Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Sunday, February 29th

Stanford Makes It Look Easy: No. 1 Stanford had no trouble this time around, blowing out Oregon 76-55 on Senior Day in Palo Alto. It was also the last game played at Maples Pavilion before upcoming renovations that begin on Monday and should be completed in time for the conference season next year. Stanford (25-0, 16-0 Pac-10) beat the Ducks at home for the 18th straight time behind 29 points and 12 rebounds from Josh Childress. Oregon (12-11, 7-9) got 18 points from Luke Jackson and 17 from Aaron Brooks.

Hawks Pull One Out: No. 2 St. Joseph’s got a major test on Saturday at Rhode Island, as it was Senior Day for two Rams and the sold-out Ryan Center was as loud as can be. The game featured 11 ties and 9 lead changes, but the last lead change was in favor of the Hawks as Delonte West’s three-pointer with 57.9 seconds left stood up in their 57-55 win. The Rams (17-12, 6-9 Atlantic 10) held the Hawks below 36% from the floor and had a 44-29 edge on the glass, but the Hawks (26-0, 15-0) made the plays they needed to down the stretch. Jameer Nelson led the way with 21 points, while West had 19 and 5 assists. Along the way, West had a streak of 37 consecutive free throws snapped when he missed the second of two with 3:41 left in the first half. Dustin Hellenga led Rhode Island with 15 points, while Jamaal Wise posted his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Okafor, Huskies Pull One Out: When the going got tough for No. 8 Connecticut, Emeka Okafor got going in the clutch — at the defensive end. Okafor blocked a shot at the end of regulation and again at the end of overtime — his only two blocks of the game — to enable the Huskies to pull out a 75-74 win at Villanova. The Wildcats held a 40-27 edge on the glass, but couldn’t make the plays to win at the end. Ben Gordon led the Huskies (23-5, 11-3 Big East) with 21 points and 5 assists, while Okafor had 17 points and 6 rebounds. Curtis Sumpter paced Villanova (14-13, 6-8) with a game-high 22 points and Allan Ray added 20.

Louisville Snaps Streaks: No. 20 Louisville took care of two streaks when No. 22 Memphis came to town on Saturday, as they turned 21 Memphis turnovers into 20 points en route to a 66-60 win over the Tigers. With the win, the Cardinals (18-7, 8-6 C-USA) snapped a four-game losing streak and ended the 11-game winning streak Memphis (20-5, 11-3) had. Francisco Garcia led the Cardinals with 18 points, while Sean Banks had a game-high 26 points and Antonio Burks had 22 in the losing effort.

Gonzaga Caps Perfect Run: No. 5 Gonzaga won its 18th game in a row on Saturday, getting 14 points and 8 assists from Blake Stepp in an 80-64 win over visiting Santa Clara. With the win, the Bulldogs (25-2, 14-0 West Coast) capped their first perfect run through the West Coast Conference. They ran out to an early 22-5 lead and were never seriously challenged after that.

Cowboys Hang On To Game, Tie For Top Spot: No. 6 Oklahoma State seemed to have the game locked up, leading Baylor 65-53 with just over four minutes left. Then a funny thing happened: the Bears decided to hang around and rally with a 12-2 run before the Cowboys put it away. Ivan McFarlin (season-high 24 points) made a late layup to seal the game, then Tony Allen (20 of his 22 points in the second half) hit a 60-footer for the final margin of victory for the Cowboys (22-3, 12-2).

Longhorns Win In-State Battle: No. 10 Texas made four free throws in the final 28 seconds to seal a 74-71 win over No. 25 Texas Tech in Austin. The Longhorns (21-4, 12-2 Big 12) got 17 points from Brandon Mouton in his last home game and 15 points and 10 rebounds from freshman P.J. Tucker. The Red Raiders (19-9, 7-7) got a game-high 21 points from Andre Emmett, 11 coming in the final five minutes as they tried to rally.

Bulldogs Keep Winning On The Road: No. 7 Mississippi State has done something seemingly unthinkable in a day where homecourt advantage means so much: they enter their final road game of the season undefeated in conference road games. Their latest exploits were a 72-69 win at Vanderbilt on Saturday, which clinched a second consecutive SEC West title. The Bulldogs (23-2, 12-2 SEC) improved to 7-0 on the road in SEC play, getting 18 points and 14 rebounds from Lawrence Roberts. Vanderbilt (18-7, 7-7) got a game-high 26 points from Matt Freije.

ACC Teams Win On The Road, Really: Winning on the road has been tough in the ACC this year, making the road wins by No. 11 Wake Forest (91-83 over Maryland) and No. 19 Georgia Tech (79-60 over Clemson) a bit of a surprise. For Maryland, their loss to Wake Forest is potentially a fatal blow to their hopes of an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Demon Deacons (19-6, 9-5 ACC) got a career-high 23 points from Vytas Danelius and 22 from Justin Gray to hold off the Terrapins (14-11, 5-9), who gave them a good contest and got 26 points from John Gilchrist.

Georgia Tech got 17 points from B.J. Elder, 16 coming in the second half, in the win at Clemson. Marvin Lewis led the Yellow Jackets (20-8, 7-7) with 18 points, and they held the Tigers (10-16, 3-12) to 36.4% shooting. The Tigers got 20 points and 16 rebounds from Sharrod Ford in defeat.

Back Just In Time: No. 13 Arizona reinstated leading scorer Salim Stoudamire from his suspension just in time, apparently. The junior guard had 16 of his 21 points in the second half to lead the Wildcats past visiting Washington State, 72-60, their 38th consecutive win over the Cougars. Not only did Stoudamire, who was suspended for Thursday’s game, lead the way in scoring, but he also held Cougar star guard Marcus Moore to five points on 2-11 shooting. The Wildcats (18-8, 10-7 Pac-10) also got 12 points and 16 rebounds from Andre Iguodala. Thomas Kelati led Washington State (12-14, 6-9) with a career-high 27 points.

Cincinnati Gets One Back: Charlotte scored a big road win at Cincinnati last month, and on Saturday the 15th-ranked Bearcats paid a return visit. The Bearcats got 32 points from their starting inside combination of Jason Maxiell and Kareem Johnson in a 75-67 win, moving back into a first-place tie with Memphis in Conference USA. Charlotte (18-7, 10-4 C-USA) led by as many as 8 in the first half, but the Bearcats (20-5, 11-3) chipped away in the second half and gradually tied it, then took the lead for good.

Salukis Almost Let One Get Away: No. 18 Southern Illinois blew a 22-point lead against Bradley, needing a layup by Sylvester Wills with 0.5 seconds left to beat the Braves 72-71. The win gives the Salukis (24-2, 17-0 Missouri Valley) a chance to become the third team in Missouri Valley history to go undefeated in conference play. The Braves (14-15, 6-11) shot 58% in the second half to chip away at the Salukis’ 22-point halftime lead.

Illinois Stays Hot: No. 23 Illinois broke open a close game in the second half behind inside scoring in their 66-56 win over visiting Northwestern on Saturday. With the win, the Illini (20-5, 11-3 Big Ten) capped an 8-0 month of February and look to be in full stride after a slow start in conference play. Dee Brown led the Illini with 20 points, and they shot over 54% from the field.

Utah State Pulls It Out: No. 24 Utah State had a back-and-forth game at UC-Irvine, but managed to pull it out at the end, 59-56. The Aggies (24-2, 16-1 Big West) maintain their half-game lead in the conference with the win as they got 17 points from Mark Brown and 14 from Spencer Nelson.

Austin Peay Sweeps: Austin Peay completed a perfect run through the Ohio Valley Conference with an 81-64 win over visiting Eastern Kentucky. The Governors (19-8, 16-0 OVC) completed the first 16-0 season ever in the conference and the first perfect season since Western Kentucky went 14-0 in 1995-96.

More Key Games: As always, there were more notable games on Saturday aside from those with ranked teams.

• Seton Hall (19-7, 9-5 Big East) held Georgetown to 3 field goals and 14 points in the first half, getting 25 points from Andre Barrett in his final home game in a 75-48 rout of the Hoyas.
• Michigan State (17-9, 12-3 Big Ten) won its fifth straight and eighth in nine games, blasting host Penn State 67-42 behind 16 points from Paul Davis.
• Colorado (17-8, 9-5 Big 12) got 21 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocked shots from David Harrison in a 76-70 win at Texas A&M.
• Staying in the Big 12, Missouri (16-10, 9-5) won its sixth straight, rallying from a 10-point deficit for a 79-69 at Kansas State behind 20 points from Jason Conley.
• DePaul (17-8, 10-4 C-USA) shot over 53% from the field and got 24 points from Andre Brown in an 80-51 blowout of Southern Mississippi (12-13, 5-9).
• UAB (17-8, 10-4 C-USA) came back from an early 14-2 deficit to deal Marquette (15-10, 6-8) a likely fatal blow for any at-large hopes with an 87-69 home win.
• Duquesne was again the big spoiler for Xavier (17-10, 8-6 Atlantic 10) as they swept the season series after a 74-68 win in Cincinnati.
• Notre Dame (14-11) was hot shooting the ball in the first half and got 21 points from Chris Thomas and 20 each from Tom Timmermans and Chris Quinn in a 75-60 win over UCLA at Pauley Pavilion.
• Florida (17-8, 8-6 SEC) overcame 20 turnovers to win its third game in a row, 73-68 at Arkansas.
• South Carolina (21-7, 8-6 SEC) broke open a close game with a 14-1 run in the second half en route to a 63-47 win over visiting Georgia (14-11, 6-8).
• Alabama (15-10, 7-7 SEC) got 25 points from Ernest Shelton and 22 from Kennedy Winston in winning its third straight game, 84-69 over visiting Mississippi.
• Dayton (21-6, 11-3 Atlantic 10) shot 48% from the field and dominated the glass in a 72-58 win over visiting LaSalle.
• Air Force (20-5, 10-2 Mountain West) clinched at least a tie for the regular season title with a 72-70 win over visitin UNLV.
• College of Charleston (19-8, 11-5 Southern) put an end to the 16-game winning streak of visiting East Tennessee State (24-5, 15-1) by holding on for a 91-89 win.
• Western Michigan (21-4, 13-3 MAC) was dealt a likely fatal blow to its at-large hopes with a 93-84 loss at Toledo.
• Princeton (17-7, 10-1 Ivy) moved its magic number for clinching the Ivy League to two with a 59-46 win over visiting Cornell, getting five players in double figures.

Lloreda Might Be Done, For Now: LSU senior forward Jamie Lloreda will not play against Kentucky on Sunday, coach John Brady told ESPN Radio on Saturday. His nagging heel injury is still bothering him, and he might miss the remainder of the regular season since Brady won’t push him to return too soon.

Contract Talks At Providence: ESPN.com reported that Providence has approached head coach Tim Welsh about extending his contract, which has four years remaining. Welsh has said that he is not interested in the St. John’s job, and has repeatedly said he is very happy at Providence. Welsh just won his 100th game as head coach of the Friars in his sixth season and has a record of 100-78.

Tonight’s Menu

• In the Big East, No. 3 Pittsburgh hosts Syracuse in a big game for both teams (albeit for different reasons), while No. 14 Providence takes on St. John’s in New York.

• Two important ACC games are on tap, with No. 4 Duke taking on Florida State in Tallahassee and No. 12 North Carolina State hosting No. 16 North Carolina.

• SEC action has No. 9 Kentucky traveling to take on LSU.

• No. 17 Wisconsin hosts Purdue in a pivotal Big Ten game, as the Boilermakers badly need a win to try to get off the bubble and the Badgers need to get back on track. Also, Ohio State travels to Ann Arbor for a date with Michigan.

• No. 21 Kansas hosts Oklahoma in a Big 12 battle.

• The regular season title is on the line in the last day of the regular season for mid-majors such as America East and the Patriot League.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Sunday, February 28th

Princeton Stays Hot: Ivy League leader Princeton won its fifth straight game Friday night, rolling to a 75-52 win over visiting Columbia. The Tigers (16-7, 9-1 Ivy) got 24 points from Judson Wallace, including 17 in the second half, and broke open a close game in the second half with a run of 13 unanswered points. They lead Brown by a game and a half with four games left.

Bears Stay Right There: Brown got 25 points from Patrick Powers in a 77-54 win over visiting Dartmouth that was never close. The Bears (12-12, 8-3 Ivy) scored the game’s first 14 points, and Powers had good help from point guard Jason Forte, who posted a triple-double with 11 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

Quakers Keep Winning, Cornell On Edge: Pennsylvania got 24 points from Jeff Schiffner and 17 from freshman Ibrahim Jabber to beat Cornell in a game of runs, 84-69. The Quakers (14-9, 7-3 Ivy) remain two games out of first place in the loss column with the win, and they all but eliminated Cornell (11-13, 6-5), which is now three games behind in the Ivy League with three games left.

Top Patriot League Teams Lose, Make It Interesting: The top two Patriot League teams both lost on Friday night, which makes the race for the top wide open heading into each team’s last game. League leader Lehigh (17-9, 10-3 Patriot) lost at Colgate (13-13, 5-8), 54-48, in a game where neither team shot well but the teams combined for 16 turnovers. Also, Bucknell (13-13, 9-4) lost at Holy Cross (12-14, 6-7), 72-61, as the Crusaders took the lead for good early when they ran off 15 unanswered points.

Monmouth Clinches Northeast: Monmouth got 24 points and 13 rebounds from Blake Hamilton to lead four players in double figures as they clinched the regular season title in the Northeast Conference with an 87-82 win over St. Francis (NY). The Hawks (18-10, 12-5) have a one-game lead over the Terriers, but they swept the season series between the two teams.

Trojans Win Easily: Troy State clinched at least a share of its third straight regular season Atlantic Sun title with a 113-73 blowout at Jacksonville. The Trojans (20-5, 17-2 Atlantic Sun), who got 22 points from Herbert Evans, will be the top seed in the conference tournament since they own the tiebreaker for seeding with Central Florida, who could still tie them for first place.

Other Scores: Rice (20-7, 11-4 WAC) edged host San Jose State (6-19, 1-14) 61-55, holding off a late run. Hawaii () easily handled visiting Tulsa (). Iona (9-17, 7-10 MAAC) shot over 53% from the field, led by Ricky Soliver’s 27 points on 10-13 shooting (including 5-5 on three-pointers), to beat St. Peter’s (15-11, 11-6). Yale (10-14, 5-6 Ivy) beat Harvard (4-20, 3-8) 80-62, forcing 23 turnovers and scoring 29 points off them.

Stoudamire Reinstated: Arizona reinstated junior guard Salim Stoudamire on Friday, according to ESPN.com. The Wildcats’ leading scorer was suspended on Thursday by head coach Lute Olson, but he practiced on Friday and will start on Saturday for the 13th-ranked Wildcats against Washington State.

SMU Coach Gone: One day after losing by 39 points to Boise State at home, SMU fired head coach Mike Dement on Friday. Dement never made the NCAA Tournament in nine seasons at the school, posting a 138-120 record, and he had one year left on his contract. The Mustangs have lost 12 of their last 16 games, and seven-year assistant Robert Lineberg will coach the team on an interim basis.

Sampson Reprimanded For Criticizing Officials: Both the Big 12 Conference and Oklahoma University reprimanded Sooner head coach Kelvin Sampson on Friday for criticizing officials after a loss at Colorado. The conference said that he violated their sportsmanship rule for his criticism of a foul called with 2.3 seconds left in Wednesday’s game at Colorado. A school spokesman had no comment about the reprimand on Friday.

Twins Suspended: The Pac-10 suspended USC junior guards Errick and Derrick Craven for one game on Friday for separate actions in the Trojans’ 70-60 win over California last Saturday. The suspensions were originally handed down on Tuesday, but the school appealed and they were allowed to play in Tuesday night’s 78-77 overtime win over UCLA. They will serve their suspensions separately: Errick will sit out their next game at Oregon next Thursday night, and Derrick will sit out the following game, at Oregon State, two days later.

Former Georgia Coach Sues: The Associated Press reported on Friday that former Georgia basketball coaches Jim Harrick and son Jim Harrick, Jr. have sued school and NCAA officials for defamation. The coaches filed the lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, naming a number of defendants that includes Georgia President Michael Adams, Athletic Director Vince Dooley and the University System Board of Regents. They are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorney’s fees and other litigation costs. Last March, the younger Harrick was fired amidst investigations accusing the coaches of helping to give players academic assistance and improper benefits, and the elder Harrick resigned later in the month.

Dotson’s Trial Date Set: Texas State District Judge George Allen set an August 9 trial date for Carlton Dotson, the former Baylor basketball player charged with the murder of former teammate Patrick Dennehy. The trial had been set for March, but defense attorney Russ Hunt said he needed more time to review evidence in the case. Dotson has been jailed in Waco since October, three months after being arrested in his home state of Maryland. If convicted, he faces five years to life in prison.

NCAA Consisdering Standardizing Visits: The head of an NCAA panel on athletic recruiting said Friday that steps may be taken to standardize on-campus visits, the Associated Press reported on Friday. David Berst, NCAA Vice President of Division I, said the goal will be for athletes to have common experiences to use for making decisions between schools. The report also said that some of the major athletic conferences will discuss recruiting during conference meetings where all teams are present.

Bucknell Coach Will Be Okay: Bucknell head coach Pat Flannery did not travel with the team this weekend, but is resting at home and should be back with the team for next weekend’s Patriot League Tournament. Athletic Communication Director Jon Terry said that Flannery had a procedure done on Thursday and was released from the hospital later that day, all precautionary. Assistant coach Nathan Davis is assuming leadership of the team this weekend.

Tonight’s Menu

• Another full Saturday of college basketball action starts with No. 1 Stanford hosting Oregon. In the other big Pac Ten game of the day, No. 13 Arizona hosts Washington State.

• No. 2 St. Joseph’s visits Rhode Island in their last big test before the Atlantic Ten Tournament. The Hawks lost there last year on a last-second steal and basket.

• No. 5 Gonzaga hosts Santa Clara.

• In the ACC, No. 11 Wake Forest takes on Maryland in College Park, with the Terrapins needing a win. Also, No. 19 Georgia Tech visits Clemson, a tough place for visiting teams this year despite the Tigers’ struggles.

• In the Big East, No. 8 Connecticut travels to Villanova, Georgetown takes on Seton Hall in East Rutherford, and Notre Dame visits UCLA in a non-conference game.

• In Big 12 play, No. 6 Oklahoma State visits Baylor, and a big in-state matchup takes place in Austin as No. 25 Texas Tech takes on No. 10 Texas.

• No. 20 Louisville hosts No. 22 Memphis in a big Conference USA matchup of teams heading in opposite directions, while No. 15 Cincinnati travels to Charlotte in another important game. Two bubble teams match up in Birmingham as UAB hosts Marquette, and DePaul tries to keep its NCAA at-large hopes alive as the Blue Demons host Southern Mississippi.

• In the SEC, No. 7 Mississippi State visits Vanderbilt, while Florida travels to play Arkansas, Alabama hosts Mississippi, and South Carolina hosts Georgia.

• No. 18 Southern Illinois hosts Bradley.

• No. 23 Illinois looks to stay hot as they host Northwestern. In the other Big Ten game of NCAA significance, Michigan State visits Penn State.

• No. 24 Utah State travels to Irvine to take on UC-Irvine.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Friday, February 27th

Baylor faces stiff penalties: Baylor University admitted to more major violations in its disgruntled men’s basketball program Thursday and called for additional self-imposed penalties. University president Robert Sloan discussed the results of a review committee that investigated the conduct of former basketball coach Dave Bliss, who resigned in August. The investigation began after Carlton Dotson was charged with the murder of former Baylor teammate Patrick Dennehy, whose badly decomposed body was found not far from campus on June 27. The committee found that Bliss paid the tuition of two former players, including Dennehy, and that his program did not report failed drug tests of players. “The university has determined that the former coach engaged in unethical conduct by making the payments and engaging in an effort to conceal his activity and providing false information to the university’s investigators,” Sloan said. Other violations included the soliciting of charitable contributions to an amateur basketball league that featured potential recruits. The university also found that Bliss arranged for meals, transportation and clothing for several recruits. “The university is embarrassed that its various administrative systems allowed these violations to go uncovered,” Sloan said. “There were red flags that should have been noticed.” As a self-imposed punishment, Baylor will reduce the number of scholarships from 13 to nine in 2004-05 and from 13 to 12 the following academic year. The school also will limit the coaching staff’s contact with recruits and formulate new recruiting guidelines. Baylor also has instituted new drug testing protocol and will ask the Big 12 Conference to conduct independent compliance audits. Sloan announced in August that he was placing the team on two years probation and keeping it out of postseason play this season. Bliss was replaced by Scott Drew, who has guided the Bears to an 8-18 record this season.

Stoudamire suspended: Arizona guard Salim Stoudamire, the team’s leading scorer, has been suspended indefinitely, coach Lute Olson announced Thursday. Stoudamire is averaging 16.8 points while shooting nearly 47 percent from the floor. The 6-1 junior has connected on 44 percent of his 3-pointers. Arizona has been inconsistent all season and Olson was frustrated with Saturday’s 90-84 loss at Oregon State in which Stoudamire scored 14 points and had three assists. Olson alluded to some of the problems in Monday’s news conference. “I thought we had some very selfish play and that is something that we haven’t seen very often,” he said. “It’s all about the team. If the team does well, everyone gets the recognition.” Sophomore Chris Rodgers is expected to take Stoudamire’s place in the starting lineup.

Oregon State loses center for season: Oregon State center Derek Potter will miss the rest of the season because of a stress fracture in his left foot, coach Jay John said Thursday. The 6-11 junior from Vancouver, B.C., hurt the foot prior to Oregon State’s Feb. 7 game at Oregon. Potter played in 16 games this season with five starts, including three straight prior to his injury. He was averaging 1.3 points and 1.9 rebounds. Oregon State is in the midst of its final regular season road swing of the season, with games at Stanford and California. Freshman Kyle Jeffers (5.2 ppg) will likely start at center.

Stanford’s Davis has MRI: Stanford forward Justin Davis had an MRI on his injured left knee Thursday and is expected to miss two more weeks for the top-ranked Cardinals. “It’s healing. Two more weeks,” Davis, a senior averaging 11.5 points and 6.9 rebounds, said before Stanford’s game against Oregon State at Maples Pavilion on Thursday night. The 6-foot-9, 230-pound Davis should be ready in time for the Pac-10 tournament beginning March 11 in Los Angeles. He bruised a bone and partially tore the medial collateral ligament in his knee against the Beavers in Corvallis, Ore., on Jan. 29. Doctors said he would miss at least three weeks. Davis isn’t having any pain in the knee, though he hasn’t yet gone full speed in practice. Davis has been swimming and biking to rehab and is able to shoot. He said he’s unsure whether he’s ready to return — though he sure hopes so. Stanford plays Oregon on Saturday in its final home game, and Davis’ grandmother will attend the game. Ruth Brumfield is in her 80s and has never seen Davis play for Stanford. She lives in Vallejo, more than an hour northeast of the campus.

Cardinals move to 24-0: Josh Childress scored 12 points to help lead top ranked Stanford to their 24th straight victory, 73-47 over Oregon State on Thursday night. Childress, a junior All-America candidate, also had five assists, two rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot for the Cardinal, who remained one of two unbeaten teams in Division I. Point guard Chris Hernandez isn’t surprised the Cardinal are getting the breaks such as that shot by Childress — he says that’s what happens when you play good defense. “We had one of those and we also had a bank shot,” he said. “That’s all sparked from our defense. I think the general consensus was the last time we played this team we came out pretty flat. We wanted to make a statement.” Hernandez scored 11 of his 13 points in the first 11 minutes and went 3-for-4 from 3-point range as the Cardinal (24-0, 15-0 Pac-10) built a big lead early. Third-string swingman Fred Washington scored a career-high 11 points and Stanford shot 52.8 percent.

Duke wins 41st straight home game: Daniel Ewing scored 20 points while Luol Deng added 18 to lift the Duke Blue Devils past Valparaiso 97-63 on Thursday night for their 41st consecutive home win. Shavlik Randolph had 16 points for the Blue Devils (23-3), who hit a season-high 15 3-pointers and jumped to a 26-point first-half lead. J.J. Redick added 15 points for Duke. Joaquim Gomes had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Crusaders (13-12). The Blue Devils have the nation’s longest active home winning streak. Pittsburgh has won 40 straight at home and hosts Syracuse on Sunday.

Tonight’s menu

• The customary Patriot and Ivy League games will happen tonight. In addition, Tulsa will visit Hawaii in a WAC match-up.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Thursday, February 26th

St. Joseph’s steamrolls past Minutemen: St. Joseph’s continued their quest for the undefeated season as they knocked off the Minutemen of UMass yesterday with relative ease, 83-58. Jameer Nelson scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half, while Delonte West picked up 15 of his 23 in the second half. St. Joseph’s has already clinched the Atlantic 10 regular season title, something they would like to extend into a conference tournament title. The Minutemen never got closer then 10 once the second half began, scary.

Baylor University cleared: District judge Ralph Strother dismissed the final count of a wrongful death suit filed against Baylor University by the father of slain basketball player Patrick Dennehy Jr. Earlier in the month, six other claims had been dismissed by a judge, including those for gross negligence by the University as well as other claims of wrongful death. Dennehy’s father was seeking an undisclosed amount from the University.

In other Big 12 action: Oklahoma lost a big game, while Iowa State won their big game in the Big 12’s race for the bubblicious tournament spots. Oklahoma fell victim to Colorado’s Antoine McGee, who scored all 10 of his points in overtime. The loss is the Sooner’s 3rd straight, and it drops them into a tie for seventh with Iowa State, who took care of business against Kansas State, 75-69. These two bubble teams have their jobs cut out for them, especially Oklahoma, who travels to Kansas on Sunday. In other Big 12 action, Baylor got their first road win of the season as they continued their dominance over Texas A&M. Who says Texas basketball rules?

Mississippi State wins SEC West regular season title: Mississippi State must have been used to winning the SEC West regular season title, after all, it was only last year that they cut down the nets. The Bulldogs shot 56 percent from the field, while LSU could only amass 35 percent in the 84-58 victory over the LSU Tigers. The Bulldogs had four players in double figure scoring, and finished the game 7 of 16 from behind the arc. They outrebounded the Tigers by 11, had 10 more assists and made 2 more free-throws. Lawrence Roberts was the leading scorer with 14 points and 7 rebounds. The Bulldogs will travel to SEC West rival Vanderbilt on Saturday.

The Wolfpack feasts on Yellow Jackets: North Carolina State will be fighting with Duke atop the ACC standings until the season ends, and they got a big win over a Yellow Jacket team that needed a victory to stay above five hundred in conference play. After losing to Clemson a week earlier, North Carolina State used the Yellow Jacket’s bad shooting from the line as well as a rebounding edge to hold off any late push by Georgia Tech. It was another big road win for the Wolfpack, who if overlooked for a number one seed in the tournament, will have to win big games in foreign territory, as Duke holds the slight edge over them in regards to seeding at this point in the season.

7 game winning streak for the Illini: Illinois needed a victory to stay in sole possession of second place in Big Ten competition, and they got it with strong defense. Illinois had an 11 rebound edge over Iowa, taking control of the defensive glass from the beginning. Iowa did their own damage to themselves by shooting 39 percent from the floor, 31 percent from behind the arc. Dee Brown assumed control of the offense from the outset, as he scored 11 in the first half. He finished the game with a double-double, with 18 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds.

Falling Seminoles do make noise, Wake Forest pushes them: Wake Forest rallied from 17 down to beat ACC challenger Florida State 90-87 in overtime and remains in third place in the ACC standings. The top three teams in the conference (Duke, North Carolina State and Wake Forest) are now beginning to move away from the pack, and the Demon Deacons can thank Justin Gray and his 31 points for helping them narrow the large deficit. The Seminoles had a 22 game road losing streak in ACC play that dated back to March of 2001, and now can tack one more up on that board. The Seminoles have lost four of six and have quickly become a bubble team.

Louisville doesn’t play to win, loses: Louisville has lost four in a row, the first time that this has happened since Rick Pitino arrived to coach the Cardinals. On the other hand, DePaul has won 9 of its last 11, none bigger then contributing to the late-season mishaps of the Cardinals, except maybe their game against Memphis in early January. Who would have thought that Memphis would be atop Conference USA this late in February, but there they are. DePaul is one of two teams to have beaten them in conference play, and one of only four the entire season, which bodes well for DePaul making the tournament. Depaul was led by Quemont Greer, who had 19 points and hit the go-ahead shot in overtime to win it.

In other games: Wisconsin beat lowly Penn State 68-45 to stay on the heels of Illinois in Big Ten competition. Kentucky rolled over Tennessee 92-60, making up for the 20-7 beating that they were handed in football against the Volunteers. James White led Cincinnati over Saint Louis with a career high 23 points and 7 assists. The 77-52 victory kept the Bearcats within one game of Memphis in Conference USA.

Two has-beens duke it out, Florida wins: Florida and South Carolina once were at the top of their respective games, with Florida occupying the number one slot in many polls, and South Carolina in the Top 25 for the first time in a while. Now, both are struggling for bubble positioning, and the Gators got the better of the Gamecocks yesterday. The two teams are now tied for second with Vanderbilt, who defeated Mississippi to keep their hopes alive. South Carolina has the edge, having won 20 games already. Florida can only win 19 before the conference tournament.

Of little consequence other then in LA: USC and UCLA met for the second time this year, and USC won for the second time this year, and the fourth straight time in two years. It is the Trojans longest winning streak against the Bruins in 61 years, and it comes on the heels of a most disappointing season for both teams. Desmon Farmer scored 9 straight points in overtime, and finished with 28 points in his final home game in his four years at the University. Farmer is third in the conference in scoring, behind Ike Diogu of Arizona State and Luke Jackson of Oregon.

Rupp Player of the Year Finalists: The Adolph F. Rupp Trophy for college basketball player of the year narrowed down its finalists for the 2003-2004 season. The award, which lives in the shadows of the Wooden Award, has selected Chris Duhon (Duke), J.J. Redick (Duke), Julius Hodge (North Carolina State), Emeka Okafor (Connecticut), Hakim Warrick (Syracuse), Ryan Gomes (Providence), Josh Childress (Stanford), Ike Diogu (Arizona State), Andre Emmett (Texas Tech), Matt Frieje (Vanderbilt), Francisco Garcia (Louisville), Devin Harris (Wisconsin), Jameer Nelson (St. Joseph’s), Lawrence Roberts (Mississippi State), Blake Stepp (Gonzaga), and Bracey Wright (Indiana).

UC Irvine suspends forward Mike Efevberha indefinitely: Forward Mike Efevberha was suspended indefinitely for violating team and department rules said Anteaters coach Pat Douglass. Efevberha averages 11.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.

Tonight’s Menu:

Manhattan looks to extend its eight game winning streak against Rider, Vermont looks to keep pace with Boston University when playing Albany, Arizona is hosting Washington in a battle for second place in the Pac-10, Valparaiso is at Duke, Oregon State hopes to be known as the Cardinal killer when it travels to number one Stanford, Utah State looks to regain sole possession of first place in the Big West conference against Long Beach State and Gonzaga will battle last year’s West Coast conference champion San Diego.

Boston College’s Jared Dudley

Jared Dudley: An Unlikely Top Freshman In 2003-04

by Phil Kasiecki

Jared Dudley filled the stat sheet to lead Boston College to a 76-44 rout of visiting Rutgers on Sunday. He had 20 points on 8-10 shooting, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals, and had a stretch where he took over the game by making one play after another at both ends of the floor. It was just another day at the office for the freshman forward, who is second on the team in scoring and rebounding and leads them in assists – from the small forward position.

“He basically just played his same consistent overall game,” head coach Al Skinner said after the game.

The charismatic freshman might be the leading candidate for Big East Rookie of the Year. But last summer, he figured to be a leader on a prep school team instead of a Big East team looking to reach the NCAA Tournament.

Late Arrival

Dudley seems like a classic late bloomer, but an even better story than many who come to college without much buzz and develop into stars while on campus.

After working his way up from the freshman and junior varsity teams, he helped lead Horizon High School in San Diego to two state championships, averaging 23.2 points and 14 rebounds per game as a senior. He wasn’t getting much attention from colleges by the end of his senior year; he had visited St. Mary’s and Creighton, the latter a rising mid-major that got a lot of national attention last year from being ranked most of the season. The young senior aimed higher than that and planned to attend prep school in Connecticut.

Dudley played some basketball on the AAU circuit, with the highlight of his spring coming at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions on Memorial Day weekend. He was not even listed on the official roster of the California-based Pump ‘N Run team, but made the all-tournament team in helping them to the championship, beating the powerful Atlanta Celtics (with a front line that could rival that of most Division I schools) in the final. He was consistently around the ball and made one play after another at both ends of the floor, showing a tremendous feel for the game.

So began Dudley’s coming-out party.

In July, he had a great showing at the prestigious Adidas ABCD Camp, finishing as one of the top ten scorers and making the Top 20 Seniors game. He later helped Pump ‘N Run to another victory over the Atlanta Celtics in a championship game, as they topped the Celtics in the Best of Summer Tournament in Las Vegas.

San Diego State then started recruiting Dudley. It was a sign that his extra year would pay off, but the Mountain West wasn’t quite as high as he hoped. Then more than a week into August, Boston College came calling. The Eagles had dismissed two players from the team, and there was talk that an incoming freshman would leave school to go back home to Minnesota. That opened the door for Dudley.

“I came out here to visit and a couple of the players were leaving,” Dudley said. “I had the chance to start right away in the Big East. I was looking to go big, that’s why I was thinking about going to prep school, plus I was a young senior. I thought an extra year of weights, running and conditioning would help me out, but the opportunity was too big.”

He committed to the Eagles, becoming the third member of the current squad from southern California.

A Veteran Freshman

Dudley has started every game for the Eagles, and has consistently shown the same great feel for the game he showed last spring and summer. Last week, he was named the Big East’s Rookie of the Week for the second time this season, and has been a consistent player who has made his share of big plays.

He made a clutch three-pointer in overtime against Kent State in December that gave the Eagles the lead for good. Against Georgetown, he opened his Big East career with 9 points and 11 rebounds, including a key three-pointer in the final minutes that gave the Eagles some breathing room. Then at Miami on February 11, he scored a career-high 24 points, including 9 of the team’s 10 points in overtime, as they won their fourth overtime game of the year.

He has been successful as a go-to guy or a complementary player, which he relates to his high school experience.

“My high school coach was real hard on me,” Dudley reflects. “We won 2 state championships and there was all the work ethic we had to put in – preseason, offseason. Just like here, my junior year I wasn’t the go-to guy. I had to work my way in the system – I had to play on the freshman team, JV team. My senior year, it was just me adapting, which I think will happen here eventually.”

It looks like he has already adapted very well. He is a close second among Big East freshmen in scoring and rebounding, fifth in assists (more than any forward) and tied for third in steals. Indeed, his numbers are good – though not quite those of last year’s top freshmen in the Big East, which include teammate Craig Smith – but with Dudley, numbers only tell part of the story. He won’t make a lot of highlight reels, but he’s an important part of this team and a great case can be made for him as the conference’s top freshman.

“He’s been consistent all year long,” said Skinner. “Obviously, one of the reasons we are where we are is because of his play. He’s just a real nice team player.”

Smith is never one to hold back, and he didn’t in talking about how good Dudley has quickly become.

“That’s my call for freshman of the year, but you know it’s not going to go that way,” said Smith, referring to the belief that Pittsburgh’s Chris Taft will get the award. “I think he’s the most underrated freshman, not just in the Big East, in the country. He’s just an excellent player.”

The Right Setting Yields Great Results

Dudley has enjoyed life at the school and considers himself blessed to be in such a setting. A fast talker, he is a nice young man, which is symbolic of the team as a whole. In some ways it still seems almost unreal.

“It’s something I’ve always dreamed about – playing in Madison Square Garden, I saw Syracuse with 27,000 – it’s been a dream come true. I’m really blessed.”

The great camaraderie among all of the Eagles is apparent in a short amount of time talking with players and coaches. They all like each other and play well together, they’re a terrific group of young men, and freshmen like Dudley respect the veterans while still making important contributions. Ted Sarandis, who has done play-by-play for BC’s radio broadcasts the last nine seasons and has 27 years of broadcast experience, says this may be the most fun group he has ever been around. It’s not a team of McDonald’s All-Americans by a long shot; players like Dudley, who flew under the national radar but can fit in Skinner’s system, are the norm.

“At Boston College they don’t get the top 50 players in the country; they take risks with people and they like those kind of players,” Dudley notes.

Skinner continues to do a masterful job not only getting the right players, like Dudley, but coaching them once they arrive on campus.

“This team has done a good job of respecting their leadership,” Skinner says of his young players. “One of the things that’s nice about this time is that our younger players have really embraced our leadership and been willing to follow and defer to the older guys. Because of that respect, they’re willing to do whatever it is they have to do to be successful. It’s really unique in young players to be willing to do that – sacrifice whatever they think should be happening and be willing to fall in line. All our guys have done that and have done a real nice job.”

The coaches are the first people Dudley cites for his immediate success, but he also has learned from the veterans. An eager student of the game, he looks to veterans like Smith and senior Uka Agbai and Smith to help him along, and not just on the court. In fact, when asked how the veterans have helped him, he cites things that a casual observer would probably never think of – conditioning, stretching before games, working after the game.

Time To Finish The Job

The Eagles are 18-8, with an RPI of 22 entering the final two weeks of the season. Barring a collapse, they should be in the NCAA Tournament in a year that figured to be a rebuilding year after the loss of the school’s all-time leading scorer and two other key offensive players from last year’s team. They have been focused on the NCAA Tournament all season, and are close to meeting their goal. Dudley won’t accept anything less, and he knew before the season that this was possible.

Once I saw our team, our goal was to make the NCAA Tournament,” he says. “We knew 20 was the magic number, so we wanted to get to 20 as soon as possible before the Big East Tournament.”

The Eagles should accomplish that goal. If Dudley takes home the conference Rookie of the Year award in two weeks, it would be a fitting end to a story that still may be just beginning.

UWGB’s Resch Center

A Tour of the Horizon: UWGB’s Resch Center

by Nick Dettmann

For round two of the tour around the Horizon League, I ventured up to Green Bay, Wisc., and the Resch Center, home of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix.

Opened prior to the 2002-’03 season, the Resch Center has already seen its’ fair share of entertainment, not to mention home of Phoenix men’s basketball.

The Resch Center serves multiple purposes for the small Green Bay community. In addition to its home of UWGB basketball, it serves as the home arena for Green Bay Gamblers hockey of the United States Hockey League, which is celebrating their 25th year of play. It also plays as the home arena for the Green Bay Blizzard of the AF2, arena football league.

The Resch Center is located in the ‘stadium district of Green Bay. Next door is the Brown County Veteran’s Memorial Arena, the old home of Phoenix basketball. Then across the street from the front entrance is the Don Hutson Center, the practice facility for the Green Bay Packers and then a half-block away is Lambeau Field.

The facility, within the opening months of its inauguration, hosted acts such as Cher, Tool, Cyndi Lauper, James Taylor and John Mellencamp. In addition, the Resch Center has hosted a few WWE events.

As for the features of the arena, it is one of the most elaborate of its kind. Over 500 panes of tempered glass make up the entire front section of the facility, resulting in over 40,000 sq. feet of glass. Over 8,000 cubic yards of concrete and more than 3,200 tons of steel was used to erect the building. There are also nine miles of fiber and 35 miles of voice/data cable wires throughout the building.

As for the playing area, a four-sided color video board hangs above the court. The floor was made by Horner Flooring Company. They have manufactured floors for the NCAA Final Four and the NBA All-Star game for the past 17 years.

The opening game of the facility came on November 30, 2002 against the Wisconsin Badgers. The opener shattered the school’s single-game attendance record when 9,705. The capacity for basketball is 9,877. The second largest attendance was earlier this season against UW-Milwaukee when over 7,500 people saw the game.

A beautiful new building and a growing basketball program, the Resch Center will be a building that will remain occupied for many years to come.

Pac-10 Notebook

Pac-10 Conference Notebook

by Scott Allen

Six-Pac:

Thursday: No. 1 Stanford 76, USC 67

For a second consecutive game, the Cardinal trailed at the half. For the 22nd consecutive game, Stanford won, clinching at least share of the Pac-10 title in the process. Junior swingman Josh Childress scored a career-high 36 points to help the Cardinal overcome an eight-point halftime deficit and a rare poor shooting performance by his teammates. Stanford opened up an 11-point lead in the second half, but USC tied it up with just over five minutes to play. Matt Lottich, the only other Cardinal in double figures (20 points), responded with one of his four 3-pointers and the Trojans went cold down the stretch to end any chances of an upset.

Thursday: No. 13 Arizona 100, Oregon 87

In a game that was supposed to mean more to the Ducks, the Wildcats made a statement with a comfortable victory that likely dashed Oregon’s NCAA chances. Oregon native Salim Stoudamire, heckled throughout by The Pit Crew, responded by hitting six of eight 3-pointers en route to a career-high 37 points. Stoudamire’s record night, coupled with Arizona’s win, outshined Oregon’s Luke Jackson’s career-high 42 points (the most ever by an Oregon player at home) on 14-for-21 shooting. The Wildcats have now won in back-to-back years at McArthur Court, where the Ducks have won 37 of 41 overall. Hassan Adams added 26 points and 14 rebounds for the Wildcats, which jumped out to an early 17-5 lead and never looked back. Freshman guard Aaron Brooks returned to the lineup for Oregon for the first time since fracturing his wrist in January.

Thursday: UCLA 66, Cal 49

Cal, as desperately in need of a win as Oregon, suffered an equally frustrating defeat at Pauley Pavilion. The Bears fell behind 30-14 at halftime after scoring just two points in the final 10:31 of the first half. T.J. Cummings scored 19 points and pulled down 10 boards for the Bruins, which won for just the second time in their last 10 games. Dijon Thompson added 14 for UCLA, which held Cal’s Leon Powe to just 10 points.

Thursday: Washington 71, Washington State 67

The Huskies overcame a six-point deficit in the final minute to earn their first sweep against Washington State since 2000. Washington, winners of eight of its last nine, cut the Cougars lead to 67-66 with 45 seconds to play after Will Conroy nailed a 3-pointer and Bobby Jones converted a lay-up. After a Washington State turnover, Mike Jensen connected on the game-winning 3-pointer with 19.9 seconds to play. Washington State led by as many as eight points in the second half after trailing by four at the half.

Saturday: Arizona State 86, Oregon 75

Ike Diogu scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to help Arizona State pull off the upset win in Eugene. Jamal Hill and Kevin Kruger combined for 35 points in the win and Serge Angounou scored a career-high 12 points for the Sun Devils. The loss was the Ducks’ third straight at home, the first such streak since the 2000-01 season. Luke Jackson had 16 points and 10 assists in defeat while James Davis led all Oregon scorers with 18 off of six 3-pointers. The Ducks shot 14-for-38 from long range for the game.

Saturday: Oregon State 90, No. 13 Arizona 84

Two days after winning what most would consider the more difficult game of the trip, the Wildcats suffered a letdown against Oregon State. David Lucas and Chris Stephens scored 22 points apiece for the Beavers, as Jay John’s squad matched Arizona’s high-scoring offense all night. Oregon State led by as many as 13 in the second half and ended a seven-game losing streak to the Wildcats, including a 109-75 setback earlier this year, with the win.

Around the Pac-10 (in order of conference standings):

No. 1 Stanford (23-0, 14-0)

Coming off its comeback win over USC, the Cardinal went on a 25-4 run to take a 19-point lead into halftime against UCLA on Saturday and went on to win 73-60. Stanford clinched its fourth Pac-10 title in the past six years with the victory and denied the Bruins a chance to knock off a No. 1 team for the fifth straight year. Two of UCLA’s previous four wins against the nation’s top-ranked team came against Stanford, in 2000 and 2001. Nick Robinson scored 15 points for the Cardinal, while Childress and Lottich added 14 apiece. Oregon, which came the closest to knocking Stanford from the ranks of the unbeaten when it blew a 19-point lead at home last month, comes to Maples on Thursday looking for revenge.

Up Next: Thursday vs. Oregon, Saturday vs. Oregon State

No. 13 Arizona (17-7, 9-6)

The Wildcats were involved in two of the weekend’s top six games, but as has been the case throughout the conference season, both were not wins. After dashing the Ducks’ tournament hopes at McArthur Court on Thursday night, Arizona came out flat two nights later against Oregon State and lost to the Beavers 90-84.

Up Next: Thursday vs. Washington, Saturday vs. Washington State

Washington (13-10, 8-6)

In a rare late season non-conference tilt, the Huskies traveled to the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C., where N.C. State had not lost all season and had knocked off No. 2 Duke one week earlier. Washington represented the Pac-10 well and had a chance to win in the final seconds but the Huskies could not hold on and lost a heartbreaker 77-72. While the Huskies didn’t pick up the ‘W,’ the game demonstrated just how far head coach Lorenzo Romar’s squad has come this season after an 0-5 record to start the conference season. The Huskies led by as many as eight in the second half and had a chance to win with 19 seconds left, but Brandon Roy’s jumper rimmed out. Bobby Jones led Washington with 22 points and Nate Robinson added 13.

Oregon (12-9, 7-7)

Like Arizona, both of Oregon’s game last weekend are featured in the Six-Pac but head coach Ernie Kent would like to forget about both games, especially the 86-75 loss to last-place Arizona State, which burst the Ducks’ bubble for an at-large bid. Oregon can begin to gather momentum for the Pac-10 tournament this weekend by playing spoiler to a perfect season at Stanford and then traveling to Berkeley for a match-up with fellow former bubble-mate Cal.

Up Next: Thursday at No. 1 Stanford, Saturday at Cal

California (11-12, 7-7)

The Bears’ tournament hopes went by the wayside after the L.A. schools swept Ben Braun’s squad last weekend. Two days after their 66-49 debacle at Pauley, the Bears hung with USC for most of the game but a four-minute scoring drought late in the second half was the difference in a 70-60 loss. Amit Tamir scored 20 points in defeat, Cal’s third straight. Barring a Pac-10 tournament championship, the Bears turn their attention to finishing above .500 in order to receive an NIT bid come March.

Up Next: Thursday vs. Oregon State, Saturday vs. Oregon

UCLA (11-12, 7-8)

After shutting down Cal in a 66-49 victory on Thursday, the Bruins looked to knockoff No. 1 Stanford on Saturday. Trailing the Cardinal by 19 at the half, UCLA used an 8-0 run after the break to pull within seven, but Ben Howland’s squad would get no closer in a 73-60 loss. The Bruins have lost nine of their last 11. Dijon Thompson scored 17 points in defeat and T.J. Cummings added 11. After looking to earn a season split with rival USC on Wednesday, the Bruins welcome the Fighting Irish to Pauley Pavilion on Sunday afternoon.

Up Next: Wednesday at USC, Saturday vs. Notre Dame

USC (11-13, 6-9)

The Trojans rebounded from a loss to No. 1 Stanford with a 70-60 win over Cal behind the scoring of an unlikely source, freshman Lodrick Stewart. Stewart’s career night made up for the sub-par performance from Desmon Farmer, who moved into fourth place on the all-time USC scoring list with eight points. Rory O’Neill had 16 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks for the Trojans, which holds a half-game lead over Washington State for the eighth and final berth in the conference tournament.

Up Next: Wednesday vs. UCLA

Oregon State (11-13, 5-9)

The Beavers raced out to an early lead and held on at home for the 68-61 victory. The Sun Devils battled back from a 15-point halftime deficit but the Beavers, which knocked down just 21-of-31 free throws in the game, hit 13-of-14 down the stretch to seal the win. David Lucas, who would score 22 points and pull down nine boards in Oregon State’s upset of Arizona two days later, led the Beavers with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Up Next: Thursday at Cal, Saturday at No. 1 Stanford

Washington State (11-13, 5-9)

After dropping a heartbreaker to Washington, the Cougars try to solidify a spot in the Pac-10 tournament field with a crucial game at Arizona State on Thursday before trying to slow down the Arizona offense for a second time this season on Saturday.

Up Next: Thursday at Arizona State, Saturday at Arizona

Arizona State (10-14, 4-10)

The Sun Devils shot 19 percent in the first half and trailed 28-13 at the break against Oregon State on Thursday and the deficit was too much to overcome in a 68-61 loss. Kevin Kruger, who got the starting nod for the first time this year from head coach Rob Evans, scored all 20 of his points in the second half to bring Arizona State back, but Oregon State hit its free throws down the stretch

Up Next: Thursday vs. Washington State, Saturday vs. Washington

Big Ten Notebook

Big Ten Conference Notebook

by Alan Rubenstein

Upset of the Week: Minnesota 73 Indiana 71

This week’s upset special is sponsored by the Indiana Hoosiers. Entering the week, IU was 12-10 and appeared to be in good shape to improve that to 14-10. Fighting for their NCAA tournament lives, the Hoosiers lost for the sixth time in seven games and four in a row at home to fall to 12-12. Indiana’s losses to both Minnesota and Ohio State were a surprise. Ohio State’ resume did included a win at Purdue. Minnesota entered the Assembly Hall with one only conference victory. The Gophers victory over Indiana rated a bigger surprise than Ohio State’s 59-56 victory over IU.

The Gophers have ridden the considerable shoulders of freshman Kris Humphries to any success they have had this season. Humphries had his best game of his young Gopher career finishing with 36 points and 12 rebounds. The 36 points were his career high and the most against IU this season. Humphries hit two free throws with 3.6 seconds left to give Minnesota the victory. Humphries was fouled by IU’s George Leach and went to the line after rebounding Ryan Tapak’s missed shot from long range.

The Gophers’ 11-2 run over the final 3:32 clinched the victory. The Gophers had put themselves in position for the win after Brett Lawson three-point play tied it with 17 seconds remaining. Humphries gave the Gophers a chance to tie the game after cutting the margin to three with 44 seconds on the clock.

Leach had the best game of his career with 26 points and eight rebounds. AJ Moye has 15, Bracey Wright 14 and Marshall Strickland 12 for Indiana.

Honorable Mention:

Michigan 71 Wisconsin 58
Ohio State 59 Indiana 56

Indiana’s loss to Minnesota was devastating, but the defeat to Ohio State might be the one that ends their 18-year NCAA tournament run. Using a dominating inside game, they battered Indiana for a 40-16 edge in the paint. Velimir Radinovich had a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds and Terrance Dials added 16 and 10. JJ Sullinger’s floater from the baseline with 17 seconds to play provided the winning margin. Strickland led the Hoosiers with 12. Bracey Wright had a brutal game finishing with nine and points and hitting only one of 12 from the floor.

Wisconsin’s two-year reign atop the Big Ten might be over after a 71-58 loss at Michigan. The Big Ten driver’s seat now belongs to Illinois and Michigan State. If the Illini and Spartans finish in a tie for the title, Illinois would be the number one seed in the conference tournament. Illinois defeated MSU in Champaign earlier this season in their only meeting of the year.

Michigan shot a lights out 58 percent. Included was a 75 percent first half to earn their first victory over a team in the nation’s top 15 in five years. Using a balanced offense, the Wolverines took control with a 22-5 run late in the first half. Lester Abram finished with 17, Courtney Sims 14 points, five rebounds and three blocks and Bernard Robinson jr. 11 points and six assists.

Big Blue was also able to rely on its defense by holding the Badgers to 37.5 percent and three for 20 from the launching pad. Devin Harris led Wisconsin with 18 but on five of 20 from the field and one of 10 from long distance. Mike Wilkinson added 14 for Wisconsin.

Game of the Week: Illinois 65 Wisconsin 57

For Illinois to stay in the Big Ten Race this was a game they had to have. Wisconsin entered the Assembly Hall with a share of first place in the Big Ten, a one game lead over Illinois and a win over the Illini at the Kohl Center. A Badger win would bury Illinois for the Big Ten race. They left Champaign a half game behind Michigan State and case of too much Deron Williams.

The Illini’s top candidate for all conference scorched the Badgers for 31 points and a career high five three pointers. He didn’t put his first points on the board until 10:17 remained in the first half. Williams put the Illini on his back the rest of the way. The Illini took their first lead of the game with 34 seconds left in the half. They took the lead for good with 16:27 left in the second half and cruised home from there. Playing with the lead, Illinois forced the Badgers into an uncharacteristic 17 turnovers. Wisconsin came in averaging ten turnovers per game. The Illini were effective in limiting Badger All-America candidate Devin Harris. Harris finished with 16 points, five below his conference average.

Player of the Week

Velimir Radinovic highlighted his senior season by earning his first ever conference player of the year award. Rad made 77 percent of his field goal attempts and averaged 19.5 points per game and ten rebounds to help the Buckeyes split the week. Rad set a career high with 23 to match ten rebounds to help the Bucks defeat Indiana. He also passed the 700 point mark for his career with a 16 point ten rebound effort at in a loss to Iowa earlier in the week. Radinovic produced double-doubles in consecutive games for the first time. The 7’0 senior from Toronto now has three on the season and five for his career.

With his shot stuck on automatic, Radinovic raised his season shooting percentage to 67.9. If he continues at that pace, he will have the highest percentage in the Big Ten since 1990. Stephen Sheffler established the conference record at Purdue with 76.7 percent accuracy.

Michigan State (13-9, 8-3)

Michigan State continues to make noise in the Big Ten and after an 0-2 week by Wisconsin, the Spartans took sole possession of first place. The Spartans began the week with a 62-55 victory over Purdue. After using strong shooting on its run to the top, the Spartans went back to traditional Izzo ball to top the Boilermakers.

The game featured 48 fouls, 49 fouls shots, 30 turnovers and a combined four for 32 from three point range. Michigan State hit 24-26 from the free throw line and held Purdue to 34 percent shooting and 2-17 from three-point range. The boost defensively was timely as the Spartans shot only 40.9 percent themselves. Michigan State’s free throw shooting proved to be the difference. The Spartans made all ten of their charity shots to ice the game in the final 3:33. Paul Davis led Michigan State with 21 points and a career high 12 rebounds. He also connected on all 11 of his attempts from the line. It ended a two game slump for Davis in which he failed to reach double figures.

Returning to 2004 Spartan ball, Michigan State shot 54 percent to defeat Northwestern 66-55. The 54 percent performance against NU raised MSU’s shooting percentage to 53 percent in the second half of conference games. Michigan State is on pace to become the most accurate shooting team in East Lansing since the 1986 led Scott Skiles squad shot 55.3 percent.

Michigan State used great balance as four players reached double figures. Chris Hill led the way with 16. The win extended the Spartans win streak to seven out of eight and improved their record to 12-1 at home this year.

Illinois (18-5, 9-3)

After an emotional win against Wisconsin earlier in the week and a 43 point obliteration of Penn State in the previous match up this year, Illinois was primed for a let down in Happy Valley. The Illini struggled but eeked out a hard fought 66-58 victory. After Deron Williams had the Illini season watermark with 31 points versus the Badgers, Dee Brown took his turn as Chief Illiniwek.

Playing his best game of the season, Brown scored 24 points, hit six threes and had five assists. Nineteen of his 24 came after intermission. It was his high mark of the year and the first time he topped 20 since the season opener. Brown showing signs of breaking out of his slump will be important down the stretch. Entering the Penn State game, Brown was shooting just 35.7 percent overall and 30 percent on threes. Saturday he was 8-13 and connected on 6-10 from Never-never land. Williams had 12 points and five assists and Luther Head finished with 14.

Wisconsin (17-5, 8-4)

Entering the week, the Badgers were in the driver’s seat for their third straight Big Ten Championship. After their first back-to-back losses in over a year, Wisconsin is now looking up at Michigan State and Illinois in the standings. Following home games with Penn State and Purdue this week, the Badgers will travel to Michigan State for a possible showdown for the title. For that to happen Wisconsin will hope for Illinois to stumble. The Illini are on the road for three of its last four games.

The Badgers struggles continued on the road. In their trip to Champaign and Ann Arbor, the Badgers offense went south. Against Michigan the Badgers reached only 37.5 percent of their shots and made only 3-20 from three-point range. For the second straight game, Devin Harris’ lack of marksmanship did Wisconsin in. Harris hit on only 5-20 shots and 1-10 from beyond the arc. Harris was effective from the line to finish with 18 points and Wilkinson had 14.

Iowa (14-9, 7-5)

Entering the week in a four way log jam for fourth place, Iowa used their 78-67 victory over Ohio State and losses by their fourth floor roommates to emerge with the quad themselves.

Brody Boyd has been making big shots for the Hawkeyes all season. Saturday he took his turn as the Hawks go to guy all game. Boyd finished with a career-high 25 points, including nailing 6-9 from beyond Noahland. Boyd has owned the Buckeyes this season. In their victory in Iowa City, Boyd had all 19 of his points in the second half. Pierre Pierce had 19, Jeff Horner 12 and seven assists and Glen Worley 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Iowa hit 56 percent and have now placed eight of their last nine in Ohio’s capital city.

Purdue (17-9, 7-6)

Purdue continued it’s up and down Big Ten Season. In their loss at Michigan State, the Boilers had another game in which their offense sputtered. Only their 19-23 performance at the free throw line saved them from dipping below 40 points for the second time in their last four games. Keady’s crusaders managed only 34 percent from the field and 2-17 from three point range. Brandon McKnight with 16 and Brett Buscher with 11 were the only Boilers in double figures. Purdue’s leading scorers Kenneth Lowe and David Teague bellied Purdue’s offensive ineptness. They each hit only one of eight shots and combined for only seven points. Lowe is averaging 13.3 and Teague 12.3.

Inconsistency up front has hurt Purdue all season. The Boilers were outplayed by Michigan State’s frontline. Ivan Kartelo and Matt Kiefer both struggled. They both picked up their fourth fouls halfway through the second half.

Purdue got back to playing hard nosed defense and came out with intensity early to earn a key 65-47 victory at Minnesota. The Boiler frontline rebounded from a sub par game at Michigan State. Prized freshman Kris Humphries scored only 14 points and had a season low three rebounds. He had to work for every point he put on the board with a 5-16 performance. The Boilers held Minnesota to 29.6 percent.

Taking the lead early was the key. Purdue jumped to an 11-3 lead early and it extended to 32-18 late in the first half. The Gophers did score the last six of the first half to cut the deficit to eight, but the Boilers never trailed. Melvin Buckley led Purdue with 15 and Teague recovered from his poor outing in East Lansing with 13. Kenneth Lowe had his second straight rough game with ten points on only 2-8 from the floor.

The Boilers might be headed to Wisconsin Sunday with a depleted front court. Matt Kiefer played only three minutes against Minnesota after he injured his foot and Matt Carroll has been having shoulder problems. Ivan Kartelo might be facing a suspension after being arrested from public intoxication after their victory over Minnesota.

Michigan (14-8, 6-6)

With the middle of the pack teams trying to assert their independence, each game for the remainder of the season will be a key. To earn an NCAA bid, the games against each other and the Big Ten’s top teams will prove to be especially important. With that in mind, Michigan played inspired to gain an impressive 71-59 victory over Wisconsin.

Michigan came out hot in the first half. The Wolverines hit three-quarters of their tries in the opening 20 minutes and finished at 58 percent.

Bernard Robinson Jr. put on a show with 11 points and six assists. He was forced from the game with 9:26 to go when he was hit by an unidentified flying elbow. The win over Wisconsin was the Wolverines first over a ranked opponent this season and the first time they have beaten a top 15 team since they defeated the Badgers in 1999. Lester Abram led Michigan with 17 and Courtney Sims had 14 points, five rebounds and three blocks.

Earlier in the week the Wolverines put themselves in position to regain their status on the bubble. Michigan has used the formula of balanced offense and strong defense for success all season. In their 76-53 victory over Penn State, Big Blue used that theorem to perfection. Robinson jr. threatened a triple double with 11 points, seven rebounds and eight assists and Sims hit all six of his shots for 13 points and Abram paced the attack with 16.

Northwestern (11-12, 6-6)

A sluggish start stymied Northwestern’s chance for another stunning upset. The Wildcats were able to pull within four at the half. NU was competitive in the second stanza before a 10-2 MSU run ended any debate about the outcome. The Spartans 66-56 win kept them in sole possession first place in the Big Ten.

Jitim Young scored 25 points in an impressive performance against one of the Big Ten’s elite teams. Young was the only Wildcat to have success against the Spartans. Mohamad Hachad and T.J. Parker were the ‘Cats next highest scorers with eight. Their inability to move the ball led to the dominant performance by Young, NU had only eight assists to MSU’s 16 and committed 14 turnovers.

Indiana (12-12, 6-7)

When judgment day arrives for the 2004 college basketball season, this past week will be the one that might have cost Indiana its streak of 18 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. Home losses to Big Ten basement dwellers Ohio State and Minnesota dropped the Hoosiers to 500 instead of 14-10 with only a road game at Northwestern this week.

Both losses were another case of getting dominated inside. Leach did all he could to prevent the loss to Ohio State. With four guards and Leach in the Starting lineup, IU has been manhandled inside all season. Sean Kline’s injury has also crippled Mike Davis’s rotation. Kline had surgery on his knee and will be out for the remainder of the season. He is expected to make a full recovery for next year.

Bracey Wright has had a much better season on the road than he has at the Assembly Hall. The Naismith finalist connected on only 6-26 from the floor and 1-11 from three point range. For the season, Wright is shooting 32.7 percent at home and 43.2 percent on the road. The Hoosiers are now only 2-4 in Big Ten home games. Their inability to close out games has also become all too apparent. IU’s last five losses are by a combined 14 points.

Ohio State (12-13, 4-8)

The Buckeyes continued to be an enigma. After losing at home to Iowa, their victory at Indiana was unexpected. The modus operandi for the Buckeyes to be victorious this season has been the combination of Radmanovic and Terence Dials. When the Buckeyes are successful they are getting the ball inside. In both victories in the Hoosier State, the Bucks had a decisive advantage in points in the paint and/or on the backboards.

The Buckeyes inability to shoot the three also surfaced last week. Their three point defense did pick up in the victory over Indiana. The Hoosier hit only 6-22 rocker launchers.

The loss to Iowa was a different story. The Hawkeyes were successful on 9-15 treys, while the Buckeyes managed to make only 5-20,

Freshman Ivan Harris had his first double figure scoring outing in three months with 11. Tony Stockman hit 1,000 points for his career. The junior transfer from Clemson had 716 as a Tiger.

Penn State (3-9, 9-14)

Penn State all freshman backcourt continues to give valiant efforts, but the Nittany Lions seem to have the hit the proverbial wall. The Nittany Lions have now lost nine of their last ten games. Freshmen Ben Luber and Marlon Smith keep giving Ed DeChellis and the Nittany Lion faithful reason to be optimistic about the future. Luber played all 40 minutes against the Illini, the tenth time he has gone the distance this season. Smith also played the duration against Illinois marking the sixth time he has played the whole game this season.

Smith had one of his best weeks of the season, averaging 17.5 points, five rebounds and three assists. Luber had 14 versus Illinois. Aaron Johnson had a solid game on the interior with 11 and nine rebounds at Michigan.

Minnesota (10-15. 2-11)

After Kris Humphries offensive explosion at Indiana netted the Gophers their first conference road win of the season, they returned home and were stagnant offensively. Humphries had possibly his the worst game of his career with 14 points and only three rebounds on 5-16 against the Boilers. He is still inline to become the first Big Ten freshman ever to lead the conference in scoring and rebounding. His only threat is to catch for scoring honors in conference games is Wisconsin’s Devin Harris. Humphries currently sits at 21.0 PPG, while Harris is at 20.8.

Ben Johnson has given Dan Monson a good secondary option. Johnson scored 27 points last week as he is approaching the twilight of his collegiate career. That ran his streak to four straight games in double figures.

Key games of the Week

Illinois at Iowa, Wednesday

After moving into sole possession of fourth place, Iowa will now be looking for a marquee victory to ad to their resume. Both teams have a strong presence on the perimeter. Brody Boyd, Jeff Horner and Pierre Pierce make Iowa a dangerous team outside and capable of putting up high numbers offensively. The difference could come inside. With Jared Reiner and Sean Sonderleiter both likely to miss the rest of the season, the Hawkeyes have seen their inside depth depleted. Glen Worley and Greg Brunner have played well.

The Hawkeyes will find it difficult to match the Illini firepower. Six different Illinois players have led them in scoring during the conference part of the schedule. Six straight wins and convincing victories over Wisconsin and Michigan State indicates the Illini should leave Iowa City with a victory.

Purdue at Wisconsin, Sunday

Gene Keady has lamented his team’s lack of consistency offensively. With two weeks remaining before the Big Ten Tournament, the Boilers trip to Madison is important in Purdue’s hopes for a ticket to the big show.

The Badgers have supplied a new meaning for Madtown. Twenty-six straight home wins and 22 in the Big Ten have made life for visiting teams unpleasant at the Kohl Center. Both teams use a balance between inside and outside and feature all conference guards. With Kartelo, Kiefer and Carroll all likely to be sitting the trip to Madison out, the Boilermakers will face an uphill battle. Add in that the Badgers are still fighting for a Big Ten title, and Wisconsin should roll in Madison.

Colonial Notebook

Colonial Notebook

by Toni Jainez

VCU and Drexel battle for Colonial crown

So far this year in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), the battle for seeding has been fierce. As of today, eight of ten teams are tied in the standings, including VCU and Drexel at No. 1.

After starting the year 6-6 (1-2 CAA), the Drexel Dragons won nine of their next ten, quickly establishing themselves as contenders for the CAA crown. VCU started CAA play 3-2, but went on a five game winning streak to regain first place. After losing to Drexel (ending the win streak), the Rams won four of their next five games to regain a tie for first place with Drexel. Both schools (12-4 CAA) are currently two games ahead of Old Dominion and George Mason, who are both tied for third place (10-6 CAA).

Delaware (tied for fifth place) may have the last word in the top seedings, as both VCU and Drexel travel to Newark to take on the Blue Hens this week. Delaware is currently undefeated in CAA play this season at home. VCU and Drexel, however, are the CAA’s best road teams, both have won 4 CAA battles away from home with two remaining for each. In addition to traveling to Newark, VCU will battle William & Mary and Drexel will visit James Madison to finish the regular season.

Fabulous Freshmen

The race for CAA Rookie of the Year has become very competitive this season (following an outstanding recruiting class by each school). Each CAA school has started a freshman in at least one game this year. The frontrunners for Rookie of the Year in the Colonial are Corey Cofield (William & Mary) and Loren Stokes (Hofstra).

Cofield has started 18 games for the Tribe and is averaging 13 points (on 57% shooting) in 27 minutes. He earned five double-doubles this season including a career night 25 points, 10 rebounds versus James Madison. Cofield, a power forward, plays in the shadow of Adam Hess, CAA Preseason Player of the Year.

Stokes has started 18 games for the Pride and is second on his team in scoring with 12 points per game. He has become one of the main scoring options for the Pride, who lost two starters to injuries earlier this month. Stokes has shot 45% from the floor and averages 28 minutes a game. A 6-3 combo guard, Stokes, along with Player of the Year candidate Kenny Adeleke, has helped Hofstra win five of their last six games.

Rounding out a very complete All-Rookie Team should be Jesse Pellot-Rosa (VCU), Bashir Mason (Drexel), Arnaud Dahi (Old Dominion), and Mike Green (Towson).

Seven top 150 Colonial teams in RPI ratings

According to CollegeRPI.com, the CAA currently has seven of its ten members ranked in the top 150 of the RPI. Of those seven, three are top 100 teams (No. 77 VCU, No. 86 Drexel, No. 97 Old Dominion). In recent years, the CAA’s best season was 2001-2002, when seven of ten teams had top 200 RPI’s.

Player of the Week

Aurimas Kieza – junior forward, Hofstra

Stepping in as one of Hofstra’s starting forwards after a season ending injury to junior center Wendell Gibson, Kieza helped pace the Pride to two big wins last week. Kieza set his career-high in points (20) versus George Mason and recorded his first career “double-double” versus James Madison (19 points, 10 rebounds).

Rookie of the Week

Bashir Mason – point guard, Drexel

Mason helped Drexel earn a 2-0 record in last week’s games against Old Dominion and Towson. Versus ODU, Mason scored seven points and dished out seven assists in 34 minutes of play. Against Towson, Mason had one of his most complete games with four points, ten assists (career-high), five rebounds, and five steals all in 31 minutes.

Virginia Commonwealth Rams (18-7, 12-4 CAA)

VCU (RPI 77) is currently on pace to win their first CAA regular season championship since 1996 (the year they joined the CAA). The Rams took care of business at home this year in conference, finishing 8-1 at home (with a loss to Drexel). VCU is currently 4-3 away from home with two key CAA road games remaining. The Rams take on Delaware this Wednesday (VCU beat Delaware 99-72 at home) and William & Mary this Saturday in its regular season finale (VCU beat W&M 71-60 at home).

VCU is led by a balanced scoring attack on offense which complements the teams solid defense. On offense the team is led by senior guard Domonic Jones, who is one of the current frontrunners for the CAA Player of the Year award. Jones averages 16.2 points per contest on 47% shooting from the field. Inside the paint, VCU starts a 6-6, 285 pound, banger in senior center Troy Godwin who averages just under 12 points per game. This week versus Old Dominion, Godwin scored 19 points and grabbed 8 rebounds while playing a season high 36 minutes.

Drexel Dragons (17-8, 12-4 CAA)

Drexel (RPI 86) has to be the hottest team in the CAA right now. Before losing at George Mason, the Dragons won six straight games (including a win at Virginia Commonwealth). Drexel responded well after the loss to GMU by beating Old Dominion, who was tied for 1st place with VCU and Drexel, by 16 (82-66). Drexel then went on to hand the Towson Tigers a 75-51 loss on Drexel’s senior night.

Drexel is led by balance on offense and defense. Junior guard Phil Goss, who averages 14 points per game, shoots a scorching 40.8% from beyond the arc and hits 87% of his free throw attempts. Inside, junior center Sean Brooks adds 14 points per game for the Dragons on 61% shooting and averages a team-high 6 rebounds per game. Led by Coach of the Year candidate Bruiser Flint, this Drexel squad, who was picked to finish at best fifth in various preseason polls, has developed into a postseason quality team quite suddenly.

Old Dominion Monarchs (15-10, 10-6 CAA)

After starting CAA play red hot with four straight wins, the Monarchs (RPI 97) lost two straight at Delaware and at home to VCU, falling to 9-6 (4-2 CAA) on the season. After that stretch, ODU won 6 of their next 8 games, which kept them in a tight competition for the regular season championship. That was until the Monarchs visited two 1st place teams in one week and dropped both games (lost to Drexel 82-66; lost to VCU 78-72). The Monarchs dropped out of a first place tie with Drexel and VCU and are now tied with George Mason for third place. This week, ODU will host William & Mary and George Mason. W&M defeated ODU earlier in the season 86-77. ODU upset preseason CAA favorite George Mason in Fairfax 74-71 earlier this season.

Old Dominion is led by stellar forward Alex Loughton who, as a sophomore, is already a Player of the Year candidate. Loughton averages just under 17 points a game and 8.6 rebounds per game for the Monarchs. Old Dominion currently starts a rotation of one senior, two sophomores and two freshmen–the youngest starting five in the conference.

George Mason Patriots (17-8, 10-6 CAA)

Winning three of their last four games, the Patriots (RPI 111-preseason CAA favorites) have re-established themselves as contenders for the conference tournament championship. After winning seven games out of conference (two losses to Maryland and North Carolina), GMU started the CAA season 5-2 giving them an overall record of 12-4. GMU then went on to lose three of their next five games. The Patriots, who have one of the most talented rosters in this league, went on to win two battles with 1st place teams at home (VCU, Drexel) and re-entered the race for the conference championship. The Patriots then dropped a game at fifth-place Hofstra, virtually eliminating any chance of winning the regular season championship.

GMU will finish their regular season with two very tough matchups. They will entertain UNC Wilmington on Wednesday night in their last home game of the season (Senior Night). The Patriots have only dropped one home game this season. On Saturday, GMU will clash at Old Dominion in a possible battle for the No. 3 and No. 4-seeds in the CAA Tournament.

Delaware Blue Hens (15-10, 9-7 CAA)

After a solid start out of conference, Delaware (RPI 143) had struggled in conference on the road. In their first four road games, the Blue Hens went winless. UD stayed in the race for a high seed in the conference tournament by taking care of business in Newark (undefeated at home in CAA play 7-0). This may change this week as two first place teams visit in VCU and Drexel. VCU handed Delaware a 99-72 loss earlier in the season in Richmond, VA. Drexel also handed its arch-rival Delaware a loss at home, beating them 82-75.

Winning three of their last five games (including one on the road), UD has positioned themselves to finish as high as fourth or as low as seventh in this conference (attributed to the parity of the Colonial). The Blue Hens are led by senior guard Mike Ames, who averages 15.8 points per contest shooting 40.4% from three point range. Delaware will need consistency from their players on offense and solid perimeter defense this week, battling the CAA’s two best offensive teams and most deadly behind the arc.

Hofstra Pride (13-13, 9-7 CAA)

The Pride are currently playing very emotional basketball. After losing two starters to season ending injuries, Hofstra has won four of its last five games. Leading the Pride are junior forward Kenny Adeleke and freshman guard Loren Stokes. Both players are averaging double-figures for the Pride.

This week, Hofstra will battle both Towson and UNC Wilmington away from home. If Hofstra wins both games, it would mark the first time the Pride has finished above .500 since joining the CAA in 2001-2002. The year before, Hofstra’s Speedy Claxton-led team finished 26-4 and earned a bid to the NCAA tournament.

UNC Wilmington Seahawks (12-13, 8-8 CAA)

After playing in ESPN’s Bracket Busters tournament Saturday, the Seahawks (RPI 147) look to finish conference play strong with a road game at George Mason and a home game versus Hofstra (Senior Night). The Seahawks are looking to finish the season above .500 after losing two tough away games at Illinois-Chicago (Bracket Busters) and at Delaware. Losing one of their last two games would give UNCW their first losing regular season since the 1998-1999 season.

William & Mary Tribe (7-18, 4-12 CAA)

First year Tribe coach Tony Shaver is still in the process of rebuilding a W&M club on the leadership of Player of the Year candidate Adam Hess and Rookie of the Year candidate Corey Cofield. The Tribe has only won four CAA games, including matchups versus Old Dominion and UNC Wilmington. William & Mary will try to finish the regular season on a high note at Old Dominion and hosting first place VCU on senior night Saturday.

James Madison Dukes (7-18, 3-13 CAA)

After losing four starting seniors, the Dukes relied heavily on incoming talent this year. Senior forward Dwayne Broyles (15 ppg) has done a lot for this team, keeping JMU competitive in a very tough CAA. The Dukes are looking to enter the CAA tournament with some momentum as they look for wins versus first place Drexel and at Towson this week. The JMU-Towson matchup will more than likely determine the No. 9-seed in the CAA tournament.

Towson Tigers (6-19, 3-13 CAA)

Third year Tigers coach Mike Hunt looked to continue developing a competitive squad after a disasterous 2002-2003 campaign where the Tigers only won one CAA game. This season, the Tigers started CAA play 3-3 after solid wins over Delaware and UNC Wilmington at home. The Tigers have since lost ten straight games, but look to rebound hosting Hofstra and James Madison this week.

Southern Conference Notebook

Southern Conference Notebook

by Paul Oren

Bracket Buster

Two SoCon teams were featured in the made-for-TV ESPN Bracket Buster on Saturday. Created with the idea of giving Mid-Majors a chance to beef up their RPI and an opportunity to play on national television, this year’s installment provided plenty of intrigue for East Tennessee State and College of Charleston.

ETSU (23-4, 14-0) traveled out West to play the struggling Fresno State. The Bulldogs were 10-9 when the Bracket Buster match-ups were announced on February 2nd, but have since lost four of their last six. The Bucs started the game out on 10-0 run and had a lead of 43-28 with 16:55 remaining, seemingly coasting to victory, but a 21-6 Bulldog run tied the game at 49 with a little under nine minutes left in the game. ETSU kept their composure and never let Fresno gain the lead, including during the waning moments of the game when the Bucs missed the front end of two separate one and ones, only to grab the offensive rebounds. Sophomore Tim Smith finally put the game away with two free throws with 7 seconds remaining to win it 66-62. Smith had a game-high 26 points. Zakee Wadood (13 points/11 rebounds) and Jerald Fields (13 points/13 rebounds) both added double doubles.

Charleston (18-7, 10-4) was featured on ESPN 2 at Western Michigan in their part of the Bracket Buster. The Broncos brought in a 16-game home-winning streak that has lasted over a year, and the Cougars nearly ended it. Western led for most of the second half, with it’s biggest lead being 11, but the Cougars came back to take the lead at 69-67 with 2:15 left. After running clock, Thomas Mobley hit a free throw to make it 72-70. After a near steal by Charleston that turned into a jump ball, possession went back to Western and Anthony Kann hit a shot at the buzzer from near the free-throw line to send the game in overtime. In the extra session, the Broncos fed off the crowd’s momentum and the play of Reggie Berry, who scored half of his 10 points in overtime. Charleston had a shot to tie the game at 81, but Marcus Johnson missed a baseline three-pointer and Ben Reed hit two more free throws to give the Broncos an 83-78 victory.

Every game counts

Following Georgia Southern’s victory last week over SoCon foe, College of Charleston, Eagles coach Jeff Price was guardedly optimistic about what the victory meant.

“Our win at Charleston means nothing if we lose one of these next ones.”

Coach Price and the Eagles now face that reality after a tough 80-79 loss to UNC Greensboro (9-15, 6-8) Saturday night in Statesboro. Ronnie Burrell continued his hot play for the Spartans with 27 points and 9 rebounds. Burrell has led the team in scoring and rebounding in three out of the last four games and was a perfect 10 of 10 from the charity stripe while the team shot 82% from the line. Georgia Southern (19-6, 10-4) was led by Frank Bennett’s 23 points. The Eagles had a chance to win the game after a three-pointer by Jean Francois and a steal by Terry Williams; however they were unable to get off a shot attempt.

Player of the Week:

Maleye Ndoye – Furman 6-10 Senior (Dakar, Senegal)

Ndoye led Furman in scoring in all three of their victories that give the Paladins a chance to move up into third place in the South Division. In the game against Wofford, Ndoye scored 2 of his game-high 25 points when he hit the game-winning 17-foot basket. On the week, he averaged 21.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists a game.

Freshman of the Week:

Matt Nowlin – Elon 6-4 freshman (Roanoke, VA)

The sure-shooting Nowlin helped Elon break a two-game losing streak with his game-high 20 points, including 6 three-pointers when the Phoenix knocked off Western Carolina 68-53. Nowlin was recruited for his shooting, and he has not disappointed, attempting 205 three-pointers this season. In earlier games this week, Nowlin scored in double figures both times, averaging 14.6 points and 3 rebounds a game.

Team-By-Team Capsules

North Division

East Tennessee State (23-4, 14-0)

The Bucs have won all 15 games they’ve played in the 2004 calendar year, including the SoCon clinching victory over The Citadel on Feb. 16 73-51. ETSU’s last defeat came December 30th at the hands of American in the Rainbow Classic. The Bucs have a tough stretch to end out their regular season, hosting 2nd place Chattanooga on the 24th, before traveling to Charleston to play the Cougars in a nationally televised game (ESPN2) on the 28th.

Tennessee-Chattanooga (16-9, 9-5)

The Mocs face a test before the conference tournament when they travel to SoCon Regular Season Champion, ETSU. In the first meeting, Chattanooga had the Buccaneers on the ropes with a 17-point lead, but ETSU came back and with a late steal, preserved the victory. Ashley Champion led all scorers with 22 points. The Mocs clinched the second seed and a first round bye in the North with their 74-49 victory over Appalachian State. It marks the eighth time in the last nine years that UTC has been the first or second seed in the North Division.

Elon (10-16, 6-8)

Elon took a big step towards post-season success with a 68-53 victory over Western Carolina on Saturday. Matt Nowlin led the way with 20 points and a strong defensive effort held Kevin Martin, the nation’s leading scorer, to 12 points. The Phoenix control their own destiny to finish third in the North in which they would draw The Citadel in the first round of the SoCon tournament. The Bulldogs have yet to win a conference game this season. It will not be easy for the Phoenix as they travel to Statesboro to play South Division leader, Georgia Southern, before they end the regular season at home against UNC-Greensboro in what has the potential to have huge seeding implications.

UNC Greensboro (9-15, 6-8)

The Spartans recovered from their upset loss to Appalachian State to knock off South Division leader Georgia Southern 80-79. Ronnie Burrell averaged 28 points and 10.5 rebounds per game last week. Senior Jay Joseph is 10 points away from breaking the career scoring mark that is held by former teammate James Maye (1998-2003).

Western Carolina (12-13, 5-9)

The Catamounts had a rough week with losses to both Furman (72-63) and Elon (68-53). Part of the reason is that junior Kevin Martin was held to 12 points in both losses, his lowest outcome of the season since a 10-point effort against Charleston. He has scored in double figures every game this season. Martin was named to the Second Team of the All-District 5, voted on by members of the National Association of Basketball coaches. Along with Martin, nine players from the ACC were selected to the 10-player team that is now eligible to be an NABC Division 1 All-American that is voted on at the conclusion of the season.

Appalachian State (9-18, 4-10)

The Mountaineers ended an 8-game losing streak last week when they knocked off UNC Greensboro 82-60. Chris McFarland led the way with 20 points and the defense held Jay Joseph to only 2 baskets. McFarland and company was unable to capitalize on any momentum by falling by 25 to Chattanooga. The Mountaineers close out the season against Davidson and Western Carolina. The game against the Catamounts could determine whether or not Appalachian State can get out of last place.

South Division

Georgia Southern (19-6, 10-4)

While they dropped an 80-79 contest to UNC Greensboro that could’ve put some distance between the Eagles and Charleston, there is still a good chance for Georgia Southern to clinch the South Division. The reason? Charleston has to play ETSU, and the Eagles already have. The Eagles will honor four seniors in their final home game Monday night against Elon, and then close out the regular season against The Citadel on Saturday. A slip-up, and Georgia Southern could fall as far as third in the conference, and more importantly, relinquish a shot at a first round bye.

College of Charleston (18-7, 10-4)

Charleston will find out if a trip out of conference will cost them this week when they finish their regular season against Furman on Wednesday and a huge home game against ETSU on Saturday. It will be the Cougars second Saturday on ESPN2 in as many weeks. Charleston needs to win out and have some help in order to clinch their sixth South Division title in a row. They have won their division every year that they have been in the SoCon.

Davidson (14-11, 9-5)

The Wildcats have a huge week in front of them. Armed with a chance to win the South Division if a few things go their way, they travel to Appalachian State for a Wednesday game and then host Furman in the regular season finale on Saturday. It will be perhaps the biggest SoCon game Davidson has played since they beat Furman in the 2002 Tournament Championship game.

Furman (15-10, 7-7)

The Paladins took a big step up forward last week by beating Western Carolina and The Citadel. If they can get by a tough Charleston team on Wednesday, Furman has a finale against Davidson that could push them up to third place. Furman dropped a 5-point decision to Charleston earlier this season, a game in which they battled back after falling behind 21-2.

Wofford (8-17, 4-10)

Wofford has clinched the 5th seed in the South and will open the SoCon tournament against the 4th seed in the North, which will not be determined till the final day of the regular season. Howard Wilkerson recorded his 7th double double in the Terriers only game of the week, a 73-63 point loss to Davidson.

The Citadel (4-20, 0-14) – The Bulldogs have lost 13 games in a row and are looking to avoid going winless in conference, only two years removed from finishing 17-12 overall. The final week of the regular season features traveling to Wofford and a finale with Georgia Southern in Charleston. The Bulldogs will honor two seniors (Max Mombollett, Erick Wilson) on Saturday night.

Metro Atlantic Notebook

Metro Atlantic Conference Notebook

by Jesse Ullmann

Nine Lives

Iona guard DeShaun Williams has support coming from within. Last week, head coach Jeff Ruland and the athletic department consulted with three of William’s professors. Williams, who transferred to Iona from Syracuse, will now be allowed to finish up with his schoolwork and get the diploma, barring another screw up.

The former Third Team All-Big East selection was kicked off the Gaels basketball team two weeks ago because he had not met academic requirements instilled by that of the university. Now it has come out that Williams also missed shoot around that particular week, possibly another reason why he was shown the exit.

Judging from the reactions of his teammates, though struggling on the court, they seem to be relieved that Williams will no longer be around.

Bracket Buster Saturday

Mike Konovelchick’s dunk as the buzzer sounded sealed an 83-76 Manhattan victory over Horizon League leader Wisconsin-Milwaukee Saturday afternoon in a nationally televised Bracket Buster Saturday on ESPN2.

Senior guard Luis Flores played big finishing with a game high 27 points, including three shots from downtown to pace the Jaspers. The bench played fantastic and Manhattan saw six players finish with seven or more points.

Manhattan (52 RPI) is looking for that automatic bid in case they do not win the conference tournament. 1995 was the last year two teams from the MAAC made the NCAA’s.

MAAC Player of the Week

Since the Fairfield Stags lost their leading scorer Deng Gai with a severe ankle injury on January 18, senior Rob Thomson has taken his game to another level. This past week, Thomson averaged nearly 22 points and 12 rebounds per game in wins over Iona and Rider. Foul trouble seems to be a problem with Thomson, but somehow he manages and has become a dominating presence in the paint.

For the season, Thomson is leading the team in scoring with 13.1 points per game and in rebounding with 8.2 rebounds per game. Thomson is tenth in conference scoring and fifth in rebounding.

In the press conference following Fairfield’s win over Iona, Ruland complimented Thomson on his style. “He’s big for them. I recruited the kid when he was in high school and he just didn’t want to come here. He liked Fairfield and he’s turned out to be quite a success.”

Update on Gai Injury

With the emergence of Thomson, junior forward Deng Gai is looking to try and make a comeback before season’s end. The Sudan native is off the crutches after suffering an ankle injury versus Manhattan on January 18th and has removed the air cast. According to team officials, Gai, apart from the team, is practicing lightly on strength and conditioning but will not rush a return. He has missed 11 games so far and was originally expected to be out three to four weeks.

1. Manhattan Jaspers 15-1, 21-4

One month ago Iona figured out how to beat Manhattan by holding Flores to three of 17 shooting, handing the Jaspers their first (and only) conference loss of the season.

Heading into last Saturday’s battle with Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the Jaspers had reeled off seven straight victories, including a 76-52 romping of Marist on Wednesday.

Luis Flores hit his free throws down the stretch and the Jaspers increased that streak to eight with an 83-76 win over the Panthers at the Klotsche Center in Milwaukee. Manhattan has clinched the regular season title and secured the top seed in the MAAC tournament, set to start March fifth.

Flores scored a game high 27 while forwards David Holmes and Peter Mulligan had 14 apiece. In front of 4,752 Manhattan controlled the tempo for a full 40 minutes, shooting 77.8 percent from the foul line. The Jaspers turned the ball over just 11 times. Kenny Minor came off the bench to score eight points for the Jaspers.

Next in action: Thursday @ Rider at 7:30 p.m., Sunday v. Marist at 2 p.m.

2. Fairfield Stags 11-5, 18-9

Fighting back from a 23-point deficit to win versus a fierce Niagara team last Monday, Fairfield had momentum this week against Iona and Rider. Both meetings capping a four-game stretch at home, Iona was first up on Thursday and Rob Thomson sent a message. Trailing early on to the Gaels, Thomson and guard Ty Goode took control of the game, taking a 39-25 lead into the half.

Thomson ended the game with 21 points and 14 rebounds, his eighth double double of the season, leading the Stags to an 82-57 victory. Goode finished with just nine points but was vicious on defense forcing Ricky Soliver, Steve Burtt and Marvin McCullough to turn the ball over 11 times.

Thomson, playing in his final home game as a Stag Sunday afternoon at Harbor Yard, scored a game high 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds in Fairfield’s 70-59 win over Rider.

Next in action: Wednesday @ Loyola at 8:30 p.m., Saturday @ Siena at 7 p.m.

3. Niagara Purple Eagles 11-5, 17-8

The Purple Eagles looked shaky at home against Loyola Thursday in a 69-62 win and had little time to think about recovering. Niagara was headed to Jersey City for a Saturday matinee with No. two St. Peter’s. A win for Niagara would put them in a three-way conference tie for second place with the Peacocks and Fairfield.

Keydren Clark’s 33 points were not enough to stop Niagara as four Purple Eagles scored double figures in a 91-82 victory. Niagara forward Juan Mendez led the way with 26 points and 13 rebounds. Guards Tremmel Darden and David Brooks scored 18 and 16, respectively.

Despite three technical fouls on Niagara and a career high 21 points from St. Peter’s Jamie Sowers, it was foul trouble in the end that plagued four of the five Peacock’s starters. Niagara shot an impressive 84.6 percent from the charity stripe including a perfect 12 of 12 from the free throw line in the second half.

Next in action: Thursday @ Marist at 7:30 p.m., Sunday v. Canisius at 6 p.m. (MSG)

4. Saint Peter’s Peacocks 11-5, 15-10

Keydren Clark has solidified his spot as the nation’s most prominent scorer. Along with Julius Page of Pittsburgh, Clark was voted to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division I All-District three, second team last week. The accolades will continue to pile on; however, if head coach Bob Leckie has anything to say about it, there are more important things in store for the Peacocks.

St. Peter’s split a pair of road games, winning versus Canisius 103-89 and falling to Niagara 91-82. Forward Jamie Sowers scored a career best 21 points against Niagara and Clark had another incredible performance, with a game high 33 points on 10 of 26 shooting.

Next in action: Friday @ Iona at 7:30 p.m., Sunday v. Rider at 3 p.m.

5. Rider Broncs 9-6, 15-11

The Broncs squeaked out a win against the Griffs last Monday 66-63 in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Rider was led by guard Jerry Johnson, who hit five threes, and finished with 25 points. Forward Ed Muniz contributed with 15 points and three steals.

When Rider traveled to Bridgeport to take on Fairfield, Rider trailed by just five points at the half but never got over the hump and Fairfield eventually too control, winning handily 70-59. Again Johnson led all scorers with 22 points (eight turnovers) and was just one of two Rider players scoring in double figures. Terrance Mouton came off the bench to score ten points.

Next in action: Tuesday @ Iona at 7:30 p.m., Thursday v. Manhattan at 7:30 p.m., Sunday @ St. Peter’s at 3 p.m.

6. Siena Saints 7-9, 10-15

7,270 fans watched the Siena Saints defeat Dave Magarity and his Marist Red Foxes 71-65 Saturday evening at Albany’s Pepsi Arena. Siena’s only game of the week, guard Mike Beers scorched Marist, coming off the bench for 15 points on 10 of 15 shooting from the floor.

Beers was one of three players to score in double figures for Siena, led by 22 points from Michael Haddix. The pesky Guard Jamal Jackson scored seven points and Antoine Jordan went six of six from the free throw line, finishing with eight points in the win.

Next in action: Thursday v. Canisius at 7 p.m., Saturday v. Fairfield at 7 p.m.

7. Iona Gaels 5-10, 7-17

Iona head coach Jeff Ruland called his team’s play Thursday night against Fairfield “comparable to the Punk’D television show on MTV.” Iona came out aggressive and when the Stags decided to throw some aggression back in the Gaels’ face, Ruland’s team folded.

Iona dropped their fifth straight in an 82-57 thrashing at Fairfield Thursday. Ricky Soliver was the spark early on for the Gaels, but went cold in the last 25 minutes of action. Soliver finished with 18 points.

Guard Steve Burtt had a good showing dropping in 10 points, the only other Iona player scoring double figures. This was Iona’s only game of the week and the team is in a serious drought with free throw shooting, perimeter shooting and enthusiasm lacking in nearly every category.

Next in action: Tuesday v. Rider at 7:30 p.m., Friday v. St. Peter’s at 7:30 p.m.

8. Canisius Griffs 5-11, 10-17

Canisius split games this week with a loss to St. Peter’s and a win on Senior Day over Loyola. The red-hot Peacocks scored 103 points as Keydren Clark dropped in 33 points and dished out eight assists. This is the first time in the history of the Koessler Center any opponent has scored 100-plus points.

Canisius head coach Mike MacDonald, coming off a big overtime win at Fairfield last week, said the defensive effort just was not there. Senior Toby Foster, who was one of five Griffs to score in double figures, finished with a team high 16 points while freshman guard Chuck Harris scored 11 points and dished out a career best eight assists in the losing effort.

Seniors Toby Foster and Jon Ferris went out with a bang. In the last home stand of the season, the two veterans combined for 35 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Ferris became just the fifth player in school history to score more than 1,000 career points, grab 500-plus rebounds and hand out 200 career assists. Canisius defeated Loyola 83-67.

Next in action: Thursday @ Siena at 7 p.m., Sunday @ Niagara at 6 p.m. (MSG)

9. Marist Red Foxes 4-12, 6-19

Marist had a brutal week, dropping two against MAAC leader Manhattan as well as Siena. Last Wednesday the Red Foxes welcomed the Jaspers to town, handing over a 76-52 win. Again, in an effort to distribute equal playing time to nearly all of his players, head coach Dave Magarity ran 13 guys. Center Will McClurkin was the lone Marist player scoring in double figures, barely, with 12 points. Marist had no answer for Luis Flores, whose 30 points virtually put the game away in the first 10 minutes. Marist shot 27.3 percent from behind the arc.

Next in action: Thursday v. Niagara at 7:30 p.m., Sunday @ Manhattan at 2 p.m.

10. Loyola Greyhounds 1-15, 1-24

The Greyhounds are on their way to finishing in last place for the second straight season, dropping two games this past week. Loyola was almost able to pull off the upset of the year traveling to Niagara. The Greyhounds led 6-0 early and kept it close but would fall in the ladder stretch, eventually losing to the Purple Eagles by the final score of 69-62.

This was a five point contest with less than seven minutes to play, largely in part to guard Charlie Bell, who scored a team high 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Guard Shane James had 10 points and forward Michael Tuck finished with 11 points on five of 13 shooting.

Loyola would next travel to the Koessler Center for Senior Day at Canisius. The Griffs dominated and Loyola was handed their sixth straight loss, 83-67. The Greyhounds had balanced scoring with Bell, again, leading the way with 15 points. Senior forward Lindbergh Chatman was a nice spark coming off the bench to score 12 points in 27 minutes of action.

Next in action: Wednesday v. Fairfield at 8:30 p.m., Sunday v. Iona at 4 p.m.

Mid-Continent Notebook

Mid-Continent Conference Notebook

by Matthew Moll

And Then There Were Four

With only a week left in the season the six-team race has dwindled to four for the all-important number-one seed in the conference tourney. Valparaiso, Centenary, IUPUI, and Oral Roberts are all tied in the loss column with four.

Here is the run-down:

Valpo has only one conference game remaining against a tough Chicago State team and will need to win it to ensure a share of the Mid-Con regular season championship and to hope for a number-one seed. Valpo split its series with all of the teams in contention. The tiebreaker would go to IUPUI should they tie, because of its wins against Oral Roberts.

Centenary needs wins against Oral Roberts and at Chicago State to control its own destiny. A loss at either will most likely end its hopes of a number-one seed. Should Centenary tie with Valpo and win out they will get the tiebreaker and the number-one seed. IUPUI owns the tiebreaker should the two teams tie.

IUPUI needs to get past Western Illinois and UMKC to clinch the number-one seed. IUPUI is in the driver seat owning tiebreakers against all the other teams in contention.

Oral Roberts lost twice to IUPUI, split the season series with Valpo and play Centenary this week. They will need to win out and hope IUPUI and Valpo lose to avoid tiebreakers that would go favorably in other team’s directions. Wins this week do guarantee that they have at least a share of the regular season title.

Kicking some Tutt

Oral Roberts is the hottest team in the Mid-Con and look to be the team to beat as the conference tourney lurks. A young core that includes two freshmen and a sophomore leads the Golden Eagles.

Freshman Caleb Green leads the league in rebounds per game at 9.4 and is eighth in the league in points at 16.4 ppg and was named Mid-Con Player of the Week by the conference the week of January 5. Sophomore Jonathan Bluitt leads the Mid-Con in dime-dropping, dishing out 6.5 assists per. Finally, the King himself, Ken Tutt, is receiving national recognition and was named the Unsung Player of the Week by CollegeHoops.com during the week of February 19. He is the nation’s second highest scoring freshman at 20.8 ppg. Currently Tutt is in the midst of a seven game streak where he has scored 25 or more points averaging 27.1 in that run.

During this basket-making barrage the Golden Birdies won three straight and are among those looking for a Mid-Con tourney number-one seed. The string of straight scoring outbursts is the longest consecutive 25-plus efforts in the nation this season.

Mr. 1000

IUPUI’s Odell Bradley joined the Jaguars’ 1000-point club in just his second season. The transfer from Aquinas College in Whites Creek, Tenn., is the team’s leading scorer at 23.0 ppg and has emerged as a team leader since last year’s NCAA run. Bradley broke the 1000-point barrier with his first two points of his 29-point performance against Centenary.

IUPUI will be a major threat in the conference tournament particularly because of Bradley’s leadership and ability to fill up the stat book.

Chopping Oak

Touted as the preseason favorite, Oakland has lost 11 of its last 16 games and is not part of the race for first.

Oakland has had trouble winning close games and has been playing to their competition all year.

Oakland is a dangerous team and can beat anyone in the Mid-Con, but its inconsistency has been its demise and Oakland will need to amend that come March.

Player of Week

Tutt has been unstoppable. Mr. Nation’s Second Leading Scoring Freshman was lights out last week hitting on 15 of 26 (58 percent) shots, which included a 10 of 16 effort from threeland, and did not miss a free-throw (10-10) in last week’s sweep of Chicago State and Oakland.

Freshman/Newcomer of the Week

You could say Tutt for the second straight week, but enough ink on him. How about pumping both your fists for freshman glass cleaner Caleb Green. Green is only leading the Mid-Con in double-doubles registering two last week. The Tulsa native has established himself as the best and most consistent big-man in the conference.

Games of the Week

Valpo at Duke. ESPN, Dicky Veee. What could be bigger? Thursday 9 pm. (EDT)

Mid-Con Notes

Valparaiso Crusaders (13-11 overall, 10-5 Mid-Con)

The Crusaders were handed their 11th loss of the season thanks to cold shooting in their only game last week. Valpo must have had one ear turned towards the Cameron Crazies in Durham and overlooked Southern Utah who shot nearly 60 percent from the floor. Leading scorer Dan Oppland was held to 12 points while Kenny Harris recorded his first career double-double to lead the ‘Saders in a losing effort, 75-58. This loss put a stop to Valpo’s three-game winning streak and slowed its once positive thrust toward the finish.

Up Next: Valpo must now rebound against Top 5 Duke. The Dukies are coming off a loss to Wake Forest, but the game still has tournament implications and gives the Mid-Con’s best a chance to be on a national stage. Duke is fighting for a number-one seed in the NCAA’s and Valpo is looking for respect. Thursday ESPN 9 pm. (EDT)

Centenary Gents (15-10, 9-5)

Last week began with the Gents winning their 17th straight game at home and ended with a loss to IUPUI. The Gents were unable to take advantage of the loss by Valpo to move into first and must now play their way out of a four-way race. Centenary defeated UMKC, 63-55, despite a poor shooting effort and only 10 points from leading scorer Andy Wisniewski. Defense was the word of the day for the Gold Dome win, holding the Kangaroos to 29.5 percent second half shooting. On the road, however, the Jags of IUPUI were able to withstand a 34-point effort from Wisniewski to defeat the Gents 69-61. No other player scored in double figures.

Up Next: Centenary will attempt to extend its home winning streak to 18 when it hosts Oral Roberts on Thursday. Saturday they travel to Chicago State to end the regular season.

IUPUI Jaguars (17-9, 9-5)

IUPUI managed to stay in contention for a Mid-Con regular season title thanks to some help and revenge over Centenary. Last week began with a loss, 76-73, to Oakland, which made last year’s Mid-Con NCAA representative look as if it would stumble as the regular season ended. The lead changed throughout the last 2:19 of the game thanks to several missed free throws by the Golden Grizzlies (52.8 percent for the game). Oakland gave IUPUI a chance to send the game into overtime but the three-pointer by Akeem Clark was long. Senior Odell Bradley led IUPUI with 23 points and also grabbed nine boards. IUPUI exacted revenge for the late January loss to Centenary by a score of 69-61. Timely free throw shooting and a defense that only allowed one double-digit scorer pushed the Jags past their 16 turnovers. Mr. 1000-point club, Odell Bradley, led the way with 29 points. Bradley reached the 1000th point plateau in just two seasons with the Jags. Bradley also led the rebounding effort with 11.

Up Next: Ron Hunter’s crew will play post-season eliminated Western Illinois on Thursday. Saturday UMKC will come to Indianapolis to fight for the undecided number-one seed.

Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (16-9, 9-5)

Oral Roberts rolled off two wins last week extending its current winning streak to three. The Golden Eagles flew into Mid-Con contention with the help of net scorching freshman Ken Tutt. In the 75-61 win over Chicago State, Tutt scored 25 points including a stretch where he scored 13 straight points. Fellow freshman Caleb Green notched his league leading 12th double-double to aid the Eagles. Fox SportsNet brought the Mid-Con to a national audience. Oral Roberts had to withstand a 60.7 percent shooting effort by Oakland and deficits as high as 12 points to come away with the 84-75 win. Tutt, Green, and sophomore Jonathan Bluitt turned the homecoming game into an underclassman show combining for 66 points including all 46 points in the Golden Eagle second half. Tutt scored a game high 25 points while freshman middle man Green recorded yet another double-double and his ninth 20 and 10 game scoring 24 and cleaning the glass 10 times. Bluitt scored 15 of his 17 in the second half and also added eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

Up Next: The Eagles have their destiny in their own hands as they play fellow contender Centenary Thursday and will face a Southern Utah team that has recently found their touch to finish off regular season play.

Chicago State Cougars (14-9, 7-5)

Chicago State’s hopes for a regular season title became mathematically improbable after a 1-1 week. After a hot shooting first half, lack of free-throws and a coach Kevin Jones ejection, Chi-State became Team King Tutt’s latest victim. Junior Tony Weeden led the way with 21 points and Rubeen Perry chipped in 14. CSU was out boarded by the Golden Eagles 35 to 19 in the loss. State managed to end its three-game road losing streak and beat UMKC for the first time since 1997 on UMKC’s home floor last Saturday with a 66-65 win. Weeden led the Cougars with 16 points while Perry added a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. State held the Kangaroos to 37 percent shooting from the field, but still needed Brandon Lipsey of UMKC to miss a free-throw at the end of regulation to avoid overtime. The win marked the most wins in conference in one season for CSU.

Up Next: State hopes to play spoiler and be on a roll when the conference tourney begins when they play Centenary on Saturday.

UMKC Kangaroos (12-13, 7-7)

Last week the ‘Roos extended a losing streak that is now at three games. The week included losses to Centenary and Chi-State. In the 63-55 loss UMKC led by two at halftime and by as many as six in the second half. But UMKC saw the game slip away after tying it at 49 with 7:45 left. Additionally the Kangaroos could only manage seven made field goals in the second half. Michael Watson led the way with 28 points. The loss to Chicago State was the ‘Roos first loss at home in 13 games. The late charge by the Roo’s was halted by poor free-throw shooting that haunted them throughout the game. Watson was the Kangaroos’ leading scorer with 17.

Up Next: UMKC will play Southern Utah and IUPUI before the conference tournament.

Southern Utah Thunderbirds (8-15, 4-8)

After having three straight poor shooting performances Southern Utah rattled off two wins last week and have their eyes on the conference tournament. Western Illinois comeback, after a dismal first half fell short as the T-birds went on to win 63-55. Southern Utah led by as many as 21, but saw that lead slowly shrink to six thanks to a couple of double digit Leatherneck runs, but Western never got closer. DeAngelo Newsom led Southern Utah with 20 points. Senior night became lone senior David Palmer night when the T-birds pounded Valpo, 75-58. Valpo’s shooting was virtually nonexistent while Southern managed to shoot over 51 percent from the field. Palmer led all scorers with 17.

Up Next: Southern Utah prepares for the post-season with two road games. They will play UMKC on Thursday and end the week in Tulsa to play Oral Roberts.

Oakland Golden Grizzlies (11-16, 5-10)

Formerly known as the pre-season favorite to win the conference, OU has found itself not in the race for a number-one seed in the tourney. Last week Oakland started with a win defeating IUPUI on their home floor, but ended the week feeling the wrath of the Tutt led Golden Eagles. Mike Helms led Oakland with 23 points over the Jags of IUPUI. Against Oral Roberts, Oakland could not hold onto its slim halftime lead to defeat the Golden Eagles. The battle of the Golden teams was decided during a two-minute scoreless span by OU during the game’s final five minutes. Helms again led Oakland in scoring with 22 points while Rawle Marshall dropped in 20 points and eight rebounds.

Up Next: The Golden Grizz hope to get back to winning when they play host to non-conference opponent IPFW and battle last place Western Illinois on Saturday.

Western Illinois Leathernecks (1-13, 3-23)

The Leathernecks extended their losing streak to nine games after a loss in their only game last week to Southern Utah. T.J. Gray and Bobby Carter each scored 14 points in the 63-55 loss.

Up Next: The ‘Necks will finish their season with two conference games versus IUPUI and at Oakland.

Patriot League Notebook

Patriot League Notebook

by Steve Sheridan

One Weekend Left

Two games are all the eight teams of the Patriot League have left in the regular season. Three teams, Lafayette, Lehigh and Bucknell, are busy battling for the top spot in the final league standings, with the Mountain Hawks currently holding a very slim one-game lead over its two pursuers. American has the fourth seed locked up, but is still attempting to move its way upwards. Colgate, Holy Cross and Army are all mixed up in the fight for the fifth seed, while Navy sits all alone in the bottom of the standings, already knowing that it will face off with the top seed in the first round of the playoffs. With so much still at stake, the fans can only hope that next weekend rivals this weekend in excitement.

Patriot League Unveils Regular Season, Postseason Changes

Although unable to affect the playoffs this season, the league made some changes to the schedule structure starting next year. The league has decided to eliminate men’s and women’s doubleheaders, so that the men’s and women’s teams will play at opposite sites on the same day. The fans are the major winners in this decision, as they will be able to see either a men’s or women’s game every league playing date of the season beginning in 2005. The basic format for the regular season, which includes four “travel partner” weekends, will return next season, with some small modifications. For the postseason, the league has decided to return the playoffs to Patriot League campuses. A new split tournament format would divide the eight teams into two four-team “tournaments” hosted by the two top teams in the league, with the winners of each bracket advancing to the League Championship game. The championship has always been played on the home court of the higher seed. Including this season, the playoffs (excluding the title game) have been played for the last three seasons at The Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, MD.

Home Court Advantage Huge To Some Teams

My last note then makes this paragraph even more important, although not for this season. The appeal of playing on one’s home court has been very pleasing to Lafayette, Lehigh and Bucknell this year. All three teams are undefeated on their home floors in league play this season, holding a huge advantage over their opponents. The Leopards, to top them all, are a perfect 11-0 on their home floor as this point in their schedule. The Mountain Hawks are 12-1 overall in Stabler Arena, having won all seven of their home league games as the regular season winds down. The Bison, meanwhile, lost just two non-league games on the floor of Sojka Pavilion this season. It is certainly no coincidence that these three teams are also the top three teams in the Patriot League standings.

Player of the Week

Austen Rowland, Lehigh

Rowland wins his second Patriot League Player of the Week honor this season after leading the Mountain Hawks to its first place perch in the league. The senior guard averaged 13.5 points, 8.5 assists and 4.5 boards in his two games last weekend, including his first double-double with the Mountain Hawks.

Rookie of the Week

Jason Mgebroff, Lehigh

Mgebroff helps Lehigh sweep the weekly awards with his first Rookie of the Week award. The freshman came up huge in the Mountain Hawks’ biggest weekend of the year, averaging over 18 points and seven rebounds in the team’s two games against Lafayette and Army.

Mountain Hawks Soar To The Top Spot

It took almost the entire regular season, but someone has finally dethroned Lafayette atop the Patriot League standings. After another excellent weekend, including a huge home win over Lafayette, the Lehigh Mountain Hawks (17-8 overall, 10-2 PL) overcame the Leopards in the standings and on the court.

Lehigh prepared itself for the showdown against Lafayette by beating Army in a surprisingly close 68-63 win. Jason Mgebroff led the home team with a career-high 25 points while Austen Rowland added 15 points, but the team was unable to pull away from the Black Knights. At one point, the team was down six points to the Black Knights and head coach Billy Taylor pulled all five of his starters off the court in frustration, and the reserves responded by creating a game-breaking 13-0 run with pressure-packed defense. In total, the bench contributed 22 points for the game, while the three starters other than Rowland and Mgebroff combined for only six points. Mgebroff, who came into the game with a career-best of 15 points, came close to eclipsing that in each half, scoring 12 and 13 in the two halves. Rowland had another stellar game, recording his first double-double for the Mountain Hawks by dishing out 10 assists to go along with his 15 points.

Coming off a close contest against Army, the Mountain Hawks then collided with the Leopards for the 200th time in the schools’ history, with first place in the Patriot League on the line. In a game that saw no team grab a lead of more than six points, five Mountain Hawk players scored in double figures in a game that almost topped the 111-104 thriller earlier this season. While double figures are to be expected from Rowland and Mgebroff (12 each), it was the bench that keyed the Lehigh victory. Kevin Tempest scored a team-high 13 points in a reserve role, while Ra Tiah and Kyle Neptune scored 11 and 10, respectively off the bench for Fran O’Hanlon. After 13 ties and nine lead changes, two Mgebroff free throws with 4:52 remaining gave the Mountain Hawks a lead they would not let go of. The biggest basket of the game came from Dayne Michelson, who tipped in a Rowland miss with 29 seconds left to give Lehigh a four-point edge. The win was a total team effort by the home squad, as nine players registered over 10 minutes of action in this one, with all nine scoring at least one basket.

Lehigh has but one weekend to defend its first place standing in order to head into the league tournament as the top seed. Two wins against Colgate and Holy Cross will place them at number one, while one win will guarantee them a share of the league crown. But as the new top gun, the Mountain Hawks will have to play just as they did last weekend if they want to hold off two upset-minded teams.

Bison Continue The Late-Season Stampede

The Bucknell Bison (13-12 overall, 9-3 PL) finished off the home portion of its schedule in grand style last weekend, taking down first place Lafayette and seventh place Army to make the leap to second place in the league standings headed into the final weekend of the regular season.

On Friday night, the Bison pulled to within one game of first place in front of the second-largest crowd in Sojka Pavilion history, taking down the once-mighty Leopards. The Bison did an excellent job of neutralizing the most potent offense in the Patriot League while giving the Leopards no chance of stopping them. Bucknell shot a sizzling 54 percent from floor for the game, including 57 percent in the decisive second half. That second half, in which the Bison outscored Lafayette by 15 points, was spurred in large part by freshman Chris McNaughton. The center scored 18 of his game-high 20 points in the second half, overcoming a first half in which he played just three minutes due to foul trouble. Kevin Bettencourt, currently second in the league in scoring, added 17 points, while Charles Lee and Abe Badmus chipped in 15 and 12, respectively. The Bison were victorious due to their lack of turnovers, especially in the second half, where the team turned the ball over twice in 20 minutes.

Coming off the team’s biggest win of the year, the team did not let down on Sunday afternoon against the Black Knights, holding the pathetic Army team to just 25 points in a 75-25 massacre in front of the home crowd. The largest margin of victory in school history was an appropriate gift for the Bison seniors on Senior Day, as all five seniors started the game and played significant minutes against a team that needed all the help they could get. All 15 Bison players saw action in this one, with senior Matt Quinn leading 12 Bison on the score sheet with 13 points. Stats were not important for the Bison, as no other player scored more than nine points, and yet the team still managed to shoot 60 percent from the field in its final home showing of the regular season. In the team’s two games against the Black Knights this season, Bucknell outscored Army by a ridiculous 131-48. One down note for the Bison was head coach Pat Flannery, who was taken to an area hospital in the second half due to some discomfort. The trip was precautionary, however, and hopefully Flannery will be back on the Bison sidelines as the team finishes up its regular season.

The Bison also get the Raiders and the Crusaders to finish up the regular season, looking to keep the team’s seven-game winning streak alive. Two wins will ensure the Bison of at least a share of second-place and may also set up, with a little help from the Black Knights, another game against Army. If that occurs, I advise all record-keepers to be in attendance.

A Lost Weekend For Leopards

Lafayette (18-7 overall, 9-3 PL) came into the weekend in first place by itself but left in a tie for second place after a pair of losses to Bucknell and Lehigh.

The Leopards traveled to Lewisburg to take on Bucknell on Friday night, and the team’s poor shooting led to a sloppy 79-61 loss. The Leopards temporarily dropped into a first place tie with Lehigh thanks in large part to the team’s 40 percent shooting, with only one Leopard player, Winston Davis, reaching double figures, matching a season-low total. Lafayette missed its first seven shots from the field, falling behind early before coming back, heading into the locker room down only three points. In that first half, Justin DeBerry hit his only two field goals of the game, on his way to a six-point night, 10 points below his season average, on 2-of-12 shooting. The Leopards, the highest scoring squad in the Patriot League, as a team was held 16 points below its season average on the way to its worst league performance of the year. Lafayette did themselves in in the second half, in which it shot only 37 percent and scored only 27 points, including a ten-minute span in which the team managed only one field goal.

That loss set up a first place showdown between the Leopards and Lehigh on Sunday afternoon, and Lafayette fell once again to the Mountain Hawks. Despite the loss, Lafayette still holds a commanding 132-68 lead in the all-time series, but that serves as no solace to the Leopards, who could have just about put a lock on the top seed with a win. The Leopards, coming off a poor shooting outing against Bucknell, shot the ball at a 46 percent clip, but couldn’t hit anything down the stretch. Lafayette could only hit one field goal in the final 7:27 of the game, allowing Lehigh to pull out the victory. DeBerry had a quiet 15 points for the visitors, despite taking just two shots in the final 20 minutes of the game. While the senior also dished out five assists, it was strange to see him not taking the clutch shots down the stretch for the Leopards, and that may have proven the team’s downfall. The team’s overall shooting percentage didn’t do them in, as they team actually shot better than Lehigh at 46 percent, but it was the lack of shots at the end of the game that cost the Leopards the game and first place.

Lafayette now hopes to rebound from an awful weekend with two games against winless Navy and fourth-place American. The Leopards will most likely need two wins to keep up with Bucknell and stay in a tie second place in the league, but the team will need to stop the bleeding in order to ensure itself as high a seed as it can get.

American Stays In The Hunt With Two Wins

American (14-12 overall, 8-4 PL) won its two games last weekend to stay one game back of the Leopards and the Bison, getting two critical wins to keep their chances of a three or even a two-seed still slimly alive.

The Eagles clinched at least a fourth-place finish in the Patriot League and gave coach Jeff Jones his 200th win with the team’s 65-51 win over Holy Cross on Friday night. Both teams played a very even first half, heading into the break tied at 25, but American came out firing in the second half, shooting 46 percent compared to Holy Cross’ 32 percent. Jervavis Draughn scored 10 of his 12 points in the final 20 minutes, while Jason Thomas added half of his twelve in the second half to help the team outscore the Crusaders by 14 in the second half. One area of domination for the Eagle on the evening was in the paint, where they outscored Holy Cross 36-14, thanks to Draughn and Patrick Okpawe, who scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds in just his second career start. The Eagles clinched the game at the free throw line, where American currently ranks sixth in the league, by hitting its final eight free throws in the final 1:27 of the game.

American then hung on to defeat Colgate on Sunday afternoon, 65-62, keeping up with the two teams ahead of them in the standings. The first half saw both teams trying to find a rhythm, with American gaining a small upper hand as they led by two at halftime. American turned it on in the second half, shooting 53 percent from the field and building up a 12-point lead with 9:35 to play. But the Raiders wouldn’t die and American, a team that came into the game sixth in the league shooting 65 percent from the line, won the game from the free throw line. Over the final 6:01, the Eagles hit 13-of-16 free throws, with oft-maligned Andres Rodriguez hitting nine of his 10 attempts. Over this same 6:01, the Eagles only managed to hit one field goal, and yet were able to pull out the victory after Mark Linebaugh’s last-second wide open three-pointer wouldn’t fall for Colgate. Rodriguez led his team with 17 points and seven assists on the afternoon, while Andre Ingram added 15 points and 10 rebounds to help the Eagles find a way to hold on.

American faces off with Army on Thursday night, and with a victory would set up a very important Saturday matchup with Lafayette. The winner of that game could potentially be the second seed in the tournament, while the loser will most likely fall into the fourth slot currently occupied by the Eagles. Both teams will be surely hyped up for that one.

Crusaders Split The Weekend, Stay In Fifth

With another weekend split, Holy Cross (11-14 overall, 5-7 PL) kept itself in line for a fifth place finish in the regular season – a position the Worcester faithful has not been accustomed to lately, but one that the fans will have to take.

Holy Cross was swept by American for the first time ever after the Crusaders’ 65-51 loss in a potential preview of a first-round tournament matchup. The Worcester crew shot just 32 percent on the evening, nine points below its season average, while allowing the Eagles to shoot over 46 percent over game’s last 20 minutes. Kevin Hamilton and Keith Simmons led the team with 14 and 11 points, respectively, but the team’s lack of an inside game hurt them in the second half. Nate Lufkin only scored one basket in 13 minutes thanks to foul trouble, picking up two in the first three minutes of the game and another two in a span of six seconds midway through the second half before eventually fouling out with five minutes left. John Hurley was the high-scorer for Crusader big men with seven points, but that certainly wasn’t enough to win in a game that, if won, would have given the Crusaders a chance at the fourth seed in the upcoming Patriot League tournament.

Coming off the disappointing effort against American, Holy Cross came back to hold a shot-block party on Navy’s home turf. The Crusaders blocked a season-high 11 shots in the team’s 76-47 win over the Midshipmen. The first half was total domination by the visitors, as they allowed just 11 points for the home team, although the Cross shot just 37 percent itself. With a 33-11 lead at the half, Holy Cross was able to cruise through the second half without incident, helped of course by 52 percent shooting to put away any hope of a Navy comeback. Hamilton, Simmons and Jave Meade all scored a lucky 13 points for the Crusaders, with all three hitting four field goals (2 threes apiece) and three free throws, providing a balanced attack for head coach Ralph Willard. On the defensive end, five Crusaders recorded at least one block, with Lufkin and Kevin Hyland each swatting away three Midshipman attempts. Hamilton, in addition to his 13 points, added two blocks, three assists and six steals in an excellent all-around effort.

Currently one game up on Colgate for the fifth spot in the league tournament, Holy Cross has a very tough weekend of basketball yet to play, as they welcome Bucknell and Lehigh to the Hart Center. Luckily for the Crusaders, Colgate, as Holy Cross’ “travel partner,” will face off with the same two teams. If both teams lose their remaining two games, the fifth spot will go to Holy Cross, but a win or two would give the team some much needed momentum headed into tourney time.

A Step Forward, A Step Back For Colgate

Colgate (12-13 overall, 4-8 PL) split its two road games this weekend against Navy and American – a huge accomplishment for this team – yet still finds itself one game behind Holy Cross for fifth place in the standings as the games wind down.

If you had 51 in the “Days Until Colgate Won Its First Road Game of 2004″ Pool, come forth to collect your prize. It took a while, but the Raiders finally won a game away from Cotterell Court, barely holding on to take a 60-59 decision against winless Navy. The Raiders came out strong in this one, hitting six of their first seven shots in jumping out to a early 13-3 lead, while holding Navy to 29 percent shooting en route to a 31-18 halftime advantage. The lead was still in double figures with 10 minutes remaining, but the Midshipmen were able to tie the game at 47 with under five minutes left. Colgate was able to step up the defensive pressure, while hitting seven of 11 free throws in the game’s final 3:36 on the offensive end to secure the win. Mark Linebaugh (11 points) and Kendall Chones (10) reached double figures for the ninth and eighth consecutive games, respectively, in the win.

The Raiders almost pulled into fifth place by themselves on Sunday, as the team was a last-second Linebaugh three-pointer from sending their game against American into overtime. Colgate was never able to get anything going in this one, as the squad never found its shooting touch. The team shot just 34 percent from the floor, including 28 percent in the first half, in a game that could have changed on one or two more made baskets. Andrew Zidar led the Raiders with 16 points and nine boards while Linebaugh added 11 points, but the most important three of the game wouldn’t fall for the senior, who last season defeated American on a last-second half-court prayer at Cotterell Court. The Raiders actually held a 10-rebound edge on the Eagles, a rarity for Colgate this season, which accounted for the team outpacing the hosts 22-4 in second chance points. Controlling the boards, however, was not enough, as too many shots didn’t fall for Colgate on this day.

The Raiders have a very difficult final weekend ahead of them, as they host first-place Lehigh and second-place Bucknell. The only good news for Colgate is that Holy Cross, the only team Colgate is able to catch, has the same pair of teams. Colgate may have to look for an improbable sweep if it wants to lock up the fifth position for the tournament, but two losses simply would not do.

Another Near-Record Setting Performance For Army

After two losses to Lehigh and Bucknell, I am starting to wonder more and more how Army (6-18 overall, 3-9 PL) was able to sweep the season series with Colgate this year.

Coming off the team’s win against Colgate last week, the Black Knights settled into their more familiar role, falling first to Lehigh on Friday night. Army certainly made the game a lot closer than it should have been, hanging with the Mountain Hawks all evening long and holding the lead as late as the 11:46 mark of the second half. The efforts of Josh Wilson and friends, however, simply were not enough. Wilson led the team with 19 points and five rebounds, and aided by Sean O’Keefe and Marshall Jackson, the visitors were able to put a scare into the second-place Mountain Hawks. The team did manage a very respectable 45 percent from the field, eight points above its league-low average, but the defense was unable to contain the Mountain Hawks, who stood right about at their season average of 69 points per game.

If Army played an entire season of games against Bucknell, this team would go down in history as the worst team to ever step onto a basketball court. Coming off a 56-23 last meeting, Army did little better in the scoring department and a lot worse on the offensive end, losing by 50 points to the Bison, 75-25. The Black Knight statistics for this one aren’t very pretty. 18 percent shooting from the field, 10 percent shooting from three-point range and 41 percent shooting from the line adequately describe the Army futility. The team managed just three field goals in the first half, a half in which it scored NINE points. The team exploded in the second half, however, putting a whopping 14 points on the board. The lead grew to as much as 56 late in the second half, before two goal-tended three-pointers brought the final deficit down to half-a-hundred.

Army will try again to stay out of the record books again this weekend, as it wraps up its regular season against American and Navy. The team’s game against Navy, being broadcast nationally by CBS, should come with a parental advisory warning, so that kids don’t emulate what they may see in a game that is being played solely for pride.

The Losses Keep Coming for The Naval Academy

They try and they try and they try, and yet the Midshipmen (3-22 overall, 0-12 PL) still can’t find a way to win a league game. The squad came close against Colgate, not so close against Holy Cross, and thus has one more weekend to give retiring head coach Don DeVoe a nice parting gift.

Against Colgate, a terrible first half was just enough to keep the Midshipmen from making a big second half comeback. A 29 percent shooting first half put the Navy team in a huge hole from which it could never fully get out of, despite a second half in which the Middies outscored the visiting Raiders by 12 points. Carlton Baldwin was the offensive star of the game for Navy, scoring 28 of the team’s 59 points, 12 of which came from the free throw line. Center Matt Fannin and forward Leonard Green also led an impressive Navy inside game, with Fannin scoring 11 points and adding 10 points and 10 boards. The loss was the second straight for Don DeVoe’s squad by two points or less, coming off the team’s two-point loss to Bucknell last week.

Senior Day didn’t go as planned for the three seniors on the Navy squad against Holy Cross, as the trio combined for just two points in their final home game. Navy came out a little flat in the first half, scoring 11 points in the first 20 minutes. (Sidenote: earlier this season, Lafayette scored 21 points in a five-minute overtime session; on Sunday, Army and Navy combined to score 20 points in 40 minutes of first-half play) Many of the team’s 68 shots just wouldn’t fall, however, as they team managed to hit just 28 percent of its attempts. Kwame Ofori was the lone Midshipmen senior to register a point in his final home game, scoring one basket.

Navy plays out the rest of the regular season with visits to American and Army. While neither of the games means anything in terms of the standings for the Middies, pride will certainly be on the line, especially in the team’s nationally-televised game against the rival Black Knights. And it would be nice to give the departing coach DeVoe something to smile at.

Conference USA Notebook

Conference USA Notebook

by Zach Van Hart

Block party

Welcome to C-USA, where all those who enter the lane beware; your shot may find its way into the third row seats. The conference is home to some of the nation’s shot blockers, while many are unheralded or just flat out unknown. Three of the top eight shot blockers in the nation are from C-USA, while several others are capable at collecting many blocks in a short period of time.

Anwar Ferguson, the 7-foot center for Houston, is second in the nation in blocks, averaging 4.1 per game. Earlier in the season he went three straight games with eight blocks. If he had been with the Cougars for four years, he would have easily eclipsed Kenyon Martin’s C-USA career mark.

Coming on strong is Gerrick Morris of USF. The 6-foot-10 slender forward is fourth in the nation at 4.0 blocks per game and is just now hitting his groove. He tied a career high of ten blocks Saturday against Ferguson’s Cougars and has two other games with nine during the past two weeks. He may soon pass Ferguson for the conference lead.

Then there is the man who has been one of the top shot blockers in C-USA for the past three seasons, East Carolina’s Moussa Badiane. He is eighth in the nation at 3.3 blocks per game and is making his way up the conference rankings. While getting shutout against TCU, he averaged seven blocks during the previous three games.

Not far behind these three are Cincinnati’s Jason Maxiell and Eric Hicks, Tulane’s Quincy Davis, Memphis’ Duane Erwin and Louisville’s Kendall Dartez. Even guard Francisco Garcia, while standing 6-feet-7, is ninth in the conference, averaging 1.4 blocks per game.

Who’s still suiting up?

Time for the ole’ injury and eligibility report in C-USA. Jeremy Hunt did play for Memphis Saturday with a sprained ankle. He is questionable for the Tigers’ game Tuesday against Southern Miss but will likely be in action at Louisville Saturday. Speaking of the Cardinals, forward Luke Whitehead did not play against Cincinnati, also because of ankle sprain. Expect to see Whitehead back on the court this week against DePaul

The Blue Demons before Saturday’s game against Saint Louis that freshman Tyler Smith had been suspended indefinitely for violating team rules. Last, Cincinnati center Robert Whaley announced he was leaving the team Monday for the remainder of the season for personal reasons.

Schwab improves after lung transplant

For two years, Marquette Terry Schwab had been awaiting a lung transplant. Recently, his doctors gave him six months to live if he did not receive the transplant. He was diagnosed in late 2001 with the rare, incurable disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which attacks the air sacks in the lungs and hinders the body’s ability to process oxygen. The cause of the disease is not known.

Schwab finally received the double lung transplant on Feb. 16 and remains in the hospital in stable condition. He is expected out any day now. Schwab has spent the past week in the hospital “in order to limit the amount of oxygen he needs as the transplanted lungs grow accustomed to his body,” Marquette head coach Tom Crean said.

Around the stretch they come

Two weeks remain and so do a lot of questions. Right now, Memphis is in the driver’s seat to win the conference crown but still have to win at least one tough road game. They must still play at Louisville and Cincinnati, but if they win against the Bearcats and hold court when they play TCU and Southern Miss, they will clinch the No. 1 seed.

UAB and Charlotte are also in great shape should the Tigers stumble. If it comes down to a tiebreaker, the Blazers hold the advantage thanks to its 69-62 win against the Niners earlier this season. Cincinnati still has a shot at the crown, but likely will need to defeat Charlotte on the road and/or Memphis.

Near the bottom, USF is likely out of tournament, with a three-way race between Tulane, Houston and East Carolina fighting to earn the final two spots. In the middle, there is a possible dynamite matchup in the quarterfinals – Louisville versus Marquette. Last year’s top game could be this year’s No. 6 vs. No. 10 contest.

Around C-USA, top to bottom

Memphis (19-4, 10-2) Last week: 1-0

The No. 24 Tigers own a ten-game winning streak, reside in first place alone and are sitting pretty. Last week, Memphis’ lone game came Saturday against UAB on national TV (ESPN). With an eighteen game home winning streak on the line, the Tigers never trailed during the second half and hit key free throws down the stretch, securing a 71-61 win. Sean Banks scored 21 of his game high 24 points during the second half, scoring his first dozen from deep, then went 8-of-8 from the free-throw line.

Antonio Banks, mentioned above as a potential C-USA Player of the Year, played another outstanding all-around game. Banks finished with sixteen points, six assists and five steals. With Jeremy Hunt sidelined because of a left knee injury and center Ivan Lopez seeing limited action because of a sprained ankle, Memphis essentially won with six players. The key was answering every UAB run, as the Blazers continuously cut the Tigers’ lead during the final 20 minutes.

Memphis is now in great shape for the conference tournament and at the No. 1 seed. They own the tiebreaker against now UAB and Charlotte, two of three teams trailing the Tigers by one game. While the third team trailing them by one game, Cincinnati, gets them at home, Memphis currently is playing better than the Bearcats. If the Tigers pull the road win and hold court at the Pyramid against TCU and Southern Miss, they will secure the top seed for the tourney. Up next – against Southern Miss, Feb. 24.

Charlotte (17-6, 9-3) Last week: 2-0

The 49ers took care of business last week, defeating USF by twelve at home and then winning on the road against Southern Miss, 78-72. The wins kept Charlotte within a game of first place, with four very winnable games remaining on their schedule to close out the regular season.

Demon Brown, coming off the bench for the second straight game Wednesday after serving a one-game suspension, scored 22 points and hit six three-pointers to lead the Niner charge. Brown also added four rebounds and a team high four assists. Charlotte built a seventeen-point first half lead, let the Bulls get within five, then pulled away late during the second half. Saturday, the Golden Eagles battled hard all 40 minutes but were eventually done in by Charlotte’s depth. Five Niner players scored in double digits, led by Curtis Wither and Eddie Basden’s sixteen points.

As mentioned above, if Memphis slips up on the road at Louisville and Cincinnati, Charlotte could be in position to swoop in for the conference title. While its home game with Cincinnati appears to be the toughest matchup remaining, Wednesday’s road game at TCU should be the bigger concert. Just ask Louisville, which lost by 25 points in Fort Worth last week.

Cincinnati (18-5, 9-3) Last week: 1-1

For the fifth straight week, the Bearcats split their week’s games. For the first time in those five weeks, they defeated a quality opponent. After another lackluster performance Wednesday, an 80-69 road loss against UAB, Cincinnati held on for a 66-61 overtime win against Louisville. While the Cardinals were also struggling, worse than Cincinnati, the win was big for both their confidence and their resume.

Wednesday the Bearcats against struggled in the halfcourt, both on offense and defense. Cincinnati turned the ball over 20 times, allowed countless layups to UAB and only forced ten turnovers. Rebounds and second half free throws were the only two things keeping them alive. Tony Bobbitt, fresh off scoring 49 points during UC’s two games the previous week, fouled out with a big goose egg in the points column.

Saturday, it appeared Cincinnati might go down again when Nate Daniels hit a three-pointer with 16.6 seconds remaining in regulation, giving Louisville a 54-52 lead. Field Williams responded by sinking a jumper just inside the arc, tying the game with 0.2 seconds remaining. In overtime, Eric Hicks and Bobbitt scored key baskets to secure the win. Up next – against Saint Louis, Feb. 25.

UAB (16-7, 9-3) Last week: 1-1

While a win Saturday would have basically wrapped up the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament, it was still a pretty good week for the Blazers. They earned that win against a Top 25 foe they needed, defeating Cincinnati. They played close on the road against Memphis. And they are still in good shape for if not the No. 1 seed, at least a share of the regular season title.

Wednesday, the Blazers beat the Bearcats with their bread and butter – their depth. Eleven players contributed, no player tried to do too much, but whenever a big play needed to happen someone stepped up. The leading score, Morris Finley, only dropped in thirteen points, but that did not matter. Their scrappy defense again rattled its opponent, as UAB came away with eight steals.

Saturday, it seemed like if the Blazers just took the lead once during the second half, it would be a different story. Three times they but the lead to two points or less, but Memphis (aka Antonio Burks) answered with a basket. Finley scored nineteen points and nailed five three-pointers, but whenever his team needed him to make a crucial hoop, he always came up short. The good news for UAB – its remaining schedule is the easiest of all the contenders and it owns the tiebreaker against Charlotte and Cincinnati. Up next – at Tulane, Feb. 25.

DePaul (15-8, 8-4) Last week: 1-1

The Blue Demons shot themselves in the foot Saturday, not only diminishing their hopes of a C-USA title but severely hurt their chances at earning an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. While DePaul scored a road win earlier in the week, 66-54 at Houston, it lost at home to Saint Louis, 69-62, a team it had just defeated on the road less than two weeks prior.

Against the Cougars, DePaul’s starting frontcourt dominated as Delonte Holland, Andre Brown and Quemont Greer combined for 51 points, 24 rebounds and shot 14-of-17 from the free-throw line. Played at a slow pace, the frontcourt’s ability to control the glass on both ends (they combined for ten of the team’s thirteen offensive rebounds) and get to the line was the key.

Saturday the Demons looked great through 20 minutes, taking a thirteen-point lead into the locker room. Then the wheels feel off, as DePaul’s defense had no answer for the Billikens’ hot shooting. Saint Louis scored 50 points, shot 63 percent from the field and hit eight of nine three-point attempts. With the loss, it’s safe to say DePaul needs to either win against Louisville and Cincinnati or go deep into the C-USA Tournament to lock up a NCAA bid. Up next – against Louisville, Feb. 25.

Louisville (17-6, 7-5) Last week: 0-2

The Cardinals in a word are struggling. They have lost three straight and five of their last six. Tuesday was easily the team’s worst game of the season, an embarrassing 71-46 shellacking at TCU on national television. Saturday they, or at least Francisco Garcia, gained its confidence back before losing to Cincinnati in overtime, 66-61. The Cardinals started last week as the highest ranked team in C-USA yet finds itself tied for sixth place.

Tuesday was ugly. Louisville’s leading scorer (Larry O’Bannon) finished with nine points, the team hit only fourteen field goals, dished out just nine assists, turned the ball over seventeen times and finished with its lowest point total during the Rick Pitino era. They trailed by fifteen points at the half and made a few mini-runs during the second half, never to get closer than nine.

Saturday did not start much better for the Cardinals, as their fifteen first half points eclipsed the team’s season low for first half points, set Tuesday (eighteen). Garcia, who went 3-of-12 during the first half, finally broke out his recent slump. Still hampered by sprained ankles on both legs, Garcia went 6-of-11 during the second half and overtime, including 4-of-5 from deep. It was not enough. Louisville played without Luke Whitehead, who sprained his ankle during practice before the game. His absence was felt on the glass, as Eric Hicks grabbed fourteen rebounds for Cincinnati. In need of wins, it does not any easier for Louisville as its last four games are all against quality opponents. Up next – against DePaul, Feb. 25.

Saint Louis (14-9, 7-5) Last week: 2-0

The Billikens have quietly put together three straight quality wins after a four-game losing streak. After defeating Charlotte by one point last week, Saint Louis defeated Marquette at home Wednesday, 58-54, then pulled off an incredible second half comeback on the road against DePaul, winning 69-62 and getting revenge for home loss to the Blue Demons Feb. 11.

Saint Louis lived on the edge against the Golden Eagles, as they trailed with 30 seconds remaining and allowed Steve Novack two three-point attempts for the winning during the closing seconds. But free throws and Novack’s misfires enabled the Billikens to defeat Marquette for the first time in eight tries. In Brad Soderberg fashion, it was a balanced Billiken attack that iced the win. Five players scored between nine and thirteen points.

Saturday, Saint Louis found itself trailing by thirteen in the half before playing its best offensive half of basketball all season. They scored 50 points, and knocked down all but one three-point attempt out of nine. Reggie Bryant scored a game high 25 points, converting six treys. The wins vaulted the Billikens into a tie for sixth place, with a shot at a first round bye in the conference tournament not out of reach. They will face a difficult test though Wednesday. Up next – at Cincinnati, Feb. 25.

TCU (10-13, 6-6) Last week: 1-1

Nothing like responding to your biggest win in year’s to your worst loss of the season. This is what the Horned Frogs did last week, destroying Louisville on national TV Tuesday, 71-46, before losing on the road to East Carolina, 75-71. In the grand scheme of things though, Tuesday’s win easily out-weighs the disappointing loss Saturday.

Not only did the Horned Frogs defeat its first Top 25 team in two years and its first top ten team in fourteen years, they mopped the floor with them. Corey Santee and Nucleus Smith continually sank big baskets during the second half, scoring 20 and seventeen points, respectively. TCU out-rebounded the Cards by thirteen, shot 84.6 percent from the free-throw line and answered every Cardinal run during the second half, usually in spectacular fashion. So dominate were the Frogs, it was their largest win of the season. What the win did was put every C-USA team on notice: this is not a team you want to face in the conference tournament.

Then again, they did turn around and loss to the Pirates Saturday, a team that currently sits in twelfth place in C-USA. The score did not tell the whole story as the game was never that close. The Frogs trailed by as many as fifteen points during the first half and never could find an answer to Derrick Wiley. The C-USA Player of the Week, Wiley scored 23 points and out-shined the Santee. Up next – against Charlotte, Feb. 25.

Marquette (14-9, 5-7) Last week: 1-1

The Golden Eagles saw another game slip away Saint Louis, but broke their four-game losing streak Saturday against Tulane. However, it seems pretty clear that Marquette is going to have to win the conference tournament or not lose again until the tournament championship game to return to the big dance. Anything short of a winning conference record will not earn an at-large bid at this point for the Eagles.

Wednesday, Marquette led on the road during the final minute. However, their problem all season reappeared again – no dependable player other than Travis Diener. The junior guard again played a stellar game, finishing with 26 points. The rest of his teammates scored 28 points and shot ten of 34 from the field. Scott Novack had two chances to win the game during the final sixteen seconds, but both times misfired from beyond the arc He went 2-of-11 from the field and finished with five points.

Novack and company bounced back Saturday, as four players scored in double digits during the Eagles’ 81-69 home win against Tulane. Novack scored sixteen points, Terry Sanders twelve and Desmond Mason ten. Diener played perhaps his best overall game of the season, totaling 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. With starting center Scott Merritt struggling, little used Chris Grimm played a career-high 24 points, scoring six points and collecting eight rebounds, also career highs. Merritt only played thirteen minutes and left with two points and two rebounds. Up next – at USF, Feb. 26.

Southern Miss (12-11, 5-7) Last week: 1-1

The Golden Eagles continued their mediocre season, winning at home against Houston, 70-48, before losing on the same court Saturday to Charlotte, 78-72. After winning its first nine home games, Southern Miss has now lost three of its last four. On the bright side, they swept the Cougars with the win.

Against Houston, the Eagles played of their most balanced games of the season. Four players scored in double digits, five players tallied at least four rebounds and the defense forced the Cougars to shoot 33.3 percent from the field and recorded eleven steals. Against the Niners, Jarekus Singleton continued his strong second half of the season with 21 points, but it was not enough to stop the more-balanced Charlotte attack. Up next – at Memphis, Feb. 24.

Tulane (10-13, 3-9) Last week: 0-2

After three straight wins, the Green Wave came back to Earth with two road losses last week; 76-66 to East Carolina and 81-69 at Marquette. Currently Tulane sits in eleventh place, good enough to earn a bid into the C-USA Tournament. However, they are tied in the win column with East Carolina and Houston, with sit a half-game back at 3-10.

Sloppy play did the Tulane against the Pirates, as they committed fifteen turnovers and 23 fouls, leading to 32 free throw attempts. Ben Benfield finished with his highest point total in two months, scoring fifteen to lead the Wave. Saturday they lost the game at the free throw line again. Marquette went 22-of-31 from the line, while Tulane only attempted ten, hitting six. Freshman forward Dan Fitzgerald set career highs in minutes (29) and points (sixteen) and tied a career high in rebounds (four). Up next – against UAB, Feb. 25.

East Carolina (11-12, 3-10) Last week: 2-0

The Pirates had their best week of 2004, winning two straight for the first time since December and sneaking back toward .500. They also jumped back into contention for a bid to the C-USA Tournament, which they did not qualify for last season. Currently they are tied for twelfth place with Houston. If they are going to make it to Cincinnati, this week’s game is a must.

As mentioned above, this week belonged to Derrick Wiley. He scored 22 points during the Pirates 76-66 win against Tulane, one of four players to score in double figures. Freshman Mike Cook had another solid game, scoring fourteen points, dishing out six assists and collecting five rebounds. Both players duplicated their efforts Saturday against TCU, a 75-70 win for ECU. Wiley finished with 23 points and Cook dropped seven dimes, a career high, along with sixteen points. Erroyl Bing was a monster on the boards, finishing with fifteen to go with eighteen points. Up next – against USF, Feb. 28.

Houston (9-15, 3-10) Last week: 1-1

After losing on the road to Southern Miss, the Cougars snapped their longest losing streak of the season with a 53-52 win against USF Saturday. Anwar Ferguson did what he does best, as mentioned above, by blocking the game-winning shot attempt with two seconds remaining, preserving the win. Lanny Smith’s three-pointer with 1:05 remaining proved to be the real game-winner. Smith led Houston with fifteen points.

Earlier in the week, Southern Miss took it to the Cougars, winning going away, 70-48. In a repeat from many games this season, Houston shot 33.3 percent from the field, 25 percent from beyond the arc and only attempted nine free throws. To make matters worse, they only dished out seven assists and grabbed just six offensive rebounds. The fact they managed to score 48 points was an accomplishment. Up next – at TCU, Feb. 28.

USF (7-16, 1-11) Last week: 0-2

The Bulls are back to their losing ways. After finally breaking through for a conference win against Southern Miss Feb. 14, USF dropped two roads last week, dropping them two games behind everyone in conference standings. Their loss to Houston was especially difficult to swallow. If they had won, they would just need to defeat East Carolina on the road to be looking good at clinching a spot in the conference tourney. Now as it stands, they are a longshot to make it.

Wednesday the Bulls’ starting five did all it could to keep up with Charlotte’s explosive offense but fell a little short to the tune of 84-72. All five starters scored in double figures while averaging 37 minutes between them. Terrance Leather led the team with nineteen points and eight rebounds. Saturday, Leather and Gerrick Morris were monsters inside, but Anwar Ferguson blocked Bradley Mosley’s jumper with two seconds remaining to seal the win. Leather scored 22 points and grabbed fourteen rebounds, while Morris just missed a triple-double (fourteen rebounds, ten blocks, eight points). Up next – against Marquette, Feb. 26.

Mid-American Notebook

Mid-American Conference Notebook

by Jeremy Speer

Thrust onto the national spotlight during Saturday’s Bracket Buster, it was a make-or-break weekend for Mid-American Conference teams. The MAC’s three best teams were faced with tough challenges and the trio passed with flying colors. Western Michigan and Kent State continue to add to their NCAA Tournament resumes with victories against College of Charleston and Creighton, respectively.

Miami, who has been hot of late, looks to be in good shape for at least an NIT bid with a win against Southwest Missouri State. The MAC’s other potential postseason team, Toledo, took a hit as guard Keith Triplett broke his nose in a loss at Nevada.

Kann clutch in Western win

In front of the largest crowd ever at Kalamazoo’s University Arena, senior forward Anthony Kann calmly lifted his team to victory. Down two points with less than three seconds to go against College of Charleston, the Broncos inbounded the ball to Kann. Rather than rushing an off-balance jumper, Kann used a shot fake, which the Cougars defender bit on. Kann collected himself and drilled a mid-range jumper to push the game into overtime. Kann had 13 points in the game. Mike Williams continued his elevated play, collecting 28 points and eight rebounds. He is the MAC’s second leading scorer. Junior Ben Reed contributed 15 points in the win, as the Broncos pushed their record to 20-3. Western hosts archrival Central Michigan Wednesday before traveling to Toledo Saturday.

Creighton’s nemesis: The MAC

Creighton coach Dana Altman would be wise to stay away from MAC schools in the future.

Last season, pitted against Central Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Blue Jays fell to the Chippewas. This year, Creighton faced Kent State in front of a nationally televised audience and fell 70-55. After an even first half, the Flashes were brilliant in the second half, embarking upon a 19-0 run which put Creighton away. Jason Edwin continued his improvement with a 25-point performance while Eric Haut chipped in 18 points. With the win, Kent State (20-3) reached the 20-win plateau for the sixth consecutive season. It is the only school in MAC history to do so.

The Flashes are at Buffalo and Akron this week.

Early lead propels Miami

Looking to remain hot for the MAC Tournament, Miami opened a large first-half lead the win against SMS. Senior leader Juby Johnson connected on 4-of-5 three pointers for a game-high 24 points. Johnson also was 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. Miami connected on 13 three-pointers on the game. Josh Hausfeld also had four triples and finished with 16 points in the game. If their position stands as it is today, the RedHawks would secure a first-round bye in the upcoming MAC Tournament. However, with a 10-4 conference mark, Miami cannot look past No. 4-seed Toledo, who would not get a bye as it stands today.

The RedHawks are at Northern Illinois Wednesday before hosting Buffalo Saturday.

Triplett’s nose busted in loss

Despite losing MAC third-leading scorer Keith Triplett in the first half, Toledo nearly pulled a momentous upset at Nevada. The Wolf Pack’s Garry Hill-Thomas connected on a tip-in to lift Nevada to a 60-58 win in Reno. Triplett, who is the focal point of Toledo’s offense, left with just five points in the first half.

Sammy Villegas attempted to pick the scoring up in Triplett’s stead and connected on a three-pointer to tie the game with under a minute left. Villegas led the Rockets with 14 points and eight rebounds. The win was Nevada’s 13th consecutive home victory and bodes well for its ability to slip into the NCAA Tournament. The Rockets need Triplett back for a pair of crucial games this week at Bowling Green and home against Western Michigan.

Other Bracket Buster Action

Every other MAC team was in action on Bracket Buster Saturday and winners were Central Michigan against Evansville, Bolwing Green against Youngstown State, Eastern Michigan against Cleveland State and Buffalo against Indiana State. Falling were Ball State against Detroit, Akron against Drake, Ohio against Butler, Northern Illinois against Bradley and Marshall against Western Kentucky.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Wednesday, February 25th

Bonnies cleared to play in A-10 tournament: The Atlantic 10 presidents voted Tuesday to allow St. Bonaventure to compete in the conference tournament. The NCAA put the Bonnies on three years probation and prohibited it from competing in postseason action this year as punishment for last year’s player eligibility scandal. The Atlantic 10 amended its conference rules, allowing the runner up to get the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament if St. Bonaventure were to win the tournament. While it is unlikely that the Bonnies will win the tournament, it is a classy move by the conference to allow the Bonnies to participate. After all, that is all they have to play for this year.

Big East suit dismissed: For the third time in four months, the Big East has defeated the ACC in court. A Connecticut judge has dismissed all claims against the ACC, its commissioner and all officers in a lawsuit filed by four Big East schools over the ACC’s expansion. A lawyer for the Big East schools said there will be an appeal.

Missouri edges OSU in double overtime: Two Arthur Johnson free throws sealed a much-needed 93-92 overtime victory against Oklahoma State Tuesday night. The game was hotly contested as Missouri was fighting for its NCAA life and OSU was fighting for a Big 12 championship. Ricky Paulding poured in 31 points in the win, which pushed the Tigers into fourth place in the Big 12 and revitalized its NCAA hopes. John Lucas scored 30 for the Cowboys in the loss.

Pitt survives scare: The Pittsburgh Panthers received a major scare Tuesday night as the Georgetown Hoyas gave the Panthers quite a contest in a 68-58 Panthers victory. Pittsburgh rallied from an eight-point deficit on the road, using a game-breaking 19-0 second half run to survive on the road in the Big East. The Panthers were led by Carl Krauser, who scored 19 of his career-best 26 points in the second half. Gerald Riley led Georgetown with 25 points.

Virginia stuns North Carolina: For the third time in four weeks, Virginia’s Todd Billet hit a crucial three-point field goal for the Cavaliers. On Tuesday night, the shot went in with just 13 seconds left on the clock to help Virginia upset North Carolina, 74-72. Hundreds of students rushed the court as North Carolina’s Raymond Felton was unable to sink a half-court heave. The win moved the Cavaliers to 15-10 on the season. The loss dropped the Tarheels to below .500 in the ACC at 6-7.

Nebraska routs Texas Tech: Bob Knight hasn’t seen many nights like these. Nebraska’s Nate Johnson poured in 17 points as the Cornhuskers handed the Red Raiders its worst loss in nearly two years, 72-44. Texas Tech shot a woeful 18.5 percent in the second half as it dropped its fifth straight road game and its sixth game in nine contests. On the bright side, Texas Tech’s Andre Emmett became the school’s all-time scoring leader, passing Rick Bullock. Nebraska shot 47 percent for the game and put three players in double figures.

Providence deals Notre Dame a crucial blow: Notre Dame is desperately trying to make the NCAA tournament. It had a great opportunity to add a big win to its resume when it hosted Providence. But the Friars ruined that chance for the Fighting Irish, prevailing 73-59. Providence was led by its 2-3 zone defense, of which Notre Dame had no answer for. The Fighting Irish shot a woeful 31 percent in the loss. Providence went to a familiar face on offense, feeding Ryan Gomes, who finished with a game-high 25 points. Could Providence be this year’s Syracuse? A 2-3 zone team from the Big East, likely to get a three seed, who features a player that can beat you inside and out?

Southern Illinois records 15th straight: The Salukis are turning into the mid-major story of the year. Led by first-year head coach Matt Painter, Southern has done nothing but win this season. On Tuesday night, they did just that, disposing of previous MVC darling Creighton, 68-60. The Salukis were led by Darren Brooks’ 14 points. Southern Illinois has already clinched the conference title and is two wins away from the school’s first undefeated conference season.

UConn rolls: St. John’s has had a forgettable season and it certainly had a forgettable Tuesday night. The UConn Huskies dominated St. John’s from start to finish, winning 71-53. Emeka Okafor shined in the mismatch, recording 22 points and 18 rebounds.

Michigan State rallies to defeat Michigan: It was a game Michigan had to have to buoy its NCAA hopes. But it was also a game MSU needed to potentially win the Big Ten title. And it was the Spartans that outlasted its in-state rivals. Michigan built a 12-point lead, only to watch it diminish because of turnovers and poor shot selection. The Spartans took advantage, turning to Kelvin Torbert, who scored 18 points in the Spartans’ 72-69 comeback victory.

Tonight’s Menu

• N.C. State and Georgia Tech highlights a slate that also has Illinois traveling to Iowa and St. Joe’s chasing perfection at Massachusetts.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Tuesday, February 24th

A First for the Seniors: In the only match-up of ranked teams, No. 11 Texas throttled No. 21 Kansas 82-67. Brandon Mouton had 23 points to lead the Longhorns to their seniors’ first victory over Kansas. Texas built a double digit lead in the first half but Kansas cut it to nine at the break and four early in the second half before an 18-4 Longhorn run squelched the comeback attempt. Keith Langford led four Jayhawks in double figures with 17 points in the losing effort.

Orangeman Move off the Bubble: Syracuse solidified its dance chances with a 64-59 win over Villanova. The sloppy game featured 44 fouls and 38 turnovers and neither team shot over 40 percent. Hakim Warrick almost had the triple-double coaches don’t like with 18 points, nine rebounds and eight turnovers. Gerry McNamara had 18 points including six free throws in the final minute to ice the game. Curtis Sumter led the Wildcats with twelve points and ten boards.

Full Slate in the Mountain West: BYU moved within a game-and-a-half of first with a 67-61 win over first place Air Force. A win would have clinched the first seed in the MWC tournament for Air Force but the Cougars kept their slim hopes at the regular season conference title alive. Rafael Araujo and Mark Bigelow each scored 21 points as BYU shot 82 percent in the second half to erase a three point halftime deficit. Utah kept pace with BYU in second place behind a 73-43 drubbing of New Mexico, Nick Jacobson had a career-high 28 points for the Utes. UNLV moved over .500 with a 95-80 win over Wyoming and San Diego State beat Colorado State 72-64 to round out the MWC action.

Miners Hang on to WAC lead: Three of the top Western Athletic Conference teams were in action on Monday night as UTEP held onto first place with a 71-62 win over then second place Hawaii. John Tofi led the Miners with 22 points and ten rebounds while Michael Kuebler had 22 points for the Rainbow Warriors. The loss was Hawaii’s third straight as they fell to fourth place in the conference. Rice stayed a half game behind UTEP with a 63-60 win over Fresno State, Michael Harris had 17 points and ten rebounds to lead the Owls.

Winning without Their Star: Vermont played their first game at home without Taylor Coppenrath, the nation’s fourth leading scorer. They defeated Hartford 83-60 behind 25 points from TJ Sorrentine. The win was the Catamounts 14th conference win which set a school record and guaranteed them no worse than a second seed in the America East tournament. They trail conference leader Boston University by one game but would need BU to lose both its remaining games to claim first place since BU would likely win the tie breakers. With the America East championship game at the home of the highest remaining seed, Vermont would have to earn its second straight trip to the NCAA tournament at Boston University if the seeds win out. The Catamounts did win at BU earlier this season and in last year’s America East championship game but both those games were played with Coppenrath.

Upset at the Top: Fairleigh Dickinson moved within one game of first place in the Northeast Conference with a 86-64 win over first place Monmouth. Gordon Klaiber led five Knights in double figures with 20 points as FDU opened the second half with a 21-0 run to take control of the game. If Monmouth slips up this Thursday against St. Francis NY, next Monday’s Fairleigh Dickinson-St. Francis NY battle could be for the all-important number one seed in the NEC tournament.

Another Import Heads back Home: Following in the footsteps of Christian Drejer, reports out of Providence indicate that Providence forward Maris Laska has left the team to play professionally in Europe. Laska had been a senior but had been averaging only 1.8 points and 5.3 minutes a game which were down from his 21.2 minutes and 9.0 points per game career averages coming into the season. According to sources, he informed Coach Tim Welsh of his decision Monday and did not travel with the team to South Bend for the team’s Tuesday tilt with Notre Dame.

Whaley Waves Goodbye: Junior college transfer Robert Whaley has left the Cincinnati Bearcats citing personal reasons. He had been effective in limited action averaging 6.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game but had yet to become the impact player expected. Whaley had originally signed with Missouri until they withdrew their scholarship once rape allegations surfaced. Coach Bob Huggins hopes things will turn around for Whaley and has accepted departed players back to the team in the past.

Kline Under the Knife: Indiana Sophomore forward Steve Kline is officially out for the season having had surgery on his right knee. He injured it against Purdue on February 14th and is expected to be healthy for the start of next season. Before the injury, Kline had been averaging 7.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.

Kartelo Facing Charges: Purdue senior center Ivan Kartelo has been released on bond after being jailed for preliminary charges of battery and public intoxication for allegedly punching a bar bouncer. The incident happened early Sunday morning and Kartelo did attend practice later that day. Coach Gene Keady is still mulling over in-house discipline with the possibility of missing the next game Sunday at Wisconsin. Kartelo has started 19 games this year and averaged 5.4 points and 6.0 rebounds.

Tonight’s Menu:

• Big Ten leader Michigan State travels to state rival Michigan for a key conference battle. Despite a poor non-conference showing, the Spartans appeared to have sewn up an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament with a strong 10-3 Big Ten record but at 6-6 in the Big Ten and 15-8 overall, the Wolverines are squarely on the bubble.

• The top three Big East schools are all on the road as No. 5 Pittsburgh takes on Georgetown, No. 8 UConn takes on St. John’s and No. 19 Providence takes on Notre Dame. Seton Hall also will try and earn a win on the road at Miami.

• Maryland hopes to bounce back from their latest loss against Duke tonight against Clemson. No. 18 North Carolina looks for a tough ACC road win at Virginia.

• Oklahoma State takes its Big 12 leading record and No. 7 ranking on the road to Missouri while No. 22 Texas Tech tries for a road win against Nebraska.

•Conference USA leader and No. 24 Memphis looks to extend its conference lead with a game at home against Southern Miss.

•Three teams put perfect conference records on the line tonight. No. 20 Southern Illinois will try to move to 16-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference when they take on Creighton at home. Fresh off a Bracket Buster win over Fresno State, East Tennessee State puts its perfect 14-0 mark in the Southern Conference to the test at home against UT-Chattanooga. Austin Peay looks to bounce back from a Bracket Buster loss to Wichita State and puts a 14-0 Ohio Valley Conference mark to the test against Tennessee Tech.

Touring Around the Northeast

Touring Around the Northeast

by Phil Kasiecki

Eagles Soar Past New Jersey Teams

After being snubbed from the NCAA Tournament last season, Boston College players and coaches will all say that they don’t feel safe as far as making the NCAA Tournament goes. That’s understandable, but after winning at Seton Hall and thumping Rutgers at home to improve to 18-8 overall and 7-6 in the Big East, the Eagles look like they aren’t far from moving off the bubble and into the “lock” category for the tournament.

Monday night, Boston College came through at the free throw line in the final minutes to secure their second win over Seton Hall on the season, this one a decision in East Rutherford. Craig Smith, who was questionable for the game after being injured two days earlier, showed no ill effects as he took over in the second half and finished with 21 points and 8 rebounds.

Sunday afternoon, the Eagles blew the game open in the second half with defense. By holding Rutgers to just 21.4% shooting and making 75% of their own shots, the Eagles turned a five-point halftime lead into a 76-44 blowout. A 23-2 run starting less than five minutes into the half put the game out of reach, with Jared Dudley scoring 10 of his game-high 20 points in that stretch and taking the game over. He filled the stat sheet with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals.

The Eagles blew out the Scarlet Knights despite foul trouble limiting Smith to 19 minutes and 11 points on 4-6 shooting. Picking up the slack was Nate Doornekamp, who set career highs with 11 points and 9 rebounds, but also added 3 steals and 3 assists for good measure.

“You don’t want to be in that situation,” head coach Al Skinner said of having to play without Smith due to foul trouble. “Obviously Jared had a huge game. I thought Nate came in and obviously gave us a big lift.”

“I just had the opportunity to put the ball in the bucket,” Doornekamp said after the game. “I think it’s something I do every day in practice, and today things were just working out and I was in the right place at the right time.”

For his part, Smith was at ease while sitting with foul trouble.

“I felt cool, I felt like I was on vacation,” he quipped. “I felt like a fan just watching the game.”

Smith said his back is still a little stiff, and the rest did him a lot of good.

Rutgers came into the game third in the Big East in three-point shooting, but the stifling Eagle defense never let them get untracked and gave them very few good looks. The Scarlet Knights made just 3 of 20 from behind the arc, missing all 11 tries in the second half.

“It’s really very simple,” Skinner said of BC’s game plan. “All we wanted to was be in a position to contest a shot. That’s all we really wanted to do. There was no special scheme, and guys just worked hard at it. They made a point of trying to recognize who the shooters were and to make sure they contest shots.”

Skinner tried to downplay the significance of this game’s NCAA Tournament implications.

“From our perspective, it was just another league game,” Skinner said. “As far as I’m concerned, it has no more ramifications for the NCAA Tournament other than a win, just like any other win we’ve had this season.”

The Eagles don’t feel safe just yet, but their play to this point suggests they’ll do enough to finish clinching an NCAA Tournament bid. Skinner says nothing has changed from how they felt last year at this time.

“The difference in this year is that, in our non-league schedule, we wanted to make sure we had the success that we were looking for,” Skinner said. “The one criticism I heard was that we had losses early in the season. The difference is that we’ve had more success in our non-league schedule.”

“If we already had 20 wins, we’re never safe,” Smith said.

“We can’t feel safe,” Uka Agbai said. “We feel we need 20-21 wins to get in, so that’s our goal.”

The Eagles host Virginia Tech Wednesday night, then have a week off.

Better Luck This Time Around For Providence

The last time Providence had a long layoff between games, they played poorly and with little energy in a home loss to Seton Hall on Super Bowl Sunday. This time around, they had a better result, scoring a 70-57 home win over struggling Miami.

The Friars didn’t play their best basketball, but led for most of the game before putting it away in the final minutes. They scored seven of their first nine points off Miami turnovers, and almost every time the Hurricanes tried to pass the ball inside, it got tipped, deflected, or stolen. In the first half, the Friars held a 20-6 edge on points in the paint.

The Hurricanes ran off nine straight points early in the second half, aided by four Friar turnovers in the first five minutes, then eventually took the lead. The Friars later took the lead for good on a 12-2 run, never being seriously challenged after that.

After the game head coach Tim Welsh began by talking about the week in between games.

“Somebody asked me, ‘Did you enjoy your days off?’ and I said, absolutely not,” Welsh said. “I hate it. I’d rather just keep in a rhythm myself.”

The Friars had great balance in the scoring column, as five players scored in double figures and no one had more than 14 points, which was the total Rob Sanders posted. It was his highest point total since he returned from breaking two fingers, and he looks to be back in the flow of things.

“Rob’s certainly getting back into the flow,” Welsh said. “People forget he’s been our second-leading scorer all season long. He missed eight games. He’s an important ingredient, so for him to get back to that level gives us another great option out there.”

Sanders feels more free now than he previously did, saying he was hesitant to use his hands to make plays on the ball.

The Friars head to South Bend to take on Notre Dame on Saturday, then head to New York for their final road game of the regular season against St. John’s.

Rams Get Back on Track

Rhode Island had a good week, winning at Massachusetts (73-66) and at home against St. Bonaventure (81-57). The wins are the first two consecutive wins in Atlantic 10 play for the Rams, and they couldn’t have come at a better time.

Against the Minutemen, the Rams dominated the paint, holding a 40-28 edge on the glass and a 44-28 edge in points in the paint. The Minutemen couldn’t get the ball inside much, as the Rams’ zone was very effective in limiting them to jump shots. Most of the time Minuteman post player Rashaun Freeman got the ball, he was at least 10-12 feet away from the basket, not letting him operate where he is best. He had just four field goal attempts in the game, scoring 10 points and grabbing 9 rebounds.

The Minutemen were able to take the lead in the second half, but Rhode Island took the lead for good when they ran off eight unanswered points as part of a 14-2 run. Scott Hazleton got hot during that stretch and scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half, adding 8 rebounds.

“We need him to step up,” head coach Jim Baron said of Hazleton. “If Scott can keep up with this kind of performance, that’s something that we’re going to really need down the stretch.”

Brian Woodward, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds, said the Rams did a better job mentally after losing to the Minutemen in the first meeting.

“When we first played them, we really underestimated them,” Woodward said.

Baron emphasized the inside game with their plan.

“I thought we made good plays from the standpoint of getting the ball inside and trying to get Freeman in foul trouble,” Baron said. “That was one of our game plans, to get the ball inside.”

Dawan Robinson struggled to score against the Minutemen with 13 points on just 4-16 shooting, but he had 6 assists and no turnovers.

“We need him to do that,” Baron said. “We need him to make other players better.”

Robinson came back with a game-high 19 points in Sunday’s win over St. Bonaventure. The Rams shot 50% from the field and held the Bonnies to 31%, putting the clamps on Marques Green. Green, the Atlantic 10′s leading scorer, had just 7 points on 2-12 shooting. The Rams also had a big edge on the glass again, 41-28 over the smaller Bonnies.

For the second game in a row, Baron mixed up the starting lineup in the frontcourt, going with Jamaal Wise and Terrence Mack and bringing Dustin Hellenga and Marcel Momplaisir off the bench. He also started Jon Clark in the middle.

The Rams finish out their home slate this week as they welcome Richmond on Wednesday night, then look to be the last land mine for St. Joseph’s before the Atlantic 10 Tournament when the Hawks visit the Ryan Center on Saturday.

Minutemen Have The Talent Base

Despite their continued struggles, Massachusetts has a good talent base that is gaining valuable experience. The growing pains are coming now, but the future is looking up if their development continues.

Maurice Maxwell continued to show a lot of promise against Rhode Island, scoring 17 points on 6-11 shooting. He’s very athletic, and if he can shoot the ball consistently, he will be a very good player. Classmate Art Bowers hit his stride a few games after returning from an injury before being shut down by Rhode Island.

Since Gabe Lee suffered a season-ending injury at St. Bonaventure last month, Stephane Lasme has played more and shown some of his potential. Lasme is now among the Atlantic 10′s top shot-blockers despite averaging under 14 minutes per game. With added strength and better fundamentals, he will play more minutes and eventually become a force inside. He has committed some bad unforced turnovers that make him a liability aside from his shot-blocking. Since Lee’s injury, he has averaged 2.8 blocks per game.

The Minutemen dropped Saturday’s game at Fordham, 75-61. They allowed the Rams to shoot nearly 54% from the floor and committed 20 turnovers.

This week, the Minutemen have their final two home games of the season, hosting undefeated St. Joseph’s on Wednesday and St. Bonaventure on Saturday.

Terriers Enter America East Driver’s Seat Entering Final Week

Boston University scored two big wins this past week to stay in first place in America East, winning at Maine (64-53) and at home against cross-town rival Northeastern (82-68). The Terriers, who have won 21 of 22 since losing their first three games, enter the final week of regular season play in the driver’s seat.

Against Maine, the Terriers looked like they had the game in the bag, leading 45-26 with under 17 minutes to play. Maine then came alive at the defensive end, holding the Terriers without a field goal and just eight free throws for nearly 14 minutes. The Terriers shot under 30% for the second half, but forced 16 Maine turnovers and held the Black Bears to 38% shooting for the game.

Against Northeastern, it was a tale of two halves as the Huskies grabbed a 38-28 halftime lead thanks to shooting over 46% and holding the Terriers to just over 33%. But the Terriers turned up the defense in the second half, holding the Huskies below 23% from the field, and 24 turnovers eventually did in Northeastern. The Terriers scored the first 13 points of the second half, then took the lead for good later when they ran off 11 unanswered points.

The wins give the Terriers 20 or more wins for the third straight year, which is the first time in the program’s history they have accomplished that. It will help make Senior Night on Thursday against Stony Brook a special one, as the Terriers then head to Binghamton next Sunday to finish the regular season.

Crimson Continue Improvement, Play Spoiler

The young Harvard Crimson have struggled to get wins this season, but the improvement is certainly noticeable. Saturday night, it took on the form of playing spoiler, as they stunned host Cornell 81-78.

The Crimson got a balanced scoring attack as five players scored in double figures, and they won despite committing 21 turnovers. Matt Stehle continues to have a nice season, leading the way with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks. David Giovacchhini matched his career high with 14 points. The Crimson managed to hold off a terrific effort from Cornell stars Lenny Collins (31 points) and Ka’Ron Barnes (27), who combined for 42 of the Big Red’s 46 points in the second half.

Next up for the Crimson is another road trip, this time at Yale and Brown.

Other Notes From Around the Nation

• The Conference USA matchup that everyone was talking about on Saturday was the nationally-televised one with Louisville at Cincinnati, but a little further south was the game that meant more in the standings. Memphis beat UAB for their 10th straight win, putting them in sole possession of first place.

• One prediction that is turning out to be true is the impact of Oklahoma State point guard John Lucas, who transferred from Baylor after what happened there last summer. Lucas figured to start immediately and replace graduated starter Victor Williams, and he has done just that in leading the Cowboys to the top of the Big 12 and into the top ten in the poll. He is second in the conference in assists and assist/turnover ratio.

• Florida picked up a much-needed win on Saturday, but the Gators are still very much on the bubble, not helped in more ways than one by the sudden departure of Christian Drejer. Not only does his selfish move hurt them directly, as he was one of their key players, but the selection committee is supposed to be forward-looking and project how a team as presently constructed will fare. When Kenyon Martin was injured in the 2000 Conference USA Tournament and done for the season, Cincinnati went from being a sure No. 1 seed to a No. 2 seed because they did not project to go as far without the national Player of the Year. The Gators still have time to prove that they can beat good teams without Drejer.

• There continues to be conversation about who will be the next head coach at St. John’s, but there’s a more puzzling story with a coach developing in the Midwest. Reportedly, Dan Monson is on the hot seat at Minnesota – but why? Monson has done a terrific job of cleaning up the mess left behind by Clem Haskin, and has the program in shape to contend in the Big Ten before long. The Golden Gophers have gone into the tank in conference play this year despite being a senior-laden team, but unless Kris Humphries leaves to pursue NBA riches after this year, they aren’t in big trouble personnel-wise.

Big 12 Notebook

Big 12 Conference Notebook

by Zach Ewing

Two weeks to go, and that means four games for each team in the Big 12 Conference. This is the point in the season where every single game is important, especially for the big group knotted between 7-5 and 5-7 in the Big 12 – the bubble group.

Blowing bubbles

In the Big 12 standings, it’s the race for fourth place. But, much more important than that, it is also a race for the NCAA Tournament. Coming into Saturday’s round of games, there were four teams at 6-5: Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Missouri and Colorado, and another, Iowa State, at 5-6. Saturday didn’t really clear the picture up much.

Colorado, Texas Tech and Missouri all won to bring their respective records to 7-5 and remain in a tie for fourth place. The Buffaloes completed a season sweep of Kansas State with a 72-62 win on the road, a game in which CU led nearly the entire way. Texas Tech held serve at home against winless Texas A&M, and Missouri had more trouble than expected with Baylor, but came away with a 70-66 road victory.

Later on, Oklahoma had a chance to make it a foursome at 7-5, but the Sooners couldn’t keep up with Texas, as they came up one big shot short in a 68-63 loss. The defeat drops OU to 6-6 and puts a team once ranked in the top 10 squarely on the bubble.

Iowa State played what was by far its best road game of the year in Allen Fieldhouse, but the Cyclones may have played themselves off the fence for the Big Dance with a 90-89 overtime loss. The loss drops ISU’s record 14-9, its conference record to 5-7 and its road record to a measly 1-8.

At this point, Oklahoma State, Texas and Kansas are clearly in the tournament, and Texas Tech can feel pretty comfortable too. After those four teams, it gets a little sketchy. Oklahoma has 16 wins on the season, but is only in seventh place in the Big 12 and has struggled since starting 10-0. Nonetheless, if today was Selection Sunday, I would put the Sooners in my bracket, based on big wins against Purdue, Michigan State and Texas Tech. As for Colorado and Missouri, neither is in right now – too many bad losses early in the season, and too many losses period. However, both teams still control their own destiny. If either team wins three of its last four games, it can feel good about its chances going to the Big 12 Tournament.

Emmett crowned scoring king

With all the talk about where teams are going when the season’s done, it is easy to lose sight of some outstanding individual accomplishments. Texas Tech senior Andre Emmett stole the spotlight this week. With his 18-point performance in Tech’s 76-60 win against Texas A&M on Saturday, Emmett became the Big 12′s all-time scoring leader. Emmett now has 2,112 career points, passing former Kansas center Nick Collison, who had 2,097 in his career.

Tech coach Bob Knight didn’t start Emmett for the first time this year, but Andre came off the bench quickly and scored his 2,098th point on a dunk with 7:54 to play in the first half.

Graham explodes after halftime

The Oklahoma State Cowboys, Big 12 leaders at 11-1 in conference play, had a little harder time than perhaps they expected in defeating Nebraska 87-83 in overtime Saturday night. But for guard Joey Graham, scoring was not a problem. Graham turned an ordinary, 6-point first half into a career day and finished with 36 points. Graham shot 12-of-19 from the field and 9-of-11 from the free-throw line, and put the Cowboys ahead for good with two free throws with 1:26 to play in overtime.

Cardiac arrest Saturday

There were no reports of heart failure in any of the Big 12 venues on Saturday, but there plenty of close games. Oklahoma State couldn’t do to Nebraska what they had done to Oklahoma and Kansas: blow the Huskers out at Gallagher-Iba Arena. OSU took a 52-44 lead midway through the second half, but could never shake NU, letting the Huskers come back for a 57-56 lead minutes later. John Lucas hit a three-pointer with 22 seconds remaining for a 73-68 Cowboy lead, but John Neal made a three and Nate Johnson had a three-point play for Nebraska to send the game to overtime tied at 74. In the extra period, Joey Graham and Neal both hit threes to again tie the score at 79, but Nebraska didn’t have quite enough gas for the upset, as Okie State hit 7-of-8 free throws in overtime.

It was the same story one state to the north. Iowa State fell behind Kansas by as many as 17 in the second half, but Curtis Stinson led a furious comeback that saw the Cyclones take a 5-point lead with three minutes to play. Stinson missed a free throw with less than a minute to play and Keith Langford tied the game with a three with 28 seconds left. In overtime, KU got a 7-point lead, but nearly blew that too. The Jayhawks didn’t seal the victory until J.R. Giddens sunk a free throw with three seconds left.

That wasn’t all of the close finishes, however. In a game, Missouri absolutely needed to win, Rickey Paulding traveled with under a minute to go to allow Baylor within a point, but then he made three free throws down the stretch to get the 70-66 win for MU. In Norman, Jason Klotz rebounded a missed free throw and P.J. Tucker scored on a put-back to give UT a three-point lead with 26 seconds to play. OU couldn’t make a three, and Royal Ivey sealed the deal at the line.

The common thread of all of these games? The teams that made their free throws won.

Big 12 Player of the Week

David Harrison, center, Colorado

Could have been Joey Graham or Harrison’s teammate Michel Morandais, but the big fella had 24 points, 10 rebounds and 7 blocks in a win against Texas Tech and then 13 points and 10 rebounds against K-State.

Big 12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Week

J.R. Giddens, guard, Kansas – This was a tough decision over Curtis Stinson of Iowa State and Jason Conley of Missouri, but Giddens hit six threes in the first half and scored 24 points against Iowa State in a 90-89 win. He also had 15 important points in a win over Baylor.

Around the Big 12:

Baylor Bears (7-18 overall, 2-10 Big 12)

Baylor very well could be the most over-achieving team in the country. Wins against Iowa State and Texas A&M aside, the Bears’ performance against Missouri was astoundingly good. BU shot 52 percent in the first half, 49 percent from the game, got Travon Bryant and Arthur Johnson both in foul trouble early, and nearly derailed Missouri’s tournament hopes. In the end, though, the Bears never could achieve a lead late in the game and fell a few big shots short of their second straight win at home against Mizzou. Harvey Thomas led Baylor with 16 points but committed 5 turnovers and R.T. Guinn hit 3-of-5 three pointers and finished with 15 points.

On Wednesday, Baylor hung close with Kansas for a majority of the game before being blown out late. Baylor was down only 39-37 with about nine minutes to play when KU went on a 17-4 run to take control of the game. Terrance Thomas finished with 15 points and Harvey Thomas added 13 more, exemplary of the balanced scoring Baylor usually enjoys. The last four Bear opponents had better watch out or BU could get three or four Big 12 wins.

This week: Wednesday at Texas A&M, Saturday vs. Oklahoma State

Colorado Buffaloes (15-8, 7-5)

CU had two tough games this week and won them both, and now the Buffaloes can start thinking about an NCAA Tournament bid. First, on Wednesday, David Harrison scored 24 points, had 10 rebounds and 7 blocks in an 85-75 win against Texas Tech at home. Michel Morandais also had 22 points. Colorado led throughout, and was able to stave off two runs that brought the Red Raiders to within four. After Tech got within 70-66, Morandais converted a three-point play to start a 15-6 run to put the game away.

A trip to Manhattan provided exactly what the doctor ordered for the Buffs on Saturday: a road win. Kansas State hung around for the entire game, but an 8-1 run to start the second half put CU up by 13 and KSU never got closer than eight the rest of the way. Morandais led the Buffs in the 72-62 victory with 21 points and Harrison had another double-double, with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

This week: Wednesday vs. Oklahoma, Saturday at Texas A&M

Iowa State Cyclones (14-9, 5-7)

It sounds strange to say it, but the Cyclones did not have a bad week. Their two games at Missouri and at Kansas represented their best road performance of the year – by far. Against Missouri on Wednesday, ISU looked primed for another road blowout when they fell behind 52-35 early in the second half. But freshman Curtis Stinson and senior Jake Sullivan led Iowa State on a 20-7 run to trim the lead to four. Unfortunately for the Cyclones, that was all they could muster, and despite staying close throughout the game, MU won 82-70. Stinson had 18 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds and Sullivan added 17. John Neal had 11 points in the first half, topping his previous game-high of 6.

Same story, different venue on Saturday in Lawrence. KU led the game by as many as 17 points and was ahead 61-49 when Stinson came to the rescue again. Stinson and Jared Homan each scored d 6 points in an 18-1 Cyclone run that put ISU up 67-62 with three minutes to play. After KU tied it up though, the Jayhawks took an 86-79 lead and made enough free throws (barely) down the stretch for a 90-89 win. Stinson stole the show on the stat sheet again, with 24 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.

This week: Wednesday vs. Kansas State, Saturday at Nebraska

Kansas Jayhawks (17-6, 9-3)

This seems like the most vulnerable 9-3 team in the country. After laying eggs against Oklahoma State and Nebraska on the road two weeks ago, Kansas had trouble getting by Baylor and Iowa State, two teams with a combined 0-13 Big 12 road record, in Allen Fieldhouse last week. Both times, freshman J.R. Giddens came to the rescue. First, against Baylor on Wednesday, Giddens sparked a 17-4 Jayhawk run with two three-pointers. Before that point, KU led only by two with nine minutes to play. KU recovered to win 74-54 and was led by Wayne Simien with 24 points, Keith Langford with 19 and Giddens with 15.

Saturday, Giddens had six threes in the opening stanza, including one that occurred when Jared Homan missed the first shot of a two-shot foul, but KU got the deadball rebound and scored. The officials counted the hoop. Bizarre. But anyway, Giddens helped Kansas to a big lead, and then sealed the deal in overtime with a free throw with 3 seconds left. But it was Keith Langford who hit the biggest shot of the afternoon. His three sent the game to overtime tied at 72. Giddens led the Jayhawks with 24 points and Simien added 20. KU, though, won’t get away with another sub-par performance against Texas or even Oklahoma.

This week: Monday at Texas, Sunday vs. Oklahoma

Kansas State Wildcats (12-11, 4-8)

It took an unbelievable ending, but Kansas State finally ended its 21-game Big 12 road losing streak Saturday. The Wildcats trailed Nebraska 58-57 with 4.5 seconds left when Jeremiah Massey was fouled and went to the line for two shots. As if KSU was bound to lose again, Massey missed both shots, but then something bizarre happened. NU’s John Turek stumbled after the second miss, allowing Tim Ellis to score on a tip-in for a 59-58 lead. Nebraska threw the ball out-of-bounds on the ensuing play, and Ellis was fouled with 0.1 seconds left. NU coach Barry Collier was also called for a technical foul, and Ellis’ four free throws accounted for the final margin of 63-58. Ellis finished with 25 points and Massey had 17 and K-State missed only two free throws in the second half – Massey’s two that set up Ellis’ tip-in.

On Saturday, there was no such miracle for Kansas State. The Wildcats failed to hit a field goal in the last eight minutes of the first half, shot only 36 percent for the game, and lost 72-62 to Colorado. Massey had 23 points and 11 rebounds and Ellis scored 16.

This week: Wednesday at Iowa State, Saturday vs. Missouri

Missouri Tigers (13-10, 7-5)

Saving a once-promising season is still a possibility for the Tigers, who beat Iowa State 82-70 on Wednesday night. Five players scored in double figures for MU, led by Jimmy McKinney with 21 points and Arthur Johnson, who had 16 points and 11 rebounds. MU finished the first half on a 12-3 run and continued the hot spurt for a 17-point lead early in the second half. ISU battled back to within four with just less than 10 minutes to play when junior transfer Jason Conley stepped up in a big way for the Tigers. Conley drove down the baseline from the left corner, went under the basket, jammed and was fouled. He made the free throw for a 62-55 lead and finished with 14 points.

On Saturday, Conley saved the Tigers from what would have been a devastating upset with 24 points and 5 steals in a 70-66 win against Baylor. Rickey Paulding struggled from the field, but hit three free throws in the game’s last 18 seconds to get the Tigers the win. It wasn’t the prettiest thing in the world, but Mizzou needed this win the worst way. Now if MU can figure out a way to win three of its last four games, the NCAA Tournament would be a pretty good possibility. Beating Oklahoma State would be a huge first step.

This week: Tuesday vs. Oklahoma State, Saturday at Kansas State

Nebraska Cornhuskers (14-9, 4-8)

The difference between 4-8 and 6-6 with five straight wins is razor-thin in Lincoln. NU let one get away against Kansas State in a game the Huskers never should have let get close. Nebraska led by 12 in the first half and had a 7-0 run to go up 44-38 early in the second half and stayed ahead until the fiasco at the end. Husker fans will curse their luck, but a team as hot as Nebraska was should have blown away a team like K-State that can’t win on the road. Nate Johnson led the Huskers with 17 points.

Andrew Drevo had 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting and Johnson had 18 more in NU’s 87-83 overtime loss to Oklahoma State. But the pair wasn’t enough to overcome Joey Graham’s 36-point performance. Johnson scored on a reverse lay-up with six seconds to play, was fouled, and made the ensuing free throw to force overtime. NU actually held a three-point lead in the extra session, but didn’t score for nearly the final two minutes of overtime. Their at-large hopes may have faded this week, but the Huskers are a team nobody wants to face in Dallas in a couple of weeks.

This week: Tuesday vs. Texas Tech, Saturday vs. Iowa State

Oklahoma Sooners (16-7, 6-6)

OU continued its woes against upper-level competition this week, losing by 13 to Oklahoma State and by five to Texas. Even when at home, the Sooners have struggled against winning teams in the Big 12, going 1-3 in Norman and 1-6 overall. Oklahoma led OSU by one point at the half until the Sooners went only 6-of-30 from the field in the second half, including a 1-of-17 start to the half that gave OSU an insurmountable lead. The Cowboys won 65-52. Jabahri Brown led OU with 16 points.

Saturday, things got a little better for OU, but the Sooners lost to another rival. Late in the game, OU converted several three-point plays, including one by De’Angelo Alexander to tie the game at 63 with 51 seconds left. But OU couldn’t rebound a free-throw miss and then didn’t have an answer for Texas the next time down the floor and the Longhorns won, 68-63. Drew Lavendar led OU with 18 points.

This week: Wednesday at Colorado, Sunday at Kansas

Oklahoma State Cowboys (21-2, 11-1)

It seems as if the Cowboys get a big contribution from a different player every single time out. Oklahoma’s biggest foe was Ivan McFarlin, who scored 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting. John Lucas also had a good game, scoring 18 points while holding Drew Lavender to 5 points and 1 assist on 2-of-9 shooting. The Cowboys won, 65-52 to complete a season sweep of the Sooners, their first sweep since 1998.

Joey Graham was the man in Saturday’s 87-83 overtime win against Nebraska, going for 36 points. Nebraska victimized OSU’s aggressive D with lots of backdoor cuts, but Oklahoma State showed it could win close games as well as blow people out. This was the closest game OSU had been in since beating Texas Tech by four on Jan. 31.

OSU is certainly on the inside track for the conference title, but a couple of roadblocks still remain: Tuesday at Missouri, and March 1 against Texas, a game that could be for the Big 12 title.

This week: Tuesday at Missouri , Saturday at Baylor

Texas Longhorns (19-4, 10-2)

No problems for Texas against Texas A&M on Wednesday night. The Longhorns shook off a slow start and blew the Aggies out 77-57 behind 20 points from Brandon Mouton. Like with Oklahoma State, it seems that a new guy emerges every night for UT. On Wednesday it was Kenny Taylor, who got 18 points off the bench to spark the team. Early in the second half, A&M pulled to within 33-32, but Taylor hit four three-pointers in a 31-8 run that gave Texas control at 64-40. Freshman P.J. Tucker, who has slowed off his early pace of late, got back on track with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting.

Texas took its 10th conference win of the year Saturday against Oklahoma, 68-63. Mouton had his third straight game of at least 20 points, this time scoring 25, but he was the only Longhorn in double figures. Six other Texas players had at least 5 points. The turning point of the game again came early in the second half, when a 15-2 UT run turned a 45-40 deficit into a 55-47 lead. OU came back to tie the game at 63, but Tucker scored some second-chance points after Jason Klotz got an offensive rebound for a three-point lead, and Royal Ivey sealed the win with two late free throws.

This week: Monday vs. Kansas, Saturday vs. Texas Tech

Texas A&M Aggies (7-16, 0-12)

Things are getting worse, not better in Aggieland. In both games this week, a 77-57 loss to Texas and a 76-60 loss to Texas Tech, A&M hung around for a while, but couldn’t even keep it close at the end, like it had been doing in most games. Jesse King had 12 points and 9 rebounds and Antoine Wright also had 12 to lead the Aggies against Texas, but nobody could do anything during Texas’ huge second-half run. TAMU looked like a team that has packed it in for the season.

After Andre Emmett set the Big 12 scoring record Saturday, there was little else to watch. A&M made a token 19-8 run in the second half to cut the lead to 60-50, but the score wasn’t closer than 10 points almost as soon as the game got going. Wright scored 17 points and Acie Law added 12, but if A&M wants to win a Big 12 game, this week may be its last chance.

This week: Wednesday vs. Baylor, Saturday vs. Colorado

Texas Tech Red Raiders (19-7, 7-5)

The Rocky Mountain trap caught Texas Tech on Wednesday and the Colorado beat the Red Raiders 85-75 behind David Harrison’s big game. TTU cut the lead to four several times in the second half after falling behind big early, but could never get any closer than that. Devonne Giles had a great game for the Raiders, scoring 18 points and pulling down 18 rebounds. But, then again, Giles made only 5-of-16 shots, which took away scoring opportunities from Andre Emmett, who finished with 16 points, five below his season average. The loss was the fifth in Texas Tech’s last seven games.

Coach Bob Knight decided to shake things up against Texas A&M by benching Emmett and freshman Jarrius Jackson to start the game. The team responded by starting off up 18-8 and by getting every normal starter in double figures, led by Jackson with 19 points and Emmett with 18 in the 76-60 win. Oh, and by the way, Emmett had quite an important dunk in the first half: he set the all-time Big 12 scoring mark, finishing with 2,112 points in his career. Knight called Emmett’s accomplishment “neat.”

This week: Tuesday at Nebraska, Saturday at Texas

5 games to watch this week

At this point in the season, they’re all games to watch, but here’s a list anyway:

Monday – Kansas at Texas: Longhorns trying to catch OSU for first, and the Jayhawks need to start playing better in a hurry

Tuesday – Oklahoma State at Missouri: The Big 12 leader traveling to perhaps the league’s hottest team, one that needs every win it can get. Should be a great game.

Wednesday – Baylor at Texas A&M: Best chance for the poor Aggies to get a Big 12 win

Wednesday – Oklahoma at Colorado: A classic bubble game: both teams need this one desperately.

Saturday – Texas Tech at Texas: Texas stole one in Lubbock, now the Red Raiders want some revenge and some fuel for better seeding in the Big Dance.

ACC Notebook

Atlantic Coast Conference Notebook

by Michael Protos

Bubble Trouble at Maryland and Florida State

There are two weeks left in the regular season, and the crystal ball grows cloudier for a couple of ACC teams.

Maryland and Florida State entered the week stuck in the middle of the ACC standings. Both teams have several pros and several cons that will cause headaches for the selection committee when deciding which teams will claim the final spots in the NCAA Tournament field. Maryland has more marquis wins in non-conference play and more road/neutral courts victories. Florida State has beaten North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest in conference play. But all of those games were at home.

So basically, these two teams need to just win. Don’t worry about RPI rankings or strength of schedule. All that will work out if you just win.

And what did those teams do? Lose every meaningful game last week.

Florida State split a pair of games – one at home against a non-threatening Virginia team and one on the road at North Carolina. Despite their home success, the Seminoles will not receive kudos for home victories against teams like Virginia and Clemson. They should win those games. A loss is an upset. NCAA teams are expected to pull off a few upsets on the road. And Florida State came close but dropped yet another ACC road game at North Carolina.

The bottom line for Florida State: The Seminoles are not in the NCAA Tournament unless they win two out of their three final regular season games at Wake Forest, home against Duke and at Georgia Tech. Otherwise, the Seminoles need to reach, and maybe even win, the ACC tournament championship game.

Maryland is an even more complicated case. The Terrapins have some great non-conference wins at Florida, when the Gators were No. 1, and against the Big Ten’s best, Wisconsin. But the Terrapins currently hold an unimpressive 4-8 ACC record.

Maryland entered the week at 4-6 with two tough games, at home against Georgia Tech and at Duke. The loss at Duke is understandable, especially because no other team has succeeded to win in Cameron Indoor Stadium in the last 40 games. The last team to do so – the Maryland Terrapins in 2001.

But the Terrapins had to win at home against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets may be ranked, but in the ACC, home wins are expected. Even the ranked teams struggle to win on the road. Maryland dropped the ball in a huge game that could have nearly guaranteed the Terrapins a position in the NCAA Tournament.

As of right now, Maryland does not deserve an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. The Terrapins do enjoy the advantage of playing in the ACC. If a final spot comes down to Maryland or a team from the Pac-10 or Big Ten, Maryland should get the spot.

The Terrapins must win at least two of their final four games. Those games include home games against Clemson, Wake Forest and Virginia and a road game at NC State. The home games are dangerous, however, because a loss to Clemson or Virginia would end the Terrapins’ tournament dreams. If they protect their house against those two and beat NC State, look for Maryland to draw a No. 8 or No. 9 seed.

Duke Turns 40

The Blue Devils slammed Maryland to end a two-game losing streak in the ACC. But those two games were on the road, where winning is always challenging, even if you’re Duke. But don’t even think about winning in Cameron Indoor Stadium. With the win, Duke stretched its home winning streak to 40 games, tying Pitt with the longest such streak in the NCAA.

A Pair of Point Guards Honored

The Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year award honors the nation’s best point guard, including Division II and III. Two ACC floor generals made the cut that names the nation’s 16 best. Wake Forest’s Chris Paul and North Carolina’s Raymond Felton have an opportunity to receive the award Sat., April 5 at the Final Four in San Antonio. Although I am unfamiliar with the non-Division I candidates, my bet is that St. Joseph’s all-galaxy guard Jameer Nelson will claim the honor unless the Hawks fail to reach the Elite Eight. Paul or Felton could easily claim the award if either man leads his school to the Final Four, especially if the road includes a win against St. Joseph’s. That would be the textbook definition of beating the best to be the best.

ACC Player of the Week:

Jarrett Jack, Georgia Tech

Jack averaged 21 points, 3.5 rebounds, four assists and two steals per game last week as he led the Yellow Jackets to a huge road win at Maryland and helped Georgia Tech nearly overcome a double-digit deficit in a loss to Wake Forest.

ACC Rookie of the Week:

Chris Paul, Wake Forest

Once again, the weekly honor came down to Paul and Duke’s Luol Deng. Paul’s team won the head-to-head competition as Paul proved to be the difference. He has become the team’s emotional leader who is more than willing to take – and usually make – the clutch shots. Paul averaged 12.5 points, three rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.5 steals in two wins for the Demon Deacons last week.

ACC Coach Watch:

Gary Williams, Maryland

The Terrapins have been one of the most consistent ACC teams in the past decade, but Williams’ team is in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament if Maryland does not win this week at home against Clemson and Wake Forest.

Team reports:

The following team reports are listed according to the school’s ranking in the ACC standings.

No. 3 Duke Blue Devils (22-3, 11-2) Last week: 1-1

The Blue Devils played a thrilling game at Wake Forest last week but lost their second consecutive ACC game, 90-84. In a physical, hard-fought game, the Blue Devils built a double-digit first-half lead but saw it shrink to five at halftime. Wake Forest completed the comeback early in the second half and the game went back and forth until the final horn. Freshman forward Luol Deng had a big game, scoring 20 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Senior guard Chris Duhon provided the seasoned leadership this team needs to reach the Final Four, finishing with 12 points and six assists. In the end, though, Duke could not stop Wake Forest’s superstar freshman Chris Paul, who refused to lose again to Duke. Paul led the late charge that saw the Demon Deacons surge ahead of Duke for the victory.

Duke rebounded at home to slam Maryland 86-63 to stretch the Blue Devils’ home winning streak to 40 games, matching Pittsburgh’s current streak. Sophomore guard J.J. Redick bounced back from a dismal performance at Wake Forest with a 20-point game that propelled Duke to an easy victory. Sophomore forward Shelden Williams had another dominant game inside, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. On the defensive end, Williams erased Maryland’s senior center Jamar Smith. Usually good for a double double every night, Smith was held to four points and four rebounds. Duke forced 22 turnovers as Maryland struggled to find anyone not named John Gilchrist who could handle Duke’s defensive pressure.

The Blue Devils play Valparaiso Feb. 26, which is the level of competition that Duke will likely face in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It’s a brilliant scheduling strategy by coach Mike Krzyzewski, who clearly wants his team to be ready to face every level of competition en route to another championship. Duke finishes the week at Florida State, where every ACC team has fallen except NC State.

No. 14 NC State Wolfpack (17-6, 9-3) Last week: 1-1

Call it a post-Duke hangover. Call it a lack of concentration. But no matter how you try to explain the Wolfpack’s 60-55 loss to Clemson last week, the truth is that every road game in conference play is a challenge. Just ask NC State’s rival, North Carolina, which also found out that Clemson is no pushover at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Wolfpack struggled from start to finish, shooting a paltry 32 percent from the field and an abysmal 16 percent from three-point territory, making just six of 37 attempts. No team will win games with that many attempts and that few made baskets. So the bottom line is that the Wolfpack, still one of the ACC’s best teams, lost because they ran into a stingy defense on the road and because the Wolfpack couldn’t find their shooting touch. It’s a recipe for disaster that resulted in disaster and cost the Wolfpack an opportunity to move into a tie with Duke for first place. Junior guard Julius Hodge led the Wolfpack with 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

NC State returned home to play Washington in the Wolfpack’s final non-conference game of the regular season. The Wolfpack struggled early in the game and trailed 34-31 at halftime. But senior forward Marcus Melvin led the Wolfpack to a second-half comeback with 16 points and eight rebounds. The Wolfpack ended up with a 77-72 win as Hodge and Melvin sealed the game with free throws after the Huskies missed an opportunity to take the lead with under 20 seconds remaining. NC State moved to 14-0 at home, but the Wolfpack must be concerned with their tendency to play to the level of opponents. NC State wins most of their games, but the games are frequently closer than they should be, which means that the Wolfpack are courting disaster come tournament time when the difference between winning and losing is frequently a single opportunity at the end of the game.

The Wolfpack can create some separation from the middle of the pack this week with games at Georgia Tech Feb. 25 and at home against North Carolina Feb. 29.

No. 15 Wake Forest Demon Deacons (17-6, 7-5) Last week: 2-0

Two of the ACC’s best freshman went head to head when Duke and Luol Deng visited Wake Forest and Chris Paul. When these two teams last met, Duke won at Cameron Indoor Stadium and Duke’s Chris Duhon essentially erased Paul, who appeared to be near tears at the end of the game. Paul delivered an equal and opposite amount of emotion after his Demon Deacons knocked off Duke 90-84, handing the Blue Devils their second consecutive loss. Paul finished with 23 points, five rebounds, eight assists and four steals and generally dominated in the last three minutes of the game. Paul helped the Demon Deacons steal the lead from Duke with two amazing drives to the hoop.

Paul has the rare ability to slash into the lane, take a hit from the lingering monsters and still have the balance to get the ball into the hoop, sometimes from seemingly impossible angles. Paul delivered an assist and stole the ball to finish the complete domination late in the game. This freshman came to win at Wake Forest, and the Demon Deacons clearly have a new team leader to replace current Dallas Maverick Josh Howard, who graduated from Wake Forest last May. Even though he is a freshman, Paul clearly has the most emotion – and arguably the most talent – on the court for Wake Forest and inspires his teammates to raise their games to the next level. That next level could provide an ACC tournament championship and a lengthy NCAA Tournament run.

Against Georgia Tech on the road, Wake Forest jumped out to a 19-4 lead in the first six minutes of play. Sophomore guard Justin Gray had a fantastic game, scoring at will to finish with 26 points. But the Yellow Jackets fought back and tied the game late in the second half at 71. Paul was a non-factor for most of the game because of foul trouble that limited his time on the court and effectiveness as he could not be aggressive at either end. But with the game on the line in the closing seconds, Paul drove to the hoop and made a difficult layup to give Wake Forest an 80-76, which held up over the final 10 seconds.

The Demon Deacons can take another step toward finishing near the top of the ACC standings with wins at home against Florida State Feb. 25 and at Maryland Feb. 28.

No. 17 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (19-7, 6-6)

Georgia Tech opened the week at Maryland and won 75-64 with the Yellow Jackets’ trademark suffocating defense. The team held the Terrapins to 32 percent shooting while making over 50 percent of their own shots. Sophomore point guard Jarrett Jack was the offensive star for Georgia Tech, leading the team with 21 points, five rebounds and five assists. The win helped put Georgia Tech create some separation between the Yellow Jackets and the bottom third of the standings.

Georgia Tech started the game at home against Wake Forest with seemingly no ability to stop the Demon Deacons, who built an early 19-4 lead. Junior guard B.J. Elder was entirely ineffective in the first half, scoring just one point, because he was saddled with foul trouble. Coach Paul Hewitt decided that to play Elder in the second half and let the experienced guard avoid any more foul trouble and to lead this team back to victory. Elder completed one out of two of those tasks as he scored 26 second-half points and remained on the court until the end of the game. The Yellow Jackets stormed back to tie the game late, mainly through defensive pressure that forced 22 turnovers. But Georgia Tech could not quite stop Wake Forest in the final moments, losing a great game 80-76. Jack had another great game with 21 points, three assists and three steals.

The Yellow Jackets play a pair of dangerous teams this week as Georgia Tech hosts NC State Feb. 25 then travels to Clemson Feb. 28, where several of the ACC’s top teams have already fallen this year.

No. 18 North Carolina Tar Heels (16-7, 6-6) Last week: 1-0

North Carolina had all week to prepare for Florida State and appeared well-rested and ready to blow the Seminoles away in the first half. They jumped out to a huge lead and cruised into halftime winning 43-27. But then the ghosts of games past crept into the Dean E. Smith Center. Shots no longer seemed to fall. Calls no longer went the way of the Tar Heels. It’s as if the Tar Heels have sinned and karma destines them to give away every double-digit lead they build. And this game proved no different as North Carolina allowed Florida State to creep back and pull to within a single possession of taking the lead. But the Tar Heels prevailed, as sophomore guards Rashad McCants and Raymond Felton made several clutch free throws to seal the 78-71 win. McCants led the team with 21 points, and Felton had a great game with 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Despite the victory, this trend of allowing large leads has to end or else North Carolina could easily become a first or second round knockout in the NCAA Tournament. Although it will be the first time North Carolina reaches the tournament in three years, anything short of a Sweet 16 appearance must be considered a failure. The same can be said for just about every ACC team expected to make the tournament. But the Tar Heels, who have one of the best starting lineups in the nation, seem to lack the discipline to play smart offense and stingy defense once they receive a big lead. Now is when we can find out how much new coach Roy Williams really means to this team.

North Carolina returns to the road needing to pick up at least one win to prove the Tar Heels deserve consideration for a seeding higher than No. 5 in the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels play a winnable game at Virginia Feb. 24 then travel to Triangle rival NC State Feb. 29.

Florida State Seminoles (18-9, 6-7) Last week: 1-1

The Seminoles took care of business at home against Virginia, winning 76-57 after going into halftime tied at 27. But Florida State exploded for 49 points in the second half while continuing to shut down opponents of defense. The Seminoles held the Cavaliers to 36 percent shooting. Freshman forward Alexander Johnson showed that he has the potential to become one of the best post players in the ACC before his career at Florida State is over. Johnson scored 16 points and grabbed three rebounds. As a team, Florida State shot nearly 50 percent, which bodes well for the Seminoles, who struggle on offense at times. Florida State still needs to pick up a few more wins to earn an NCAA bid. Despite the popular talk about the Seminoles being a sixth or seventh team to dance from the ACC, it just won’t happen if the Seminoles don’t prove they can win on the road. That means they must win at Georgia Tech or at Wake Forest or win at least two games in the ACC tournament.

Florida State missed an opportunity to pick up a critical road victory at North Carolina as the Seminoles lost 78-71. The Tar Heels built another huge first-half lead and did everything possible to lose it in the second half. Despite their desire to give Florida State another game, the Seminoles passed on the opportunity to steal the game with a few mistakes in clutch time. Florida State whittled the lead down to three a few times and then seemed to forget why they were having success. Senior guard Tim Pickett and junior forward Adam Wilson were automatic from three-point range. Wilson had a career-high 24 points and Pickett finished with 25 points. But the Seminoles did not run plays to Wilson down the stretch. Then he fouled out, removing one of only two Seminoles who played with any semblance of consistency. The Seminoles let another opportunity slip by when Pickett missed three free throws all alone at the line as the Tar Heels were hit a barrage of technical fouls. If the Seminoles watch the NCAA Tournament from their couches rather than playing in it, this game may stick in their minds as a difference maker.

But the world has not ended for Florida State. They play at Wake Forest, which has played inconsistently this season, Feb. 25 and need to win this game. If they fail to do so, a win at home against Duke Feb. 29 will greatly support the Seminoles NCAA argument.

Maryland Terrapins (13-10, 4-8) Last week: 0-2

Maryland entered the week with an opportunity to get back to .500 in the conference standings. The first game was at home against Georgia Tech, which Maryland needed to win to bolster the Terrapins’ chances of making the NCAA Tournament. But the Terrapins lost 75-64 as they could not buy a shot for most of the game. As a team, they shot 32 percent from the field and an ice-cold 3-of-20 from behind the arc. Ouch. Despite forcing 20 turnovers, Georgia Tech simply outshot the Terrapins, which produced the victory. Sophomore forward Travis Garrison had a strong game for Maryland, leading the team with 16 points. He also grabbed seven rebounds.

Maryland ended the week with the tough task of playing Duke, which had lost two previous games. A wounded Blue Devil squad playing at home is one of the most dangerous teams in the nation. The Terrapins learned that the hard way, falling 86-63 as they never really had a chance. Maryland kept the game close – for about 10 minutes in the first half. Duke’s defensive pressure caused 22 turnovers and fed fast break after fast break that seemingly sucked the life out of the Terrapins. Sophomore guard John Gilchrist was the only Terrapin who seemed ready to handle Duke, finishing with a team-high 14 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.

The Terrapins play two must-win games at home this week against Clemson Feb. 24 and Wake Forest Feb. 28. Two more losses will almost certainly eliminate the Terps’ NCAA hopes.

Virginia Cavaliers (14-10, 4-9) Last week: 1-1

Virginia became the latest ACC victim to fall prey to Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla. The Seminoles have lost only one ACC home game this season, against NC State, so Virginia should not consider the loss as a terrible sign of doom. But how the Cavaliers lost is certainly disconcerting. Florida State annihilated the Cavaliers in the second half to cruise to a 76-30 victory. Virginia was competitive in the first half, keeping the score tied at 27 at halftime. The second half was a continuous struggle, as the Cavaliers finished with a 36 percent shooting. Only junior forward Elton Brow reached double figures, scoring 16 and grabbing seven rebounds.

The Cavaliers visited Clemson in a game that had major implications in determining which team could claim the rock bottom of the ACC standings. Virginia avoided the ignominy by winning on a last-second three pointer by senior guard Todd Billet. A final layup made the score 58-55 as the Cavaliers survived a cold shooting day on the road. Both teams shot below 40 percent for the game. Billet was the lone Cavalier with the shooting touch, making 8-of-13 field goals for 21 points. He added five assists. The Cavaliers did an excellent job of protecting the ball, committing only 10 turnovers. But Virginia struggled to compete against Clemson’s interior size, losing the rebound battle 43-27. But as the saying goes, the Cavaliers lost the battle but won the war.

Virginia plays only one game this week, at home against North Carolina Feb. 24. If the Cavaliers can upset the Tar Heels and win against either Wake Forest or Maryland in their final two games, the NIT could be in the Cavaliers’ future. And any post-season appearance should be considered a success after a relatively rough season.

Clemson Tigers (10-14, 3-10) Last week: 1-1

The Tigers started last week with a great win at home against NC State, 60-55. The Wolfpack, fresh off their victory against Duke, may have suffered a letdown. But the truth is that Clemson’s defense harassed NC State’s shooters to prevent them from finding a rhythm. As a result, NC State shot only 32 percent from the field in the game. Sophomore guard Shawan Robinson led the Tigers to victory with 20 points and five rebounds. The statistic of the game, though, was NC State’s three-point shooting: The Wolfpack made only six of 37 attempts.

Coach Oliver Purnell has done an excellent job to get the Tigers to play tough defense. The trend continued in Clemson’s second home game of the week, against Virginia. The Cavaliers struggled like the Wolfpack to find open looks at the hoop. But unfortunately for Clemson, the Cavaliers found the range when it counted as senior guard Todd Billet drained the game-winning three pointer to give the Cavaliers 56-55 lead. A layup as time expired made the final score 58-55 and all but sealed Clemson’s fate as ACC doormat, after the Cavaliers completed the season sweep of Clemson. Junior forward Olu Babalola was the team leader for Clemson with 19 points and nine rebounds.

The Tigers visit Maryland Feb. 24 before returning home the team’s final home game this season. The Tigers host Georgia Tech Feb. 28.