll be able to play in Saturday’s big game against Oklahoma State, though he’ll be playing in pain for the rest of the season. Surgery is apparently in the cards for April.

No. 12 Xavier was pushed to overtime in a 80-78 win over Duquesne, with the Dukes holding the Musketeers All-American candidate David West to one basket in the second half. West finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds for the game. Neither team scored in the game’s final two minutes and 18 seconds of overtime.

Other narrow victors among our Top 25 included — No. 12 Wake Forest (60-56 over Florida State); No. 18 Creighton (63-58 over Southwest Missouri State) and No. 20 Mississippi State (59-55 over Alabama).

Side Dishes

SEC bubbles popping?: The SEC is going to get its share of teams in the NCAA Tournament — that much is certain. Which teams those are going to be is very much in the air however, as three teams which needed victories to improve their credentials all came up short.

Tennessee (15-8) dropped a 80-68 decision to No. 2 Kentucky, though you can hardly fault the Volunteers losing in Lexington to the hottest team in the nation.

The aforementioned Crimson Tide of Alabama also fell to 15-8 after their loss to Mississippi State. The Tide, an anemic 5-7 in league play, aren’t out of the woods in avoiding becoming the first team to be ranked No. 1 at some point during the season and miss the NCAA Tournament since the field was expanded to 64 teams.

And Auburn (18-8. 7-6) posted an ugly 94-63 loss against LSU, which helped its own case for a tournament berth, improving to 16-9 overall and 5-8 in the league. Logic suggests that LSU must win at least two of its remaining three conference games — if not all three — to have a shot.

Non-conference loss crushes UVA: It probably seemed like a good idea at the time — a late season road contest against a Mid-American Conference team, but Virginia (14-12) likely saw its NCAA Tournament hopes ended after a 78-72 loss to Ohio (10-14) in Athens, Ohio. The Bobcats’ Steve Esterkamp scored a career-high 31 points in the school’s first-ever home game against an ACC school.

Memphis stays hot: Don’t look now, but the Tigers are actually in the running for Conference USA’s regular-season conference title and are only one game from clinching the league’s National Division after a 88-64 pasting of TCU. Memphis will be closely watching tonight’s contest between Marquette and Louisville and could move into a tie for the league lead in the loss column if Louisville wins.

WKU wins big Sun Belt contest: No Chris Marcus? No problem for Western Kentucky (20-8, 11-2), which stayed hot, taking a 69-66 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette (20-8, 12-3), giving the Hilltoppers the inside track on the regular-season league crown. WKU has now won eight straight games.

Tonight’s Menu

A HUGE Conference USA contest highlights the night’s action.

• The Conference USA title is on the line when No. 10 Marquette travels to No. 9 Louisville. The Golden Eagles are one game ahead of the Cardinals and could more or less clinch the league title with a win.

• No. 1 Arizona keeps knocking down challengers, but should be challenged with a road contest at No. 24 California. The Golden Bears are 12-1 at home this season.

• Finally, Arizona State could pretty much cement its bid to the NCAA Tournament with an upset win on the road against No. 19 Stanford, also 12-1 at home this season.

Roddy’s Rant 5

Roddy’s Rant: Guide To Surviving A Crappy Day On The Court

by Chris Roddy

With March Madness nearly upon us or at least March — supposedly the official kickoff according to my TV is March 20th, can we say APRIL MADNESS? — we must begin to think about how our favorite teams will fare in both conference tourney play and then of course, the big one (no, not the NIT), the NCAA Championship Tournament.

This is an analysis, or perhaps more accurately, guide, for dealing with an early exit.

Fans? Get over it. Part of the fun is losing and griping about it with a bunch of other fans.

Coaches? It’s part of the job requirements (along with wearing a school sweater, emblazoned with the logo, over a business shirt — uggh, can we get Brooks Brothers to class up some of these guys?).

The players? These are the guys who need mini-guides on how to console themselves. I mean, come on, some of these phenoms are only eighteen years old. National television exposure. Media junkets. Alumni relations departments trying to capitalize off players’ success. A tough, tough situation.

So, I’ve devised a list of things for players to do if bounced from post-season play. Some are pretty obvious. Others, a bit out there — I call it, Rodd-erapy. But don’t let my PhD in turning frowns upside down impress you. The results speak on their own.

1. The Wham Bam Peter Pan Method

Whenever you feel lousy, about anything, you alone have the power to change it. You are in control. For example, let’s say you were upended by a Cinderella squad in the first round. You feel terrible. Grab a pan and whack yourself as hard as you can on the foot with it. Not thinking about basketball any more, are ya? This is part of disassociating yourself with one bad thing in place of another.

Effectiveness: ♦♦♦♦ (physical pain trumps psychological)
Duration: ♦ (depending on the size of the pan, you have to keep re-upping your dose)
Pros: Low-cost, quick acting solution
Cons: Eventually you’ll have a broken foot and still be pissed about losing the game
Overall: C+

2. The Thank You Sir May I Have Another Method

Pizza? Candy? TV? Doesn’t matter what your favorite poison is; just imbibe in an exorbitant amount.

Effectiveness: ♦♦♦ (something about not eating just one, two, but three pints of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia feels SO good)
Duration: ♦♦ (lasts as long as you can consume)
Pros: People love to have a lot of their favorite thing
Cons: Anything from a tummy-ache to becoming an alcoholic
Overall: D

3. A Selective Memory Method

People will try and console you with advice or a friendly word or two. Little do the idiots know, but now you feel seven times as bad. Plus, there is always that one guy pointing and laughing at your failures. Combat them by blocking the whole thing out. “Me? The guy who missed the potential game-tying free throw? Nope, I’m an ice cream truck driver — never played basketball before.”

Effectiveness: ♦ (hard to forget the worse day of your life)
Duration: ♦♦♦♦ (denial lasts a lifetime)
Pros: Not facing your failure might help you wake up every day
Cons: Not facing your failure might make you not want to wake up every day
Overall: F

4. The Glass Half-Full Method

So what? You just lost the biggest game of your still fledgling career and your teammates, university and state now hate your guts. Your parents are wearing sunglasses and hats in public places and you can’t get a restaurant reservation anywhere. Take it all with a grain of salt and be proud, defiantly happy. During an interview, address all the positives and always say, “We’ll be back next year. Don’t worry, we will.”

Effectiveness: ♦♦ (people this happy take a lot of prescription drugs)
Duration: ♦♦♦ (as long as your smiling)
Pros: You come across as a gracious loser and perhaps can media credibility
Cons: People will think you’re daft and clearly insane
Overall: B

5. The Standard Method

Mope and moan for a month. Feel sorry for yourself. Put on some weight. Get mad at yourself. Get in shape. Channel all your self-pity into becoming a better player. Go out and get back to The Dance. Don’t lose this time.

Effectiveness: ♦♦♦♦ (a proven winner)
Duration: ♦♦ (lasts for the off-season)
Pros: People understand what you’re going through and try to help
Cons: People understand what you’re going through and try to help
Overall: B+

Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Notebook

by Nicholas Lozito

Much to be determined in final weekend

As we head into the final weekend of conference play, two things are for sure: Weber State (22-5 overall, 12-0 in Big Sky) will be the No. 1 seed and Eastern Washington (17-9, 9-3) the No. 2 seed. These two teams will get a bye into the semifinals, and Weber will host the semifinals and finals. Montana (12-15, 6-6) and Idaho State (13-12, 6-6) have clinched a tournament spot, but their seeds are not yet determined. Sacramento State (10-15, 4-8), Northern Arizona (13-12, 4-8) and Montana State (11-14, 5-7) are battling for the final two tournament spots. Portland State (4-21, 2-10) is simply playing for pride.

The biggest set of games are Montana State coming down to face Sac State and Northern Arizona. One of these teams will not make the playoffs, and it will most likely be Montana State. The only way the Bobcats do not make the tourney is if they lose both games. But they lost to Sac State in Montana earlier in the season, and Northern Arizona is 8-3 at home this season. All Sac State has to do to get in the tourney is match whatever NAU does.

The key for Montana State is point guard Jason Erickson. Last year’s conference MVP is the glue of this team. He led the Bobcats to the regular season title last season, and is back to full strength after suffering a mid-season injury. Montana State is coming off a road loss to Montana.

Sac State relies on the leadership of Derek Lambeth. The Hornets swept Portland State and Eastern Washington in their last homestand, but most recently lost on the road to Idaho State and Weber State. If the Hornets can turn these contests with Montana and Montana State into a run-n-gun affair, it will play to their advantage.

Northern Arizona relies heavily on power forward Ryan McDade and the sharp shooting of their wing players. McDade currently averages 17.9 points and 8.4 rebounds. The Lumberjacks are also the best 3-point shooting team in the conference. The Lumberjacks have lost their last three games.

Weekend Predictions

Montana State loses both of their games to Northern Arizona and Sacramento State, therefore not making the tourney. Montana will lose to Sac State and NAU as well. Portland State ends their season by losing at home to Idaho State and Weber State. A sad first season for PSU head coach Heath Schroyer. Eastern Washington finishes their season off strong by handing Weber their only conference loss and then knocking off Idaho State.

Therefore, the tourney picture would look like this:

1. Weber State (13-1)
2. Eastern Washington (11-3)
3. Idaho State (7-7)
4. Montana (6-8)
5. Sacramento State (6-8)
6. Northern Arizona (6-8)

Wildcats going wild

Weber State currently holds the second longest winning streak in the nation with 12 straight. They are also only one of three teams in the nation with undefeated conference records. So, would the Wildcats be granted an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament if they did not win the conference tournament? The only way I see that possible is if they win every game from here-on-out except the title game. This would leave them with a 25-6 record. The one thing holding Weber back is their preseason schedule, in which the best team they beat was Brigham Young.

Weber State not winning the Big Sky Tournament would be the conference’s only chance to get two teams in. If Eastern Washington does not win the conference tournament, they would be a candidate for the NIT. Last season Montana got the automatic bid to the NCAA Tourney, while Montana State made the NIT.

Game of the Week

Sacramento State’s Saturday match-up with Montana State will have tournament implications. The Hornets knocked off the Bobcats in Montana earlier in the season, and MSU wants revenge. Prediction: Sac State 70, Montana State 64.

Horizon Notebook

Horizon League Notebook

by Brian Seymour

Maybe sitting out “Bracket Buster Saturday” was the smart move for Butler after all. Though for a few moments Monday evening it wasn’t looking that way.

Butler’s Horizon League rival Wisconsin-Milwaukee saw its hopes for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament dashed after a last-second loss at Southern Illinois in one of the most exciting of the Bracket Buster matchups. SIU’s Stetson Hairston’s tip-in at the buzzer gave the Salukis a 66-64 victory and kept their slim at-large hopes alive.

Butler had elected to not participate in the series, opting for a non-conference battle against Duke earlier in the month. That game ended in a loss, but increased the Bulldogs’ strength of schedule, one of the major factors in the RPI. Butler’s RPI of 39 would suggest they’re a strong competitor for one of the final at-large bids to the tournament.

However, all that almost went for naught after the Bulldogs needed double overtime on Monday to upend Cleveland State in a 79-75 thriller. A loss to the Vikings would have likely crushed Butler’s chances of earning an at-large bid if they stumble in the conference tournament.

Brandon Miller scored 23 points for the Bulldogs (22-4, 12-2) including a 3-pointer with 1:11 left in double overtime that put Butler ahead for good, 77-75. Miller also hit two field goals in the final seven seconds to force overtime and a free throw with five seconds left to force the second overtime. Butler had squandered a 10-point lead midway through the second half.

Meanwhile, UWM’s RPI ranking fell to 61 after the heartbreaking loss to the Salukis and put renewed pressure on a strong performance in the postseason tournament , which the Panthers will be hosting.

Lost in the shuffle is the season-ending matchup between Butler and UWM in Indianapolis, which will decide the regular-season conference champion — winner take all. Butler has won the regular-season league title the last three straight seasons.

Seeds falling into place

Each team in the league now has two games remaining and it’s looking apparent how the conference tournament is going to shake out. UWM and Butler have clinched byes into the conference semifinals and UIC needs only to win one of its final two games to finish third and earn a bye into the quarterfinals.

Loyola and Detroit have clinched hosting duties for the first round of games, but hosting duties for the other game are up in the air with all four remaining teams still having a shot at finishing in sixth place. Wisconsin-Green Bay has the tiebreaking edge for the sixth place spot over Youngstown State.

Other Bracket Buster matchups:

Despite UWM’s loss, the Horizon finished 2-1 for the day, as Illinois-Chicago posted a 83-72 win over Bowling Green and Detroit pounded UC-Santa Barbara 75-59 on the road, the largest margin of victory for all nine of the day’s games. It was the first non-conference home loss for UCSB since a loss to Southern Cal in 2000.

Pop quiz

Which team has the longest winning streak in the conference? That would be Loyola, which has quietly won five straight. The Ramblers also have a bit of advantage over the conference’s other teams — a bye on the final weekend of the regular season and a chance to rest up for the first round of the conference tournament on March 4.

The Ramblers have an outside chance of finishing in third place and earning a bye into the quarterfinals. Senior guard David Bailey hit an interesting landmark in Loyola last game, surpassing 500 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists for the third straight season.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Wednesday, February 26th, 2003

by Michael Ermitage

The race for the top four seeds in the NCAA tournament is officially on. With Arizona and Kentucky cruising, it seems that there are still two spots open for top seeds. A certain candidate is Florida. The Gators, who briefly spent time atop the AP poll, are 23-4 overall and 11-2 in the tough SEC. On Tuesday night, Florida demolished South Carolina, 96-63. It was the sort of performance that showed just how dominant the Gators can be when everything is clicking just right. Billy Donovan’s club put six players in double figures, although none had more than Matt Bonner’s 18 points. It was a rather impressive feat considering the Gators had a double-figure scorer from every year in school. Bonner was joined by fellow senior Justin Hamilton, who scored 12 points. Junior Bonell Colas, who averages just 4.9 points per game, chipped in 11. Sophomore David Lee had 14 points on six-of-seven shooting. And freshmen Anthony Roberson and Christian Drejer each added 10 points. Consider that sensational freshman Matt Walsh and dangerous senior Brett Nelson also each had eight points.

Florida’s depth is mind-boggling. While many experts have pointed to Arizona’s second five as the best in America, few have noticed that Florida’s is just as good. The Gators’ achilles’ heel, and it has showed on the road, is that they are far too dependant on youth. If Brett Nelson, Justin Hamilton and Matt Bonner become more consistent players and leaders, the Gators can win the entire thing. As for now, they’re positioned nicely to make a run as a top seed.

Challenging the Gators for a top seed are Big 12 conference-mates Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma. It is likely that one of these three teams will end up with a top seed in the NCAA tournament. And it is not impossible for the Big 12, who has not had a national champion since Kansas won it in 1988 as a member of the Big 8, could land two top seeds. Consider that Texas and Oklahoma are ranked one and two in the RPI ratings. Another fringe candidate for a top seed is Louisville, who has recently dropped two CUSA games to fall out of first place in that conference. The Cardinals would most likely have to win out to land a top seed.

Side Dishes

Surging Illini: As a Big Ten team, there is one thing that you don’t want to do, and that’s play Illinois in Champaign. The Fighting Illini are 33-1 under Bill Self at Assembly Hall, and are just destroying visitors to the arena. Just last Tuesday, the Illini embarrassed Michigan State, 70-40. Now, last night, Illinois manhandled Indiana, 80-54. The Fighting Illini are starting to depend less on all-everything Brian Cook, and it has made them a better team. In last night’s victory, the team was led by sophomore Roger Powell’s 22 points. It was Powell’s second consecutive game with 20 or more points, something he had never previously achieved in his career. Freshman Dee Brown added 16, while Cook had 17. Meanwhile, Indiana is in desperate need of wins. The loss put the Hoosiers below .500 in the Big Ten and in danger of missing the NCAA tournament after appearing in the Finals last season.

Maryland keeps pace: The ACC is still up for the taking, and Maryland took one step closer to the title Tuesday. The defending national champions hammered Clemson, 91-52. The win put the Terps a half-game behind conference leader Wake Forest, and a half-game ahead of Duke. Coach Gary Williams has his team focused on winning the conference, and senior Tahj Holden knows there is more competition than just the heralded Blue Devils this year.

“The past couple of years it’s been us and Duke — that’s been it,” said Holden said. “This year you have three good teams. We’re still fighting for the league championship.”

Leaving Arizona: Arizona forward Dennis Latimore has decided to leave the Wildcats’ program. Latimore averaged 3.2 points and 3.1 rebounds this season, averaging only 12 minutes per contest. The 6-8 power forward was having trouble earning playing time over Channing Frye and Isaiah Fox. Earlier in the season, Arizona lost guard Will Bynum, who transferred to Georgia Tech due to a lack of playing time. Latimore has not yet indicated where he’ll transfer.

Clemons breaks hand: Missouri junior guard Ricky Clemons broke his left hand during the Tigers’ Saturday loss to Colorado. Clemons is the team’s third-leading scorer and leading assist man. Missouri will start reserve guard Josh Kroenke in Clemons’ place. Quin Snyder’s crew is firmly on the bubble at 16-7 overall and 7-5 in conference.

Tonight’s Menu:

• The Tennessee Volunteers are trying to worm their way into an NCAA tournament bid. A win tonight at Kentucky would do a lot for its resume. The Volunteers enter the contest at 15-8 overall and 7-5 in the SEC. They’ve lost two in a row, including a devastating home loss to fellow bubble and conference-mate Alabama on Saturday. The Wildcats, on the other hand, are cruising towards a top seed. Kentucky has yet to lose in the SEC. However, its closest game in conference came against Tennessee, a 74-71 victory in Knoxville.

• Southwest Missouri State has one last shot to be the upset winner of the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bears, two games out of first, host conference co-leader Creighton tonight. Southwest Missouri State nearly defeated the highly-touted Bluejays in Omaha, but blew a 17-point advantage. With a revenge victory tonight and a little bit of help, the Bears can still tie with Creighton and Southern Illinois for the title.

• The Sun Belt conference doesn’t get a whole lot of pub, but that’ll change Wednesday night. The top two teams in the conference, Western Kentucky and Louisiana-Lafayette, will meet on ESPN2. The winner will take sole possession of first place in the conference.

Touring the Northeast

Touring Around New England

by Phil Kasiecki

Has Providence Finally Figured It Out?

Providence won both games this past week, and looked impressive in each one. Head coach Tim Welsh may have finally found the right combination with his team, and a few players seem to have figured out their roles.

“This group is starting to really click together,” Welsh said after the Villanova game. “I think they feel good about themselves out there on the court, gain some confidence with every game, and obviously this is the time of the year you want to make a little push.”

In the last two games, sophomore forward Rob Sanders has started, joining Ryan Gomes, Marcus Douthit, Donnie McGrath and Sheiku Kabba in the starting lineup. Sanders, who was a spot starter last season but has had relatively sporadic minutes this season, has been a key to the Friars’ success. A good defender and hustle player, Sanders scored 27 points in the two games on 10-14 shooting and helped the Friars hold Miami and Villanova to just 42.3% shooting.

“He’s taken the opportunity and ran with it,” Welsh said of Sanders after the win over Miami. “The thing I told Rob way back is, I knew the talent has been always there – it’s not like I just discovered him – but it’s got to be a consistent effort every day. He was inconsistent in games earlier in the year because he was inconsistent in practice; now he’s been consistent in practice and he’s starting to be consistent in games.”

Douthit has stayed home on the low post, after trying to be a small forward at times last season and hurting the Friars more than helping them. He blocked four shots and had five steals against Villanova on Saturday night, while adding 9 points.

“You can see the confidence he’s gaining in every game,” Welsh said of Douthit’s recent play. “He’s playing with a lot of confidence, he’s not turning the ball over as much.”

While a few players that appear to be out of the primary rotation are past starters and good contributors – players like juniors Maris Laksa, Romuald Augustin and Chris Anrin – Welsh spoke highly of how they have taken to it, giving him the luxury of having them when needed.

“I still think we’re going to need everybody as we go through the end of the season,” Welsh acknowledged. “It’s hard just to play seven guys. We got into some foul trouble tonight, I think we got a little tired at times. You got to have everybody ready, but I think this group is clicking well and it’s obvious. You want to ride the horse as long as you can, but you have to be smart about it as well.

“I congratulated Rome and Chris and Maris in the locker room, and it’s not easy,” Welsh added. “They came out and practiced hard the last two days, and I was proud of that.”

The Friars, once in danger of not making the Big East Tournament, now look like they may do more than just go there. They play at Georgetown on Tuesday night, then have 8 days off before playing at Connecticut.

Is Northeastern Going Somewhere?

The Colonial Athletic Association has been talking with Northeastern recently, and the school’s athletic department is listening. The Boston Globe and the Northeastern News have recently reported this (the latter citing the former in its story), and while there is no clear sign that the school is planning to bolt, they also have not said no. This is of much greater importance than simply one school possibly moving on.

If Northeastern were to bolt, the America East Conference would be dealt a terrible, perhaps fatal, blow. The conference would lose its automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, as it would not have the requirement of six teams that have been together for at least five consecutive seasons until the 2005-06 season. On Friday, a presidents meeting was held, which could have large implications on what happens.

The CAA would like to expand to 12 teams from the current 10 that they have. The current 10 teams include four former America East teams: Delaware, Drexel, Hofstra and Towson. If Northeastern were to move, they would be by far the northern-most school in the conference, whose membership stretches as far south as Wilmington, North Carolina.

We will have more on this story as it unfolds.

On the court, the Huskies dropped a key matchup in Binghamton on Sunday, as the Bearcats scored a 66-54 win. The Huskies shot just 34.9% from the field and forced only five turnovers, a marked difference from their home win over the Bearcats last month.

Crimson Have to Wait Another Year

Harvard dropped two games at home this past weekend to Ivy League leader Pennsylvania and third-place Princeton. With Brown winning over Columbia and Cornell, next weekend’s matchups in Providence and New Haven will go a long way in determining the Ivy League’s outcome. The sweep of Harvard by Pennsylvania and Princeton knocks Harvard out of the running for the Ivy League title.

On Friday night, Pennsylvania simply put on an offensive clinic, with great ball movement and great perimeter shooting as they made 16 of 31 three-point attempts. The Quakers also out-rebounded the Crimson 33-23, and were 18-19 from the free throw line.

“I’ve been in the league 12 years now, and I don’t think I’ve seen a team that has a better inside-outside combination than this team,” Harvard coach Frank Sullivan said of the Quakers. “That said, the issues for us were our inability to guard the three in both the first half and the second half, and probably putting Penn on the line in situations in the first half where they just going to shoot lights out from the free throw line.”

Elliott Prasse-Freeman was again the primary shooter, as he took 13 field goals and that was more than any other player. He had 10 assists, but the Crimson continued to struggle to get a balanced offensive attack.

The 67-66 loss against Princeton on Saturday marked the third straight year that the matchup between the two at Lavietes Pavilion came down to the final shot, and Princeton came out on top in all three. The Crimson had rallied from a late deficit, but it wasn’t enough. Harvard again allowed opponents to shoot the lights out, as Princeton shot over 59% from the field and also killed the Crimson with 42 points in the paint.

Freshman center Brian Cusworth continues to come along for the Crimson. While he has been inconsistent, he has looked good overall, and Saturday night he had 13 points and 6 rebounds. The 7-footer will be a key building block past this season.

Crusaders Are Champions

With their weekend sweep of American and Navy, Holy Cross clinched the regular season title in the Patriot League. They won a 68-66 thriller on Friday night against American, then let great defense and balance show the way in a 63-42 thrashing of Navy.

Holy Cross used everything it had against the Midshipmen, who already struggle on offense and shot just over 30% against the Crusaders on Sunday. Brian Wilson (game-high 16 points), who was one of four senior players honored in Senior Day ceremonies before the game, made several shots early when the Crusaders struggled at the offensive end. They had great balance; three players had 10 points each, and in out-rebounding Navy by a 43-36 margin, no Crusader had more than 6 rebounds and six players recorded at least 4. Looking at the box score, just about everyone who played contributed significantly in one respect; freshman Kevin Hamilton had four steals, junior Jave Meade had 8 assists with just two turnovers. They also did not let Navy’s top scorer, Francis Ebong, get going, as he had limited touches and just four field goal attempts, while three-point sniper David Hooper had just six (only two were three-pointers) and made just one.

Head coach Ralph Willard noted the role Wilson played early, when the team looked flat and Navy had an early lead.

“I didn’t think we had any rhythm at the beginning of the game, and I thought we were playing without any emotion at all,” Willard said. “Thank God Brian (Wilson) came out and made some shots early, to get us offensively tuned in.”

Another bright spot was their great frontcourt depth. When Patrick Whearty and Nate Lufkin each picked up two fouls before the halfway point of the first half, Neil Fingleton came in and gave them a lift, recording a career-high four blocks and five rebounds in 9 minutes of play. The native of Durham, England has averaged under 8 minutes per game since he is a defensive liability despite his 7’6″ frame.

“He changes the game when he goes in there,” Willard said of Fingleton.

Willard, who has done a terrific job since taking the head coaching position three seasons ago, is happy to see the team wrap up the title with a week to play, as it has its advantages.

“I think it’s good for us because the whole year, we’ve had a target on our back,” Willard said before elaborating on the advantage it has. “This next weekend, we can go out and really concentrate on doing certain things to get us ready for the conference tournament.”

Other Notes From Around the Nation

• What did we get out of the Bracket Buster games on Saturday? The most notable thing is that Fresno State, like Tulsa, needs to win the WAC Tournament to get into the NCAA Tournament. Additionally, Gonzaga looks stronger for an at-large bid should it not win the West Coast Conference Tournament, and Southern Illinois not only looks good for an at-large, but it heads into its Missouri Valley showdown with Creighton on a strong note. Illinois-Chicago looks like a good NIT team, and Kent State might join them there if they don’t win the MAC Tournament.

• It hasn’t been a good year for a couple of the historically elite programs in college basketball. While the story at UCLA is well-documented, the seat has to be getting hot at North Carolina again as the Tar Heels continue to struggle after their great start. Their current slump has been bad enough, but an elite program should never lose by 40 points like they did on Saturday.

• The unfortunate saga of Jason Parker continues. As Adam Shandler reported on Monday’s Morning Dish, Jason Parker did not complete his course work for the fall semester and did not register for spring classes. It’s hard to believe he was once thought to be an amazing steal for Kentucky after an issue with his high school transcript, as it now looks like North Carolina got this one right. Don’t be surprised if Parker puts his name in for the NBA Draft.

Big West Notebook

Big West Conference Notebook

by Shaan Hassan

Irvine Takes Advantage of Other’s Pitfalls

Just weeks ago, UC Irvine (11-4) was in a rut, placed fourth in the
conference and its outlook wasn’t looking too positive. This columnist even
said that their winning ways were of the past. What do I know? The Anteaters
have moved beyond that and now stand in first place all alone, a spot once
occupied by UC Santa Barbara and Utah State.

Avenging an earlier loss, UCI defeated CSUN (5-9) Feb. 20, 64-57. Center
Adam Parada led Irvine with 18 points and five rebounds, while guard Jeff
Gloger added 12 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals. Forward
Curtis Slaughter paced the Matadors with 18 points, six assists, four
rebounds and three steals. In the game of the week, Irvine edged out Pacific
78-73 in overtime in Irvine. Forward Jordan Harris led UCI with 23 points
and Parada added a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Guard
Demetrius Jackson guided the Tigers (6-8) with 19 points. With that loss,
Pacific fell to sixth place in the conference.

Santa Barbara’s week proved uneventful. On Feb. 20, they fell victim to the
surging Cal Poly Mustangs 66-63 in San Luis Obispo. Cal Poly (8-6) was led
by center Shane Schilling’s 20 points. UCSB (10-4) was led by guard Nick
Jones’ 18 points, as the Gauchos shot 5-15 from beyond the arc. After that
defeat, UCSB then fell to Detroit 75-59, Feb. 23, in an out of conference
game in ESPN’s Bracket Buster. Just three players scored in double digits as
UCSB’s shooting woes continued. They shot 9-23 from behind the arc and 15-44
from the field.

Still hoping to remain in the top two of the conference, Utah State (10-5)
defeated Cal State Fullerton 62-41, Feb. 20. Only two Aggies scored in
double figures, with forward Desmond Penigar leading the way with 14 points
and seven rebounds, but that didn’t seem to matter as their defense was
nearly impenetrable. Guard Ralphy Holmes scored 24 points for Fullerton
(6-8), but no other Titan scored more than six points or took more than
seven shots. However, Utah State’s week had only begun and on Feb. 22 it got
much worse…in Riverside. Utah State was upset by UC Riverside 72-65 as
forward Nate Carter scored 25 points to lead UCR (5-9). Penigar led Utah
State with 17 points and seven rebounds and center Spencer Nelson added 14
points, but it wasn’t enough. Utah State shot 2-11 from three-point land,
while Riverside shot 11-18. Utah State now sits in third.

UCI, UCSB, Utah State and Cal Poly have all clinched playoff spots as Cal
Poly sits in the fourth spot out of eight possible teams.

Race for Eight

With four spots already clinched in the conference tournament, that leaves
four more spots for six teams. Let the amazing race begin.

Even before their overtime loss in Irvine, Pacific had already notched
another number in the loss column with their 70-61 upset loss to last place
Long Beach State (4-11). Forward Tony Darden scored 30 points on 10-15
shooting to lead the 49ers. Jackson played only eight minutes for the Tigers
and went scoreless.

Long Beach State wasn’t able to add to that momentum as they fell to CSUN
77-71, Feb. 22. Slaughter led CSUN with 20 points and eight assists, while
Darden led Long Beach State with 21 points.

Looking to stay in the top five, Idaho (7-8) defeated Riverside 68-64, Feb.
21. Forward Jon Tinnon led Idaho with 13 points, while Carter came off the
bench to help lead Riverside with 11 points. However, the Vandals were
unable to string two wins together as they fell to Fullerton 62-59 in double
overtime, Feb. 23. Holmes scored 20 points for Fullerton, while guard Dwayne
Williams scored 16 for Idaho.

The Week Ahead

With just two weeks remaining, the races are getting closer and the games
are getting tighter. Each game has some sort of influence on the tournament
now.

In the game of the week, UCI visits UCSB March 1 as the top two teams in the
conference square off. UCI also visits Cal Poly Feb. 27 as Cal Poly hopes to
maintain that fourth spot. Battling for the last spot in the post-season,
Riverside will visit CSUN Feb. 27. Pacific hosts Fullerton Feb. 27 as the
two teams hope to avoid the very last seed.

Darden Does It

After hitting 11 three-pointers and shooting 61 percent from behind the arc
and 50 percent from the field, it’s no wonder that Long Beach State forward
Tony Darden was named Big West Player of the Week.

In his team’s victory over Pacific, Darden scored 30 points and helped Long
Beach State erase a nine-point deficit. He also had three rebounds and five
assists. In the 49ers’ loss to CSUN, Darden didn’t disappoint, as he scored
21 points on 5-9 three-point shooting to go along with three assists and two
steals.

Atlantic Sun Notebook

Atlantic Sun Conference Notebook

by Kristy Shonka

Down The Stretch They Come

The stage is already set for the Atlantic Sun Tournament heading into the final week of the regular season. Now all that’s left to determine is the dancing order.

Belmont (11-4 A-Sun), Samford (9-6), Jacksonville State (8-6) and Georgia State (6-8) will be in Atlanta from the North Division, while Mercer (12-2), Troy State (12-2), UCF (10-5) and Jacksonville (8-6) will make the trip from the South Division. But Belmont as the No. 2 seed is the only sure thing as teams play their final games.

Belmont clinched the North Division with a two-game lead on Samford and only one game left in its season. If things play out like expected the Bruins will be the No. 2 seed behind South Division leader Mercer.

The Bears are tied with Troy State for the best record in the conference, but hold the tiebreaker over the Trojans. So it looks like TSU will be the third seed with Samford as the fourth seed. Even though it’s possible UCF could finish tied with Belmont for the second-best record in the conference, the highest the Knights could be seeded is fifth because of the way the A-Sun structures its seeding.

From there it gets tricky. If Samford takes the fourth seed, that leaves Jacksonville and Jacksonville State in a tie for the sixth seed with JU holding the tiebreaker. Preseason favorite and host Georgia State would be the eighth seed.

What Has To Happen

For everything to play out as previously explained, Mercer and Troy State have to win their remaining games. Both should win (Mercer and Troy State play Stetson and Jacksonville, respectively), but neither will be a guaranteed a victory. Stetson upset Belmont earlier in the season and Jacksonville beat UCF two weeks ago.

Mercer trailed Florida Atlantic, 40-31, at halftime on Thursday before coming back to win 87-72. The Knights gave both Mercer and Troy State trouble last week, but both came out victorious, as Mercer became the only team to sweep UCF this season.

Belmont doesn’t have to win its game Friday night at home against Samford, but no one wants to go into the tournament riding a loss. The Bulldogs, however, need the win if they want to keep the fourth seed. A loss means they drop all the way to the sixth or seventh seed (depending on whether JU sweeps Troy State and Mercer). UCF has the fifth seed wrapped up unless the Knights fall to Florida Atlantic and Jacksonville sweeps TSU and the Bears.

Jacksonville State should win its games over Gardner-Webb and Campbell, and would take the fourth seed if Samford loses to Belmont. Jacksonville isn’t likely to upset Mercer and Troy State, meaning the Dolphins will probably end up the eighth seed. If Georgia State wins its games against Gardner-Webb and Campbell, and JU loses its two games, the Panthers hold the tiebreaker and would move into the seventh seed.

UCF Loses Control Of Its Destiny

To begin last week, the Golden Knights controlled their destiny on their path to the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. All they had to do was knock off Mercer and Troy State. They lost both games by a combined eight points and had chances to pull ahead in both down the stretch.

But the Knights remain one of the teams to beat in the tournament. As the probably the fifth seed, the Knights will play a North Division opponent in the first round. UCF went 5-1 against the division during the season. The Knights’ only loss came to Belmont, which is the one team UCF definitely won’t be playing to open the tournament.

Games of the Week

With most of the seeding still up in the air, every game counts for somebody. Samford’s game against Belmont has the most riding on it as it means the difference between being the fourth seed and being the sixth or seventh seed.

Jacksonville State and Georgia State hit the easiest part of everyone’s schedule to end the season, drawing Gardner-Webb and Campbell, the two worst teams in the conference. UCF should handle Florida Atlantic, just like the Knights did to open the season, while Stetson and Jacksonville won’t be cakewalks for Mercer and Troy State.

SEC Notebook

Southeastern Conference Notebook

by Rainer Sabin

It didn’t seem possible that one team would emerge as the king of the hill in the Southeastern Conference this season. But the No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats (22-3, 12-0 SEC) sit atop the summit of the SEC with no challengers likely to dethrone them anytime soon. No. 19 Mississippi State (17-6, 7-5 SEC) was the latest team to try to knock them from their pedestal.

But like the rest of their SEC brethren, the Bulldogs capitulated. Kentucky’s 70-62 victory over Mississippi State Sunday only moved the Wildcats that much closer to a No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where any team will be hard-pressed to beat them. Mixing a suffocating 2-3 zone with man-to-man defense, Kentucky thwarted the Bulldogs from the outset.

Behind Keith Bogans, who scored 18 points, and Cliff Hawkins, who added 14 points, the Wildcats built a 32-13 lead with 6:26 left in the opening half. While the Bulldogs were able to cut the lead to 10, 30-28, before halftime, Kentucky was never threatened.

In the second period, the Wildcats rebuilt its insurmountable advantage to 17, 56-39, when forward Marquis Estill grabbed a rebound and found a streaking Bogans for a lay-up. A desperate comeback attempt by Mississippi State cut its deficit to five, 60-55. But Kentucky answered the Bulldogs’ 16-4 run to secure its 16th consecutive victory. Kentucky coach Tubby Smith commented on the winning streak after the victory over the Bulldogs. “We’ve just been trying to concentrate on what we need to work on for that opponent,” Smith said. “Keep the same routine with drills in practice. And keep the players humble. Make sure they know that every day in practice they have to come out and earn it.”

They have. The Wildcats, which limited the Bulldogs to 42 percent, have emerged as the best defensive team in the conference, and perhaps, the nation. Kentucky leads the league in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense, rebounding defense, rebounding margin, and turnover margin. If that wasn’t enough to substantiate Kentucky’s case for a No.1 seed, the Wildcats are one of two teams-the other being No. 1 Arizona-that have just one loss on the road. Unless the Wildcats have a late-season collapse, which is not likely, expect Kentucky to have a festive Selection Sunday.

Rising Alabama, Falling Tennessee

Two weeks ago, Alabama [15-8, 5-7 SEC] was lost and unable to be found. Fourteen days later, the Crimson Tide is back on track and on course for an NCAA bid. That is because Alabama has won two of its last three games-the last of which was a victory on the road. Despite a 74-69 loss to Georgia last Wednesday, Alabama rebounded Saturday with an impressive 76-71 victory over Tennessee (15-8, 7-5 SEC) in Knoxville last Saturday. Behind Erwin Dudley’s 18 points and Mo Williams’ 17 points, the Tide was able to withstand a late charge by the streaky Volunteers, who have lost two consecutive games.

Down by as many as 18 points, Tennessee made two separate runs to cut the lead to as little as five in the final minutes. C.J. Watson’s three-pointer with 13.8 seconds remaining in regulation pulled the Volunteers within two, 73-71. But Alabama was able to close out the game and earn its first victory away from home in seven attempts this season. “I was very disappointed,” Tennessee coach Buzz Peterson said. “We need to take better care of our home-court advantage than this. Alabama ran their offense without resistance from us in the first half by going after the loose balls and the rebounds. They played like a team that really wanted to win very badly. Give Alabama a lot of credit.”

Auburn Back on Track, Ole Miss Falters Again

In the coming weeks, Auburn (18-7, 7-5 SEC) wants to be considered worthy of a bid to the NCAA Tournament by the NCAA Selection Committee. A win over Ole Miss (12-11, 3-9 SEC) on the road should help. On Saturday, the Tigers vanquished the Rebels 80-75 in Oxford, as guard Marquis Daniels scored 29 points on 12 of 14 shooting. Despite having trailed throughout the game, Ole Miss battled to tie the score at 75 when Aaron Harper buried his fifth three-pointer with 1:25 left.

However, forward Marco Killingsworth responded with a dunk off an assist from Daniels that secured the victory. For the game, Auburn shot 65 percent from the field against a team that has fallen by the wayside in recent weeks. The Rebels have lost seven consecutive games and their schedule will not get any easier in the future. Ole Miss faces Georgia and Alabama this week, as it hopes to keep its dream of postseason play alive.

Florida Sneaks by Vanderbilt

Memorial Gym in Nashville has become a scary destination for ranked teams in recent years. Vanderbilt’s home arena, which features an elevated court, almost brought another visitor to its knees Saturday. However, Florida (22-4, 10-2 SEC) was able to outlast the Commodores 77-74 in overtime. Guard Anthony Roberson, who had 18 points, scored on a driving layup that tied the game at 66 at the end of regulation. Despite the late heroics, Florida struggled in the overtime.

The Gators were never able to pull away from the Commodores (10-13, 3-9 SEC) in the extra session. Trailing 74-73, freshman guard Matt Walsh scored on a lay-up and two free throws that gave Florida a 77-74 advantage with 4.7 seconds left. Nevertheless, Vanderbilt still had an opportunity to tie the game. Matt Przybyszewski’s three-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark and Florida escaped with the win. Matt Frieje’s 24 points led Vanderbilt, which has lost five consecutive games and has fallen to the bottom of the SEC East standings-a place that has become all to familiar for the Commodores. “We’re very disappointed with the way this season has gone,” Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said Monday in a news conference provided by the SEC. “We’re under .500 and our league record is bad. We felt that we were better than this. But our players continue to fight hard, and that’s all that we can ask of them.”

Georgia Bites Gamecocks

For the first time in five games, South Carolina (11-12, 4-8 SEC) found itself on the losing end. In Athens, (Georgia 16-7, 8-4 SEC) outlasted the Gamecocks 79-66 on Saturday. The Bulldogs, who have won three consecutive games including a 74-69 victory over Alabama Wednesday night, improved to 11-0 at home this season. Behind Ezra Williams’ 16 points and Jarvis Hayes’ 26 points, Georgia led for the entire second half and the last 4:46 of the first.

The victory over the Gamecocks proved important for the Bulldogs, who are looking to solidify their status as a tournament team come March. Meanwhile, the loss proved devastating for South Carolina, who is just looking to surpass the .500 mark by the end of the season and qualify for the NIT.

Arkansas Hits Another Low

Arkansas (7-16, 2-10 SEC) continued its struggles on Saturday, when it lost its fifth consecutive game to LSU (15-9, 4-8 SEC) 76-55 in Baton Rouge Saturday. The Razorbacks, who have not won a game on the road all season, continued to play poorly away from home. Arkansas fell behind immediately in a game it never had a chance of winning. The Tigers pounced on the Razorbacks in the opening minutes, as LSU jumped out to a 20-2 lead with 13:15 remaining in the first period. By halftime, the Razorbacks trailed 49-19 against a team they had beat 73-65 Jan.22. As a result, the second period transformed into a mere formality and Arkansas was given another embarrassing defeat.

The Hogs shot just 32 percent for the game and the Razorbacks’ five seniors scored a combined 17 points, prompting Arkansas coach Stan Heath to criticize the play of his upperclassmen. Meanwhile, LSU received more than enough production from its seniors. Ronald Dupree scored 25 points and Torris Bright added 10 in the victory. The Tigers hope this victory will jumpstart a run to the Big Dance, where the Tigers haven’t been since the 1999-2000 season.

America East Notebook

America East Conference Notebook

by Adam Reich

Sweet home Vermont

Vermont improved its home record to 10-1 by defeating both New Hampshire and
Boston University last week at Patrick Gymnasium in Burlington. In the
Catamounts’ 85-68 win against UNH last Wednesday, junior forward Scotty
Jones tallied a career-high 21 points and ten boards in just 24 minutes.
Jones led a balanced Vermont attack that managed to score 85 points despite
the conference’s leading scorer, Taylor Coppenrath, netting only nine
points.

In a showdown between the top two teams in America East, Vermont knocked off
first-place Boston University 60-53 Saturday in front of a sellout crowd.
The win was UVM’s 20th in their last 22 contests at home. The Catamounts
exploited the smaller Terriers, going with a larger lineup that overpowered
their opponent under the boards. UVM cleaned up the glass, out-rebounding BU
44-26, while corralling fifteen offensive boards. On the perimeter,
sophomore guard David Hehn took control of the Catamount offense. Hehn, who
scored a career-high seventeen points, buried three treys and broke down the
BU press late in the game to preserve the victory. Matt Sheftic recorded his
fourth double-double of the season, collecting sixteen points and eleven
boards, while Grant Anderson also posted a double-double with ten points and
ten boards.

Rashad Bell led the Terriers with seventeen points on seven-of-eleven
shooting. Bell also managed to shut down Coppenrath for the second-time this
season, holding UVM’s star forward to eleven points on just four-of-fifteen
shooting. Coppenrath shot six-for-nineteen in a 65-62 loss at BU on January
11. But on this occasion UVM got the win and managed to slice BU’s
conference lead to just one game.

Class is in session

On February 18 the National Association of Basketball Coaches announced the
NABC Division I All-District Teams recognizing the country’s best men’s
collegiate basketball student-athletes.

Taylor Coppenrath of Vermont, America East’s leading scorer, was named to
the District I First Team. The sophomore forward is averaging 20.8 points
and 6.6 rebounds per contest for the second-place Catamounts. Just last week
Coppenrath became the ninth Catamount to score 500 points in a season, and
is now just 18 points shy of 1000 for his career. Ben Gordon and Emeka
Okafor of Connecticut and Troy Bell and Craig Smith of Boston College joined
Coppenrath on the first team.

Mr. Wilson

With twenty points against Hartford Saturday, Albany freshman guard Jamar
Wilson has now scored in double figures in twenty straight games. Wilson has
also scored 20-plus points twelve times this season, including nine of
Albany’s last eleven games. Over the past two weeks Wilson has averaged 27.3
points and six rebounds per contest while leading the Great Danes to two of
their three conference victories this season. Wilson is now just seventeen
points shy of breaking Albany’s single-season freshman scoring record.

Top Billings

In a pair of wins last week, Binghamton sophomore Nick Billings averaged
15.5 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks per game. Billings had
double-doubles in each game, scoring nineteen points with ten boards in a
76-59 win at Albany Thursday and adding twelve points with a school-record
ten blocks in a 66-54 victory over Northeastern Sunday.

A look ahead to the finish

With just one week left in the regular season, the America East conference
picture is still unclear. With Vermont’s win over BU Saturday the Catamounts
sit just one game behind the Terriers, while the rest of the conference is
scrambling to improve their seed come tournament time.

Boston University (16-9, 11-3) will host New Hampshire on Wednesday night,
and will have their hands full when they travel to face cross-town rival
Northeastern Sunday afternoon. A pair of wins for BU would lock up the top
seed in the America East Tournament.

Vermont (17-10, 10-4) finishes the season with a trip to Hartford on
Wednesday night, and then returns home to face Albany Sunday afternoon. The
Catamounts need a pair of wins coupled with a BU loss for a chance to gain
the top seed.

Binghamton (14-11, 9-6) would secure at least a tie for third place with a
win at Stony Brook Wednesday. The Bears, who are not eligible for the
conference tournament this year, finish their season with a trip to Texas
A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday.

Hartford (13-12, 8-6) can wrap up the third seed in the conference
tournament with a pair of wins this week. But this will be a difficult task,
as the Hawks will host streaking Vermont Wednesday and Maine on Sunday.
Maine (13-14, 8-7) will overtake Hartford for the third seed if they can win
on the road Sunday. The Black Bears defeated the Hawks 82-71 in Orono back
on February 2, but the Hawks still have lost only once on their home floor
this season.

Northeastern (14-13, 7-7) can make a move this week with a pair of home
games. The Huskies face Albany Wednesday night and host the first-place
Terriers, who Northeastern beat at 72-69 Case Gymnasium, in a Sunday
afternoon affair.

Stony Brook (12-13, 6-8) is assured of at least the sixth seed in the
tournament, guaranteeing they won’t face BU or Vermont in the opening round.
However, wins over Binghamton Wednesday and New Hampshire Sunday will likely
move the Seawolves up a spot or two.

Albany (7-18, 3-11) needs a win to secure the seventh seed in the America
East tournament. But the odds are stacked against the Great Danes as they
play at Northeastern Wednesday and at Vermont Sunday.

New Hampshire (4-21, 2-12) will need to win at BU Wednesday and at Stony
Brook Sunday simply to have a chance to climb out of the basement. UNH
already knows they can start scouting for BU and Vermont.

Missouri Valley Notebook

Missouri Valley Notebook

by Alan Rubenstein

Bracket Busting Weekend for the Valley

The inaugural Bracket Buster event was a resounding success as the Valley finished with a sparkling 4-0 record. The Valley was the only conference to finish 4-0 in the Bracket Buster. Creighton and Southern Illinois were two of the marquee match-ups in Bracket Buster Saturday and both teams were rewarded with home games on ESPN2. Illinois State and Northern Iowa would play in the relative Bolivian (to quote Mike Tyson) of ESPN Plus with road games at Marshall and Louisiana Tech, respectively.

Creighton kicked off Bracket Buster Saturday by welcoming Fresno State to Omaha. The game was exactly what ESPN had in mind when the Bracket Buster was conceived. The game was competitive throughout as neither team held a lead bigger than seven or eight points.

Kyle Korver broke his own school record for three pointers in a season with 105 and also moved into fifth place in Creighton history in career points. He finished with 27 points including going 7-15 from beyond the arc and had five rebounds and three assists. Korver’s day led the way in Creighton’s 67-66 win. Korver set the tone early by hitting 5-9 from downtown in the first half as the Bluejays led 35-33 at the half. The key to the game was a 20-4 Creighton run about halfway through the second half during which the Blue Jays held Fresno without a field goal for nearly nine minutes.

The Bulldogs had their chances in the second half, but Creighton was able to hold on. Mike Grimes’ 11 and Brody Deren’s 10 helped support Korver. Damen Jackson’s three point miss with less than five seconds remaining clinched the Creighton victory. Jonathon Woods lay-in at the buzzer gave the Bulldogs their final points of the afternoon. Southwest Missouri State is waiting for the Blue Jays as Creighton visits Springfield in a game matching two of the Valley’s top three teams. SMS will be out to avenge their loss in Omaha earlier this season in a game that saw Creighton rally from a 17-point deficit to win in overtime.

The second game on Bracket Buster Saturday featured Southern Illinois hosting head coach Bruce Weber’s alma mater, Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Stetson Hariston’s tip in at the buzzer set off a frenzied crowd and gave the Salukis a 66-64 victory. The officials had to work their way through the crowd after Hairston’s heroics to observe the replay. After determining that Hairston’s tip in came before the buzzer, the Salukis gained a key non-conference win against the leader of the Horizon league.

After falling behind 12-5, the Salukis went on a 9-0 run to get back into the game. They eventually took a 41-29 lead into intermission, and expanded it to 47-31 early in the second half. The Salukis seemed to be in control but the Panthers had other ideas. Using a full court press, UWM got back into the game with a 21-5 run to tie it at 52 with eight minutes remaining. The next eight minutes was a dog fight, both teams had their chances before Hairston tipped in the Darren Brooks runner to win it.

After starting out the season 1-15, Illinois State finally seems to have found a rhythm. The ‘Birds win kept the Valley perfect by getting a road win at Marshall. ISU has now won five of their last eight. After taking a 27-22 lead to the break, the Redbirds outscored Marshall 16-5 at the outset of the second half. A late rally by Marshall fell short as Greg Alexander hit a key jumper late to provide some cushion. Alexander finished with 21 points. The victory over Marshall was ISU’s first away from Redbird arena this season.

Northern Iowa entered the Bracket Buster similar to Illinois State. The Panthers were struggling and having a disappointing season at 8-15. Traveling to Lafayette for a match-up with the Bulldogs was a daunting task. Louisiana Tech had entered the week with a seven game winning streak before Rice took some of the bite out of the Bulldogs with a 76-71 victory.

Although it was the Bulldogs that came into Bracket Buster Saturday hot, it was the Panthers that lit up the scoreboard. Ben Jacobson led four Panthers in double figures with 17 as Northern Iowa shot 51 percent from the field including 45 percent from three point range in the victory. The win was Northern Iowa’s second straight on the road after losing ten in a row away from the UNI Dome.

UNI hit nine three pointers on the night and held LA Tech to 28.6 percent from beyond the arc to cap the Valley Valley’s 4-0 sweep of Bracket Buster Saturday. David Gruber, Matthew Schneiderman and Ryan Paulsen all contributed to the victory. Gruber capped off an efficient night with 15 points and nine rebounds in only 14 minutes due to foul trouble. Paulsen scored 12 on 4-5 from three point range and Schneidermann contributed 15 points and seven rebounds.

Valley Notes

After their match-up with SMS on Wednesday night, the Bears will travel to Carbondale on Saturday night for a pivotal game with Southern Illinois that should decide the winner of the Valley’s regular season title. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Net at 8pm. With three games remaining in the regular season, SIU and Creighton continue to lead the Valley with Southwest Missouri and Wichita State two games back.

Southern Illinois and Creighton both have a chance to finish the season unbeaten at home. The Salukis win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee extended their home court winning streak to 25, while Creighton has not lost at home since last season’s final home game against Drake. If just one of them finishes the season unbeaten at home, it would mark the third consecutive season a Valley team finishes the season with an unbeaten home record.

Creighton - The Bluejays schedule should help their seeding tremendously when the Brackets are announced in three weeks. They have posted a 5-1 record in six games this season against teams currently in first or second place in their league. The lone loss being a 75-73 set back at Xavier. Included in those games were victories over BYU and Notre Dame, who are both in the top 20 in the RPI. Korver continues his assaults on the Valley record books. His 347 career treys rank him first all time and with 105 three point field goals on the season, Korver can next aim for Southern Illinois’ Troy Hudson’s 134 for a season in 1997.

Southern Illinois – The Salukis 25-game home court winning streak is the third longest in school history. The longest was a 30-game streak from March 5, 1965 to December 9, 1968. SIU continues to be lights out from long distance. The Salukis have shot 49 percent from three point range in their last seven games. Stetson Hairston and Bryan Turner have particularly been hot. Hairston has made 11 of his last 16, while Turner has made 11-13. Overall, SIU ranks near the top nationally in three-point shooting at 41 percent. Kent Williams moved past Ashraf Amaya and Mike Glenn last week into second in career scoring with 1,908 career points. Hairston and Darren Brooks continue to be key cogs in the Saluki machine. Brooks (12.9 ppg) has scored 20 or more points five times and leads SIU in steals and blocked shots while Hairston (12.0 ppg) is shooting 42 percent from three-point range and leads the team in assists.

Southwest Missouri State and Wichita State continue to reach milestones that they have not reached in quite a few seasons. With an 11-4 Valley Mark the Bears have matched their conference starts from 1991 and 1992. They also have a 6-3 road record, which is their best in seven years. If you want to point to a turning point in the Bears season, December 29th would be a good turning point. Tamarr Maclin and Kellen Easley were inserted into the lineup that night and since then, SMS has posted a 12-4 record.

Wichita State - The Shockers meanwhile have had a season to remember on their own. Their 11 league victories are the most they have had since 1998. Their next conference win will ensure their most successful valley season since the 1983 team went 17-1 behind Antoine Carr, Xavier McDaniel and Cliff Livingston. Their 16 wins are the most they have recorded in current coach Mark Turgeon’s tenure in Central Kansas. Aaron Hogg, who has really led the Shockers lately, is the leading candidate for Valley Newcomer of the year and was awarded as the most recent Valley player of the week. Hogg is averaging 15.9 PPG and scored a season high 27 points in the Shockers upset of Creighton last week.

The Valley is hitting the home stretch with each team having three games this week before the finales next Monday night. Then it’s on to St. Louis for Arch Madness convening a week from Friday March 7th with the 7-10 seeds before the remainder of the Valley teams begin post season action the next day.

Big 12 Notebook

Big 12 Conference Notebook

by Mitch Schneider

No SuRPrIse here

In the latest RPI poll, two Big 12 squads sit atop the entire 318-team list.

Oklahoma (19-4) and Texas (18-5) occupy the No. 1 and 2 positions, respectively, giving whole new meaning to the Red River Rivalry.

The Sooners grabbed the top spot a week after beating Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Kansas in succession. Kelvin Samson’s bunch has won nine of ten, and is now tied with the Jayhawks for first place in the Big 12 standings (10-2).

The Longhorns, who owned the top spot in the last RPI poll, had won four straight before falling to Oklahoma State, 82-77, last Saturday. Despite its loss over the weekend, Texas (9-3) is the last team to have defeated the Sooners, and is only a game behind Oklahoma and Kansas in the conference standings.

While OU and Texas are all but assured a spot in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, both schools are fighting for No. 1 seeds. Their high positions in the RPI poll will certainly help their causes, though the RPI is one of only a number of factors the Tournament Committee looks at to determine its top seeds (strength of schedule, road record, quality wins, etc.).

Unfortunately for fans in Austin, the NCAA Committee doesn’t acknowledge the “party school factor.”

Who’s hot, who’s not

Sorry to drag up this old sports cliche, but a number of Big 12 teams have been hot or cold as of late. With the conference season winding down and Selection Sunday only weeks away, here’s a quick look at some of the teams that are presently on fire, or in dire need of a warm blanket.

Hot

Oklahoma and Texas: As mentioned before, these two teams are sitting pretty in both the RPI and conference standings, and both have enjoyed a top ten ranking for the majority of the 2003 season. Oklahoma and Texas will likely sweep the rest of their remaining schedules, that is, until they face each other in Norman (Mar. 8) the last regular-season game this year.

Texas Tech: Just when you thought Bob Knight’s Red Raiders (16-8) were down for the ten count, Texas Tech does the unthinkable and pulls off a season-saving, 62-57, win at Oklahoma State. This huge road victory gives Tech new life in the race to get an at-large bid for the NCAA Tourney, while giving the Red Raiders some much needed momentum heading down the home stretch of the Big 12 season.

Colorado: The Buffs’ 21-point victory over Missouri last Saturday means CU has now beaten three ranked opponents (Kansas, Texas) by an average of almost 12 points per game. Colorado (16-9) has won ten straight at home, tying a school record, and is just two victories shy of reaching the 18-win mark for just the ninth time in 100 seasons of basketball.

Not

Oklahoma State: After leading the nation with a 15-game winning streak, the Cowboys have dropped five of their last eight, including an embarrassing 74-72 loss to Baylor. O-kie State did manage to knock off Texas last weekend, but are clearly in trouble following its impressive run earlier this year.

Missouri: Missouri, once a fairly solid lock to receive at an-large bid for March Madness, has fallen on hard times. After getting slammed by Colorado last Saturday, the Tigers have fallen out of the national rankings, having gone just 2-2 in their last four outings. To make matters worse for Quin Snyder’s crew, Mizzou still has to play Oklahoma and Kansas this season.

Nebraska: The Huskers have dropped nine straight, are last in the Big 12 standings (1-11), and find themselves behind Drexel, Mercer and Ball State in the latest RPI poll (with all due respect to those three schools). During Nebraska’s recent fall, NU has lost each game by an average of 15.2 points, and has yet to post a road win in 2003.

Nothing like that Rocky Mountain Bl-air

Colorado swingman Blair Wilson is coming off one heckuva week.

After posting his first career double-double at Kansas (21 points, 10 rebounds), the junior poured in a career-high 26 points three nights later against Missouri.

Against the Tigers, Wilson knocked down six three-pointers to go along with his five boards and four steals, and has now converted 12 of 22 (55%) shots behind the arc in CU’s last three games.

For his recent efforts, Wilson was named Big 12 Player of the Week.

Presently, the Colorado-native is a leading candidate to take home the conference’s Most Improved Player award, as he is averaging 13.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Wilson has also been deadly from downtown, having hit at least one trey in 38 of his last 40 games.

The Blair Wilson Project: now playing at selected arenas across the Big 12.

Intriguing match-ups of the week:

Wednesday, February 26 – Oklahoma at Missouri
Saturday, March 1 – Oklahoma State at Kansas
Monday, March 3 – Kansas at Texas Tech

Mid-Continent Notebook

Mid-Continent Conference Notebook

by Matt Amis

Call the police. It’s official — Valpo has taken the league and ran away with it. Valparaiso extended its winning streak to six Saturday, defeating way-distant second-place IUPUI, 77-71. The Crusaders also sealed the Mid-Continent Conference regular season championship title with the win, marking the eighth time in nine years Valpo has accomplished that feat.

Valparaiso (17-8, 11-1 Mid-Con) defeated the second-place Jaguars (15-13, 8-4 Mid-Con) after increasing a 35-26 halftime lead to as many as 17 (68-51) with 6:06 remaining and secured its win by making 8-of-10 free throws in the final 50 seconds.

Stalin Ortiz led the Crusaders with 21 points, six rebounds and four steals in the home finale. Joaquim Gomes added 12 points and Raitis Grafs totaled 10 points and four blocked shots. Matt Crenshaw led IUPUI netting a career-high 24 points, while Odell Bradley scored 12 points and Chris Sanders and Josh Mullins added 12 and ten points, respectively.

Valparaiso finished shooting 48 percent (24-of-50), including 43 percent (6-of-14) from 3-point range. IUPUI shot 36 percent (21-of-59) for the game, including 26 percent (5-of-9) from beyond the arc. The win marked the earliest clinching of a Mid-Con regular season title in Crusader history, while the loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Jaguars.

ORU’s struggles continue

Ah, on the other side of the coin there’s Oral Roberts. The once mighty Golden Eagles started off the season like gangbusters, gaining national recognition along the way. And how did they spend this weekend? Try losing to Kangaroos in double overtime 91-86.

UMKC (7-18, 6-6 Mid-Con) defeated Oral Roberts (16-9, 7-5 Mid-Con) Saturday snapping the Golden Eagles 10-game home-court winning streak. The loss was the third in a row for Oral Roberts, while the win marked the Kangaroos second straight. The Golden Eagles held the advantage on the glass, outrebounding the Kangaroos 55-28, but committed 14 turnovers to UMKC’s nine.

Michael Watson netted a career-high 54 points to lead UMKC to the victory. The senior hit 19-of-35 (.543) from the floor, including 45 percent (10-of-22) from long range. Javon Clark and Carlton Aaron also netted double figures. Aaron netted 15, while Clark added 11. Oral Roberts was led by Luke Spencer-Gardner with 30, while Reggie Borges (16), Tyrone Tiggs (15) and Kendrick Moore (10) also scored in double digits. Moore posted a double-double, also grabbing 14 rebounds.

Oakland stays in race for second

Even though the conference schedule has seemingly separated Valpo from –well — everyone else, Oakland seems to be in the best position to prove this conference isn’t a one-trick pony. The Golden Grizzles defeated Western Illinois Saturday, 89-79 to stay within striking distance.

Oakland’s (15-10, 8-4 Mid-Con) Mike Helms netted 27 points to lead the Grizzlies past Western Illinois (7-18, 3-9 Mid-Con) Saturday in Macomb, Ill. Oakland led 30-19 with 8:10 left in the first half, and went into the locker room with a 45-34 halftime advantage.

The Leathernecks opened the second half with an 8-3 run that brought them to within six with 17:49 to play, but Western couldn’t hold on. The difference came at the line, Oakland hitting 29-of-41 from the charity stripe for the game, including 10-of-12 in the final two minutes, while the Leathernecks made eight of just 15 free throws.

Rawle Marshall posted a double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds, and Cortney Scott netted 20 points and grabbed ten boards. Five Leathernecks reached double digits led by J.D. Summers 18 points. Matt Robins scored a season-high 15 points, while Luis Rivas and Ray Harris added 13 points each.

Another ugly CSU loss

And then there’s Chicago State.

What can you really say about the Cougars? They’re winless in conference play (0-12) and are riding a blistering 0-17 streak. Southern Utah added to Chicago State’s sad state Saturday, downing them 70-54.

The Thunderbirds hit their first seven field goals, en route to a 30-25 halftime advantage. David Palmer led Southern Utah with 19 points, while James Ball and Donnie Jackson scored 11 apiece. Chicago State posted one player in double figures, Kelvin Smallwood with 20 points. Southern Utah hit 56 percent (24-of-43) shots from the floor in the win.