UWM

Salukis come to Milwaukee

by Nick Dettmann

Milwaukee – Southern Illinois first year head coach Matt Painter feels that the barn-burner, 66-64 buzzer beater, game against the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee last season in Carbondale helped get the Saluki’s into the post-season last season.

In the second rendition of UWM and SIU, the Saluki’s might be able to look back at this game and use it again to get back into the post-season following their 81-77 win over the Panthers on Saturday.

“Last year, our win got us into the NCAA tournament,” Painter said. “That got us over the hump.

“Now for us to be able to come in here and get a win is huge for us. I told the guys that we could not turn the ball over and that when we make mistakes, not to compound on them. I think that was the key.”

For much of the contest, UWM struggled with their switches as SIU set-up numerous ball screens to help open up their outside shooters.

“We knew that (Darren) Brooks and (Brad) Korn would be coming off screens,” UWM’s Dylan Page said. “A couple other guys kind of surprised us. But we made adjustments at halftime. Whether we executed or not is a different matter.”

The set back for UWM (2-1) snapped a 17-game winning streak on their floor, combined with the games at the on-campus Klotsche Center and the US Cellular Arena.

Darren Brooks led all scorers with 26 points for SIU (3-0) as he tore up the Panther defense possession after possession en route to a 10-for-18 shooting performance. SIU also used 15 points from Brad Korn, 11 from LaMar Owen and a 50 percent shooting display to get them over the hump over a thin Panthers line-up.

UWM was shorthanded from the get-go, which, early on, played a very pivotal role in the game. Fifth-year senior Kalombo Kadima sat out the game after he pulled a groin in the Panthers 90-62 win over Concordia-St. Paul on Tuesday night. Ricardo Freeman was forced to sit in the first half because he was late to practice earlier in the week. With those two key guards out, head coach Bruce Pearl was forced to go with youth and inexperience

“There were two differences tonight,” Pearl said. “One, they were quicker than us. The strong will beat the weak, the smart will beat the strong and the quicker will always win.

“The second thing was our bench. I think our bench dropped off tonight. In order for us to win, we need everyone to contribute.”

UWM got the game started in the right direction for them as they jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead, courtesy of reigning player of the week Joah Tucker. For much of the rest of the half, the lead did progress to get any bigger than six.

But shortly before the 15-minute mark, the Saluki’s opened up the floodgates with a 20-9 run to finish off the half as they went into the locker room up 48-38.

The second half started out much like the first half with UWM opening up on a 14-6 run to get them within two. But that was all she wrote after that as the Saluki’s never relinquished the lead and led by as many as 10 points mid-way through the second stanza.

Trying to mount a comeback, much like how they hung in at the contest in Carbondale last season, the Panthers were unable to inch themselves any closer than four in the last two minutes.

The Panthers had their best chance to pull within one possession with 30 seconds left on the clock. UWM, down 78-73, using their famous tight in-bound defense forced a five second violation on SIU.

UWM in-bounded the ball and Page took a fade-away jumper that rimmed off and Brooks snarled the rebound, forcing UWM to foul, closing the door.

When asked to compare the 2002-’03 Panthers to the 2003-’04 Panthers, he said they were similar in many areas. Except for one.

“I think they lack that ‘go-to-guy’ in crunch time like Clay Tucker,” Painter said. “Obviously Dylan is a load, McCants is a shooter, Chris Hill is a jet and they don’t have those guys that keep you honest, but Tucker was a little bit of everything.”

“I talked to the team a little bit,” Pearl said after the game. “Dylan stepped and said ‘You know we lost our third game to Southeast Missouri State last season, we just lost to a team that might win the MVC, I think we are ahead of where we were last year.’ I’m pleased to hear that and to some extent I agree.

“We’re playing the schedule that we’re not looking at being an at-large NCAA tournament team,” Pearl added. “We’re getting ready to win the league tournament championship again.”

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Sunday, November 30th

Champions: The championship game of the Great Alaska Shootout figured to be a good game, and it didn’t disappoint. Purdue held the Blue Devils to 38% shooting and shot 49% en route to a 78-68 upset of No. 2 Duke to win the Great Alaska Shootout. Tournament MVP Kenneth Lowe led the Boilermakers (4-0) with 22 points, while Chris Booker had 20 points and 5 assists. Duke (3-1) was led by Luol Deng and Shelden Williams with 15 points apiece, while Williams added 13 rebounds.

Starting On a Low Note: It took overtime, but Iowa pulled off the upset of No. 20 Louisville, 70-69, in the John Wooden Tradition. The Hawkeyes (3-0) got a late free throw from Pierre Pierce and a career-high 26 points from Greg Brunner, but mainly won the game by beating Louisville up on the glass by a 45-27 margin. The Cardinals (0-1) lost the season opener for the third straight season despite four players scoring in double figures, led by Luke Whitehead with 18 and 14 rebounds.

Starting On a High Note: For a while, Ben Howland’s debut at UCLA didn’t look too good. UCLA’s defense did nothing to stop Vermont star forward Taylor Coppenrath, who tied his career-high with 38 points, and the Catamounts led by 11 at one point. The Bruins would come back to tie it, but Vermont didn’t stop applying the pressure. With 4.8 seconds left, Ryan Hollins made one free throw to give the Bruins a 68-67 win in Howland’s debut as UCLA head coach.

Fast Start, Then Hold On To Win: Indiana looked like it would run away with Saturday’s game against No. 23 Xavier in Indianapolis, but needed overtime to score an 80-77 upset of the Musketeers. The Hoosiers (2-1) shot nearly 58% from the floor in the first half and led 38-24, but Xavier (3-2) came back and eventually took the lead as Indiana went ice cold. The Hoosiers need a late three-point play by Bracey Wright (game-high 27 points) to tie the game, and Wright scored eight more points in the extra session.

Spartans Win Big: At the Coca-Cola Spartan Classic, No. 7 Michigan State missed its first seven shots, then got going once birthday boy Shannon Brown got into the game. The freshman guard had three big dunks en route to 12 points on 6-10 shooting, helping the Spartans go on to a 77-52 win over Pennsylvania. Brown was one of three Spartans in double figures, as junior Kelvin Torbert had 15 points and classmate Chris Hill had 13, and the Spartans won the battle on the glass by a 39-26 margin despite going with a small lineup often. Tim Begley led all scorers with 17 points for Pennsylvania (1-2). The Spartans will face DePaul in the championship game on Sunday, as the Blue Demons (3-0) beat Indiana State, 78-66.

Near Misses: A couple of Top 25 games came down to the wire on Saturday. No. 4 Missouri had a close call on the road before finally knocking off Oakland, 90-85. The Tigers (1-0) trailed on a couple of occasions, and still didn’t put Oakland away after scoring machine Mike Helms (21 points) fouled out with over eight minutes remaining. Oakland (2-4) was led by Rawle Marshall’s game-high 27 points.

Also hitting the road was No. 8 North Carolina, and the Tar Heels had to rally by scoring the final 10 points of the game to beat upset-minded Cleveland State, 82-76. Cleveland State (2-1) led by four on two occasions, including 76-72 in the final minutes, before the Tar Heels (3-0) rallied to take the game.

No. 16 St. Joseph’s needed a long three-pointer by Jameer Nelson as the shot clock ran down in the final seconds to secure a 75-72 win at Old Dominion. Nelson led the Hawks (3-0) with 24 points as the Hawks played their third straight road game to start the season.

Climb Up On My Back: Ronny Turiaf was all No. 12 Gonzaga needed in overtime. He scored all 11 of the Bulldogs’ points and made two key plays at the defensive end in the extra session to help Gonzaga beat Georgia, 82-76 in Spokane, Washington. Turiaf finished the game with 22 points to lead Gonzaga (3-1), while Rashad Wright led Georgia (2-1) with 21 points and sat for just one minute of the game.

Not Even Close: A few Top 25 teams made it look easy on Saturday. No. 11 Texas (3-0) blew out Centennary, 94-59 in Austin. No. 19 Wake Forest (3-0) had four players score in double figures and won in just about every statistical category in beating Yale, 86-61 in Bridgeport, CT. No. 21 Cincinnati (3-0) coasted to a 76-56 home win over Coppin State.

Cruising To Victory: No. 13 Illinois (3-0) jumped out to leads of 18-5 and 27-7 early and never looked back in a 75-60 win over Temple. No. 15 Wisconsin (3-0) won its 15th straight home game, 55-43 over Rutgers. No. 17 Notre Dame (2-0) scored a 78-64 home win against Mt. St. Mary’s.

Downright Shocking: A mid-major team pulling off a win over a high-major team is nothing new, but Saturday had one such instance that went a little beyond a simple upset. Murray State dominated Southern Mississippi, 94-54, in Murray, Kentucky on Saturday to improve to 4-0. The Racers shot 62% from the field and scored 58 points in the second half.

Tonight’s Menu

• Rhode Island travels to No. 6 Syracuse to take on the defending national champs at the Carrier Dome.

• No. 7 Michigan State hosts DePaul in the championship game of the Coca-Cola Spartan Classic in East Lansing.

• No. 18 Stanford hits the road to take on Rice, while Michigan heads south to take on Butler in Indianapolis.

• In games of local interest, Cal State-Northridge takes on USC in Los Angeles, while Northern Iowa travels to Ames to take on Iowa State and Charlotte takes on UNC-Asheville on the road.

MassMutual Tipoff Classic

The Best Matchup in Springfield

by Phil Kasiecki

Springfield, Mass. – The public address announcer said the game will be remembered among the best matchups in the history of the MassMutual Classic, formerly the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic. That is high praise; over the years, it has featured many classic matchups, with results ranging from the shootout in 1990 between Villanova and LSU (won by the Wildcats, 93-91) to the defensive struggle last year between Alabama and Ohio State (won by the Crimson, 54-48).

But the man knew what he was talking about when he gave out such praise.

This year’s game fell in between in terms of offense, but will certainly go down as a classic. Bonell Colas made a layup off an inbounds pass with 7.3 seconds left to give No. 9 Florida a 78-77 win over No. 3 Arizona in a game that was close throughout. The largest lead either team held was 8 points and the score was tied seven times.

In the early going, it looked like the Wildcats (1-1) would have control of the game, scoring several early baskets while thriving in the up-tempo setting. Channing Frye (15 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks) asserted himself inside, while Florida’s lack of depth inside looked like it could hurt the Gators. But the Gators (2-0) stayed right there, making plays at the defensive end and cashing in at the offensive end, heading into the locker room trailing 34-33.

In the second half, it looked like the Gators could break the game open after taking the lead early. Mustafa Shakur (13 points) picked up his fourth foul just over two minutes into the half and with Florida leading 40-38. The Gators then scored the next six points to complete an 11-0 run for the largest lead of the game. Frye then completed a three-point play to start a run of nine unanswered points by the Wildcats to reclaim the lead at 47-46.

Shortly after that, game MVP Matt Walsh (18 of his 27 points in the second half) went to work, knocking down three straight three-pointers within 61 seconds, the last one breaking a 55-55 tie to put the Gators ahead. Arizona would regain the lead, but Walsh hit another three-pointer about three minutes later to cut the lead to two at 64-62.

The Wildcats would later get their biggest lead, going up 71-64 on a layup by Shakur, but the Gators chipped away after that. After Anthony Roberson (15 points) brought the Gators within 77-76 on a layup with 2 minutes left, the teams went scoreless. Salim Stoudamire was fouled with 23 seconds left, usually about the last Wildcat a team would want to foul as he is an 89% career free throw shooter. But Stoudamire missed the front end of a 1-and-1, leading to the winning inbound pass after a timeout taken by the Gators and a 30-second timeout taken by the Wildcats. The field goal was the only one Colas made in the game.

Chris Rodgers led five Wildcats in double figures with 17 points, 13 coming in the second half. The Wildcats grabbed 24 offensive rebounds, but couldn’t take advantage of them as they shot 38% from the floor.

Game Notes

One important element of this game was sure to be depth, as Florida was deeper, although Arizona’s starters are probably better. The early minutes, when Arizona was running often, didn’t surprise Florida head coach Billy Donovan.

“I thought, coming into the game, it would certainly be a track meet,” Donovan said. “I give Arizona credit because they did a great job running the ball down our throat.”

While Walsh was the game MVP largely for his 27 points and clutch three-point shooting, Donovan said Walsh did even more to be the game’s MVP, especially with players like Roberson, David Lee (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Christian Drejer, who didn’t have their best nights.

“I was very impressed with Christian Drejer, I was very impressed with Roberson, and David Lee, because it wasn’t going well for those guys, and they kept fighting,” he said. “I think a lot of that had to do with Matt Walsh – he got it going, and not only did it going for himself, he got our guys going because he was constantly in those guys’ ears.”

On a team with 11 freshmen and sophomores, Walsh is like a seasoned veteran, and he kept that in mind when asserting himself as a vocal leader.

“I kept trying to say the whole game that we could play with these guys,” said Walsh. “We had to believe that we were as good as this team.”

Lee sat much of the second half with cramps, taking himself out voluntarily. The junior forward did a nice job of following plays, as he got a few baskets from that and running the floor, before removing himself from the game.

Arizona has an athletic team, especially on the wing, but this game showed room to grow as the season goes along. Hassan Adams made a couple of mid-range jumpers, a key for him, and Andre Iguodala had 8 assists and 10 rebounds, but needs to be a better scorer for this team. Depth is certainly going to be a key issue for this team.

When Shakur had to sit after picking up his fourth foul, Rodgers had to play extended minutes. He took full advantage of the opportunity, handling the ball well and making long range shots. Rodgers, who averaged just over 8 minutes per game last season, should see more playing time, and with the Wildcats’ overall lack of depth, they’ll need him to play like he did tonight.

“There’s no question that Chris can play and he can defend,” said Olson. “I thought he definitely was a huge factor for us.

“Chris was a big-time scorer in high school. He just needs to learn that the open man is the guy we want shooting the shot. You can see how he can shoot the thing until he takes one he shouldn’t take, and that’s a pretty quick way to get out of the game. But I thought Chris played well in a lot of different ways.”

Shakur will also have to stay out of foul trouble as well, and should improve on that.

“When Mustafa’s in there, we’re a different team than when he’s out of there,” said Olson. “He has to learn that, at this level, you reach, you’ll get the ball five times or you’ll get four fouls. I’m sure he’ll take that away from the game. With our lack of depth to begin with, we can’t afford to have to sit guys as much as we did tonight.”

Adding to the depth issue is that Isaiah Fox pulled a hamstring and could not play in the second half.

Both teams gave the sold out crowd their money’s worth, and while each has areas for improvement, each looks to have a good season ahead.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Saturday, November 29th

Florida wins Tipoff: No. 9 Florida nailed a layup with 7 seconds left to defeat No. 3 Arizona 78-77 in the Tipoff Classic last night from Springfield, Massachusetts. Senior Gator center Bonell Colas scored his only points of the game by laying up the inbounds pass, which was followed by Arizona’s Salim Stoudamire jumper attempt, and Andre Iguodala’s tip-in attempt, neither of which dropped for the Wildcats. The Gators were led by sophomore Matt Walsh, who scored 27 points, including 5-for-8 from the three-point land, and Chris Rodgers led Arizona with 17 points. Hoopville senior writer Phil Kasiecki has a live report from the Springfield Civic Center.

Preseason NIT: In a battle of Techs for the Preseason NIT finals, Georgia Tech handled Bobby Knight’s Texas Tech squad handily last night, winning 85-65 at Madison Square Garden. The Yellow Jackets had six players in double figures, and played a swarming defense that twice kept the Red Raiders from getting off a shot before the shot clock expired. Jarret Jack led the Jackets with 17 points, and tournament MVP Isma’il Muhammad and B.J. Elder each added 16. Andre Emmett led the Red Raiders with 25 points and six rebounds, and Devonne Giles was the only other Texas Tech player in double figures, with 16 points. In the consolation game, No. 1 UConn recovered from their loss to Georgia Tech and downed Utah 76-44. Emeka Okafor, who was still suffering from a sore back, finished with 21 points and 7 boards. He spent half of the game on the sidelines or in the locker room receiving treatment for his back. Denham Brown added 19 points for the Huskies, and Ben Gordon notched 12 points. Utah was down 37-13 at halftime, and the lone bright spot was Nick Jacobson’s 19 points, including 4 three-pointers.

Collapsed: UCLA freshman forward Trevor Ariza will miss the next two weeks after suffering from a collapsed lung. Ariza, who has asthma, suffered the collapse in practice, when he complained of pain in his upper back. It was determined at the UCLA Medical Center that his lung had collapsed, more specifically a spontaneous pneumothorax, the presence of air within the pleural cavity of the lungs. The air collects in the pleural cavity and causes the lung to collapse. Ariza will miss at least four games, including today’s season opener against Vermont.

Jayhawk Down: No. 5 Kansas received some bad news coming off the win over No. 7 Michigan State, as junior guard Michael Lee will miss the next two months due to a broken collarbone. Lee, who started each of the Jayhawks two games, averaged 6.5 points and 3 rebounds, broke his right collarbone in practice, and will miss at least eight weeks with the injury.

Red Storm: St. John’s has suspended senior guard Willie Shaw indefinitely for violating team rules. Late yesterday, the Associated Press announced that Shaw was arrested on a fifth-degree charge of marijuana possession, along with former Red Storm great Marcus Hatten on the same charge. Shaw, who was suspended last season, also for marijuana, had been averaging 4.5 points and 4 rebounds per game.

Back on Track: New Iowa State head coach Wayne Morgan notched a victory in his Cyclone debut last night, defeating Mercer 87-64, putting an offseason of turmoil behind him. Morgan was an assistant to Larry Eustachy when Eustachy was ousted in May following the release of photos depicting an intoxicated Eustachy with Missouri co-eds at a party after a game. After an extensive search for a replacement, Morgan was named the head coach, and has had to deal with offcourt problems this fall, including alcohol and drug abuse by current players. Now with hoops officially underway in Ames, everyone was talking about Cyclone freshman Curtis Stinson. In his first college game, guard Stinson scored 20 points, and had six rebounds, five assists, and three steals – and only 1 turnover. He was assisted by 16 points apiece by Jared Homan and Marcus Jefferson, and Jake Sullivan’s 14, which included passing Dedric Willoughby for the all-time Iowa State three-point lead. Scott Emerson led Mercer with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Tonight’s Menu

• 122 Division I games are slated for today, and two ranked teams get their seasons underway. No. 5 Missouri starts its season against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, finally focusing on basketball after a tumultuous offseason, one that includes an NCAA investigation into the recruitment of former point guard Ricky Clemons, who spent most of a 60-day sentence in prison this summer. Meanwhile, Oakland (2-3 on the season) is looking to be a spoiler, again, as they have a monster non-conference schedule, and has lost three straight – to Xavier, Michigan, and Cincinnati. They also face Memphis in December.

• No. 20 Louisville also tips off their season today, in the John Wooden Tradition at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, facing the Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa (2-0) defeated UNC-Asheville, and also defeated Drake in the return of former Hawkeyes coach Dr. Tom Davis. The schools have faced each other twice, with Louisville winning both meetings, in 1983, and in the 1980 Final Four.

• Four ranked teams hit the road today as a battle of unbeatens has No. 8 North Carolina at Cleveland State, No. 13 Illinois at Temple, No. 16 St. Joseph’s at Old Dominion, and No. 19 Wake Forest on the road against Yale (the two teams played last November at Wake). No. 15 Wisconsin didn’t get the memo, as they’re hosting an undefeated Rutgers squad.

• Meanwhile, a re-creation of the 1979 NCAA Final Four will happen this weekend in East Lansing, Michigan, as No. 7 Michigan State hosts Pennsylvania, and DePaul and Indiana State face each other in the afternoon matchup. In the last matchup, Magic Johnson led the Spartans over Penn 101-67, before defeating Larry Bird and Indiana State in the Finals. No offense to the Quakers, but this game is a breather for the Spartans, as they just came off a loss to No. 5 Kansas, and next face probable No. 1 Duke, No. 14 Oklahoma, and No. 10 Kentucky in consecutive games over the next two weeks.

Big 12 Notebook

Big 12 Conference Notebook

by Zach Ewing

Kansas gets 2003-04′s first big win

While the nation’s top ten teams boosted their records with wins over such schools as Sacred Heart, Northern Arizona and Brown, the No. 5 Kansas Jayhawks and No. 3 Michigan State Spartans squared off in Lawrence, Kan., in the nation’s first big match-up.

One of the Big 12′s best scored a win over one of the Big Ten’s best as KU won 81-74. The Jayhawks maintained a lead throughout the first half and then turned it on in the second to lead by a 63-46 count. The young Spartans, however, fought back and cut the lead to four at 72-68 with just over nine minutes left, but Kansas held on and made it’s free throws down the stretch for the victory.

Kansas’ junior forward Wayne Simien led all scorers with 28 points, point guard Aaron Miles had seven steals and Keith Langford scored all of his 13 points in the second half, carrying the Jayhawks when Michigan St. was getting back in the game.

Kansas, after losing Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich, was a shaky preseason top-ten team. The Jayhawks backed that ranking up with the nation’s first big win and proved they need only a healthy Simien and Langford to be in the hunt for another Big 12 championship and Final Four.

Everything looked good for KU except one thing: What was Bill Self thinking when he scrapped Allen Fieldhouse’s old-school look for a 26-foot Jayhawk on center court? I’m sorry, but when an entire team could stand on that beak, you’re overdoing it.

Big 12 passes mid-major test, mostly

Although it hasn’t been against the toughest of competition, the Big 12 has to be excited about its 20-2 start to the season. The key to padding a schedule with early games against mid-majors is coming through and winning those games, and this conference has been able to do just that.

Kansas State, which has such a weak schedule it should be undefeated come January, has so far come through with big wins over Birmingham Southern and Lipscomb. Oklahoma won the Sooner Invitational by going 2-0 against Eastern Washington and Oral Roberts, and Texas beat Sam Houston State by 51.

The only hiccups so far were Colorado’s ugly defensive game in losing 94-77 at Pepperdine and undermanned Baylor losing to Stephen F. Austin.

It must feel good to do something right

Forget the 79-57 whipping at the hands of Stephen F. Austin. Give the Baylor Bears a pat on the back for winning their first game 72-59 over Texas Southern. Five Baylor players scored in double figures, led by Terrance Thomas and his 16 points and 11 boards.

After all the negative press the Bears got this summer (and deservedly so) for the Patrick Dennehy murder and ensuing Dave Bliss scandal, it had to have felt good to get back on the court. Plus, Scott Drew has been extremely positive since accepting a very difficult position, and he deserved to be above .500. Too bad it didn’t last long.

Tigers, Cyclones ready to get going

As much as Baylor needed to get back on the court, Missouri and Iowa State are looking to put off-season scandals behind them as well. The only problem is, they haven’t played yet.

Iowa State starts its season Friday versus Mercer. Last spring, former coach Larry Eustachy resigned after an embarrassing situation in a downtown Columbia, Mo., apartment and then in October, Jackson Vroman was suspended indefinitely for driving under the influence.

Missouri, which is facing an NCAA investigation for allegations of academic and amateurism violations regarding former Tiger Ricky Clemons, doesn’t open up until Saturday at Oakland University in Detroit.

Conference Player of the week

Andre Emmett, Texas Tech – Emmett averaged 20.8 points and 5.8 rebounds in leading the Red Raiders to the Preseason NIT finals Friday night.

Baylor Bears (1-1)

Sure, the win against Texas Southern was nice, but Baylor showed its true colors Tuesday night, losing 79-57 to Stephen F. Austin. The Bears are short on scholarship players, and this game showed that there isn’t much difference between Baylor and schools like Stephen F. Austin that aren’t near the level of play in the Big 12. For a bright spot, Terrance Thomas scored 24 and is averaging 20 points through the first two games.

Next week: Saturday vs. Texas A&M – Corpus Christi

Colorado Buffaloes (1-1)

Up until Kansas’ victory against Michigan State, Colorado had the Big 12′s best victory, a 67-56 road triumph over Northwestern. Unfortunately for the Buffs, they didn’t back it up against Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif., on Monday. CU led 41-33 with 1:46 left in the first half, but then proceeded to give up 61 points in just more than a half. If Colorado is the top-25 team and conference contender that they were expected to be, the defense needs to show up. Meanwhile, on the offensive end, center David Harrison was a force, finishing with 30 points, 8 boards and 6 blocks before fouling out.

Next week: Monday vs. Oregon State

Iowa State Cyclones (0-0)

Losing Jackson Vroman and his near double-double every game last year to suspension is not what first-year head coach Wayne Morgan needed. He can only hope a couple of key newcomers and a weak pre-conference schedule puts the Cyclones’ confidence over the top.

This week: Friday vs. Mercer, Sunday vs. Northern Iowa

Kansas Jayhawks (2-0)

This is picky, but when you’re a top-five team, you can afford to be picky. If Wayne Simien were to get hurt again, the Jayhawks have nobody they can depend on inside. David Padgett and Danny Graves were both in foul trouble all night long versus Michigan State. Padgett only took one shot in the entire game, so his offensive game remains in question. Also, when the Spartans made their second-half run, KU forced some shots in transition with no one ready to rebound.

This week: Monday at Texas Christian

Kansas State Wildcats (2-0)

Four Wildcats scored in double figures in a 70-50 win over Birmingham Southern, led by Marques Hayden with 15. Hayden had a double-double in a 92-57 win against Lipscomb on Tuesday as the Wildcats shot 55 percent. However, with this schedule, folks in Manhattan won’t even look up until football season’s finished.

This week: Saturday vs. Gardner Webb

Missouri Tigers (0-0)

Junior college transfer Randy Pulley was supposed to replace Ricky Clemons at the point for the Tigers, but his JuCo credits are in question, so he’s not eligible yet. When Mizzou lifted freshman Spencer Laurie’s redshirt, it seems likely Pulley will be out for a while. Sophomore Jimmy McKinney, overlooked as a freshman last year, is more than capable of running the offense, but if he gets in foul trouble or injured, No. 4 MU could be in big trouble.

This week: Saturday at Oakland, Tuesday vs. Coppin State

Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-0)

Kansas’ Wayne Simien and the Huskers’ Jake Muhleisen should battle for the Big 12′s comeback player of the year. Muhleisen lost his season to injury early in the conference season last year and Nebraska took last in the Big 12. Don’t lose sight of what he’s doing up in Lincoln – 9 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in NU’s season-opening win against Farleigh Dickinson. John Turek scored 24 in the 80-64 rout.

This week: Saturday vs. Eastern Michigan, Wednesday vs. Arizona State

Oklahoma Sooners (3-0)

Eastern Washington got off to a 13-2 lead on the Sooners and led by three at halftime, but OU fought back to win and then got 40 points from freshmen and 17 more from sophomore D’Angelo Alexander to beat Oral Roberts 84-68 in the Sooner Invitational championship. Tuesday night, Oklahoma played the other team from Tulsa and again fell behind early. Tulsa led by as many as eleven in the first half and stayed close throughout but, OU won 81-73. Jaison Williams scored 16 points off the bench to lead five Sooners in double figures.

This week: Tuesday vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-0)

The Cowboys got off to a good start in their season opener, beating Northwestern State 90-62. Then they got a quality win Wednesday night over Colorado State from the Mountain West Conference 82-50. Tony Allen, who played a big role on OSU’s tournament squad from last year, scored in double figures in both games and highly-touted junior college transfer Daniel Bobik, after taking only two shots versus Northwestern State, scored 11 against the Rams. Now the ‘Pokes get ready to face Pepperdine, a team that already blitzed Colorado.

This week: Saturday vs. Pepperdine

Texas Longhorns (2-0)

It was men vs. boys Tuesday night in Austin. The Longhorns had 67 points by halftime against Sam Houston State, and cruised to a 122-71 win. Dutch newcomer Sydmill Harris exploded for 23 points after scoring only 2 in the ‘Horn’s first game. Texas scored a total of 211 points in its first two games, as last week, the ‘Horns took out Brown 89-51 behind P.J. Tucker’s 18 points and 13 rebounds. Who needs T.J. Ford?

This week: Saturday vs. Centenary

Texas A&M Aggies (2-0)

Texas A&M is using the Southwestern Athletic Conference as its early-season feeding ground. First, Kevin Turner made five three-pointers and scored 17 points in the Aggies’ 82-53 blowout of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. By contrast, Pine Bluff had only 17 points in the entire first half. Then, Wednesday against Alabama A&M, the Aggies hit the century mark in a 100-65 blowout. The SWAC parade continues Saturday before A&M gets a real test versus Tennessee on Tuesday.

This week: Saturday vs. Prairie View, Tuesday at Tennessee

Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-0)

Is there a team in the country playing better than Texas Tech right now? After the Red Raiders routed Davidson 89-58, they looked absolutely unstoppable in destroying Massachusetts 90-50. Then, in Madison Square Garden for the Preseason NIT semifinals, the Raiders took out Utah 65-54 in a game that was never really close. In between those games, Tech took out Eastern Tennessee State as Andre Emmett scored 25 and pulled down 13 rebounds. Emmett has been spectacular, averaging 20.8 points a game in the Raiders’ first four.

Next week: Friday, PNIT championship vs. UCONN/Georgia Tech in New York, Monday at Southern Methodist

Mid-American Notebook

Mid-American Conference Notebook

by Jeremy Speer

Cardinals pull another upset

Ball State continued its penchant for pulling off early season upsets, opening the 2003-2004 season in style with a 75-63 home defeat of Xavier. Two seasons ago, the Cardinals went to the Maui Invitational as underdogs, and defeated Kansas and UCLA – two top five teams. The Musketeers are ranked as high as No. 27 in national polls and are led by All-American candidate Romain Sato. Xavier shot 29 percent in the second half to spearhead the BSU victory. Senior Robert Owens opened the second-half scoring with a triple just three seconds out of the locker room. Owens had 23 points in the game. Newcomers Terrence Chapman (12 points) and Dennis Trammell (11) to help out. The Cardinals have a chance to knock off another favored team when they host Butler Dec. 3.

Tough going for Chippewas

A trip to the Maui Invitational for Central Michigan was overshadowed by the loss of junior Brent Edwards, who passed away in an automobile accident Wednesday night. Edwards, a walk-on from Flushing, Mich. was one of the team’s hardest working players and was known as an inspiration to teammates. “Buddha”, as he was known to teammates, was suffering from a back injury and did not make the trip to Hawaii. The team struggled on the court, dropping three consecutive games to Dayton, Ohio State and Santa Clara. In the OSU game, senior guard T.J. Meerman missed a three-pointer that would have tied the contest with less than a minute left. The Chippewas lost 77-71. Forward Gerrit Brigitha was a tough post presence, averaging 10 points and eight rebounds in the tournament.

Roller coaster start for Western Michigan

It was a strange week in Kalamazoo, as Western could not carry over momentum gained in an upset of USC in a disappointing loss to Detroit. The team opened the Steve Hawkins era with an 83-65 home thrashing of the Trojans. Senior Mike Williams had a career night, accumulating 31 points and nine rebounds. Junior Ben Reed added 20 points while Anthony Kann and Reggie Berry also reached double figures. The starters were ice cold in a 64-43 road loss at Detroit. The Broncos starting five combined for just 22 points on 7-of-22 shooting. As a team, Western was just 28 percent from the field, compared to the Titans 49 percent.

Hoopville Player of the Week: Northern Illinois forward Marcus Smallwood

Smallwood proved why he may be the conference’s best player with a huge opening week of the season. The senior opened the season with 17 points and 17 rebounds in a victory against Eastern Illinois, and followed it up with 21 points and 18 rebounds in a loss at Notre Dame. Smallwood was a Preseason All-MAC pick.

West Capsules

Northern Illinois Huskies (2-1)

Results: Eastern Illinois W 83-76; at Notre Dame L 74-65; Illinois State W 66-55
Looking Ahead: Dec. 5-6 at Hawkeye Challenge vs. Illinois-Chicago, Iowa and Eastern Washington.

The Huskies bounced back from a tough loss in South Bend with a victory against Illinois State in which Todd Peterson connected for a career-high 19 points. NIU heads to the tough Hawkeye Challenge where they await Illinois-Chicago, the frontrunner in the Horizon League.

Bowling Green Falcons (2-1)

Results: Urbana W 103-78; Findlay W 64-50
Looking Ahead: Nov. 29 at Bradley; Dec. 3 at Buffalo

2003 MAC All-Freshman pick Ronald Lewis did not start the season in a sophomore slump, scoring 34 points in the Falcons easy opener. Center Kevin Netter, a preseason all-conference pick overcame a poor opener with a 19 point, 11 rebound performance against Findlay. The Falcons will face their first Division I-A team Saturday against Bradley.

Eastern Michigan Eagles (2-1)

Results: Yale L 75-60; Marist W 82-62; Concordia 86-45
Looking Ahead: Nov. 29 at Nebraska; Dec. 2 Kent State

Junior JaQuan Hart has continued his off-court problems, with his three-game suspension for violating team rules. Hart will return to the lineup in the Eagles tilt at Nebraska. Markus Austin, Michael Ross, Danny McElhinny and Boo Jackson have led the way in Eastern’s first three games.

Central Michigan Chippewas (2-1)

Results: Dayton L 82-63; Ohio State L 77-71; Santa Clara L 76-62
Looking Ahead: Nov. 30 Marist; Dec. 3 Bradley

CMU needs more production from returning starters T.J. Meerman and Tony Bowne, who have averaged just 11 combined points in the first three games. It will be an emotional game Sunday against Marist- Central’s first home game since Edwards’ tragic death.

Western Michigan Broncos (2-1)

Results: USC W 83-65; Detroit 64-43
Looking Ahead: Dec. 6 Miami

Junior college transfer Levi Rost was a lone bright spot in the Detroit loss with 11 points. The Broncos have a week to prepare for Dec. 6 momentous conference opener against 2-0 Miami.

Toledo Rockets (2-1)

Results: IPFW W 71-53; Youngstown State W 78-74
Looking Ahead: Nov. 30 at Ohio; Dec. 3 at Arkansas State

Toledo survived a scare against Youngstown State, but guard Keith Tripplett’s 21 points and six rebounds helped salvage a victory. 2002-2003 MAC Freshman of the Year Sammy Villegas had 11 points while freshman Florentino Valencia chipped in 10. The MAC’s first conference game will be Sunday when the Rockets travel to Athens to face Ohio.

East Division Capsules

Akron Zips (2-1)

Results: at Cincinnati L 88-66
Looking Ahead: Nov. 29 at Radford; Dec. 1 at Hampton

Akron was not helped by a cold game from point guard Johnny Hollingsworth, a Preseason All-MAC pick. Derrick Tarver, the MAC’s leading returning scorer, had 20 points in the loss while St. Vincent/St. Mary product Dru Joyce III had 10 points in his college debut. The Zips travel to Virginia for games against Radford and Hampton this week.

Buffalo Bulls (2-1)

Results: Canisius L 60-58; at Rutgers L 78-53
Looking Ahead: Nov. 29 Penn State; Dec. 3 Bowling Green

It is the same story for the Bulls, who are 24-85 in the past four seasons. Guard Turner Battle’s 12-game double-digit scoring streak was snapped with eight points in the Rutgers loss. Battled did have 14 points and eight rebounds in the season opener.

Kent State Golden Flashes (2-1)

Results: Houghton W 112-55; IPFW W 67-66
Looking Ahead: Nov. 29 at SW Missouri State; Dec. 2 at Eastern Michigan

DeAndre Haynes lifted KSU to a dramatic victory against IPFW with a made 31-foot three-pointer with 1.1 seconds left. Eric Haut had a career-high 23 points including six treys while Clif Brown added 19 points and 12 rebounds. Junior college transfers Jason Edwin and Scott Cutley were strong against Houghton, with 13 points apiece

Marshall Thundering Herd (2-1)

Results: UNC-Wilmington L 65-56
Looking Ahead: Nov. 29 Morehead State; Dec. 1 vs Kentucky

Coach Ron Jirsa’s debut was ruined with a tough loss to the Seahawks, who embarked on a 20-3 run to start the game. A.W. Hamilton scored 14 and Enoch Bunch 11 in the loss.

Miami RedHawks (2-1)

Results: Liberty W 71-55; Ohio Dominican W 67-59
Looking Ahead: Dec. 3 at Dayton; Dec. 6 at Western Michigan

Miami geared for a tough week with two season-opening wins. The RedHawks are at Dayton Wednesday before playing at Western Michigan Saturday. The Flyers won the Maui Invitation while the Broncos defeated USC to open the season. Juby Johnson is five points shy of the 1,000 point career mark, and is averaging 20.5 thus far this season. Forward Danny Horace has began the campaign with back-to-back double-doubles.

Ohio Bobcats (2-1)

Results: Mercer L 67-64; Coppin State 51-47; UC Irvine L 66-63
Looking Ahead: Nov. 30 Toledo; Dec. 3 Boston

Ohio has some time off after struggling at the BCA Classic in Cincinnati, with one win and two losses. Jaivon Harris has been strong in the early going, with averages of 17 points and 5.3 rebounds.

Horizon League Notebook

Horizon League Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

In the first full week of action, the Horizon League went 10-6, including a match-up with the second ranked team in the nation Duke.

Illinois-Chicago, who already came into the weekend having played a few games courtesy of the BCA Classic, opened a home-and-home series with Evansville. On Friday, Nov. 21, it was Evansville that played the role of hosts for the Flames. Led by 26 points from Cedrick Banks, the Flames coasted to 70-54 win, despite trailing 28-25 at the break. Sophomore forward Elliott Poole scored a double-double in his first extensive action of the season with 10 points and 10 boards.

Defending league tournament champion’s UW-Milwaukee had a relatively easy weekend. The Panthers lit up the scoreboard for 95 points against Big Sky conference favorite Montana to win the season opener 95-83 from the US Cellular Arena. Joah Tucker led the way for the Panthers with 22 points and pre-season league Newcomer of the Year Ed McCants had 21, including a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point land.

In other league action, the Mike Garland and Paul Biancardi era’s officially started at Cleveland State and Wright State respectively. Garland won his opener, while Schilling fell on the short end.

The Vikings took on Central State from the CSU Convocation Center in Cleveland on Saturday, Nov. 22. Jermaine Robinson helped the Vikings get off to a quick start and led the way with his 28 points and 13 rebounds. Walt Chavis, Omari Westley and Walt Waters all were in double figures for Cleveland State.

As for the Raiders, pre-season First-Team All-League performer Seth Doliboa had 18 points to go along with 10 rebounds. But that was not enough as Cedarville overcame a 10-point deficit to down the Raiders 68-66 from the Ervin J. Nutter Center.

Players of the Week: Joah Tucker, UW-Milwaukee, scored 22 points in the season opener for the Panthers and Jermaine Robinson, Cleveland State, 28 points and 13 rebounds in season opening win.

Newcomer of the Week: Ed McCants, UW-Milwaukee, scored 20 points in the season opener against Montana.

UW-Milwaukee (2-0):

After two easy games over the weekend against Montana and Concordia-St. Paul, the Panthers will start their true tests. First up on the syllabus are the Saluki’s of Southern Illinois. It is a re-match of the Bracket Buster game last season in Carbondale, which SIU won at the buzzer 66-64 in front of a capacity crowd. A near capacity crowd is anticipated for this match-up on Saturday, which will be one of two big match-ups in the league.

After the SIU match-up, the Panthers will pack their bags for the first of two four-game road trips this season. Up first will be Prairie View A & M in Houston on Tuesday. After that, the Panthers head east to take on North Carolina State in a nationally televised affair on Fox Sports Net next Saturday.

Cleveland State (2-0):

After an impressive start under the Mike Garland era, the Vikings will not have much time to reflect as the Vikings will host eighth ranked North Carolina on the 29th. The Vikings will need all the help they can get as they will play to a capacity crowd for the first time since the CSU Convocation Center opened a few years ago.

Next up will be a trip to Happy Valley and a showdown with the Nittany Lions of the Big Ten on Wednesday night. Only time will tell if it will be a happy feeling in the Cuyahoga Valley after that Wednesday.

Butler (2-0):

To complete his recruiting class, head coach Todd Lickliter signed prolific junior college transfer Brandon Polk from Redlands Community College.

As a senior in high school, the 6-foot-6 forward averaged nearly 23 points per game and earned all-state honors.

Polk joined a very impressive recruiting class for Lickliter. He joined Indiana High School seniors A.J. Graves and Gary Patterson.

The most dominating team from the past four seasons in the league, has not been that dominating so far in the early stages. The Bulldogs squeaked past Quincy in the home and season opener 68-54 on Sunday. And on the 25th, the Bulldogs got a buzzer-beating shot by senior Mike Monserez to snatch a 56-54 win at Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.

The Bulldogs are still living up to their reputation as being the tightest defense in the conference. They will have to pride on that as they will host Michigan at the Conseco Fieldhouse on Sunday. Then, it will be off to the east of the state of Indiana as Butler will take on Ball State in Muncie on Wednesday night.

Illinois-Chicago (4-1):

Head coach Jimmy Collins cannot help to think a little bit about next season as he will have to replace his entire starting line-up. Collins is off to a good start. He signed the number one prospect from the state of Nebraska, Karl White, to play for the Flames next season.

The 6-foot-1 guard had very impressive numbers last season as junior. White averaged 17 points, four rebounds and three assists per game and was one of two juniors to be named to either the first team or second team All-State team in Nebraska.

After easily taking out Evansville on the road, the Flames found out that it is tougher to beat a team the second time around. On the second half of the home-and-home series with Evansville, the Flames won 77-73 at the UIC Pavilion despite trailing 46-43 at the break. The Flames were led by 15 assists by Martell Bailey, who was among the nation’s leaders in that category last season.

Up next on the schedule for UIC is an extensive road trip that will have them not returning to the UIC Pavilion until December 13. On Saturday, the Flames will travel to San Antonio to take on UT-San Antonio and will head to Charleston, Ill to play Eastern Illinois.

Detroit-Mercy (1-1):

What a way to open the season? A trip to Durham, North Carolina to take on the second best team in the country, Duke, on their floor. Despite falling to the Blue Devils 67-56 the Titans were very impressive as they jumped out to a 12-0 lead in the early going and went into the locker room at the half up 28-26. But 21 points from Duke’s Luol Deng spearheaded the comeback. The Titans shot 48 percent from the field for the game, which was 12 percentage points higher than their ranked opponent.

To rebound, the Titans opened up the 51st season at Calihan Hall in Detroit with an easy 64-43 win, including an 11-0 run to start the game. Syracuse transfer James Thues and Elijah Warren each had 12 points to lead the Titan attack.

The tough non-conference schedule continues for the Titans after the holiday weekend. On Wednesday night, the Titans will host Mid-Continent Conference favorite Oakland. Then, it will be on to the cheese state to take on the Wisconsin Badgers from the Kohl Center in Madison.

Wright State (0-1):

Head coach Paul Biancardi is still very much putting together the kind of program that he wants at Wright State. So far so good.

Biancardi added walk-on Joe Bozeman, a 2003 graduate of nearby Fairborn (Ohio) High School, and will begin play immediately.

Bozeman, a 6-foot-2 guard, averaged 16.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game during his senior season.

For Biancardi, he had to wait a few extra days to get his season started. On Tuesday night, the Raiders opened the Ervin J. Nutter Center against Cedarville of the NAIA’s American Mideast Conference. The Yellow Jackets moved to 6-1 after nipping past Wright State 68-66. Seth Doliboa and Vernard Hollins’ 18 points each were not enough for Wright State to pull out the victory.

Much like the rest of the teams in the conference, the Raiders will continue a very demanding non-conference schedule. To make matters worse, three of the next five games are away starting with a trip to South Florida on Saturday. Afterwards, the Raiders will head slightly north to take on Morehead State in Kentucky on Wednesday, before returning home against Mid-American Conference opponent Ball State on Saturday.

Loyola-Chicago (0-1):

Shortly before his match-up against city rival DePaul, head coach Larry Farmer was able to sign Chris Fuller to a National Letter of Intent. Fuller choose the Ramblers over Pac-10 favorites Arizona State and Oregon State.

Fuller averaged 13.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game as a junior at Cheyenne High School in Las Vegas. He helped the Desert Shields to an unbelievable 31-1 record and a Class 4A state title. He was named to the All-State team and was the 2003 Las Vegas Sun player of the year.

Farmer firmly believes that his squad has one of the toughest non-conference schedules around. Early on, that is the case as the Ramblers had a hard time with Conference USA inner-city rival DePaul from the Allstate Arena. DePaul used three players in double figures, including a game-high 19 from Andre Brown, who also pulled down 13 boards to win 73-61.

The Ramblers get an extensive break from action. They will next take to the floor against UMKC of the Mid-Continent Conference on Tuesday. The Ramblers will not open up the home floor until Dec. 15 against another Mid-Continent team, Oral Roberts.

Youngstown State (0-2):

The Penguins are improving day-by-day and will soon be a sleeper team in the conference. They opened the season with two losses, but were by a total of 13 points against two good programs, including at Toledo. On Saturday the 22nd, the Penguins traveled to Niagara at the Gallagher Center to open up their third season in the Horizon League. Andy Jahnke led Youngstown State scored 15 points to lead the Penguins and TeJay Anderson and Bill Mallernee each scored 14 to round out the double-digit scorers in the 89-80 loss.

Four days later in Toledo, the Penguins shot just below 50 percent on the game, but that was not enough as Toledo used an 11-0 run midway through the first half to open up the game. Youngstown could not get any closer in the 78-74 loss.

Coming up for head coach John Robic’s squad is their home opener against St. Francis (Pa.) on Saturday. The Penguins will be busy that following week with three games in six days, two of which will be on the road.

UW-Green Bay (0-2):

According to head coach Tod Kowalczyk, recruiting in-state players in a major priority for the rebuilding of the program. Kowalczyk is sticking to that promise as he snagged two prolific players from Wisconsin.

Kowalczyk signed DaMarcus Bell (Racine, Wisc./St. Catherine’s) and Robby Springborn (Fond du Lac, Wisc./Fond du Lac) to play for UW-Green Bay next season.

Bell is a very energetic and athletic 6-foot-6 forward that will need to add some muscle in order to hang with the big bodies of the Horizon League. But the coaching staff feels that will not be a problem. Bell averaged 10.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for a very deep and talented team in Racine.

Springborn is a quick point guard that has the athletic ability and talent to lead a team as soon as he gets accustomed to the system. Springborn has very good leadership at Fond du Lac High School as he coached by legendary Dick Diener, who is the uncle to Marquette star Travis Diener. Springborn averaged 14.1 points per game en route to leading his team to an appearance in the state semi-finals last season.

In the season opener on Friday, Nov. 21, the Phoenix swooped into Southeast Missouri State University to begin the second year of the Kowalczyk era. The Phoenix fell behind by double-digits twice in the second half, came back, but still fell short in a 63-62 thriller.

In game number two, UW-Green Bay went into the locker room up 36-29 over NCAA participant from a season ago IUPUI. But they were unable to hold on as the Jaguars lit up for a 37-19 edge in the second half en route to the 66-55 win for IUPUI.

The Phoenix will open up the second season of the state-of-the-art Resch Center with a match-up against another Mid-Continent conference opponent in Western Illinois on Saturday. It is the first game of a home-and-home series with Western Illinois as the two will next meet in Macomb on Sunday, Dec. 14. But before that, the Phoenix will have to worry about another Mid-Con team, Chicago State, and two Big Ten teams in Iowa and Wisconsin, both on the road.

War on the Shore

2003 War on the Shore

by Phil Kasiecki

Bob Jacobs, the master architect of the Slam Dunk to the Beach Tournament, put together an improved War on the Shore Tournament this weekend in Milford, Delaware. The games were better-played than last year, and the talent level was what one would expect from a Bob Jacobs event – loaded. It was not in a tournament format, but that didn’t spoil the competition, and it didn’t stop many college coaches and NBA scouts and officials from coming.

Here, we take a look at some of the highlights of the games, as well as notes on some of the players that caught our attention.

Top Team Knocked Off – Twice

Many experts pegged Laurinburg (NC) Institute Prep as the top prep school team prior to the season. Part of that projection likely included two players no longer there, high-major big man Jackie Butler (signed with Tennessee, now at Coastal Christian Academy) and Cincinnati native C.J. Anderson. But the Tigers are still loaded with Division I prospects like scoring machine Vincent Banks (signed with Cincinnati), athletic shot-blocker and rebounder Longar Longar (a member of the All-Name team, to be sure, and headed to Oklahoma) and strong post player Richard Dorsey, who didn’t play very well this weekend.

On Saturday, Oakdale (CT) St. Thomas More took on the Tigers and fell behind early. But the Tigers then went ice cold offensively, turning the ball over and taking bad shots (they shot 20% from the floor in the first half), going into the locker room with a 42-24 deficit. St. Thomas More shot over 51% in the half, getting some easy baskets off turnovers and rebounds. The Tigers would rally later in the second half, getting within 5, but Chancellor senior guard Joe Miles (team-high 17 points) hit two big three-pointers to open the lead back up. They would hold on for an 81-72 win despite 28 points from Banks.

On Sunday, the Winchendon (MA) School rallied in the second half after Laurinburg led for most of the game. With 8 minutes left, they took an 80-72 lead after scoring 11 unanswered points, and had their biggest lead at the end of the game, a 105-92 win in which five players scored in double figures. Northeastern-bound forward Stuard Baldonado led the attack with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Banks had a tournament-high 37 points in the defeat for Laurinburg.

Wright Is Watched Closely, But McClinton Steals The Show

No doubt, the NBA scouts and officials present were certainly interested in Dorell Wright, the 6’7″ star wing at South Kent (CT) School. Wright blew up this past spring in AAU competition, as his exceptional athleticism and open-court abilities were no longer a secret. The DePaul-bound wing, who has reportedly given up baseball to concentrate on basketball, is regarded as one of the top prospects in the loaded class of 2004.

Wright showed what he had in South Kent’s 100-87 win over Blairstown (NJ) Blair Academy on Saturday. He scored 25 points, hauled down 9 rebounds and handed out 5 assists in the game, showing his great athleticism and ability to lead as well as finish a fast break on several occasions. He also showed that he can shoot at times, though he didn’t put up great numbers and isn’t a consistent shooter from long range. With some added strength and a more consistent jumper, he’ll be a star at the next level.

While Wright was the main attraction, it was Baltimore native Jack McClinton who stole the headlines. McClinton quietly poured in 27 of his game-high 35 points in the second half and grabbed 9 rebounds. He didn’t dominate the game, but he was solid throughout and scored on many drives to the basket using his strength. McClinton flew under the radar last year, and will likely do so again this year on a team that features Wright and Clemson-bound Cheyenne Moore, but he’ll surely get more recruiting attention after this weekend.

Big Weekend, Big Strides For Joseph

New Jersey native Adrian Joseph had a nice showing last year in Delaware, when his Bergen Catholic team played in the Slam Dunk to the Beach Tournament. Nearly a year later, Joseph isn’t just a complementary player benefiting from a teammate who was ranked among the best players in the country (Sean Banks). He is surrounded by an excellent cast at Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Academy, to be sure, but the combo forward showed that he will be a good pickup for Virginia, with whom he signed recently.

Joseph was consistently knocking down jump shots off the dribble and scoring in transition, and he showed improved ball handling. He led Brewster with 42 points in their two games, making 16 of 31 shots, and he also added 17 rebounds. The loaded Bobcats won both games this weekend, fending off late comeback attempts against Ft. Washington (MD) National Christian Academy and Centereach (NY) Our Savior New American.

Vaden, Clarke Do Their Parts

North Bridgton (ME) Bridgton Academy brought in two of the more athletic wings in the class, though it wasn’t that long ago that Rashon Clarke was an undersized power forward with the athleticism to one day play on the wing.

Now, the 6’6″ Clarke has completed the transition, which undoubtedly makes the coaching staff at Iowa State happy since he signed there. Clarke is an active athlete who will get his share of offensive rebounds and stick-backs, and this weekend he showed better ball skills and a better jump shot. He looked much more polished at the small forward position, showing continued improvement.

For his part, the Indiana-bound Vaden showed why he’s one of the top wings in the class of 2004, scoring 31 and 28 points in Bridgton’s two victories, and shooting a combined 22-34 from the floor. Vaden is very athletic and takes good shots, getting to the basket often and finishing strong. He is a scorer, but he’s also a very able defender and uses both hands effectively to finish near the basket.

Bradley Takes Over

On Sunday, Fitchburg (MA) Notre Dame Prep and Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy were tied at 45, but it didn’t stay that way for long. Early in the second half, Notre Dame Prep got in gear and broke the game open with a 20-5 run en route to opening a 21-point lead. That was when Kentucky-bound guard Ramel Bradley got in gear after scoring just two points in the first half.

The native New Yorker, a quick 6’2″ guard, started making shots and getting to the foul line, and he made some plays at the defensive end. He made a layup with 10:11 left, then was called for a technical foul after the play. It was his fourth personal foul, but that was what he needed to pick it up. IMG would eventually get within six before Jerome Johnson fouled out after a solid effort (the 6’9″ post player had 17 points, 7 rebounds and 8 blocks) with under six minutes to play.

Bradley tied the game at 101 with a three-point play, then Penn State-bound shooter Danny Morrissey stole the ball and made a layup to give IMG the lead with a little over three minutes left. IMG later looked sunk when they called an illegal timeout and fell behind 111-107 after the free throws, but Bradley wasn’t done yet. After they cut the lead to two, Bradley stole the inbounds pass and was fouled with one second left. He made both free throws, sending the game to overtime, where Notre Dame Prep led by as many as 8 and was never seriously threatened.

Bradley finished with 33 points, 31 of them coming in the second half and overtime. His jump shot looks to be getting better all the time, which will be a big plus.

Palacios Has His Own Second Half

Like Bradley, big-time prospect Juan Diego Palacios didn’t play his best ball in the first half of Sunday’s game for Centereach (NY) Our Savior New American. The 6’8″, 240-pound multitalented forward consistently lost the ball trying to drive to the basket and was just 2-8 from the field.

But he warmed up in the second half, as he started making shots and rebounded the ball. He would finish with 31 points and 11 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough as Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Academy took home a 100-89 win. Palacios has plenty of talent, but needs to keep it under control and take good shots, which he did more of in the second half.

He has plenty of talent to help him out, namely 6’5″ athletic wing Gary Konate (24 points) and 7’2″ junior big man Kevin Mormin, who was a non-factor in the game in part because he was a victim of some bad calls. Mormin will get plenty of recruiting attention, while Konate doesn’t shoot the ball well but could be a nice pickup for someone.

More Player Notes

Best underclassman – Kevin Durant (6’8″ So. SF, Ft. Washington (MD) National Christian Academy) has grown and continues to show a lot of potential. He’s very long and young-looking, but he can shoot the ball and is very athletic. He needs to get stronger, and his shot selection wasn’t the best, but he isn’t lacking in potential. He gets the nod over Shomari Spears (6’6″ So. PF, Blairstown (NJ) Blair Academy), who was also very impressive.

Most underrated player – Michael Binns (6’7″ Sr. PF, Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Academy) had an excellent showing. He’s basically a power forward who can play the wing in a pinch, well-built and plays strong, and he’ll defend away from the basket. He played no small role in his team’s two victories, and really comes to play the game.

Unsigned seniors who helped themselves – Rashad Bilal (6’3″ SG-SF, Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy), J.R. Hairston (6’7″ PF, Fork Union (VA) Military Academy), Michael Kach (6’3″ Sr. SG Winchendon (MA) School), Jerome Johnson (6’9″ PF, Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy), Oliver Lamoreaux (6’9″ PF, St. Lambert (Quebec) Champlain St. Lambert), Joe Miles (6’0″ Sr. PG, Oakdale (CT) St. Thomas More)

Idle thought – Did any mid-major sign as good an early class as College of Charleston, which had three of its early signees in this event? Joshua Jackson (6’8″ Sr. PF, Fitchburg (MA) Notre Dame Prep), Tavon Nelson (6’7″ Sr. SF-PF, South Kent (CT) School) and Marcus Hammond (6’3″ Sr. SG, Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Academy) are all very good signees for Tom Herrion’s team. Jackson is a strong and mobile inside player, Nelson is a versatile warrior who leaves it on the court, and Hammond is a good scorer.

Big South Conference Notebook

Big South Conference Notebook

by Jeremy Dunlap

No Surprises Here

Early season games in the Big South, especially the match-ups in the first
week, typically come in two forms: The impossible games against the
heavyweight contenders from the major conferences and the easy wins against
non-Division I schools. Granted, there are a few instances of competitive
games against other low-major conference schools, but on any given night in
November, you are more likely to see Kentucky or Bluefield on the schedule
than William and Mary or Alabama State.

There have been times in the past when the impossible happens and the
high-profile team gets beaten by a Big South team, such as when Winthrop
beat Missouri in 1999. There have also been times in the past when the
non-Division I school has the last laugh, such as when Montreat knocked off
UNC-Asheville in 2001. But so far this season, the favorites have held
serve, as the Big South currently stands at 0-9 against teams from the
traditional power conferences and 6-0 against non-Division I schools.

The schedule does balance out in the next week, as only two non-Division I
schools are on the slate and Virginia is the only certain heavyweight that
will take on a Big South squad, though Liberty could face Duke in the second
round of the Great Alaska Shootout. This will lead to closer, less
predictable games and give fans, players and coaches a better indication of
their teams’ quality.

Bad First Impression

It is never easy being the new kid in town, and it is imperative to make a
good first impression with your new peers to win their respect. In case you
had forgotten, VMI is starting its first season in the Big South, anxious to
prove that they can immediately be in the thick of the conference race. The
Keydets had a perfect opportunity to impress their new league as they tipped
off the season in the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska.
However, it is doubtful that anyone is picking VMI to win the league after
they went 0-3 in Alaska, falling to Washington State, Texas-San Antonio, and
Binghamton. Luckily for the Keydets, they are back home and get to play four
of their next five games at Cameron Hall, giving them a great chance to
recover from their slow start.

Scorekeeper-gate

High Point walked off the floor of Littlejohn Coliseum Nov. 24 thinking they
had lost to the Clemson Tigers by the score of 88-81. But in post-game
interviews, new Panther head coach Bart Lundy was told that virtually every
writer on press row believed the score to be 86-81, and that the official
scorer may have inadvertently awarded two baskets early in the second half
to Clemson’s Sherrod Ford, when he should have only been awarded with one.

Though the two points do not affect the final outcome now, one has to
believe that High Point may have played a little differently down the
stretch if their five-point deficits were only three and their one-point
deficits would have been one-point leads. Clemson officials have said that
the official score will stand at 88-81 and that they have not yet reviewed
any game tapes to see if the mistake occurred.

Player of the Week

Radford sophomore guard Whit Holcomb-Faye, the Big South’s reigning freshman
of the year, has avoided any type of sophomore slump so far this season. In
his first three games, Holcomb-Faye has averaged over 21 points, six
assists, and has shot 55% from three-point range. He capped off the week
with a double-double against North Carolina A&T, scoring seventeen points
and dishing out ten assists.

Team Reports

Birmingham-Southern Panthers (2-1)

After suffering a 20-point loss at Kansas State, the Panthers have bounced
back nicely, slipping by Alabama State 67-57 and pounding Millsaps 96-50.
Junior center Shema Mbyirukira has been a force on both ends of the court,
averaging thirteen points and blocking four shots per game. In the season
opener, Mbyirukira set the Birmingham-Southern career shot-block record,
breaking the old record of 123 blocks. Alongside him in the frontcourt,
senior forward Grant Davis is attempting to become the league’s version of
Dennis Rodman, as he has more rebounds (31) than points (23) through the
first three games of the season.

Birmingham-Southern will come back from the Thanksgiving holiday with a home
game against LaGrange on Saturday before heading across town to battle UAB
on Wednesday.

Charleston Southern Buccaneers (1-1)

Cross-town rivalries are usually the best type of rivalry but don’t tell
that to Charleston Southern as they fell to College of Charleston for the
22nd consecutive time last Friday, 83-66. Luckily for the Bucs, Webber
International, a 0-7 NAIA school, came to town three days later, and
Charleston Southern was able to get into the win column. JuCo transfer
Kurtis Rice led the way in the 70-55 win by notching his first double-double
with fourteen points and ten boards. Sophomore guard Terrell Brown has also
emerged as a threat for the Bucs, scoring in double figures in both games
and helping senior Ed O’Neil with the point guard duties.

Charleston Southern will be traveling to New Britain, Conn. this weekend to
participate in the Mohegan Sun Classic. The Bucs will face the host, Central
Connecticut State, on Saturday afternoon. Their second game will be Sunday
against either Binghamton or Loyola-Marymount.

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (1-2)

It was difficult for the Coastal Carolina basketball team to get any
attention this week as the school’s football team was finishing its
inaugural season in nearby Charleston and the nationally ranked men’s soccer
team was hosting their first-ever NCAA tournament game. It probably did not
help that the Chanticleer basketball players were hundreds of miles away to
start the season, first at the Marist Shootout in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., during
the weekend, then at Georgetown in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

In the Marist Shootout, the Chanticleers knocked off Marist before falling
to Yale. Senior guard Brandon Newby, coming off of an injured foot that
forced him to sit out the 2002-’03 season, and senior guard E.J. Gallup both
made the All-Tournament team. In Georgetown, Newby with sixteen points and
Gallup with twelve points again led the way for Coastal Carolina, but their
efforts could not overcome the Hoyas, as the Chanticleers lost a game that
was much closer than the 81-68 final score may indicate.

Coastal Carolina continues its season-opening road trip, traveling to
Greenville, N.C., to take on East Carolina on Saturday.

High Point Panthers (1-2)

In three games to start his Division I coaching career, Bart Lundy has been
involved in three very different games. The Panthers opened with a blowout
107-71 win over Allen University, a nail-biting 88-81 loss to Clemson and an
ugly 84-49 loss to Michigan. It is obvious that Lundy plans to run a
high-octane offense, and that means that High Point’s opponents will get
plenty of opportunities to score, which has been a problem for the Panthers
early on as they allow 81 points per game.

The loss at Clemson, besides the previously mentioned scoring controversy,
was also a homecoming of sorts for one of the many new members of the High
Point team. JuCo transfer Zione White was a football and basketball star at
nearby Spartanburg High School, and he did not disappoint the many friends
and family who came to the game at Littlejohn Coliseum. White scored 26
points on 9-for-15 shooting to keep the Panthers in the game.

This upcoming week, High Point will be traveling to Virginia to take on the
Cavaliers on Sunday and then head to the mountains to face Western Carolina
on Tuesday.

Liberty Flames (0-2)

Liberty had high hopes coming into this season, but their early games have
shown that they may need some improvement before conference play begins if
they want to contend. After a season-opening loss at home to Miami (OH),
71-55, the Flames fell to a hot-shooting William and Mary team in
Williamsburg, Va., Nov. 23, 91-64. The Tribe hit fourteen three-pointers and
limited Liberty to only nineteen percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Hoopville preseason freshman of the year Larry Blair has struggled in the
early going for Liberty, shooting two-for-eighteen in two games and has not
hit a three-pointer in eleven attempts.

The Flames head to Alaska, hoping for better luck as they compete in the
Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage over the Thanksgiving weekend. Liberty
opens up Thanksgiving night against Canisius and a win would lead to a
potential match-up with Duke in the second round that would be televised on
ESPN. Pacific, Purdue, Seton Hall, Texas State-San Marcos and host
Alaska-Anchorage round out the field.

Radford Highlanders (3-0)

The Highlanders are off to their best start since the 1998-’99 season and
are the only unbeaten team remaining in the Big South with a 3-0 start.
Bluefield, William and Mary, and North Carolina A&T have all fallen victim
to Radford this week, with the Highlanders being led by player of the week
Holcomb-Faye. Holcomb-Faye has been nearly unstoppable and has been helped
by freshman forward Chris Oliver, who has averaged 12.3 points per game and
has shot 67 percent, sophomore guard Chris Goodin, who has averaged 12.3
points per game, and sophomore guard Andre Bynum 5.3 assists per game.

The Highlanders have a couple of home games this week, hosting Akron on
Saturday and American on Tuesday.

UNC-Asheville Bulldogs (1-2)

UNC-Asheville has made a habit of playing difficult schedules to start the
year, and this season is no exception as the Bulldogs fell to both No. 25
North Carolina State and Iowa to start the season before heading home to
face a much easier opponent in Brevard. UNC-Asheville has not been relying
on any one player so far this year. Junior forward Joseph Barber, freshman
guard K.J. Garland, sophomore forward Chad Mohn, and junior forward Bryan
McCullough are all averaging between nine and eleven points per game to lead
the team.

The Bulldogs get to host two strong teams in the next week. Charlotte, fresh
off of their victory over No. 6 Syracuse, comes to the Asheville Civic
Center on Sunday followed by defending Southern Conference champ East
Tennessee State visiting the Justice Center on Wednesday.

VMI Keydets (0-3)

Alaska was unkind to VMI as the Keydets finished last in the eight-team
field at the Top of the World Classic this past weekend in Fairbanks. The
temperatures outside were not the only things that were cold as VMI shot
only 36 percent from the field and 29 percent from three-point range. As
expected, senior forward Radee Skipworth was the most consistent and best
overall player for the Keydets, averaging twelve points per game and five
rebounds per game for the tournament.

VMI will look to get in the win column when they hit their home court for
the first time on Tuesday against Southern Virginia.

Winthrop Eagles (1-1)

Winthrop has faced both ends of the basketball spectrum to start the season.
The Eagles opened up at No. 10 Kentucky in their first ever visit to Rupp
Arena Nov. 21. Though the Eagles were strong on the defensive end, forcing
24 turnovers and holding Kentucky to 65 points, their offense left much to
be desired, only scoring 44 points and turning the ball over 29 times.

The Eagles were able to regain any lost confidence from the Kentucky game by
crushing Maine-Machias Nov. 24, 96-46. Preseason player of the year Tyrone
Walker bounced back from a disappointing outing at Kentucky, where he scored
only four points, by notching thirteen points and eight rebounds. Junior
center Josh Grant broke the Winthrop career record for blocked shots during
the Kentucky game, breaking the old record of 103 that he shared with Allen
Washington, who played for the Eagles in the mid-1980s.

The Eagles will host Coker on Saturday before taking on Ohio Valley
Conference foe Eastern Kentucky at the Winthrop Coliseum on Tuesday.

Big Ten Notebook

Big Ten Notebook

by Alan Rubenstein

Without further ado, on to the Big Ten news of the week:

Illinois - Champaign County State’s Attorney John Piland announced that three Illini players will not be prosecuted for their roles in a November 2nd break-in off campus. Piland would not release the names of the players involved. The five victims of the burglary declined to press charges. Reportedly, $3000 in clothing, electronics and cash was taken. Aaron Spears and Luther Head served two of their four game suspensions in the exhibition season and will sit the other two games to begin the season. Freshman Richard McBride will sit out the first four games of the season. The three players had also been instructed to not discuss the issue with the media. The case will next go to the University’s conduct committee to determine if any violations of the school’s conduct code have occurred. The penalties range from probation to expulsion.

Wisconsin’s first in state Mc Donald’s All-American, Brian Butch, has decided to redshirt. Badger coach Bo Ryan left the decision up to the freshman center from Appleton. Butch cited that he wanted to take the year off to gain strength and become acclimated to the college lifestyle. Butch has already gained ten pounds since landing in Madison.

Butch was expected to be the starting center. The curious decision did not leave the Badgers depleted in the post. Dave Mader, Andreas Helmigk, Mike Wilkinson and Alando Tucker, when he returns from the injury, give the Badgers a strong frontcourt. “This is the best thing for me right now and I think it is the best way I can help the team in the long run,” Butch said when announcing the decision. “I will do everything I can to help this program and the university during the time that I am sitting out.”

Game of the week – Michigan State at Kansas

Michigan State struggled in its season-opening victory over Bucknell. Only the Bisons’ dismal 1-17 performance from the free throw line saved MSU. Michigan State was led by Paul Davis with 21 points and eight rebounds and Chris Hill with 17 points and seven assists. Senior leader Alan Anderson was blunt when asked about his team’s performance against a team they should’ve beaten handily. “They should’ve beat us and they would have if they made more free throws.” Tom Izzo was not pleased with his team’s performance either. “Teams that play hard usually win and this is the softest team we’ve had in the nine years I’ve been here. This team needs a toughness transfusion.” Which doesn’t bode well for the Kansas game.

And Izzo was right. In the season’s first big matchup between ranked teams, No. 5 Kansas hosted No. 7 Michigan State Tuesday night. Unfortunately for the Spartans, who face several more ranked non-conference opponents, Kansas proved the victor, with a 81-74 win. Kansas’ Wayne Simien notched 28, and the Jayhawks were able to hold off a late Spartan rally. After leading 54-39 out of halftime, the Spartans shook off the effects of the chippy first half, with Shannon Brown igniting a 12-2 MSU run, nailing three consecutive buckets. The Spartans’ only lead of the game was early, 4-2. Maurice Ager had 17 points and Alan Anderson had 16, while Paul Davis had 13. Guard Chris Hill was in foul trouble most of the second half and only managed nine points. The Spartans also failed to block a shot, and had six more turnovers than the Jayhawks. This game was a test for Tom Izzo’s youngsters, as they still must face Duke, UCLA, Kentucky, Oklahoma and defending champion Syracuse, before starting the tough Big Ten Conference schedule.

Other Action

After a sluggish first half, Indiana righted its offense, scoring 44 points in the second half on its way to a 71-64 victory over North Carolina-Greensboro. Bracey Wright led IU with 23 points and Marshall Strickland scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half. Freshman Pat Ewing jr. was impressive in his debut scoring five points and pulling down four rebounds in 13 minutes.

During the Mike Davis era, Indiana has lived and died by the three. IU’s 73-60 loss to Vanderbilt definitely illustrated that point. The Hoosiers shot 3-15 from beyond the arc. With George Leach as the only experienced postman, look for the boys from Bloomington to experience some growing pains inside this season.

A 13-0 run by Vandy halfway through the first half put the Commodores in front to stay 22-9. IU was unable to match the inside presence of Vanderbilt’s Matt Freije. The 6-9 senior finished the night with 32 points and 13 rebounds. The Hoosiers were able to force Freije into shooting 6-19 from the floor, but he compensated by hitting all 18 of his free throws.

Wright accomplished his second career double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds and Leach contributed 11 points and six blocked shots.

Illinois won its season opener, 94-66, over Western Illinois. The suspension meant that Illinois had only nine players available for the match up with the Leathernecks. Dee Brown topped five Illini players in double figures with 23 points and five assists. Illinois sprinted to a 37-9 lead after 14 minutes and held a 49-28 lead at the half. James Augustine finished with 12 points and thirteen rebounds and Deron Williams just missed a triple double with 11 points nine rebounds and eight assists.

Ohio State has struggled to an 0-2 start. Guards J.J. Sullinger and Tony Stockman have lived up to the hype after sitting out a year after transferring from Arkansas and Clemson, respectively. Sullinger scored 24 points and hit 4-5 from three-point range and Stockman had 22 (3-7 from three) in a 76-65 season opening loss at San Francisco. The Buckeyes were out rebounded 38-31.

Ohio State played poor perimeter defense giving up 13 three- point field goals in an 83-61 loss to San Diego State in the opening round at the Maui invitational. The Buckeyes were led by Stockman and freshman Ivan Harris with 13 each. The Aztecs dominated the second half after the game was tied at 32 at halftime.

Iowa began its season by smashing North Carolina-Ashville, 107-80. Pierre Pierce returned to the Hawkeye lineup in grand fashion. The sophomore from Westmont, Ill., stung the Hornets with 26 points, six assists and five rebounds. He also held UNCA’s leading scorer Bryan McCullough to eight points on 2-15 from the floor. Iowa placed four other players in double figures. Brunner finished with 11 points and five rebounds. Jared Reiner had 14 and 11 and Brody Boyd got the Hawks going in the first half and finished with 14.

Wisconsin opened its season with a 64-53 victory at perennial Ivy League power Penn. The Badgers were able to close out the victory with a 14-5 run to end the game. Preseason Big Ten player of the year Devin Harris finished with 16 and Freddie Owens and Zach Morley both finished with 12. Jeff Schiffner, the nation’s leading three-point shooter in 2003, led the Quakers with 20 points.

Minnesota – Kris Humphries began his collegiate career with a bang. The McDonald’s All-American scorched Missouri-Kansas City for 26 points and 15 rebounds in the Gophers 78-67 season-opening victory in the first round of the Preseason NIT. A 20-6 run by Minnesota halfway through the second half pushed a 48-40 lead to 68-46 and the Gophers were able to cruise from there. Maurice Hargrow finished with 18 and held the Kangaroo’s Michael Watson, the nation’s fourth leading scorer in 2003, to eight points on 3-19 shooting.

Minnesota was unable to overcome Utah’s prized recruit, Aussie Andrew Bogut, in a 66-54 loss. Bogut finished with 19 points and 18 rebounds on 8-9 shooting. Humphries finished with 20 points and 10 boards, but only hit nine of 21 shots. The Gophers only connected on 33 percent of their shots, while the Utes shot 52 percent. Humphries did become the first freshman in Big Ten history to capture the player of the week honors in his first week in college.

Northwestern was unable to overcome David Harrison and Michel Morandis as Colorado defeated Northwestern, 67-56, in Evanston to open the season. Morandis finished with 21 points and Harrison had 10. Blair Wilson had 16 for the Buffaloes. The Wildcats were held to three field goals over the final 13 minutes. Jitim Young’s 18 was supported by Vedran Vukusic with 13 points and T.J. Parker’s 12 points for NU. The Cats offense struggled in the second half, when Parker’s minutes were limited because of cramps.

Young posted the Big Ten’s performance of the week as Northwestern upended Chicago State, 76-60. Young hit all seven of his shots from the floor and made 7-8 from the line on his way to 21 points and ten rebounds in the victory over the Cougars. The Cats had a balanced offense. Vukusic finished with 11 and Parker and Duvancic each had ten.

Purdue opened its season with a 66-50 win over Samford at Mackey arena. Kenneth Lowe is expected to take over as the Boilermakers go to player and finished with 20 points. An 18-2 run to close the first half and 11 straight by Lowe in the second half sealed the victory. David Teague backed up Lowe with 10 points.

Purdue will spend the Thanksgiving weekend in Anchorage competing in the Great Alaska Shootout. A possible meeting with Duke looms if they can advance to the championship game.

Michigan’s season got off to a good start with an impressive 84-58 victory over Oakland. The Grizzlies had beaten Illinois-Chicago on their way to a second place finish at the Black Coaches Association classic in Cincinnati. Mike Helms, the nation’s third leading scorer in 2003, was held to 15 points on 6-17 shooting. Michigan was led by Bernard Robinson jr. as he had 21 points and eight rebounds. Lester Abram with 19 and freshman Dion Harris added 15 points and six assists.

Penn State – The Ed DeChellis era began in heart breaking fashion as Georgetown’s Ashanti Cook hit two free throws with 1.1 seconds remaining to give the Hoyas a 79-78 victory in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions were unable to hold on to a nine-point halftime lead. Jan Jagla led Penn State with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

Texas Style

Thanksgiving Weekend Hoops

by Jed Tai

In recent years, Texas has become a haven for high school hoops talent. No longer is the Lone Star State only known for prep prowess on the gridiron, but people are realizing that there are some great players on the hardwood as well. In the past two years, there have been seven McDonald’s All-Americans from Texas – three from the Houston/Gulf area (Ndudi Ebi, Kendrick Perkins, Vakeaton Wafer), three from the Dallas/Fort Worth Area (Chris Bosh, Daniel Horton, Bracey Wright), and one from Austin (Brad Buckman) – that’s more than any other state in the Union. And it’s not just the numbers, the fact that Bosh, Ebi, and Perkins are all currently playing in the NBA goes to show the quality of the players as well.

This Thanksgiving weekend, many players from the next wave will be playing at the 24 Hour Fitness/TeamSports Texas High School Jamboree on the campus of Texas Southern University in Houston. It’s a two-day event held on Friday and Saturday, November 28-29, and it will feature some of the top teams and talents from the state of Texas. Top seniors who will be in action include Texas-signee Daniel Gibson (Houston Jones HS), TCU-signee Neimann Owens (Channelview HS), and unsigned Robert Lee (Fort Worth Eastern Hills). A number of top underclassmen will be there as well, including junior two-sport standout Byron Eaton (Dallas Lincoln), junior swingman Gerald Green (Houston Gulfshores Academy), and junior big man Jeremy Barr (Houston Westbury Christian).

But not all the teams are from Texas – Baton Rouge University Lab from Louisiana has also been invited, and they feature the one and only Glen “Big Baby” Davis, LSU signee and consensus Top 5 player in the Class of 2004. It will be a battle of likely future McDonald’s All-Americans on Saturday as University Lab will take on Houston Jones and Daniel Gibson in the nightcap.

The complete list of matchups is as follows:

Friday, November 28

3:00 pm Houston Strake Jesuit vs. Fort Worth Eastern Hills
4:30 pm Galena Park vs. Corpus Christi Miller
6:00 pm Houston Westbury Christian vs. Dallas Kimball
7:30 pm Houston Gulfshores Academy vs. Dallas Lincoln

Saturday, November 29

2:00 pm Fort Worth Eastern Hills vs. Galena Park
3:30 pm Dallas Kimball vs. Houston Strake Jesuit
5:00 pm Dallas Carter vs. Houston Gulfshores Academy
6:30 pm Dallas Lincoln vs. Channelview
8:00 pm Baton Rouge University Lab vs. Houston Jones

If you are in the Houston area, be sure to catch this event and some of the best talent in the Southwest!

Conference Comparisons

Early Season Conference Comparisons

by Joaquin Mesa

It is only one game into the season for most teams, and some haven’t even played (i.e. UCLA, which might bode well for their disgruntled alumni). There are a few who have played up to four games, and a couple who have lost every single one of them. I’m looking in your general direction San Diego and Mount St. Mary’s…and to think, I actually visited the campus of the Mountaineers, filthy.

There are also the teams that have made their early season points, such as Marquette and South Carolina. That’s right, the mighty Gamecocks are a force to be reckoned with, atop the nationwide standings at 4-0 along with Marquette. Now, some of you might say that a Southwest Missouri State is not on par with a St. John’s or a Valparaiso, and you might have a point. However, South Carolina doesn’t give a rat’s behind about their strength of schedule, they are just happy to be considered amongst the best. Plus, there is no BCS system here, only wins and losses.

Now it may be a little too early to compare conferences, but I don’t care, let’s do it anyway.

The Best

ACC (15-0)
Big 12 (14-1)
Big East (20-3)
SEC (17-2)
Conference USA (16-3)

The good conferences are looking pretty good, with the ACC unbeaten in out of conference play. Though not many good games took place here, Duke did beat Detroit, which beat Western Michigan, which beat USC. Seven degrees of Kevin Bacon would suggest that the ACC owns the Pac-10, but I wouldn’t go that far, I think that they just are better then them in general.

The Big 12′s only loss was when Colorado didn’t respect Pepperdine in the second half of their game, and the Waves ran away with it. They should know that Paul Westphal is a good college coach, and much like Pete Carroll of USC football, will make good changes at halftime that will give his team the edge. It was Colorado 42, Pepperdine 41 at the half. What happened? Texas tech literally romped U Mass with a forty point margin of victory and not one player scoring over 18 points. This makes up a little for the fact that Colorado blew it, but the Big-12 has the most to prove of all the good conferences.

The Big East looks solid, with only a sloppy, slow St. John’s loss to Marquette tarnishing their record. I watched this game, and I really felt halfway through that I wished I hadn’t. It was boring and showcased a lack of mental preparation. However, it was a bad loss for St. John’s. Villanova made some ground back with a win over Atlantic 10′s Temple, and Pittsburg then handed Alabama (SEC) a loss. George Washington also got into the fray with a one point victory over Penn St.. Their 20-3 record is accomplished without Syracuse playing even a single game.

The SEC had few games played against quality opponents, unless you consider Winthrop a quality team. Only Vanderbilt’s win over Big 10 Indiana looks good, but then Alabama also lost to Pittsburg, so the conference hasn’t proved itself at all yet.

Conference USA, amidst all its troubles, fared pretty well in its opening week. It is true that they lost two of their big out of conference games, but Wake Forrest and George Washington were going to win anyway, right? Well, at least the conference protagonist is faring well, and Marquette has to be happy with a record of 4-0.

The Rest

Big-10 (9-6)
Pac-10 (7-3)
Atlantic-10 (13-8)

And of course, the rest…

Now, true the Pac-10 hasn’t played many games, but with USC losing to a sub-par Western Michigan team, and California losing to Cal Poly, there isn’t much to cheer about in the Pac-10. These two teams were supposed to be experience and substance respectively, and instead they end up as scatter-brained and shell-shocked. As for the Big-10, two losses to the Mountain West Conference and SEC and Big 12 losses have made them look human to other conferences. The highest profile of these losses being Minnesota’s loss to Utah in the Preseason NIT. Although Utah has always been a formidable opponent under head coach Rick Majerus, this year’s squad features 10 freshman and four sophomores. I didn’t think it was even going to be close.

Minnesota seems to have a problem winning on the road, so maybe they should start practicing in Ohio…just a suggestion. The Atlantic 10 features a St. Joseph’s (PA) team that has beaten Gonzaga in one of the first nationally televised game of the year at the Coaches Versus Cancer Classic. However, it also features a Temple team that lost to Villanova (Big East), a Fordham team that lost to Memphis (Conference USA), and a U Mass team that lost to Texas Tech (Big 12) not to mention Hartford (America East). Only a George Washington team avenges all these out of conference losses with a modest win over Charlotte of Conference USA. And who the heck is Charlotte anyway???? Though Jameer Nelson looks good, little else does for the Atlantic 10.

The biggest games are coming up this week, with Kansas v Michigan St., Arizona v Florida, Arizona v Texas, Duke v Michigan St., North Carolina v Illinois, Oklahoma v Michigan St., Kentucky v Michigan St., Gonzaga v Missouri, Louisville v Florida, Wake Forrest v North Carolina, Stanford v Kansas, and Norte Dame v Marquette, but it fun to think about who is best with only one game under their belt, no? I like to think of it as the first of many measuring sticks for the conferences, after all, we have to have something to complain about come seeding time.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Friday, November 28th

Shootout underway: Starting with the second game of the Great Alaska Shootout, No. 2 Duke turned it on in the second half to down a pesky Pacific squad 82-69. In what’s recently become fashionable for Duke, the Blue Devils started off slow, grabbing their first lead at the 9-minute mark of the first half, and only had a six point lead at halftime. However, fueled by a 14-4 run to start the second half, Duke pushed the lead to 22 points at the four minute mark, before Pacific scratched back to make it respectable. Daniel Ewing and Luol Deng each had 20 points for the Dukies, and Deng added 10 boards. Pacific was led by Miah Davis’ 24 points and Guillaume Yango who added 18. A milestone was set, as Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski passed legendary UCLA coach John Wooden in the all-time career victories list, with his 665th.

In the first game, Liberty’s Larry Blair scored 12 of his 17 points in the first half en route to a 65-48 win over Canisius. Liberty (1-2) got a strong effort from Jason Sarchet as he had eight points and nine rebounds. Two schools were neck and neck for most of the contest but a three-pointer by Blair ignited a 17-4 run with just under seven minutes to go to jump Liberty up 51-34. Richard Jones scored 15 points in the loss. Liberty will face Duke tonight at 12:30 AM Eastern.
Lowe Leads Boilermakers: Senior guard Kenneth Lowe had 26 points, including 12-for-13 from the charity stripe, to help lead Purdue to a 61-50 over Texas State in more action at the Great Alaska Shootout. Lowe was also a blazing 7-for-13 from the field and also handed out five assists. Brandon McKnight had 13 points to round out double-digit scorers for the Boilers. Despite shooting 35 percent from the field, Purdue used an 83 percent shooting night from the line to help get past the aggressive Texas State squad. Zach Allison had 14 in the losing cause.

Hopkins brothers out indefinitely: Brothers Bryan and Ryan Hopkins of Southern Methodist University have decided to leave the team immediately to tend to a family emergency, head coach Mike Dement announced. The length of how long the two will be away from the team is unknown at this time. Bryan Hopkins scored 15 points in the Mustang’s season opener win over Texas Pan-American last Saturday.

Tonight’s Menu

• A big early season match-up is pitted between third ranked Arizona and ninth ranked Florida in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic in Springfield, Mass. Florida is coming off a down-right dominating performance against Montana State on Tuesday in a 112-73 win. The Wildcats are coming off a 100-point effort themselves in a 107-73 win over Northern Arizona. Arizona’s Channing Frye scored 20 points in the win and will have to have a similar game to get past a Florida team that would like to get rolling on the right foot with a pair of in-state rivals coming up next on their schedule.

• In other top 25 action, Kentucky will host Tennessee Tech and Pittsburgh will host Albany, while as mentioned above, Duke will face Liberty in the Great Alaska Shootout

• The pre-season NIT championship will pit Texas Tech and Georgia Tech with Connecticut and Utah playing for the consolation prize.

• Also in tournament action, Maine will host New England College in the University of Maine Invitational. In the Red Auerbach Classic, William & Mary will play St. Francis (Pa.) and George Washington.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Thursday, November 27th

Happy Thanksgiving, All!

Edwards Dies: Central Michigan announced yesterday that junior Brent Edwards has died from injuries sustained in a car accident. Edwards, a 21-year old walk-on, was critically injured just outside of St. Louis on Monday and was pronounced dead the following day. His teammates were informed of his passing at the Maui Invitational, where Central Michigan is participating in the three-day tournament. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Brent’s family,” head coach Jay Smith said in a statement. “We wish we could be there with them right now.”

UConn Knocked Off: Georgia Tech pulled off a huge, early-season upset by downing top-ranked Connecticut, 77-61, in the Preseason NIT. B.J. Elder and Isma’il Muhammad each scored 22 to lead the Yellow Jackets over the Huskies, while UConn’s All-American duo of Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon combined for just 22 points on 7-20 shooting. With the win, Tech will next play another Tech, Texas that is, in the NIT final.

Syracuse Falls: Syracuse, defending NCAA champs, came back down to earth with a thud as the Orangemen dropped their season opener to Charlotte, 96-92. Brendan Plavich knocked down 10 three-point shots, a Carrier Dome record, finishing the game with 31 points for the visiting 49ers. Syracuse sophomore Gerry McNamara scorched Charlotte for a career-high 34 points (28 in the second half), but not even the fiery guard could cool down a Niners team that shot over 56 % on the night. The loss snapped the Orangemen’s 19-game winning streak at home.

Red Raiders March On: Texas Tech upped its mark to a perfect 4-0 by downing Utah in the semis of the Preseason NIT, 65-54. Tech’s Andre Emmett paced the Red Raiders with 23 points in the win, while Devonne Giles and Jarrius Jackson each contributed 13 against the Utes.

Other Action:

• Illinois cruised to its second win in as many games by overpowering Mercer, 93-61, in Champaign. The Illini’s Roger Powell notched his first collegiate double-double by contributing 16 points and 10 boards in the win. Illinois scorched out the box with a 30-10 run to start the game, and never looked back. The Fighting Illini will next hit the road for four games, beginning with Temple on Saturday.

• Pittsburgh beat Robert Morris 75-61 in a game much closer than the score indicated. The Panthers finally broke the game open with just under two minutes to play in regulation, enabling Pitt to notch its 24th straight victory at home. The Panthers’ Jason Brown led all scorers with 19 in the win.

• And last but not least, the final of the Maui Invitational saw Dayton take home the title with an 82-72 win over Hawaii. At one point the contest was tied at 50, but the Flyers proceeded to score on nine straight possessions to take control of the game. Dayton

Hoya Shot: Former Georgetown star Victor Page is in critical condition at Washington Hospital Center after being shot in the Southeast section of Washington, D.C. Page, who suffered from gunshot wounds to the eye and torso, was wounded while sitting in his vehicle. He managed to drive three blocks before a citizen flagged down a fire engine for help. Page, 28, played in the CBA after making himself eligible for the NBA Draft following the 1997 season, in which he averaged 22.7 points per game.

Gopher Down: Minnesota will be without center Jeff Hagen, who suffered a high ankle sprain during practice Monday night. Hagen, who had averaged 17 minutes in the Gophers’ first two games, will likely miss the next two weeks, including the Gophers’ matchup with Virginia in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Hagen had averaged just over 5 points and four rebounds per game so far this season. Head coach Don Monson indicated that forward Stan Gaines would see more action due to Hagen’s injury.

More Big East/ACC: The Big East Conference has requested a stay of the lawsuit filed against them by the University of Miami last month. The suit, filed to counter the Big East lawsuit against the Hurricanes, claimed that the school lost money by staying in the conference. The Big East contends that the Miami suit is “opportunistic” and asked that U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro-Benages at the minimum delay it until after the Big East vs. Miami case is heard, and even review it for dismissal. The Big East suit alleges that Miami was in concert with the ACC while still participating in the Big East. The suit was also against the ACC, but the ACC was dropped as a defendant by a Connecticut judge.

Tonight’s Menu

• Only two games on the slate this holiday, as No. 2 Duke hosts Pacific in opening round action in the Great Alaska Shootout. Duke will be led by freshman sensation Luol Deng, who notched 21 points and 8 rebounds in his debut against Detroit. Pacific started out the season on a positive note last week, by downing San Jose State in overtime Friday. In the teams’ only other meeting, Duke won, 68-66 in the 1983-84 season. The winner of this game will face the winner of the Liberty-Canisius matchup, scheduled for 9pm Eastern.

SEC Notebook

SEC Notebook

by Matt Jones

Well after a long and arduous wait, the college basketball season is back upon us. We have had to wade through a week and a half of garbage games (thank you NCAA and the 2-4 rule), but now it is time to get to the real action. Many of the experts seem to believe that this will be a down year for the SEC, and to some extent they have a point. The conference did itself no favors in the NCAA tournament last year with a hideous performance (Kentucky and Auburn not included), and many of the stars of the conference have gone on to greener pastures (Hello NBDL!). Yet I think some may incorrectly be sleeping on the conference. This will not be a season like last year when three different teams hit the number 1 ranking, but the conference has a depth that still makes it a top contender. Kentucky and Florida may take a while to get rolling, but by the end of the season they should be as good as anyone. Tennessee, LSU and Auburn may also surprise some folks. Either way it is time to get the season under way, which for much of the conference means Cupcake City until January.

Here Come the Vols

No program in the conference has shown more potential upside (thank you Hubie!) in the last couple of weeks than Tennessee. First they rewarded Buzz Peterson with a contract extension through 2009 that puts him 3rd in the conference in salary (behind the Tubby Smith and Billy Donovan mega-deals) and showed a commitment to the young coach that should surely pay strong dividends in the future. The Vols have been everyone’s pick for “program on the rise” now for about the past fifteen years. Whether it was the star power of Allan Houston, the recruiting prowess of Kevin O’Neill or the sheer talent load of Jerry Green, this has been a program that has been this close to reaching elite status for quite some time. However the Vols have never been able to get over the hump, partly because of a lack of bench coaching and team discipline.

Enter Buzz Peterson, the best thing to arrive in Tennessee since the King (Elvis or Jerry Lawler whichever you prefer). Peterson is a great young talent from the Dean Smith pedigree who lives and breathes coaching and has shown a commitment to the long-term building process that leads to great programs. He was blessed his first couple of years with a tremendous talent in Ron Slay (one of the more underrated SEC players in recent memory) and he has shown steady improvement over the past two seasons. Tennessee’s decision to lock him down for a number of years now, cements their opportunity to rise as an SEC basketball power, and not just a permanent underachiever.

This season the team has already started strong with a 81-70 win over Wofford. While Wofford may not necessarily get the blood flowing, the performance of Scooter McFagdon might. This junior transfer from Memphis opened his UT career with 31 points in the victory. True Vols fans know that the last debut performance that matched Scooter’s was that of Bernard King who began his Tennessee career with 41 points. In addition the Vols got strong performances from their Sophomore sensation CJ Watson and the core of the team, Brandon Crump. The Vols may not look on paper to be an SEC contender this year, and the team will certainly suffer without Slay, but look for Tennessee to open some people’s eyes this season. Regardless of what happens however, the move of the season occurred this week with the extension for Peterson, making this a week that Vols fans in the future may look to as the turning point for the program.

The Barbour returns

Tubby Smith gets a welcome addition this Friday against Tennessee Tech when Antwain Barbour returns to the lineup. Barbour, who was out the first game of the season against Winthrop on a discipline-related suspension, could very well be the key to this season for the Cats. With Kentucky’s lack of a real presence on the inside, Tubby will very often go with three and at times even four, natural guards in the lineup. Barbour’s athleticism and explosiveness are much needed for Tubby’s disciplined team and the Wildcats need him to find his shooting form. Last year was a rough one for Barbour, who came out of junior college highly regarded and struggled to find his role as a backup to Keith Bogans. Now however he must take a leadership role and many close to the program see a new man emerging. All signs are that Antwain could be the Barbour of old and if that happens, the SEC may look like a Kentucky caravan once again.

Vandy flexes its muscle

No coach may be on more of a hot seat this season than Kevin Stallings at Vanderbilt. Stallings has a career 62-59 record, but has to deal with an increasingly grumbling fan base who wonders why a tournament bid has not been forthcoming in quite some time. However with pre-season SEC player of the year Matt Freije leading the Commodores, good things could be on the horizon. Such possibilities were seen Monday night as the Dores took out Indiana 73-60 in Nashville. While Indiana is undoubtedly down this year, this is still a team a mere two years removed from the national title game and Vanderbilt can take comfort in the fact that they thoroughly dominated the game. Freije had 32 points and was 18-18 from the free throw line. The Dores showed poise and executed a coherent game plan in limiting Indiana to only contested shots as they showed a bit of the old “Memorial Magic”. If Stallings can get two or three more upsets such as this one during the season, he may be able to breath a little easier, and Vandy could be knocking on the NCAA tournament door.

Not again

Georgia fans have to wonder when it will end, as freshman Corey Gibbs was suspended this for 9 games this week after selling his school books in violation of NCAA rules. Gibbs, a freshman who was expected to have a great impact on the young team, sold the books which were part of his scholarship to the university and will miss all the games in this calender year. New coach Dennis Felton has to wonder when the next shoe will fall, as he continues to experience bad news in his new program. We will see whether the news gets any better this week, as the Bulldogs play Gonzaga on Saturday.

Player and Newcomer of the Week

Only one answer to this question and it is Scooter McFagdon. Many Memphis fans believed that John Calipari never really knew how to use McFagdon during his years playing for the Tigers, and their fears were realized with his opening night performance. It will be up to Scooter to continue this throughout the season, but the Calipari talent drain seems to continue to rear its ugly head.

Team Reports

No. 10 Kentucky (1-0)

Kentucky opened the season with a 65-44 win over Winthrop in Rupp Arena on Friday. The Cats were led in scoring by Eric Daniels with 15 points and showcased once again what it is that will take them to the top of the SEC this season. Their suffocating defense created chaos for Winthrop and allowed the Cats to overcome a mediocre offensive performance. Winthrop’s coach Gregg Marshall spoke of the team’s outstanding defensive effort and opined that there is no simulation for the defensive pressure that the Cats bring in every game. Kentucky is next in action Friday against Tennessee Tech, before beginning the “Saturday Gauntlet” that will define the team early in the season. Beginning on December 6th, the Cats have five straight games on CBS against UCLA, Michigan St., Indiana, Louisville and North Carolina. This will give the team a tremendous amount of national exposure and will provide a true test of the team’s ability to do without Keith Bogans, Marquis Estill and Jules Camara.

No. 9 Florida (0-0)

An off-season that Billy Donovan would rather forget will finally come to an end on Tuesday night as the Gators open up the season with the powerhouse from Big Sky country, Montana St. After spending recent weeks dealing with the controversy created when Mike Montgomery made a thinly veiled reference to possible cheating allegations in the program, Donovan must be glad to focus primarily on court-related issues. He has once again attempted to do something that many SEC coaches would never fathom, mainly scheduling a good non-conference slate. The Gators will see Arizona, Maryland, Louisville and West Virginia in the coming weeks and Billy D’s team will be have its strength tested. Look for this to be the year of the Sophomore in Gainesville as this team will rise or fall based on the play of Anthony Roberson and Matt Walsh. Walsh snuck up on some teams last year, but that wont happen again. Look for defenses to key on these guys and force the Gators to develop some type of inside presence. If that happens, the Gators will be tough.

Tennessee (1-0)

The Vols see Tennessee St on their schedule this week, before welcoming the Aggies of Texas A&M next week into Thompson Boling Arena. The Vols have a non conference schedule that includes games at Nebraska and UMASS, but all of the games are winnable. Look for Peterson to use this time to get his stud freshman Major Wingate going in the right direction and to attempt to develop a solid rotation with his lineup. Do not be surprised if we look up at the turn of the new year and this team is undefeated. It could happen.

Vanderbilt (2-0)

It has been a long time since Vanderbilt had a win like the one on Monday night. Things are looking up for this program and with Tennessee-Martin and IUPUI (ooey-pooey) next up on the schedule, things could continue to be positive into the future. As a matter of fact, Vandy does not play a single road game until a January 3rd trip to TCU. Considering their schedule and the fact that their only opponent from a major conference is Michigan, this team could also be undefeated beginning conference play. Matt Freije is of course the key to their success, and he has thus far shown that the talk of him being a legitimate Division 1 prospect may have been correct.

Georgia (1-0)

The team of turmoil known as the Georgia Bulldogs has begun what has to be a refreshing season. As all teams that deal with Jim Harrick find out, having him in your program is like becoming a celebrity tiger tamer in Las Vegas: for a while it will seem successful, but ultimately it is going to come back and bite you in the neck. Dennis Felton has begun the long, hard slog towards respectability for this program and the beginning of the season was a success. They held off a pesky Western Carolina team 78-67 to begin the season with a victory. The Bulldogs defense did however leave a bit to be desired as Kevin Martin (K-Mart to you uninitiated Western Carolina followers) went for 44 points against the young Bulldogs. Ultimately they prevailed thanks to the play of the enigma Dhamian Wilkens, who went for 19 points and showed the senior leadership that Georgia is praying he will offer this season. As Wilkens goes, so go the Bulldogs and he helped them get off to a resounding start. They face Florida Atlantic this week before making the trip to Gonzaga in what will be a test for the young team, and our SEC game of the week.

South Carolina (4-0)

The Gamecocks opened up the post-Chuck Edison era (did any player anywhere in the country play for his team longer than Edison?) by winning a host of early season games, defeating Gardner-Webb 83-74, Idaho 76-66, Navy 73-40 and Southwest Missouri St 77-64. While this does not exactly resemble a murderer’s row, Dave Odom is glad to begin this season with victories, as he attempts to replace a team that was led last year by four seniors. The Odom era has been a mixed back in Columbia, as he led the team to the NIT championship game in his first year and then followed it up with a disappointing 12-16 season last year. This team will be led by Junior Carlos Powell who must provide offense for a group that expects to be low in the shooting department. The hits keep on coming for the Gamecocks this week as they play Campbell on Saturday.

Alabama (1-1)

Alabama began its season with a loss, but showcased a tremendous amount of potential in falling to Pittsburgh 71-62 in the Coaches vs Cancer Classic in New York. The Tide expected to be led this season by Kennedy Winston, who had a strong performance, but have been pleasantly surprised by another of the SEC’s Super Sophomores in Chuck Davis who had 20 points in the losing effort. After the game, Davis showed that he lacked nothing in the way of confidence, predicting that due to Pittsburgh’s high ranking, “if they’re one of the best in the country, we think we are too.” While Coach Gottfried may not necessarily agree with that statement, he has to love the talent level shown by his young team. They followed up this strong performance with a 69-63 win against Louisiana Tech on Saturday night. Mark Gottfried won his 100th game as Alabama head coach and Winston had a career high 24 points in the victory. The Tide blew a series of leads throughout the game, but held off the hard-fighting Tech team with key baskets down the stretch. Alabama has games this week against SE Louisiana and Providence as they prepare for their December 3rd showdown with Martin Iti and the Charlotte 49ers.

Auburn (3-0)

You know it must be late fall when the Auburn Tigers start off the season with a strong record, a schedule that includes teams with multiple directions in their names and Cliff Ellis upset at how the media says they play an easy schedule. Auburn began the season with a 66-62 defeat of College of Charleston, an 86-64 whipping of Western Kentucky and an 85-61 spanking of Maryland-Eastern Shore. These three teams actually represent a marked improvement over the normal Auburn competition level, but nevertheless illustrate a problem with the Tigers. Cliff Ellis is an underrated coach who gets the most out of his players and at times, has had teams that were legitimate contenders on the national level (anyone remember the Chris Porter era?). However they get almost no respect nationally and the constant harassment of Dick Vitale due to their continued insistence on playing a non-conference schedule that would put Transylvania University to shame. This season Ellis seems to be attempting to schedule a few better teams (games upcoming with Colorado St and Air Force), but it will be a day where you see no beautiful women on the Auburn campus before they play any national power. Grambling comes to town this week.

Arkansas (1-0)

Stan Heath and the Arkansas Razorbacks got off to a strong start this week as they defeated Nicholls St. 89-60 in Fayetteville. Jonathan Modica began what many to believe a potential all-SEC season with 26 points in just 25 minutes of action. While the “40 Minutes of Hell” which Arkansas fans cut their teeth on may never return, this group of Razorbacks seems poised to potentially put up big numbers. A lot will depend on the emergence of newcomer Olu Fatumani. Many amongst the Razorback faithful see Fatumani as the next great star in Fayetteville and he could very well be the beginning of a swarm of great recruits brought in by Heath. Arkansas fans, who are amongst the most consistently underappreciated and best in college basketball, are looking at this season with great anticipation. They face Grambling (as does everyone) and Jacksonville this week, as they prepare for coming tests against Illinois, Tulsa and Oklahoma St. Take that Cliff Ellis!

Mississippi State (1-0)

There were a host of questions coming into the season about the Mississippi St. Bulldogs. How would they react to the ill-advised decision of Mario Austin and Travis Outlaw to go to the NBA? Could they replace the consistency of Derrick Zimmerman and underappreciated Michael Ignerski? Could this team match the level of play that has led them to two straight SEC Tournament finals and made them a consistent contender on the national landscape? Well after the 90-74 win against Tennessee-Martin, many of these questions are still unanswered, but what is clear is that Lawrence Roberts was an absolute steal for Rick Stansbury. Roberts, who was granted special permission by the NCAA to transfer from Baylor after the tragic events there last summer, had 26 points in the victory and showcased why he has the potential to be a truly special player. Stansbury was a bit upset at his team’s early defense, but ultimately the game was a solid effort by the Bulldogs. This week they have matchups with South Alabama (coached by SEC alum John Pelphrey) and Western Kentucky.

LSU (2-0)

Coming into the season, the news around Bayou country concerning the basketball team, was the recruiting class that John Brady had brought in and how the future looked bright for the Tigers. While Brandon Bass, Tack Minor and Regis Koundja certainly do make the Tigers seem like a team who is destined for success, some people may not want to look past this year as the time that LSU can make some noise. After an early 70-59 win against Southern, Jamie Lloreda went for 30 big ones in a 87-77 victory over McNeese St. Lloreda, a former Junior College National Player of the Year, has openly said that this is his team and that he wants to lead the Tigers to the promised land. It is arguable that the Tigers, who last year beat number 1. Arizona on their home floor, have the most raw talent of any team in the league. Their success however will depend on how well they adjust to the new freshman and how they can handle their brutal schedule…..oh never mind. They play Utah in Baton Rouge, but before that the basketball Tigers should be fine and dandy until after the football Tigers come home from their BCS bowl.

Mississippi (0-1)

Then there is Ole Miss. If you were reading this notebook and thinking to yourself, “boy it seems like this new SEC guy thinks every team is on the rise”, well now is your time to see that is not the case. The Rebels began the season with a humiliating home loss to Arkansas St. 74-69. Ole Miss is the team with the best record in the SEC West since 1996 and Rod Barnes has produced a consistent winner in his time in Oxford. However this season has the potential to be rough. The Rebels do have a star in Justin Reed, but it looks as if little else is in the cupboard and the potential is there for a huge letdown. One hates to read too much into an early season defeat, but it is Arkansas St., so we should read something into it. Things don’t look much better for the Rebels as they welcome the powerhouses Centenary and SE Louisiana (who plays everyone in the SEC) this week. With Louisiana-Monroe, Jacksonville St. and Nicholls St. On the horizon, Barnes better get his ship righted or things will be gloomy in Oxford.

Game of the Week

Watch out for the November 29th game between Georgia and Gonzaga. This will certainly be a test for the new-look Bulldogs, but it will also be an interesting measuring stick for the Zags. After a tough opening loss to St. Joseph’s this game might be indicative as to whether Gonzaga is truly for real. And kudos to Georgia for agreeing to play this road game. Some other coaches in the league should stand and recognize.

Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Notebook

by Nicholas Lozito

Western conference power rankings

Things are so much simpler when you get west of the Rocky Mountains. The Pacific 10 is the lone powerhouse conference, and everyone else is fighting to be the best mid-major.

The Mountain West Conference, with UNLV, Utah and New Mexico, might be considered a major conference to some. But in my eyes, any conference with a military school — Air Force in this case — can never be put into that elite class. The Western Athletic Conference and West Coast Conference each have one dominant team — Fresno State and Gonzaga, respectively — putting them right below the Mountain West.

Then, on the bottom rung, there is the Big Sky and Big West, who battle each and every preseason to not be considered the West Coast doormats. There are two major criteria for judging who is the weaker conference by the end of the preseason: Performance against Pac 10 schools and head-to-head competition.

The Big Sky is 0-3 against the Pac 10 as of Tuesday night, with a Northern Arizona loss at No. 3-ranked Arizona, a Sacramento State loss at No. 18 Stanford and a Portland State loss at Washington. The Big West is 1-4, with a Cal Poly upset at California, a Cal State Fullerton loss at Arizona State, a UC Irvine loss to Stanford and a UC Riverside loss at Washington.

A slight edge to the Big West.

The teams are even in head-to-head match-ups with one win apiece — Northern Arizona defeated Cal State Fullerton and Utah State beat Weber State.

So, as of now, the Big West has a slight edge over the Big Sky, but there is plenty of basketball to be played before both teams head into their conference schedules in early January.

Western Conference Power Rankings
1. Pac 10
2. Mountain West
3. West Coast Conference
4. Western Athletic Conference
5. Big West
6. Big Sky

Welcome back to Sac

Imagine waiting for over a year to open up a present. Now imagine if when you opened it, one of the world’s greatest dunkers popped out.

Ever since Jameel Pugh, tabbed by Slam Magazine as the World’s Greatest Dunker coming out of high school, announced he was transferring to Sacramento State in the summer of 2002, I have waited in anticipation of his first night in Hornet Gym. That night came Tuesday, and he didn’t disappoint.

In the second half, Pugh reached well above the rim for an emphatic put-back jam. Minutes later, he caught a deflected alley-oop pass — originally intended for Joel Jones — and stuffed it through with two hands.

“I think that was a sub-conscious double ally-oop pass by Jones. We practice that. We work on it,” Pugh said. He can dunk and he’s funny — he’s the best present a kid could ask for.

Oh! So close

A Josh Barnard lay-up gave Eastern Washington a 58-51 lead with 8:30 remaining against No. 14 Oklahoma on Friday. From there, Oklahoma went on a 18-1 run to close the game and defeat the Eagles.

Barnard, a Washington transfer, led Eastern Washington with seventeen points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. Hoopville preseason all-conference selection Alvin Snow chipped in with thirteen points, while DeAngelo Alexander led the Sooners with eighteen…

In Palo Alto, a Jameel Pugh jumper pulled Sac State within six points of No. 18 Stanford in the second half before the Cardinal closed with a 26-14 run. Pugh led the Hornets with eighteen points, while preseason all-conference selection Joel Jones struggled from the field, scoring only seven points while grabbing seven rebounds…

In Gainesville, Montana State guard Jason Erickson nailed a 3-pointer to give the Bobcats a 7-6 lead over No. 9-ranked Florida. Gator forward David Lee put an end to that threat, however, scoring 20 points in a 112-73 Florida win. Erickson, a preseason conference honorable mention, scored ten points with six assists…

In Tucson, an Adrian Hayes lay-up gave Northern Arizona a 2-0 lead over No. 3-ranked Arizona. Arizona then went on a 107-71 run to close out the game. Freshman Ruben Boykin Jr. scored fourteen points and grabbed nine rebounds in his first start for Northern Arizona…

Poole, Scott miss openers

Idaho State point guard Marquise Poole missed the team’s first three games at the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska due to an NCAA violation. Poole, a preseason all-conference selection, “participated in a summer league without prior permission,” according to Idaho State’s official Web site. He has been cleared to play in the team’s home opener on Dec. 2 against Tennessee Tech. Idaho State is already without starting shooting guard David Schroeder, who is out for the year with a torn ACL.

Portland State forward Seth Scott has missed the team’s first two games nursing an injured wrist.

Gazing The Sky

Eastern Washington Eagles (0-2)

The Eagles started the Sooner Invitational looking like a team worthy of a national ranking. They finished off like a team in need of a demotion to Division II.

On Friday, the Eagles held a 13-point lead in the first half and a seven-point lead midway through the second against host Oklahoma. However, a late collapse wiped away all chances of a major upset.

Eastern Washington lost the consolation game, 71-51, to South Carolina State the following day. Snow had seventeen points and eight rebounds from the guard position, while Barnard had eight points and six assists. Thurman Zimmerman led the Bulldogs with 26 points and eight boards.

The Eagles will host Denver on Wednesday night and visit intra-state rival Washington on Saturday.

Idaho State Bengals (2-1)

The Bengals played pretty well this past weekend at the Top of the World Classic, considering they played three games in three days with eight players.

With shooting guard David Schroeder out for the season with injury, guard Jeff Gardner scored 22 and 18 points in wins over Binghamton (78-62) and Texas-San Antonio (65-59). Idaho State lost their opening game in the tournament to Rice, 76-46.

After struggling in the first two games, Bengal forward Scott Henry had 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists against San Antonio. Che’ Jordan got his first start against San Antonio after scoring ten points in each of the first two games.

The Bengals will next host Tennessee Tech on Dec. 2.

Montana Grizzlies (0-1)

Coach Pat Kennedy and the Grizzlies got off to a rough start at Wisconsin-Green Bay on Saturday, losing 95-83 in a game where the Panthers shot 55 percent from the field and 7-of-15 from 3-point range.

Shooting guard Kevin Criswell led the Grizzlies with 21 points and nine rebounds on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range. Junior College all-American Kamarr Davis scored 18 points in his first game with Montana. Coming off a medical red shirt season, Brent Cummings scored 13 points in his return.

The Grizzlies will host Montana Tech on Wednesday and Santa Barbara on Saturday.

Montana State Bobcats (2-1)

Maybe Jason Erickson earned conference MVP honors two years ago for being so damn consistent. The senior guard had six assists and scored between ten and 15 points in each of the Bobcats’ first three games this past week.

Montana State beat Quinnipiac at home on Friday (87-75), knocked off Howard University on the road on Sunday (57-54), then got crushed by Florida on Tuesday (112-73). Florida shot an incredible 66 percent from the field, including an even more incredible 31-of-41 from their five starters.

Eight different players — Calvin Ento, Erickson, Danny Faaborg, Frank Brown, Nick Dissly, P.J. Owlsy, Matt Towlsey and Dennis Woodall — have all scored in double figures for the Bobcats so far this year.

Montana State will next host Idaho on Saturday.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (1-1)

The Lumberjacks knocked off Cal State Fullerton on Friday, 77-60, then got pummeled by Arizona on Monday, 107-73. Kodiak Yazzie led Northern Arizona is scoring in both games with 18 and 16 points, respectively.

Northern Arizona hosts San Jose Christian on Wednesday, then heads on the road to face Wichita State on Saturday and Oral Roberts on Monday.

Portland State Vikings (1-1)

The Vikings have received stellar play from three of their junior college transfer guards. Sheu Oduniyi, Blake Walker and Will Funn combined for 42 points in the Vikings’ 73-65 loss to Washington on Friday. The trio combined for 56 points in Tuesday’s 83-71 win over Southern Oregon. Forward Seamus Boxley averaged 10.5 rebounds in the two games.

The Vikings will head to Texas, El Paso on Saturday in a contest which will pit Viking forward Antone Jerrell against his former school. Portland State will then head to Oregon on Tuesday.

Sacramento State Hornets (1-1)

The Hornets received 18 points from forward Jameel Pugh in a 77-59 loss to Stanford on Saturday. Swingman Joel Jones scored 13 in Tuesday’s 76-65 win over Dominican, an NAIA school. Power forward Cedric Thompkins recorded a double-double with 12 points and ten rebounds against Dominican.

The Hornets will next travel to Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, then host San Jose Christian on Tuesday.

Weber State Wildcats (1-1)

The defending conference champions started off their season with an easy 79-49 win over Albertson College, receiving 24 points and 13 boards from Slobodan Ocokoljic. The Wildcats lost at home to Utah State, 66-60, on Tuesday, receiving 22 points and 10 rebounds from Ocokoljic.

The Wildcats, who lost conference MVP Jermaine Boyette to graduation, have not had a guard score over seven points so far this year.

Weber State will host Warner Pacific on Friday, then head to Southern Utah on Tuesday.

Player of the Week

Slobodan Ocoklijic: Averaged 23 points and 11.5 rebounds in two games.

Southern Conference Notebook

Southern Conference Notebook

by Robby Trail

The biggest story in the SoCon this week was how close several teams were to making a big story in the conference. Several teams came oh so close to making national waves and gaining the conference needed recognition.

Chattanooga led No. 5 Kansas by double digits in the first half, but all hopes of an upset ended with a late second half run by the Jayhawks. UNC-Greensboro had a late run in the second half fall short as they lost to Indiana by seven points. Western Carolina, thanks to an incredible performance by Kevin Martin, only trailed Georgia by four points with 44 seconds remaining, but could not pull off the upset. ETSU only trailed Texas Tech by five at half time, but a scoring drought to begin the second half ended their bid for an upset. Finally, Elon was so close to an upset in their 42-point loss at Wake Forest.

North Division

ETSU Buccaneers (1-1)

Last week: Defeated Houston 65-51, Lost to Texas Tech 64-53
This week: Tuesday against Mars Hill, Saturday against UNC-Wilmington

Shooting guard Ben Rhoda scored 19 points to lead the Buccaneers in the 65-51 win against Houston. Point guard Tim Smith added 13 and forward Zakee Wadood had nine points to go with his team-leading four assists. ETSU withstood a second half run in which Houston outscored the Buccaneers 13-3 to hold on for the win.

Smith led the Buccaneers with 14 points to go with his three assists in the 64-53 loss at Texas Tech. Guard James Anthony added 13 points off the bench in the losing effort. The Bucs only trailed by five at the half, but did not get their first field goal of the second half until the 14:42 mark. ETSU twice got the margin down to nine in the last ten minutes, but could pull no closer.

Chattanooga Mocs (0-1)

Last week: Lost to No. 5 Kansas 90-76
This week: Monday against Oral Roberts, Wednesday against Tennessee Wesleyan, Saturday against Emmanuel College

Forward Jason Rogan led the Mocs with 22 points and eight rebounds in the 90-76 loss at Kansas. Forward Ashley Champion put in 20 and grabbed five rebounds in the loss. The Mocs led 24-14 with 9:32 to go in the first half, but Kansas finished the half on a 28-6 run to lead 42-30 at the break. A minute into the second half the Mocs closed the Jayhawk led down to nine, but that was the last time the lead would be less than ten. Chattanooga turned the ball over 23 times, 19 of those coming in the first half.

Appalachian State Mountaineers (0-2)

Last week: Lost to Monmouth 69-65, Lost to Boston College 92-67
This week: TBA at Paradise Jam on Monday, Friday at George Washington in Red Auerbach Tournament, Saturday TBA in Red Auerback Tournament

Freshman D.J. Thompson scored a game-high 14 points in the 69-65 loss to Monmouth. Appy State trailed by as much as 12 in the second half, but a late run cut the lead to six with just 30 seconds left. Noah Brown added a jump shot as time expired, but that was as close at the Mountaineers would get.

Sophomore Derek Thomas scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the 92-67 loss to Boston College. The Mountaineers trailed by only 11 at the break, but Boston College put up 52 second half points to run away with the win.

UNC-Greensboro Spartans (0-1)

Last week: Lost to Indiana 71-64
This week: Tuesday against Campbell, Saturday against Greensboro College

Guard Jay Joseph scored 20 points in the 71-64 loss at Indiana. Ronnie Burrell added 11 points for the Spartans. The Spartans trailed by five at the half, but never could score consistently enough to take over the game in the second half. Indiana shot 30 free throws in the game, compared to the only 15 attempts the Spartans had from the charity stripe.

Western Carolina Catamounts (0-1)

Last week: Lost to Georgia 78-67
This week: Tuesday against Virginia Tech, Saturday against Milligan College

Guard Kevin Martin had an amazing 44 points, including seven three-pointers, in the losing effort against Georgia. Thirty-five of Martin’s points came in the Catamounts second half charge. Guard Corey Muirhead added seven points and three rebounds for the Catamounts.

The Catamounts trailed by 18 points at halftime, mainly due to 26 percent shooting and 16 first half turnovers, but cut the deficit to four points with 44 seconds left. The Bulldogs were flawless from the line in the last minute to hold on for an 11-point win.

Elon Phoenix (0-3)

Last week: Lost to Idaho 84-60, Lost to Gardner-Webb 68-65, Lost to No. 19 Wake Forest 97-55
This week: Thursday against Bluefield College

The Phoenix started their season with a bang with three straight loses. Freshman Matt Nowlin led Elon with 13 points in the loss against Idaho. Starters (for the Elon fans out there) Jackson Atoyebi and Rasmi Gamble had 11 and 10 points respectively. The Phoenix only shot 33 percent from the field in the first half and were never really in the game.

The Phoenix had three double-digit scorers, Montell Watson, Scottie Rice and Atoyebi, in the three-point loss against Gardner-Webb. The Phoenix trailed 49-38 with 12:26 to play in the game, but cut the lead to one with 30 seconds remaining. A Gardner-Webb lay up extended the lead to three. Chris Chalko missed a three pointer at the buzzer that would have tied the game. Atoyebi led the Phoenix with 11 points and eight rebounds in the 97-55 loss at Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons jumped out to a 16-2 advantage to begin the game and never looked back.

South Division

Davidson Wildcats (1-0)

Last week: Lost to Texas Tech 89-58
This week: Monday against North Carolina, Saturday against Rhode Island

Guard Matt McKillop led the Wildcats with 18 points in the 89-58 loss to Texas Tech in the first round of the preseason NIT. Brendan Winters added 8 points and seven rebounds, and Ian Johnson had eight points off the bench.

Fourteen first half turnovers for Davidson helped Texas Tech build a 43-25 lead at halftime. The Wildcats missed all eight of their first half three-point attempts, but they did manage to hit seven three’s in the second half. However, defensively, Davidson was unable to stop Texas Tech, who poured it on late to win by 31.

Charleston Cougars (1-1)

Last week: Lost Auburn 66-62, Defeated Charleston Southern 83-66
This week: Wednesday against Central Florida

Charleston had their chance to pull the upset over Auburn. With 14 seconds to go and Auburn up 64-62, Tony Mitchell had his jump shot blocked by Auburn’s Kyle Davis. The Tigers got the rebound and hit two free throws to put the game out of reach. Guard Stanley Jackson led the Cougars with 17 points and Marcus Johnson added 13. In the end, size was the difference as Charleston was out rebounded 40-28 by Auburn.

Jackson again led the Cougars in the win 83-66 against Charleston Southern, scoring 20 points and grabbing a career-high eight rebounds. Charleston shot a torrid 50 percent from the field in the game, but were once again out rebounded 37-32 in the game.

Georgia Southern Eagles (1-0)

Last week: Defeated North Georgia 94-55
This week: Monday against UAB, Friday against Savannah State

Guard Elton Nesbitt led the Eagles with 18 points in the 94-55 win over North Georgia. Forward Jean Francois added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Eagles.

Georgia Southern shot 50 percent from the field in the game and managed to hold North Georgia to only 23 percent shooting. The game was tight throughout the first half, but a late run gave the Eagles a 13-point lead at the break. Georgia Southern outscored North Georgia by 26 points in the second half for the 29-point win.

Wofford Terriers (0-1)

Last week: Lost to Tennessee 81-70
This week: Monday against Emmanuel College, Saturday against Clemson

Tyler Berg and Sam Daniels had 11 points each in the 81-70 loss to Tennessee. Tennessee led by six at the break, but a 12-2 run in the second half gave the Terriers a 43-41 lead. The game was back and forth for the next ten minutes, but Tennessee went on a late run to take an eight-point lead with 4 minutes to go. Wofford could not cut the lead below four in the last four minutes, and Tennessee made their free throws down the stretch to ice the win.

Furman Paladins (0-1)

Last week: Lost to James Madison 78-72
This week: Monday against Southern Wesleyan, Wednesday Against Greensboro College, Sunday against Minnesota

Forward Maleye Ndoye had a career-high 32 points in the 78-72 loss to James Madison. Bobby Bostain added 11 points for the Paladins. James Madison had a huge lead for much of the first half, but Ndoye scored the last seven points of the first half to get the Paladins with 12 at the break.

In the second half, Furman quickly cut the lead to less than ten, but had trouble striking when it had the chance. The Paladins cut the lead to three with two minutes to go, but that was as close as they would get.

The Citadel Bulldogs (1-0)

Last week: Defeated Webber International 79-75
This week: Tuesday against Washington & Lee, Friday against Central Florida

Guard Chris Terry had a career-high 33 points, shooting 10 of 20 from field and making six of nine three-point attempts, to lead the Bulldogs in their four-point win over Webber International. Erick Wilson and Joseph Thompson scored 11 points each.

Webber led by 11 points at the break and led for most of the second half. Terry then scored four straight points to give The Citadel a one-point lead with 23 seconds remaining. The Bulldogs sunk a pair of free throws to ice the win.

Atlantic 10 Notebook

Atlantic-10 Conference Notebook

by Jonathan Scherner

St. Joseph’s Belongs

13th-ranked St. Joseph’s and Jameer Nelson started the season off by proving they both belong.

Nelson, a Preseason All American, was just two rebounds away from a triple double, but that didn’t matter as he led the Hawks to the 73-66 upset victory over 12th-ranked Gonzaga in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Over 4,000 St. Joe’s fans bought tickets for the event to watch the teams go at it for the third straight season. Despite Nelson hitting just six of 20 shots from the field the Hawks’ fans chanted “You can’t guard him” to any Gonzaga defender who would listen. Late in the second half, the Bulldogs cut an 11-point deficit to five, but Pat Carroll banked in a three to put the game away.

Nelson had team-highs of 20 points, 10 assists and eight boards, and Delonte West hit four threes to add 16 points in the winning effort. Cory Violette led the Bulldogs with 13 points and 15 boards. Blake Stepp, last season’s West Coast Conference Player of the Year, struggled from the field in going 2-for-12.

Flyers Start Strong

The Dayton Flyers also got off to a strong start as they opened the Brian Gregory era in a commanding fashion on the west coast. The Flyers dominated Pepperdine, 90-77, then won their first game of the Maui Invitational over Central Michigan, 82-63. Gregory’s new fast paced style features guard Ramod Marshall, who had 32 points in the two victories. Interior workhorse Keith Waleskowski carried the Flyers in the Maui victory with 17 points and 13 boards as Dayton pounded Central Michigan 40-25 on the boards.

LaSalle Swept

LaSalle has been unable to live up to expectations early in the season as they got swept in the Paradise Jam Tournament in the Virgin Islands. Losses to Wichita State, Hampton and Appalachian State have many people wondering if the Explorers young talent played above them selves last season. The Explorers may have suffered another blow when last season’s Rookie of the Year Gary Neal bruised his left knee and missed the final game of the tournament. Luckily for head coach Billy Hahn, Neal is not expected to miss much time.

Muskies Coping with Loss

Xavier doesn’t seem to miss David West so far this season as the Musketeers took the championship in the Dell BCA Classic. Guards Romain Sato and Lionel Chalmers led the way for Xavier as they combined for 31 points in their championship game victory over Oakland. Chalmers took home MVP honors after averaging 15 points and four assists a game.

Spiders Advance

The Richmond Spiders advanced to the championship game of the Guardians Classic after victories over Mississippi Valley State, New Hampshire and San Francisco. Mike Skrocki was named the Richmond regional MVP after scoring 18 points in both victories to propel the Spiders to the semifinals. In the semifinals, it was Skrocki who again led the way against San Francisco with a game-high 16 points. Kevin Steenberge added 11 points to help the Spiders advance to the championship game against South Carolina Tuesday night.

Conference Player of the Week:

Jameer Nelson: St. Joseph’s Sr. G

Nelson came up two rebounds shy of a triple double in the Hawks 73-66 victory over 12th ranked Gonzaga. Nelson finished with 20 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in St. Joe’s first win of the season.

Freshman/Newcomer of the Week:

Rashaun Freeman: Massachusetts So. F

Freeman averaged 14 points and 8.5 rebounds in the Minutemen’s two preseason NIT games. Freeman had 11 points and 14 boards in their 80-58 win over St. Francis (NY.) and then added 17 points in a losing effort at Texas Tech.

Dayton Flyers (2-0)

Dayton went west and took on Pepperdine in Malibu, Ca. Ramod Marshall and Sean Finn led the way for the Flyers with 21 and 19 points, respectively, in the 90-77 victory. Five Flyers hit double figures, including Warren Williams with a career-high 11 points. Monty Scott also scored 11 in his first game at Dayton. The Flyers then traveled to Hawaii to play in the EA Sports Maui Invitational. In the first round Dayton took down Central Michigan 82-63. All five starters hit double figures and the Flyers were led by Keith Waleskowski’s first double-double of the season, as he had game-highs of 17 points and 13 boards. Dayton continues play in the second round against San Diego St. Tuesday night.

Duquesne Dukes (0-0)

The Dukes fell to EA Sports 81-78 in their final exhibition game of the season. Kameron Sufi hit a three at the buzzer to propel EA Sports to the win. Jimmy Tricco led four Dukes in double figures with 19 points. Bryant McAllister added 17 and Elijah Palmer had 13 points and a team-high eight boards. The Dukes open their season Tuesday night when they take on Prairie View A&M at the Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh. Siena comes to town four days later to wrap up the Dukes’ Thanksgiving schedule.

Fordham Rams (0-1)

The Rams got off to a rough start as they lost 94-64 at Memphis in new head coach Derek Whittenberg’s first game. The Rams hit 10 three-pointers in the losing effort and were led by Mark Jarrell-Wright’s 19 points and Michael Haynes added 17. The Rams will try to rebound when they travel to Siena Tuesday night.

George Washington Colonials (1-0)

The Colonials upset future Atlantic 10 member Charlotte in a 80-76 victory at Charlotte. J.R. Pinnock scored with 31 seconds left and Carl Elliot made a couple of crucial steals to seal the victory for the Colonials. T.J. Thompson led the way with 19 points and Pops Mensah-Bonsu added 14. George Washington will try to keep their good play going when they take on Florida International Tuesday night in their home opener.

LaSalle Explorers (0-3)

The Explorers are not living up to preseason expectations as they dropped their first three games of the season in the Paradise Jam Tournament. Despite 22 points from Gary Neal, last season’s A-10 Rookie of the Year, LaSalle was upset at Wichita State 74-71. Things didn’t get much better at Hampton as the Explorers went down 68-64. Steven Smith led the way with 17 points and David Bell added 11 in the losing effort. The ugly tournament play continued when the Explorers lost the fifth place game, 59-48 to Appalachian State The Mountaineers used a 17-4 run to start the second half to grab the momentum and take control. Jermaine Thomas led LaSalle with 15 points. Neal did not play in the game because of a bruised left knee, but he is expected to be back for the Explorers next game at Lafayette Saturday afternoon.

Massachusetts Minutemen (1-2)

After taking down St. Francis, NY in the first round of the Preseason NIT, the Minutemen lost at Texas Tech in the quarterfinals. Anthony Anderson scored a game high 21 points in the 80-58 victory over St. Francis (NY) and Rashaun Freeman had a double-double in his first college game with 11 points and 14 boards. Things took a turn for the worst in the quarterfinals as UMass fell 90-50 to Texas Tech. Freeman had 17 points and Stephan Lasme had a game-high 13 rebounds. After wrapping up play in the Preseason NIT, the Minutemen went down 72-66 to Hartford as the Hawks led the entire game. Gabe Lee led UMass with 16 points. The Minutemen host Vermont before traveling to Boston College on Dec. 6.

Rhode Island Rams (1-1)

The Rams used 20 points from Dustin Hellenga to drop Northeastern 89-77 at home in the first round of the Las Vegas Invitational. Five players scored in double figures for the Rams as they dominated throughout. It didn’t go as well against Lubbock Christian, who knocked off the Rams, 74-68. Dawan Robinson scored 26 points for the Rams, but it wasn’t enough to over come Jared Fears’ 24 points and eight assists. The Rams will next head west to Las Vegas to take on Miami, Fla. before heading to New York to take on reigning national champion Syracuse.

Richmond Spiders (3-0)

Mike Skrocki and the Spiders are on a roll in the Guardians Classic, reaching the finals with a win over San Francisco. Richmond used 16 points from Skrocki and 11 from Kevin Steenberge to pull out the 66-59 victory. Skrocki led the way in the first round victory over Mississippi Valley St., 62-46, and Eric Zwayer added 10 points and nine boards. The Spiders’ four seniors combined four 45 of the team’s 63 points in their 63-49 win over New Hampshire. Skrocki led the way once more with 18 points. The Spiders will take on South Carolina in the championship game Tuesday night.

St. Joseph’s Hawks (1-0)

Jameer Nelson is leading the way for the Hawks as expected, as he led St. Joe’s over 12th ranked Gonzaga. Nelson had 20 points, 10 assists and eight boards in a performance that earned him A-10 Player of the Week honors for the sixth time in his career. Delonte West added 16 points and hit four three-pointers to help Nelson. The Hawks hit the road to take on Boston University and Old Dominion over the next week.

St. Bonaventure Bonnies (1-0)

The Bonnies got off to a good start in their effort to put last season’s disaster behind them with a 78-76 victory over Robert Morris. Marques Green played all 40 minutes and had five assists to go along with his game-high 28 points. Patrick Lottin added 14 points in the win. St. Bonaventure will try to keep the good play going when they host Arkansas-Little Rock Tuesday night.

Temple Owls (0-1)

The Owls didn’t put up much of a fight against cross-town rival Villanova in their 73-48 loss. In a game that started just after midnight, four of Nova’s seven active players scored in double figures and the Owls were never able to climb into the game. David Hawkins had 16 points to lead Temple. The Owls were playing without starting center Keith Butler, who sprained his ankle in their last exhibition game and is questionable for Temple’s next game at 13th ranked Illinois.

Xavier Musketeers (3-0)

Lionel Chalmers propelled the Musketeers to the championship at the Dell BCA Classic. Chalmers was named MVP after scoring 20 points in Xavier’s 76-66 victory over Oakland in the championship. In their first round victory over Coppin State, Romain Sato hit five three pointers to set the school’s career three-point record and lead the Musketeers to a 62-37 victory. Anthony Myles carried Xavier in their second round match up with Mercer, exploding for 14 of his team high 15 points in the second half to lead the Musketeers to a 72-58 victory. Xavier hits the road for a four game road trip that includes Ball State Tuesday night and Indiana Saturday.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Wednesday, November 26th

Jayhawks make early statement: In the first big game of the college basketball season, Kansas was able to hold off Michigan State in Lawrence. The Jayhawks jumped out to an early lead by hitting its first six shots. It was able to build that lead up to 15 points in the second half by taking advantage of Michigan State’s poor ball handling. But Izzo teams rarely go silently and the Spartans mounted a comeback behind freshman Shannon Brown and sophmore Paul Davis. Brown hit three straight hoops late in the half and Davis scored inside to cut the Jayhawk lead to four. That was the closest the Spartans would get, however, in an 81-74 loss. Wayne Simien scored a game-high 28 points in the win. This was the first in a brutal preseason stretch for Michigan State. The Spartans still meet UCLA, Kentucky, Syracuse, Duke and Oklahoma prior to the Big Ten schedule.

Sooners holds off pesky Tulsa: It was a game Tulsa fans have wanted for years – against rival Oklahoma. And at the beginning of the contest, it looked like the Golden Hurricane was going to take every advantage of its opportunity to play the Big 12 powerhouse, building an early 11-point lead. But the Sooners responded in front of the home crowd and it was their depth that finally won out. Oklahoma put four players in double figures, including Jaison Williams and Lawrence Mackenzie. Both Williams and McKenzie hit four three-pointers each en route to the 81-73 victory. Tulsa also used the three-point shot to its advantage, connecting on seven of twelve long-range shots. The two schools have met just three times in the last twenty years, but are scheduled to meet each of the next two seasons.

You can’t go home again: Dr. Tom Davis, who coached the Iowa Hawkeyes for 13 years, returned to Carver-Hawkeye arena last night, but as the head coach of Drake. Davis and his Bulldogs were not given a warm welcome, losing to the more-talented Hawkeyes, 74-56. The Hawkeyes were led by Pierre Pierce who scored 17 points and grabbed five rebounds. Jared Reiner and Greg Brunner added 13 points apiece. While the score was rather lopsided, Iowa did struggle a bit in this game against Davis’ scrappy squad. The Bulldogs forced 23 Iowa turnovers, including nine by leading point man Pierce. Iowa coach Steve Alford presented Davis with a ball in recognition of Davis’ 269 victories as coach of the Hawkeyes, the most in school history.

Harricks looking to clear name: In the current landscape of college basketball, the name Harrick is synanomous with scandal. But Jim Harrick and Jim Harrick Jr. believe the University of Georgia is at fault for that. The pair have requested a “name-clearing” hearing from the school that fired them in March. The duo’s attorney said that the pair were robbed of “the jewels of their souls” when the University ousted the coaches. Jim Harrick Jr. was fired because he was suspected of giving money and improper academic help to student-athletes. Jim Harrick Sr. later resigned amid an investigation into the same matters. Their attorney further contends that the stigma attached to the Harricks has prevented them from finding employment and that he feels that there could be a libel lawsuit. My question for the Harricks and their lawyer is are you going to sue UCLA and the University of Rhode Island after both schools reported wrongdoing upon Harrick Sr. leaving as coach? So while the stigma of “cheater” follows Harrick wherever he goes, it seems as though in this case, the stigma fits the man.

No charges levied against Illini trio: Three University of Illinois basketball players will escape criminal charges following a break-in on campus. Champaign County State’s Attorney John Piland said that the victims in the crime did not want to press charges. While Piland did not name the players invovled in the break-in, it is known that coach Bruce Weber suspended Luther Head, Aaron Spears and Richard McBride for four games each. The father of one of the victims has indicated that Head and Spears were involved, but it is unclear if McBride was an accomplice. This whole situation has tested Weber as the new head coach of the Illini. Certainly he is struggling between the fine line of properly punishing his players for a wrongdoing and winning enough basketball games to satisfy the Illini’s significant fan base.

Hokie to redshirt: Virginia Tech’s third-leading scorer from last season, guard Carlos Dixon, will redshirt this season. The senior suffered a broken bone in his foot last February, which has not healed properly. He averaged 13.8 points per game last season.

Tonight’s Menu

• In tonight’s action, the Preseason NIT resumes with two semifinal matchups in New York. The first game pits Utah against Texas Tech. It’ll be a classic battle of styles as the high-powered Red Raiders will try and blow past the defensive-minded Utes. In the second game, top-ranked UConn takes on Georgia Tech.

• In other games, defending champion Syracuse opens the season at home against Charlotte while Illinois and Pittsburgh are also in action.

Tuesday Morning Point Guard 2

Tuesday Morning Point Guard – November 25th

by Dean Austin

Good Morning and welcome to another installment of the Tuesday Morning Point Guard although due to circumstances a little beyond our control this will be more like Tuesday Afternoon Point Guard. Go with the flow; there are more important things to get worked up about.

Ten College Basketball Thoughts

1. Must have been a strange sensation for Nevada Coach Trent Johnson as his Wolf Pack lost to Connecticut 93-79. He probably was relieved. Having struggled mightily against Yale before finally winning 70-60 in the opener you knew the Huskies were just itching to destroy a team. Given the circumstances a 14 point defeat was not a bad result. The pounding came a couple of nights later as Sacred Heart lost 111-64 in a game that wasn’t that close.

1a. Connecticut’s Big East brethren must have groaned as they watched the Yale game struggle. As if Coach Jim Calhoun needed any more help in reinforcing you have to play every night. The Huskies probably won a couple more games this season given the closeness of the Yale game.

2. Similar thoughts were, I’m in no doubt, also going through the ACC as Duke struggled early and often with Detroit. Down 10-0 and 22-9, the Blue Devils rallied for ultimately a comfortable victory.

3. The perils of writing a column. When I wrote that I expected Cal to be a surprise this season I didn’t exactly have in mind that the surprise would be them losing their home opener to Cal Poly! That being said, Cal will probably be well off the radar and could really catch some teams by surprise.

4. After a truly horrible off season it was good to see Baylor back on the court and the Coach Drew era get off to a winning start.

5. It may only be three games into the season but it looks like Utah’s Oz import Andrew Bogut might live up to the hype. 18 boards against Minnesota is mightily impressive.

6. I’m certainly not the first, and won’t be the last, to point out the insane non conference ride that Tom Izzo has scheduled for his Michigan State Spartans. At Kansas, Syracuse and UCLA and at home against Duke, Kentucky and Oklahoma. As noted previously my head says Michigan State wins it all but also my heart. I want to see this kind of scheduling rewarded.

7. Speaking of schedules, leaving out the three teams Syracuse, Florida and Missouri who have yet to play, and the first game of the season for the TMPG Top 25 against Designated Patsy U saw an average victory of 13.88 points 72.68-58.8. This includes the two teams, Cal and Gonzaga who lost.

7a. This doesn’t include such games as the Texas mauling of Sam Houston State 122-71 which missed out due to the technicality of it being the second Patsy U that Texas had scheduled at the start of the season. What’s the benefit of scheduling this game for anyone involved?

8. Really fascinating double header on ESPN tonight. Obviously the marquee match up is Kansas and Michigan State, I’ll be shocked if Kansas loses, but Dayton vs. San Diego State is the one I want to watch. San Diego State got a nice recruit in Power Forward Marcus Slaughter and it will be interesting to see how he matches up with Dayton’s senior Keith Waleskowski. The Aztecs ambushed Ohio State in their last game. I expect Waleskowski and the Flyers to carry the day but…

9. College Basketball needs an Opening Day. Yes I know there is the Pre Season NIT and the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic and more but what the sport needs is one day when everyone plays. One day on which you can point to the calendar and say, this is when the College Basketball season starts for everyone. As it stands defending National Champion Syracuse hasn’t played yet and Marquette is 4-0. This needs to change.

10. So back to the nicknames. There are a lot of cool names out there. The Vandals at Idaho, Scarlet Knights at Rutgers, Horned Frogs at TCU, Purple Aces at Evansville and a personal favorite of mine, the Thundering Herd at Marshall. There are nicknames that make sense, The Minutemen at Massachusetts, the Quakers at Penn, the well named Hatters of Stetson and even the UConn Huskies. But in the name of Dick Vitale can someone explain to me the University of Missouri at Kansas City and their nickname; the Kangaroos. Bison I understand, Eagles, Bobcats, Cougars, Bears, even Seahawks, Great Danes and Terriers. But Kangaroos? With no self irony UMKC announces on their homepage that “UMKC is a great university in one of America’s “smartest” cities.” Did some wandering Aussie end up in our heartland and say, “hey this looks just like the Tanami Desert, I’m going to start a University”? Chancellor Martha W. Gilliland, enquiring minds want to know…

Five Non-College Basketball Sports thoughts

1. Interesting to see the comments about the Green Bay vs. San Francisco game this week. Generally it came across that Green Bay played well to beat a 49er team on the edge of the playoff race. Not so fast. If Green Bay gets to the playoffs I look for an early exit. Twice Brett Favre turned the ball over deep in his own territory and the Niners converted to the tune of exactly 0 points. A good team, which the Niners are not, would have blown out the Packers at that point.

2. Sad and shocked to see Alonzo Mourning announce his retirement. Obviously we wish him well as he fights his medical issues. Doesn’t seem all that long ago when Georgetown was turning out a number of top flight centers. I know a lot of people weren’t that thrilled with John Thompson’s swagger but I miss Georgetown being a major power. The mighty have indeed fallen.

3. The Presidents Cup was declared a draw due to fading light with Tiger Woods and Ernie Els tied in a playoff after a three extra holes. Did you know it was going on and did anybody give the proverbial rodent’s rump about this? Didn’t think so…

4. You know I’ve never subscribed much to this whole East Coast “Bias” crap that gets floated out on a regular basis. But I may have to re evaluate my position. I can’t believe how many folks are falling over themselves to get on the LSU bandwagon at the expense of USC. The argument seems to go something like this. LSU plays in a tough league and went into Ole Miss and beat Eli Manning so they should play Oklahoma for the National Championship. I’m usually a fan of LSU football, but this time the East Coast media is incorrect. If anyone has a chance of beating Oklahoma, it’s the defense of USC.

5. In a season of weird results and stats in the NFL I think the most shocking is Seattle hanging 41 on Baltimore even if the Ravens won. This from a defense that hasn’t allowed 40+ in 5 years, Jacksonville were the last back in 1998.

And a few Non-Sporting Thoughts

1. Had the chance to watch Spy Game again. An underappreciated movie from Director Tony Scott, I suspect because it starred Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. The Redford of his generation, Pitt remains more famous for his looks rather than his acting skills. And that’s a darn shame because Pitt and Redford are quite brilliant in this superbly paced film.

2. Speaking of soundtracks, which really are this generation’s classical music, take the opportunity to push around Dances with Wolves. Kevin Costner, alas, seems to have become a bit of a punch line but the John Barry score if anything gets better with age. Barry was the composer of the early Bond flicks and you can hear that reflected in a number of the tracks.

3. Unfortunate juxtaposition of the week. CNN online running the headline “Jury recommends death for Sniper Mastermind” on the front page next to an ad for a digital camera with the tag line, “just point and shoot.”

The Top 25

What is the TMPG Top 25? College Basketball rewards the last team standing, not necessarily the best team of the year. Therefore Syracuse as the defending National Champions are ranked #1 in the nation and will continue to do so until they lose. Whoever defeats them becomes the new #1. How far Syracuse will fall in the rankings depends on which team beats them and their ranking.

Not many changes in the total Top 25 this week. Some teams have not played yet and most of the others scheduled the Little Sisters of the Poor for their opening game. Cal Poly and St. Joseph’s join the Top 25, Cal and Gonzaga move down and Utah and Wake Forest exit the Top 25.

November 24th, 2003
1. Syracuse
2. Kansas
3. Texas
4. Marquette
5. Oklahoma
6. Arizona
7. Michigan State
8. Kentucky
9. Auburn
10. Duke
11. Connecticut
12. Pittsburgh
13. Butler
14. Notre Dame
15. Maryland
16. Wisconsin
17. Oklahoma State
18. Arizona State
19. Purdue
20. Missouri
21. Cal Poly
22. St. Josephs
23. Florida
24. California
25. Gonzaga

That’s it for this Tuesday. Catch you next time.