College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon Coverage

It’s an ambitious idea, to be sure: 24 hours of non-stop college basketball.  It’s a college basketball fan’s dream – well, save for the physical aspect of it all since it’s not necessarily a good idea to be up for 24 continuous hours.  Here, we’ll check in with updates at halftime and the end of each game starting with Cal State Fullerton and UCLA battling at midnight Eastern time.

Cal State Fullerton 33, UCLA 27 (halftime): It was a sloppy start, to be sure, and that’s not just the case because neither team scored for almost three minutes.  I kept thinking, I expect this to happen when Monmouth and St. Peter’s tip off at 6 a.m. EST, not a game tipping at 9 p.m. local time, a time that’s not too out of the ordinary.  The Titans kept turning it over and also struggled to finish some close shots, so they should have a little larger lead than they have.

The second half has a few things to watch.  One is if UCLA will get their defensive act together, because allowing this much dribble penetration isn’t the formula to victory, especially in the Pac-10.  Another is if the Titans will start cashing in opportunities they get, because this game could wind up being lost in the first half if the Bruins pull out a close one.

One thing I found a little comical: ESPN play-by-play announcer Dave Pasch had the wrong Drew for a while – it’s Drew Gordon, not Gooden, who plays for UCLA.  Not to mention, Gooden went to Kansas.

UCLA 57, Cal State Fullerton 57 (end of regulation): We start with some free basketball at Pauley Pavilion.  UCLA tightened up the defense by daring the Titans to shoot, and it paid off.  If the Bruins didn’t continue to struggle offensively, they might have a win by now.  Give Malcolm Lee a lot of credit for gutting this one out and making some big plays.

UCLA 60, Cal State Fullerton 60 (end of first overtime): It would have been a fitting end if Lee hit that late three-pointer, after another dribbling turnover by Cal State Fullerton.  The Titans have had too many of those tonight, in addition to missing shots close to the basket.  On to another five minutes.

Cal State Fullerton 68, UCLA 65 (2 OT): The Titans could easily have done this in regulation, but managed to hang on in the second overtime.  They beat UCLA for the first time ever in the tenth meeting between the two schools, and this also ends the Bruins’ 37-game home winning streak against unranked non-conference teams (does that stat have enough qualifiers for you?)

For UCLA, this game didn’t answer a key question: where does the scoring come from?  The Bruins’ offense struggled, and it wasn’t just shooting from long range as they also struggled from the free throw line.  Nikola Dragovic would be one logical choice, but he struggled.  Michael Roll needs to play off others, and Malcolm Lee battled a nagging cramp much of the night but toughed it out.  The Bruins also have health issues, and if they get healthy will surely be a different team in another month or so.

Now it’s on to San Diego State at Saint Mary’s, two teams in a bit of transition personnel-wise.  Based on the scores reported during the second extra session of the first game, I have a feeling this one won’t need overtime.

Saint Mary’s 42, San Diego State 21 (halftime): At the risk of sounding like I have my sports mixed up, let’s just say that the Gaels blitzed the Aztecs to the tune of a three-touchdown lead.  It’s quite simple how they’ve done it: inside-outside basketball.  They get the ball to Omar Samhan, and if there’s an open man or he doesn’t have anything, it gets back out for a good look from deep, and the Gaels aren’t missing, especially Mickey McConnell.

Saint Mary’s 80, San Diego State 58 (final): If this game is any indication, the Gaels will be just fine despite losing Patty Mills and Diamon Simpson, the latter of whom was the best player no one knew about.  With Omar Samhan and their cast of shooters, this team is sure to be dangerous, especially since they get the ball to Samhan in the flow of their offense.

San Diego State made it a little interesting in the second half, but never got within single digits.  The Aztecs have some talent, so the score might not be very indicative of the team they have.

Next up is Northern Colorado at Hawaii.

Northern Colorado 32, Hawaii 30 (halftime): Early on, Northern Colorado’s defense gave Hawaii fits, but the Rainbow Warriors got going a little later.  The Bears lost the lead, but came back to regain it late and have out-played the Rainbow Warriors thus far.  This game is the championship game in the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic.

Northern Colorado 81, Hawaii 75 (final): It looked like Northern Colorado was going to run away with this at one point, but the Rainbow Warriors made a valiant effort to come back a little too late.  A good win for the Bears to take home the Rainbow Classic title.

Now it could get interesting in terms of game play as we shift to the early games on the east coast, with Monmouth at St. Peter’s at what looks like a packed Yanitelli Center.

St. Peter’s 27, Monmouth 16 (halftime): I must admit, this has been a well-played game thus far – not a clinic, but certainly not sloppy like some of the earlier action.  Nick Leon got going nicely to lead a good run for the Peacocks that opened up the lead.  You could see Monmouth gaining some late momentum, however, so it should be a good second half.

In fact, I may enjoy the second half along with some breakfast now that it’s about that time.  I think I should get the pancake batter ready right about now.

St. Peter’s 58, Monmouth 34 (final): A nice defensive effort by the Peacocks, and the offense finally seemed to get going later.  Monmouth also at times had a lid on the basket, and maybe the early start contributed some, but St. Peter’s was clearly better.  Ray Floriani will have more on this game later.

Up next, a game that might see a lower score: Drexel at Niagara in what should be a very good matchup.

Niagara 42, Drexel 30 (halftime): If the entire half was like the latter part, the Purple Eagles would be up by double digits.  They have all the momentum at this point as they’ve slowed down Drexel and they’re being very aggressive on offense against a team known for its defense.

Idle thought: it seems like Bilal Benn has been in college forever.

Niagara 76, Drexel 69 (final): The Dragons managed to hang in there, and the Purple Eagles may have relaxed a bit when they built the lead early in the second half.  A solid double-double for Benn led Niagara, and Rob Garrison had a nice game as well.  Derrick Thomas looks like he’ll give the Dragons a good boost offensively, which is the one place they need it as they’re fine at the defensive end.

Now it’s Clemson at Liberty to end the morning games.

Clemson 42, Liberty 19 (halftime): The Tigers’ hot shooting got them out to an early lead, and Liberty didn’t have a field goal until about seven minutes in.  One question about the Tigers was their shooting after Terrence Oglesby’s surprising departure, but that’s not a problem thus far today.

Clemson 79, Liberty 39 (final): This was never a contest, and the second half played out as expected.  For Clemson, this was as good as it could be – the press worked and they played at their fast pace, as they created plenty of turnovers and consistently cashed them in for easy baskets right up to the end.  They also shot it well from long range, and David Potter and Andre Young, two relative unknowns, had big games for the Tigers as well.

There was an interesting conversation among the on-air guys about the Tigers’ freshmen.  For the most part, I’m in agreement.  Noel Johnson and Devin Booker appear the most ready to give them something, but don’t rule out Milton Jennings contributing as well even though he has a little more to go to reach his ceiling.  Oliver Purnell has been able to get contributions from freshmen who then develop steadily during their careers, and that should continue with this group.

Next up, Northeastern at Siena is the second CAA/MAAC matchup of the day and it starts the games that have sane tip times.

Northeastern 26, Siena 20 (halftime): This was quite the roller coaster first half.  The Huskies were in control, up 20-6, as they were forcing turnovers and stopping the Saints consistently.  But all along, the offense was a little shaky and Chaisson Allen wasn’t controlling the game, and that caught up to them as the Saints eventually got within a possession.  The Huskies weren’t playing smart basketball, and Siena took advantage.  The late baskets to get the lead back up to six could be huge to at least take the momentum away from the Saints.

Early on, Vinny Lima gave the Huskies a big boost off the bench.  If he can continue that, it will answer one question they have about who will complement their four core players.  His play has helped soften the blow of Allen playing out of control and Nkem Ojougboh’s early foul trouble.

Edwin Ubiles is playing like a senior leader for the Saints, as he led the rally after they fell behind 20-6 and had more turnovers than points with about seven minutes left in the half.

The second half should be a good one.  I’d be very surprised if one team blows it open and wins going away.

One thing on the broadcast is mildly annoying me: you would think that Sean McDonough, of all people, would know that Northeastern is not even near downtown Boston, yet he keeps saying that’s where it is.

Siena 59, Northeastern 53 (final): Siena completely took over the game in the second half, and I’d say the game wasn’t quite this close.  The Huskies never reacted well to Siena’s double-teams, whether inside or on screens, and the turnovers piled up in the second half.  The Saints clearly scouted the Huskies well, although it didn’t show in the first half.

Edwin Ubiles had a terrific game, continuing in the second half what he did in the first half.  The numbers were good, but he scored at key junctures such as during the comeback and then at times when the Huskies looked like they might gain some momentum.

Now it’s on to the game ESPN didn’t want to say anything about – Arkansas-Little Rock at Tulsa.  There’s been barely a whisper about the noon and 2 p.m. matchups, and yet this could be a good game – but they can’t talk about the games at 4, 6, 8 and 10 p.m. enough.

Tulsa 25, Arkansas-Little Rock 20 (halftime): The Trojans are in good shape to be down just five at the half in a defensive struggle.  The Golden Hurricane hasn’t been able to get anyone going other than Jerome Jordan, but they’ve held their own defensively as well as the two teams combined to shoot 32 percent from the field in the first half.  If Ben Uzoh gets going in the second half, the Golden Hurricane could pull away; he was 1-8 in the first half.

Tulsa 59, Arkansas-Little Rock 45 (final): After the Golden Hurricane opened up a double-digit lead, the Trojans tried to make a game of it at one point as they got within single digits.  But they couldn’t get much offense going all day, and while Tulsa struggled as well, they had a little more.

That’s all for now in our coverage, as it’s off to Boston College for their game in the evening to be covered in a separate story.  We will conclude with notes from the last game in this stretch, the 10 p.m. matchup of Memphis and Kansas.

Kansas 26, Memphis 20 (halftime): It looks like we didn’t miss anything with the Gonzaga-Michigan State game running over the beginning of this game’s broadcast.  In the early minutes, neither team did much offensively, but both teams came alive later in the half.  The Jayhawks looked at their best when they got Cole Aldrich involved.  Memphis doesn’t have the talent they had a couple of years ago, but they’re playing well and I’m a big believer in Josh Pastner, so if this game remains close, look at it as a barometer of where Memphis will be this year.

Kansas 57, Memphis 55 (final): The Tigers simply didn’t go away.  They clearly don’t have the personnel they’ve had in recent years, but their defense and persistence alone will surely win a few games for them.  They gave a Kansas team that was more talented and deeper all they could handle and then some in a terrific game to end the long day of basketball.

Sherron Collins gutted it out late in the game, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that a key play was when he drove and hooked up with Aldrich for a dunk.

So that wraps it up.  The past 24 hours was quite a stretch of basketball, and the season is only just beginning.  There’s undoubtedly more where this came from.