America East Notebook

America East Notebook

by Phil Kasiecki

All Set At Last

The suspense lasted up until the end, as it wasn’t until the last day that most of the seeds were known for the America East Tournament. The smoke has cleared, and here’s how it ended up.

Boston University finished the season with three straight wins and grabs the No. 3 seed, as they swept Hartford and get the tie-breaker for that seed (both teams finished 9-7). The Hawks have the No. 4 seed, while New Hampshire is No. 5 and Vermont is No. 6 after losing both games this past week. Maine won its final two games to grab the No. 7 seed, with UMBC and Stony Brook competing in the play-in game on Friday night.

Here is a look at the early games this weekend.

Friday, March 3 – First Round
No. 8 UMBC vs. No. 9 Stony Brook

Saturday, March 4 – Quarterfinals
No. 1 Albany vs. UMBC/Stony Brook
No. 4 Hartford vs. No. 5 New Hampshire
No. 2 Binghamton vs. No. 7 Maine
No. 3 Boston University vs. No. 6 Vermont

Plenty of Excitement Ahead

The conference tournament promises not to be an easy one to pick a winner in. Although Albany won the conference outright in the regular season, the Great Danes are hardly prohibitive favorites. Adding to it is that they could meet New Hampshire in the semifinals, a team that swept them during the regular season.

Binghamton has a clearer path to the title game, as they swept all three teams that stand in their way during the regular season. Should they get to the championship game, and it’s against Albany, the odds won’t be with them as the Great Danes won both meetings during the regular season.

Boston University is inexperienced, but the younger Terriers have a full regular season under their belt now. They won their final three regular season games, and they swept quarterfinal opponent Vermont in the regular season. Vermont also enters having lost four straight, so the Terriers seem like a good bet to at least reach the semifinals.

Hartford and New Hampshire are the X-factors, as both are capable of getting hot. The Hawks had won four straight and six of seven prior to the season-ending loss to Boston University on Sunday. The Wildcats, meanwhile, had a four-game winning streak last month that started with a 77-69 win over the Hawks. The teams split the season series, with the home team winning each game.

There are bound to be surprises somewhere along the way, given the relative even-ness between many of the teams.

“Why can’t we go to Binghamton and win this? There’s no reason we can’t,” New Hampshire head coach Bill Herrion said. “But on the other hand, if we go up there and we’re not ready to play, it’s one-and-done and you go home.”

Award Time

Here are Hoopville’s picks for the postseason awards.

Player of the Year: Jamar Wilson, Albany
This one could have gone a couple of ways among our first-team members. While Kenny Adeleke was a double-double machine for Hartford, Wilson was second in the conference in scoring and was fourth in assists for the team that won the regular season crown. He was even second on his team in rebounding, and did it all playing a lot of minutes at a position he’s arguably not best suited to (point guard).

Rookie of the Year: Mike Trimboli, Vermont
This one was easy. Trimboli won most of the conference rookie of the week honors, and for good reason. He made the Catamounts’ offense go, leading the team in scoring and the conference in assists. More than that, when he went to the bench, the offense looked entirely different.

Coach of the Year: Bill Herrion, New Hampshire
We could easily have picked Al Walker (Binghamton) or Dennis Wolff (Boston University), but Herrion inherited a team whose personnel was not that of a contender at all and finished fifth in the conference at 8-8. He simply got the most out of his team, and has also helped energize the fan base for the future.

First Team All-America East
Kenny Adeleke, Sr. F, Hartford
Kevin Gardner, Sr. F, Boston University
Andre Heard, Sr. G, Binghamton
Blagoj Janev, Jr. F, New Hampshire
Jamar Wilson, Jr. G, Albany

Second Team All-America East
Aaron Cook, Sr. G, Hartford
Sebastian Hermenier, Sr. F, Binghamton
Martin Klimes, Jr. F, Vermont
Ernest Turner, Sr. G, Maine
John Zito, Sr. F, UMBC

Third Team All-America East
Jermaine Anderson, Jr. G, New Hampshire
Mike Gordon, So. G, Binghamton
Corey Hassan, Fr. G, Boston University
Mike Trimboli, Fr. G, Vermont
Shaun Wynn, Sr. G, Boston University

All-Rookie Team
Philip Tchekane Bofia, Maine
Paris Carter, Hartford
Jay Greene, UMBC
Corey Hassan, Boston University
Mike Trimboli, Vermont

Pre-Tournament Team Capsules

Albany

The Great Danes won their first outright regular season title by a game over fellow upstate New Yorker Binghamton. This was supposed to be their year, and despite some non-conference hiccups, they got it going in January and held on at the end. Jamar Wilson leads the way, and after him there is a lot of balance, from perimeter mates Brian Lillis, Lucious Jordan and Jason Siggers to Brent Wilson and Kirsten Zoellner inside.

There’s experience with seniors Jordan, Zoellner and Levi Levine, as well as their juniors, so the Great Danes are the favorites. But there could be a stumbling block: on Thursday, New Hampshire knocked them off in overtime to sweep them in the regular season. They could face the Wildcats in the semifinals.

“We’re guaranteed an NIT bid, so obviously we would keep playing, but we don’t want to settle for that,” head coach Will Brown said. “We want to win this conference tournament championship, and we’re more than capable of doing it.”

Binghamton

The host for the first weekend of the tournament, the Bearcats had a breakthrough season in finishing second. There were plenty of struggles in non-conference play, but once Ian Milne and Steve Proctor came back from injuries, the Bearcats had their team together and started winning games. Included in the breakthrough season was getting their first win at Boston University, which was a point where they knew they could contend.

Senior guard Andre Heard leads the way, and has plenty of support. Milne causes matchup problems away from the basket, while Sebastian Hermenier combines with him in a good frontcourt and guard Troy Hailey can still put up good scoring numbers. Proctor gives them a solid defender and sophomore point guard Mike Gordon is one of the best players no one knows about in the conference.

The matchups look to be in Binghamton’s favor for a run to the title game at the very least. If some things work out, they could host that, too.

Boston University

It was quite an up-and-down season for Dennis Wolff’s team, which entered the season as one of the least experienced in the conference. They lost a number of games due to offensive struggles and growing pains. Wolff even remarked, after the first Binghamton loss, “Right now, what we’re doing on offense is like going to the dentist and pulling teeth. It’s painful to watch.”

But in the end, the Terriers came alive to finish third, winning their last three games. Seniors Kevin Gardner and Shaun Wynn have been the team leaders, while point guard Brian Macon has been the perfect fit for their ball-control offense. Corey Hassan has gone through many ups and downs as a shooter, and should just keep getting better.

The Terriers haven’t had the best of times in the conference tournament in recent years, when they were expected to go far. Quarterfinal losses to Stony Brook and Maine weren’t what fans were hoping for the last two seasons, although last year’s loss wasn’t a shocker since they were in a real slump at the end of the regular season. Perhaps this time, going in without such high expectations (along with the momentum they currently have) will be a blessing.

Hartford

The Hawks had the look of a contender for most of the season, improving greatly on offense from last year. Hofstra transfer Kenny Adeleke, a double-double machine, had a lot to do with that, as did freshman point guard Chris Cole, who settled that important position. Aaron Cook remains a dangerous shooter, and along with Adeleke gives them a solid inside-outside attack. Paris Carter came on late in the season as well, giving them another outside threat.

The Hawks have to get the ball into Adeleke if they are going to win. He may not score a ton of points as teams key on him, but he has to get touches to at least draw defenders and open it up for the outside shooters. That has been the case all season, but it’s so important that it bears repeating here.

Maine

It’s been a tough season for the Black Bears, who did manage a couple of good road wins along the way. That has to give Ted Woodward’s team some confidence if they are to pull off an upset this weekend. They have struggled without star guard Kevin Reed, who is redshirting with a foot injury, but they can’t be taken lightly.

The Black Bears have an inside-outside game of their own with guards Jon Sheets and Ernest Turner teaming with emerging center Olli Ahvenniemi, who led the conference in blocked shots. Freshman Philip Tchekane Bofia also showed plenty of promise. This wouldn’t be a bad time for Maine’s younger players to show what they can do in the future, while seniors like Turner try to exit on a good note.

New Hampshire

What a job Bill Herrion has done with this team. This is essentially the same team that struggled mightily last year, but Herrion got just about everything he could out them and squeezed out a fifth place finish.

The Wildcats don’t have a great inside attack, so they need to have a good night shooting the ball and getting plays on dribble penetration by the guards. Blagoj Janev became a consistent force this season, while Jermaine Anderson has steadily run the show and made his share of big plays. Mike Christensen has come alive in the last few weeks, and he has a lot of as yet untapped potential. While they’re a dark horse at best, the Wildcats are a team capable of getting through the first weekend and possibly to the title game, so they can’t be overlooked.

Stony Brook

It’s been a tough first season for new head coach Steve Pikiell, whose team fought all season long despite a monster non-conference schedule and a team with its share of personnel changes. This is a building year for the Seawolves, so a win or two in the conference tournament would just be the icing on the cake. It would also give the seniors a good way to close their careers.

UMBC

In December, things looked promising for the Retrievers. They had the look of a vastly improved team, with plenty of scoring balance and a good, unspectacular defense. Although not likely to be contenders, they at least looked like they could jump into the first division. But they slumped later in the season, and wind up in the play-in game against Stony Brook having lost their last four games and six of seven.

The Retrievers look like they might be a quick exit, unless they can suddenly adjust to playing away from home. There is some good young talent on this team, notably freshman point guard Jay Greene, who will be a fun player to watch for the next three years.

Vermont

Give first-year head coach Mike Lonergan credit for getting what he got out of the least experienced team in America. For much of the season, the Catamounts were in contention despite having to play a lot of freshmen, as well as veterans who had played sparingly prior to this season. Vermont struggled down the stretch, but put forth a better season than many could have expected.

The Catamounts may be one-and-done, as they draw Boston University in the quarterfinals and were swept by the Terriers this season. But this has been a good building year, and a win or two in the conference tournament would do wonders for the young Catamounts.

Portland State: Good News, Bad News for Vikings

Good News, Bad News for Vikings: Portland State qualified for the six-team Big Sky Conference Tournament by virtue of Eastern Washington’s win against Idaho State last night. As the sixth and final team, the Vikings will play Eastern Washington in the first round Saturday. But they must face the Eagles without sophomore center Scott Morrison, the team’s leading rebounder. The conference suspended Morrison for one game for throwing a punch against Montana in the Vikings’ overtime win last weekend. Morrison averages 9.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game for Portland State. [2/28/06]

UConn Looks Like Title Contenders

Huskies Score Big Win, Look Like Contenders

by Phil Kasiecki

STORRS, Conn. – Opposite ends of the spectrum, in more ways than one, were a theme in Sunday’s 89-75 win by Connecticut over Villanova.

The two teams are certainly opposites in some ways with their personnel. The Huskies are big and athletic, while the Wildcats are known for their small team and playing four guards most of the time. Villanova has won all season long with that lineup, including less than two weeks ago against these same Huskies.

Another opposite end was in key players for the victors. Three seniors led the way, as Denham Brown had a career-high 23 points, Rashad Anderson had 17 points with some clutch three-point shooting (he was 5-7 for the game from behind the arc), and Hilton Armstrong dominated inside with eight blocked shots. Additionally, freshman Jeff Adrien had as important a contribution as anyone with eight points and nine rebounds in 19 minutes, starting with the early minutes of the first half. Adrien came into the game when Rudy Gay was poked in the eye, which left him with a scratch, and immediately contributed. He started with an offensive rebound and two free throws after getting fouled less than ten seconds after checking in.

“He stepped up big for us today, tremendous,” Brown said of Adrien. “The rebounds he had, a couple of baskets. He is a beast.”

After a back and forth first half that featured six lead changes, Connecticut looked poised to break the game open with an early mini-run to start the second half. Scrappy Villanova regained the lead at 54-53 on four straight points by Allan Ray, but the Huskies scored nine unanswered points as part of an 18-3 run, leading by double digits for most of the remainder of the game. The turning point was Ray picking up his fourth foul right after he put the Wildcats ahead.

Connecticut needed this game and for multiple reasons. The Huskies moved into a tie atop the Big East with the Wildcats, as both teams are 12-2 with two games left. They also avenged their defeat just 13 days earlier in Philadelphia. And while they were at it, they re-asserted themselves as a true national title contender, led by their seniors.

Everyone knows the Huskies have talented underclassmen, from Rudy Gay and his all-world potential to junior floor leader Marcus Williams, who handed out 12 assists on Sunday. But Sunday’s win was all about the seniors, all of whom have been through quite a bit, as well as the freshman who came in and ensured there was no drop-off when Gay went out early.

“Denham had, arguably, the best game of his career at a good time,” said Calhoun of the senior wing from Toronto.

Calhoun noted that Brown has had struggles with his confidence over his career, including this season. Brown started the season very well, but then had some down periods, and he’s clearly a player the Huskies need production from. There didn’t appears to be a confidence issue when he made the play of the game, a driving dunk in the face of Will Sheridan with over five minutes left.

“The one who doesn’t believe in Denham the most tends to be Denham,” Calhoun said.

While Brown has been up and down with his confidence, Anderson had a serious injury last year just as he was starting to come along. A skin abscess in his left was serious enough to become life-threatening, but he was able to return for the NCAA Tournament. Armstrong has quietly blended in his entire career, not garnering the attention as his teammates but playing at a high level. Now Armstrong is emerging as a star, while Anderson is shooting the ball much like he did when they won the national championship in 2004. Brown’s game on Saturday may be evidence that he’s ready to step up his game.

In all, the Huskies played like a national championship contender. They shot 54.5 percent from the field and shut down the Wildcats’ powerful guards, as Randy Foye, Allan Ray, Mike Nardi and Kyle Lowry shot a combined 20-61 from the field. And they won with their seniors leading the way, on a team whose top individual talents are, for the most part, underclassmen.

“I just thought that they were on top of every aspect of their game,” Villanova head coach Jay Wright said of the Huskies.

One thing that didn’t involve opposites was the level the two teams are at, as both are clearly elite teams. While the Huskies looked like national title contenders, the Wildcats showed some of why they’re as good as they are. Until Ray’s fourth foul, they were right there for most of the game and led on a few occasions. They impressed a number of observers with their scrappy play, and given all that this team has been through, one can’t help but be impressed with their character.

“We will learn from this,” Wright said. “This is what you’ve got to do to be good – you have to beat the best team in their house, and we weren’t able to do that today. We’ll learn, and we’ll get better from this.”

At this point, there’s no reason to think they won’t.

Washington State: Bennett Likely to Announce Retirement

Bennett Likely to Announce Retirement: Washington State officials will hold a press conference Tuesday, and coach Dick Bennett will likely announce his intention to retire at the end of the season. His son Tony will become head coach as the elder Bennett chose Tony to be his successor a while ago. Bennett has been the Cougars’ coach since 2003 and has helped the team become competitive in the Pac-10. Bennett has 490 wins in his career, which includes stops at Wisconsin – Stevens Point, Wisconsin – Green Bay, Wisconsin and Washington State. The Cougars are 11-14 overall and 4-12 in Pac-10 play. Washington State likely won’t play in the NIT and will only reach the post-season if they win the Pac-10 Tournament. [2/27/06]

Northern Colorado: Rasmuson Leaves Northern Colorado Sidelines

Rasmuson Leaves Northern Colorado Sidelines: Northern Colorado coach Craig Rasmuson has resigned and will accept another position in the athletics department. He will become a full-time fundraiser for Northern Colorado, ending a seven-year run as coach. He compiled a 63-129 record while leading the Bears into Division I. The team finished 5-24 this season, which was the third of a four-year process for moving from D-II to D-I competition. The Bears will become the 10th member of the Big Sky Conference next season. Rasmuson said the time had come for him to change positions at the school, and Jay Hinrichs, the school’s athletic director, did not protest when the coach submitted his letter of resignation. Rasmuson joins a growing list of coaches who won’t be back with their respective teams. [2/27/06]

Mount St. Mary’s: The Mount Like Milan

The Mount Like Milan: Mount St. Mary’s officials rewarded coach Milan Brown for a strong season and three solid years. The school did not release the terms of the extension for Milan, who replaced legendary coach Jim Phelan in 2003. The Mount finished in fourth place in the Northeast Conference this season and will host a conference tournament game against Robert Morris Thursday. At 11-6, Brown led the Mountaineers to its third-best Northeast Conference finish. [2/27/06]

Weber State: Second Big Sky Coach Canned

Second Big Sky Coach Canned: Weber State officials dumped coach Joe Cravens today after the Wildcats finished 10-17 and 4-10 in Big Sky Conference play. The team finished in last and missed the conference tournament because only the top eight teams participate in the Big Sky Tournament. Craven’s seven-year tenure produced a 116-88 record and one NCAA Tournament appearance. Read more about the end of Cravens’ run at Weber State. [2/27/06]

Weber State Fires Cravens

Weber State Fires Coach

by Nick Dettmann

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – A 25-year streak of reaching the Big Sky Conference tournament was not the only thing halted this season for the Weber State Wildcats.

On Monday, the Wildcats fired head coach Joe Cravens, according to a statement released by the university.

Cravens’ firing comes after the Wildcats lost their final four games of the season to finish 10-17 overall and 4-10 in conference play, giving them a last-place finish in the conference standings. Weber State will miss the conference tournament for the first time since 1981 and only the second time in 31 years. The 10 victories were the fourth-lowest in school history.

Weber State recorded back-to-back losing season for only the third time since the Wildcats started playing at the Division I level in 1962-63.

WSU Athletic Director Jerry Graybeal said in a statement that Cravens, who has two years remaining on his contract, will be reassigned to other duties in the athletic department.

A search committee will be formed within the next few weeks to begin the process of hiring a new coach.

WSU becomes the second Big Sky school this season that will be looking for a new coach for the 2006-07 season.

In January, Idaho State coach Doug Oliver announced he would step down at the end of the season. In addition, WSU becomes the third school in the last two seasons that will look for a new head coach. Portland State hired Ken Bone prior to this season.

Cravens went 116-88 during his tenure, which began in 1999. Cravens led Weber State to its only conference championship and NCAA tournament appearance in 2003.

Duke: Redick is No. 1

Redick is No. 1: Duke senior guard J.J. Redick became the ACC’s all-time leading scorer Saturday by picking up 11 more points in the Blue Devils’ win at Temple. Redick passed Wake Forest’s Dickie Hemric, who held the record for more than 50 years. Redick has 2,590 points and counting. With a deep NCAA Tournament run, Redick has a good chance of reaching 2,800 career points. [2/27/06]

NCAA: Is There a Doctor in the House?

Is There a Doctor in the House?: North Dakota’s Board of Higher Education has voted to honor Phil Jackson, a Sioux alum and Los Angeles Lakers head coach, with an honorary doctorate in humane letters. Jackson played for the Sioux in the 1960s before moving to the NBA to play for the New York Knicks. His legendary coaching career includes nine world championships with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. Jackson has not returned to his alma mater since 1989, despite efforts by the school to include him in several celebrations. As an NBA coach, Jackson frequently had conflicts that precluded him from attending. Maybe a doctorate degree will do the trick. [2/27/06]

UTEP: Miner Has Major Surgery

Miner Has Major Surgery: UTEP senior forward John Tofi, the team’s most dominant player, will miss the remainder of his last season because of an ACL tear in his right knee. Tofi hurt the knee in the Miners’ loss at Memphis last week and had surgery Friday to repair the tear. Tofi averages 13.9 points and 9.2 rebounds per game for the second-place Miners. Without Tofi, UTEP’s thin hopes of earning at-large bid probably evaporate. Tofi will likley need six to eight months to fully recover from the injury. [2/27/06]

Villanova: Ray Injures Knee, Extent Known Monday

Ray Injures Knee, Extent Known Monday: Villanova will eagerly await the results of an MRI on Monday for senior guard Allan Ray, who tweaked his right knee late in Sunday’s 89-75 loss at Connecticut. Head coach Jay Wright said he thinks it’s a strain, while acknowledging that he won’t know the full extent until the MRI on Monday. Ray said he heard a pop as he went down, hence his concern. Ray is second on the team and fifth in the Big East in scoring at 18.9 points per game. The Wildcats, who have been through a great deal of adversity over the past few years that includes serious injuries, are already missing senior forward Curtis Sumpter to a knee injury that has kept him out all season. [2/27/06]

Update: Results of the MRI on Monday showed that Ray has a mild sprain of the knee, and he could play on Wednesday night against St. John’s, which is Senior Night. Ray did not practice on Monday and is listed as day-to-day.

Saturday, February 25 Notebook

Musketeers Starting to Adjust After Adversity

by Phil Kasiecki

KINGSTON, R.I. – Defense was the name of the game for Rhode Island in their 85-76 loss to Xavier on Saturday night.

With their 76 points, the Rams shot over 44 percent from the field and had 15 assists against nine turnovers, numbers that would be good enough to win on most nights. But they allowed the Musketeers to go 7-14 on three-pointers and shoot over 53 percent from the field in the first half as they built a 38-26 lead. Then in the second half, as they tried to build momentum on several occasions, they couldn’t make a key defensive stop to keep a run going. The Musketeers shot 50 percent and made 21 of 25 free throws to hang on for the win.

“I was real disappointed with how we defended in the first half,” said Rhode Island head coach Jim Baron, who added that fatigue seemed to be a factor. Jon Clark didn’t practice on Friday with the flu, and Tyrese Sullivan could only play one minute. Starting in place of Clark, who played just three minutes, J.R. Moore had no points and no rebounds in 18 minutes.

Dawan Robinson led the Rams with 21 points and eight assists. He made several plays late in the game when the Rams made a run to cut a 16-point lead down as low as four with a 17-5 run. The Musketeers made eight of ten free throws in the final 64 seconds to seal the win.

The Rams started strong in Atlantic 10 play with a 5-1 mark, but finish February with a 1-7 record and are now 12-13 overall. Only the 73-62 loss at St. Louis on Wednesday was by double digits, but the Rams need to win the close games.

Xavier is now 8-6 in Atlantic 10 play and improved to 17-8 overall. The Musketeers haven’t had an easy ride of late, losing Brian Thornton to a season-ending injury two weeks ago and booting talented but troubled senior point guard Dedrick Finn from the team earlier this week. They also had a stretch where they lost four of five after winning their first four Atlantic 10 games.

The Musketeers got 20 points and five assists from Stanley Burrell and 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists from Justin Doellman to lead five players who scored in double figures. With Finn out, Doellman’s abilities with the ball clearly become more important, and he made several plays in breaking the press or in the halfcourt that led to baskets.

“We have some guys on our team really playing at a high level – (Josh) Duncan, Doellman and (Justin) Cage in particular,” said Xavier head coach Sean Miller. “I think those three guys have really stepped up their game, and it’s made us a better team.”

They are all stepping up at a time the Musketeers have needed it. This is a team that many held in high regard during non-conference play and during their first four Atlantic 10 wins. Now they look to be rounding into form as the Atlantic 10 Tournament approaches, and it will be held right in their backyard.

“Our goal is just to be at our very best – be that team that’s hard to guard, be that team that really can put it all together in that four-day period of time when the conference tournament comes to town,” Miller said.

Prior to the game, a ceremony was held to honor Brian Jackson, a URI alum and Texas Policeman who died in the line of duty on November 13, 2005. Baron, who was given a Dallas Police Department medallion by Jackson’s father, said it was a very touching ceremony for him.

Other Notable Games

Georgetown 68, Syracuse 53: The struggles continue for the Orange, as the Hoyas won going away with a strong second half. Georgetown snaps a five-game losing streak against Syracuse with this win.

Massachusetts 66, Dayton 47: The Minutemen not only bounce back solidly from Wednesday night’s tough loss to Charlotte, but also win on the day they dedicate the court at the Mullins Center to the late Jack Leaman.

George Mason 95, James Madison 68: The Patriots clinch at least a tie for the regular season title in the Colonial with this win. Lamar Butler comes through in a big way with a season-high 27 points.

Georgia Tech 76, Wake Forest 61: Two struggling teams, one comes away a winner. As has been the case for a lot of the season, the Demon Deacons had little help for Eric Williams, who had 24 points and 15 rebounds in defeat. Even Justin Gray struggled, going 5-18 from the field and 2-11 on three-pointers, with four turnovers.

Arkansas 73, Tennessee 69: If there were any doubts left about the Razorbacks’ NCAA hopes, this took care of them. Arkansas will be in the NCAA Tournament.

Ohio State 64, Michigan 54: The Wolverines’ slide continues, one that coincided with their recent appearance in the Top 25. They have now lost five of seven, finishing February with a 3-5 record.

Baylor 91, Iowa State 73: Iowa State’s disappointing season continues, and Wayne Morgan’s tenure in Ames inches closer to completion.

West Virginia 68, Louisville 64: Louisville’s Big East Tournament hopes took a hit, as they had a chance with this one. They are in a four-way tie for tenth place at 5-9 after this loss.

Southern Illinois 46, Northern Iowa 45: Can you imagine that the Panthers are going to be the fifth seed in the Missouri Valley Tournament? Believe it. They slumped down the stretch, ending with this loss, while the Salukis got another win when they needed it and lock up the No. 2 seed.

Clemson 90, Virginia 64: Four days after handing it to Boston College, Virginia lays an egg on the road. They scored 64 points in each game with Clemson this season; the first time it was enough, this time it wasn’t even close.

UNC-Wilmington 68, Georgia State 56: The Seahawks take the top seed in next weekend’s CAA Tournament with this win. It finishes a job well done by head coach Brad Brownell and his senior-laden team, who was picked fifth in the preseason poll.

Duke 74, Temple 66: J.J. Redick becomes the ACC’s all-time leading scorer, while Temple misses a chance at a signature win.

DePaul 67, Seton Hall 64: The Blue Demons deal a blow to Seton Hall’s NCAA hopes, although the Pirates appear safe barring a collapse. With this win, DePaul also stays alive to make the Big East Tournament.

LSU 71, Kentucky 67: The Wildcats should be in the NCAA Tournament with eight SEC wins, but this game would have helped seeding. They couldn’t handle Glen Davis (28 points, 15 rebounds), and unless they get going next week, will be a low seed in the tournament.

Boston College 74, North Carolina State 72 (2 OT): An important win for the Eagles, but one they almost didn’t get. This was pure survival: they had several chances in both overtime periods to make it a two-possession game, but kept shooting themselves in the foot with turnovers. Sean Williams had a big game when they needed it, coming up with nine blocked shots, several in clutch situations in both overtime periods.

Arizona 68, Arizona State 47: It’s far from a quality win, but the Wildcats needed this one to keep any at-large hopes alive. Had they lost, they might need to win the Pac-10 Tournament to get in.

Hofstra 70, Drexel 68: The Pride locked up third place in the Colonial with this win, but also made the tie-breaker for the top spot easy. Had they lost, they would have been tied with Old Dominion for third (they would get the third seed in the upcoming tournament via their two wins over ODU), but the tie-breaker for the top seed would have been the RPI provided by Collegiate Basketball News on Sunday morning. Thank goodness it didn’t come down to that.

Detroit 73, Butler 71: The Titans play spoiler in a big way, as this gives Wisconsin-Milwaukee the outright regular season title in the Horizon League. Meanwhile, the Titans finish in a five-way tie for third at 8-8.

Illinois 71, Iowa 58: The Illini pull into a tie for second as they hand the Hawkeyes their second straight loss.

Wichita State 64, Illinois State 57: The Shockers lock up the top seed for the MVC Tournament with this win.

Stanford 39, Washington State 37: The lowest-scoring Pac-10 game in 22 years won’t do much for Stanford’s NCAA Tournament at-large hopes.

Winthrop 56, Birmingham Southern 43: The Eagles once looked like prohibitive favorites to win the Big South, but needed this win on the road to hang on for the top spot.

Missouri State 60, Creighton 54: The Bears get the third seed for the MVC Tournament, and they do so with some momentum as it’s their fifth straight win.

Texas 80, Kansas 55: A big win for two reasons. One, the Longhorns re-assert themselves as the team to beat in the Big 12, and two, it brings the young and surging Jayhawks back down to earth for a moment.

West Coast Notebook

West Coast Conference Notebook

by Brad Best

Very few surprises down the stretch in the West Coast Conference this season. Gonzaga continues to solidify its position for March Madness and has maintained its perfect conference record. Loyola Marymount held onto its two-game lead in the battle for second place. Saint Mary’s continues a late charge to get to the top half of the conference. Having won five of its last six, the Gaels are challenging San Diego and San Francisco, who are currently tied for third in conference. With only three games remaining for most teams, Gonzaga has clinched at least a share of the conference title. This appears to be a year in which only Gonzaga will emerge from the WCC to go to the Big Dance, while San Diego and maybe one other team should end up in the NIT.

Gonzaga (22-3 overall, 11-0 WCC) Last week, 2-0.
After easily defeating Portland earlier in the week, the Bulldogs went on the road to face second place Loyola Marymount. This looked to be one of their toughest conference games, and it was. The Lions posted a four point led at halftime and held Adam Morrison to just 7 points in the first half. But since they still play two halves and each one counts just as much as the other, the Bulldogs showed what they were made of in the second half. Morrison himself outscored the Lions 37-33 in the second period as Gonzaga went on to defeat LMU 79-70.

Loyola Marymount (11-14, 8-3) Last week, 0-1.
The hard-fought loss against Gonzaga will help prepare the Lions for the WCC tournament. If they can hang on to second place, they would not have to face Gonzaga again until the conference tournament, should both teams make it that far. That would appear to be the only hope for post-season play. Their dreadful non-conference record nearly buried them before they turned things around under first-year head coach Rodney Tention,

San Diego (16-8, 6-5) Last week, 0-1.
The Toreros missed an opportunity to claim third place as their own when they dropped a game at San Francisco after beating them at home just two days earlier. Seniors Nick Lewis and Corey Belser will play their final home game on Monday against an improving Saint Mary’s team. The Toreros finish on the road against Gonzaga and Portland, so they’ll have to rise to the occasion if they want to hold off San Francisco for third.

San Francisco (10-14, 6-5) Last week, 1-0.
The Dons regained their winning form against San Diego at home and get to face lowly Santa Clara on Monday. They should be able to take care of Portland on the road before heading up to Gonzaga for their final game of the season. They have a slightly easier schedule than the Toreros down the stretch, but both teams will likely go 2-1 and finish tied for third.

Saint Mary’s (13-11, 5-6) Last week, 2-0.
The Gaels are working their way into contention for a run in the WCC tournament. They did what they were supposed to do last week and need to finish strong against a couple of tough opponents. They lead the WCC in scoring defense, holding opponents to 65 points per game. This tenacity, along with the emergence of an improved supporting cast to go along with Daniel Kickert, has helped the Gaels develop into a formidable conference opponent in the second half of the season.

Portland (9-16, 3-8) Last week, 1-1.
Earning a split in last week’s games won’t be enough to help the struggling Pilots. A strong backcourt of Pooh Jeter and Darren Cooper has not been enough to keep pace with the bigger, stronger frontcourt dominance of other teams. Four of their last five opponents have put up 80 points or more on the Pilots. With three tough games left on the schedule, it will be next to impossible for Portland to move up in the standings or have much hope of doing any damage in the conference tournament.

Pepperdine (7-16, 3-8) Last week, 0-1.
With Michael Gerrity still sidelined by an injury, the Waves were defeated at home by Portland. Things won’t get any easier as they head up to Gonzaga on Monday. Without Gerrity’s scoring ability in the lineup, the Waves find it difficult to put up enough points to have a chance to win.

Santa Clara (9-15, 2-9) Last week, 0-2.
Back to their losing ways, the Broncos couldn’t avenge their loss to Saint Mary’s or defeat Hawaii. With San Francisco next up, followed by games against Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine, the Broncos may be fortunate to just win one of their final three. When you’re in last place, you’re looking at every opponent as an uphill battle. Senior Travis Niesen has been a one-man warrior this season. Without him, the Broncos may be in even worse shape at this time next year.

Bad Fan Behavior

“Fan” Behavior at an All-Time Low

by Phil Kasiecki

Fan behavior at college games has come under some scrutiny in recent weeks. This season, the has SEC fined Tennessee and Arkansas for the fans storming the court after home wins over Florida, and when Georgetown knocked off Duke, fans there stormed the court as well. After Villanova’s recent win over Connecticut, fans stormed the court, and two students didn’t make out well; one couldn’t breathe for a few seconds from being trampled. At Gonzaga, fans have been urged to stop yelling “Brokeback Mountain” to opposing players (the movie is about homosexual cowboys).

The unfortunate reality is, long before this, fan behavior has been getting out of hand at college basketball games. In the last couple of years, fans at Kansas have made news with vulgar chants, as well as at Maryland, and we’ve been hearing about riots on college campuses after NCAA Tournament games involving the school. But that wasn’t even the beginning.

Now, the big question is, when does it ever stop? Is there any limit to the absurdity of what fans do at college basketball games nowadays?

College basketball games nowadays don’t just involve great talent and well-coached teams. Nowadays, part and parcel of the experience is seeing the state of America’s youth – and it’s not pretty. The worst thing is, I’m not just referring to fans storming the court after a win, sometimes running over players and/or coaches in the process.

It starts off with the introduction of the starting lineups. When the visiting team’s starters are announced, you first hear a certain four-letter word that doesn’t bear repeating here for every player. No matter if the road team is the No. 1 team in the nation, or if it’s a game in a lower conference; this happens wherever you go. That’s not the only place the word gets used; nowadays, I don’t ever want to hear Rock ‘N Roll Part 2 played at a game, because the fans will then add their own two words to the one that’s already in it. There have also been times where fans will yell an obscenity right in the middle of the national anthem.

But that’s not enough. Once the game gets going, there are all kinds of absurdities: comments get yelled out at a player or coach about something related to his name, appearance, the team’s uniforms, something that happened with a player – nothing is off limits. Duke fans are notorious for digging up anything they can find on opposing players, such as criminal records or other personal items, as items for ridiculing the opposition.

Near the end of a game last year, a UConn fan yelled out a threatening comment to a referee, which naturally made the campus police officers present focus squarely on him for a few minutes. And as if UConn hasn’t been involved in enough already, ESPN.com reported that a West Virginia “fan” told senior center Hilton Armstrong to “go back to Africa” during a recent contest. Earlier this year, Armstrong was the target of comments from a few Providence cheerleaders, who yelled, “you look like a giraffe” to him on more than one occasion.

Wait, there’s more. Hoopville recently received an e-mail from a reader wanting to know how to find out which officials are assigned to games for a particular week. The reason was not the same reason that the game notes for some teams mention the officials for the games – as a point of information. They want to have signs for the games that refer to the officials.

We’ll let you use your imagination to figure out what the signs would say. Here’s a hint: it probably won’t be to tell them they do a good job and that a fan would never realize they were even on the court by the end of the game.

Athletes tune it all out, as do the coaches and referees, but that’s not the point. The point is that there’s no reason for such behavior in the first place that is childish at best and very troubling at worst. This is all happening with young people – for that matter, even young kids whose ages are not even in double digits will join in the ridiculousness on some occasions. Kids do what they see, so when they see young adults engaging in this type of behavior without consequences, they will follow suit. Eventually, these kids who live for heckling players at games will probably wind up on the Dr. Phil show as parents trying to live vicariously through their kids in sports.

As evidence, this has trickled down to high school games as well, and that’s where another problem came into play once. In January, I was at a high school game in a suburb southwest of Boston, and heard a “fan” yell to a player on the visiting team, “go back to prison, number (player’s uniform number).” The player the barb was directed at is a young black male with cornrows.

People will say that we should chalk this up to the youth of the fans, but that’s no excuse. Perhaps we can write it off a little bit with high school kids, but college students are young adults and it’s high time they start acting like it. Even then, let’s think about everything that is said in response to doubters about this generation. This generation is supposed to have all the potential in the world. This generation is supposed to be incredibly wise beyond their years. This generation is supposed to be enlightened regarding race, gender and sexual orientation. This generation is supposed to be exemplary in all respects.

All the fan behavior mentioned – none of which can be written off as merely a couple of isolated incidents, because there are countless examples of it – stands in diametric opposition to this.

Coming to a game as a fan should mean cheering on your own team. Cheering on your team means exactly that – you cheer on your team, instead of deriding the other team and its players, coaches and staff. It means you celebrate a win by being happy the rest of the night – not by nearly killing other fans, as well as players and coaches. For all too many nowadays, it doesn’t involve any of that, and what it shows for the present and future of American society is not positive.

Crystal Basketball

NCAA Tournament Crystal Ball

by Dan Hauptman and Michael Protos

February 24, 2006

There are only three weekends left – tick, tock, tick, tock. The NCAA selection committee will convene in less than a fortnight, and many issues remain unresolved.

Two big debates circle the conferences unanimously regarded as the top two, the Big Ten and the Big East. These are the best conferences according to the RPI, Dan Hauptman, Michael Protos and virtually everybody else that has a finger on the pulse of college basketball this season.

The most burning questions about the two leagues are where to seed the five Big Ten teams that are guaranteed to be invited to the Big Dance. And can the Big East really get a record nine teams into the tournament?

Hauptman has been consistent in his Hoops Horoscope. A Big Ten team will earn a No. 1 or 2 seed. He argues that the league has been so good at the top that the selection committee will reward the winner of the regular season and/or the conference tournament.

As for the Big East, Hauptman has swayed between eight and nine teams getting into the field of 65. He believes that nine teams will get in but warns that a few more clunkers and a short stay in the conference tournament in New York could prevent Syracuse and Seton Hall from making the tourney.

Protos does not feel that a Big Ten team will automatically receive a No. 1 or 2 seed. But among Ohio State, Iowa and Illinois, one of those teams is likely to pick up enough big wins down the stretch, especially in the Big Ten Tournament, to earn a No. 2 seed. A No. 1 seed is not going to happen, however, for any teams from the Big Ten unless one of the top four collapses down the stretch. The profiles of Duke, Connecticut, Villanova and Memphis are far stronger than that of any Big Ten team.

Meanwhile, on the subject of the Big East, Protos likewise puts nine teams in the field this week. Ignoring the conference’s overall strong RPI, these nine teams have earned the right to play in the NCAA Tournament. Eight of the nine teams have at least three wins against the RPI top 50. That’s more than Kentucky or Boston College can say. The one team that doesn’t – Syracuse – has beaten only two top 50 squads but has seven of its eight losses to those teams.

The Orange’s victory against West Virginia Feb. 20 likely secures a bid as long as Syracuse avoids a loss at DePaul next week. Cincinnati plays at Seton Hall next week in what has become a bigger game for the Pirates than the Bearcats. The loser likely needs to win one more game in the regular season or conference tournament to feel more secure about an NCAA Tournament bid. If that happens, count on nine from the Big East.

Hauptman’s Hoops Horoscope	Protos’ Prognostications
Duke Connecticut Memphis Villanova	Duke Villanova Connecticut Memphis
Texas Gonzaga Ohio State George Washington	Tennessee Ohio State Texas Gonzaga
Tennessee Iowa Pittsburgh UCLA	Pittsburgh George Washington UCLA Iowa
Illinois North Carolina Oklahoma LSU	Illinois North Carolina Kansas Michigan State
Florida Kansas Michigan State West Virginia	Marquette Florida LSU West Virginia
Boston College Wisconsin North Carolina State Wichita State	Oklahoma Washington Wisconsin North Carolina State
Arizona Northern Iowa Georgetown Marquette	Nevada Wichita State Bucknell Georgetown
California Wisconsin-Milwaukee Bucknell Missouri State	Boston College Michigan Alabama Creighton
Washington Michigan Cincinnati Nevada	Kentucky Syracuse George Mason Cincinnati
Kentucky George Mason Seton Hall Creighton	Missouri State Northern Iowa Arizona Arkansas
Colorado UAB UNC-Wilmington Syracuse	UNC-Wilmington UAB Seton Hall Western Kentucky
Air Force Alabama Western Kentucky San Diego State	Utah State Hofstra California San Diego State
Houston Murray State Maryland Kent State	Air Force Wisconsin-Milwaukee Kent State Iona
Iona Penn Winthrop Northern Arizona	Northwestern State Murray State Penn Winthrop
Northwestern State IUPUI Albany Georgia Southern	Pacific Georgia Southern IUPUI Northern Arizona
UC Irvine Lipscomb Fairleigh Dickinson Delaware State Southern	Albany Fairleigh Dickinson Delaware State Belmont Southern
Last four in: Alabama San Diego State Houston Maryland	Last four in: Utah State Hofstra California Air Force
Last four out: Bradley Hofstra Indiana Miami	Last four out: Indiana Southern Illinois Colorado Houston
Conference Breakdown: Big East: 9 Big Ten: 6 ACC: 5 SEC: 5 Big 12: 4 Missouri Valley: 4 Pac-10: 4 Conference USA: 3 Colonial: 2 Mountain West: 2 21 one-bid conferences	Conference Breakdown: Big East: 9 Big Ten: 6 SEC: 6 ACC: 4 Missouri Valley: 4 Pac-10: 4 Big 12: 3 Colonial: 3 Conference USA: 2 Mountain West: 2 WAC: 2 20 one-bid conferences
Shooting Stars: Kansas Nevada North Carolina Missouri State	Shooting Stars: Marquette Kansas Alabama Arkansas
Sinking Ships: North Carolina State Seton Hall West Virginia Florida	Sinking Ships: Southern Illinois Colorado Seton Hall Northern Iowa

After moving toward consensus last week, Hauptman and Protos see more differences in the field this week, although not at the top. Once again, both NCAA field specialists give the top seeds to Connecticut, Duke, Memphis and Villanova, with the Blue Devils taking the top overall spot.

If Duke continues its stranglehold at the top, an interesting battle will occur between Connecticut and Villanova. One of those teams will likely be the top seed in the Washington, D.C., region while the other will be in Minneapolis or Oakland. Hauptman gives Connecticut the nod as the second-best No. 1 seed and the likely owner of the Washington region’s No. 1 spot. But Protos gives it to Villanova and would probably ship the Huskies to Minnesota. Sunday’s encore presentation of the Big East’s best will likely settle this discussion.

Hauptman and Protos continue to agree on most of the top four seeds. They agree on 14 of 16 teams at the top. Hauptman gives Oklahoma and LSU No. 4 seeds, but Protos prefers Kansas and Michigan State. Oklahoma’s numbers are much stronger than Kansas’ – No. 16 vs. 42 in the RPI – but Protos cannot rationalize placing the Sooners ahead of the Jayhawks when Oklahoma trails Kansas by two games in the Big 12 standings.

The Big 12 accounts for another difference in Hauptman’s and Protos’ fields. Hauptman gives Colorado an invitation, but Protos declines to extend the same offer. He takes Utah State, Hofstra and California, while Hauptman selects Houston and Maryland, in addition to the Buffaloes. Houston is rising quickly and has strong early season victories against Arizona and at LSU. Maryland has no losses outside the top 100, which none of Protos’ last few invitees can say. And the Terrapins and Buffaloes have played stronger schedules than any of Protos’ three.

Protos considered those three teams that Hauptman foresees – mostly Houston and Colorado – but opted for teams are season-long winners. Utah State and Hofstra have reached 20 wins, at least three more than Colorado, Houston or Maryland. California and Air Force were the most difficult teams to place. The margin of error for the last five or six teams in the field is so slim because another five or six teams are right behind them and ready to steal a spot.

The agony of choosing the final few teams in the NCAA Tournament may become a moot point in conference tournament play. Invariably, teams that aren’t at-large considerations steal a bid or two by upsetting teams that are more solid at-large squads than the likes of Hofstra, Maryland or Air Force. The latter three – and their bubble brethren – have a self-evident task ahead: just win. And that, of course, is much easier said than done.

Whose field looks more accurate to you? Or are both Protos and Hauptman off target? Send us e-mail to comment on the Crystal Basketball. Then check back each week to follow the evolution of Hauptman’s and Protos’ visions for the NCAA Tournament.

Pac-10 Notebook

Pac-10 Conference Notebook

by Scott Allen

Six-Pac: Six of the conference’s top players, teams and stories from the past week.

1. Brandon Roy: Averaged 23 points, six rebounds and 6.5 assists in wins over Oregon and Oregon State .
2. Chris Hernandez: Scored 28 points in losing effort against Arizona. Must get help from fellow seniors Matt Haryasz and Dan Grunfeld if the Cardinal are to keep their faint NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
3. Washington Huskies: Winners of four straight on the heels of a three-game losing streak has Huskies sniffing the top spot in the conference standings and a higher seed in NCAA Tournament.
4. Rodgers Returns: Arizona’s Chris Rodgers was quiet in his first two games since being reinstated by head coach Lute Olson. Rodgers scored a combined five points on 2-for-8 shooting in Arizona’s split in the Bay Area.
5. Bruins Upset: UCLA’s final visit to the Los Angeles Sports Arena was one to forget, as the Bruins were upset by the Trojans. UCLA was 105-28 all-time in the SA.
6. How Many Bids? Three? Four? More? Next few weeks will tell.

UCLA Bruins (20-6, 10-4)

With a chance to take control of the top spot in the conference, the Bruins suffered a 71-68 loss to cross-town rival USC on Sunday. Jordan Farmar and Arron Afflalo did their part offensively, combining for 40 points, but UCLA allowed USC to shoot 56 percent from the field.

Up Next: Oregon State, Oregon.
Postseason Prospects: The Bruins are an NCAA Tournament lock with the next few weeks determining their seeding.

California Golden Bears (16-7, 10-4)

After an impressive 75-66 victory over Arizona on Thursday, the Bears appeared in perfect position to stretch their winning streak to seven and take over the lead atop the Pac-10 standings with Arizona State coming to town on Saturday. But the Sun Devils pulled the upset, 65-64 in double-overtime, with Ayinde Ubaka misfiring on the Bears’ final possession. Leon Powe finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds two days after scoring 30 points and grabbing 10 boards in the win over the Wildcats. Powe has 12 double-doubles this season.

Up Next: at Washington State, at Washington.
Postseason Prospects: Like the Bruins, barring a complete collapse the Bears are playing for a higher seed at this point.

Washington Huskies (20-5, 9-5)

The Huskies are on a four-game winning streak after a three-game skid put their NCAA Tournament hopes on ice. Washington earned a 75-72 win at Oregon on Thursday before routing Oregon State 96-63 on Saturday to reach the 20-win plateau for the second consecutive season. Brandon Roy led the Huskies against the Beavers with 25 points, while Ryan Appleby added 15 on 5-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc off the bench.

Up Next: Stanford, California.
Postseason Prospects: The Huskies have played their way off the bubble and back into the NCAA Tournament. A season sweep by the Bay Area schools this weekend, however, could change that.

Stanford Cardinal (13-10, 9-5)

One week after a narrow loss at Gonzaga that would have seriously strengthened their case for a postseason bid, the Cardinal suffered another tough loss, this time to Arizona at home. Chris Hernandez scored a game-high 28 points but it wasn’t enough in a 76-72 loss that came on the heels of Stanford’s 82-69 over Arizona State on Thursday.

Up Next: at Washington, at Washington State.
Postseason Prospects: Not good. The Cardinal can’t afford another loss during Pac-10 play and would likely need to reach the finals of the Pac-10 Tournament to earn serious consideration. Even that might not be enough.

Arizona Wildcats (16-10, 9-6)

Arizona shook off a tough loss at Cal to knock off Stanford and earn an important split of the road trip to the Bay Area last weekend. Hassan Adams and Ivan Radenovic scored 23 points apiece in the victory over the Cardinal. Recently reinstated guard Chris Rodgers scored just two points in the game.

Up Next: Arizona State
Postseason Prospects: With the win over Stanford, the Wildcats are comfortably in for now thanks to a high RPI (18) and the nation’s fourth toughest schedule. A loss to Arizona State next week could leave the ‘Cats sweating again.

USC Trojans (16-9, 7-7)

Nick Young scored 15 points and Dwayne Shackleford added 12 off the bench to lead the Trojans to an upset of UCLA at home. USC was once again without second-leading scorer Gabe Pruitt, who is out with an injured left knee.

Up Next: Oregon, Oregon State.
Postseason Prospects: Recent three-game skid that included losses to Arizona State and Washington State likely means Trojans are NIT-bound.

Oregon Ducks (12-15, 6-9)

The Ducks earned a split with the Washington schools, falling to the Huskies despite 21 points from Chamberlain Oguchi on Thursday before dominating the Cougars 67-37 on Saturday. Oregon held Washington State to 10 first-half points of 3-for-23 shooting in Saturday’s win.

Up Next: at USC, at UCLA.
Postseason Prospects: The Ducks won’t be dancing barring a Pac-10 Tournament run.

Oregon State Beavers (11-15, 4-11)

The Beavers split with the Washington schools, knocking off the Cougars before suffering a humiliating defeat against the Huskies. Sasa Cuic scored 17 points in Saturday’s loss, but the Beavers had no answer for Brandon Roy. The Beavers committed 18 turnovers and were outrebounded 34-25.

Up Next: at UCLA, at USC.
Postseason Prospects: It’s all or nothing at the Pac-10 Tournament for the Beavers.

Washington State Cougars (11-12, 4-10)

The Cougars were swept by the Oregon schools, including a brutal loss to the Ducks on Saturday. Washington State shot just 27 percent from the field and Derrick Low missed all seven of his field goal attempts.

Up Next: California, Stanford.
Postseason Prospects: Cougars’ season will end at the Staples Center.

Arizona State Sun Devils (10-14, 4-11)

After a 13-point loss at Stanford, Arizona State salvaged a split of its Bay Area road trip with a hard-fought double-overtime victory at Cal. Bryson Krueger scored a team-high 19 points off the bench for the Sun Devils in Saturday’s win. Kevin Kruger hit a 3-pointer with 10.5 seconds remaining in the second overtime to give Arizona State the lead for good.

Up Next: at Arizona.
Postseason Prospects: A long season won’t become any longer come mid-March

Big South Notebook

Big South Conference Notebook

by Jerry Hinnen

Down to the Wire

Every year, something NFL fans look forward to is the late-season appearance of charts and lists detailing exactly what scenarios need to play out for their team to make the playoffs. Those fans now have something in common with the scenario-studying supporters of Winthrop, Birmingham-Southern, and Coastal Carolina, each of whom enters the final days of conference play with a shot at Big South title and the league’s all-important top seed for the conference tournament. (The Big South plays at the higher seed’s home court, the semifinals at the regular season champion, and title game at the top remaining seed.)

For more than a month, the Big South has looked like a two-horse race going down to this Saturday’s photo finish between Birmingham-Southern and Winthrop in Birmingham. But after smoking-hot Coastal Carolina upended BSC at home 69-59 last Saturday and cellar-dwelling Liberty shocked Winthrop 78-71 in Lynchburg Monday night, 10-4 Coastal now has their own slim shot at grabbing the Big South’s top slot. In the end, BSC’s and Winthrop’s losses could mean nothing at all, or they could cost them a shot at the NCAA Tournament.

Here’s what each team needs to happen to claim the Big South title and – to borrow a phrase from the NFL – finish with home court advantage throughout the Big South tourney.

Birmingham-Southern
Record: 12-3. Schedule: vs. Winthrop, Feb. 25

The Panthers have the simplest – and, many would say, easiest – path to the Big South championship. With Monday’s 62-46 road thrashing of Charleston Southern behind them, if BSC can hold serve against Winthrop in Bill Battle Coliseum Saturday they will claim the league title outright with a 13-3 record.

There’s plenty of reason to expect them to do so. BSC currently holds the nation’s sixth-longest home winning streak at 15 games, one boosted by a perfect 7-0 record at home in Big South play this season. Birmingham is the league’s longest road trip and Winthrop’s game Thursday night against High Point will do the Eagles no favors as they try to prepare. To boot, some Panthers – most notably 6-9 forward Thomas Viglianco, who totaled three field goals in BSC’s last four losses combined, all on the road – appear much more comfortable in the friendly confines of Bill Battle.

But lest Panther fans get too confident, there remains the matter of Winthrop’s 84-43 bludgeoning of BSC at home Jan. 5, the program’s worst loss since the 2000 season. It also remains to be seen how well the Panthers will deal with a tight endgame situation: remarkably, only one of BSC’s 15 Big South contests have been decided by fewer than 10 points.

Not that BSC will complain, but everything will ride on the game with Winthrop. Because the Panthers would lose tiebreakers with both the Eagles (who would have swept them head-to-head) and Coastal (who wins the tie by virtue of their sweep over Winthrop) there is no scenario in which BSC loses Saturday and still wins the top seed.

Winthrop
Record: 11-3. Schedule: vs. High Point, Feb. 23; at Birmingham-Southern, Feb. 25

Like the Panthers, the Eagles still control their own destiny, even after the letdown at Liberty. Defeat High Point at home and BSC on the road, and Winthrop will own another championship banner and be only three home games away from earning their second straight trip to the NCAAs. Do that, and very few fans will remember the Eagles lost three games in a conference many expected them to romp through undefeated.

It won’t be easy. High Point gave the Eagles fits in a 70-67 loss at High Point and after a brief slump, the Panthers look to be in confident form again after a spirited BracketBusters performance on the road at Loyola (Md.) and an 88-67 home whipping of UNC-Asheville Monday. And as noted above, the Eagles won’t just be playing Birmingham-Southern Saturday: they’ll be facing the Big South’s best home team, on that team’s Homecoming, in arguably that program’s biggest game in its history, all on one day of rest. Those aren’t exactly the circumstances Gregg Marshall would choose to play a winner-take-all championship game under. Losses in both games would very likely result in Winthrop’s sliding all the way to the third seed; Coastal would have to lose both their remaining games, at Liberty and at Radford, to keep the Eagles in second.

There is good news for Winthrop. For starters, they could get a mulligan on a loss to High Point. If Coastal drops either of their final two games (on the road to both Liberty and Radford) a win at BSC gives them the top seed anyway as both teams would be 12-4.

Second, the Liberty loss may have been a legitimate fluke. Winthrop had been playing well of late (their previous three games had been shellackings of Radford and UNC-Asheville and their epic 98-97 double-overtime win over Northern Illinois) and caught both Liberty and the Flames’ inspirational Larry Blair playing their best game of the season. It seems unlikely that players like point guard Chris Gaynor – who leads the Big South in assist-to-turnover ratio but had only one dish Monday – or forward James Shuler – who took only five shots against the Flames and hit just one – won’t improve in the week’s later two games.

But if they and the Eagles don’t, what has been a successful but ultimately disappointing season may end with even further disappointment.

Coastal Carolina
Record: 10-4. Schedule: at Liberty Feb. 23, at Radford Feb. 25.

Thursday night, you could find High Point fans decked out in purple face paint, purple wigs, and purple HPU t-shirts, and even they wouldn’t be rooting as hard for the Panthers as the fans down the road at Coastal. There is only one scenario in which Coastal wins the top seed and brings the Big South semifinals to Kimbel Arena: CCU wins over Liberty and Radford combined with a Winthrop loss to High Point and a Birmingham-Southern loss to Winthrop. Any other combination of results sees CCU nabbing the second seed at best.

While the Chanticleer fans might be forgiven for scoreboard watching Thursday and Saturday, the Coastal players themselves would be well-advised to focus on the opponents in front of them. Liberty and their supporters will be brimming with confidence for Thursday’s home game, while Radford dealt Coastal their only loss in their last eleven games, a 70-69 overtime win in Conway Jan. 21. A loss in either game would remove CCU from title consideration.

It would not necessarily, however, remove them the battle for second. If Winthrop loses both of their contests, CCU’s sweep of the Eagles means just one win would be enough for the second seed.

However, thanks to their season sweep of Winthrop, a pair of CCU wins guarantees them no worse than the second seed. Coastal would finish 12-4, would earn a tie with whichever team loses in Birmingham, and would win the tiebreak with either as well: with Winthrop thanks to head-to-head, and with BSC by virtue of a better record against the conference’s highest seed (i.e., Winthrop).

On the flip side, a pair of Coastal losses (assuming Radford defeats last-place VMI Thursday) would drop the Chants all the way to fourth place behind the Highlanders, who would tie the Chants at 10-6 and take the tiebreaker based on their head-to-head sweep.

Got all that?

Moving up in BracketBusters

If the Big South’s continued participation in the BracketBusters event goes as well as it did in this, its first year, it will be something the conference’s fans will look forward to on an annual basis.

The three Big South teams involved – Winthrop, High Point, and UNC-Asheville – all put together solid performances that showed why the conference, now all the way up to No. 19 in stats guru Ken Pomeroy’s conference RPI (ahead of such notable conferences as the Ohio Valley, Patriot League, and most significantly the SoCon), is on the rise.

The biggest win belonged to Winthrop, 98-97 home victors over MAC West Division leader Northern Illinois in double overtime. James Shuler poured in a career-high 27 points, including the free throws that sent the game into overtime, the three-pointer that sent the game into a second overtime, and the three-pointer that won it with 3.1 seconds remaining.

“That’s the best ball game in my tenure,” Gregg Marshall told the Rock Hill Herald. “It would have been a hard one to lose, was a great one to win.”

The Big South’s other BracketBuster teams did the conference proud as well. Although a late 16-2 Greyhound run cost High Point a road win over Loyola (Md.), behind freshman Justin Dunn’s 21 points the Panthers recovered from a recent cold streak to control the game for most of the 40 minutes. UNC-Asheville’s hometown newspaper predicted a 12-point loss in their match-up with the OVC’s Eastern Kentucky Colonels, but Joe Barber’s 21 points helped the Bulldogs to a big second-half lead and an eventual 83-77 win.

As part of the BracketBusters agreement, Loyola and Eastern Kentucky will return the home game favor to HPU and UNCA as part of either the 2006 or 2007 non-conference season.

Around the league

• The aftershocks of Liberty’s win over Winthrop weren’t just felt at the top of the Big South standings. The victory bumped the 3-11 Flames out of a tie for the conference cellar with VMI and into the eighth and final spot in the Big South tourney. Making matters worse for the Keydets, their best shot for a late-season victory slipped away Saturday when they lost 59-48 on the road to Charleston Southern in an offensive performance coach Duggar Baucom told the Chalreston Post and Courier was “pitiful.” VMI closes at home against Radford Thursday.
• The Big South’s schedule-makers could hardly have done a better job in putting together this season’s final Saturday slate. Besides the likely Game of the Year between BSC and Winthrop, Radford will host CCU in a game that could decide the third seed, and even Charleston Southern and UNC-Asheville, currently tied for sixth at 6-9, will go head-to-head to decide which team gets a one-place bump in the standings.
• It’s a great time to be a scorer in the Big South. BSC’s James Collins (with a career-high 27) and Coastal’s Jack Leasure (22) combined for 49 points in their meeting last Saturday; Winthrop’s Torrell Martin (a career-high 32) and Liberty’s Larry Blair (37) combined for 69 points in their clash Monday; and Radford’s Whit Holcomb-Faye scored 37 and 36 points, respectively, in wins over Charleston Southern and Liberty.

Game of the Week: Winthrop at Birmingham-Southern, Saturday, 7 p.m.

Well, duh. The biggest Big South regular-season game in recent memory will feature any number of intriguing match-ups, but perhaps the most significant will pair shooting guards James Collins and Torrell Martin. Both are the most explosive players for their respective teams, and if they find a hot streak from outside, could swing the balance of the game single-handedly. Statistically, the Eagles’ Martin will face a much looser three-point defense than will Collins; BSC ranks dead-last in the conference in opponent’s three-point shooting percentage. But Winthrop will also have to pay much more attention to BSC’s post players than vice versa. Center Sredrick Powe still leads the nation in field goal percentage and dangerous power forward Dwayne Paul averages 11.3 points a game, while Winthrop center Phillip Williams is coming off of a 0-6 game against Liberty and power forward Craig Bradshaw spends much of his time on the perimeter. If the Eagle defense collapses too far inside, Collins may find room enough to warm up and shoot the Panthers to their first outright Big South title.

George Washington: Colonials to Play Without Pops

Colonials to Play Without Pops: George Washington senior forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu has a slight tear in his left knee and will miss about two weeks, possibly more. Mensah-Bonsu injured cartilage in his knee Wednesday in the team’s victory against La Salle. The Colonials possess a 15-game winning streak, longest in the country, but need to finish strong to earn a high seed in the NCAA Tournament. With an embarrassingly weak strength of schedule, the selection committee will closely watch Mensah-Bonsu’s progress to determine whether he’ll be out for the tournament. Committee members will also evaluate the Colonials’ performance during the forward’s absence. Mensah-Bonsu averages 13.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, both of which are good for second on the team. [2/24/06]

Missouri Valley Notebook

Missouri Valley Conference Notebook

by Neal Heston

Looking into the postseason

With Missouri State winning five of its last six games, including contests against Bradley and at Northern Iowa, the Missouri Valley now has another team worthy of grabbing an at large bid to the NCAA. Will the committee see it that way, though? Northern Iowa, Wichita State and Creighton appear to be in, no matter what happens in the regular season’s final week or in the conference tourney. Missouri state and Southern Illinois still have some work to finish, and Bradley is close behind. Here is who I have getting in the NCAA’s with two games left for each team before the MVC Tourney:

Dancing: Northern Iowa, No. 17 RPI
Big non-conference wins: Iowa, LSU, Bucknell
The Panthers needed Saturday’s win against Bucknell. If UNI can grab a home win vs. Bradley or at Southern Illinois during the final week of the regular season, it shouldn’t have to sweat out Selection Sunday if the team goes one-and-out in the conference tourney. Senior guards John Little and Erik Crawford have not been 100 percent lately, so as time goes on, expect the Panthers to become even more dangerous.

Dancing: Wichita State, No. 21 RPI
Big non-conference wins: Northwestern State, Miami (Ohio) and a near miss of Illinois
Out of the six teams from the upper division, WSU has the best round robin record at 6-4. Two of those losses have come to Northern Iowa, which is why the Shockers appear second on this list. Unlike last season, WSU has remained hot during February – going 4-2 after a loss to George Mason Saturday. That can change this week. The Shockers will head to Drake (12-16, 5-11) on Tuesday, where UNI, Creighton, Southern Illinois and Missouri State have all narrowly escaped defeat this year. If WSU manages a 2-0 week, it is not only the MVC champion, but also an NCAA lock.

Dancing: Creighton, No. 29 RPI
Big non-conference wins: at George Mason, Nebraska, Xavier
If UNI and Wichita State are locks, then it makes no sense not to include Creighton. The Bluejays own a 3-1 record against the Panthers and Shockers – the one loss a buzzer beating loss at Wichita State. Defeating Fresno State on Saturday evening/Sunday morning was a plus as well.

However, one thing that may hurt the Bluejays is a bad week. After going 8-2 in January, CU is just 3-2 this month. Losses to Indiana State and Missouri State this week would make the MVC Tourney very important for this team.

Dancing: Missouri State, No. 25 RPI
Big non-conference wins: at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, at Oral Roberts
Look what we have here. To no surprise, the Bears are hot at the right time of the year. MSU has won six of seven to get back in the race for the Valley title after struggling through mid-season. With its best record through 25 games in almost seven seasons, the Bears won’t have to worry about winning out in the league tournament to punch a ticket to the dance. With wins over Southern Illinois, at UNI and most recently at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the Bears at-large profile looks very strong.

Dancing: Southern Illinois, No. 24 RPI
Big non-conference wins: at Murray State
I’m being a little kind with this pick. If the Valley were to get just four bids, SIU would be the odd man out due to its latest struggles – losing four of six and two of three at home.

It doesn’t seem right to keep a team out of the NCAA that is in second place from a conference ranked sixth in the nation, but the Salukis are flirting with that line. Saturday’s finale with Northern Iowa will be huge. A loss might mean a little anxiety heading into St. Louis next weekend.

NIT: Bradley, No. 63 RPI
Big non-conference wins: Western Kentucky
As of now, the Braves are the sixth-best team in the MVC. Unfortunately, the Valley most likely will not receive six bids. The good news: BU has a chance to improve its resume this week with a game at Northern Iowa on Wednesday. If the Braves can squeeze out a win in Cedar Falls and knock off Drake on Saturday, and if Southern Illinois falls just once, it would be hard not to put BU in ahead of SIU.

If the Valley Tournament started on Monday (Feb. 20)
No. 8 Indiana State vs. No. 9 Illinois State
No. 7 Drake vs. No. 10 Evansville
No. 1 Wichita State vs. Indiana State/Illinois State
No. 4 UNI vs. No. 5 Missouri State
No. 2 Southern Illinois vs. Drake/Evansville
No. 3 Creighton vs. No. 6 Bradley

Hoopville’s Player of the Week: Eric Coleman, Northern Iowa
It’s pretty plain and simple. Without Coleman’s play late on Saturday – nine points in overtime, the Panthers lose their third consecutive game with two very tough contests on the slate this week.

Big games this week:
Any game involving Wichita State
With a one-game lead over Creighton, Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa, all the Shockers have to do is win (at Drake and against Illinois State) to capture the Valley crown. Any slipup makes this a very interesting week. With that said, don’t be surprised if Drake upsets the Shockers on Wednesday.

Bradley at Northern Iowa, Wednesday, 7:35 p.m., FSN
Bradley started UNI on the wrong foot in the conference opener during December, and now it can put to rest any hopes of the Panthers claiming their first ever MVC regular season title. If this contest comes down to the wire similar to the last meeting (Bradley won in overtime), expect UNI to strike the win column. The Panthers are 3-0 in overtime games at home this season.

Northern Iowa at Southern Illinois, Saturday, 1:05 p.m., ESPN2
This is a gem on the MVC’s final day of the regular season and could very well be for the conference title. UNI rallied back to defeat SIU in the UNI-Dome in the last meeting, and the Panthers confidence should be a little higher with the Salukis surprisingly struggling on its home floor.

Creighton at Missouri State, Saturday, 7:35 p.m., FSN
It may be clinging on, but don’t forget that Missouri State is still in the Valley race. Creighton’s hopes are a little higher, but certainly don’t expect another 22-point win the Bluejays put together in the first meeting.