Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Friday, December 31st

Wolfpack Embarrassed at Garden: For St. John’s, the past two years have largely been forgettable. But last night could be a turning point for the Red Storm. St. John’s made a ranked opponent, North Carolina State, look downright silly. The Wolfpack scored only 10 points in the first half, shooting 13 percent from the field. The Wolfpack lost 63-45, shooting only 20 percent from the field. They made four more free throws than field goals. Darryl Hill led the Red Storm with 19 points to upset the Wolfpack and ruin the homecoming of New York-native and Wolfpack senior star Julius Hodge. Hodge finished with 19 points but made only 7-of-21 shots. No one else from North Carolina State reached double figures.

Missouri Cools Off Gonzaga: Fresh off a victory against another top five team, Gonzaga entered Missouri’s home court looking to knock off the struggling Tigers. But Missouri held the Bulldogs to 38 percent shooting from the field and upset Gonzaga 63-61. Senior forward Rony Turiaf missed an opportunity to tie the game with an ugly layup, followed by a innocuous desperation shot by sophomore guard Adam Morrison. Sophomore forward Jason Conley led the Tigers with 16 points and 13 rebounds. The Bulldogs have wins against Oklahoma State and Georgia Tech already this season.

Illini Playing Like Champions: Unlike other games in which Illinois shot lights out, the Illini needed to play excellent defense against Northwestern State. Although the Demons did not pose a serious threat to upset the undefeated Illini, Illinois shot only 41 percent from the field. The Demons were worse, however, making less than 36 percent of their shots. Senior guard Luther Head led four Illini in double figures with 18 points. Junior forward James Augustine tallied his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

ACC Elite Cruises: Wake Forest manhandled local creampuff North Carolina A&T, 98-76. The Demon Deacons sprinted to a 60-28 halftime lead and let the backups seal the deal. Junior guard Justin Gray scored 23 points in 22 minutes to lead the Demon Deacons. Meanwhile, fellow ACC heavyweight North Carolina scored 85 points or more for the sixth consecutive game, annihilating Cleveland State 107-64. The Tar Heels forced 31 turnovers, creating ample opportunity for the offense, which is firing on all cylinders. Junior forward Sean May led six Tar Heels in double figures with 16 points.

Syracuse Survives Pride: Syracuse handed Hofstra its first loss, but the Orange needed a late second-half rally to survive at home. The Pride drained 12 three pointers to keep things interesting, building a lead early in the second half after a 38-38 halftime tie. Syracuse relied on senior forward Hakim Warrick to guide the comeback. Warrick finished with 29 points, including several huge baskets with less than a minute remaining. Sophomore forward Terrence Roberts had a career-high 20 points as Hofstra had no answer for the Orange’s big men. Sophomore guard Antoine Agudio led Hofstra with 17 points.

Other Top 25 Teams Take Care of Business: Among the 11 Top 25 teams in action last night, Connecticut scored the most points, blistering Quinnipiac 123-71. The Huskies scored 67 points in the second half as eight Connecticut players scored in double figures, led by sophomore forward Josh Boone with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

• Arizona beat Richmond 84-71 to win the Fiesta Bowl Classic championship. The Wildcats were led by junior guard Chris Rodgers, who scored 20 points off the bench.

• Cincinnati remained undefeated with a 95-69 win against Division I-newcomer Longwood in the Las Vegas Holiday Classic. Senior forward Jason Maxiell had a dominating game with 30 points and nine rebounds.

• Louisville coach Rick Pitino returned to the sidelines after attending his mother’s funeral in New York, and the Cardinals beat Eastern Kentucky 78-63. The Colonels opened the second half with a 17-4 run to trim a 23-point halftime deficit to 10. But Louisville stretched the lead as junior forward Francisco Garcia scored 23 points for the Cardinals.

• Virginia Tech played Mississippi State as tough as possible, but senior forward Lawrence Roberts was unstoppable, leading the Bulldogs to a 71-65 win in Blacksburg, Va. Roberts finished with 25 points and 19 rebounds as the Bulldogs out-rebounded the Hokies by 20. With both teams shooting less than 43 percent, there were plenty of rebounds to collect.

Take Time Off: DePaul coach Dave Leitao and guard Sammy Mejia have agreed that the sophomore starter needs some time to take care of personal issues. Neither one explained the situation further. Mejia averages 12.9 points per game, the Blue Demons’ second leading scorer.

Bookout Misses Blowout: Oklahoma junior forward Kevin Bookout missed the Sooners’ romp last night against Florida A&M. Bookout sat out the 104-45 demolition because of a bruised nerve in his right elbow. Bookout is averaging 12.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for the Sooners, who did not miss his production against the overmatched Rattlers. Freshman forward Longar Longar started in Bookout’s place and had his best night as a Sooner, leading all scores with 27 points. The Sooners scorched the nets, shooting better than 61 percent from the field while holding the Rattlers to less than 29 percent.

Triple Threat: Northeastern freshman forward Shawn James set two records for the Huskies in a 76-61 win against Iona. James became the first player in school history to record a triple-double by scoring 17 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and swatting 11 shots. James set the single-game school record for blocked shots, too. James’ productive night helped the Huskies get back to .500 at 5-5. Although the win is nice, James’ individual performance will likely be one of the highlights of the year for Northeastern.

Grizzly Must Go to Class: Montana’s leading scorer and rebounder, senior forward Kamarr Davis, will be academically ineligible to play in at least the team’s next six games. Davis will attend a short academic session that starts Monday and runs through the end of January. If he succeeds, he could rejoin the team to play Sacramento State Jan. 22. In addition to losing Davis, sophomore Mike Chavez broke his jaw and will be out for at least five weeks.

Sobering Loss: Alabama State coach Rob Spivery was arrested early Thursday morning after El Paso police pulled him over for driving erratically. Police officials say Spivery failed a field sobriety test and refused to take a breath test. Spivery said he only had a drink or two at a reception following Alabama State’s loss to UTEP Wednesday night. School officials have not yet commented on the situation.

Big 12 Notebook

Big 12 Conference Notebook

by Zach Ewing

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and warm holiday wishes. A couple of injuries to key players and a big upset bid made an otherwise slow week important in the Big 12 Conference. Read on…

Simien sidelined

The Kansas Jayhawks’ best player and a preseason All-American, senior forward Wayne Simien, hurt his thumb in the second half of KU’s 64-60 win against South Carolina last Saturday. Jayhawk nation breathed a temporary sigh of relief when the big man came back in the line-up and helped lead Kansas to victory, finishing with a double-double. But an MRI on Monday revealed that Simien had sustained ligament damage in the thumb and he needs surgery that will sideline him for four to six weeks, including the first few weeks of Big 12 play and Kansas’ non-conference games against Georgia Tech and Kentucky. Simien is averaging 17.4 points and 12.0 rebounds per game, both of which lead the team.

Wednesday, the Jayhawks played their first game without Simien and won, although not very impressively. KU let Wisconsin-Milwaukee hang around for the entire game at Kemper Arena in Kansas City. Simien’s replacement, freshman Darnell Jackson, was in foul trouble from the opening tip and finished without scoring, with no rebounds and with one assist. Not exactly Simien-like numbers. The game against Georgia Tech is next week, and if the Jayhawks can’t adjust to life without Wayne before that, it will be a long night. Keith Langford, who performed well against UW-Milwaukee, and J.R. Giddens, who did not, must bear the scoring load and overcome their teammates’ absence along with Aaron Miles, Christian Moody and a host of freshman.

West on I-70, the same problem

Colorado will also be without a key ingredient for the start of Big 12 play in January. Ricardo Patton and the Buffaloes learned this week that forward Julius Ashby, who averages 9.9 points and 7.3 rebounds and also leads the team with 12 blocks, has a torn tendon in his foot and will miss as much as two months of action. This is a big loss for an already thin and inexperienced Colorado team. The Buffs won their first game without Ashby, against Radford, but stiffer tests are on the way, starting Thursday at Utah.

Close but no celebration

Early in its telecast of the Dec. 22 game between Missouri and No. 1 Illinois, ESPN showed a graphic of things that have to happen in order for a non-ranked team to upset a No. 1. These included a great individual performance, poor shooting from the top-ranked team and strange breaks to fall your way down the stretch. Missouri had the first two down at the Savvis Center in St. Louis but couldn’t catch enough luck down the stretch to complete a comeback against the Illini.

Linas Kleiza, with 25 points and 7 rebounds, provided the great individual performance. He led all scorers and got to the free-throw line more than 10 times for the second straight game. Kleiza also had James Augustine and the Illinois front line in foul trouble for the majority of the contest, enabling the Tigers to keep close.

Mizzou was also able to hold Illinois to its worst shooting of the season, 42 percent. The Illini started the game just 5-of-15 from the field and didn’t get a whole lot better. MU took a 15-point halftime deficit and whittled it down to four a couple of different times. In the end, however, the Tigers couldn’t cash in on several opportunities they had to get the game within one possession and No. 1 Illinois won its closest game of the year 70-64.

A bit of good news in Lawrence

With all of the hubbub about Wayne Simien’s injury at Kansas, a great accomplishment wasn’t given enough attention in the Jayhawks’ win against Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Point guard Aaron Miles recorded nine assists in the game to give him 800 in his career, the Big 12 record in that category. He is also only four assists away from Jacque Vaughn’s school record of 804, set when the conference was called the Big Eight. Congratulations, Aaron.

Two big men leave Norman

Brandon Foust and Larry Turner, two role players for Kelvin Sampson at Oklahoma, have decided to transfer from the school, OU announced last week. Neither was playing a significant role for the Sooners this season and both said they wanted to move closer to home. Foust, who is from Columbus, Ohio, played a big role in OU’s postseason run through the Big 12 Tournament and the NIT last year, but has played little otherwise. Turner wants to move closer to his son and family in Midgeville, Ga.

This will leave Sampson slightly short-handed, but as long as Kevin Bookout and Taj Gray can stay healthy and productive, it shouldn’t affect the Sooners too much.

Big 12 Player of the Week

Linas Kleiza, Missouri

At times, the “vanilla gorilla” single-handedly kept Mizzou in the game against the powerful Illini. He was 11-of-13 from the free-throw line and recorded 25 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

Big 12 Rookie of the Week

LaMarcus Aldridge, Texas

Even though it was a light week in Big 12 scheduling, there were still several candidates for this spot. Kansas’ Alex Galindo and Russell Robinson, two freshmen, both scored in double figures to hold off Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Richard Roby averaged more than 20 points as a transfer for Colorado. Texas freshman Mike Williams secured his first career double-double. In the end, though, Aldridge, another Longhorns’ freshman, gets the nod because of his career-high 19 points and great defense in a 97-52 win against Centenary.

Around the Big 12

Baylor Bears (4-3 overall)

Five players scored in double figures for the Bears in their 97-73 victory against Maryland-Eastern Shore on Wednesday in Waco. That group was led by Aaron Bruce’s 23 points. Tommy Swanson and Tim Bush each had 16, and Swanson added a team-leading 7 rebounds. Baylor scored 37 points off of 28 UMES turnovers and out-scored the Hawks 46-24 in the paint. BU jumped out to a 50-28 halftime lead, but the Hawks fought back to within 57-45 early in the second. Baylor answered with a 13-3 run and the game was never again close.

The Bears have to happy to have a winning record with their makeshift team, but after another bunny in Prairie View A&M, things get considerably more difficult. First comes Purdue and then Big 12 play.

This week: Thursday at Purdue

Colorado Buffaloes (6-2)

Playing its first half without the injured Julius Ashby, Colorado raced to a 37-21 halftime lead in a Thursday game at home against Radford. The second half wasn’t as one-sided, though. The Buffaloes won 74-58 but allowed a weak Radford team to stay with them in the second half. Richard Roby led CU with 18 points after he scored 23 Tuesday against Missouri-Kansas City. Chris Copeland added 16 for the Buffs, who shot 50 percent from the field and forced 20 Radford turnovers. This was the second-to-last game in an easy stretch for Colorado. Like many Big 12 teams, however, a last non-conference test awaits in the coming week. Winning at Utah will require a better effort than the Buffaloes put forth against Radford.

This week: Thursday at Utah

Kansas Jayhawks (8-0)

Despite Wayne Simien’s injury, Darnell Jackson’s inept replacement and Kansas’ lackluster performance without him against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Wednesday, there are some positives for KU fans. The first is that the Jayhawks are still unbeaten and ranked second in the country. They will play better against Georgia Tech and Kentucky. The injury also enabled two freshmen two show their skills in Simien’s absence. Forward Alex Galindo had 14 points and six rebounds against UW-Milwaukee and point guard Russell Robinson had 12 points.

It was senior Keith Langford who carried the Jayhawks to Wednesday’s 73-62 win, however, and it will be Langford who might have to carry them for the next four to six weeks. Against the Panthers, Langford had 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Point guard Aaron Miles also played well, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing nine assists, giving him the Big 12 assists record. Still, the team struggled to put away Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Panthers were down only three at the half and got within seven points with three minutes to go before KU put them away.

This week: Saturday vs. Georgia Tech

Kansas State Wildcats (8-0)

No games last week for Jim Wooldridge’s boys due to the holidays. K-State will put its undefeated record on the line against last year’s NIT finalist Rutgers this week. A win there and the Wildcats should still have a zero in the loss column when Big 12 play starts.

This week: Thursday vs. Eastern Illinois

Missouri Tigers (6-5)

Coming back from 38-23 down to No. 1 Illinois to get within four and having a chance to win the game is nothing to be ashamed for the Tigers. But Missouri, which got within five with eight minutes to play and four in the last two minutes, couldn’t catch the top-ranked Illini. Linas Kleiza had 25 points and seven rebounds, a performance the likes of which hasn’t been allowed by Illinois’ defense, but no other Tiger had more than eight points. A balanced Illinois scoring attack, paced by Luther Head’s 20 and Deron Williams’ 19, was just enough for a 70-64 win.

The bottom line is, MU has already lost five games this year. The Tigers have lost to Davidson and Houston and their best win is against 2-6 Indiana. Close calls are nice for morale, but Mizzou has lost too much already to afford more of them. Missouri needs wins, and it needs them against quality teams if it is to make it to the NCAA Tournament. Another chance comes this week at home.

This week: Thursday vs. Gonzaga

Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-4)

Another team that needs quality results resides in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers didn’t play this week. After the rest, they have a chance to beat a power-conference team this week for the first time this season.

This week: Thursday at Tennessee, Sunday vs. Montana State

Oklahoma Sooners (7-2)

In a suprisingly close 71-63 Oklahoma win against Southwest Missouri State on Thursday, OU never trailed but didn’t lead by 10 or more points until the last three minutes of the game. Taj Gray, perhaps the nation’s best junior-college transfer, made sure the Bears never caught the Sooners by scoring 11 points and grabbing 13 boards, including eight offensive rebounds. Three other Sooners had double figures in points, led by point guard Drew Lavender with 12, but both teams started ice-cold from the field. SMS missed eight of its first ten shots, and the Sooners started 2-of-15. Finally, Lawrence McKenzie, who finished with 10 points, hit a couple of three-pointers and gave OU a working margin.

This week: Thursday vs. Florida A&M, Sunday vs. Texas-Pan American

Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-1)

After winning nine straight to open the season, the upstart Cowboys fell down to earth with a 78-75 loss to Gonzaga Tuesday night in Oklahoma City. The visiting Bulldogs raced out to a 48-39 halftime lead, and held on in the second to notch their second upset over a top-five team this season.

Senior guard Stephen Graham came off the bench to score a game-high 22 points in OSU’s defeat, with fellow guard John Lucas adding 19. The rest of the Oklahoma State squad collectively tallied just 34 points, shooting 11-34 (32%) from the field. Adam Morrison led the ‘Zags with 19 in the victory.

This week: No games

Texas Longhorns (8-2)

After his team gave up 89 points in a one-point loss at Wake Forest two Saturdays ago, Texas coach Rick Barnes challenged his players to step up their defensive effort. So far, mission accomplished. Wednesday, Texas tied a 55-year old school record by giving up just 12 points in the first half of a 97-52 win against Centenary. The Gents shot just 5-of-24 in the first half and committed 25 turnovers overall against the Longhorns’ suffocating D. Guard Kenny Taylor had 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting and four steals and two freshmen, LaMarcus Aldridge and Mike Williams, also saw productive minutes. Aldridge scored 19, and Williams had 13 points and 10 rebounds as Texas raced to a 30-point lead at the half.

This week: Sunday vs. Nevada-Las Vegas

Texas A&M Aggies (8-0)

The Big 12 is the nation’s only conference with four undefeated teams, and that includes the surprising Aggies. Texas A&M looked as good as it has in years in a 97-66 win Wednesday against Grambling State. In the first 12 minutes of the game, the Aggies shot 83 percent and led 20-0. A&M cooled down but still shot a blistering 58 percent from the floor in a game that never resembled anything close. Antoine Wright continued to put up gaudy numbers with 23 points and seven assists, Joseph Jones had 19 points and Edjuan Green had 14 points and 11 rebounds. This sure beats anything the Aggies were doing at this time last year.

A terribly weak non-conference schedule has aided Billy Gillispie in his first year in College Station, and the Aggies are two wins away from tying a school-record 10-0 start. But the games get a bit harder this week. First comes Houston, which upset Missouri earlier this season, and then A&M’s first road game of the season.

This week: Sunday at Penn State

Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-3)

After two losses, a close one to Ohio State and a blowout at Iowa, the Red Raiders got to use last week’s empty schedule to regroup and can use a light schedule this week to regain momentum before Big 12 play starts.

This week: Saturday vs. San Francisco

Four games to watch this week

4. Colorado at Utah, Thursday:

The Buffaloes haven’t looked good against quality competition this year, and now get a shot at one of the Mountain West Conference’s better teams without forward Julius Ashby.

3. Texas A&M at Penn State, Sunday:

If the Aggies can beat Houston on Wednesday, this game will be a chance to match the best start in school history. More important, it is Billy Gillispie’s first look at how his team performs on the road.

2. Gonzaga at Missouri, Thursday:

A crucial game for Missouri’s NCAA Tournament resume, because it’s the Tigers’ last crack at a non-conference Top 25 team. Last year, the Bulldogs beat MU in overtime in Seattle.

1. Georgia Tech at Kansas

The Jayhawks’ biggest test so far this season by far, and a real measuring stick for a team without Wayne Simien. Also a fantastic backcourt match: Keith Langford, Aaron Miles and J.R. Giddens versus B.J. Elder, Jarrett Jack and Will Bynum. Need I say more? Okay, I will. It’s also a rematch of the St. Louis regional final last year, won by the Yellow Jackets in overtime.

C-USA Notebook

Conference USA Notebook

by Zach Van Hart

Top teams missing top guns

Injures have already left an effect on C-USA’s best teams so far this season. Each of the conference’s top four preseason teams have suffered some kind of injury (or the occasional suspension). We’ll start with Louisville, which may have to ask assistant coach and former NBA star Reggie Theus to suit up once again. Forward Ellis Myles, back after a torn ACL kept him out of last season, missed one game last week with a tight hamstring, although he returned the following game. He was replaced by freshman Juan Palacios, who was playing with his own injury, a scratched cornea. Then there’s senior center Otis George, who’s missed the past five games with a stress fracture in his foot and will sit for another 2-4 weeks.

Cincinnati also received the injury bug from two players last week. Eric Hicks missed the team’s Dec. 11 game against Detroit with a strained knee and came off the bench against Jackson State last week. He returned to the starting lineup against LaSalle. Meanwhile, Armein Kirkland missed both games with a sprained ankle. Kirkland, a junior that appeared timid during his first two seasons, had come into his own during the early going this year, leading the team in scoring in four of his previous five games and averaging 14.0 points per game.

Memphis suspended disgruntled star Sean Banks for one game last week, while Rodney Carney, the team’s new star as Banks has struggled, sprained his ankle last week but did not miss a game. And Marquette’s Travis Diener has been playing with a sprained ankle the past two weeks, although the Golden Eagles’ light week appears to have allowed Diener to rest and recover.

Gone on break

As you’ll discover during the team recaps, quite a few C-USA teams scheduled some time off for the holidays. DePaul, Southern Miss, Tulane and Saint Louis all had last week off, and four other schools only played once last week. All four teams that did not play last week, however, will be returning to the court by Thursday this week. And, New Year’s Day is apparently not as big of a holiday, as all 14 C-USA teams will be in action this week.

Around C-USA

Charlotte (7-2 overall), last week: 1-0

The 49ers received their Christmas present early. Three days early to be exact. Trailing 73-71 at Indiana with a mere 0.7 seconds remaining, Brendan Plavich caught an inbound pass, heaved a half-court shot and drained it, giving Charlotte a shocking 74-73 win. A stunned Hoosier crowd waited as referees confirmed on a video monitor that the shot indeed counted, then rained boos upon the decision. The shot trumped a tip-in by Pat Ewing, Jr. that appeared to be the game-winner. Prior to Ewing’s shot, Plavich had knocked down a three-pointer with 30 seconds remaining to tie the score at 71. Plavich led all scorers with 21 points, while Curtis Withers added 11 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, none more important than the final one, the game-winning pass to Plavich. Freshman Leemire Goldwire contributed 14 points and Eddie Basden chipped in 11. The win was the Niners’ fourth straight. Charlotte right now looks to be as good as anyone in C-USA, including undefeated Cincinnati and nationally-ranked Louisville.

Next week – vs. Yale (Dec. 28).

Cincinnati (9-0), last week: 2-0

The Bearcats overcame injuries (mentioned above) and a treacherous winter storm to sweep its games this week. Cincinnati easily dispatched Jackson State on Monday, 95-43, before overcoming a slow first half to beat LaSalle on Wednesday, 84-63. Against JSU, the Bearcats were led by freshman Roy Bright, who recorded career-highs in points (17) and rebounds (11). It was Bright’s second start for the injured Eric Hicks. Four players scored in double figures and the Bearcats dished out a season-high 27 assists, led by Chadd Moore’s nine. A blizzard swept through the Queen City on Wednesday, meaning less than 2,000 fans could attend the game. Steven Smith kept the Crusaders alive with 35 points, including 23 during the first half, but it was not enough.

Like on Monday, Cincinnati rode its versatility to victory against LaSalle, as six players scored in double figures. Bright played another sensational game with 11 points and 14 rebounds and Hicks again led the team in scoring, with 15. Moore again electrified the crowd with 10 assists. Next week – vs. Miami (OH) Dec. 27, vs. Longwood (in Las Vegas) Dec. 30, vs. Illinois (in Las Vegas) Dec. 31.

East Carolina (4-6), last week: 0-1

The Pirates suffered their third close loss in the past few weeks on Monday, falling to South Carolina 57-53. Earlier in the month, East Carolina lost at Western Carolina by five and against Old Dominion by one. This time around, the Pirates led for most of the second half, but the Gamecocks managed to score the final four points for the win. Mike Cook, coming off the bench for the first time all season after a poor performance against Winthrop on Dec. 17, scored a team-high 24 points, also a season-high for Cook. Twenty-two turnovers and nine fewer free throws made doomed the Pirates. East Carolina did control the glass (out-rebounding USC 41-31) and limited the Gamecocks to 1-of-14 shooting from the three-point line. But it was not enough.

Next week – at Clemson (Dec. 29).

Houston (8-4), last week: 1-1

The good news for the Cougars – they defeated a tough LSU team. The bad news – um, how about we forget about the bad news and just talk about the LSU win. Houston defeated LSU on Tuesday, 81-72, before receiving a shellacking from nationally-ranked Washington on Christmas Eve, 110-63.

The dynamic duo of Lanny Smith and Andre Owens combined for 39 points against the Tigers, as the Cougars another win against a quality opponent, an occurrence rarely witnessed last season. As for the loss, well, Washington is one of the best team’s in the nation and Houston found out firsthand. The Huskies went ahead by 22 at the half and then poured on 62 second-half points. Five players hit double figures, as garbage time kicked in with 10 minutes remaining. The lone bright spot for Houston was junior guard Chris Lawson, who scored a season-high 18 points in his most extensive action of the season.

Next week – at Texas A&M (Dec. 29).

Louisville (8-2), last week: 2-0

The Cardinals’ injuries are well documented. So was their heartbreaking loss to Kentucky on Dec. 18. Neither of those mattered last week during the Billy Minardi Classic on its homecourt, as Louisville beat Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis and Austin Peay. Freshman big man Juan Palacios starred against IUPUI on Tuesday, finishing with 25 points and 10 rebounds as Louisville won 80-60. Palacios even played through his own injury, a scratched cornea he suffered the previous week. Wearing eye goggles, Palacios looked confident and relaxed. Ellis Myles returned the following night against the Governors and finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds, helping the Cards coast to a 77-49 win. Francisco Garcia had a relatively quiet week, scoring 21 points combined during the week. The Billy Minardi Classic is played in honor of Rick Pitino’s brother who died in the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Next week – vs. Morehead State (Dec. 27), vs. Eastern Kentucky (Dec. 30), vs. Tennessee State (Jan. 2).

Marquette (10-1), last week: 1-0

And the Travis Diener show continues. With relatively no offensive production from three of his fellow starters, Diener dropped in 32 points to lead the Golden Eagles to an 81-62 win against Nebraska on Tuesday in Milwaukee. Marquette returned to the winning side after losing its first game of the season to Arizona three days earlier. Diener struggled against Arizona and atoned for it early, scoring the Eagles’ first 12 points with four three-pointers in the Nebraska game. He scored 20 points during the first half and nailed seven three-pointers for the game. Steve Novack scored 12 points and Joe Chapman came off the bench to add 14. Marquette went on a 25-6 run that spanned 10 minutes and both halves. Diener also led the team with seven assists, while Marcus Jackson led the Eagles with 11 rebounds. Starters Jackson, Chris Grimm and Desmond Mason combined for eight points on 3-of-15 shooting.

Next week – vs. Coppin State (Dec. 29), vs. Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne (Jan. 2).

Memphis (6-6), last week: 0-1

It’s not getting any better in Dixie. The Tigers dropped their fourth in five games, and their third at home this season, with an ugly 72-59 loss to Providence on Thursday. John Calipari reinstated Sean Banks prior to Thursday’s game, after suspending him indefinitely (translation: one game) and Banks responded with 17 points and nine rebounds. Banks struggled from the field though, shooting 5-of-18. John Carney, the team’s leading scorer this year, scored 22 points while coming off the bench (above). But no other Tiger helped out on offense and the Friars’ star Ryan Gomes dominated with 24 points and eight rebounds. Memphis continues to play poor defense and when the team struggles from beyond the three-point line (6-of-23 on Thursday), it resides behind the eight-ball. There does not appear to be any quick fix for Calipari unless a team leader emerges.

Next week – vs. East Tennessee State (Dec. 30).

South Florida (6-4), last week: 1-0

The Bulls won their lone game last week, 74-66, against Florida International on Monday, in a battle for two Florida teams that are climbing out from holes left from horrible 2003-04 seasons. South Florida showcased its most balanced attack of the season, as four starters finished in double figures. Terrance Leather, who sits in the top five of scoring and rebounding in C-USA, finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. But it was the backcourt that starred, as Brian Swift and Marius Prekevicius combined for 35 points and 8-of-12 shooting from the three-point line. Prekevicius’ 17 points were a season-high. Swift right now could be the best point guard in C-USA not named Travis Diener. His 16.0 points per game average is tied for ninth in the conference and his 5.5 assists per game average is fourth. His continued stellar play will be crucial for the Bulls as conference play starts.

Next week – vs. Texas Arlington (Dec. 29).

TCU (8-4), last week: 2-0

The Horned Frogs were used to being the cupcake on teams’ schedules in December the past few seasons. Last week was a role reversal, as TCU blew through to lesser opponents, beating Maryland-Eastern Shore, 93-53, on Tuesday and Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Wednesday, 76-55. The Horned Frogs opened Tuesday’s game with a ridiculous 28-2 run during the first 8 minutes and 12 seconds and led by 35 points at the half, 54-19. Against Pine Bluff, TCU led by 20 at the half and then played a sluggish second half. Corey Santee led the team with 16 points and was the lone player in double digits. The Horned Frogs played their third and fourth games without Chudi Chinweze, who suffered a season-ending left knee injury against Kansas on Dec. 9.

Next week – vs. Grambling (Dec. 28).

UAB (7-3), last week: 2-1

The Blazers were a busy bunch last week, playing three games in three days at the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu. UAB eventually captured third place, defeating Oral Roberts, 84-77, after losing to Southern California in the semifinals, 81-78, and beating Clemson in the quarterfinals, 78-66. The Blazers were able to dictate tempo during all three games, and only fell to the Trojans when Rory O’Neil nailed a three-pointer with five seconds remaining. Donell Taylor played exceptionally during the tournament, averaging 18.3 points per game while shooting 62 percent from the field. UAB appears to be one step behind last season’s team, which is to be expected after losing three of its best players to graduation. Mike Anderson is receiving a maximum effort from his team, it’s simply not quite as talented as last year.

Next week – vs. Alabama A&M (Dec. 28), at South Alabama (Dec. 31), vs. Murray State (Jan. 2).

Player of the week

Brendan Plavich, Charlotte

Donell Taylor of UAB and Travis Diener could easily win this award, but Plavich takes it for his clutch shooting at Indiana. The senior guard scored 21 points, including six during the final 30 seconds culminating with a half-court prayer at the buzzer that was answered.

Games to Watch

Houston at Texas A&M (Wednesday at 8 p.m.)

These two Texas teams are both big surprises. Tom Penders’ crew received a rude-awakening with its 47-point loss to Washington. The Aggies are undefeated but have yet to face a tough squad. This will be a good test for both teams.

Cincinnati vs. Illinois (Friday at 8 p.m.)

The Bearcats are undefeated but have also failed to face any tough competition. Well, they will get all they can handle from the No. 1 team in the nation. The Fighting Illini blew out Cincinnati in the tournament last season. Expect more of the same this time.

DePaul vs. Old Dominion (Sunday at 4 p.m.)

Jeff Capel’s crew is 11-1 and looks even better than last season. The Blue Demons are playing tougher than expected, thanks to Quemont Greer’s 21.7 points per game and freshman Cliff Clinkscales’ 5.6 assists per game. This one is a toss-up.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Thursday, December 30th

La Salle’s Larkai to Stand Trial: Former La Salle basketball player Dzaflo Larkai has been ordered to stand trial on charges of raping a former member of the La Salle’s women’s team. Larkai, who was arrested this past summer based on allegations that he raped the woman in 2003. The scandal led to the resignations of both men’s head coach Billy Hahn, and women’s head coach John Miller after it was alleged they downplayed the claim when reported. Former players Gary Neal and Michael Cleaves were also implicated in a separate sexual assault case this past summer as well. Larkai will be arraigned January 18th.

Orange Center Out: Even though Syracuse won on the scoreboard over Albany Tuesday, they lost some depth, as backup center Darryl Watkins suffered an injury to his right (shooting) hand. Watkins, who had been coming on strong, notching a double-double against Drexel last week, will have surgery later today, and will miss at least six weeks with the injury, and potentially the rest of the season. The 6-11 sophomore had been averaging 5.3 points and 3.6 boards per contest so far this season.

Dolphin Released: Jacksonville announced that new starting center Joey Robinson has been dismissed from the Dophins squad for violating team rules. Robinson, a 6-6 junior who transferred from Redlands (Oklahoma) Community College this offseason, had been averaging 5.4 points and 4.9 rebounds so far this season. Head coach Hugh Durham did not release details of the dismissal.

BC Stays Unbeaten: Boston College needed a Craig Smith jump shot as the clock wound down to ensure their undefeated 10-0 record against Kent State last night, winning 67-65. The Eagles, who at one point were down 18 points, stormed back in the second half with a 14-0 run. Kent State was led by Jay Youngblood with 16 points, while BC was led by Sean Williams, who notched 15 points.

Indiana Downs Ball State: While Indiana handled Ball State 71-59 on Tuesday night, rumors spread around Bloomington yesterday that Mike Davis’ future for the Hoosiers had depended on the victory. WISH-TV in Indianapolis reported that Davis would be ousted if the Hoosiers lost to their cross-state rival, and that boosters were organizing a buyout of Davis’ contract following the Hoosiers’ six-game losing streak against top non-conference competition. In a statement, Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan vehemently denied the report, stating “I don’t like dignifying B.S. I’m not dodging anybody. I don’t like to dignify crap.”

Colonials Fall: The suddenly-hot West Virginia Mountaineers downed the No. 20 George Washington Colonials 71-65 in Morgantown last night. West Virginia is now off to their best start (9-0) since 1959 (with Jerry West), while snapping the eight-game win streak of the Colonials. The Mountaineers were led by Mike Gansey’s 19 points and D’or Fischer’s 14, while GW was led by T.J. Thompson and J.R. Pinnock, each of whom had 14 points. West Virginia has won the last seven games against George Washington in Morgantown.

Badgers Turn Back Tide: Wisconsin upset the high-flying offense of No. 18 Alabama 76-62 in Madison last night, extending the Badgers’ home win streak to 36 games – currently the nation’s longest. Wisconsin was led by Alando Tucker, who notched 21 points, while the Tide was led by Chuck Davis and Kennedy Winston, who each had 18 points in the loss. Tucker had missed last season’s match with Alabama due to a foot injury. Three other Badgers finished with double-digit points – Mike Wilkinson (15), Zach Morley (13) and Sharif Chambliss (11). Wisconsin last lost at home in December of 2002, when they lost to Wake Forest in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, 90-80.

Pitt Survives Scare: The always-dangerous South Carolina Gamecocks let No. 10 Pittsburgh escape their clutches, allowing the Panthers to come back and win 72-68 to secure their unbeaten streak at 10-0. Pitt, who won its 48th consecutive non-conference home game, was led by Chevon Troutman’s 20 points. South Carolina was led by Carlos Powell and Josh Gonner, who each scored 15 points. The Gamecocks may have had the upset if they weren’t ice cold from three-point land, going 2-of-11 from downtown. South Carolina did hold a 5-0 series lead, though the last game was in 1976. Pitt has not lost a non-conference game at home since losing to Virginia Commonwealth in December, 1999.

Tubby Gets No. 200: No. 8 Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith notched his 200th win as a head coach of the Wildcats as they downed Campbell 82-50. Campbell, who have lost 39 of their last 40 road contests, was led by Anthony Atkinson, who had 14 points in the loss. Kentucky was led by freshman center Randolph Morris, who had a career-high 25 points, and Kelenna Azubuike, who added 14 points. Campbell made only two of its first 21 shots and shot sixteen percent from the field in the first half. Smith is the fourth head coach to reach 200 victories for the Wildcats, joining Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall and Smith’s predecessor, Rick Pitino. Smith is 200-53 at Lexington, and is 324-115 overall, including his Georgia and Tulsa gigs.

Boilermaker Back: Purdue junior forward Matt Kiefer will rejoin his teammates tonight against Baylor. Kiefer, who had torn the meniscus in his left knee during practice three weeks ago, had averaged 12.5 points per game in the team’s first six games prior to the injury. Head coach Gene Keady indicated that Kiefer will come off the bench for the next few games until he’s sure Kiefer’s knee is 100%. Also joining the Boilers will be Purdue football’s Charles Davis, who will join the team after Friday’s Sun Bowl against Arizona State. Davis, a 6-6 tight end, scrimmaged with the hoops team this summer.

NBA Street Cred List

NBA Street Cred List

by Nicholas Lozito

There is a court in Harlem where stories are told. There are others in Coney Island, Brooklyn and the Bronx; Chicago, Detroit and Cincinnati; Oakland, Inglewood and Los Angeles. Stories of winners and losers, the shakers and those who got shook, the dunker and the dunkee. The collective stories shape legends and goats – and legends named The Goat. They turn mere men into marvels, names into nicknames and courts into cathedrals. And when the last word is spoken, the last mix tape released, Nicholas Lozito compiles his NBA Street Cred List.

Only players in the NBA are eligible. Points are awarded for playing style, fashion, and urban legend.

Allen Iverson
In the mid 90′s Iverson was the inner-city dream. And his life was chronicled in TBS’s favorite 2 a.m. movie, Above the Rim. Well, not literally, but come on – an inner-city scoring guard who battles through drugs and crime to star at Georgetown. In those days it was either Georgetown or Michigan, and everything was baggy, and I sucked at basketball. Iverson transcended the art of cornrowing, with twists and turns and patterns and shapes that da Vinci would be proud of. Then there was the time he used his patented crossover to shake Jordan. I think you left your draws at the free-throw line, MJ.
Playing style: 10
Bling-bling: 10
Legend: 9
Total: 29 of 30

Rafer Alston
Better known as Skip on the streets, Alston shed light on street basketball. His original And 1 mixtape laid the foundation for today’s And 1 phenomenon. Alston played at Fresno State before making it in the NBA. In the League, it took him a few years to adapt his style of play to coaches’ likings. The one knock on Alston is that his incredible street moves are rarely seen on an NBA court.
Playing style: 9
Bling-bling: 9 (mainly for being And 1′s franchise player)
Legend: 10
Total: 28

Vince Carter
There are two pieces of basketball footage that every basketball fan has to see. The first is Carter’s dunk over – and I am being literal when I say “over” – a 7-foot-1 center in the Olympics. The other is his windmill alley-oop in a Rucker Park game, which sent the crowd rushing onto the court in amazement.
Playing style: 10
Bling-bling: 4
Legend: 9
Total: 23

Jason Williams
Williams has the best street moves of and player on the list. And being white only adds to the mystique. Where were you when you saw him cross up Payton? I was watching the 3 a.m. Sportscenter. I stayed up for the 5 a.m. Sportscenter just to watch it again.
Playing style: 10
Bling-bling: 5
Legend: 7
Total: 22

Ron Artest
Every time Artest gets ejected from a game it just ads to the cred. If he does this stuff on the court, just imagine what he does off of it. Calling out San Antonio’s Bruce Bowen for a game of one-on-one to determine the Defensive Player of the Year award was also very credible.
Playing style: 7
Bling-bling: 5
Legend: 9
Total: 21

Stephon Marbury
Here is a Coney Island legend. During the opening scene of He Got Game, I was just waiting to see a Marbury clip – didn’t get one. The ultimate street point guard. One in a long line of NYC points to attend Georgia Tech.
Playing style: 7
Bling-bling: 4
Legend: 9
Total: 20

LeBron James
What hurts LeBron so much on this list is that everyone knows everything about him. There is no mystery – except, of course, if he will ever be better than Jordan.
Playing style: 10
Bling-bling: 5
Legend: 5
Total: 20

Tracy McGrady
McGrady is currently the second best player on this list (LeBron is No. 1), and that counts for a lot. If he had not grown up in Florida and attended prep school he would probably be a lot higher. But his game is graceful and highlight-filled, and he is Carter’s cousin.
Playing style: 9
Bling-bling: 5
Legend: 5
Total: 19

Carmelo Anthony
If it wasn’t for his winter blockbuster, “Stop Snitching,” Carmelo might not be on this list. But, the Syracuse star did grow up on some rough streets and it took him only one season to make himself one of the college game’s all-time best.
Playing style: 7
Bling-bling: 6
Legend: 6
Total: 19

Others (P-playing style, B-Bling-bling, L-Legend): Sebastian Telfair (P: 8, B: 3, L: 8); Dwyane Wade (P: 8, B: 2, L: 6); Ricky Davis (P: 9, B: 4, L: 4); Quentin Richardson (P: 6, B: 6, L: 4); Kenny Anderson (P: 7, B: 1, L: 8); Latrell Sprewell (P: 5, B: 4, L: 8); Amare Stoudemire (P: 9, B: 3, L: 5); Jason Richardson (P: 9, B: 1, L: 6).

ACC Notebook

Atlantic Coast Conference Notebook

by Michael Protos

Don’t look now, but Duke is the only team in the ACC that is undefeated. And the Blue Devils are supposed to be having an off year.

Duke may not receive the same praise as Wake Forest or North Carolina, but as long as the Blue Devils continue to find a way to win, they are a force to reckon with in the ACC. And don’t be fooled by their record, this team is truly finding ways to win in every game.

Already this season, Duke has fallen behind by 10 points or more in the first half to teams such as Illinois-Chicago and Oklahoma. The Blue Devils frequently start slow but find a way to adjust and effectively finish games. That’s a credit to the genius of coach Mike Krzyzewski. Such an acknowledgment is hard for a former Tar Heel to make but easy for an objective ACC writer to observe.

The venerable coach K may be in the midst of the biggest challenge of his career. Duke lacks a proven point guard, features a short bench and favors a half-court offense rather the Blue Devils’ feared full-court pressure. After working so well throughout the 1990s and early in this decade, Duke’s formula for success is changing.

The new faces of Duke basketball are Shelden Williams, J.J. Redick and Daniel Ewing. Unlike previous years when a bunch of Blue Devils were reliable scoring threats, these three are currently the only Blue Devils averaging double figures in scoring per game. Williams provides Krzyzewski with a veteran presence in the paint. Williams is averaging 15.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. Those are MVP type numbers. Equally important, Williams is obliterating opponents in the post with a total of 28 blocks through eight games.

Redick is Duke’s sharpshooter, following the footsteps of players before him like Trajan Langdon and Shane Battier. Redick is the ACC’s scoring leader, averaging 21.3 points per game. He is hitting nearly 40 percent of his three-point attempts. More importantly, Redick forces opponents to guard him as far as 25 feet away from the hoop. His range allows Duke to create space for players such as Sean Dockery to slice toward the basket. Williams and forward Shavlik Randolph have more room to operate in the post.

Ewing is Duke’s senior leader. He must take control of this team like Chris Duhon did last year and other Duke greats have done before. He leads the team in assists with 4.5 per game. His 17.8 points per game is second to Redick on the team. With Redick drawing double coverage in clutch time, Ewing can find a hole just large enough to take potentially game-winning shots. He is comfortable with the role of leading this team to victory, and he will likely need to have several huge games for Duke to finish near the top of the standings or make a deep run in either the ACC or NCAA tournaments.

But besides Ewing, Redick and Williams, coach K needs to find the proper uses for players such as Dockery, Randolph and freshmen DeMarcus Nelson and David McClure. This team has a much smaller margin of error than previous Duke teams, which could afford a bad game from one or two players. There were always other All-ACC players available to step up. Not this season. This season is all about strategy and preparation – two of Krzyzewski’s strengths. If Duke finishes with 12 wins in the conference, it will be a testament to the will of the players, the emergence of future stars and – most influentially – the genius of Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski.

Player of the Week: Chris Paul, Wake Forest

Paul almost single-handedly carried the Demon Deacons to victory against Texas and was a major contributor in a big win at New Mexico. In the two games, he averaged 23 points, five rebounds and 8.5 assists.

Rookie of the Week: James Gist, Maryland

Gist is playing well for Maryland, giving the Terrapins a reliable option off the bench for production in the paint. Against Florida State and American last week, Gist averaged 7.5 points, seven rebounds and three blocks per game.

Coach Watch of the Week: Paul Hewitt, Georgia Tech

The Yellow Jackets are coming off a tough loss in Las Vegas to Gonzaga, and Hewitt must get his team prepared for a huge game at Kansas within a week.

Team Recaps

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (10-1, 0-0)

Wake Forest moved to 10-1 with two wins against Texas and New Mexico. The Demon Deacons slipped past Texas at home with an 89-88 win. Sophomore guard Chris Paul led the way with 23 points and 12 assists. His production offset the great game from North Carolina-native P.J. Tucker, who led all scorers with 27 points. The Demon Deacons’ offense was firing on all cylinders, but their defense was gasping for life. The Longhorns shot better than 48 percent from the field, including better than 41 percent from three-point range.

Against New Mexico, the Demon Deacons decided to play defense and held a talented Lobos team to less than 33 percent shooting from the field. Superstar Danny Granger scored 24 points for New Mexico, but only one other Lobo reached double figures in Wake Forest’s 81-64 win. Paul proved why he may be a lottery pick in June’s NBA Draft by scoring 23 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out five assists. Wake Forest dominated New Mexico on the glass, finishing with 15 more rebounds than the Lobos had. Wake Forest seems to play good defense against everyone but the best teams in the nation. That will produce a lot of good wins, but it will not allow the Demon Deacons to win a championship. Wake Forest will have ample opportunity to practice shutdown defense against great teams during ACC play.

Wake Forest tunes up for conference play at home against North Carolina A&T Dec. 30 before traveling to Virginia Jan. 2.

Duke Blue Devils (8-0, 0-0)

Duke’s detractors are already complaining that the Blue Devils are only winning because they are playing a soft schedule. The last undefeated team in the ACC was picked far from first place in the conference by most pre-season prognosticators, including this one. But coach Mike Krzyzewski has found a way to win with this team.

Now, coach K and the Blue Devils must adjust to the loss of junior forward Shavlik Randolph. Randolph is out indefinitely with mononucleosis, an illness that leads to chronic fatigue – a symptom ill-suited to the demands of a college basketball player. Randolph, however, has failed to meet expectations this season and averages only 6.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Despite his underwhelming performance, Duke will miss his presence beside fellow forward Shelden Williams. Opponents will be able to double Williams in the paint and inhibit a facet of Duke’s offensive attack.

Nevertheless, Duke won again last week. The Blue Devils beat Oklahoma 78-67 at Madison Square Garden in another performance marked by inconsistency. Duke started slow again, allowing the Sooners to build a 39-29 halftime lead before junior guard J.J. Redick went off in the second half. Redick dropped bombs from three-point range, finishing with 26 points as Duke outscored Oklahoma 49-28 in the second half. Duke’s defense frustrated the Sooners, who shot less than 38 percent from the floor. Williams had a superb game in the paint, scoring 14 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.

Duke continues a two-week break before opening ACC play at home against Clemson Jan. 2. Expect coach K to have this team back on campus a few days early to prepare for the conference opener. The Blue Devils need practice to avoid a possibly devastating loss if they come out flat from an extended break.

North Carolina Tar Heels (9-1, 1-0)

The Tar Heels continue to challenge Illinois for the title of the nation’s hottest team. North Carolina stomped ACC-newcomer Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., and returned home to tame some Catamounts from Vermont. No one expected the Hokies to beat North Carolina, even in Blacksburg. But no one expected the Tar Heels to shoot better than 64 percent in an 85-51 rout. Forwards Jawad Williams and Sean May each scored 17 points. Virginia Tech successfully held junior scoring sensation Rashad McCants to three points. That’s about it for highlights for the Hokies. The Tar Heels only allowed one Hokie to score more than 10 points, holding the team to 36 percent shooting from the field. The only concern against the Hokies for coach Roy Williams and the Tar Heels is turnovers. The Tar Heels committed 22 turnovers, including seven by point guard Raymond Felton, who had only three assists.

Against Vermont, Felton and company reduced that turnover number. Felton committed four turnovers and dished out seven assists. North Carolina won 93-65 by limiting the Catamounts’ stars, Taylor Coppenrath and T.J. Sorrentine. Vermont did not have an answer for May, who led the Tar Heels with 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Once again, North Carolina held an opponent to less than 40 percent shooting from the field while shooting better than 50 percent on offense.

North Carolina has a trio of home games to warm up for conference play: UNC-Wilmington Dec. 28, then with Cleveland State Dec. 30 and William and Mary Jan. 2.

North Carolina State Wolfpack (9-1, 0-0)

The Wolfpack took their show west to Washington and BYU last week. North Carolina State forced the frenetically paced Huskies to play a slow, deliberate game. But the Wolfpack failed to win. Washington used a balance attack and clutch shooting to hand the Wolfpack their first loss, 68-64. Junior guard Cameron Bennerman continued to play well for the Wolfpack, leading the team with 16 points. Senior guard Julius Hodge posted 15 points, five rebounds and four assists but missed two free throws that would have helped North Carolina State come closer to a win. The Huskies slaughtered the Pack on the boards, 39-30.

North Carolina State bounced back from the loss by playing well at BYU. The Wolfpack won 72-61 as Hodge led the way with 22 points and seven rebounds. Tony Bethel, a junior transfer from Georgetown, scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists. North Carolina State held BYU to 38 percent shooting from the field. The Wolfpack hustled better on the boards to grab four more rebounds than the Cougars.

North Carolina State continues to travel on the road as Hodge returns home to New York to play in the Holiday Classic against Columbia and, presumably, the winner of St. John’s vs. Canisius. North Carolina State starts 2005 with a tough home game against undefeated West Virginia.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-1, 0-0)

After slamming five consecutive opponents by at least 20 points, Georgia Tech finally received the flip side of the moral exhortation “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Gonzaga did unto Georgia Tech an 85-73 beatdown in the Las Vegas Showdown. The Bulldogs were unstoppable, out-rebounding the Yellow Jackets by nine, shooting better than 49 percent from the floor and holding Georgia Tech to 40 percent shooting. Guards Will Bynum, Jarrett Jack and B.J. Elder combined to score 59 of the team’s 73 points as Gonzaga erased the Yellow Jackets’ paint producers, seniors Isma’il Muhammad, Anthony McHenry and Luke Schenscher.

Although the loss should not set off panic alarms in Atlanta, it should remind the Yellow Jackets that winning takes hard work. Gonzaga appeared to want to win more, and the effort gave the Bulldogs the momentum to upset the highly ranked Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech responded three days later with a vicious 90-48 mauling of Charleston Southern. Although no one will confuse the Buccaneers with a bona fide NCAA Tournament contender such as Gonzaga, Georgia Tech played the type of ball that wins championships. Muhammad led five Yellow Jackets to double figures, scoring 16 points. The Yellow Jackets grabbed 10 more rebounds than the Bucs, held the opponents to 30 percent shooting and shot better than 60 percent at the offensive end. Georgia Tech had major contributions from both the post and perimeter players, and each Yellow Jacket shut down his man on the defensive end.

Georgia Tech plays another warm-up game Dec. 28 at home against Lafayette before traveling to Lawrence, Kan., to play Kansas in one of the most highly anticipated games of the regular season. That game could easily determine whether Georgia Tech receives a No. 1 seed or No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and could preview the national championship game.

Virginia Cavaliers (8-1, 0-0)

The Cavaliers survived an upset-minded Loyola-Marymount team in overtime, 79-77. Sophomore guard J.R. Reynolds slashed through the Lions defense and floated in the game-winning layup with about five seconds remaining. Senior forward Elton Brown led the team with 25 points and eight rebounds but fouled out. In addition to the absence of Brown, senior star Devin Smith left the game with an injured ankle in the second half. Without Smith and Brown, the Lions took over the boards, finishing with nine more rebounds than the Cavaliers.

By the time Virginia hosts Wake Forest Jan. 2, the Cavaliers will have played only one game in four weeks. On one hand, that means the Cavaliers will be well-rested and have plenty of time to prepare for one of the ACC’s best. On the other hand, Virginia must work to avoid cold shooting and mental lapses. The Cavaliers have no margin of error against Wake Forest, but a win would significantly help Virginia’s case for an NCAA Tournament bid.

Maryland Terrapins (7-2, 1-0)

The Terrapins are 7-2 and on top of the conference standings after a 90-88 overtime win against Florida State. But Maryland is a team still looking for an identity. In some games, the Terrapins look like a national title contender, playing great defense and efficient offense. But in other games, such as the one against the Seminoles, Maryland looks like a team determined to find a way to lose. Maryland forced 25 turnover and built a double-digit lead early in the first half but allowed Florida State to come back. In the end, junior guard John Gilchrist and the Terps proved to be too much, winning by a deuce in overtime. Gilchrist finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. Five other Terps reached double figures in scoring.

Maryland followed up that win with an 82-61 beating of American. But the score does not tell the whole story. The Terrapins let American hang around until midway through the second half when a 16-0 run put away the game. Gilchrist led the way again with 20 points, four rebounds and five assists. Coach Gary Williams had to be happier with the team’s effort on the glass as Maryland out-rebounded American 40-25. And there were few loose balls to collect on the offensive end as the Terps shot 46 percent from the field and 47 percent from three-point range.

Maryland continues to chomp through the soft underbelly of its schedule Dec. 28 at home against Liberty. The Terps must be wary not to look ahead to an impending stretch of six ranked opponents in seven games.

Miami Hurricanes (7-2, 0-0)

After dropping two of the first three games, the Hurricanes have rattled off six consecutive wins. The most recent two came at home against Stetson and Tennessee Tech. The Hurricanes are winning because they have achieved a sufficient level of offensive balance and play excellent defense. Against Stetson, Miami won 81-50 in large part because the defense held the Hatters to 32 percent shooting from the field. Equally important, four Hurricanes reached double figures, and the team shot 50 percent from the field. Sophomore guard Guillermo Diaz led the team with 14 points, and junior forward Gary Hamilton tallied his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Against the Eagles, Miami overcame a dismal shooting performance – 39 percent from the field – by limiting Tennessee Tech to less than 36 percent shooting and hoarding rebounds. The Hurricanes out-rebounded the Eagles by 12. Four of the five starters reached double figures in scoring for Miami, and sophomore forward Anthony King grabbed 11 rebounds. The product was a 69-57 win.

Miami will look to extend its winning streak to eight games with two more relatively easy home games in the next week against Appalachian State and Norfolk State.

Clemson Tigers (8-3, 0-0)

Coach Oliver Purnell gave his Christmas gift to Clemson a few days early. He took his team to Hawaii, albeit to play three games in the Outrigger Rainbow Classic. After splitting the first two contests against Alabama-Birmingham and Indiana State, Clemson lost the final game to Georgetown to finish in sixth place.

The Tigers are developing a pattern in which they win when they hold opponents under 40 percent shooting but lose just about every other time. Georgetown and Alabama-Birmingham both won convincingly and both shot better than 50 percent in the game. Although the Tigers have now played more than a third of the season, Clemson still lacks a consistent scoring threat. No more than two players reached double figures in any game of the tournament. Purnell continues to give eight to ten players significant playing time in an attempt to get his young roster more experience and find a winning combination.

Clemson returns to the mainland to host East Carolina Dec. 29 before opening ACC play at Duke Jan. 2.

Florida State Seminoles (7-5, 0-1)

Florida State appears to be emerging from the early-season funk that led to a 4-4 start and several losses to weaker competition such as Florida International and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. To open ACC play, Florida State traveled to College Park, Md., to play Maryland in what appeared to be a mismatch. But the Seminoles forced overtime against the Terrapins before losing 90-88. The offensively challenged Seminoles played well throughout the game, led by senior forward Adam Waleskowski, who scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Sophomore forward Al Thornton also crashed the boards for 13 rebounds. As a team, the Seminoles out-rebounded Maryland 52-40.

One point of concern for coach Leonard Hamilton is turnovers. The Seminoles committed 25 turnovers against Maryland while dishing out only 11 assists. That’s a terrible ratio that will lead to more losses against ACC teams that play pressure defense, such as North Carolina, North Carolina State and Georgia Tech. Fortunately, the Seminoles took better care of the ball against Jacksonville in a 101-57 rout. Florida State committed only 10 turnovers and dished out 24 assists. The numbers evened out in a hard-fought 71-61 win against Stetson: The Seminoles had 16 turnovers and 13 assists.

The moral of all these statistics is that Hamilton does not have a reliable ball handler at this point in the season. Freshman guard Isaiah Swann leads the team with 2.8 assists. Junior guard Todd Galloway has been disappointing as a floor general and may be better suited as a shooting guard. But the Seminoles need somebody to step up to lead this team, otherwise the Seminoles will continue to play inconsistently on the offensive end and be vulnerable to teams that can smother opponents with defensive pressure.

Florida State plays two important non-conference games this week at LSU and versus Florida.

Virginia Tech Hokies (5-4, 0-1)

The Hokies lost a pair of games last week against better competition. But it’s how they lost at home that is most disturbing. Virginia Tech allowed North Carolina to shoot nearly 65 percent from the field and allowed Western Michigan to shoot better than 48 percent. Both the Tar Heels and the Broncos shot better than 40 percent from three-point range. With such porous defense, the Hokies predictably lost both games. The Tar Heels blew out Virginia Tech 85-51 while the Hokies lost a close game, 74-68, to Western Michigan.

Sophomore guard Zabian Dodwell has been a bright spot for the Hokies. He scored 21 points and grabbed four rebounds in the game against North Carolina and 13 points and seven rebounds against Western Michigan. But the Hokies have squandered opportunities such as free throws, making only 7-of-18 free throw attempts in the two games. The Hokies also could not take advantage of turnovers. They forced 22 against North Carolina and 18 against Western Michigan, but poor shooting and inconsistency limited their ability to maximize the opportunities.

Virginia Tech has a pair of home games this week. The Hokies need to beat Morgan State Dec. 27 and improve their defensive chutzpah before hosting Mississippi State Dec. 30.

Patriot League Notebook

Patriot League Notebook

by Steve Sheridan

Finals Week Slowdown

As any college-age student can tell you, the final weeks of the semester are not an easy time to get through. Between finals, end-of-the-semester papers and packing for home, it’s not an easy time to concentrate on playing basketball. Of course, basketball players don’t get the luxury of the long winter vacation – they spend their time on campus, on the court. Because of the finals crunch, however, the action in the scholarly Patriot League was slowed greatly during the last week, with five of the eight league teams playing only one game and one team playing two. Therefore, between the lack of games and my own hectic finals week experiences, excuse me for the small size of this week’s league notebook.

American Garners One AP Top 25 Vote

American, the one Patriot League team that did not play a game in the last week, received one vote in the last Associated Press Top 25 poll. The Eagles, which currently sit at 5-2 on the young season, received the league’s first vote in the AP poll since the early stages of last season, when Lafayette jumped out to a great start and took home a few AP votes. The Eagles were led last week by senior guard Jason Thomas, who scored 52 points in two games on his way to his second consecutive Patriot League Player of the Week award. I’ll go a different route with my own award this week, however.

Weekly Awards

Player of the Week

Andrew Zidar, Colgate: The senior forward scored a career-high 28 points in Colgate’s high-scoring victory over Hobart. In a game without much defense, Zidar topped the scoring charts and also corralled six rebounds in helping Colgate snap a three-game losing streak.

Rookie of the Week

Bilal Abdullah, Lafayette: Abdullah was one assist shy of a triple-double in the Leopards’ win over Cal State-Northridge, scoring 21 points and adding 10 rebounds and nine assists. The guard from Anchorage, Alaska, scored 12 of his points from the free throw line, going 12-of-13 from the charity stripe.

Team Recaps

American Eagles (5-2)

As mentioned above, the Eagles were one of two teams in the Patriot League that did not have a game scheduled last week. The team currently sits in the midst of a five-game winning streak, with its last win coming last Saturday against Ohio University. The streak has coincided with the great play of Jason Thomas, who has matched or set his career high in points in each of his last three games. The team’s winning streak will be put to the ultimate test on Thursday, however, when the Eagles travel to College Park, Md., to take on the Maryland Terrapins. That game will be a true test of the strength of this Eagle team.

Bucknell Bison (6-4)

The 11-day finals break didn’t hinder the progress of the Bucknell Bison, who have now won three consecutive games after a 59-44 win over Cornell on Saturday. The first half was very evenly matched within the stat sheet: even in field goals, three-pointers, free throws and, most importantly, points. But after halftime, the Bison began to stampede and outscored the Big Red, 33-18, to take control of the game. The game was still in doubt with 11:41 left, however, as the Bison held a tenuous 38-36 lead. But Bucknell held Cornell to two field goals over the final 11 minutes, outscoring the Big Red by 13 points to secure the win. Bucknell shot 60 percent from the field in the second half, while the Big Red hit only 25 percent of its second-half shots. Chris McNaughton led the visiting Bison with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Charles Lee added 14 points, eight boards and five assists.

The Bison have only one game this week as well, a Wednesday evening home game against Niagara.

Holy Cross Crusaders (4-3)

The Crusaders, who left last week in second place in the Patriot League, dropped to third place without even playing a game. Holy Cross is in the middle of a tough stretch, having lost three of its last four games – but none of those losses were to mediocre teams; rather, the Crusaders lost to Minnesota, Princeton and Boston College. The Crusaders are already showing the great depth that they possess, as the team has had four different leading scorers in their seven games. Despite the depth, Kevin Hamilton is the unquestioned leader on the offensive end, averaging over 14 points per game so far this season. After 11 days in between games, the team will return to action against Ivy League foe Brown on Tuesday in Providence.

Lehigh Mountain Hawks (4-5)

The Mountain Hawks were the only Patriot League team to play more than once last week, splitting its two games against Eastern and Harvard. On Wednesday against Eastern, Lehigh came out smoking and never allowed the Eagles to take a lead. Thanks to 67 percent shooting, combined with the Eagles’ 3-for-22 (14 percent) shooting clip, the home team raced out to a huge 48-10 halftime lead. The big advantage allowed the Hawks to coast through the second half and give some game time to the bench players, with no Mountain Hawk player registering more than 22 minutes of action. Sophomore guard Jose Olivero led the game with 14 points in 21 minutes and 11 of 12 Lehigh players made at least one field goal in the rout.

After the easy win, however, the team fell to 0-4 on the road in a 67-56 loss to Harvard. The Mountain Hawks’ lackadaisical road efforts continued against the Crimson, as the visitors fell behind by as many as 10 in the opening half and couldn’t sustain any offensive rhythm in the second half. After the visitors took a 42-41 lead with 9:46 to go, Harvard used a 13-0 run to take the lead for good. Four Lehigh players scored in double figures, three with 11 points, but the Crimson also put four players over the 13-point barrier. One bright spot for Lehigh was Michael Fischman, who took down eight rebounds in 25 minutes. If Fischman can only improve on his offensive game, he could be a valuable paint presence for head coach Billy Taylor.

Lehigh’s next attempt at its first road win of the season will be a very tough one, as the Mountain Hawks travel to Cincinnati to take on Xavier, a team which made it to the Elite Eight last season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Colgate Raiders (3-5)

The Raiders took out their finals-week frustrations on visiting Hobart on Saturday afternoon, snapping a three-game losing streak with a 101-85 victory. In beating the Statesmen for the 18th consecutive time, Colgate was led by senior forward Andrew Zidar and junior guard Alvin Reed. Zidar notched a career-high 28 points and Reed added a season-best 24 points, including five three-pointers. As evidenced by the score, both teams shot the ball at 50 percent or better for the game, but the Raiders’ 20 first-half field goals gave them a 52-37 halftime lead that shrunk to as little as three with 11:33 to play in the game. Colgate managed to stay even with Hobart in the second half, however, and left Cotterell Court with a victory.

The team’s only game next week is a Tuesday evening home contest with Loyola Marymount, a team which defeated Colgate, 78-54, last season in California.

Navy Midshipmen (3-6)

The Midshipmen extended their losing streak to four games on Saturday against Gettysburg, falling at home by a score of 75-69. The Middies held the lead for most of the game, holding a lead as large as 15 with 11:07 left to go in the contest. But Division III Gettysburg did not concede defeat, rebounding with a 17-0 run that temporarily gave them a lead. For the next few minutes, the lead switched back and forth between the two teams, with neither squad being able to shake the other. Navy hit only three field goals in the final 3:34 of play, however, allowing the Bullets to escape Annapolis with their first win over Navy in the team’s last 12 tries. Laramie Mergerson led four Midshipmen in double figures with 16 points, while Corey Johnson added 12 points and nine rebounds in a game-high 37 minutes of play.

The team has one more game before the holiday break, when it travels to Emmitsburg, Md., to take on Mount St. Mary’s on Tuesday night.

Lafayette Leopards (2-6)

Bilal Abdullah led a very balanced offensive attack that saw six Leopards reach double figures in the team’s 95-89 overtime win over Cal State-Northridge. Abdullah led the team with 21 points, while he and Jamaal Douglas both hauled in 10 rebounds as both teams attacked the boards throughout the game. The first half was very tight, but Lafayette appeared to pull away midway through the second half, taking a 16-point lead with 8:59 left and leading by 12 with 3:22 remaining. The Matadors then went on a 17-5 run to tie the game at the end of regulation, but Abdullah hit six free throws in the extra session and Jamaal Hilliard added eight of his 15 points in the extra five minutes to seal the win for the Leopards. Remarkably, Lafayette won the game despite taking a staggering 28 fewer shots than the Matadors, who launched the shots early and often.

The team’s final game before the holiday break comes on Wednesday, a 7 p.m. home contest against Moravian.

Army Black Knights (2-7)

In the most high profile game of the week involving a PL team, the Black Knights surprised the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame early but eventually succumbed to the nationally-ranked Irish, 71-52. Army jumped out to a quick 21-5 lead in the opening nine minutes, thanks to hitting 8-of-10 shots, but the team soon returned to form. The Black Knights shot just 31 percent from the field from that point on, allowing Notre Dame to tie the game headed into halftime and take the lead for good early in the second half. Army actually churned out a higher shooting percentage than Notre Dame for the game, but Army’s 19 turnovers allowed them fewer opportunities to put the ball in the net. Colin Harris led the Black Knights with 10 points and center Jimmy Sewell has a solid outing with seven points and 11 rebounds, despite the bigger Irish outrebounding Army by 19.

After the encouraging loss, the Black Knights have 10 days off before their final game of 2004, when they travel to take on Farleigh Dickinson on December 30.

Mountain West Notebook

Mountain West Conference 2003-04 Recap

by John Eisel

Mountain West Conference Early Season Power Poll

1. New Mexico (10-1) Preseason Rank: 4

We find out what the Lobos are all about against the Demon Deacons.

What we liked: They’re beating the teams they’re supposed to beat, and soundly.
What we didn’t like: They were considerable favorites in all of their games, except at Oregon. Their strength of schedule is laughable.
Best win: 77-58 vs. Tennessee. Not a marquee win, but the Lobos haven’t played any marquee teams. It will help the RPI, as the Volunteers have played North Carolina and Texas.
Worst loss: 69-65 at Oregon. Easy choice. If the Lobos had pulled this off, they would have already been in the top 25.
Why fans should be excited: Your team is 10-1 with arguably the best player in the conference with Danny Granger.
Why they should be worried: The Lobos only play half their conference games at home, and despite the early season scores, the MWC teams will provide a much bigger challenge.

2. Utah (7-3) Preseason Rank: 2

The Utah fans haven’t seen scores like this since football season.

What we liked: Andrew Bogut is tearing everyone up, Marc Jackson looks like he hasn’t missed a beat and the Utes are still playing good defense.
What we didn’t like: The Utes are missing a marquee win. Beating either Washington or Arizona would have done it, but wins slipped by. With how weak the conference looks this year, a great win is more important than ever to get into the NCAA Tournament. The problem is that the only name teams left on their OOC schedule is Colorado and LSU, with neither getting a sniff of the Top 25.
Best win: They beat Stony Brook, High Point, Furman, Southern Utah and Northern Colorado. Take your pick.
Worst loss: 67-62 at Arizona. Losing by five points at the No. 15 team in the nation is good, but they missed a huge opportunity here.
Why fans should be excited: The Utes seem to have adapted well to Ray Giacoletti’s system, and there’s no reason to believe it won’t get better as the conference season comes around.
Why they should be worried: With the exception of that ambush up in Logan at the hands of the Aggies, Utah has looked good in every game. The only thing Ute fans should worry about is whether being at the top of the conference will be good enough to get them into the NCAA Tournament.

3. UNLV (4-4) Preseason Rank: 1

Everyone expected more out of the Rebels.

What we liked: The Rebels are competitive with the best teams in the country.
What we didn’t like: The Rebels are giving up 76 points a game.
Best win: 91-87 (OT) at Auburn. A good road win.
Worst loss: 64-54 to St. Mary’s (CA). The conference favorite cannot lose to St. Mary’s of California. Or St Mary’s of any other state.
Why fans should be excited: The Rebels have a ton of talent, but there are new faces and a new coach. Give it a little bit of time and see what happens when the Rebels gel.
Why they should be worried: Lots of expectations, lots of offense, not a lot of defense. The Rebels have heard this before, and it winds up sending them to the NIT.

4. Wyoming (5-3) Preseason Rank: 8

Everyone who picked the Pokes to finish last (including me) is looking foolish right now.

What we liked: Jay Straight isn’t doing everything and the Pokes are winning on the road.
What we didn’t like: Wyoming is getting hit with injuries again, with Steve Leven and Dion Sherrill both missing substantial time already. Well, better now than during the conference season.
Best win: 68-64 at Creighton. This will help the Cowboys down the road as the Jays were 8-1 going into the game.
Worst loss: 64-61 vs. Kansas State. Wyoming should have pulled this game out, but completely fell apart in the last two minutes of the game.
Why fans should be excited: The Cowboys will get back Leven from injury and hopefully Jarrod Boswell from academic purgatory to a team with no personnel deficiencies.
Why they should be worried: They’ll have a lot of close games in MWC play. They need to play more like the Cowboys against Creighton and not like the Cowboys against Kansas State. No one is sold the Pokes are over their erratic play from last year.

5. Air Force (6-3) Preseason Rank: 3

Remember when 6-4 was a great start for the Falcons? An NCAA Tournament appearance does wonders for expectations.

What we liked: Opponents are turning the ball over five more times a game than Air Force. When rebounding is just a good idea, getting as many possessions as possible is crucial.
What we didn’t like: The Falcons are next to last in assists in the league. If Air Force didn’t run a pass-first, unselfish offensive system, it wouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Best win: 80-36 vs. Ole Miss. Decent win, but not going to raise any eyebrows.
Worst loss: 66-59 (OT) at Lamar. This is an awful loss on multiple levels.
Why fans should be excited: The Falcons had an awful loss last year and still made it to the NCAA Tournament. People will forget the Lamar loss in a hurry if they can pull the upset at Iowa Dec. 28.
Why they should be worried: The Mountain West Conference is not as good as last year. Winning the regular season conference outright will not get a team into the NCAA Tournament all by itself. The Falcons must beat some good out of conference teams if they want to go back to the Big Dance.

6. Colorado State (6-4) Preseason Rank: 5

The Rams should be better than this.

What we liked: The Rams top the league in blocked shots, 3-pt field goal shooting percentage, 3-pt shooting defense, field goal percentage defense and are second in scoring.
What we didn’t like: Take the stats with a grain of salt. Take out the Non Division-I schools, and the Rams are 3-5, with a win against Northern Colorado, which is making the transition to D-I this year. They’re also turning the ball over 3.33 more times a game than their opponents.
Best win: 72-62 against Drake. Drake is 2-4.
Worst loss: 79-76 (OT) against Auburn. The Rams had losses against bad teams, but this could have been a great win on the road against a good SEC team that had humiliated Colorado State last year.
Why fans should be excited: Matt Nelson appears relatively healthy, playing in eight of nine games and Matt Williams is making an early case to be on the All-MWC team at the end of the year.
Why they should be worried: The Rams haven’t shown they can win on the road or beat a decent team, let alone a good team.

7. BYU (2-8) Preseason Rank: 6

Let’s see if their horrid early-season schedule will damage the young team’s psyche.

What we liked: Mike Hall is in the top 15 in the league in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, 3-pointers made and of course, minutes played.
What we didn’t like: The Cougars are barely shooting .400. For baseball, that’s good, not basketball.
Best win: 90-77 vs. Boise State. It was either this or their blowout against Chaminade. Maybe I should have gone with the Chaminade win.
Worst loss: 64-61 to California. A comeback try falls short and their 18-game home winning streak ends. Ouch.
Why fans should be excited: I’m not sure if any other team in this conference would have done much better with BYU’s record. This team is young, talented and the pre-conference schedule will more than prepare the Cougars.
Why they should be worried: They’re 2-8. They don’t need any more to be worried about.

8. San Diego State (5-5) Preseason Rank: 7

The Aztecs are doing irreparable harm to the conference’s power rating.

What we liked: Marcus Slaughter. He’ll be fighting Utah’s Bogut for player of the year for the next two years.
What we didn’t like: They’re getting outrebounded. Only two other teams in the conference: BYU, which has played top-notch teams, and Air Force, which never rebounds. This problem will only grow into the conference season if things are not fixed.
Best win: 86-51 vs. UC San Diego
Worst loss: 72-80 (OT) vs. UC Santa Barbara. Way to start the season in front of the home crowd. In the return trip later in the year, the Aztecs won by 18.
Why fans should be excited: Chris Walton should be back soon after hurting his hip and Wesley Stokes may be coming back to the team, depending on how his fall grades turn out.
Why they should be worried: If the Aztecs are struggling against the entire UC system, I’m not sure if Walton and Stokes are going to help that much.

Games to watch

1. Wake Forest at New Mexico, Dec. 22 – This game could write the Lobos’ NCAA Tournament ticket in pencil and validate the conference for 2005.
2. UNLV at Texas, Jan. 2 – The Rebels’ losses this year can be forgiven if they pull off the huge upset.
3. Wyoming at Southern Illinois, Dec. 30 – A win over the Salukis would be make for a great pair along with the Pokes’ win over Creighton.
4. Air Force at Iowa, Dec. 28 – See UNLV at Texas.
5. LSU at Utah, Jan. 3 – The Tigers may not be in the Top 25 right now, but they’re still a name team.
6. Colorado State at Pepperdine, Jan. 3 – The Rams’ last chance to get a quality win and on the road before the conference season.
7. Washington State at Wyoming, Dec. 22 – The Cougars are there for the Cowboys’ taking.
8. San Diego State vs. Providence/at Iowa State – A win in either game helps to validate the Aztecs.

Big 12 Notebook

Big 12 Conference Notebook

by Zach Ewing

It was finals week in universities across the country, meaning a dull week for students and college basketball fans. Despite the lack of games throughout the week, Saturday and Sunday gave us some great stories.

Big 12 comes up a little short

The Atlantic Coast Conference is by and large considered to be the best conference in America this year, with seven teams ranked and four in the top ten in the country. But Texas and Oklahoma went east Saturday to try to earn some respect for the Big 12 in the best-conference argument. While Texas visited Wake Forest, Kelvin Sampson took his unexplainably unranked OU team to Madison Square Garden to take on Duke.

For a while, it looked like the Midwest teams would make their statement. Oklahoma led the Dookies by 10 at the break and had Coach K’s team on the run. Earlier, Texas had Wake on the ropes in Winston-Salem. But Chris Paul led the Demon Deacons back into the lead and then Kenton Paulino missed a poorly set up shot at the buzzer and Texas lost 89-88.

Back in New York, J.J. Redick was catching fire and Oklahoma was slowing down. A few minutes after a 10-2 run brought the Blue Devils close, Redick hit a three-pointer to give Duke a lead. He hit another three to put his team up 70-61 and the Sooners couldn’t recover.

So despite going to the East Coast and hoping to earn some respect for the Big 12, OU and Texas came back 0-for-2. But they did so while giving two top-ten teams more than they wanted or needed and did so in hostile environments. Texas was on the road and Madison Square Garden is like a second home to the Dookies. Back in the Midwest, the results likely would have been different. So in the end, the Longhorns and Sooners proved they could play with top competition. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad weekend after all.

Coach Knight stymied by his old school

Don’t tell The General, but it really was his alma mater that was on the court with his Red Raiders on Thursday night. And Ohio State really did beat the Red Raiders. Early in the week, Bob Knight of Texas Tech berated reporters during the Big 12′s conference call for asking questions about Knight’s relationship with Ohio State, from his graduation to the Buckeyes’ coaching search last summer that was rumored to include Knight. A bad week for the great coach ended when Ohio State scored the last six point of the game in Dallas to win 77-71.

K-State and A&M stay unbeaten

Two of the more unlikely undefeated teams in the country have to be the ones playing in Manhattan, Kan., and College Station, Texas. The Wildcats continued their 7-0 run to start the season this week by holding off Texas-San Antonio, 73-69. K-State hasn’t been overly impressive, but it has done what it needs to do to win games, doing so most recently against Washington State and at Wyoming.

The Aggies, meanwhile, also stayed light in the loss column by smoking Louisiana-Monroe and Chicago State this week. A&M, at 8-0, is off to its best start since its 1959-’60 team went 10-0. Of course, the Aggies haven’t played anyone with half a pulse. They play Penn State in early January, but will be severely tested when Big 12 play starts.

A freshman leads to KU’s survival

With Wayne Simien banged up and the rest of Kansas’ star-studded line-up struggling with unheralded South Carolina at Allen Fieldhouse, it was freshman point guard Russell Robinson who came up with four crucial points down the stretch to hold off the Gamecocks 64-60. It was another freshman, however, who committed the most ridiculous Jayhawk error in a first half full of them. Center C.J. Giles rebounded a missed South Carolina free throw but then went right back up and put it in the hoop for two Gamecocks’ points. Coach Bill Self took Giles out and didn’t put him back in again.

Big 12 Player of the Week

P.J. Tucker, Texas

The sophomore jack-of-all-trades is becoming Texas’ go-to guy, something the Longhorns didn’t have last season. He kept Texas-Arlington at bay Wednesday with 17 points and 10 rebounds and then excelled in a close loss at Wake Forest, scoring 27 and pulling down 14 rebounds.

Big 12 Rookie of the Week

Martin Zeno, Texas Tech

The Red Raiders lost both of their games this week, but don’t blame this freshman guard. Zeno had 20 points and 7 rebounds, including five in a row to tie the game at 71 against Ohio State before the Buckeyes scored six points in a row to end the game. He then added 11 in the Raiders’ blowout loss to Iowa.

Around the Big 12

Baylor Bears (3-3)

Some individual performances for the Bears provide a bright spot, but that probably wasn’t enough to give the players a good week. Southern Methodist clobbered Baylor 77-43 on Thursday in Dallas behind 26 points and 9 rebounds from Bryan Hopkins. Tommy Swanson led the Bears with 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting and pulled down 7 boards, and the Bears got some actual scholarship-player help from LSU transfer Tim Bush, who had 15 points in his first game at Baylor. But no one else had more than five points and the Mustangs out-rebounded Baylor 34-22 in the rout.

Saturday, Baylor rebounded with a 75-62 win against Southern University. Aaron Bruce had 24 points and Swanson had 19. Scott Drew’s team overcame 36 points from Southern’s Chris Alexander, 23 turnovers and a blown 20-5 lead by going on an 18-4 run early in the second half to retake control.

This week: Wednesday vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore

Colorado Buffaloes (4-2)

The Buffs’ first game of the week was an 89-83 win against in-state rival Colorado State. Colorado led by 11 points at the half and watched CSU come back to tie the game. After pulling back ahead, CU hit 11-of-12 free throws in the game’s final minute to seal the victory despite giving up 57 second-half points. Marcus Hall led Colorado with 22 points and hit all eight of his freebies. Richard Roby had 17 points and Chris Copeland has 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Colorado almost suffered the national upset of the week on Tuesday when they hosted Missouri-Kansas City. The Kangaroos led the Buffaloes 34-29 at the half, but CU woke up enough after the break to shoot 58 percent and win 79-68. Roby had 23 points and 6 rebounds and Jayson Obazuaye added 16 points.

This week: Thursday vs. Radford

Iowa State Cyclones (6-2)

After a tough stretch last week in which the Cyclones took out Virginia and lost a close one to Iowa, Wayne Morgan’s team is playing only one game the next two weeks. That game came Sunday against Wagner, and it was a 62-50 ISU win.

John Neal kept Iowa State ahead of Wagner despite poor play from most of the team’s stars in the first half by scoring 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting from three-point range. In the second half, the usual suspects took over. Curtis Stinson and Will Blalock both got going in the second half, as did center Jared Homan, who scored all eight of his points after the break. A 22-7 run put ISU in control for good.

This week: no games

Kansas Jayhawks (7-0)

It was almost a nightmare Saturday night at Allen Fieldhouse. South Carolina took an 11-0 lead and hit a three at the first-half buzzer to go up 33-25 on the Jayhawks. Wayne Simien seemed to be the only Kansas player in high gear, but he hurt his thumb midway through the second half. He returned, but will need an MRI on Monday to determine how much damage was done. KU finally took the lead at 54-52 with 5:03 to play, and then took it for good on a Simien lay-up to make the score 59-58. Then Russell Robinson scored his four big points and Keith Langford made a free throw to keep the Gamecocks at bay. Simien finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds and Aaron Miles had 8 assists, but Bill Self wasn’t happy with his team afterward.

This week: Wednesday vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Kansas State Wildcats (8-0)

Two more wins means the excitement for the Big 12 season grows in Manhattan. In a 73-69 victory against Texas-San Antonio on Saturday, the Wildcats had the game in control after an 18-8 run put them up 47-29. But they let the Roadrunners, the defending Southland Conference champ, back in the game. With a three-pointer with 10.3 seconds left, UTSA pulled within three. Fortunately for KSU, Fred Peete hit a free throw to seal the win. Peete finished with 22 points to lead K-State, which has won six of its eight games by less than ten points.

Jeremiah Massey made sure the Wildcats didn’t have to worry about a comeback in their Tuesday game. He went for 32 points, including 16-of-17 shooting from the free-throw line as KSU beat Northern Illinois 81-66. Kansas State shot 52 percent as a team and forced 21 Northern Illinois turnovers. Besides Massey, Justin Williams also had 13 points and 6 rebounds, and Cartier Martin threw in his second double-digit effort of the week.

This week: no games

Missouri Tigers (6-4)

If Texas vs. Wake Forest was the best game of the week, Missouri-Indiana comes in a close second. In a sloppy game, the Tigers came back from 17 points down to beat the Hoosiers 56-53 on Sunday. MU shot just 23 percent from the floor in the first half and after scoring the first bucket of the second, Indiana went on a 16-1 run to take a 33-16 lead. But the Tigers turned things around by getting to the free-throw line – a lot.

Right after the IU run, Mizzou responded with a 16-2 run of its own to cut the lead to three. The Hoosiers hung on to the lead until a Marshall Brown three-pointer tied it at 49. Four free throws from Linas Kleiza in the final minute gave Missouri the lead, and Bracey Wright, who broke his nose earlier in the game, turned the ball over on IU’s last possession. Kleiza led the Tigers’ charge to the line and finished with 18 points. After the dismal first half, MU shot 10-of-12 from the floor in the second, and gained some momentum heading into a very tough game Wednesday.

This week: Wednesday vs. Illinois in St. Louis

Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-4)

Joe McCray sparked Barry Collier’s team to a 71-49 victory against North Carolina A&T on Saturday. With the score tied 28-28, the Huskers went on a 35-10 run that included six three-pointers from McCray, who finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds. That put Nebraska up 63-38, and it coasted to victory from there. NC A&T shot just 36 percent from the field and made 19 turnovers.

It was a different story for NU when it played at Marquette on Tuesday. The Golden Eagles got 7 three-pointers and 32 points from Travis Diener, and Marquette controlled play throughout in an 81-62 win. Nebraska couldn’t get closer than eight points the entire second half and was out-rebounded 44-23. McCray dumped in 17 more points, but the Huskers were hurt by the absence of point guard Jason Dourisseau, who didn’t play because of illness.

This week: no games

Oklahoma Sooners (6-2)

There were some bright spots for the Sooners in their collapse against Duke. They played a great first half against a top-ten team on the road and kept the game a lot closer (78-67) than last year when the Blue Devils blew them out in Madison Square Garden. There were also a great individual performance from transfer Taj Gray, who finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Kevin Bookout had 17 points, but shot only 2-of-10 from the field. Plus, those bright spots don’t make swallowing the loss any easier and the Sooners will be looking to take it out on SMS.

This week: Thursday vs. Southwest Missouri State

Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-0)

After a long break for finals, the Cowboys went across the country to play in a holiday tournament in Las Vegas. An early 15-0 run put OSU up 11 on UNLV, but the Runnin’ Rebels were able to stay close throughout in a 79-67 Oklahoma State win. In fact, UNLV was within 71-63 late in the game before Ivan McFarlin sparked a game-ending run with a thunderous dunk. Joey Graham had 20 points and 7 rebounds, and McFarlin and John Lucas both had 17.

Tuesday’s game against Northwestern Oklahoma was supposed to be an exhibition for Eddie Sutton’s team, but NW Oklahoma was thrown into the real deal when a previously scheduled game fell through. Poor guys. What they got was a school-record 15 three-pointers from OSU on just 23 attempts. The first 21 Cowboy points of the second half were scored on threes, and Oklahoma State opened up a lead as big as 60 before winning 92-35. Lucas and Graham both had 21 points.

This week: no games

Texas Longhorns (7-2)

An 85-70 win Wednesday against Texas-Arlington didn’t please coach Rick Barnes. After jumping to a 52-29 halftime lead, his team actually was out-scored in the second half as the Longhorns shot just 37 percent. UTA even cut the lead to 65-52 with about eight minutes to play before P.J. Tucker helped Texas put the game away for good. Tucker led the team with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Texas improved to 50-3 against in-state competition under Barnes.

The Longhorns’ game Saturday was against considerably tougher competition, and although Texas played better, it couldn’t come away with victory. Tucker, a sophomore, had 27 points and 14 rebounds, possibly the best performance of his short career, but Kenton Paulino’s 18-footer at the buzzer clanged the back iron and Wake survived for the 89-88 win. Texas first got the lead at 64-63 and stretched it to 76-72 on a Kenny Taylor put-back dunk, but Chris Paul led Wake back, scoring five straight points, and the Demon Deacons hit just enough free throws down the stretch to hold off Texas. Paul finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

This week: Wednesday vs. Centenary

Texas A&M Aggies (7-0)

Antoine Wright continued his brilliant play against not-so-brilliant competition this week. First, he scroed 21 points and pulled down 9 boards in a 78-36 win against Louisiana-Monroe on Wednesday. Acie Law added 15 points and 7 assists in a game A&M led 18-4 and didn’t allow any Indians player to reach double figures in scoring. The Aggies also used coach Billy Gillispie’s pressure defense to force a whopping 30 turnovers, which created 30 points and helped hold ULM to their season-low point total.

Wright scored 20 points with 10 rebounds Sunday in a 90-70 win against Chicago State. This game wasn’t quite such a blowout. The Aggies led only 33-32 at the half and then scored 57 points in the second. Wright had 17 of his 20 after intermission. Joseph Jones added 15 points for A&M, which has already surpassed its win total from all of last season. More wins should be on the way, because the parade of patsies to College Station will continue until Big 12 play starts.

This week: Wednesday vs. Grambling

Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-3)

It was a bad week for Bobby Knight. First he lost a close game to his alma mater, Ohio State and then he was blown away by a team now coached by Steve Alford, one of his former players at Indiana.

The Buckeyes controlled the first half against Texas Tech, but the Red Raiders fought back from 13 down to take a 56-55 lead. Ohio State responded minutes later with four straight three-pointers. Freshman Martin Zeno tried his best to keep Tech in it. He scored five straight points to tie the game at 71 late, but he and all of his teammates were silent down the stretch. The Buckeyes scored the game’s final six points and won 77-71.

In the game against Alford’s Iowa team on Tuesday, the Red Raiders committed 21 turnovers, 16 in the first half alone, and shot 36 percent from the floor. Iowa, behind Adam Haluska’s shooting, sprinted to a 15-6 lead and it was all downhill from there for Knight and his team. Jarrius Jackson had 16 points and 7 assists and Zeno added 11 points, but Iowa won by a whopping 30 points, 83-53.

This week: no games

Missouri Valley Notebook

Missouri Valley Conference Notebook

by Neal Heston

One of the Best

The non-conference slate for Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) teams has been successful, to say the least. As each team plays its first conference game this week, just two teams sit below the .500 mark. Seven teams occupy a spot in the Mid-Major top 25 for CollegeInsider.com, and three are receiving votes for the Associated Press poll (Wichita State, Southern Illinois and Creighton). The 64-22 non-conference mark is the Valley’s best in modern history thanks to a handful of surprises thus far. Contenders and pretenders will be sorted out during the next few weeks though as the conference season gets into full swing.

The Valley in the Mid-Major Top 25
2. Wichita State
3. Southern Illinois
6. Creighton
11. Southwest Missouri State
21. Evansville
24. Northern Iowa
25. Bradley
(Also: 26. Illinois State)

MVC Game of the Week: Evansville 63, Creighton 61

Neither rain nor sleet nor snow could keep Evansville and Creighton from tipping off on Wednesday. Creighton braved more than a foot of snow for the win, but Kyle Anslinger’s jump shot at the buzzer crushed those hopes. Anslinger gave the surging Aces its first conference-opening win in four years and sent Creighton to a 0-1 Valley start for the first time in seven years. The Purple Aces led for 30 minutes before the Bluejays put together a 15-3 run to take a five-point lead. It was short lived though as Andre Burton and Lucious Wagner led Evansville to a winning rally.

Burton and Wagner each chipped in 13-point efforts. Nate Funk and Johnny Mathies sunk 12 points apiece in a losing effort for the Bluejays.

Game to watch this week: Dec. 28, Bradley at Creighton, 7:05 p.m.

This contest will give Bradley a chance to prove it is a force to be reckoned with in the MVC. Creighton will definitely be tough after the buzzer-beating loss at Evansville. A strong Bluejay defense, which allows less than 60 points per contest, will need to contain four Bradley starters who average double figures in scoring. Bradley has gotten off to a good start, but the non-conference slate hasn’t been the strongest. A win at the Qwest Center would be a nice addition to the resume.

Hoopville’s Player of the Week: Darren Brooks, Southern Illinois Salukis

Who else but Brooks is worthy of the honor this week? He has led the Salukis to five consecutive wins, and his numbers the last four games have included 14 points and 10 rebounds; 19 points, six rebounds and six assists; 11 points; and 16 points. A close second goes to UNI’s Ben Jacobson.

Hoopville’s Newcomer of the Week: Eric Coleman, UNI Panthers

The freshman center continues to dazzle the crowd with dunks, but more importantly, he continues to make his presence known under the basket. Coleman scored nine, 13 and a career-high 24 points in wins this week. His rebounding numbers were good as well.

Touring the Valley

Wichita State Shockers (7-0, 1-0)

Last Week: defeated Tulsa 71-66; defeated Texas-San Antonio 84-79
Next Game: vs. UMKC Dec. 28

The Shockers squeezed by two strong opponents to remain the only Valley team with an unblemished record. Paul Miller recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds in a 71-66 victory over Tulsa. Win No. 7 didn’t come easily as WSU trailed by seven at the half against Texas-San Antonio. Five Wichita State players scored in double figures though, which was enough to put a win in the books.

The University of Missouri-Kansas City will head into Wichita Tuesday for a 7:05 p.m. tip off.

Southern Illinois Salukis (9-2, 1-0)

Last Week: defeated Wright State 54-42; defeated Southeast Missouri State 72-68; defeated Saint Louis 67-41; defeated Illinois State 61-49
Next Game: Dec. 30 vs. Wyoming

Arkansas-Little Rock handed the Salukis a 70-53 drubbing on Dec. 7 and forced SIU to sit down and realize it wasn’t invincible. Since then, the Salukis have been invincible, winning five consecutive contests. Three opponents failed to score 50 points against the stingy SIU defense. Darren Brooks has shown why he is this team’s leader and one of the best players in the Valley, as he has averaged 15 points in Southern Illinois’ last four wins.

With the victory over Illinois State Thursday, SIU won its 28th consecutive home conference game, fourth-best in league history. The Salukis will briefly step out of league play when Wyoming heads into Carbondale next Thursday for a 7:05 p.m. tip off.

Evansville Purple Aces (7-2, 1-0)

Last Week: lost to Purdue 62-61; defeated Creighton 63-61
Next Game: Dec. 31 at Wichita State

The Purple Aces won’t play again until New Year’s Eve, but the rest is welcomed after last week. Evansville followed a heartbreaking loss to Purdue with a buzzer-beating win against Creighton on Wednesday. Kyle Anslinger was kind enough to deliver the blow against the Bluejays.

December 22 marked a special day for the Purple Aces. It was the day the team matched its win total from last season – not bad, considering about 20 games remain on the schedule. Evansville finally seems to be clicking on both sides of the court and appear as though they are in position to be the Valley’s surprise team of the season. A trip to Wichita State next Friday will tell the conference whether or not the Purple Aces are a contender or pretender.

Bradley Braves (7-1, 0-0)

Last Week: defeated Pepperdine 76-58; defeated Samford 79-59
Next Game: Dec. 28 at Creighton

Bradley has opened some eyes with its quick start, but similar to Evansville, the coming days and weeks will reveal this team’s true identity. In the meantime, the Braves are basking near the top of the MVC. Marcellus Sommerville continues to lead this team, and Patrick O’Bryant has been a nice surprise as well. O’Bryant recorded a double-double in the 20-point win over Samford, and Sommerville scored 20 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out four assists in a win over Pepperdine.

A strong test awaits the Braves on Tuesday with a road trip to Creighton. Tip off is set for 7:05 p.m.

Northern Iowa Panthers (7-2, 0-0)

Last Week: defeated Wisconsin-Green Bay 76-65; defeated Wagner 86-56; defeated Longwood 84-63
Next Game: Dec. 30 at Las Vegas, vs. Valparaiso

The offense has been rolling for UNI during a four-game winning streak. UNI has averaged nearly 82 points per contest in victories over UMKC, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Wagner and Longwood.

Ben Jacobson, the MVC’s leading scorer, has taken charge in the Panthers’ last three wins as he has averaged 20.3 points per game. Freshman center Eric Coleman and sophomore forward Grant Stout have also continued to provide a strong presence inside. Stout has scored at least 12 points in the last three games, and Coleman tied a career-high with 24 points against Longwood Thursday.

UNI heads to Las Vegas for two contests to end 2004. Its next game is against Valparaiso on Dec. 30.

Southwest Missouri State Bears (6-2, 0-0)

Last Week: defeated Miami (Ohio) 69-63; lost to Oklahoma 61-53
Next Game: Dec. 30 at Illinois State

The Bear’s six-game winning streak ended at the hands of Oklahoma Thursday, but SMS showed it is definitely ready to compete in the Valley again this season. Had the Bears stayed out of foul trouble against the Sooners, SMS would be riding seven straight wins. Oklahoma was limited to 29 percent shooting but connected for 21 free throws to stay ahead. SMS hit only 10 of 21 from the charity stripe.

Defense is carrying the Bears again this season, to the tune of 58 points allowed per game the last five games. The offense is contributing a lot more than it did last season too, averaging nearly 78 points per contest – second in the Valley.

SMS will attempt to get back on the winning track next Thursday in its conference opener at Illinois State.

Indiana State Sycamores (5-6, 0-0)

Last Week: lost to Ball State 65-59; lost to USC 68-64; lost to Clemson 83-57; lost to Long Beach State 38-37
Next Game: Dec. 30 vs. Drake

The Rainbow Classic wasn’t bright for the Sycamores, who fell to a last place finish with devastating losses. The tournament started well with a near miss against USC, but it got worse with losses of 83-57 and 38-37. Against Long Beach State (Yes, it was a basketball score, not football.), Indiana State hit only 14 of 56 shots and failed to score at least 20 points in either half. An outstanding defensive effort went to waste with a poor offensive showing, to put it nicely.

After earning impressive wins over Valparaiso and Butler to jump out to a 5-2 start, the Sycamores have stumbled and dropped four straight. They will try to rebound against the conference’s only other team with a losing record when Drake visits Thursday. Tip off is set for 7:05 p.m.

Creighton Bluejays (8-3, 0-1)

Last Week: lost to Wyoming 68-64, lost to Evansville 63-61
Next Game: Dec. 28 vs. Bradley

After a 7-0 start, the Bluejays have dropped three of four, including two heartbreakers last week. The last two losses came by a combined six points, and a valiant comeback at Evansville was forgotten at the buzzer when Kyle Anslinger gave the Purple Aces the win.

Nate Funk continues to lead this team with 17- and 12-point efforts the last two games, but shooting from the rest of the team has been poor lately. Thirty percent shooting won’t get a team very far, especially in the MVC.

The Bluejays will attempt to avoid an 0-2 start in the Valley when Bradley visits for a 7:05 p.m. tip off on Tuesday.

Illinois State Redbirds (8-3, 0-1)

Last Week: defeated Loyola-Chicago 73-67; lost to Southern Illinois 61-49
Next Game: Dec. 30 vs. Southwest Missouri State

Illinois State is off to a good start – maybe even better than expected, but it wasn’t evident at Southern Illinois Thursday. The Redbirds were forced into 20 turnovers and connected on only four of 17 free throws. That isn’t exactly the recipe for success against one of the Valley’s top teams. Southern Illinois broke a 6-6 tie with an 11-0 run early in the first half and didn’t allow the Redbirds to get any closer than 55-49 near the end of the game. Lorenzo Gordon, who scored 19 in the win over Loyola-Chicago, led the Redbird attack with 13 points against Southern Illinois.

SMS will venture into Redbird Arena next Thursday for what will be another strong test for Illinois State. Tip off is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Drake Bulldogs (3-5, 0-1)

Last Week: lost to Southern Utah 94-74; defeated Wagner 70-63
Next Game: Dec. 30 at Indiana State

Drake had the misfortune of running into a red hot Southern Utah offense Monday as SUU sank a school-record 17 3-pointers. Pete Eggers led the Bulldogs with 13 points, and Klayton Korver, Chaun Brooks and Leonard Houston each chipped in 10. It wasn’t enough to overcome 60 percent shooting from Southern Utah though.

The Bulldogs rebounded to beat Wagner, 70-63 Thursday. Chris Bryant stormed off the bench for a career-high 14 points. A 17-point lead evaporated slowly during a 7:22 scoring drought, but Drake was able to hold on for the win.

A road trip to Indiana State next Thursday awaits the Bulldogs.

Conference USA Notebook

Conference USA Notebook

by Zach Van Hart

Looks can be deceiving

Marquette is 9-0. Cincinnati is 6-0. South Florida has a winning record. While these all may seem like shocking developments, (really, South Florida has a winning record?!?), a closer look will shed light on why. It’s called a weak non-conference schedule, something all three teams have used to prop up their record. The Golden Eagles can argue that they are legit after defeating Wisconsin, which is ranked in the Top 25, at home. No doubt that Marquette must have played a great game to defeat the Badgers. However, the women’s team could have likely defeated their eight opponents. Here’s the list: Western Carolina, Illinois State, Air Force, Sam Houston State, Kent State, Oakland, Delaware State and South Dakota State. Sure, all eight programs will argue they are no pushover and a few would actually be right. Yet six of those eight games were played at the Bradley Center. And no matter the data provided, no one can convince me that playing at Oakland (Michigan, not California by the way) is tough. But the Eagles did beat Wisconsin. And they’ll receive another test against Arizona this week.

Cincinnati did beat Dayton on the road, although the Flyers are not the team that advanced to the NCAA tournament last season. Cincinnati did beat Vanderbilt at home, although the Commodores are not the team that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen last season either. Anyone else? How about Northern Iowa at home, which the Bearcats needed two overtimes and an eighteen-point comeback to finish off. Sure, Cincinnati even beat Purdue. Hello, the Boilermakers are 2-5, good enough for the basement of the Big Ten. The Bearcats receive their wake-up call on Dec. 31 when they face No. 1 Illinois. As for South Florida, well, can you blame the program for finding some cupcakes to bolster its self esteem after last season’s ugliness? Even for the Bulls, games against Stetson and Prairie View are guaranteed W’s. But hats off to USF in that it has scheduled tough contests. Last week they traveled to Ann Arbor, and hung around with a talented (if not injury-riddled) Michigan team. This week they travel to South Carolina, another solid power-conference team. Trust us though, this first month is probably not a good indication on these three teams.

Early season stumbles

Memphis started the season ranked in the Top 25. Saint Louis is always a tough team to play, no matter who is on the team. Both squads have not looked the part during the early going. The Tigers can blame three of their four losses on tough competition. They’ve played Syracuse and Pittsburgh on neutral courts and at Maryland, all three of which were ranked in the top fifteen at the time. However, Memphis lost each game by at least thirteen and only showed glimpses of team unity. Then the Tigers lost at home to unranked Mississippi. (More on this game later). Right now, Memphis is not a team. It’s a collection of talent: Sean Banks, Rodney Carney, who has blossomed this year, and Darius Washington Jr., who might become C-USA Freshman of the Year, but so far they’re playing as individuals. Head coach John Calipari will have to earn his salary this year.

As for Saint Louis, a loss at Gonzaga is understandable. But a 1-6 record? Not only that, but it’s the way the Billikens have lost. Brad Soderberg-coached teams are known tough-minded ones that know how to win the close games. Three of the Billikens’ six losses were by a combined six points (losses of one, two and three). Reggie Bryant is not getting enough looks, and the usually solid defense is breaking down at key junctures in the game. Saint Louis can not blame a tough schedule on most of these losses (home games against Oral Roberts, Austin Peay and Hawaii, all losses), or expect it to get any better. Most of C-USA is better than those three teams and Soderberg must figure something out before SLU struggles to its worst season in decades.

Strong coaching starts

Tom Penders and Larry Eustachy knew they were not inheriting the second-coming of Duke when agreed to coaching gigs at Houston and Southern Miss, respectively. Yet the two have taken teams that struggled in 2003-04 and started strong this season. The biggest surprise is Houston, who last year went 9-18 and did not even qualify for the conference tournament. This season the Cougars are 5-3, including an improbable 57-55 win against Missouri. Their two road wins (at Sam Houston State and Lamar) already doubles its road win total from a year ago. Andre Owens continues to star for the Cougars, but is receiving contributions from the entire squad. Credit Penders for making this team believe, something that was not existent a year ago.

Eustachy has done much of the same in Hattiesburg. The Golden Eagles are 6-2, even if the competition has been lacking. He’s implemented his fast-paced style and the players are responding. Jasper Johnson, who has thrived in the more deliberate pace from the past two seasons, has not missed a beat, averaging 17.1 points per game. Once again, the Southern Miss players believe they can win, something that was not the case a season ago.

Around C-USA

Charlotte (5-2) Last week: 2-0

The 49ers bounced back from a 102-101 loss to Alabama with two wins last week. Wednesday, Charlotte went on the road to defeat a tough Davidson team, 87-68, before beating Georgia State at home Saturday, 80-65. While the Niners received their usual production from Curtis Withers and Brendan Plavich, a surprise to many outside the Charlotte camp is the emergence of E.J. Drayton. The junior college transfer from Colby College, the small forward is averaging 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He replaced Eddie Basden in the starting lineup against Georgia State, though Basden played the better game.

Next week – vs. NC Ashville (Dec. 19).

Cincinnati (6-0) Last week: 2-0

The Bearcats remained perfect with two home wins, beating Vanderbilt 88-72 on Thursday and Detroit 61-44 on Saturday. Cincinnati looked awful during the first five minutes against Vandy, falling behind 17-7. The next fifteen minutes of the first half was easily the best basketball the Bearcats have played this season. They would eventually go into halftime leading 46-31. Against Detroit, starting forward Eric Hicks sat out with a sprained left knee and it showed on the boards. Detroit out-rebounded the Bearcats 40-26. Armein Kirkland continued his hot play after a career-high 23 points against Dayton Dec. 4. During last week’s two games the junior forward averaged 18.5 points.

Next week – vs. Northwestern St. (Dec. 18).

DePaul (5-2) Last week: 2-0

The Blue Demons played perhaps the best five minutes of any C-USA team this season Saturday. On the road at Notre Dame, which while unranked is a solid team and probably should be ranked, DePaul led by four points with eight minutes remaining. The Blue Demons produced a 12-0 run, complete with three-point plays, backdoor passes and cuts and solid defense. The Fighting Irish never recovered and DePaul won 84-73, following up an 88-67 home win against Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis on Monday. While Quemont Greer continues to lead the Demons (20 points per game) a few newcomers are starting to show their mettle. JC transfer Jamal Nichols, a slender 6-foot-8 forward, finished with a season-high twelve points against Notre Dame.

Next week – at Northwestern (Dec. 15), vs. Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 18).

East Carolina (4-4) Last week: 0-2

The Pirates suffered two hard-fought losses last week, falling on the road to Western Carolina on Tuesday, 77-72, before losing at home to Old Dominion on Sunday, 51-50. The loss Sunday came in heartbreaking fashion, as ODU’s Alex Loughton nailed a three-pointer from beyond the NBA line with 16.9 seconds remaining in the game. Mike Cook paced the Pirates, with back-to-back sixteen-point performances. ECU performed well against Western Carolina on the offensive end, as four starters reached double figures. The defense failed them though during the second half as Western Carolina scored 43 second-half points and shot 51.8 percent from the field for the game.

Next week – vs. Winthrop (Dec. 17).

Houston (5-3) Last week: 0-0

The Cougars had no game scheduled last week because of finals.

Next week – vs. New Orleans (Dec. 16), vs. Southeast Louisiana (Dec. 18).

Louisville (5-1) Last week: 1-0

The Cardinals put together their best effort of the season Saturday, winning on the road against a tough Florida squad, 74-70. Francisco Garcia did a bit of everything, finishing with 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists, five steals and one block, before fouling out during the closing minutes. Even with Garcia out, Louisville withstood a consistent Gator comeback. Taquan Dean led all scorers with 22 points and Larry O’Bannon contributed 13. Otis George sat out his second straight game with a stress fracture in his leg and is not scheduled to return for another month. Without George, Louisville’s bench suddenly is rather short. Only one bench player (Brandon Jenkins) played more than six minutes.

Next week – vs. North Carolina A&T (Dec. 14), vs. Kentucky (Dec. 18).

Marquette (9-0) Last week: 2-0

Similar to Louisville, Marquette put together its best effort of the season Saturday. We know this of course because of the Golden Eagles relative cake schedule mentioned earlier. After an easy eight-game stretch, Marquette knocked off nationally-ranked Wisconsin at the Bradley Center, 63-54. Travis Diener, playing on a sprained left ankle that hindered his playing time earlier in the week, scored 29 points and hit five three-pointers to led Marquette. The Eagles controlled the boards, 44-28, as Marcus Jackson corralled a career-high fifteen. The win paid back the Badgers, who defeated Marquette last season in Madison. Earlier in the week, the Eagles defeated winless South Dakota State, 76-60. Junior forward Steve Novak led all scorers with 21 points, one off his season high.

Next week – vs. Arizona (Dec. 18).

Memphis (5-4) Last week: 0-2

No one denies that Memphis’ early schedule has been brutal. That being said, Saturday’s loss at home to Mississippi was not supposed to happen. Rodney Carney and Sean Banks, who have combined for 33.1 points per game this season, finished with six and five points, respectively. That, coupled with sluggish play throughout, contributed to the Tiger’s 65-53 loss; it was the team’s fourth in its last six games. Tuesday, Memphis lost bad to Pittsburgh, 70-51, in New York for the Jimmy V Classic. The Panthers, notorious for their deliberate pace, were able to beat Memphis at its own quick-paced game. The Tigers should be able to regroup with a few lightweights coming their way though, and this hard non-conference schedule will pay dividends when March rolls around. No other C-USA has played a tougher schedule this first month of the season.

Next week – vs. Austin Peay (Dec. 18).

South Florida (5-3) Last week: 0-1

There are two ways to look at the Bulls’ 71-62 loss to Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday. One – South Florida hung around with a NCAA tournament-caliber team, on the road, for 40 minutes. Two – USF could not defeat a team that was without four players because of injury. Your view personifies what the loss really meant. To South Florida’s credit, they made two big runs late in the game when Michigan pushed the lead to double digits. Terrance Leather added to his legacy with a career-high 28 points and Solomon Jones led all players with 11 rebounds. The Wolverines won the game at the free-throw line; shooting 23-of-29 (USF was only 8-of-11). Brian Swift, typically a reliable three-point shooter, only went 1-of-8 from deep. If a couple more of those drop, this instead could be about a shocker in Ann Arbor.

Next week – at South Carolina (Dec. 14).

Southern Miss (6-2) Last week: 2-0

Yeah, Southern Miss’ competition was lacking. Regardless, the Golden Eagles chalked up two more wins and continue to look better than last year. USM defeated Spring Hill, 76-60, on Tuesday before squashing Alcorn State on Saturday, 82-61. Tuesday, Larry Eustachy decided not to start his usual trio of Jasper Johnson, Jason Forte and Michael Ford against the lesser opponent Spring Hill. The three responded against Alcorn State, scoring 23, 19 and 11 points, respectively. Johnson shot 9-of-11 from the field and also grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. Eustachy was also able to clear the bench Saturday, as thirteen players saw action.

Next week – vs. LSU (Dec. 18).

Saint Louis (1-6) Last week: 0-2

So much for keeping them close. After losses of one, two and three points during their first five games, the Billikens decided to lose going away last week. SLU fell to Wisconsin-Milwaukee at home Tuesday, 57-47, before getting blown out at Gonzaga on Saturday, 75-45. The losses dropped the Billikens to 1-6, their worst start in years. Saturday was a complete breakdown on both ends of the court. SLU shot 31.5 percent from the field, while allowing the Bulldogs to go 15-of-23 from the field during the second half. Gonzaga attempted 13 more free throws and Saint Louis committed 11 turnovers during the first half. Tuesday, the Billikens made only 17 field goals during the entire game and were out-rebounded by 10. Reggie Bryant led the team in scoring with only 10 points.

Next week – vs. Oakland (Dec. 15), Dayton (Dec. 18).

TCU (6-3) Last Week: 1-1

Kansas was just too much for TCU to handle last week, as the Horned Frogs lost on the road Thursday, 93-74. But TCU recovered to split the week with a 65-51 win at home against intra-state rival SMU. The big news this week was the play of junior Nile Murry. A JC transfer from Temple, the 6-foot-4 guard averaged 18.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. His addition to the backcourt, along with Corey Santee and Marcus Shropshire, make the Frogs even more lethal. He shot 41.7 percent from the field, including 5-of-8 from beyond the three-point line. Bad news of the week: Chudi Chinweze suffered a leg injury during the loss to Kansas. He landed awkwardly on it late during the game, and then did not appear in the SMU game. His status remains unknown but there is no guarantee he will be back on the court anytime soon.

Next week – at Vanderbilt (Dec. 18).

Tulane (2-4) Last Week: 0-1

The Green Wave was out-muscled during its lone game of last week, an 85-72 loss to Northwestern State on Monday. Tulane was out-rebounded 35-24, and their opponents attempted twice as many free throws (34-17). It did not help that Northwestern State was nearly automatic from the line either (only missed five of those 34 attempts). The Green Wave wasted a strong offensive performance, as four players reached double figures, led by Quincy Davis’ 16. Marcus Kinzer also set a school record with 13 assists, but it was for naught. The Demons also hit 10 three-pointers, including a few crucial treys to put the game away.

Next week – vs. Savannah State (Dec. 18).

UAB (4-1) Last week: 0-1

The Blazers were finally tested this past week, and although they failed, it was about the hardest test out there. UAB traveled to Stillwater, Okla., to face nationally-ranked Oklahoma State and lost 86-73. The Cowboys were just too strong as six players scored in double figures, led Joey Graham’s 20 points and John Lucas’ 18. OSU shot 51.9 percent from the field and 85.3 percent from the free-throw line and was just too dominant for the Blazers to handle. Donell Taylor led all UAB scorers with 17. The Blazers though only shot 34.8 percent from the field. They were able to create turnovers like usual, 21, but committed 16 of their own and traded fast-break points with the Cowboys, leading to their downfall.

Next week – vs. Belmont (Dec. 15), at Richmond (Dec. 17).

Player of the Week

Travis Diener, Marquette

He wasn’t even supposed to play against Wisconsin on Saturday. Right, like the kid is going to miss his last opportunity against the Golden Eagles’ intra-state rival. Diener knocked down 29 points on a bum leg, including several crucial three-pointers late.

Games to Watch

Louisville vs. Kentucky

When is this game not a big one? All Louisville did last year was march into Rupp Arena when the Wildcats were No. 1 and leave victorious. Don’t think that, well, at least Chuck Hayes was around last year to remember. Another great test for UK’s youngsters.

Marquette vs. Arizona

The Golden Eagles checked off the first half of their non-conference revenge list with their win against Wisconsin. Marquette was beating Arizona in Tucson last year for 30 minutes before falling apart. The Wildcats look just like last year, unfulfilled promises.

South Florida vs. South Carolina

The Bulls looked tough on the road against Michigan, even if the Wolverines were undermanned. Another chance for South Florida to prepare for conference play with some real competition, as opposed to Stetson Law College.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Wednesday, December 29th

Giant Killers: Gonzaga knocked off another top five opponent for the second time in as many weeks. The Bulldogs beat Oklahoma State 78-75, handing the Cowboys their first loss of the season. The Bulldogs manhandled Georgia Tech two weeks ago in Las Vegas in front of a largely supportive crowd. Against the Cowboys, Gozaga traveled to Oklahoma City to play a neutral game. But it was clearly a pro-Cowboy fan base. Senior forward Rony Turiaf played with two bad ankles and helped the Bulldogs fend off a frantic Oklahoma State second-half rally. Sophomore forward Adam Morrison broke a 75-75 tie with a deuce at the top of the paint. Senior forward Stephen Graham – the less heralded member of the Cowboy’s brothers Graham – led the Cowboys with 22 points. But Oklahoma State made only 9-of-31 three-point attempts, including a blocked final prayer by John Lucas as time expired.

ACC Power Surge: Four of the ACC’s best – Georgia Tech, Maryland, North Carolina and North Carolina State – manhandled four less powerful teams last night. The Yellow Jackets prepared for the New Year’s Day clash at Kansas with a 92-58 slaughter of Lafayette. The Terrapins cracked triple figures with a 112-68 annihilation of Liberty. Junior guard John Gilchrist scored 28 points, his fifth consecutive game with at least 20 points. Meanwhile, North Carolina abused sibling school UNC-Wilmington 96-75, and North Carolina State shook off a slow start to beat Columbia 84-74 in the Dreyfus Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden.

Big East Roundup: Two of the Big East’s best tried to keep pace with the ACC as Syracuse continued to dominate the state of New York with a 72-55 win against Albany and Connecticut handled Sacred Heart, 73-55. The Huskies needed a 40-19 second half to overcome a three-point halftime deficit against Sacred Heart. Sophomore forward Josh Boone was unstoppable in the latter period, scoring 16 of his 20 points during Connecticut’s run. Meanwhile, senior forward Hakim Warrick led the Orange with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Syracuse’s defense held Albany to 33 percent shooting from the field, so there were plenty of rebounds to collect.

Other Top 25 Action: Arizona beat Eastern Washington 79-45 in the Fiesta Bowl Classic hosted by the Wildcats in Tuscon, Ariz. Arizona will play Richmond tonight in the championship game of the classic. And Iowa beat Air Force 73-63 to move to 11-1, the team’s best start since 1998-99. The Hawkeyes built a 23-point advantage early in the second half before putting it in cruise control for the remainder of the game.

Broken Hand Sidelines Ute: Utah junior forward Richard Chaney will miss four to six weeks while he recuperates from a broken hand. School officials said Chaney will undergo surgery after he broke two bones in his left hand. The Utes will be without their third leading scorer. Chaney averages 11.5 points per game and has broken 20 points twice this season.

UNLV Tweaks Roster: UNLV coach Lon Kruger announced that he released John Winston from the team after the sophomore guard requested to leave in search of another school. Winston has played in only five games this season and averages 2.2 points per game. Nearly half of his points came in an 84-78 loss at Nevada. There’s no word about where Winston will seek to play basketball. In addition, Kruger said junior forward Wilbur Williams is no longer on the team after failing to meet academic qualifications, and senior guard Jerel Blassingame will not start against Texas-Pan American because he was late to practice. Blassingame averages 10.7 points and 7.7 assists per game.

Battered Rams: Rhode Island is off to a rough start, including losses to Boston University, Manhattan and Maine. The Rams are struggling in large part because their best player, senior guard Dawan Robinson, missed every game of the season until Monday’s 77-62 loss to Iona. And in the first minute of Robinson’s first game back, he tweaked his previously injured foot and missed the remainder of the game. School officials have not determined the severity of the injury, but the Rams clearly need Robinson to return to salvage a disappointing season.

Caudle Clears His Name: An Oct. 26 bar fight led to a charge of felonious assault against Xavier junior forward Will Caudle. But he wasn’t even at the bar, according to more than 30 people who were at the bar during the fight and testified to a grand jury. The grand jury agreed that there was no evidence to support the charge and dropped it. Caudle said he was in his dorm room during the evening of the fight. Caudle apparently became a suspect when a clerical error changed the suspect’s height from 5’11 to 6’11. Somebody in the police department owes Caudle an apology.

Where’s Daddy?: Arkansas freshman forward Charles Thomas will miss the Razorbacks’ game against Jacksonville State tonight because Thomas will be at a hospital for the birth of his first baby girl. Coach Stan Heath expects to start freshman forward Darian Townes in the new daddy’s place. Thomas and Townes are Heath’s offensively minded big men, and he usually pairs each with a defensive specialist. Thomas qualifies as one of the former, and Townes has been his counterpart off the bench. Thomas averages 9.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Tuesday, December 28th

Red Storm Dealt Another Blow: St. John’s forward Rodney Epperson

was suspended indefinitely Monday pending a review of his transfer from

Barton County Community College in Kansas during the 2002-03 school year.

The decision was made in the wake of the Dec. 14 indictment of former

Barton coach Ryan Wolf, who is charged with providing false academic

information about his players to potential Division I suitors. Wolf is also

charged with helping his players get paid for campus jobs they did not do. The loss of Epperson, who was averaging 14.1 points

per game, is the latest in a long line of recent off-the-court setbacks

for the once-proud St. John’s program. First-year coach Norm Roberts

inherited a squad with only three scholarship players returning after

last season’s debacle.

Billings Leaves Ohio State: Junior guard Ricardo Billings has left

the Ohio State men’s basketball team according to Buckeyes head coach

Thad Matta. An Ohio State spokesman said Billings, a junior reserve,

wants to transfer. Billings appeared in 38 games during the past two seasons

after sitting out the 2002-03 season to concentrate on academics.

Illini Top Longwood: It’s not often that a team walks away from a

26-point loss feeling good about itself, but you can’t fault the players from tiny Longwood University for doing so after falling to top-ranked Illinois 105-79 in Champaign

last night. The Lancers never led, but managed to trim a 13-point

halftime deficit to eight with just more than nine minutes to play before

Illinois buckled down defensivley and put togehter a win-clinching 16-0

run. Deron Williams led the Illini with 23 points and seven assists.

Michael Jefferson poured in a career-high 30 points for Longwood, which

shot 53 percent from the floor. Located in Farmville, Va., Longwood

is playing its first full Division I schedule this season. Although last

night’s loss dropped coach Mike Gillian’s club to 1-14, it should

provide a confidence boost for the remainder of the season.

Bearcats Maul Miami of Ohio: Eric Hicks scored a game-high 21 points

to lead Cincinnati to a 77-53 win against the RedHawks. James White and

Armein Kirkland chipped in 18 points apiece for the Bearcats, who improve

to 10-0.

Garcia Leads Louisville: Louisville went on a 19-0 run to start

the game and never looked back in a 104-40 victory against visiting Morehead

State. Francisco Garcia scored a career-high 29 points for Louisville,

which shot 57 percent from the field while holding Morehead to 33 percent

shooting and forcing 30 turnovers. Taquan Dean added 16 points for the

Cardinals.

Northeast Notebook

Northeast Conference Notebook

by Matt Lefebvre

The Professional Travels of NEC Veterans

The Northeast Conference may be small in the land of the Big East, but it has plenty of professional talent. In April, U.S. Basketball League teams drafted three NEC player, Quinnipiac’s Rashaun Banjo, Central Connecticut’s Ron Robinson and Wagner’s Nygel Wyatte. Although none of the trio signed, Banjo went on to sign a professional contract in Luxembourg while Robinson inked a deal in Belgium.

This group is not the first wave of NEC players to go pro. Corsley Edwards, of Central Connecticut State fame, was drafted in the second round of the NBA Draft in 2002 by the Sacramento Kings. Edwards never suited up for the “Queens,” as center Shaquille O’Neal, a former Los Angeles Laker and Sacramento’s nemesis, used to refer to the Kings. But Edwards did play for the Orlando Magic in the 2004 pre-season. After the Magic cut him, the former Blue Devil went to the Continental Basketball Association for four games and averaged 20.8 points per game and 11.8 rebounds per game.

So what, you ask? Well, Edwards returned the NBA this month to play for the New Orleans Hornets. He played his first NBA game Dec. 4 in a 92-69 loss to the Detroit Pistons. He tallied five points and four rebounds in 19 minutes. Edwards has played in six games this season, averaging 1.3 points per game and 1.3 rebounds per game.

NEC Standings Are a Disaster Area

Talk about being flipped upside down. You would think a tornado ripped through the NEC standings the way teams are turned around. It is the second straight season that the pre-season No. 1 has struggled in the non-conference portion of their schedule. This season, Monmouth is suffering the same fate that Quinnipiac did a year ago. The Bobcats finished 9-20 (5-13 NEC), and the Hawks appear to be following in the ‘Cats paw prints, starting 1-6 before NEC play.

Long Island University, picked to finish dead last in the NEC after occupying the conference basement in 2003-04 are currently tied for first with a 4-3 (1-0 NEC) mark. Led by a talented core of sophomores the Black Birds look as though they will improve greatly on their last place finish from a year ago.

Another big surprise in the NEC is underachieving Quinnipiac. Coming off a disappointing campaign last season, the Bobcats came out of the gates hot at 4-2, including an 88-85 win in the NEC opener at Robert Morris. Since then, the Bobcats have lost two consecutive non-conference games at Drexel and Northern Arizona, dropping them to 4-4 (1-0 NEC). But they are still tied for first after being picked to finish No. 8 in the pre-season coaches’ poll.

Biggest Surprise

Long Island: 4-3 (1-0 NEC)
Key wins: vs. Leigh 66-56, at Wagner 93-73

Biggest Disappointment

Monmouth Hawks: 1-6 (0-0 NEC)
Key losses: at Villanova 70-50, at Seton Hall 70-50

At the Quarter Season Mark, the Winners Are…

Player of the Year: Rob Monroe, Guard, Quinnipiac
Monroe is coming off a season-ending foot injury in 2003-04. All he has done is score 19.8 points per game, which is second in the NEC, and dish out 7.5 assists per game, best in the conference. He also has a 2.22 assist/turnover ratio, averages 2.88 three pointers per game and leads the team in free throw attempts, steals and minutes per game.
Honorable Mentions: Darshan Luckey, St. Francis, Pa.; Landy Thompson, Mount St. Mary’s

Coach of the Year: Joe DeSantis, Quinnipiac
DeSantis’ team is tied for first in the NEC after being picked to finish No. 8 according to pre-season projections. The team is 4-4 (1-0 NEC) after losing two of the most decorated players in school history, Banjo and Kason Mims. DeSantis starts one junior transfer and has seven first-year Division I players on the roster.
Honorable Mentions: Jim Ferry, Long Island; Bobby Jones, St. Francis, Pa.

Rookie of the Year: Kevin Jolley, Quinnipiac
A junior transfer, Jolley averages 9.2 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game, which leads the team and is good for second in the conference. He has started all eight games, playing 27.3 minutes per game.
Honorable Mentions: Mark Porter, Wagner; James Ulrich, Wagner

Defensive Player of the Year: Joseph Ison, Robert Morris
Ison leads Robert Morris in blocks and steals, averaging one swat per game and nearly two theft per game.
Honorable Mentions: Devon Neckles, St. Francis, N.Y.; Tony Cavalieri, St. Francis, N.Y.

Team Recaps

St. Francis, Pa., Red Flash (5-3, 1-0)

Leading Scorer: Darshan Luckey, 20.4 points per game
Last Game: Win vs. Slippery Rock, 70-44

The Red Flash are off to a strong start in 2004-05, winning five of their first eight games to share the lead atop the NEC standings. St. Francis won its NEC opener Dec. 4 at home against Central Connecticut State, 84-81 in overtime. The Flash have played the toughest non-conference schedule by far, as they have traveled to No. 13 Pittsburgh and hosted surprising No. 21 George Washington.

Darshan Luckey is a favorite to win NEC Player of the Year as he is once again enjoying a fine campaign. He is averaging a team high 20.4 points per game and is No. 4 in the NEC in steals with 1.6 steals per game.

Long Island Blackbirds (4-3, 1-0)

Leading Scorer: James Williams, 14.7 points per game
Last Game: Win vs. Old Westbury, 70-60

The Blackbirds are exceeding expectations so far in 2004-05. Despite the impressive early season record, Long Island only has one player, sophomore James Williams (14.7 points per game) averaging double figures in scoring. Williams has scored more than 20 points twice, including a team season-high 27 points in the conference opener, which they won at a struggling Wagner team Dec. 4, 93-73. The Blackbirds are 2-0 on the Island, including the season opener, a 66-56 win vs. Lehigh.

Long Island still has to travel to Tempe, Ariz., for the Arizona State Hoops Classic Dec. 28-29 where they will face Arizona State and either Penn State or Valparaiso. NEC play resumes once the calendar flips to 2005, when the Blackbirds travel to Loretto, Pa., to play St. Francis, Pa.

Quinnipiac Bobcats (4-4, 1-0)

Leading Scorer: Rob Monroe, 19.8 points per game
Last Game: Loss at Northern Arizona, 102-87

The new look Bobcats are turning heads in 2004-05 with their up-tempo style and fresh-faced roster. Quinnipiac sports seven new players on the team’s roster this season, and junior transfer Kevin Jolley has become a team leader. Along with senior player of the year candidate Rob Monroe and junior sharpshooter Craig Benson, Jolley and the Bobcats have people excited once again in Hamden, Conn. After starting the season 4-2 with a buzzer-beating 88-85 win against Robert Morris, the ‘Cats have been knocked off twice in a row by non-conference foes Drexel and Northern Arizona.

The ‘Cats go to down I-91 to play in-state foe Connecticut Dec. 30 and then hit the meat of their NEC schedule with four of their first five games at home.

Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (4-6, 1-0)

Leading Scorer: Gordon Klaiber, 16.7 points per game
Last Game: Loss vs. St. Peter’s, 94-91

Although the Knights sport a losing record, they are tied for first in the NEC thanks to their conference-opening victory against Wagner, 82-75. The Knights have had some tough breaks on the road, losing to Buffalo, 87-84 in overtime and falling to two PAC-10 opponents California, 80-66, and Arizona State, 89-81. The Knights are only 1-1 at home because a majority of their games have been on the road or at neutral sites. Their lone home win came Nov. 28 against Dominican, 78-45.

The NEC schedule will either make or break the Knights as they play four consecutive games away in February before ending the season with three straight at home against Central Connecticut State, Quinnipiac and Wagner.

Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers (3-5, 1-0)

Leading Scorer: Landy Thompson, 18.4 points per game
Last Game: Loss vs. Navy, 90-81

The Mount is in the same boat as Fairleigh Dickinson: not a great overall record, but still at the top of the hill because of an NEC win. The Mountaineers beat Sacred Heart 70-58 to get to 1-0 in conference play. Mount St. Mary’s played George Washington during the Colonials’ rise to the Top 25, falling to GW 81-58 in Washington, D.C. But 1-3 on the road is not going to cut it because the Mountaineers will play sets of three, two and two on the road during NEC play.

Landy Thompson (18.4 points per game) and Charles Cook (10.8 points per game) are the only Mountaineers averaging in double figures.

St. Francis N.Y., Terriers (2-4, 0-0)

Leading Scorer: Tony Cavalieri, 13.8 points per game
Last Game: Loss vs. Columbia, 65-57

The Terriers announced that their home floor will be dedicated to Peter Aquilone, a long-time friend of the college who passed away in September. The floor will be redesigned to honor Aquilone. The College also redesigned and launched a new athletic Web site, signs that officials at the St. Francis administration are starting to get serious about Terrier athletics. (You may visit the new site at this link.)

St. Francis has not played an NEC game but will enter conference play Jan. 6 at Robert Morris. The Terriers defeated a slumping St. John’s program 53-52 in Jamaica, N.Y., in November. Taking another shot at the Big East, the Terriers fell short in their attempt to knock off Seton Hall, losing 57-56.

Monmouth Hawks (1-6, 0-0)

Leading Scorer: Blake Hamilton, 15.6 points per game
Last Game: Loss vs. Princeton, 56-52

Talk about a total 180 degree turn. The Hawks, who appeared in the NCAA Tournament last year as the automatic bid from the NEC, were picked by the coaches and many publications to win the NEC in 2004-05. That has been anything but the truth. The Hawks are struggling as they prepare to enter conference play. To their credit, the Hawks have only lost two of their six games by four points and have only played two games at home.

A road schedule that includes games at San Diego State and Big East teams Seton Hall and Villanova does not inspire much hope for a victory, but it does provide invaluable experience.

Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (2-4, 0-1)

Leading Scorer: DeMario Anderson, 13.0 points per game
Last Game: Win at LaSalle, 60-48

The Blue Devils won their season opener, an 87-70 romp at home against Colgate. Since then, they have been racking up the losses like the letter ‘L’ is going out of style. They lost their next four games before finally snapping the skid on a trip to the City of Brotherly Love to play La Salle.

Robert Morris Colonials (2-6, 0-1)

Leading Scorer: Maurice Carter 15.1 points per game
Last Game: Loss vs. Eastern Kentucky, 79-69

Starting the season 1-0 is admirable, but the season does not end there. The Colonials seem to have forgotten that. After starting a perfect 1-0, Robert Morris proceeded to lose six of the next seven games, with the only win coming at home against Thiel (who?), 107-47.

The Colonials lost their NEC opener to Quinnipiac, 88-85, on their own floor. Like most NEC teams, Robert Morris is making the rounds against big conference teams such as Ohio State, Virginia and Pittsburgh early in the season.

Mo Carter is a bright spot for this struggling team, however, leading the team in scoring.

Sacred Heart Pioneers (1-6, 0-1)

Leading Scorer: Kibwe Trim, 12.1 points per game
Last Game: Loss at Columbia, 76-67

The Pioneers lost their NEC opener at Mount St. Mary’s 70-58 Dec. 4. Their first win came in the second contest of the season, a game against Army at West Point, N.Y., 67-52. Leading scorer Kibwe Trim has been the high man for Sacred Heart in four of their seven games. Mike Parker, is averaging 13.5 points per game, when he plays. But he has only played in two games so far in 2004-05.

Sacred Heart starts continues with NEC play Dec. 30 at Monmouth before taking on Harvard, the team’s last non-conference opponent of the season.

Wagner Seahawks (1-7, 0-2)

Leading Scorer: Sean Munson, 9.9 points per game
Last Game: Loss at Northern Iowa, 86-56

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Two years ago, Wagner was celebrating on their home floor as they captured the NEC crown and waltzed into the NCAA Tournament, where they eventually got hacked to pieces by Pittsburgh. And now this: Wagner is last in the NEC and their leading scorer averages a pedestrian 9.9 points per game.

The Seahawks’ lone win came at home, a 66-65 win against Albany. And if one basket rimmed out or Albany had hit one more shot, we would be talking about a 0-7 Seahawks team that should basically pack it in for the season. But this is the NEC, and there is no clear favorite at this point of the season.

Touring Around the Northeast

Touring Around the Northeast

by Phil Kasiecki

It’s been a slow period around New England, and indeed much of the country, as many schools were off for final exams and the Christmas break then came. Teams had to pause to focus on the classroom, before the holidays bring a host of in-season tournaments and more great matchups to conclude non-conference play. So with that in mind, we’ll take a look at just a few of the teams who played right before the Christmas break around New England.

Eagles Survive Again, Remain Undefeated – Barely

Boston College had their third straight close call against a mid-major on Sunday, as it took double overtime for the Eagles to knock off visiting Yale, 82-80. Yale led for much of the game before the Eagles took over later in the second half.

The Eagles have had several slow starts before coming on to win games, which clearly has head coach Al Skinner and the players concerned despite standing 9-0, as he and the team are keenly aware that they’re a couple of bounces away from being 6-3.

“I’m not sure what it is, but it’s clearly a flaw that lies in this team,” Skinner said. “Of late, we’ve been far too relaxed.”

Jermaine Watson had a different take.

“I think we’re showing a lack of respect for our opponents,” the senior guard said. “In NCAA basketball, if there’s anything that’s true, any team can beat any team on any given night. We have to learn to respect our opponents more than we’re doing and take every game like it’s our last game.”

The Eagles don’t blow many teams out, but since last season this team has come through when it counts to get wins time and time again, including seven straight overtime wins dating back two seasons. Players say that’s just how they play, and sophomore point guard Steve Hailey wonders if they feel less a sense of urgency against mid-majors, but they all know that coming from behind won’t always be possible this same way against Big East teams.

“You can’t deny the character on this team,” Skinner said. “We could have just as easily lost this game, and it would have been easier to lose it than it was to try to win it. I’m pleased about that, but we just can’t think we can turn it on when we want. I don’t think we’re that talented.”

In the Yale game, Craig Smith came alive after the halftime intermission. He scored 21 points on 10-11 shooting in the second half and the two overtime sessions, including 10 of the Eagles’ first 14 points of the half as they cut a 10-point halftime lead down to two. But they would never get even until two free throws by Watson (13 points) with 23 seconds left in regulation.

Wednesday, it was a case of lesson learned, as the Eagles came out clicking on all cylinders and beat Duquesne 88-70 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score might indicate. Smith had another big game, scoring 30 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, while Sean Marshall continues to play well in adding 20 points and 7 rebounds. Marshall didn’t just do it shooting the ball, the primary thing he is known for, though he did make 3 of 5 from long range.

“I was trying to get inside to get easy baskets and get my rhythm, and it worked for me – I hit a couple of threes after that,” he said after the game.

Marshall also sees something in Smith, who has come out on fire the last two games. He mentioned a team meeting before the Yale game, where the team knew it was searching for a vocal leader. Marshall thinks Smith may be trying to step into that role, and his play the last two games certainly supports it.

The Eagles are 9-0 as non-conference play is about to draw to a close. They know they should be at this point based on their schedule, but at times they’ve made it look difficult. If the Duquesne game is a sign of things to come, the Eagles figure to be in good shape going forward.

Friars Come Back From Finals In a Big Way

Providence has been difficult to get a read on this season save for one thing: they’re going to be hit-or-miss. On Tuesday night, they blew out Maine 104-74 in each team’s first game after a long layoff for final exams, then went to Memphis and took home a 72-59 win.

The Friars came out and played a solid game from start to finish, scoring 14 of the game’s first 16 points and leading 32-11 at one point in the first half. They forced 29 Maine turnovers and took advantage of them to the tune of 35 points, and they scored 46 points in the paint to Maine’s 22.

“Usually at the end of exams, I’m very, very apprehensive about the next game, just as far as losing rhythm and where we’re at mentally as far as going through the exam period,” head coach Tim Welsh said after the game. “But I have to admit that tonight, I was not. I was as confident in my team before the game as I’d been in a while because of a renewed commitment by the players to ‘give it’ every day.”

A major bright spot was the 17 points (5-8 shooting, including 4-6 on three-pointers) from junior point guard Donnie McGrath. McGrath had not scored the entire month of December and had just three points in the final game of November. The Friars clearly suffered without him scoring, as they need all they can get from their veterans while the freshmen develop.

“As much as we try to get the ball to Ryan, he’s going to pass it out of double-teams and sometimes triple-teams, and we’ve got to be able to make them pay for it,” Welsh said. “It’s tough when you just keep missing, and it was nice to see the crowd get behind him tonight. He’s taken it too personally as far as the team losing, where he’s blamed himself.”

On Thursday, the Friars went to Memphis with a quick turnaround and knocked off the Tigers. The Tigers are similar to the Friars in their makeup, with solid talent but some inexperience, and they’ve had their struggles. Gomes led the Friars with 24 points and 8 rebounds, but the big story was McGrath (14 points, 6 assists) and Dwight Brewington (15 points) having another good night.

After the Maine game, McGrath said he felt much better, and it certainly showed Thursday night.

“I’ve just been waiting for one game where I hit a few shots and it gets me out of it,” he said Tuesday. “Now I feel like there’s pressure off my back.”

The Friars are off until December 31, when they play at San Diego State.

Terriers Enter the Holidays In Good Shape

Boston University continued its solid non-conference play with a 62-45 win against Canisius last Thursday. It was a game that symbolized the Terriers’ season thus far, as they started slowly before taking over for the remainder of the game.

“The first half, we looked like a team that had just come off exams,” head coach Dennis Wolff said. “I thought we were way more decisive with what we tried to do in the second half.”

Indeed, the Golden Griffins jumped out to an 8-2 lead and held on to the lead until a little past the halfway point of the first half. In contrast, the Terriers opened the second half with a 19-6 run to pull away.

The Terriers held the Golden Griffins to 34.5% shooting and got 17 points and 7 rebounds from sophomore forward Etienne Brower, who continues to emerge this season. With more consistent minutes in the starting lineup, Brower is fourth on the team in scoring and tied for the lead in blocked shots while making 47.6% of his three-pointers. His work over the summer, particularly on his jump shot, is paying off.

“Brower’s a good player, I said that at the beginning of the year,” head coach Dennis Wolff said.

Brower is the fifth Terrier to lead the team in scoring in a game this season, showing the balance and depth of this team. The starting lineup has been solid, and with Notre Dame transfer Omari Peterkin now eligible and providing a mobile big body and freshman Ben Coblyn set to return from a nagging back problem, they only get deeper.

The Terriers are now 7-2, having won five of six in a recent road stretch that included wins at Michigan (second straight year) and Rhode Island and a close loss to Boston College. Wolff is certainly pleased with how his team responded after a tough season-opening home loss to Holy Cross.

“We lost that first game to Holy Cross, and you know how that stuff goes – you can really get yourself wound up,” he said.

The Terriers head west of town to take on Massachusetts on Tuesday night, then pick up America East play on Sunday at Albany.

The Canisius game was originally supposed to be a return to the hometown of Richard Jones, who was to be a senior at Canisius. The native of Charlestown, Mass. passed away on May 5 after collapsing during a workout. Wolff said he would have understood if they did not opt to play the game, which was scheduled before Jones’ passing, but Canisius head coach Mike MacDonald said there was never much thought of that. After practice the night before the game, he brought his team to see Jones’ grave and to see his family.

“These guys are 18, 19-year-old guys who have never had somebody like a close friend die,” MacDonald said. “It’s been an adjustment period for them a little bit. Richard was a senior, he’d been here and was looked up to by guys like (Darnell) Wilson and (Chuck) Harris, who are sophomores. He was a role model for those guys, and now that he isn’t there, it’s changed their roles on the team, in some ways, but it’s made them grow up a little faster than they had to.”

Also of note from the Canisius game was the attendance of former Boston College and Ohio State head coach Jim O’Brien. It is at least the second game at BU that O’Brien has been spotted at this season.

Maine Above .500 as America East Play Nears

With just one non-conference game left, Maine stands 5-4 after bouncing back from the blowout loss at Providence with a 67-64 overtime win Thursday night over IPFW in Fort Wayne, IN. Their non-conference schedule includes a win over Rhode Island, while they played Boston College tough to start the season, and they have yet to play at Alfond Arena – in fact, they have played nine games at nine different arenas thus far.

The Black Bears have been guard-oriented on the offensive end, as their top four scorers are guards Ernest Turner (13.0 ppg), Kevin Reed (11.1), Chris Markwood (9.1) and Jermaine Jackson (6.9). They shoot a combined 33.3% on three-pointers, which matches the team total thus far. The most troubling statistic thus far is the assist/turnover ratio, as only Markwood has more assists than turnovers; Tuesday night, the Black Bears committed 29 turnovers in the loss at Providence.

“It’s been a concern all year, something we always talk about, and something we hope to correct,” head coach Ted Woodward said after the game.

With the struggles of the inside players early on as a unit, the guards have had to carry the offensive load. But the inside game appears ready to turn the corner, which will only help. Senior Mark Flavin was one slow starter, but reached double figures in both games last week, including a team-high 17 against IPFW to go with three blocked shots.

“We’re just hoping that some of our inside game will be able to flow a little bit better, so we can get a little more balance in our offense,” Woodward said after the Providence loss.

While Flavin started slowly, David Dubois has thrived and especially since he moved into the starting lineup. Always a solid interior defender, he scored in double figures in three games since being moved into the starting lineup in the fourth game of the season.

“I love the way David’s been playing, he’s doing a super job for us,” Woodward said. “He’s a four-year senior, we trust him. He runs the floor, he’s extremely athletic, he does a lot of good things for us.”

The Black Bears have had just two home games thus far, so they will be glad to have a few more games in the familiar surroundings. Woodward noted the difficulty of playing on the road, and knows they had to transition at the point, which has contributed to the problem of turnovers. But at 5-4 with one game left, and having won their only America East game thus far (a 62-51 win at UMBC earlier in the month), the Black Bears appear to be in a good position to make a charge in conference play despite the clear areas for improvement.

“There’s always things you want to improve on,” Woodward said. “I think some of those things, you can do a little better when you’re home sometimes – familiar surroundings and things like that. We like some things we’ve done, but we also know we’ve got a ways to go.”

The Black Bears play their first game at Alfond Arena on December 30 when they take on Maine-Farmington.

Other Notes From Around the Nation

• The story at Louisville with freshman center Terrance Farley, who was kicked off the team on a week and a half ago for being late several times, may not be over yet. Hoop Scoop reported that Farley’s father wrote a letter to the Louisville Courier-Journal defending his son, then publicly exchanged words with head coach Rick Pitino – and Pitino has recently said that Farley could be reinstated onto the team.

• Xavier gave Mississippi State all they could handle on December 18th, and the Musketeers look like they should certainly be a factor in the Atlantic 10. It doesn’t hurt that the conference is clearly down this year, but Vanderbilt transfer Brian Thornton clearly adds toughness inside and there’s still plenty of talent on the perimeter to keep the Musketeers in the mix.

Patriot League Notebook

Patriot League Notebook

by Steve Sheridan

Colgate, Lafayette Attempt To Hang With The Big Boys

While it’s still very early in the 2004-2005 season, some members of the Patriot League are already showing that they do not hesitate to match up against some of the top teams in the country. Both Lafayette and Colgate played games against teams ranked in the top-15 in the country, and while Louisville didn’t have much trouble with the Leopards, the Syracuse Orange had a surprisingly difficult time putting away the Raiders.

Making their annual trip to the Carrier Dome, the Raiders stayed with the Orange for 30 minutes before Syracuse finally showed its strength. Colgate was tied with the home team with 10:14 left in the contest, thanks in large part to the Raiders’ ability to solve the Syracuse defense, but then Syracuse went on a 10-0 run to finally put away the pesky Raiders. With the win, Syracuse has now won 39 straight games versus Colgate dating back to the 1961-62 season. This one, however, didn’t come easy for Jim Boeheim and his men.

Lafayette didn’t have as much success against the Louisville Cardinals, as the home team sprinted out to a 30-4 lead and never looked back in running over the Leopards, 98-57. Lafayette was totally outmatched in this contest, as it fell behind early and then kept hoisting the three-pointers in a desperate attempt to get back into it. The Leopards ended the game with 10 three-pointers made on 39 attempts, while hitting only nine of 28 attempts from inside the arc.

Knight Time For Lehigh

The Mountain Hawks have so far received a huge boost on the offensive end from junior transfer Joe Knight, who came to Bethlehem by way of High Point University in North Carolina. He averaged over 16 points per game in his sophomore season at High Point, and he looks like he may be headed for another such season. Knight has averaged 13 points per contest in his first seven games for Lehigh, proving to Mountain Hawk fans that Knight may be the answer to the loss of last season’s Patriot League Player of the Year – and fellow guard transfer – Austen Rowland.

Battle of the Brains

The non-conference slate of the Patriot League is always populated with games against the Ivy League, and this year is no different. So far this season, the Ivies have taken seven out of 11 games against their Patriot League counterparts, including three wins from the league’s top team, Princeton. There are still 11 more games to be played between the two leagues, however, and so the unofficial winner has yet to be decided.

Player of the Week

Jason Thomas, American. The senior guard averaged 25 points and 9 rebounds in his team’s last three games, including back-to-back double-doubles for the first time in his career. The 26 points scored against both Towson and Ohio are a next career high for the Herndon, Va., native.

Rookie of the Week

Kyle Roemer, Colgate. The first-year guard averaged 12 points in Colgate’s last three games, all losses. He set a career-high in points in his last outing against Harvard, a 19-point performance that included five three-pointers.

Team Recaps

American Eagles (5-2 overall)

The Eagles have kept themselves perched atop the Patriot League in the early going thanks to a five-game winning streak that followed two season-opening losses.

The team’s most impressive win to date was its 67-64 triumph over Vermont last Saturday. Jason Thomas had his first career double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds in a full 40 minutes of action, hitting one-of-two free throws in the waning seconds to account for the final score and then stealing the subsequent full-court pass attempt. The Eagles did a decent job of containing Taylor Coppenwrath and his Vermont teammates, keeping him to seven points and his team to 30 percent shooting in the first half. American shot 48 percent for the game, yet almost allowed the Catamounts to come back by missing eight free throws, including four misses in the final minute.

Following the victory, the team did not let up on Wednesday, defeating Towson 75-64. Thomas recorded his second double-double in as many games for American, scoring 26 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. The two teams struggled to break from one another for the first five minutes, but the Eagles finally shook the Tigers and rolled from there, never allowing the Tigers within five points in the second half. Patrick Okpwae was the only other Eagle in double figures, scoring a career-high 16 points.

American then made it five in a row on Saturday with a 64-55 win over Ohio. Yet again, it was Thomas leading the way for the Eagles, scoring 26 points for the second straight game. The Eagles used a 16-0 run late in the first half to break open the game, but the Bobcats battled back to get within two points. Two free throws each from Thomas and Andre Ingram bumped the lead back up to six, however, and the Eagles held on for the victory.

After the win, the Eagles get 12 days off in order to prepare for one of its stiffest tests of the season, a contest against nationally ranked Maryland next Thursday. If American can stay with the Terrapins in that game, then the Eagles will know that they have a clear shot of taking home the Patriot League crown.

Holy Cross Crusaders (4-3)

Last year, Holy Cross entered the season with many fresh faces and a young, inexperienced squad. This season, the team has returned almost all of the key parts from last year, and it had shown vast improvement already in this young season.

The team sits in second place in the league after a 1-2 week, including two losses to very tough schools. Last Saturday, the team faced off with the Minnesota Golden Gophers in Minneapolis, falling to the home team by a score of 72-56. Other than junior guard Kevin Hamilton, who scored a career-high 22 points, the Crusaders were unable to get anything going on either end of the floor. On offense, Holy Cross shot 36 percent from the floor, while defensively it allowed the Gophers to shoot at a blistering 63 percent clip. Minnesota was also able to dominate in the paint, outscoring the Crusaders by 20 points in that area.

The team came back on Monday to defeat Fordham before dropping a heartbreaker to Boston College on Friday evening. Against the Rams, it was Hamilton once again leading the attack with 17 points, 14 of which came in the second half, in which Holy Cross outscored Fordham by 15 after a low-scoring first 20 minutes. The team then made the short trip to Chestnut Hill and almost upset the undefeated Eagles, falling 63-60 in overtime. With Hamilton having an off night (2-for-16 shooting, 5 points), four Crusaders scored in double figures, but it was still not enough to topple BC. Nate Lufkin led the team with 12 points and nine boards, while blossoming sophomore Torey Thomas added 10 points in a game-high 43 minutes of action. Fouls may have done in the Crusaders in this game, as they allowed BC to take 30 free throws, accounting for 22 of the Eagles’ points.

Holy Cross is now in the midst of an 11-day layoff, thanks to final exams. The team’s next game is on December 21, when they travel to Providence to take on Ivy League foe Brown.

Bucknell Bison (5-4)

Bucknell is another team that has put together a tough non-league schedule, matching up with some quality teams in preparation for the Patriot League season. In the early going, the team has already participated in two tournaments, losing in the opening round of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic against Princeton and taking falling to Iowa State in the championship game of the Cyclone Classic.

In the last two weeks, the team won two of its three games, with its lone loss coming against Ivy League power Pennsylvania. Against the Quakers, Bucknell came out slow in the first half and the home team took advantage, taking an initial 14-2 lead and heading into halftime with a 38-20 edge. In the opening half, Bucknell had twice as many turnovers (12) as field goals (six), allowing Penn to build up a comfortable lead in cruising to victory. Kevin Bettencourt led all scorers with 16 points, but it wasn’t nearly enough to overcome his team’s slow start. Bettencourt was held scoreless for 37 minutes in the Bison’s next game against Yale, but Charles Lee had a career day in Bucknell’s 73-65 overtime victory over the Bulldogs. Lee posted 22 points and 18 rebounds, including a three-pointer with 15 seconds left that sent the game into overtime. In the extra frame, Bettencourt scored five of his eight points, helping the team to escape New Haven with a victory.

Against Robert Morris, Bucknell survived another slow start to defeat the Colonials, 60-45. Despite shooting 28 percent in the first half, the team went into halftime with a one-point lead thanks to an excellent defensive effort, holding Robert Morris to 29 percent shooting in the first half and 32 percent for the game. Bucknell, and specifically Chris McNaughton, heated up in the second half, as the sophomore center scored 11 points in a row on his way to a 19-point effort. Bettencourt also got back on the right track, adding 10 points in the win.

The Bison are also in the middle of an 11-day finals layoff, with the team next in action on December 18 against the Cornell Big Red.

Lehigh Mountain Hawks (3-4)

One team whose slow start has been a little surprising is Lehigh, which currently sits under .500 after seven games. The team has begun the season 0-3 on the road, while also having its 16-game home winning streak snapped in the team’s last game against Columbia.

Last Saturday the team went on the road to face Stony Brook and came home with yet another road loss, 56-49. After the first half, it looked like Lehigh might pick up its first road win of the year, shooting 51 percent from floor and leading by two points. However, the team went ice cold in the second half, making only two field goals in 31 attempts (a wretched 6.5 percent). Despite the terrible shooting, the team somehow found itself within one point of Stony Brook with 1:51 remaining after a three-pointer by Jose Olivero, who led the team with 23 points. But the team still could not find the basket, and never was able to overcome the Seawolves.

The team returned to Stabler Arena on Monday and dropped its first home game of the season, 75-61 to Columbia. The team once again could not get it done in the second half, hitting just four field goals in the final 20 minutes; meanwhile Columbia shot over 53 percent for the game. Lehigh was able to stay in the game by converting at the free throw line, hitting 27-of-38 attempts from the charity stripe. Olivero, who did not make a field goal, scored all six of his points from the line, while Joe Knight and Erik Smith both reached double figures for the Mountain Hawks.

Lehigh has two games coming up this week, beginning with a home match up against Eastern on Wednesday night. The team then tries for the fourth time to get its first road win of the season on Saturday when the Hawks travel to Cambridge for a matinee with Harvard.

Navy Midshipmen (3-5)

Navy sits in fifth place in the Patriot League despite being in the midst of a three-game losing streak, including two games in which the Midshipmen were blown out of the water.

Last Saturday against Ohio, the Middies fell behind early and never had a chance, losing 90-55. The team was down 25-9 after only 11 minutes of play and headed into halftime down by 20 points. David Hooper was the lone Navy player in double figures with 15 points, but Ohio was in total control of the game, never letting the lead shrink to less than 21 points in the second half of play. The first half of Monday’s game with Belmont looked promising for the Midshipmen, as the team shot 41 percent in the first half and went into halftime down only four points. Navy actually upped that shooting percentage in the second half, but the team also forgot to play defense – Belmont shot a torrid 70 percent in the final 20 minutes of play. Navy was outscored, 52-31, in the second half, allowing the Bruins to cruise to victory and giving the Middies a second consecutive blowout loss. Laramie Mergerson led the Middies with 14 points and nine rebounds, despite missing 9-of-15 shots.

Coming off two blowouts, Navy faced off with Stony Brook and made the game much more interesting – but the result was still the same. Despite a strong performance from David Hooper and some end-of-regulation heroics by Corey Johnson, Navy fell to the Seawolves, 80-78 in overtime. Hooper scored a game-high 23 points and Johnson hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to send the game into overtime, but the Middies could not close out the Seawolves. Navy was up by five points with 1:30 left in the extra session, but Stony Brook outscored Navy 7-0 in the final 90 seconds, allowing the visitors to escape Alumni Hall with a victory.

Now mired in a three-game slump, the team gets one week off before its next game, on Saturday against Gettysburg.

Colgate Raiders (2-5)

The Raiders are in the midst of a three-game losing streak as well, following losses to Buffalo, Syracuse and Harvard. But the three losses offered some glimpses of hope for the Raiders, both for this season and for the future; namely the play of sophomore guard Jon Simon.

Colgate fell to Buffalo, 74-62, despite Simon’s game-high 20 points. The team was able to hang with Buffalo in the opening 20 minutes, but was unable to break through in the second half, coming within three points of the home team on three occasions. This game was won at the free-throw line for the Bulls, as Buffalo made 23 of its 29 attempts; meanwhile, Colgate attempted only 11 free throws, making nine of them.

The team’s next game, against the nationally ranked Syracuse Orange, may have been the team’s best outing of the year despite a 68-55 loss. Syracuse, which consistently has been able to play man-to-man defense against its lesser non-conference foes, was forced to turn to its vaunted 2-3 zone in the second half as Colgate exploited the Orange defense. Simon led the team with 18 points, and his jumper with 11:07 remaining tied the game for the third and final time in the second half. Although the team never led in the game, the Raiders left the Carrier Dome with a good feeling, headed into their next game against Harvard.

But, as has been characteristic of Raider teams of years past, the team followed up the quality game with a home loss to the Crimson, 85-82 in overtime, on Friday night. Harvard’s height was compounded by the loss of Raider starting center Marc Daniels, who broke his right foot in practice and will be sidelined for six weeks. Simon again led the team with 21 points, including a three-pointer with seven seconds left that send the game into overtime. First-year Kyle Roemer also added a career-high 19 points.

As with most teams, Colgate is off for finals week, next taking the court on Saturday against Hobart before welcoming Loyola-Marymount to Cotterell Court next Tuesday.

Army Black Knights (2-6)

The Black Knights have had a difficult beginning to their season, losing six of their first seven games before pulling out a victory over New York Maritime on Thursday night.

After its first win of the season over Polytechnic University, the team dropped two in a row to St. Francis (NY) and Albany before taking down NYM. Against St. Francis, Army came out strong and held a 29-17 lead with six minutes remaining in the first half, but the Terriers bounced back to tie the game headed into the half and took the lead for good early in the second stanza. Sophomore guard Matt Bell led Army with 22 points and classmate Cory Sinning added 14, but no other Black Knight scored more than eight points.

In the team’s next game, a Monday tilt with Albany, the team was routed by the Great Danes 73-46. The visitors jumped out to a quick lead and never relinquished it, as Army allowed Albany to shoot over 50 percent for the game. Bell was once again the team leader in points with 14, the team’s only double-digit scorer, but it helped little as his team was down by as many as 29 points in the second half. On Thursday night, the Black Knights finally returned to the win column with a 75-59 victory over New York Maritime. Bell and Colin Harris each scored 18 points for the team’s second win of the year, while the Privateers continued their winless streak through its seventh game of the season. Army came out strong, shooting 48 percent from the floor and keeping Maritime to 33 percent, which enabled the team to survive a second-half charge from the Privateers.

The Black Knights have a week to prepare for their next game, when they travel to South Bend to take on Notre Dame on Sunday. This game will pose a definite problem for the Black Knights, which have enough trouble stopping lesser opponents from scoring.

Lafayette Leopards (1-6)

The early going of the 2004-2005 season has not been kind to the Lafayette Leopards, as the team won its season-opener against Duquesne but has lost six straight after that. In the last week the team has faced three very tough challenges, and came out on the wrong end of two close contests and one blowout.

As mentioned above, the Leopards were blown out by the Louisville Cardinals last Saturday, 98-57. First-year Paul Cummins led Lafayette with 13 points and Marcus Harley added 12, but the team was done in by 28 percent shooting and 19 turnovers. The Leopards hit only six field goals in the first half on the way to 19 points, compared to 54 points for the Cardinals, meaning that the game was over very quickly for the awestruck visitors.

The team attempted to bounce back on Monday, but a last-second three-pointer bounced off the rim and Lafayette fell to Cornell, 75-72. The Big Red tried to put the game out of reach early in the second half, taking a 14-point lead with 17 minutes left, but the Leopards bounced back to make the game exciting right down to the final seconds. Jamaal Douglas led four Leopards in double figures with 16 points, but the Big Red countered with four double-digit scorers of their own.

Lafayette tried once again to play catch-up Friday night against Marist, but the team was unable to overcome a 17-point deficit with 5:24 to play in falling 83-79. Despite the deficit, the visitors fought back to get within two points with 52 seconds left, but Harley missed a short potential game-tying bucket with 10 seconds remaining, allowing the Red Foxes to send Lafayette home with yet another loss.

The Leopards’ next attempt at winning elusive game number two is this evening, when they welcome Cal-State Northridge to the Kirby Sports Center. The team is then off for nine days before taking on Moravian.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Monday, December 27th

Phillips Steps Out of the Golden Hurricane: Tulsa coach John Phillips resigned Christmas day. The Golden Hurricane is off to a 2-5 start that includes losses to Wright State, Oral Roberts and Lamar. With the program seemingly treading water, Phillips opted to usher in a change midseason. Assistant coach Alvin Williamson became the interim head coach until school officials reach a decision about Phillips’ replacement. Phillips finished with a 61-42 record in about three seasons, including two trips to the NCAA Tournament. But Tulsa finished 9-20 last season and appears headed toward another losing season.

Phillips will continue to serve the Tulsa sports administration as an assistant athletic director. Team leaders, such as seniors Jarius Glenn and Klye Blankenship, wished their former coach well. They felt that Phillips made a decision based on what he determined to be the best course of action for the team and, therefore, his resignation was an unselfish act. In other words, don’t accuse Phillips of abandoning this team just because the season isn’t going according to everyone’s original plans.

Williamson said he doesn’t intend to make major changes to Tulsa’s game plan in the near future, but he would like to increase the team’s defensive pressure in due time. Tulsa visits Oklahoma Tuesday and also hosts Louisiana Tech and SMU this week.

Washington Crushes Houston: In the lone game played since Thursday, the Washington Huskies played the role of the Grinch against Houston, giving the Cougars a lump of coal for Christmas in the form of a 110-63 beatdown. Bobby Jones led the way for Washington with 22 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Four other Huskies scored in double figures, and the Huskies shot better than 57 percent from the field. Houston, on the other hand, struggled against Washington’s defensive pressure, shooting less than 32 percent from the field. Washington dominated every phase of the game and gave Huksy fans a well-timed reason to be jolly.

Heavy Hearts: Louisville officials announced that Rick Pitino’s mother died Sunday in Long Island, N.Y. They did not say her age or the cause of death. Pitino will remain on the sidelines tonight when the Cardinals host Morehead State. He will then travel to New York for the funeral and return for Louisville’s game Wednesday night against Eastern Kentucky.

Any roundup of deaths in the sports world would be incomplete without mention of the passing of former NFL football player Reggie White, a legendary defensive lineman and a player who transcended the game. White, 43, apparently died of a heart attack caused by sleep apnea. An ordained minister, White inspired as many people off the field as he did teammates in the locker room. Whether it’s basketball, football, baseball or otherwise, people such as White should be cherished for who they are, not merely what they have accomplished in their sport.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Friday, December 24th

USC Closing in on New Coach: USC officials are still on the hunt for a new coach following the Rick Majerus fiasco. But they are close to hiring Tim Floyd, a successful college coach at New Orleans and Iowa State but a terrible NBA coach. Floyd has a 208-107 record as a collegiate coach and an amazingly bad 90-231 record as an NBA coach. The Trojans must wait for Floyd to work out the details of a previous contract with the New Orleans Hornets. He still receives payments from his former employers. Once he cuts those ties, USC and Floyd will be free to finalize a contract.

Meanwhile, the Trojans lost to Hawaii 72-68 in the Outrigger Rainbow Classic. The Rainbow Warriors continued their hot start, moving to 8-0. Under coach Jim Saia, the Trojans are now 4-2. Regardless of who the Trojans hire, officials seem inclined to keep Saia on the sidelines for the remainder of this season to provide some semblance of consistency for the players. USC remains a possible NCAA Tournament team in a relatively weak Pac-10 conference.

Krauser Ends Richmond’s Upset Bid: Junior guard Carl Krauser put up 31 points, scoring nearly half of Pittsburgh’s 69 points in a 69-50 win against Richmond. The Spiders kept the game close, pulling within four with a little more than three minutes remaining. The Panthers made their free throws when it counted, despite hitting only 57 percent for the game. From long distance, the Panthers were uncharacteristically accurate, hitting 50 percent of the team’s three-point attempts. Krauser’s career-high more than made up for the absence of shooting guard Antonio Graves, who missed the game with a sprained ankle.

Virginia Escapes from the Lions: Virginia survived an upset-minded Loyola-Marymount team 79-77 in overtime. Sophomore guard J.R. Reynolds floated in the game-winning layup with about five seconds remaining in overtime. The Lions had rallied from a four-point deficit in the final minute of overtime and appeared ready to force a second session before Reynolds won the game for the Cavaliers. And Virginia needed the game to end as quickly as possible. Senior leaders Devin Smith and Elton Brown both were gone – Smith injured an ankle in the second half and did not return, and Brown fouled out after scoring 25 points. Sophomore forward Matthew Knight was unstoppable for the Lions, scoring 27 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Playing with a smaller lineup with the absence of starting forward Jason Clark, the Cavaliers allowed the Lions to grab nine more rebounds in the game.

Lackluster Terps Beat American: Despite another solid performance by junior guard John Gilchrist, Maryland seemed to play in a funk for most of the team’s 82-61 win against American. Until midway through the second half, the Eagles appeared poised to upset the Terps. Then Maryland went on a 16-0 run that sealed the game. Maryland allowed American to shoot better than 45 percent from the field. Gilchrist led all scores with 20 points and added five assists and four rebounds. American was led by senior guard Jason Thomas’ 14 points.

D.C.’s Best: George Washington lengthened its winning streak to eight games with an 81-71 win at Florida International. The Panthers did not back down, however, and led by as many as eight in the first half before the Colonials increased the pressure. Guard T.J. Thompson hit six three pointers to lead George Washington with 25 points. Florida International stifled the Colonials’ star, Pops Mensah-Bonsu. But junior forward Mike Hall responded by scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds off the bench. The teams’ statistics mirrored each other: Both shot 51 percent from the floor, shot about 60 percent from the free throw line and committed 24 turnovers. Thompson’s three-point shooting spree provided the difference.

Endangered Tigers: Memphis dropped to 6-6 after a 72-59 loss to Providence at home. A winter storm kept many fans away and apparently froze the Tigers’ shooters. Memphis shot only 33 percent from the floor. Only junior forward Rodney Carney warmed up, scoring 22 points in the loss. Fellow team leader Sean Banks added 17 points, but the rest of the team managed only 20 points. Providence senior forward Ryan Gomes shined brighter than his opponents’ superstars by scoring 24 points and grabbing eight rebounds to lead the Friars to a much-needed road win. The loser of this game, Memphis, has a long road ahead to try to grab an NCAA Tournament berth. According to ESPN analysts, only one team has reached the NCAA Tournament after posting six non-conference losses: Michigan State in 2004.

Saints Limp to Loss to Fordham: With three players recently injured and a 2-7 record, Siena did not figure to win at Fordham. Junior forward Michael Haddix learned he had a broken left leg that will force him to miss at least three weeks. Haddix is the only Saint to score in double figures consistently, averaging 16.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. In addition to Haddix, freshman guard Kojo Mensah will miss two weeks with a stress fracture in his left leg and another freshman guard, Albert Fisher, missed last night’s game with a bruised sternum. Despite the injury-riddled lineup, the Saints gave Fordham a challenge before losing 69-59. Freshman guard Jack McClinton scored 21 points to lead all scores. But the team shot less than 40 percent from the floor, offering little support. Only five players scored for the Rams, but it was enough to give them the win.

Atlantic 10 Notebook

Atlantic 10 Conference Notebook

by Nate Beardsley

While the rest of the Atlantic 10 continued to struggle in non-conference play, the George Washington Colonials scored two huge wins over ranked opponents last week. GW defeated then-No. 9 Michigan State and then-No. 12 Maryland on consecutive days to claim the BB&T Classic championship. Those wins have propelled the Colonials into the top 25 at No. 21, their first national ranking since 1998. It was also the first time in school history that GW had beaten ranked opponents on two straight days.

The Colonials’ potent offense, which was second in the A-10 in scoring last season with 75.0 points per game, has averaged an astounding 89.2 points this season, easily tops in the A-10. Five Colonials are averaging double digits in points, and junior Mike Hall is scoring nine points per game. The 2003-04 Atlantic 10 Most Improved Player, 6-foot-9 forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu, leads the attack with 17.5 points and also pulls down 6.3 rebounds per contest. Point guard and 2003-04 third team All-Atlantic 10 selection T.J. Thompson is scoring 16.5 points per game and sinking 61.8 percent of his three-point attempts. Forwards J.R. Pinnock (15.5), Omar Williams (10.5) and guard Carl Elliot (10.2) are the other Colonials in double figures.

GW entered the season as the clear favorite to win both the A-10 West and the A-10 championship, as all five Colonial starters from a year ago have returned. Add sophomores Ricky Lucas (18.7 mpg, 7.8 ppg) and Carl Elliot (27.8 mpg, 10.2 ppg) to the mix and GW may even be better than expected.

That’s especially true when you consider that perennial A-10 powers Dayton, St. Joseph’s and Xavier each were hit hard by graduation. These three teams, along with much of the conference, are currently experiencing a youth movement. With the recent injury of sophomore center James Cripe, the Flyers are starting two freshmen, forwards Chris Alvarez and Norman Plummer. Alvarez is averaging 1.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while Plummer is good for 6.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest.

The situation in Fordham is similar, as its roster contains just three upperclassmen (2 seniors and a junior) on scholarship. The younger Rams have been more than up to the challenge, as freshmen scored 33 of Fordham’s 64 points in a 64-59 victory over Iona on Dec. 2. For the season, Fordham’s fabulous freshmen are scoring nearly half of the team’s points (145 of 297). First-year forward Bryant Dunston is actually leading the Rams in scoring, with 13.4 points per game.

Another Dunston, St. Bonaventure junior swingman Wade Dunston, is also a strong contributor on a very young team. Dunston, a 6-foot-4 guard that transferred from Iowa Western Community College, is averaging 13 points per game and has scored in double figures in four consecutive games, including a 22-point effort against Iona. Those 22 points were almost half of the Bonnies’ total in their 73-49 loss.

Entering the season, Xavier believed that one of its strengths would be its frontcourt depth. That is hardly the case now, however, as two Musketeer frontcourt reserves have gone down to season-ending knee injuries. Brandon Cole, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, was hurt in the first half against Miami (OH) on Nov. 22 but hasn’t been scheduled for surgery yet. Boubacar Coly, a 6-foot-9 freshman, recently injured his knee in practice and has already had successful surgery. This should cause junior forward Brian Thornton, a transfer from Vanderbilt, to play more minutes, which may not be a bad thing for Xavier. Thornton leads the Musketeers in scoring (13.8 ppg) and rebounding (10 rpg).

A-10 West

Dayton Flyers (2-3)

Sophomore center James Cripe injured his lower back before the Dec. 4 game against Cincinnati. According to coach Brian Gregory, Cripe took a charge in the morning practice and landed awkwardly. During the team’s pre-game meal, it tightened up and didn’t respond to treatment, forcing him to miss the Cincinnati game, which the Flyers lost 65-55, and Tuesday’s win over Wyoming.

Nov. 27 vs. Coppin State, W 55-42
Dec. 1 at DePaul, L 70-59
Dec. 4 vs. Cincinnati, L 65-55
Dec. 7 vs. Wyoming, W 62-57

Upcoming games:
Dec. 11 vs. Texas Southern
Dec. 18 at St. Louis
Dec. 20 vs. Northwestern State

Duquesne Dukes (1-7)

Entering the season, junior guard Jack Higgins was supposed to be one of the most potent shooters in the conference. Higgins, who finished second in the A-10 in three-point percentage to Saint Joseph’s Pat Carroll last season, struggled to find his shooting touch early on. Through the season’s first six games, Higgins had connected on just 27.4 percent of his field goal attempts and 28 percent of his three point attempts. He snapped out of it on Dec. 4 in a 87-57 loss to No. 13 Pittsburgh, however, and scored a game-high 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting.

Nov. 27 at George Mason, L 79-58
Dec. 1 vs. Akron, L 77-65
Dec. at Pittsburgh, L 87-57

Upcoming games:
Dec. 11 at MD-Baltimore County
Dec. 18 at Ohio
Dec. 22 at Boston College

No. 21 George Washington Colonials (5-1)

GW has lived up to its billing as the A-10 favorite entering the season. The wins against Maryland and Michigan State will certainly look good on an NCAA Tournament resume, and the rest of the conference had better look out.

Dec. 1 vs. Mt. St. Mary’s, W 81-58
Dec. 4 vs. No. 9 Michigan State, W 96-83
Dec. 5 vs. No. 12 Maryland, W 101-92

Upcoming games:
Dec. 11 at St. Francis (Pa.)
Dec. 18 vs. Towson
Dec. 23 at Florida International

LaSalle Explorers (1-3)

After their turbulent off-season that caused the loss of three players and the resigning of their coach, no one expected much from the Explorers this year. La Salle has done little to make anyone think differently, losing to the likes of James Madison, Hofstra and Central Connecticut. One bright spot has been junior forward Steven Smith, who has averaged 23.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

Nov. 30 vs. USC, W 71-62
Dec. 4 at Pennsylvania, L 78-67
Dec. 8 vs. Central Connecticut, L 60-48

Upcoming games:
Dec. 11 at Villanova
Dec. 18 at VA Commonwealth
Dec. 20 at No. 20 Cincinnati

Richmond Spiders (3-2)

The Spiders, much like most other A-10 teams, lost a key scorer from last season. Graduated guard Mike Skrocki and his 16-plus points per game are gone, but sophomore Daon Merritt is doing his best to pick up the slack. The quick and surprisingly strong 5-9, 180 pound point guard is averaging 15.8 points and a league-best 6.0 assists per game through Richmond’s first five games. Forward Kevin Steenberge is also contributing, averaging 15.2 points and 5.4 boards per game.

Nov. 28 at Virginia, L 85-58
Dec. 1 vs. South Florida, W 78-72
Dec. 4 at No. 1 Wake Forest, L 90-73

Upcoming games:
Dec. 11 at VA Commonwealth
Dec. 17 vs. UAB
Dec. 23 at No. 12 Pittsburgh

Xavier Musketeers (2-2)

Xavier may be down because of greaduation losses and injuries, but don’t count the Musketeers out. They always find a way to finish near the top of the Atlantic 10. In addition to Brian Thornton, freshman Stanley Burrell has been solid, averaging 9.8 points in 25.8 minutes per game.

Nov. 27 at Miami, W 83-70, OT
Nov. 30 vs. Creighton, L 73-72

Upcoming games:
Dec. 11 at Tennessee
Dec. 18 vs. No. 23 Mississippi State
Dec. 21 vs. Lehigh

A-10 East

Fordham Rams (2-3)

Fordham has only three upperclassmen on scholarship (2 seniors and 1 junior) but the youngest Rams been more than up to the challenge, as freshmen scored 33 of Fordham’s 64 points in a 64-59 victory over Iona Dec. 2. For the season, Fordham’s fabulous freshmen are scoring nearly half of the team’s points (145 of 297). First-year forward Bryant Dunston is actually leading the Rams in scoring, with 13.4 points per game. Senior big man Mushon Ya’akosi is averaging 11.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, which is up from just 6.5 points and 7.2 rebounds a year ago.

Nov. 27 vs. Manhattan, L 76-60
Dec. at Iona, W 64-59
Dec. 6 vs. Holy Cross, L 53-39

Upcoming games:
Dec. 11 vs. Fairfield
Dec. 14 at Villanova
Dec. 23 vs. Siena

Massachusetts Minutemen (2-2)

UMass received some pre-season first place votes in the A-10 East, but has struggled in the early going. A-10 Player of the Year candidate Rashaun Freeman isn’t among those struggling, averaging 15.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Those averages could be higher if Freeman hadn’t fouled out of two of Massachusetts’ four games.

Nov. 28 vs. Yale, W 70-56
Dec. 1 vs. Northeastern, L 84-68
Dec. 4 at Gonzaga, L 68-57

Upcoming games:
Dec. 9 vs. No. 6 Connecticut
Dec. 12 at Miami
Dec. 19 vs. Davidson

Rhode Island Rams (2-5)

The Rams actually received three pre-season first-place votes in the wide-open A-10 East, but have hardly played like they deserved it. Their struggles have occurred despite the efforts of senior forward Scott Hazelton, who has averaged 17.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Junior point guard Dawan Robinson has not played in a game this season after being selected to the pre-season First Team All-Conference. The reason for Robinson’s absence is not known at this time.

Nov. 30 vs. Boston U, L 73-68
Dec. 4 at Providence, L 65-58
Dec. 8 vs. Stony Brook, W 62-56

Upcoming games:
Dec. 11 at Rutgers
Dec. 27 at Iona
Dec. 30 at DePaul

Saint Joseph’s Hawks (2-2)

The Hawks have been less than impressive in the early going, but that was expected by some. Although SJU was chosen as the pre-season winner of the East by A-10 media, I had them ranked third. It is possible that the Hawks can turn things around and begin playing better, but it may take 10 or 15 games to learn how to play without Jameer Nelson and Delonte West. Either way, they will need forward and last season’s top three-point shooter Pat Carroll to regain his shooting touch. The senior has shot just 15 percent from beyond the arc and 26.5 percent from the field while recuperating from a shoulder injury.

Nov. 27 vs. Davidson, W 76-61
Dec. 4 vs. Drexel, L 57-49
Dec. 7 vs. Fairfield, W 59-51

Upcoming games:
Dec. 10 at UC Davis
Dec. 22 at Old Dominion
Dec. 28 vs. Bucknell

St. Bonaventure Bonnies (0-6)

There haven’t been many positives for the Bonnies so far this year, but junior forward Patrick Lottin (15.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and junior guard Wade Dunston (13.0 ppg, 1.2 spg) are signs that maybe next year won’t start as roughly.

Nov. 27 at Canisius, L 67-61
Dec. 1 at No. 5 Syracuse, L 91-67
Dec. 4 vs. Cornell, L 58-54

Upcoming games:
Dec. 7 at West Virginia
Dec. 17 at Arkansas Little-Rock
Dec. 20 vs. Niagara

Temple Owls (3-3)

Junior point guard Mardy Collins was supposed to be the Owls’ leader on offense, and has been just that up to this point. Although his scoring has dropped to 13.6 ppg, he is averaging 5.8 assists and 3 steals per game. Freshman forward Mark Tyndale has also stepped up, scoring 13.4 points and 4.8 boards per game. To have a shot at making the NCAA Tournament, the Owls will have to emerge from their brutal non-conference schedule at or near .500.

Nov. 30 vs. Arizona St., L 65-62
Dec. 4 vs. Villanova, W 53-52
Dec. 8 vs. Pennsylvania, W 52-51

Upcoming games:
Dec. 11 at No. 18 Alabama
Dec. 13 vs. No. 7 Wake Forest
Dec. 20 vs. Princeton

Big South Notebook

Big South Conference Notebook

by Jeremy Dunlap

Rough Week

Nothing came easy to anyone in the Big South this week, as the teams of the league combined to go 3-8 in a light week of action, with two of those wins coming against Division II squads. Both Winthrop and Birmingham-Southern had the week off for exams and hopefully fared better in the classroom than their conference foes did on the hardwood.

The only team that managed to win a game over a Division I opponent this week was VMI, and they struggled in an overtime battle over Division I newcomer and winless Longwood. The Keydets ended up winning the game 69-64.

Unexpected Return

Liberty found itself appealing and fighting over and over again with the NCAA over the eligibility of forward Glyn Turner, and the persistence paid off for the Flames as the NCAA granted Turner an extra season of eligibility this week. Turner played in only 45 seconds of a game during his freshman year in 2000-2001 and Liberty’s administration was originally denied in an attempt to redshirt him for that season.

Over the greater portion of the last two years, LU attempted to get the decision overturned, but had no luck. However, the NCAA finally changed its mind and after missing the first four games of this year, Turner took the court in each of the Flames’ two games this week.

Head coach Randy Dunton will be looking for Turner to add some depth and experience to a frontcourt that has struggled so far this season. Turner played in all 33 of Liberty’s games last year and averaged 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per contest for the Flames as they went on to win the conference championship last season.

Player of the Week

Freshman forward Reggie Williams of VMI had a stellar week as he was a scoring machine and chipped in on the boards as VMI split a pair of games. Williams averaged 24.5 points and 6.5 rebounds over the two games, including a strong 28 point, 9 rebound effort in the Keydets’ loss to Towson.

Team Reports

Birmingham-Southern Panthers (5-3 overall, 0-0 last week)

Birmingham-Southern had this past week off to focus on final exams. The Panthers will return to the court on December 18 at home in an exhibition game against Montreat. The next game that will count in the standings for BSC will be on December 20 when the Panthers travel to Texas-Pan American.

Charleston Southern Buccaneers (1-3 overall, 0-1 last week)

Charleston Southern came into its game at Clemson this past week 0-15 against the Tigers, hoping to somehow pull off the upset over their foe from the upstate. However, the Bucs came out sluggish, allowing Clemson to score the first nine points of the game as CSU ended up falling 73-55. Senior center Nathan Ball led all CSU scorers with 13 points while freshman guard Darius Lane added 11 points to go along with 5 assists and 5 steals.

Over the course of the next few days, the Bucs will get to stay home for a pair of games. Division II foe Lander will be the first squad to visit the CSU Field House on December 15. Following that contest, CSU will host Wofford on December 18.

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (1-6 overall, 1-0 last week)

Usually when a team is struggling, a home game against a Division II school is the best recipe to turn things around. After starting the season with six straight losses, Coastal found itself hosting Division II Coker this past weekend and the Chants finally found themselves in the win column, crushing the Cobras 86-50.

Junior forward Pele Paelay had a huge first half, scoring 19 points on his way to a team-high 21 points. Freshman guard Jack Leasure and sophomore forward Moses Sonko each had strong offensive outputs as well, both scoring seventeen. Senior point guard Alvin Green led the team with 8 rebounds and 7 assists in the easy victory.

Coastal remains home for two more games in front of the Chanticleer faithful this week. Jacksonville State will come into Conway on December 15 before nearby UNC-Wilmington visits Kimbel Arena on December 18.

High Point Panthers (2-7 overall, 0-2 last week)

High expectations coming into the season for High Point have not translated to wins so far as the Panthers dropped both of their games this week to fall to 2-7 and 0-6 against Division I competition. They opened the week on the road and kept Michigan within striking distance most of the way before falling to the Wolverines, 67-53. The offense struggled again later in the week, this time at home as the Panthers lost 58-45 to Furman.

Over the two games, High Point only managed to shoot 32.1 percent from the field and struggled to make any type of offensive run to come back in either contest. Junior guard Titus Byrd had a breakout performance against Michigan with 17 points, but besides that performance and the typical solid games by senior forward Danny Gathings, not many Panthers have been able to find the basket with any regularity. Senior center Jerry Echenique, who is third on the High Point team in scoring and second in rebounding, was benched for the Furman game by head coach Bart Lundy for undisclosed reasons.

The Panthers will have one game this week in which to try and snap their three game skid. High Point will host Mt. St. Mary’s on December 18, a team that the Panthers beat last year, 72-64. Forward Mark Wilson, a transfer from North Texas, should be eligible to play against Mt. St. Mary’s after sitting out the first nine games of the season.

Liberty Flames (1-5 overall, 0-2 last week)

The defending Big South champions continue to struggle to start the season as they fell twice against stiff competition this past week. The Flames opened the week at home and faced a very dangerous Old Dominion squad. Liberty played well for a half before slipping late in a 70-54 loss. Sophomore guard Larry Blair had a career-high 31 points, but was the only member of the team to reach double-figures.

Blair was stellar again against North Carolina State with 22 points, but got little offensive help as Julius Hodge and the Wolfpack rolled to a 93-60 win over the Flames over the weekend. Liberty’s defense had no defense for Hodge as he scored 27 points and also added 9 assists and 9 rebounds.

In Liberty’s only game of the upcoming week, UNC-Greensboro will visit the Vines Center on December 18. Liberty is still seeking its first win over a Division I opponent this year and will hope to gain that win over the Spartans. Senior point guard Brian Woodson is expected back for the game after missing the first month of the season due to academic reasons.

Radford Highlanders (5-3 overall, 1-1 last week)

Generally, when you think of the offensive weapons of Radford, you think of junior guard Whit Holcomb-Faye or sophomore forward Chris Oliver. However, sophomore Reggie McIntyre set two career-highs in scoring this past week and led the Highlanders in scoring in both of their games as they split a pair of contests.

McIntyre scored 17 points in Radford’s first game of the week, an 89-74 loss to Hampton in a pseudo-home game at the Salem Civic Center, which is 35 miles up the road from the Radford campus. McIntyre then followed that performance up with an 18 point performance in a 97-77 win over Lees-McRae at Radford’s regular home, the Dedmon Center. Holcomb-Faye also had a strong all-around game against Lees-McRae, scoring 15 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, and dishing out 6 assists.

Radford does not have any games this upcoming week due to final exams. The Highlanders will not take the court again until December 23 when they begin a three-game trip out west with a game against Colorado.

UNC-Asheville Bulldogs (1-5 overall, 0-1 last week)

Despite falling behind 12-0 early to Maryland, UNC-Asheville was able to keep things respectable, playing even with the Terrapins for the rest of the first half before falling 96-72 in College Park. Senior forward Bryan McCullough had a strong game, scoring 16 points, but the Bulldogs had trouble keeping the Terrapins off of the scoreboard. Maryland shot 55 percent from the field for the game. Other UNCA players that played well against the Terrapins were senior forward Joseph Barber, who led the team with 7 rebounds, and sophomore guard K.J. Garland, who had 7 assists for the game.

The Bulldogs will host a pair of contests from neighboring non-Division I schools this week before hitting the road again. Division II Lenoir-Rhyne visits the Justice Center on December 15 while NAIA Montreat comes to town on December 17. Following those games, UNCA will take on in-state foe Charlotte on December 19.

VMI Keydets (4-2 overall, 1-1 last week)

Even though the Keydets struggled this week, barely beating winless Longwood and losing at home to Towson, they have found an emerging star in freshman forward Reggie Williams. As mentioned at the top of this column, Williams had a very strong week and has taken the role as the team leader for VMI, leading the team in scoring and rebounding early on. However, the Keydets lost second-leading scorer Levar Joseph to a knee injury near the end of the Longwood game, and his absence was felt later in the week against Towson.

The Keydets opened the week on the road and had to go to overtime to beat Longwood, 69-64. Near the end of the second half, Joseph bruised his knee and sat out the rest of the game and is expected to miss a couple of weeks. To complement Williams’ team-leading 21 points, sophomore guard Matt Coward chipped in with 15 points and 5 assists. Coward also scored 15 points and dished out 6 assists in VMI’s next game against Towson, but his effort, along with Williams’ 28 points were not enough to overcome the Tigers, as VMI lost 84-69.

VMI will have one game this week before taking a long break for exams and the holidays. The Keydets will host NAIA Bluefield on December 13 and will not play again until after Christmas.

Winthrop Eagles (6-2 overall, 0-0 last week)

Winthrop did not take the court this past week in order to finish finals and rest up after a hectic start of the season. The Eagles will finally take the court again on December 17 as they head to Greenville, NC to face East Carolina.