Indiana Job Doesn’t Appeal to Thomas: Isiah Thomas denied rumors that he will be taking Indiana’s coaching position. He said he has not been contacted by the university, and he hopes Dan Dakich, Indiana’s interim coach, will be named the full-time coach. As coach and team president, Thomas is trying to save his own job. The Knicks have lost 14 of their last 16 games and are 53-102 in the past two seasons under Thomas. [3/31/08]
Horned Frogs Bring Christian to Texas: TCU has hired Kent State coach Jim Christian to be the Horned Frogs’ coach, replacing Neil Dougherty, whom the school fired earlier in March. Christian led Kent State to a 138-58 record in six seasons, and the Golden Flashes won at least 20 games each season, making the NCAA Tournament twice. The Golden Flashes lost to UNLV in the first round this season. TCU has not reached the NCAA Tournament since 1998 and has only one 20-win season in the past six years. [3/31/08]
Clock Strikes 12:00 on Cinderella Davidson
by Jay Pearlman
DETROIT – It was the best game of the weekend, forty riveting minutes of basketball, the only game in which the lower seed had a chance. And even with Stephen Curry showing his humanity in the second half (more from the accumulated mental strain than the physical pounding he was taking from Kansas), that confident bunch from Davidson -outweighed by 30 pounds at every position – had a shot to win right to the very last.
In the end, after being out-rebounded by 8, Curry needing 25 shots to score 25 (9-25, 4-16 in treys), its stalwart forward Andrew Lovedale fouling out, a wasted last timeout before the final possession, mostly guards came back on the floor for both teams for the final possession. Respecting Kansas’ denial defense on Curry on the wing, Coach Bob McKillop had his star on the ball from the start. And even when a defender lost his footing for an instant, the pressure – Kansas’ pressure, and the pressure of the moment – prevented Thomas Sander and Curry from getting Sander’s high ball screen just right, thwarting any pick and roll (more likely a pick and pop), resulting in a backward handoff from Curry to Jason Richards for a desperation heave at the buzzer.
No slipper this year for Cinderella.
Played before a huge crowd at Ford Field and likely the largest television audience of the weekend, this game proved worthy of expectation. It was our favorite kind of game, David vs. Goliath (with the twist that the biggest star this night was on “David-son”). Kansas used multiple players to hound Curry, mainly Russell Robinson and Mario Chalmers, never helped off Davidson’s sharpshooter, and double- and even triple-teamed Curry on numerous occasions. Kansas led by two at the half; a Curry-led early second half run put Davidson up by four; then mostly through relentless defense and rebounding Kansas clawed ahead by the same margin.
When the whole world wondered who else on Davidson would score to maintain contact, unheralded forward Bryant Barr stepped up to hit three consecutive treys and then a two-point basket in the second half, getting the lead back for the never-say-die Wildcats. But then a rare errant pass by Richards led to an equally rare late run-out for Kansas, opening the door for the Jayhawks to regain the lead, and grow it to five in the last minute. A trey by Curry, a defensive stop, and then that last possession to tie or win the game. But it was not to be.
And instead of three No. 1′s and Cinderella at the San Antonio ball, it will be four No. 1′s for the first time ever in an exciting final weekend. But for many of us, not quite as exciting as the run to the Midwest Regional Final by Cinderella Davidson.
Tournament News and Notes
Changing the Coach Won’t Always Change Fortunes
Every year around this time, the NCAA Tournament and the coaching carousel are the two biggest topics of discussion in college basketball. The NIT is in the mix, and players transferring or declaring for the NBA Draft make the news as well, but a lot revolves around the NCAA Tournament and coaching changes. In past years, the coaching carousel was almost a sidebar at this time, but now it’s a major topic, and that’s because of some changes this time around that are not good.
If the coaching business was crazy beforehand, it’s outright nutty now. Several coaches were fired during the season, a troubling trend by itself. But more than that, since the season has ended for most schools, we’ve seen several coaching changes that at best are head-scratchers.
None of these decisions make much sense, at least with what’s currently known. The coaches never really got a chance to do anything there, except in Joplin’s case as he was there for 12 seasons and Hinson’s since he was there for nine. Save for Missouri State, which was coming off an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance, none of the situations was very good when the current coach arrived, and that wasn’t likely to change in short order.
This isn’t a question of fairness to the coaches involved. After all, one successful season out of four or five is often enough to buy a coach either a higher-paying job or a new contract paying them much more money. Also, coaches have been known to put their name out for other jobs or even make overtures to other schools to get leverage for a richer contract with their current school. Additionally, coaches generally get all of what they are owed for time remaining on their contracts after this. Coaches will generally agree that this is a high-risk, high-reward business, and even those who get fired often still get a decent paycheck for a time.
So the point of this isn’t to take up for the coaches as if they have it so bad. The point is to look at this practically, and from that standpoint, many of these moves look questionable.
For programs who decide that changing the coach is the way to change a program’s fortunes, they might have something else coming. It’s difficult to ever get any kind of continuity when you change coaches every few years while little else changes, thinking that just changing the coach will magically lead to the desired results. When a coach is fired, players often leave as well and either transfer to another school or just try to play pro ball. That basically shoots any momentum the prior coach may have established right out the window and means it’s back to square one.
There are some situations where no coach is going to turn a program around in just four or five years. For much of this season, there was rampant speculation about Norm Roberts’ future at St. John’s. There were “Fire Norm” chants at home games to boot, and some who have covered the Red Storm could see it taking a toll on him. But the reality is that whether or not Roberts is ultimately the man to turn the program around, no one was going to make that program a big winner right away. Roberts inherited a disastrous situation in terms of returning talent and having the program on probation, as well as New York kids not liking St. John’s because of the prior staff. It took a long time for him to get a decent group of New York kids, but he finally got it this past year and seems to have made some real inroads. Next season will tell whether they’re truly headed in the right direction or not now that this year’s freshmen have more experience.
In some cases, firing a coach in short order for no apparent reason other than not winning enough – not because of NCAA violations or having one player after another getting into problems off the court – is really an admission by the athletic director that they didn’t hire the right person in the first place. They will never openly admit that, of course, but that doesn’t change the reality. That might very well be the case with Idaho, as they hired their new head coach less than a week after they fired Pfeifer. It seems they already had someone in mind.
This isn’t something that’s likely to get better. In fact, it’s likely to get worse, because athletic directors are likely to look at an example like San Diego. The school forced out Brad Holland after last season and hired former Gonzaga assistant Bill Grier. In his first season, the Toreros beat Kentucky early on and won the West Coast Conference championship, then knocked off Connecticut in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. They might look at that and think that changing the head coach to the right guy will lead to the same result.
But reality is that it’s not that simple; while Grier did a great job with the team, it’s not like he alone did it. Not only that, but the team he inherited wasn’t lacking talent, only experience as there isn’t a senior on the roster and it featured the inside-outside combo of Gyno Pomare and Brandon Johnson, the latter of whom gutted out the win over Connecticut.
We’re now entering the week of the Final Four, when a lot of things happen in the coaching carousel as coaches and athletic directors travel to the site. Before the week is out, there are sure to be a number of changes, both with vacancies filled and some new ones created along the way as some currently employed head coaches are sure to take new jobs. While the new coaches and their new bosses will talk about things like “a new direction” and “new hope” for programs that fired or forced out a coach, in many cases that has to be accepted as simply toting the party line. A coach alone is rarely the solution for a flagging program, and in about four or five years, that might become clear once again at some of the same schools.
New Book Chronicles Women’s Rivalry
by Ray Floriani
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – One could say Richard Kent’s life centers around the court. An attorney by profession, Kent is a basketball writer and “connoisseur” in his other vocation. He has authored six books, three on basketball and the most recent, Lady Vols and UCONN: The Greatest Rivalry, is just being released.
Kent, a Westport, Connecticut resident, is similar to a number of fans today. Specifically, those who follow the men but have taken to the women’s game for its qualities such as sharing the ball, attention to fundamentals and the lack of “one and done” types exiting campus for a lucrative pro payday. The difference with Kent is he found this out and was attracted to the women’s game years ago.
As we spoke Louisville and Kansas State were on the floor going through their pre-game routine before their second round NCAA game at the Arena at Harbor Yards. Kent is a 1972 graduate of Rutgers University and a Boston College law School (’75) alum as well. Ironically, it was a star from undergrad rival Princeton that captured Kent’s basketball imagination.
“Bill Bradley was an idol of mine,” Kent said. “The women’s game reminds me of the men’s game in the mid sixties. It was below the rim, there was an emphasis on fundamentals and passing and kids didn’t leave early. You could identify with a player knowing they stayed four years.”
Kent has followed the Scarlet Knights men and women for years. An especially proud moment was 1982, when Rutgers captured the last AIAW title. Chris Dailey, a center on that team and current associate head coach with Geno Auriemma at UConn, was a key player on that team.
Why UConn-Tennessee? “You have bigger rivalries,” Kent said, “like Carolina-Duke, Giants-Eagles and Yankees-Red Sox, but in the women’s game there is nothing like this one.”
He has seen several of the Vol-Husky games in person, including the 2000 championship in Philadelphia won by the Lady Huskies. Besides covering live and catching games on ESPN, Kent spoke with a number of players and coaches who came through the two programs. A common thread was their cooperation and willingness to open up and elaborate on the rivalry, even if memories summoned were painful ones of bitter defeat.
Kent also gave great insight on the head coaches of the respective schools, Auriemma at UConn and Pat Summitt of Tennessee. “Both are at the top of their profession,” Kent said of the storied mentors. “But both endeared their own personal hardship.”
Summitt, a great player in her day, entered the coaching profession amidst much uncertainty. There were no seven-figure compensation packages, national TV games or guarantees. Women’s basketball was in its infancy when she began over three decades ago. “Pat (Summitt) was 23 years old when she began in coaching,” Kent said. “There were no guarantees. Pat was close with her dad, but he was not sure coaching was the profession she should be in. So she had that struggle.”
With Auriemma, it was a different situation. “Gene was a guy entering a female (coaching) dominated sport back in 1986,” Kent said. “He’s brash, an Easterner and a good guy, but his humor doesn’t resonate well with everyone.”
Auriemma, like his Tennessee counterpart, found uncertainty in his career move. He took the head coaching job in Storrs after assisting Debbie Ryan at Virginia. At Connecticut he found a program with virtually no tradition, an antiquated field house and a history of fan disinterest. Those two-plus decades ago that he began his Storrs tenure seem like centuries compared to today.
“I feel Geno is the best coach, men’s or women’s in the college game today,” Kent noted. “His kids also come back to the program as assistants. He simply has the total picture.”
Kent, with his experience, perspective and expertise, is the perfect writer to recount the greatest rivalry in the women’s game. Even Pat Summitt and Geno Auriemma, competitive rivals, would wholeheartedly agree on that statement.
Missouri State Raids Purdue’s Roster for New Coach: Purdue associate coach Cuonzo Martin filled the void left by former Missouri State coach Barry Hinson, fired earlier this month after nine NCAA Tournament-less seasons. Martin played at Purdue until 1995 before jumping to the NBA. Purdue hired him as an assistant in 2000 and promoted him to associate coach last year. He’s scheduled to make more money that his predecessor. Martin, 36, is the 16th coach in the program’s history.
[3/31/08]
Cal Fires 12-year Coach Braun: California fired 12-year coach Ben Braun last week after the Golden Bears went 17-16 overall and missed the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years. Athletic Director Sandy Barbour made the decision with the feeling that Cal had underachieved, a sentiment shared by players and fans, too. The Golden Bears were just 6-12 and finished ninth in the Pac-10 despite having a talented roster that included likely future NBA players Ryan Anderson, DeVon Hardin and Patrick Christopher. Braun leaves Cal with a 219-154 record. His best season was his first as the Bears’ coach in 1996-97, when they went 23-9 and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Cal also won the NIT in 1999.
[3/31/08]
Hendrix to Enter NBA Draft?: Alabama junior forward Richard Hendrix has decided to enter the NBA Draft but will not hire an agent, giving him until 10 days before the June 26 draft to withdraw his name if he doesn’t like what he hears from scouts. The 6-9 All-Southeastern Conference player averaged 17.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He would be eligible to play his senior season if he drops out of the draft in time. He’s currently on track to graduate this May, however, after only three years in school.
[3/31/08]
Sophomore, Former Standout to Turn Pro: Louisville sophomore Derrick Caracter has decided to forgo his final two college years and turn pro after the season. Caracter, a 6-8 power forward, was once a star and even considered on par with Greg Oden. He has battled weight problems, off-court issues and even gained a reputation for being lazy. He started 12 games this season and averaged 8.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
[3/31/08]
O’Neill to Return to Arizona: Kevin O’Neill said he’ll go back to Lute Olson’s staff and move up after the Hall of Famer retires. O’Neill became Arizona’s interim coach Nov. 4 after Olson took a leave of absence for undisclosed personal reasons. Olson, who’s signed through 2011, recently announced he would resume coaching next season. O’Neill received the news and has decided he’ll continue to work as his assistant. O’Neill inherited a Wildcat squad filled with injured players but managed to go 19-15 overall, and Arizona qualified for its 24th straight NCAA tournament. They were eliminated by West Virginia in the first round.
[3/31/08]
Top Indiana Recruit Will Likely Play Elsewhere: Indiana’s uncertain coaching situation has hit the Hoosiers hard as top basketball signee Devin Ebanks was granted a release from his letter of intent last week to explore other options that will allow him to “have a great relationship” with his coach. Ebanks is ranked No. 13 in the country by Scout.com and was the Hoosiers’ top incoming recruit. The 6-8 didn’t rule out Indiana, but it’s likely he’ll end up at Texas, Memphis, Rutgers or West Virginia. Hoosiers former coach Kelvin Sampson resigned last month, and the school hasn’t found a replacement yet.
Ebanks said he will schedule visits with the four interested schools in the next month.
[3/31/08]
Midwest Regional – Elite Eight: With No. 1 Kansas’ 59-57 win against No. 10 Davidson, the Jayhawks completed history as all four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four for the first time in NCAA Tournament history. The Wildcats put up a good fight, however, ending the game with a chance to win. Senior guard Jason Richards missed a buzzer-beating three-pointer after the Jayhawks forced anyone but Stephen Curry to take the final shot. Curry finished his sensational run in the tournament with a 25-point performance on 9-of-25 shooting. But Kansas’ defense prevented Curry from dominating late in the game, limiting Curry to only one basket in the final eight minutes. Trailing 51-49, sophomore guard Sherron Collins made his only basket of the game, a three-pointer that gave Kansas the lead and eventual victory. Junior guard Mario Chalmers and senior center Sasha Kaun each scored 13 points to lead the Jayhawks, who will play North Carolina in the Final Four. [3/30/08]
East Regional – Elite Eight: After blowing a 12-point halftime lead, No. 1 North Carolina pulled away from No. 3 Louisville late in the second half to win 83-73 and move into the Final Four. Junior forward Tyler Hansbrough refused to let the Tar Heels lose, finishing with 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting and grabbing 13 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end. Both teams shot better than 52 percent from the field. Louisville struggled to control the ball in the first half, turning it over about a dozen times to help North Carolina build a large lead. But the Cardinals turned up the defense in the second half and were more careful against North Carolina’s press. Sophomore guard Jerry Smith led Louisville with 17 points, and junior forward Terrence Williams added 14. Four other Tar Heels in addition to Hansbrough reached double figures in scoring. [3/29/08]
Curry Too Good for Wisconsin; Kansas Next
by Jay Pearlman
DETROIT – In life as in basketball, certain time periods are about learning, about catching up, about intense focus on a singular subject; yes, about tunnel vision. Three years ago when this writer rejoined the sports media, my focus was on a very limited subject area: Harvard basketball and its conference and non-conference opponents. I called 28 games on radio in Boston that first winter, and never knew of a young man across the river by the name of Jose Juan Barea (then at Northeastern, now in Dallas). Last year the field expanded to Harvard and Northeastern and their opponents; this year, it was Northeastern, the CAA, Northeastern opponents, New England, and some ACC/Big East. A peek at the Horizon because old friend Gary Waters is at Cleveland State; even at the Big Ten once Dan Dakich took as interim head coach at Indiana.
But who is Stephen Curry?
I know Coach Bob McKillop from my days recruiting in his gym at Long Island Lutheran (don’t think I made it to Holy Trinity); heard of Davidson because of Coaches Lefty Driessel and Bucky Waters; watched Duke play ‘em in Bobcats Arena earlier this season and realized the school is in Charlotte. Heard they were playing a big non-league schedule, winning, and then cruised in the Southern Conference.
But who is Stephen Curry?
While more knowledgeable about the college game, I love NBA basketball (particularly when played the way Chuck Daly’s Pistons and Pat Riley’s Knicks played), and I can watch every second of any telecast Hubie Brown is on. I remember Dell Curry as the smoothest, silkiest, purest shooter since Rick Barry, whose shot improved with age.
But who is Stephen Curry?
In what now appears to have been a workmanlike, understated performance, against No. 10 Davidson’s least formidable challenge since the tournament began, after being tied at 36 at halftime of last night’s Midwest Regional semi-final at Ford Field, Davidson routed No. 3 Wisconsin in the second half, winning its 25th game in a row 73-56, in a game no longer in doubt at the under-12 media timeout. Playing 37 rather than 40 minutes, first due to a third foul early in the second half and then due to the score, in a game in which possessions in the second half of the second half were dedicated to running clock rather than scoring points, Davidson’s sophomore sensation scored 33 easy points (11-22 shooting, 6-11 in treys, 5-5 from the line), dished out 4 assists, and grabbed 3 rebounds.
Wisconsin defensive star Michael Flowers couldn’t guard him. And with all due respect to Michael Beasley of Kansas State (and to academic snobs who think underclassmen should forego millions to graduate with their class), in three tournament games Stephen Curry has moved to the head of the class, perhaps into the first pick in the NBA draft. Spoken differently, in my experience watching basketball, I can’t think of a single player who made more money for himself over a three-game stretch than Stephen Curry has in Davidson’s first three games of this year’s tournament. (And no, no one is asking “who is Stephen Curry?” anymore).
In last night’s second Midwest Regional semi-final, Bill Self’s No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks exhibited stifling defense, made each Villanova possession a titanic struggle even to get a shot off, and routed the No. 12 Wildcats early and emptied Ford Field at halftime. The final score of 72-57 hardly evidences how one-sided the game was. And in the day and a half remaining until they face Curry and Davidson, you can be sure Self and his staff are stressing intensely physical defense on Curry, bumping him in the lane, on screens, and at every other opportunity.
No, Kansas won’t shut down the scoring machine we now know as Stephen Curry on Sunday. But they will make him work, beat him up, and tire him out, and by so doing, I suspect be able to pull away from another group of Wildcats in the game’s final 10 minutes.
Tournament news and notes
Big East Women Rule Bridgeport in Second Round
by Ray Floriani
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Second round action in the Women’s NCAA tournament saw a familiar face and a newcomer advance to the Sweet 16. UConn dominated Texas en route to their 15th consecutive regional appearance, while Louisville, also dominant in a win over Kansas State, moved on to their first Sweet 16.
Louisville 80, Kansas State 63
Realizing they had a distinct advantage in the paint, Louisville went inside early. Four minutes into the game the Cardinals had a 10-5 lead and of greater significance, Chauntise Wright had 6 points. The 6-3 junior center was simply too much for Kansas State to handle on the blocks. Kansas State, in fact, took two timeouts the first seven minutes of the game as the Cardinals enjoyed a double-digit lead on the way to a potential blowout.
Kansas State did battle back mostly on perimeter shooting. With the lane inaccessible the Wildcats shot 10 of 22 from three-point range. Ashley Sweat (16 points) and Kelsey Nelson (12 points) did most of the damage. Late in the first half Kansas State got the deficit down to 6. After cutting a 13-point half time deficit to 10 in the first few minutes of the final half, the Wildcats looked poised to make another run. Just as they did in the latter part of the first half, Louisville regrouped and rebuilt a significant edge.
Wright finished with 13 points 5 boards in 21 minutes. She was far from the only weapon in coach Jeff Walz’s arsenal. Angel McCoughtry, an all-Big East selection, had a game-high 24 points and 7 rebounds. The 6-1 junior forward is a finisher in the lane and can step out and hit the perimeter shot. Like Wright, McCoughtry created a number of defensive problems for Kansas State. At the point guard spot is Patrika Barlow, a 5-6 senior who runs the team extremely well and can score as well. Barlow had a 13-point, 6-rebound evening.
Connecticut 89, Texas 55
From tap to buzzer the Lady Huskies were simply operating on all cylinders. Over the course of the initial four minutes it was 13-2 UConn. And Geno Auriemma’s club never looked back. It was 48-30 at the half and the Longhorns didn’t have an answer.
Leading the way for UConn was Maya Moore, as the outstanding freshman forward checked in with a game-high 24 points and 12 boards. Moore was superlative. In a two-minute stretch midway in the first half, the Big East’s player of the year buried three treys and ran down a Texas player in transition with a seemingly easy layup. Moore wound up blocking the surprised opponent’s shot out of bounds and brought the significantly UConn crowd to its feet.
Again it wasn’t all Moore. Renee Montgomery had a strong outing from the guard spot. Montgomery, a junior, had 17 points and added 5 rebounds and assists in a nice all-around effort. Post and inside play was another key factor. One of Texas’ strengths is in the paint, yet UConn dominated with a 41-29 edge under the glass that included 15 offensive boards. Senior center Brittany Hunter, getting her second straight start, had 10 points, while sophomore center Tina Charles came off the bench to add 15 points and 7 rebounds.
Texas’ main offensive threat was Carla Cortijo, who had a nice mix of penetrations and perimeter shots to lead the Longhorns with 18 points.
Overall, UConn shot a blistering 60 percent from the field and had too many weapons. Chief among them was Moore, who put on an exhibition not soon to be forgotten.
Notes
On The Baseline
Midwest Regional – Sweet 16: No. 1 Kansas used a 13-1 run to end the first half, build a 19-point lead and eventually cruise to a 72-57 win against No. 12 Villanova. The Jayhawks got an early double-digit lead and never let Villanova pull closer than seven points. Junior swingman Brandon Rush led Kansas with 16 points, senior guard Russell Robinson had 15 points, and junior guard Mario Chalmers added 14 to pace Kansas’ balanced attack. On defense, Kansas limited Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds to 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting. The Wildcats shot only 35.6 percent from the field. Kansas will look to reach the Final Four by beating upstart Davidson in the Elite Eight.
No. 10 Davidson has answered the question about who is this year’s George Mason. The Wildcats pulled off their second consecutive major upset by beating No. 3 Wisconsin 73-56 to move a game away from the Final Four. After battling to a 36-36 tie at halftime, Davidson’s defense shut down the Badgers, and sophomore guard Stephen Curry took over. Curry outscored the Badgers 22-20 in the second half on his own. He finished with 33 points, including six three-pointers, giving him more than 30 points in all four of his career NCAA Tournament games. Senior guard Jason Richards added 11 points and 13 assists for Davidson, which committed only five turnovers in the ruthlessly efficient dismantling of Wisconsin. [3/28/08]
East Regional – Sweet 16: No. 1 North Carolina won by at least 20 points for the third consecutive game, beating No. 4 Washington State 68-47 to move into the Elite Eight against Louisville. The Tar Heels started slowly but eventually had enough firepower to quiet the Cougars. Washington State’s offense struggled against a tight Tar Heel defense that allowed only 31.6 percent shooting from the field. A good three-point shooting team, Washington State hit only two three-pointers. Junior forward Tyler Hansbrough led North Carolina with 18 points and nine rebounds.
No. 3 Louisville accomplished what few other teams could do this season: shut down No. 2 Tennessee’s vaunted offense. The Volunteers cut a 16-point first half lead down to one early in the second half. But the Cardinals used a decisive 13-5 run to rebuild a comfortable lead, and they ground down Tennessee the rest of the way. The Volunteers shot only 33.9 percent from the field, and only senior guard Chris Lofton scored more than 12 points. And he was 3-of-15 from the field. Sophomore swingman Earl Clark led five Louisville players in double figures with 17 points and 12 rebounds. [3/27/08]
Trouble Brewin’: UCLA starters Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Josh Shipp might be at less than full strength Thursday night when they face Western Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament regional semifinals. Mbah a Moute has a sprained left ankle and is having an MRI for precaution. He is expected to play as long as doctors do not find any abnormalities. Shipp is suffering from strep throat and was given antibiotics after the game Saturday, in which he was held scoreless for 37 minutes. Shipp averages 12.8 points per game but has been in an extended slump. The Bruins will need more production from both starters if they want to advance to the Elite Eight. [3/26/08]
Wildcats’ Win Comes With a Price: Villanova defeated Siena 84-72 Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16, but sophomore center Casiem Drummond fractured his right ankle and is lost for the season. He will undergo surgery to repair the ankle. The injury is unrelated to the stress fracture he was diagnosed with earlier in the season Drummond made nine starts this season and averaged 4.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. [3/26/08]
Does Louisville Already Have a Leg Up?: When Tennessee plays Louisville in the Sweet 16, the Cardinals might already have a slight edge because senior guard Chris Lofton has sustained a minor leg injury. He tweaked his ankle in a 76-71 overtime win against Butler. He was seen wearing a walking boot but is expected to practice with the team before Thursday night’s clash with Louisville. Lofton averages 15.5 points per game for the Volunteers. [3/26/08]
Although it wasn’t quite as bad as last season, this was hardly one for the books for Wake Forest. After an 82-60 blowout loss against Maryland on Thursday, the Demon Deacons finished 13-18 overall. That doesn’t seem so bad, and a few teams had worse records, but look deeper and you see a team that, quite simply, was not good.
Ron Hunter is a terrific addition to the Colonial Athletic Association coaching ranks. That could have been said before the season given his track record and the impression he made on Media Day in October, but after the CAA Tournament it bears repeating because it was so obvious.
In theory, the next six days should be quite stressful for Drexel and head coach Bruiser Flint. As the regular season champions of the CAA, they are guaranteed a bid to the NIT, but naturally hope the NCAA Tournament comes calling. Flint doesn’t seem stressed at all about it, however, and his experience is a key factor in that.
Northeastern fought turnovers often this season, and had relatively mixed results with some streaks along the way. The Huskies should be better next season, but there is clear room for improvement and that was evident on Saturday night in the season-ending loss.
With UNCW’s season over, there’s a look toward a brighter future that was helped by this weekend in Richmond. The young Seahawks had some bright spots during the season in trying to rebuild, and capped it off with something else they can take with them.
James Madison came into the season as an interesting team to project. There was not a lack of talent, and it wasn’t a young team, but there were intangibles questions. In the end, injuries were the biggest problem, but the Dukes kept fighting right to the end no matter how demoralizing the injuries were.
Notes on the first round of the CAA Tournament, where the seeds held to form, the first 20-20 game in tournament history occurred and a team that went bowling to help get ready for the opening game of the day came out on top.
We check in with some quick hitters on a couple of America East teams, a contrast of freshmen from an earlier game, Georgia Tech’s defense against Boston College and the Missouri Valley.
The last decisive play in Harvard’s 55-54 loss to Penn on Saturday night will stay in many people’s minds. For the Crimson player who was involved in it, one hopes the college basketball gods have a better ending in store later on.
The stage is set. Saturday night at Lavietes Pavilion will be a potentially epic battle with first place on the line after Friday night’s results. Old rivals Yale and Harvard will battle for the top, with Harvard hoping for a repeat of the result the last time these two teams met.
Last Thursday, Idaho State finally made it’s choice, hiring Montana assistant Bill Evans as it’s head coach. So far, reaction has been mixed by at least one of the couple of forum posts dedicated to the decision as well as the local scribe’s feelings. Here’s the traditional “welcome to town” …
This is what the head honchos wrote on Monday: Big Sky (March 3) Top seed: Montana. The Big Sky regular-season championship came down to the final game, in which the Grizzlies avenged their only loss in Big Sky play by beating Weber State in Missoula. Tournament stakes: Although Weber State …
We take a look at the award winners, from the two-time conference Player of the Year to the Newcomer of the Year, as well as a couple of early tournament games.
Why did the Cleveland State Vikings recently have a five game losing streak? It’s simple–whenever a team loses their most valuable player, they’re going to suffer. The Cleveland State Vikings have had their fair share of above-average talent on the roster over the past few years. Cedric Jackson played briefly …
The Cleveland State Vikings and Detroit Titans squared off on Thursday evening at the Wolstein Center in a matchup with major ramifications for seeding in the Horizon League Tournament. Both the Vikings and the Titans headed into Thursday’s matchup riding drastically different five-game streaks. Picked by many preseason analysts to …
The last week of conference play has arrived in the Horizon League. Over the past few years, the battle for the top seeds in the Horizon League has not been decided until the final game of conference play. This year is no exception, with multiple teams having a legitimate chance …
The Cleveland State Vikings and Drexel Dragons squared off on Saturday morning at the Wolstein Center as part of ESPN’s BracketBusters series. Saturday’s contest marks the second straight year in which the Vikings have participated in the BracketBusters series. Last season, the Vikings dropped a hard-fought contest to Old Dominion …
Although the rivalry between the Cleveland State Vikings and Butler Bulldogs may not be as nationally known as the rivalry between Duke and North Carolina, the intensity that is in the air whenever these two Horizon League rivals square off is just as strong. In fact, the animosity between these …
The Cleveland State Vikings and Valparaiso Crusaders squared off on Thursday night at the Wolstein Center in one of the most important games of the season for both teams. While the Vikings’ season-opening victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores may have been extremely important with regards to quality wins that are …
JUST IN TIME FOR TONIGHT’S GAMES… All the news you ever wanted to know about the Big Sky, the weekly edition. YOUR WEEKLY DAMIAN LILLARD IS A STUD LINK-FEST: A Salt Lake Tribune story on his success. USA Today also jumped in sometime in the last week to talk about …
In a game with major implications for the regular season Horizon League championship and seeding for the Horizon League Tournament, the Cleveland State Vikings dominated the Milwaukee Panthers by a score of 83-57 in a game in which the Panthers never led. The Vikings and Panthers began the day in …
One team stands alone atop the standings for now, with another a little behind them and a logjam near the middle of the pack.
The Cleveland State Vikings started 2012 off on a winning note with a 69-48 victory at home on Saturday afternoon over the visiting Loyola Ramblers. In his pregame radio comments, Vikings coach Gary Waters stated that the Ramblers’ 5-10 record heading into Saturday’s matchup was deceiving and that the Ramblers were …
Opening weekend in the Big Sky Eastern Washington Record: 7-7, 1-1 Weekend: 1-1 Major superlatives: Won by 16, lost by 8; 76.5 ppg for, 72.5 against; plus-4 scoring margin; 52-112 FG; 20-53 3pt; 29-43 FT. Summary: One night, the lead stuck. The other, it didn’t. The Eagles made an early …
The Big Sky is about to dive in to conference play, and so far, the season has unfolded pretty much as expected, with Sacramento State looking like the one surprise.
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