Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Monday, April 11th

Robinson to Go Pro: It is expected that Washington junior point guard Nate Robinson will declare for the NBA draft at a press conference at Bank of America Arena Monday at 2 PM. This season, Robinson led the Huskies in scoring, was named first team All-Pac Ten and helped Washington win its first ever Pac Ten Tournament title. The Huskies are also waiting for a couple other players’ NBA draft decisions. Another junior, Brandon Roy, was expected to decide this week but will probably take a little more time. Incoming freshman Martell Webster is also considering making the jump after a solid performance at the McDonald’s All-American game. Robinson is expected to be an early second round pick and will more than likely stay in the draft unlike last year when he pulled out after the pre-draft camp in Chicago.

Louisiana-Monroe Goes for Early: Louisiana-Monroe will announce the hiring of Orlando Early as head coach on Monday. For the past four years, Early has been an instrumental part of the staff at Alabama. He helped lead the Crimson Tide to four straight NCAA tournament berths and an SEC regular season title in 2002. Early replaces Mike Vining who had coached the Indians to 401 wins over the past 24 years.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Monday, April 4th

Finale: It has come down to this for the national championship: 37-1 Illinois against 32-4 North Carolina. For only the fourth time since they began seeding teams, two number one seeds meet in the championship. The Tar Heels were involved in two of those previous match-ups, winning the 1982 title over Georgetown and also the 1993 title over Michigan. It is also the first time the top two ranked teams meet in the finals since 1975 when UCLA beat Kentucky.

The Illini are looking for their first national title in 100 years of basketball. It’s their fifth trip to the Final Four but only their first trip to the championship game. Bruce Weber brings several coach of the year awards to the table but is only in his fourth year as a head coach. Before this year, he had never made it past the Sweet 16. On the court, they are led by three first-team All-Big Ten performers in Dee Brown, Deron Williams and Luther Head. But in the national semifinals against Louisville, it was Roger Powell who sparked the Illini to victory with 18 second half points.

North Carolina is participating in its NCAA-best 16th Final Four but has only three championships to show for it. Roy Williams is coaching in his fifth Final Four and is still looking for his first title; twice he’s lost in the title game and the other two times he lost to the eventual champion in the national semifinals. Armed with five potential NBA lottery picks, this is perhaps his best chance to get that elusive championship. One of those potential lottery picks, Sean May, controlled the paint against Michigan State and is first in the tournament in points and second in rebounds. He hopes to have similar success against the Illini and follow in the footsteps of his dad, who won a national title with Indiana in 1976.

Roberson on the Fence: For the second year in a row, Florida guard Anthony Roberson is deciding whether or not to return to college. Last year, he waited well into the spring to make a decision, but this year, he says he will make his decision sooner rather than later. Now in his junior season, he led the Gators to their first-ever SEC tournament title and led the SEC in scoring. At best, Roberson is a late first-round draft pick, but he’s not letting talk influence his choice, instead following his own heart. Head coach Billy Donavon is supporting Roberson with whatever choice he makes, saying “there is no right or wrong decision.”

Loyola Marymount Finds its Leader: It is expected that Loyola Marymount will name Rodney Tention as head coach Tuesday. For the past eight years, Tention has been an assistant under Lute Olson at Arizona. He replaces Steve Aggers, who was fired after five mediocre seasons, culminating with this season’s last-place finish in the West Coast Conference.

Archibald in the Mix at Florida Atlantic: Iowa State assistant coach Damon Archibald met with Florida Atlantic officials about their head coaching vacancy this weekend at the Final Four. Other candidates for the post include Henry Bibby and Pat Knight. Whoever gets the job will replace Sidney Green, who was 54-121 in six seasons at Florida Atlantic.

Wheels for Tickets: At UNLV, 34 senior employees enjoy the benefits of a free lease of a car from a local dealership. In exchange for the cars, the dealerships get exclusive season ticket packages to football and basketball games. Sound a little fishy?

Well, it’s all legal according Internal Revenue Service and NCAA guidelines as long as the lease is reported on the recipient’s W2 and no players are allowed in on the deal. Most colleges use similar packages to lure in coaches and administrators. Job applicants often expect the perk. The University of Wisconsin recently scaled back their lease program after the chancellor decided it wasn’t fair for athletic employees to get the perk if academic deans did not. But still, 50 Badger coaches and assistants have free vehicles.

The leases aren’t always limited to just employees though. Spouses frequently reap the benefits, too. Melinda Sanford, wife of UNLV football coach Mike Sanford, drives a 2004 Mercedes valued at $65,000 through a free lease. Remember this the next time you spot your favorite coach or administrator in a pimped out ride.

Tonight’s Menu

• Tip off for the national championship between Illinois and North Carolina is at 9:21 ET.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Monday, March 28th

Spartans Take Austin: After a four-year absence, Michigan State is back in the Final Four with a 94-88 double-overtime win over Kentucky. The Wildcats forced the first overtime on a three-pointer from Patrick Sparks at the buzzer; the shot was the third three attempted in the final 10 seconds and rattled around the rim for a couple of seconds before falling in. Sparks’ feet were precariously close to the three-point line, and officials took six and a half minutes to review the shot before deciding it was indeed a three.

Kentucky had a chance to win at the end of the first overtime, but Kelenna Azubuike failed to get off a shot before the buzzer sounded. In the second overtime, Michigan State built a lead and hit eight straight free throws in the final two minutes to clinch the win. The Spartans’ Shannon Brown led all scorers with 24 points, including five threes. Randolph Morris led the Wildcats with 20 points. As a No. 5 seed, Michigan State is the lowest seed to reach the Final Four since 2002 when Indiana, also as a No. 5 seed, reached the final.

UNC Survives Badgers: North Carolina beat Wisconsin 88-82, and Roy Williams brings his alma mater to the Final Four in only his second season at the helm. From the start, the pace was in favor of the supremely talented Tar Heels. Wisconsin hung tough behind 25 points from Alando Tucker and 18 points from Kammron Taylor, but the 88 points allowed was 30 points greater than the average they allowed in the first three games of the tournament. Sean May led the Tar Heels with 29 points and 12 rebounds, while Rashad McCants scored 21 points, including a back-breaking three that put UNC up six with one minute to go. Raymond Felton added 17 points, including 6-of-6 from the free-throw line down the stretch.

Final Four Set: Next Saturday’s schedule in St. Louis looks like this: Illinois and Louisville tip off at 6:07 ET with North Carolina and Michigan State tipping off 40 minutes after the first game ends.

Volunteers Lose Candidate: UAB coach Mike Anderson has removed himself from consideration for Tennessee’s top position. In three seasons, Anderson has a 65-35 record and led the Blazers to three straight post-season trips. Last season, UAB beat Washington and No. 1-seed Kentucky before losing in the Sweet 16 to Kansas. This season, the Blazers pulled off an upset of No. 6-seed LSU before succumbing to Arizona in the second round. The Volunteers fired Buzz Peterson two weeks ago after four years at the helm with a 61-59 record and no NCAA tournament appearances.

Tonight’s Menu

• No men’s hoops tonight. To get a college basketball fix, check out the ladies as LSU and Duke battle in Chattanooga and North Carolina and Baylor face off in Tempe for right to go to the Final Four.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Monday, March 21st

Defending Champ Out: Julius Hodge had 17 points including a game-winning three-point play with four seconds remaining to lead No. 10 NC State to a 65-62 win against No. 2 Connecticut. The Huskies had fought back from an 11-point deficit with five minutes to play to tie the score with 15 seconds to go. Marcus Williams had 22 points but missed a game-tying three off the front of the iron at the buzzer. Three other Wolfpack players joined Hodge in double figures including Cameron Bennerman, who had 15 points and three threes. NC State moves on to face No. 6 Wisconsin Friday in Syracuse.

Dream Season Ends: Despite 26 points from T.J. Sorrentine, No. 13 Vermont lost to No. 5 Michigan State 72-61. Paul Davis had 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Spartans, but his biggest contribution was holding Vermont’s leading scorer Taylor Coppenrath to 16 points on 5-of-23 shooting. Michigan State’s athleticism was too much for the Catamounts to overcome, especially on the fast break, in which the Spartans had a 19-2 advantage. For Vermont, it’s the last game for coach Tom Brennan, who is retiring after three straight NCAA Tournament appearances and the school’s first ever NCAA tournament win, against No. 4 Syracuse Friday. Michigan State will face No. 1 Duke next Friday in Austin.

Krzyzewski is Tournament’s New King: No. 1 Duke beat No. 9 Mississippi State 63-55 to advance to the Sweet 16 for the eighth straight season. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski won his 66th NCAA tournament game, breaking a tie with Dean Smith for the most all-time. With J.J. Redick struggling for the second straight game, Daniel Ewing paced the Blue Devils with 22 points. Lawrence Roberts led the Bulldogs with 17 points and 11 rebounds, but only one other teammate reached double figures. Duke next plays Friday in Austin against No. 5 Michigan State.

Badgers Crash Cinderella’s Party: No. 6 Wisconsin knocked off tournament darling No. 14 Bucknell 71-62 and will play No. 10 NC State in the Sweet 16 Friday. Bucknell put up a valiant effort, fighting back from a six-point halftime deficit to take the lead on two occasions in the second half. Chris McNaughton led the Bison with 23 points but leading-scorer Kevin Bettencourt was held to three points on 1-of-9 shooting. Mike Wilkinson led the Badgers with 23 points and nine rebounds, and Alando Tucker had 17 points, 15 from the free-throw line.

Cowboys Roll On: Behind a tournament-high 31 points from Ivan McFarlin, No. 2 Oklahoma State beat No. 7 Southern Illinois 85-77. The Salukis led by seven at the break, but Oklahoma State scored 12 straight points to start the second half. Southern Illinois answered with a 6-0 run to take the lead back, but it would be the last lead they would see. McFarlin countered with a couple free throws, and the Cowboys never looked back. The lead climbed to 11 only to be cut to four with just more than two minutes to go. In the final minute, the Cowboys went 8-of-8 from the line to seal the deal. Jamaal Tatum led the Salukis with 22 points and Darren Brooks added 17. JamesOn Curry scored 18 for the Cowboys, who will play No. 3 Arizona in the regional semifinals Thursday.

Cardinals Stand Tall: No. 4 Louisville blitzed No. 5 Georgia Tech 76-54 to move to the Sweet 16 for the first time in eight years. Francisco Garcia led four Cardinals in double figures with 21 points, 18 of which came in the first half. The Yellow Jackets trailed by 15 at the break and cut the lead to nine with just less than 10 minutes to play, but Louisville countered with a 15-2 run. Louisville moves on to Albuquerque to face No. 1 Washington Thursday. With Georgia Tech’s loss and Connecticut’s elimination earlier in the day, neither team from last season’s title game advanced past the first weekend of the tournament this season.

Tar Heels Contain Cyclones: Behind 24 points and 17 rebounds from Sean May, No. 1 North Carolina dominated No. 9 Iowa State 92-65. Marvin Williams matched his first-round game with 20 points and added 15 rebounds, both career-highs. The Cyclone’s six-man rotation was overwhelmed by the talent of North Carolina. Jared Homan had 19 points and 20 rebounds for Iowa State, but his team shot only 35.5 percent. North Carolina faces No. 5 Villanova Thursday in Syracuse.

‘Nova Takes Down Gators: Jason Fraser scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds off the bench to lead No. 5 Villanova to a 76-65 win against No. 4 Florida. In his last game for the Gators, David Lee had 20 points and 10 rebounds but got little offensive help from his teammates. After a 6-of-28 shooting performance against Ohio in the first round, Matt Walsh and Anthony Roberson combined to go 5-of-21 for Florida in this game. Randy Foye added 18 points for Villanova, which advances to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1988.

Wildcat’s Leading Scorer Hopeful for Sweet 16: Villanova was able to defeat Florida despite leading-scorer Curtis Sumpter playing only 10 minutes. Sumpter went to the locker room after injuring his knee in the first half and returned to the bench later in the game but only as a spectator. After the game, Sumpter said he would play against North Carolina Friday, but coach Jay Wright wasn’t so sure, wanting to wait for a medical opinion. Sumpter missed a couple of games earlier in the season with a different knee injury.

Tournament Central: For more coverage on all tournament games, visit Hoopville 2005 Tournament Central .

Tonight’s Menu

• The NIT continues with three second-round games. Saint Joseph’s hosts Holy Cross; Wichita State travels to Vanderbilt; and Western Michigan welcomes TCU.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Monday, March 14th

Where’s Your Team?: The brackets were revealed, which means that today will be the least productive day of the year in offices around the country. Here are the highlights:

• Most of the No. 1 seeds went as expected. Illinois (29-1) and North Carolina(27-4) were viewed as locks heading into the conference tournaments. Duke (25-5) solidified their No. 1 seed by winning the ACC tournament. But the 4th, Washington (27-5), was a little bit of a surprise. The Huskies from the Pac-10, the conference ranked second by the RPI at the end of the season, won their conference tournament and had wins over Oklahoma, Alabama and Utah away from Seattle.

• Wake Forest (26-5) has the biggest gripe among the No. 2 seeds, but they are matched with the weakest No. 1 seed in Washington. The Demon Deacons’ fatal blow came when they lost in the ACC quarterfinals to NC State without Chris Paul. No. 2 seed Kentucky (25-5) missed out on a potential No. 1 seed with a loss in the SEC final to Florida. Oklahoma State (24-6) earned their No. 2 seed by winning the Big 12 tournament. Connecticut (22-7) earned their No. 2 seed by going 8-2 in the last 10 games, losing to only North Carolina in mid-February and Syracuse in the Big East tournament semifinals.
• Kansas slipped to a No. 3 seed by finishing 3-4 in its last seven games, culminating with a loss to Oklahoma State in the Big 12 semifinals. Arizona (27-6) and Oklahoma (24-7) earned No. 3 seeds by winning the regular-season title in their respective conferences. Gonzaga (27-4) earned the last No. 3 seed with non-conference wins over Oklahoma State, Washington and Georgia Tech and by closing the season on a 12-game winning streak.
• Louisville (29-4) as a No. 4 seed was perhaps the biggest snub. The Cardinals won the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles, but their only marquee non-conference wins came over Florida and Stanford. Boston College (24-4) also earns a No. 4 seed after a 20-0 start. But the Eagles finished the year 4-4 and lost in the Big East quarterfinals to West Virginia. Florida (23-7) and Syracuse (27-6) earned the other No. 4 seeds by winning their conference tournaments.
• Teams like New Mexico, UTEP, George Washington, Old Dominion, UW-Milwaukee and Vermont all did themselves a favor by winning their conference tournaments. Each of these teams finished with a seed below the last at-large team that made it. The last three teams in, who all got No. 11 seeds, were Northern Iowa (21-10), giving the Missouri Valley Conference three bids, UCLA (18-10), another team benefiting from the Pac-10′s RPI rating, and UAB (21-10), likely getting into the tournament over DePaul by beating them in the quarterfinals of the C-USA tournament. The last three teams in before these were St. Mary’s, NC State and Iowa.
• Several big name teams were on the outside looking in, but each had warts on their resume. Maryland (16-12) beat Duke twice but lost their last four games of the season, including the opening-round game in the ACC tournament against Clemson. Notre Dame (17-11) handed Boston College its first loss but lost four of the last five, including in the opening round of the Big East tournament to last-place Rutgers. Indiana (15-13) had 10 wins in the Big Ten but were beaten down by a brutal non-conference schedule. The Hoosiers finished with only 15 wins and the final nail in their coffin came with a quarterfinal loss to fellow bubble team Minnesota in the Big Ten tournament. Miami, Ohio, (18-10) and Buffalo (22-9) were this year’s MAC victims despite high RPIs and solid records against teams with top 100 RPIs.
• One of the most intriguing match ups in the first round is No.7 Southern Illinois facing No. 10 St. Mary’s in the Chicago bracket. Both teams are mid-majors that earned at-large berths and are eager to prove they belong. In the second round, potential No. 4 / No. 5 match ups include Louisville/Georgia Tech in Albuquerque and Florida/Villanova in Syracuse, which would pit teams that are considered dark horses for the Final Four. The Elite 8 has some great possibilities too. In the Syracuse bracket, Roy Williams has a chance to lead his North Carolina Tar Heels against his former team Kansas. In Austin, if the brackets play out, Duke will face Kentucky in a rematch of the greatest college basketball game ever. In Albuquerque, there’s the chance for the battle of Washington with Washington against Gonzaga.

The Other Bracket: The National Invitation Tournament pairings were also announced for those teams snubbed in the NCAAs. Memphis, DePaul, St. Joseph’s, Georgetown and 31 others join the teams mentioned above in a battle for No. 66 in a tournament that culminates in Madison Square Garden on March 31.

BC Guard Escapes Attack: Early Saturday morning, Boston College senior guard Jermaine Watson escaped an attack from multiple assailants who entered his apartment. The police responded to a call from neighbors who heard a fight at the apartment and found a disheveled but empty apartment. The police found Watson and a friend hiding in nearby bushes. Watson said four or five masked men entered the apartment with weapons, and he was able to escape out the window from his second-floor apartment. Police had visited the apartment earlier in that evening after a woman was pushed down after refusing to leave a party that had ended. Watson hasn’t started a game this season for the Eagles but has still averaged 10 points a game off the bench.

Last Day of Conference Tournament Finals: Visit Thirteen Days: Championship Week for in depth recaps of all the games, as these six teams earned automatic berths:

• Duke punched its ticket and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAAs with a 69-64 win against Georgia Tech in the ACC tournament. Duke went 11 minutes without a field goal in the second half before Shelden Williams tipped in a missed free throw with four seconds remaining to ice the game. J.J. Redick scored 26 points for Duke and was named tournament MVP. Jarret Jack led the Yellow Jackets with 19 points despite injuring his ankle in the second half.

• Illinois won the Big Ten tournament with a 54-43 win against Wisconsin. The Fighting Illini shot just under 36 percent but held Wisconsin to 14-of-52 shooting from the field, just less than 27 percent. James Augustine had 12 points and nine rebounds and was named tournament MVP. No Badger reached double figures as Alando Tucker led Wisconsin with only nine points.
• Last Sunday, Florida eked out a one-point win against Kentucky to close the regular season. Yesterday’s rematch in the SEC tournament wasn’t quite as difficult. The Gators used a 21-2 run in the second half to erase a seven-point deficit and blitz the Wildcats 70-53. Matt Walsh scored 26 points for Florida and was named tournament MVP. Kelenna Azubuike led Kentucky with 17 points but was the only Wildcat in double figures.
• Oklahoma State withstood a furious rally from Texas Tech and held on for a 72-68 win in the Big 12 championship. The Cowboys led by 12 early in the second half before a 22-4 Red Raider run gave Texas Tech the lead. Tournament MVP Joey Graham scored 16 points for Oklahoma State, including a three-point play with just more than two minutes to go to give his team the lead for good. Jarrius Jackson and Ronald Ross each had 22 points to lead the Red Raiders.
• Alabama A&M used a big second half to beat Alabama State 72-53 and earn a trip to the Big Dance by winning the SWAC tournament. Obie Trotter scored 24 points, all on three-pointers, to pace the Bulldogs who are making their first playoff appearance since moving up to Division I in 1999.
• Southeastern Louisiana beat Northwestern State 49-42 to earn the Southland Conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. Ricky Woods scored 16 points to led the Lions to their 24th win of the season and their first ever trip to the big dance.

Tonight’s Menu

• And you thought there were no games! The NIT opens with Marquette hosting Western Michigan.

NEC Finals Recap

Northeast Conference Championship Recap

by Keith Burdette

Wagner’s miraculous run to the big dance finally hit a road block Wednesday night in New Jersey. On its home court, Fairleigh Dickinson knocked off the Seahawks 58-52 in the NEC tournament final and earned the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Andrea Crosariol had 18 points to pace the Knights to their first NCAA appearance since 1998.

The Knights fell behind by four early but used a 14-2 run to take control of the game. They led by as many as eight on two occasions in the first half. Wagner fought back and trailed 28-24 at the break despite shooting 28 percent from the field.

The Seahawks cut the lead to two early in the second half but could get no closer. FDU pushed the lead to 11 at the midpoint of the second half, but Wagner had one more run in them and cut the lead to two with just over a minute remaining. The lead was three with 23 seconds to go when Mensah Peterson hit a backbreaking three with two seconds on the shot clock to push the lead back up to six and seal the game.

Wagner was able to dictate the pace of play but couldn’t quite recover from a poor shooting first half. Mark Porter reached double figures for the third straight game with 10 points but shot only 2-12 from the field. Durell Vinson led the Seahawks with 14 points Second team All-NEC performer and Wagner’s leading scorer Sean Munson scored only eight points on 2-12 shooting. In addition to Crosariol, Chad Timberlake and Mensah Peterson scored double figures for the Knights. The Knights won despite a 3-16 shooting performance from Gordon Klaiber, a first team All-NEC selection, and only four points from Tamien Trent, a second team All-NEC selection.

Trent was named MVP of the tournament based on a 20-point, 10-rebound effort in the quarterfinals against St. Francis NY and 18 points against Long Island in the semis. The Knight’s Crosariol and Klaiber joined Trent on the all-tournament team along with Mark Porter from Wagner and Blake Hamilton of Monmouth.

NEC Finals Preview

Northeast Conference Championship Preview

by Keith Burdette

Back on January 25th, the Wagner Seahawks were 2-15, 1-7 in NEC and dead last in the NEC conference standings. The Seahawks played their way into the NEC tournament by winning nine of their last ten games, ultimately earning a sixth seed.

The previous three years, Wagner had hosted the quarterfinals and semifinals of the NEC tournament. This year, they had no such luxury with every game being at the home of the highest seed. Staring at them in the quarterfinals was a trip to third-seeded Robert Morris. Behind 17 points from freshman Mark Porter, the Seahawks pulled off the upset. Trailing by two at halftime, Wagner shot 56 percent from the field in the second half en route to a 69-65 win.

Next up was top-seeded Monmouth, who had escaped the quarterfinals with a one-point win over Central Connecticut State. The Hawks fought back from 14 points down at halftime and need a Marques Alston bucket with 1.4 seconds remaining to complete the comeback. Wagner got off to a tough start against Monmouth, as second team All-NEC performer Sean Munson left the game in the first two minutes after sustaining a back injury and the Seahawks fell behind by seven at halftime. Defense brought the Seahawks back in the second half when they held Monmouth to 29 percent shooting, including 0-14 from downtown. Mark Porter scored 18 points to lead Wagner to a 63-60 comeback win.

Now the Seahawks stand at 13-16 and are easily the hottest team in the NEC. Standing between Wagner and a trip to the NCAA tournament is second-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson.

Fairleigh Dickinson’s road to the NEC final was not nearly as difficult. In the quarterfinals, the Knights beat St. Francis NY 78-60. Tamien Trent had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead the way. Fairleigh Dickinson faced Long Island in the semifinals and fell behind by 13 points at halftime. The Knights then used a 26-3 surge halfway through the second half to take the lead for good, winning the game 70-62 as Tamien Trent scored 16 of his 18 points in the decisive second half.

Wednesday’s final will be a match-up of different styles. Fairleigh Dickinson is second in the NEC in scoring at 74.8 points per game while Wagner is last at 62.4 points per game. This difference was further played out in the games the two teams split during the regular season. Back in December, FDU forced an up-tempo game and won 82-75. Two weeks ago was the rematch, where Wagner won on the Knight’s home court 67-59. In this recent hot streak, Wagner has allowed over 65 points in a game once, and they lost that game in overtime. If Wagner can beat the Knights, they would likely face Oakland in the opening round game as both teams would enter the big dance with losing records. But the Seahawks will have definitely earned their berth by beating the top three NEC teams on the road in the NEC tournament.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Monday, March 7th

And Then There Were None: Illinois lost its first game of the season at Ohio State 65-64. The Illini held a 64-58 lead with more than three minutes to go but wouldn’t score again as the Buckeyes rallied for the victory. Matt Sylvester hit a game-winning three pointer with just more than five seconds to go, and Illinois’ Roger Powell shot a three at the buzzer that fell short. Sylvester led all scorers with 25 points off the bench as his Buckeyes earned the sixth seed in the Big Ten tournament, which starts Thursday. The Fighting Illini were stopped short of their bid to become the first team since Indiana in 1976 to finish a season undefeated but nonetheless won the Big Ten regular season title by two games over Michigan State.

Tar Heels Outright ACC Champs: North Carolina defeated Duke 75-73 to earn its first ACC regular season title since 1993. The Tar Heels trailed by nine with more than three minutes to go but finished the game on an 11-0 run for the come-from-behind victory. Marvin Williams capped the 11-0 run with a three-point play with 11 seconds to go. J.J. Redick missed a long three pointer, and Daniel Ewing missed a shot that would have tied the game for the Blue Devils in the closing seconds. Playing without Rashad McCants for the fourth straight game, Sean May picked up the slack, scoring 26 points and grabbing 24 rebounds. Shelden Williams led Duke with 22 points but had only four rebounds as his team was out-rebounded by 19. Both teams have byes in the first round of the ACC tournament, which starts Thursday. North Carolina will play the winner of the 8/9 game between Maryland and Clemson while Duke will play Miami or Virginia, who will play in the 6/11 game.

Wake Wins at Buzzer: Chris Paul hit a 12-footer as the clock expired to give Wake Forest a 55-53 win at North Carolina State. Justin Gray led the Demon Deacons with 15 points and hit a big three pointer with 13 seconds to go to tie the game at 53. It was another physical game for Wake Forest. Chris Paul drew the ire of Wolfpack fans after a low blow to Julius Hodge in the first half. Hodge and Paul would get into it a couple of minutes later after Paul fouled Hodge and Hodge shoved Paul in retaliation, getting a technical. These teams could face each other again as soon as Friday in the ACC tournament. Wake Forest gets a bye in the first round but will play NC State in the quarterfinals if the Wolfpack can beat Florida State.

Gators Pull Off Upset: Anthony Roberson hit both ends of a one-and-one with 15 seconds to go to give Florida the lead and ultimately a 53-52 win against Kentucky. Roberson led all scorers with 21 points as the Gators snapped an eight-game losing streak to Kentucky. Chuck Hayes led the Wildcats with 11 points but was the Wildcats only double-digit scorer. Both teams get byes in the first round of SEC tournament which starts Thursday. Kentucky will play either Arkansas or Tennessee, and Florida will play Georgia or Mississippi State.

Mizzou Upsets Jayhawks: Missouri beat Kansas at home 72-68, forcing the Jayhawks to share the Big 12 title with Oklahoma. Kansas came back from 15 down to tie the score at 64 with just more than three minutes to play, but Missouri was able to get the lead back with two minutes to play on a jumper from Jimmy McKinney. The Tigers forced Aaron Miles into a couple of turnovers down the stretch and hit 4-of-6 free throws to cinch the win. Kansas’ Keith Langford reinjured his ankle early in the first half and missed the remainder of the game. Langford hopes to play in the Big 12 tournament next weekend, but coach Bill Self called the injury “pretty severe.” In the Big 12 tournament, Kansas got the second seed and will play either Texas A&M or Kansas State Friday. Missouri will play Nebraska Thursday for the right to play top-seed Oklahoma.

Tiger Point Guard Suspended: Before Missouri’s 72-68 win against Kansas, coach Quin Snyder suspended starting point guard Jason Horton. The freshman had started 23 games for the Tigers and averaged 6.2 points and 3.4 assists per game. He was suspended for conduct detrimental to the team and his status will be re-evaluated before the Big 12 tournament.

Ticket Punching Day Off: No one qualified for the dance today but there were seven semifinal rounds played, visit Thirteen Days: Championship Week for more complete information. The biggest highlights of the day were:

• Southwest Missouri State came back from 23 down in the first half to beat Southern Illinois 65-61 in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament semifinals. The Bears will play Creighton in the championship after the Bluejays beat Wichita State 70-60.
• Gonzaga cruised to a 90-74 win against San Diego and makes its eighth straight West Coast Conference final.

Tonight’s Menu

• Four tickets to the dance get punched: Southwest Missouri State battles Creighton for the MVC title; Gonzaga takes on St. Mary’s for the WCC title; Niagara faces Rider for the MAAC title; Old Dominion and VCU vie for the CAA title.

• The MAC opens its tournament with five first round games.

• The MCC and Sun Belt have semifinal tournament match-ups.

• Two first-round games open the MEAC tournament.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Monday, February 28th

Jayhawks Rebound: Kansas snapped a three-game losing streak and moved into sole possession of first place in the Big 12 with a 81-79 win against Oklahoma State. John Lucas scored 22 points to lead the Cowboys but missed a three in the final five seconds that would have won the game. Wayne Simien scored a career-high 32 points for the Jayhawks and set a team record by making his 34th straight free throw. Kansas now stands at 11-3, one game ahead of the 10-4 Cowboys in the Big 12.

Tar Heels Look For Top Seed: North Carolina escaped Maryland with an 85-83 win. Raymond Felton put North Carolina up with 19 seconds to go on a drive to the bucket. Sean May preserved the win with a block in the final five seconds. Sean May led the Tar Heels with 22 points, picking up the slack for UNC’s leading scorer, Rashard McCants, who missed the game with an intestinal disorder. Maryland was led by 25 points from Chris McCray but fell below .500 in ACC play. At 12-2, North Carolina keeps a one-game lead in the ACC with games against Florida State and Duke to end the season.

Wake Rumbles On: Wake Forest cruised to a 90-68 win against Virginia. Justin Gray led the Demon Deacons with 20 points. The game was very physical, and Wake’s Chris Paul took a pounding, complaining to the officials numerous times throughout the game. Coach Skip Prosser also got into the action, getting a technical foul after an especially hard foul late in the first half. At 11-3, Wake remains one game behind North Carolina for first place in the ACC.

Hoosiers Squarely on the Bubble: Behind 32 points from Bracey Wright, Indiana upended Michigan State in overtime 78-74. D.J. White scored 17 points for the Hoosiers, including a deuce with 17 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 64 and send it into overtime. Indiana moved to 9-5 in the Big Ten, which puts them in a tie for third place. The Hoosiers, 14-11 overall, finish the regular season with Wisconsin and Northwestern. Michigan State is all but locked into second place in the Big Ten at 11-3 and has Northwestern and Penn State left on the schedule.

Wildcats Win Again: Villanova made it five straight wins with a 67-56 win at Georgetown. The win avenges an earlier loss to Georgetown and moves the Wildcats into sole position of fourth place in the Big East at 9-5. Brandon Bowman scored 22 points for the Hoyas, but his team dropped its third straight game. At 16-9, Georgetown’s tournament hopes are dwindling; the Hoyas close the season at UConn and at home against Providence. Allan Ray scored 18 points for Villanova, which has games against Seton Hall and St. John’s before the Big East Tournament.

Badgers Bucking on the Road: Wisconsin picked up a key road win at Ohio State 64-56. Alando Tucker led the Badgers with 19 points. Terence Dials scored 20 points for the Buckeyes but was held scoreless for the last 18 minutes of the game as the Badgers adjusted their defense to thwart any comeback attempts. Wisconsin is now tied for third in the Big Ten with Indiana and faces the Hoosiers Tuesday.

Havlicek Stole the Show: During halftime of Sunday’s game versus Wisconsin, Ohio State retired the jersey of John Havlicek. Havlicek’s number 5 becomes the fifth number to hang from the rafters of Value City Arena, joining Jerry Lucas, Jimmy Jackson, Katie Smith and Gary Bradds. Under Havlicek, the Buckeyes made three straight NCAA finals, winning the 1960 national championship.

Bruins Take Out Irish: UCLA made a strong case for a third tournament team from the Pac-10 by taking out a Big East bubble team in Notre Dame 75-65. The Bruins made 14 three pointers, including three from Arron Afflalo who led them with 17 points. Chris Quinn scored 17 points for Notre Dame, which couldn’t recover from a 15-point halftime deficit. Both teams now stand at 16-9 with one weekend of conference games remaining.

Gators Eek One Out: Florida erased a 17-point deficit in the second half for a 66-65 comeback win at South Carolina. David Lee had a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds and gave the Gators the lead for good when he put back a miss with 13 seconds to go. Florida stands at 10-4, second place in the SEC East with games against Georgia and Kentucky remaining. The Gamecocks missed a chance to move to .500 in the SEC East and now stand in fourth place with Vanderbilt and Ole Miss left on the schedule.

Catamounts Fall: Playing without stars T.J. Sorrentine and Taylor Coppenrath, Vermont lost at Maine 87-66. The Catamounts had already clinched first place in the America East and the top seed in the conference tournament. It was the final regular season game for both teams, who will play in the America East tournament which starts Friday March 4.

Texas Tech Turns Itself In: Reports from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram say that Texas Tech purchased supplements not allowed to be given to student-athletes. The supplements were purchased during a 30-month period by then-director of sports nutrition Aaron Shelley. Shelley no longer works for Texas Tech, having been fired after pleading guilty to money laundering last year. Athletes interviewed said they had purchased the illegal substances from Shelley but had never received them for free. No word on any penalties that Texas Tech might face.

Tonight’s Menu

• The Big East’s first-place team Boston College hosts Pittsburgh in its final home game of the season.

• Texas tries to make it another 20-win season at home against Oklahoma.

• Having sewn up first place in the WCC, Gonzaga hosts non-conference foe Northern Colorado.

• The Missouri Valley’s top team, Southern Illinois, looks for its 25th win at Indiana State. Two other MVC bubble teams battle as Wichita State hosts Northern Iowa.

• New Mexico hopes to maintain second place in the Mountain West with a trip to UNLV.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Monday, February 21st

Two Big East Coaches Make the Cut: Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim and Connecticut’s Jim Calhoun have been selected as finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame. Calhoun narrowly missed election last year and added the 2004 NCAA title to his resume, which includes the 1999 NCAA title and almost 700 wins. Boeheim’s resume includes the 2003 NCAA title, two other Final Four Appearances and over 650 wins. The two coaches join 14 other finalists including Joe Dumars, Hubie Brown, Dominique Wilkins, Maurice Cheeks and Bernard King. Finalists who receive at least 18 votes from the 24-member Honors Committee will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in September. The year’s Hall of Fame class will be announced at the Final Four April 4.

Duke Gets Revenge: Duke upended Wake Forest 102-92, stopping a two-game losing streak and avenging an earlier loss to the Demon Deacons. Guard J.J. Redick scored a career-high 38 points, leading the Blue Devils back from a two-point halftime deficit. Wake Forest was led by 27 points from Chris Paul but fell to 10-3 and out of a first-place tie in the ACC. Duke sits a game back in third at 9-4.

Battle of Pennsylvania: Villanova took a giant stride toward the NCAA tournament by beating Pittsburgh at home 80-72. Allan Ray scored 21 of his game-high 23 in the second half as his Wildcats erased a two-point halftime deficit. Carl Krauser led the Panthers with 16 points, including a half-court shot at the end of the first half. Pitt falls to 8-4 in the Big East and 18-5 overall; Villanova moved to 7-5 in the Big East and 17-6 overall.

Stoudamire Sets Team Record: Arizona celebrated Senior Day with a 91-70 thumping of Oregon State. Salim Stoudamire scored 32 points and hit a school record nine three pointers. At 13-2, Arizona increased their Pac Ten lead to a game and half over Washington. Oregon State’s NCAA tournament hopes were most likely dashed as they fell to 6-8 in the Pac-10 and 14-11 overall.

Cardinals Alone in First: Louisville broke up a tight game early in the second half and coasted to an 84-66 win over St. Louis. Playing with mono, Taquan Dean paced Louisville with 15 points, all on three pointers. The Cardinals pushed their C-USA record to 11-2, a half-game lead over Charlotte.

C-USA Bubble Battle: Marquette moved closer to the 20-win plateau, beating DePaul 67-57. Steve Nowak scored 22 points for the Golden Eagles, who moved to 18-8 overall and 6-7 in C-USA play. Drake Diener scored 16 points to lead DePaul, which dropped to 8-4 in C-USA, two and a half games behind leader Louisville.

Yellow Jackets Make Their Case: B.J. Elder led all scorers with 22 points and hit two free throws with less than a second remaining to give Georgia Tech a 76-75 on the road over Florida State. The Yellow Jackets move to 6-6 in the ACC, 15-8 overall as they fight to keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive. Florida State dropped their sixth straight game and fell to 3-9 in the ACC.

Hernandez Blows Up: Chris Hernandez scored a career-high 37 points as the Stanford Cardinal outdistanced UCLA 78-65. Injuries have plagued the Cardinal all season long, but they still are in third place in the Pac-10 at 9-5. Dijon Thompson led the Bruins with 19 points and 11 rebounds, but his team fell to 8-7 in the Pac Ten, 14-9 overall.

Hoyas in Trouble: Georgetown’s tournament hopes took a hit Sunday when they fell at St. John’s 76-67. The Red Storm had six players in double figures, led by Daryll Hill with 20 points. Jeff Green had 20 points, but his Hoyas couldn’t overcome a 16-point halftime deficit. The Red Storm, a team that is ineligible for post-season play, moved to 3-10 in the Big East and 9-14 overall. Georgetown fell to 8-5 in the Big East and 16-8 overall.

Mountaineers Keep Hopes Alive: Behind 25 points from Tyrone Sally, West Virginia scored a 96-86 win over Seton Hall. The Mountaineers moved to 6-7 in the Big East, 16-8 overall, keeping their faint NCAA tournament hopes alive. West Virginia has now won five of their last seven games to counter a five-game losing streak during the month of January.

Duke Feeling the Love: Senior forward Reggie Love has been named a captain of the Duke Blue Devils. Coach Mike Krzyzewski said Love earned the honor, joining J.J. Redick and Daniel Ewing as tri-captains. Love played football at Duke from 2000-03 and rejoined the basketball team this year after a three-year absence. Love broke his foot in early January and recently returned to action against Virginia Tech.

Michigan’s Leading Scorer Done For Season: Michigan’s Daniel Horton has been suspended for the remainder of the season after choking his girlfriend. Originally suspended indefinitely Jan. 25, he has returned to practice with the team. In 13 games, Horton averaged 12.4 points per game for the Wolverines, who are currently mired in a 10-game losing streak, their longest in more than 20 years.

Wolverines Honor Past Hero: At halftime of Sunday’s game versus Indiana, Michigan retired Glen Rice’s No. 41 jersey. Rice is the Wolverines’ all-time leading scorer and led Michigan to the 1989 NCAA title, scoring a record 184 points in the tournament. He is the fourth Wolverine to have his jersey retired, joining Cazzie Russell, Rudy Tomjanovich and Phil Hubbard in the rafters. In the game, Robert Vaden scored a career-high 18 points as his Hoosiers erased a late deficit to beat Michigan 70-63.

Battle of Boston-America East Style: Saturday, Northeastern junior guard Jose Juan Barea declared himself eligible for the 2005 NBA Draft. Sunday, he backed that up with an eight point, 2-17 from the field performance against Boston University. Despite the bad outing, Barea’s Huskies beat the Terriers 63-48 behind 20 points from Marcus Barnes. Both teams are now tied for second in the America East at 13-3, a game and a half behind first place Vermont.

Tonight’s Menu:

• Two of the Big East’s best battle as Connecticut hosts Notre Dame.

• Kansas looks to snap a two-game losing streak at Oklahoma.

• WAC leader Nevada, coming off a Bracket Buster win over Vermont, hosts Tulsa. UTEP, second place in the WAC and coming off a Bracket Buster loss to Pacific, travels to Hawaii.

• Utah continues its march for an unbeaten Mountain West season at New Mexico.

• Vermont tries to bounce back from their Bracket Buster loss by hosting New Hampshire.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Monday, February 14th

Tar Heels Rebound: North Carolina bounced back from Wednesday night’s loss to Duke with a 77-70 win over Connecticut. Raymond Felton had a double-double for the Tar Heels with 16 points and 10 assists, most of which came in the second half when North Carolina erased a three-point halftime deficit. The Huskies were missing leading scorer Rashad Anderson, who missed the game with a leg infection. Marcus Williams scored a career-high 18 points but also committed seven turnovers. UConn committed 22 turnovers in all, which UNC converted into 22 points.

Beavers Storm the Court: A month ago, Washington thumped Oregon State by 40 points, and the Beavers weren’t about to let that happen again. Led by a 60 percent shooting effort and 23 points from David Lucas, Oregon State returned the favor Sunday, beating Washington 90-73. Brandon Roy scored 25 points for the Huskies, who went 4-of-27 from downtown. The loss keeps Washington one game behind first-place Arizona in the Pac-10. The Beavers moved to 6-6 in the Pac Ten and 14-9 overall, the 14 wins being the largest win total for the squad since the 1991-92 season.

National Finalist in Trouble: Two ACC bubble teams battled as NC State beat Georgia Tech 53-51 on a Tony Bethel deuce with less than 10 seconds to play. The highlight of the game though came when the Yellow Jacket’s Isma’il Muhammad leaped over a NC State defender and dunked the basketball a la Vince Carter in the 2000 Olympics. Unfortunately, it was the only Georgia Tech highlight as B.J. Elder missed a three as the buzzer sounded that would have won the game. The loss dropped the Yellow Jackets to 5-6 in ACC, 14-8 overall and seriously threatens the tournament chances of a team that made it all the way to the final game last season. Julius Hodge had 15 points for the Wolfpack who moved to 4-7 in the ACC and 14-10 overall.

Too Many Benches Fuel the Fire: Duke fans traditionally celebrate big wins with bonfires sanctioned by the Durham fire marshal. Wednesday’s victory over North Carolina was no different, but this time fans may have taken things too far. Duke officials called the bonfire off after 45 minutes fearing the endangerment of bystanders and trees after too many benches were thrown on the fire. Permits for bonfires have been awarded for Feb. 20 when Duke plays Wake Forest and April 4 and 5, the dates of the men’s and women’s NCAA championship games. However, those permits are may be revoked as Duke officials and the fire marshal will meet later in the week to determine an appropriate course of action.

Panther Coach Gets Extension: Northern Iowa head coach Greg McDermott has signed a extension that will keep him in Cedar Falls through 2010. The new contract enhances his salary and adds one year to his current deal. The Panthers are 17-8 this season and poised for a second straight NCAA tournament bid. Last year, Northern Iowa finished 21-10 and won the Missouri Valley Conference tournament for the first time.

Huggins Questions C-USA’s Scheduling: For the second Saturday in a row, Cincinnati played a team that beat his Bearcats after a week off to prepare. Two Saturdays ago, Cincinnati lost to a well-rested Charlotte team after the Bearcats had a tough loss to Louisville three nights before. This past Saturday, Cincinnati lost to a well-rested DePaul team after a Thursday win over cross-town rival Xavier. Sunday, Cincinnati head coach Bob Huggins wondered why his team had to face the situation two weeks in a row, saying its not fair for his kids or for teams in the league who are playing opponents not at their best. The loss dropped the Bearcats into a tie for fifth place in Conference USA, all but ending any chances of a regular season title. Of course, all this complaining is for not as Cincinnati moves to the Big East next season.

Banks Open in Cincinnati: 2002-03 Mr. Basketball of Georgia and Cincinnati basketball player Vincent Banks has been given partial qualifier status, which means he is eligible to receive athletic financial aid. Banks, who has yet to play a game for the Bearcats, was declared a non-qualifier in January after NCAA officials questioned his test scores. Assuming he stays academically eligible, he will be able to play for the Bearcats next season.

Tonight’s Menu

• Syracuse hosts Pittsburgh as it tries to keep pace with Boston College in the Big East.

• Kansas tries to stay unbeaten in the Big 12 as the Jayhawks travel to Lubbock to face Texas Tech.

• The top four teams in the Mountain West clash as Utah travels to Wyoming and New Mexico hosts Air Force.

• Davidson travels to the College of Charleston trying to stay perfect in Southern Conference play.

• 0-27 Savannah State hosts Florida A&M in the final game of itsseason as they try to avoid joining Prairie View A&M as the only team in the last 50 years to finish a season winless.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Monday, February 7th

Illini March On: Illinois scored a season-low 60 points, but it was more than enough to defeat the visiting Hoosiers by 13. The Illini moved to 23-0 on the season as they continue their quest to be the first team to finish undefeated since Indiana pulled the trick in 1976. Deron Williams scored only one point for the Illini but had 11 assists, including one on each of the first seven baskets. Indiana was forced to play without leading scorer Bracey Wright and had to start four freshmen. Two of the freshmen, Robert Vaden and D.J. White, led Indiana with 12 points apiece. The Hoosiers fell to 10-10 on the season, 5-4 in the Big Ten.

Tar Heels Win Big: Last year, North Carolina built a 24-point first half lead against Florida State, only to lose the game in overtime. Fast-forward one year. The Tar Heels built an 18-point lead in the first half, only to watch the Seminoles whittle it down to nine at the break. Early in the second half, Florida State cut the lead to one as Tar Heel fans wondered if a repeat of last year was in the making. Coach Roy Williams never panicked and instead of calling a timeout, let his kids pull themselves out of the mess. They responded to the tune of a 25-6 run en route to an 81-60 win. Rashad McCants scored 16 points to lead all scorers as North Carolina moved to 19-2, 9-1 in the ACC.

Working Without a Contract: Despite taking over for Cliff Ellis as Auburn’s head coach in April, Jeff Lebo has yet to agree to a contract. He isn’t the only prominent Tiger in that situation as football coach Tommy Tuberville, women’s basketball coach Nell Fortner and athletic director Jay Jacobs are all working without contracts. They’d be wise not to consort with Mike Price, who was working without an official contract as football coach at Alabama when he was fired after participating in some not-so-wholesome activities at a topless bar.

Utah Violations Come to Surface: Back in 2003, Utah was placed on probation for various infractions that weren’t publicized until recently. Among them included using a booster’s house to host team meals, going beyond the 20 hour a week practice limit to attend speeches from prominent politicians and pro athletes and providing players with entertainment money on the road. All the violations occurred under Rick Majerus who resigned because of health reasons six months into the probation period. In the past, Majerus admitted he didn’t know NCAA rules as well as he should. Majerus’ only new comment on the violations is that they did not affect his decision to step down as USC head coach after less than a week of accepting it.

New England Dynasty: This weekend featured a much-talked-about game between some team from New England and another from Philadelphia. No, no, not Saturday’s Big East tilt between Providence and Villanova, it was the Eagles versus the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX. New England beat Philadelphia 24-21, cementing themselves as the latest NFL dynasty. But now that that’s over, college basketball comes to the forefront and things like brackets, bubbles and cinderellas will become the most bandied topics.

Tonight’s Menu

• Connecticut brings a modest two-game win streak to Syracuse.

• Oklahoma State seeks revenge from a loss two weeks ago when they host Oklahoma.

• The Big Five takes center stage as Saint Joseph’s takes on Villanova at the Palestra.

• Andrew Bogut and the Utah Utes look to stay undefeated in the Mountain West when they travel to UNLV.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Monday, January 31st

Huskies Back in First: Behind 23 points from Nate Robinson, Washington defeated Arizona State 79-70 in Tempe. The win moved the Huskies back into a first-place tie with Arizona in the Pac Ten. UW forced 21 Sun Devil turnovers and held Ike Diogu to only 14 points and one free-throw attempt, down from his nation leading 9.8 free throws per game. The Huskies salvaged a split in the Grand Canyon state after losing to Arizona on Thursday 91-82.

Better Late Than Never: In a game that was supposed to be played Saturday, Alabama trounced Georgia 75-47. Kennedy Winston led Alabama with 18 points in a game which the Crimson Tide played reserves most of the second half. Georgia had trouble leaving Atlanta because of ice storms, but looking at the game, it’s hard to tell if they actually made it to Tuscaloosa. They trailed 62-23 at one point in the game and six different players fouled out.

Blue Devils Back in Win Column: After suffering their first loss of the season Wednesday, Duke bounced back with a 100-65 win over Virginia Tech. J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams both had monster games. Redick hit six threes en route to 29 points while Williams had a double-double at halftime and ended with 25 points and 17 rebounds. Hokie leading scorer Carlos Dixon injured his elbow early in the second half. He returned to action after X-rays came back negative, but he will be reexamined Monday nonetheless.

Another Ranked Team Falls to Terrapins: For the second time in a week, Maryland has knocked off a ranked foe. Wednesday, the Terrapins upset previously unbeaten Duke, and Sunday, they upended Georgia Tech 79-71. Nik Caner-Medley continued his breakout season by leading all scorers with 19 points. Isma’il Muhammad scored 15 points for the Yellow Jackets who have now lost four out of five and fell to 3-4 without second leading scorer B.J. Elder, who is out with a strained hamstring.

Golden Domers Hang on: Connecticut trailed Notre Dame by two with 15 seconds to go when Marcus Williams stole the ball and drove coast-to-coast to attempt the game-tying basket. Unfortunately for Husky fans, he left the layup short, and Chris Thomas grabbed the rebound and made two free throws to ice the 78-74 win for the Irish. The miscue overshadowed a solid game from Williams who tied a season high with 16 assists. Notre Dame was led by Torin Francis who scored 19 points and dominated the paint all game long.

Cowboys Bounce Back: Coming off a ten-point loss against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State blitzed Colorado 104-86. The 104 points was a season high as the Cowboys shot 60 percent and made 13 threes. John Lucas scored 26 points to lead all scorers while JamesOn Curry scored 22 points in his first career start. Chris Copeland led five Buffalos in double figures with 19 points but it wasn’t nearly enough to overcome Oklahoma State’s hot shooting.

Free Basketball Times Five: In the second half, Florida International trailed Arkansas-Little Rock by as many as 14 points and appeared to be well on their way to staying winless in the Sun Belt Conference. So why does this get mentioned in the Dish? The Panthers fought back to force overtime — five of them — and ultimately won 118-114. Ismael N’Diaye scored 34 points for the Panthers in 59 minutes. In a losing effort, Arkansas-Little Rock’s Brandon Freeman led all players with 38 points and 61 minutes. The game fell two overtimes short of the NCAA record of seven set in 1981 in a game between Cincinnati and Bradley.

Xavier Down Another Big Man: Musketeer center Brian Thornton may miss the remainder of the season with a bruised shin. He originally injured it three weeks ago against Massachusetts and has been hobbling through games ever since. The breaking point came in a recent game against Saint Joseph’s when coach Sean Miller realized he was hurting his team by playing Thornton. Miller doesn’t think that Thornton will be able to play the rest of the season, which would mean that Xavier has now lost three big men and is now down to one big man on the roster in Will Caudle.

Tonight’s Menu

• Kansas tries to stay unbeaten in Big 12 play when it hosts Missouri.

• Pittsburgh hosts Providence, the only team winless in Big East play.

• Utah faces in-state rival BYU in Provo.

• Two potential Cinderellas host games. 18-3 Old Dominion faces Drexel and 15-2 Pacific hosts UC Davis.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Monday, January 24th

UW Huskies in NCAA Trouble?: Kevin Messick, the head trainer for all athletic programs at the

University of Washington has been put on administrative leave. Barring an appeal, he will ultimately be fired

for falsifying medical records to give an athlete an extra year of eligibility. University officials refused

to comment on which sport the athlete competed in but said that the player in question never received the

extra year. The infraction also occurred before the violations from former football coach Rick Neuheisel so

the school is not susceptible to repeat violator clauses. During the summer of 2002, men’s hoops assistant

coach Cameron Dollar got caught with recruiting violations but there doesn’t appear to be any links between

that and this new incident.

Apple Cup of Hoops: On the court, Washington took care of business by beating

cross-state rival Washington State 66-48. The 66 points represented the lowest scoring output of the season

for the team that ranks second in the nation with 89.4 points per game. The win moved the Huskies into a

first place tie in the Pac-10 with Arizona, a team they will play Thursday.

Bison Missing Leader: Bucknell coach Pat Flannery announced he will take a leave of absence for

health reasons prior to Sunday’s game with Lehigh. Without their coach, the Bison still prevailed 65-63 and

moved to 5-0 and first place in the Patriot League. No timetable was set for the return of Flannery, who had

led his team to upsets of St. Joseph’s and Pittsburgh in their current 11-game winning streak.

Wolfpack Bounce Back: Coming off a one-point loss against ACC newcomer Virginia Tech, NC State cruised

to a 85-69 win over Maryland. Julius Hodge had a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead all

players in both categories. Nik Caner-Medley had 15 points for the Terrapins who had a modest two-game

winning streak snapped. Both teams stand at 2-3 in the ACC and return to action Wednesday when NC State

hosts Florida State and Maryland travels to Duke.

Fantastic Finish: Notre Dame thought they’d secured a win over Georgetown when Colin Falls hit a three pointer
with five seconds to go to give the Fighting Irish the lead. But the Hoyas raced the ball up the court and Roy

Hibbert slammed home the winner as time expired to give Georgetown a 55-54 win. Both teams are now 4-2 in the

Big East and tied for third place.

Blizzard Watch: This weekend’s winter storm only affected one game Sunday. Second place in the

Patriot League will have to wait as 3-1 Holy Cross delayed their contest with 3-1 American until Monday.

Tonight’s Menu

• The Bedlam Series moves to the hardwood as Oklahoma hosts Oklahoma State.

• Syracuse travels to Rutgers for a Big East Conference game.

• Wichita State looks to move into sole possession of first place in the Missouri Valley Conference when

they travel to third place Northern Iowa.

• A full slate of games in the Mountain West is highlighted with a battle of the two teams unbeaten in

conference play when Air Force travels to Utah.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Monday, January 17th

Banks Saga Over: After much speculation, in a press conference Sunday afternoon, Memphis officials was announced that sophomore forward Sean Banks was academically ineligible and will miss the remainder of the season. Banks apologized to his teammates and coaches and said he would take classes to regain eligibility. He also indicated Memphis would be the only school he’d play for. This ends a tumultuous year for the sophomore who skipped tryouts for USA basketball’s Under 21 team, was suspended for a game in December and had an altercation with teammate Arthur Barclay in January, in which he got a black eye. Banks had started 10 of the Tigers’s 17 games and was the second leading scorer and third leading rebounder.

Beaver’s Head Coach OK: After being taken to the hospital at halftime of his team’s 108-68 loss to Washington Saturday, doctors at UW Medical Center released Oregon State head coach Jay John Sunday afternoon. Doctors officially called it a “hypertensive event” in which high blood pressure was caused by stress. John was scheduled to return to Corvallis Sunday night, but it’s uncertain if he would return to coaching for Thursday night’s game against Arizona State.

Texas Star Sidelined?: Although no one will officially comment, rumblings from Austin indicate that sophomore forward P.J., Tucker who has started all but one game and leads the Longhorns in points and rebounds, may be declared academically ineligible. When the official ruling would come down is anybody’s guess, but the second semester starts tomorrow and the Longhorns host Oklahoma State tonight in a battle of top 10 teams. As it is, Texas freshman LaMarcus Aldridge might miss tonight’s game with a knee injury.

Duke Keeps on Rolling: J.J. Redick scored 28 points to lead the Blue Devils to a 80-66 win against Virginia. The game also featured the return of Shavlik Randolph, who had missed four games with mononucleosis, and a near triple-double from Shelden Williams, who had 16 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocks. The win kept Duke undefeated with a road trip to Miami and Florida State looming. Virginia drops to 0-4 in the ACC, the only team in the ACC without a conference win.

Eagles Also Unbeaten: Boston College moved to 14-0 on the season beating West Virginia 73-53. Jared Dudley scored 21 points, and Craig Smith added 20 for the Eagles, who busted open a tight game early in the second half. Since the 10-0 start of their own, the Mountaineers have lost three out of four.

Wisconsin Keeps Streak Alive: The Badgers trailed by eight with less than two minutes to go but scored the last 11 points to beat Michigan State 62-59. The win extended Wisconsin’s home winning streak to 38 games, the longest current streak in the nation. Paul Davis led all scorers with 20 points but was the only Spartan in double figures.

Wolfpack Back on Track: North Carolina State snapped a four game losing streak by upsetting Georgia Tech 76-68. The Yellow Jackets outshot the Wolfpack 46 percent to 36 percent, but NC State made 17 more free throws. For the Wolfpack, Ilian Evtimov led all scorers with 17 points, and Julius Hodge added a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Jarret Jack led Georgia Tech with 16 points who lost their second straight game.

Panthers Suspend Starter: Senior Guard Yuri Demetris has been indefinitely suspended by Pittsburgh for disciplinary reasons. Demetris had started all 14 games and was among the team leaders in three-point shooting and steals.

Vermont Atop America East: Both coming in at 5-0 in conference play, Vermont stayed unbeaten in America East play by taking out Boston University 69-58. Taylor Coppenrath, the nation’s leading scorer, scored 16 points for the Catamounts who also got a career-high 15 points from Josh Duell off the bench. Vermont extended its winning streak to eight games and BU had a four-game winning streak snapped.

Tonight’s Menu:

• Texas hosts Oklahoma State as the Cowboys try to stay unbeaten in Big 12 play.

• Connecticut travels to Seton Hall, which is still looking for its first Big East win.

• Wichita State tries to stay near the top of the Missouri Valley Conference when the Shockers travel to Evansville.

• Utah looks to keep its perfect Mountain West Conference record at Colorado State.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Monday, January 10th

Game of the Week: After a 10-0 start, the Kansas Jayhawks hit the road for the first time to face the Kentucky Wildcats in front of the second largest crowd in Rupp Arena’s history. Kansas committed a season-high 21 turnovers, but walk-on Christian Moody led four Jayhawks in double figures with 11 points as they gutted out a 65-59 win. After a sloppy first half, Kansas controlled the second and led by as many as eight with a little more than six minutes to play. Kentucky fought back and took a one-point lead on a bucket from Patrick Sparks with less than four minutes to play. But Aaron Miles answered on the next possession with his only deuce of the game, and the Jayhawks never looked back. Already mising All-American candidate Wayne Simien with a thumb injury, Kansas had Moody and senior Keith Langford both go down with injuries late in the second half. Simien is expected to try to return for the Jayhawks’ next game Wednesday against Iowa State but the status of Moody and Langford remains uncertain. With 12 points, Kelenna Azubuike led Kentucky, which dropped to 10-2 on the season. The Wildcats, whose only other loss is to North Carolina, return to action Wednesday when they host Vanderbilt.

Bulldogs Down a Man: Mississippi State may have taken out cross-state rival Ole Miss 87-76 Saturday, but they may have lost their second leading scorer for an extended period of time. Senior guard Winsome Fraiser injured his left foot halfway through the first half when he landed on it wrong. He is expected to miss Wednesday’s showdown with Tennessee and X-rays on Monday will give a more accurate assessment of how long he will be out.

Wolfpack Continue to Fall: North Carolina State welcomed Julius Hodge back to the lineup, but that wasn’t enough as the Wolfpack dropped their third straight game, 67-66 at Miami. Hodge had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a 26 point effort from the Hurricanes’ Guillermo Diaz. For Miami, the victory was their first-ever ACC conference win and moved their record to 10-3 on the year. The Wolfpack fell to 10-4, and the schedule doesn’t get any easier with games against Duke and Georgia Tech next week.

Longhorns Win Big: After a tight first half, the Texas Longhorns out-distanced Baylor 79-60. Daniel Gibson led the Longhorns with 18 points and freshman LaMarcus Alridge picked up his first career double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Tim Bush’s 20 points led Baylor, which dropped to 7-4 on the season. The Longhorns are now 12-2 and play Texas A&M Wednesday.

Missouri Valley Action: Behind 15 points from Darren Brooks, Southern Illinois defeated Creighton 69-63 to join Wichita State at 3-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Northern Iowa moved to 2-1, a game behind Southern Illinois and Wichita State, with a 64-48 win against Indiana State. At 3-2, Evansville also remained a game behind first place with a 69-61 win against Illinois State.

Tonight’s Menu:

• A pair of two-loss teams hook up when Oklahoma hosts Connecticut.

• Notre Dame hosts Syracuse in a battle of teams unbeaten in Big East play.

• 10-4 Middle Tennessee State hosts 9-4 Arkansas-Little Rock in a key Sun Belt conference matchup.

• UNLV and Utah kick off their Mountain West schedules with a date in Salt Lake City.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Monday, January 3rd

Wake handles Virginia: Chris Paul led all scores with 21 points as Wake Forest beat Virginia 89-70 for its

first ACC win of the season. Leading by only five at halftime, Wake Forest used a 13-0 run early in the second

half to take control of the game and a 14-5 run midway through the half to put the game away. Cavalier freshman

sensation Sean Singletary was limited to two points and six assists in 24 minutes of action. Wake Forest next plays

Saturday when they travel to Clemson while Virginia hosts Western Kentucky Wednesday.

Bison Warning: Bucknell pulled its second upset against a major opponent this week by beating Pittsburgh

69-66. The Panthers had come into the game undefeated, beating their opponents by an average margin of 21.6

points per game. Carl Krauser scored 20 points and twice gave the Panthers the lead in the final three minutes. But each time, Kevin Bettencourt answered to give the Bison the lead back. Antonio Graves missed a potential

game-winner with 13 seconds left, and Bucknell iced the game with two late free throws. The Bison had also beaten

St. Joseph’s 69-62 Dec. 28th and now begins Patriot League play Saturday against Holy Cross. Pittsburgh finishes

their non-conference schedule 10-1 and opens their Big East slate Wednesday at home against Georgetown.

Tar Heels Win Big: North Carolina made it 12 wins in a row after a 105-66 drubbing of William and Mary.

For the Tar Heels, it was the last tune up before diving into ACC play, the bulk of which starts next Saturday

versus Maryland. Sean May led four players in double figures with 24 points and Raymond Felton dished out 12

assists.

Huskies Knock Off Cardinal: The University of Washington took out Stanford 76-73 to move to 12-1, 2-0 in

Pac-10 play. Mike Jensen scored a career-high 17 points to lead the Huskies, who found yet another scorer to

compliment their potent attack. The loss drops Stanford to 6-6 and 0-2 in the Pac-10. The road doesn’t get any

easier for the Cardinal with a pair of 11-win teams in Arizona and Arizona State coming to Palo Alto next weekend.

Battle of Arizona: Arizona took out Pac-10 travelmate Arizona State 97-79 behind 21 points from Channing

Frye. Ike Diogu scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Sun Devils but was held without a field goal

during a critical stretch in the game during which the Wildcats pull away. Both teams continue Pac-10 play next

weekend with a trip to the Bay Area to face Cal and Stanford.

Basketball Hot Bed in Morgantown?: West Virginia continues to prove its unbeaten record is no fluke. The

Mountaineers beat North Carolina State on the road 82-69 behind 15 points from Johannes Herber and Mike Gansey. Earlier in

the week, West Virginia beat giant-killer George Washington 71-65, and the Mountainners now turn their attention to

Big East play, which opens Villanova on Wednesday. NC State is reeling after two straight losses without last

year’s ACC player of the year Julius Hodge, who sprained his ankle in the last game against St. John’s. The

Wolfpack opens up ACC play at Miami next Sunday, and it’s uncertain whether Hodge will be available.

Blue Devils Dodge Upset: Duke held off Clemson 62-54 behind 24 points from J.J. Redick. Already perilously

thin in the frontcourt without Shavlik Randolph, who is out indefinitely with mononucleosis, Reggie Love,

Randolph’s replacement, injured his foot in the first half. Shelden Williams picked up the slack for Duke with 13

points and 16 rebounds for his 25th career double-double. The Blue Devils remain the lone unbeaten ACC team and

host Princeton and Temple this week before jumping back into ACC play.

Tonight’s Menu

• Oklahoma State travels to Texas A&M Corpus Christi in the only game that involves a ranked team.

• Nothern Iowa hosts Illinois State in a battle of top Missouri Valley Conference schools.

• Wichita State goes for 10-0 when it hosts Manhattan.

• Brown and Providence battle for the capital of Rhode Island.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Monday, December 20th

A Star is Back: Sophomore Sean Banks has been reinstated by the Memphis Tigers and will return to action tonight when the Tigers take on Louisiana Tech. He was suspended Dec. 14 for violating multiple team rules. He missed several practices and Saturday’s game against Austin Peay. Banks is the team’s second-leading scorer and was last year’s Conference USA’s freshman of the year.

Back on the Pine: For the second time this season, Boston College coach Al Skinner has suspended freshman forward Sean Williams. Williams, who leads the team with 18 blocks, missed Sunday’s double overtime win against Yale and will also miss Wednesday’s game versus Duquense. His situation will be re-evaluated after the holiday break before the team faces Kent State.

Coming and Going: Liberty announced that redshirt sophomore Jeremy Monceaux has left the team for personal reasons. He had seen limited action in six games this year. Last year, Monceaux broke a finger and redshirted, but as a freshman, he started 26 games and was named to the Big South All-Rookie team. The Flames, however, welcome back Brian Woodson, who was academically cleared to play for the second semester. Woodson made his season debut Saturday night against UNC-Greensboro and scored 10 points and dished out eight assists in 35 minutes off the bench.

Pilot Seeks New Horizon: Sophomore guard Sean Smith has left the Portland Pilots to pursue other basketball options. Smith, a local kid from Vancouver, Wash., had seen action in six games this season and only 22 in his career. The Pilots are 7-3 on the year, narrowly losing to Washington State Saturday night 55-54.

Another Easy W for Illinois: The Fighting Illini moved to 10-0 on the season with a 93-56 pasting of Valparaiso. Dee Brown led all five starters in double figures with 19 points as the team shot 59 percent from the floor. Illinois has one last game before the holidays Wednesday night at Missouri.

Showdown in Seattle: In Sunday’s best matchup, 8-0 North Carolina State put their undefeated record on the line in front of a packed house at Washington. In a game that figured to be a track meet, the Huskies grinded out a 68-64 win. Wolfpack standout Julius Hodge scored 15 points, but he missed a shot in the final seconds that would have tied the game. Washington moved to 8-1 on the year and avenged a 77-72 loss against NC State in Raleigh, N.C., last season.

ACC Underway: ACC conference play started Sunday night with two games. North Carolina welcomed Virginia Tech to the league with an 85-51 win. Jawad Williams and Sean May led the Tar Heels with 17 points each. Maryland eked out a 90-88 overtime win against Florida State. John Gilchrist had 21 points and 13 rebounds plus the game winning free throws in the waning seconds of overtime.

Tonight’s Menu

• Syracuse tries for their 10th win as the Orange hosts Cornell.

• Cincinnati tries to stay undefeated as the Bearcats host Jackson State.

• Mississippi State also looks for their 10th win as the Bulldogs host Florida A&M.

• Temple hosts Ivy League favorite Princeton for the first meeting between the schools since 1975.

NEC Recap

Northeast Conference 2003-04 Season Recap

by Keith Burdette

Coming into the season, the conference race looked wide open. I said in the conference preview that any one of five teams could take the title. The Monmouth Hawks were one of those teams and, thanks in large part to the conference’s stingiest scoring defense and a perfect record at home, won the regular season title. Two of the other favorites, the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils and the Quinnipiac Bobcats, stumbled badly. The Blue Devils found themselves near the bottom of the conference heading into February but used a 7-3 month to get to .500 in conference and secure one of the final two berths to the conference tournament. Despite an immensely talented squad, the Bobcats struggled to find a rhythm all year and avoided a last place finish only by winning on the last day of the season.

The St. Francis (NY) Terriers and Fairleigh Dickinson Knights each returned only two starters and weren’t expected to contend, but each found major contributions from unexpected sources. John Quintana followed up his all rookie team selection by leading the Terriers in scoring at 15.2 ppg and Mike Wilson stepped up to lead the league in three pointers made. Headed into the last weekend of play, they had a chance to win the regular season title outright but lost to Monmouth and had to settle for a share of the crown. For the Knights, Gordon Klaiber came from nowhere to finish in the top ten of the NEC in points, rebounds and blocks. He more than doubled his scoring average and grabbed almost twice as many boards. They settled for third place in the conference and lost a heartbreaker in the semifinals of the NEC tournament.

Headed into the last week, it looked like the eight teams for the NEC tournament were set. Sacred Heart needed to win just one of their last two games or hope that Mount St. Mary’s would lose one of their final three games to clinch the eighth seed. Naturally, the week started with a head-to-head match-up between the two schools which Mount St. Mary’s won 85-75. The Mountaineers then beat Wagner which set up a tense final day of the regular season. Sacred Heart would lose to Wagner 100-93 on that final day which meant that a Mount St. Mary’s win would give them the berth; problem being that game would be against conference champ Monmouth. But that Mountaineers were up to the task and they finished their improbable run into the eighth seed by beating Monmouth 68-62.

Postseason Play

The NEC tournament went according to plan with one notable exception, seventh seed Central Connecticut State made a run all the way to the finals. In the quarterfinals, the Blue Devils upended St. Francis NY 81-68 in a game where all five of their starters reached double figures. In the semifinals, the Blue Devils trailed Fairleigh Dickinson for almost the entire second half. Brandon Edwards hit two free throws to put the Knights up three with just three seconds to go but Justin Chiera hit a 30 foot buzzer beater to tie the score and send the game into overtime. Halfway through overtime, Chiera hit another shot that gave the Blue Devils the lead for good and a trip to the finals. On the other side of the bracket, top-seeded Monmouth cruised into the finals by holding Mount St. Mary’s and Robert Morris to under 35 percent shooting. In the final, Monmouth’s stingy defense prevailed and Tyler Azzarelli scored a career-high nineteen points as the Hawks earned a berth in the NCAA tournament with a 67-55 victory.

Looking for their first NCAA tournament win in three tries, the 15th seeded Hawks drew Mississippi State in the first round. Monmouth also carried the burden of the NEC failure in the tournament; the conference had won only one game in its 24 year history and that was a play-in game back in 1983. The Hawks held their own in the first fifteen minutes of the game, making 60 percent of their shots including seven of ten from long range to trail by only four. But the Hawk’s defense was no match for Mississippi State’s superior athletic ability and the Bulldogs pushed the lead to twelve at the break. The lead was stretched to 21 early in the second half and any thoughts of an upset went down the drain. Mississippi State ultimately won 85-52; Dwayne Byfield scored twelve points and was the only Hawk in double figures.

Hoopville’s NEC Hardware

Most Valuable Player

Ron Robinson – Senior Forward Central Connecticut State

First Team All-NEC
Ron Robinson – Senior Forward – Central Connecticut State
Gordon Klaiber – Sophomore Forward – Fairleigh Dickinson
Rashaun Banjo – Senior Forward – Quinnipiac
Blake Hamilton – Junior Forward – Monmouth
Landy Thompson – Sophomore Guard – Mount St. Mary’s

Second Team All-NEC
Aaron Thomas – Senior Forward – Robert Morris
Maurice Bailey – Senior Guard – Sacred Heart
Darshan Luckey – Sophomore Guard – St. Francis PA
Nigel Wyatte – Senior Forward – Wagner
John Quintana – Sophomore Guard – St. Francis NY

NEC Coach of the Year

Ron Ganulin – St. Francis NY

NEC Rookie of the Year

James Williams – Freshman Guard – Long Island

NEC All-Rookie Team
James Williams – Freshman Guard – Long Island
Obie Nwadike – Freshman Forward – Central Connecticut State
Joey Henley – Freshman Forward – Sacred Heart
Esa Maki-Tulokas – Freshman Forward – Long Island
Mychal Kearse – Freshman Guard – Mount St. Mary’s

Season Recaps

Monmouth Hawks (21-12, 12-6 NEC)

Team MVP: Blake Hamilton, team’s leading scorer and rebounder

Top Scorer: Hamilton 16.2 ppg
Top Rebounder: Hamilton 6.4 rpg
Most Assists: Dwayne Byfield 2.06 apg

Starters Leaving: Jason Krayl, Brian Boxler

Key Returnees:
Blake Hamilton (junior forward, 1st team All-NEC)
Dwayne Byfield (junior guard, 12.3 ppg)
Corey Hallett (sophomore forward, sat out most of last year after transferring from Central Michigan, member of Canadian Under 20 national team)

Monmouth loses only two starters from their NCAA tournament team. Center Brian Boxler’s spot should be filled nicely by Corey Hallett who sat out last season after transferring from Central Michigan. Hallett is spending the summer playing for Team Canada in Under 21 national tournaments. Blake Hamilton and Dwayne Byfield are one of the top returning scoring duos in the NEC.

St. Francis NY Terriers (15-13, 12-6 NEC)

Team MVP: John Quintana, team’s leading scorer

Top Scorer: Quintana 15.2 ppg
Top Rebounder: Eric Thompson 6.0 rpg
Most Assists: Tony Cavalieri 5.79 apg

Starters Leaving: Mike Wilson, Eric Thompson

Key Returnees:
John Quintana (sophomore guard, 2nd team All-NEC)
Tony Cavalieri (junior guard, NEC assist leader)
Devon Neckles (junior forward, team’s second leading rebounder)

With Quintana and Cavalieri, the Terriers return arguably the league’s best backcourt. If another post player can step up and pair with Devon Neckles, St. Francis should repeat their top four conference finish.

Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (17-12, 11-7 NEC)

Team MVP: Gordon Klaiber, team leader in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots

Top Scorer: Klaiber 16.5 ppg
Top Rebounder: Klaiber 6.4 rpg
Most Assists: Marcus Whitaker 5.55 apg

Starters Leaving: Marcus Whitaker, Brandon Edwards

Key Returnees:
Gordon Klaiber (sophomore forward, 1st team All-NEC)
Chad Timberlake (sophomore guard, 11.5 ppg)
Tamien Trent (junior guard, 12.0 ppg)

Fairleigh Dickinson returns the top three scorers from the team that almost made the NEC championship game. The Knights will be one of the favorites to reach the title game next season if someone steps up to replace Marcus Whitaker who was fourth in the conference in assists.

Robert Morris Colonials (14-15, 10-8 NEC)

Team MVP: Aaron Thomas, league leader in three point shooting, team leader in rebounds, third on team in scoring

Top Scorer: Chaz McCrommon 17.0 ppg
Top Rebounder: Thomas 6.9 rpg
Most Assists: Maurice Carter 3.20 apg

Starters leaving: Aaron Thomas, Chaz McCrommon, Bobby Davenport

Key Returnees:
Maurice Carter (junior guard, second leading scorer)
Mark Anderson (junior forward, 8.6 ppg)

With two of the top three scorers leaving, the Colonials will have a tough time repeating a top four finish. McCrommon and Thomas averaged more then 38 minutes per game so young players without much experience will have to play key minutes.

St. Francis PA Red Flash (13-15, 10-8 NEC)

Team MVP: Darshan Luckey, team’s leading scorer

Top Scorer: Luckey 17.6 ppg
Top Rebounder: Osborne 6.6 rpg
Most Assists: Erick Wills 2.67 apg

Starters leaving: Erick Wills, Carl Ulmer

Key Returnees:
Darshan Luckey (sophomore guard, leading scorer)
Joey Goodson (junior guard, 6.4 ppg)
Jason Osbourne (junior forward, 12.1 ppg and 6.6 rpg)

The core returns from a team that finished tied for fourth in the NEC. Like Fairleigh Dickinson, finding a reliable point guard to replace Erick Wills will go a long way in determining whether the Red Flash can duplicate that performance next season.

Wagner Seahawks (13-16, 10-8 NEC)

Team MVP: Nigel Wyatte, only NEC player to average a double-double, league leader in boards, team leader in points and blocks

Top Scorer: Wyatte 13.7 ppg
Top Rebounder: Wyatte 10.4 rpg
Most Assists: Courtnet Pritchard 5.68 apg

Starters leaving: Doug Viegas, Teoine Carroll, Courtney Pritchard, Nigel Wyatte

Key Returnees:
Sean Munson (junior forward, 9.1 ppg and 8.6 rpg)
Jamal Webb (freshman guard, 6.0 ppg)

No team loses more than the Seahawks. Four starters depart from a team that finished tied for fourth. During the summer, Sean Munson played with a team of American all-stars that toured China and he will need to make some big strides to be the leader of the Seahawks. Five rising freshmen will also need to improve greatly after limited action in their first year.

Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (14-14, 9-9 NEC)

Team MVP: Ron Robinson, team’s leading scorer and rebounder

Top Scorer: Robinson 18.0 ppg
Top Rebounder: Robinson 9.7 rpg
Most Assists: Lenny Jefferson 2.74 apg

Starters leaving: Ron Robinson

Key Returnees:
Rich Pittman (junior forward, 10.3 ppg and 5.6 rpg)
Obie Nwadike (freshman forward, 7.5 ppg and 6.6 rpg)
Justin Chiera (sophomore guard, 10.2 ppg and team leader in threes)

Only NEC player of the year Ron Robinson departs from a team that made it to the NEC final. Robinson will be sorely missed but six players who averaged over 20 minutes and 6.5 points per game return. Add an incoming recruiting class with five players including Tristan Blackwood who also played for Canada in the Under 21 national tournaments this summer and they will again be a conference favorite.

Mount St. Mary Mountaineers (10-19, 8-10 NEC)

Team MVP: Landy Thompson, team leader in scoring, assists, steals and 3pt shooting

Top Scorer: Thompson 17.7 ppg
Top Rebounder: Mychal Kearse 5.6 rpg
Most Assists: Thompson 2.52 apg

Starters leaving: Nick Dodson

Key Returnees:
Landy Thompson (sophomore guard, leading scorer)
Kiel Butler (sophomore forward, 11.1 ppg)
Mychal Kearse (freshman guard, 6.5 ppg and 5.6 rpg)

All but one starter returns to a team that used a three game win streak to close the regular season and advance to their first NEC tournament in four years. With only two seniors next year, the team will still be very young but should make some noise in the NEC. Even so, the Mountaineer’s best team could be another year away.

Sacred Heart Pioneers (12-15, 8-10 NEC)

Team MVP: Maurice Bailey, NEC leader in scoring and free throw shooting

Top Scorer: Bailey 20.1 ppg
Top Rebounder: Joey Henley 5.4 rpg
Most Assists: Omar Wellington 4.15 apg

Starters leaving: Maurice Bailey, Omar Wellington

Key Returnees:
Kibwe Trim (junior forward, 10.6 ppg and 4.8 rpg)
Joey Henley (freshman forward, 8.7 ppg and 5.4 rpg)

The Pioneers lose their two best players and arguably the best backcourt in the NEC in Bailey and Wellington. With Trim, Henley and a 7-2 Mading Mading, the frontcourt will have to carry this team and hope that a couple young guards emerge.

Quinnipiac Bobcats (9-20, 5-13 NEC)

Team MVP: Rashaun Banjo, team leader in points and rebounds

Top Scorer: Banjo 17.7 ppg
Top Rebounder: Banjo 7.6 rpg
Most Assists: Kason Mims 5.72 apg

Starters leaving: Rashaun Banjo, Kason Mims

Key Returnees:
Rob Monroe (junior guard, 15.5 ppg and 60 threes)
CJ Vick (junior forward, 9.8 ppg and 6.6 rpg)
Craig Benson (sophomore guard, 7.9 ppg)

The most disappointing team in the NEC will have to replace two starters that played big minutes last season. The Bobcats will need to rely heavily on Rob Monroe who was the team’s second leading scorer but missed the last four games of the season with a broken foot. Without major improvements from underclassmen, Quinnipiac could find itself mired near the bottom off the NEC for a second straight season.

Long Island Blackbirds (8-19, 4-14 NEC)

Team MVP: James Williams, team leader in assists, minutes, free throw and 3pt shooting

Top Scorer: Brandon Thomas 12.3 ppg
Top Rebounder: Esa Maki-Tulokas 6.3 rpg
Most Assists: Williams 3.85 apg

Starters leaving: Brandon Thomas, Raymond Edwards

Key Returnees:
James Williams (freshman guard, NEC rookie of the year)
Esa Maki-Tulokas (freshman forward, 8.4 ppg and 6.3 rpg)

The top two scorers leave a team that finished in the basement of the NEC. Several freshmen saw extended playing time but with only two seniors and no juniors, the Blackbirds may be staring at another season in the cellar of the NEC.

NCAA Finals Recap

Finals Recap

by Keith Burdette

(2) Connecticut 82, (3) Georgia Tech 73

For the second time in six seasons, the Connecticut Huskies are champions of the college basketball world, beating Georgia Tech in the championship 82-73. The first few minutes were close and Georgia Tech even held a 12-11 lead. But from there, the Huskies went on a 21-6 run to take control of the game. The lead was 15 at the break and as high as 25 in the second half. The Yellow Jackets fought back to make the score respectable but the game never matched excitement of Saturday night’s nail-biters. Connecticut’s inside-outside combo proved to be too difficult to contain. Emeka Okafor had 24 points and 15 rebounds and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Ben Gordon had 21 points and Rashad Anderson 18 points for the Huskies. Will Bynum had 17 points to lead Georgia Tech and BJ Elder added 14. Luke Schenscher had nine points and eleven rebounds but looked overmatched against Okafor all night.

The win comes after finding out that UConn Coach Jim Calhoun was one vote shy of being elected to the Hall of Fame. It will be hard to deny him the second time around now that he becomes the first coach in forty years to win the championship in each of his first two Final Four appearances. His impact on the Huskies is impossible to ignore. Since coming to Storrs, UConn is 34-10 in the NCAA tournament. Before his arrival they were 4-14 and a cellar dweller in the Big East. Next year, it will be tough for them to repeat with all signs pointing to Okafor and Gordon heading the NBA. But the cupboard is far from bare with a stellar recruiting class joining the likes of Josh Boone, Charlie Villanueva and Rashad Anderson.

Georgia Tech figures to be back in the hunt next year returning four starters in addition to Will Bynum and Isma’il Muhammed. In his fourth season at the helm, Paul Hewitt has established himself as one of the best young coaches in the game. He led the Yellow Jackets to their first Final Four since 1990 and their first ever national championship game. Armed with a new six year contract extension believed to be worth over a million dollars a season, this may be only the beginning of a very successful run of Georgia Tech basketball.

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Your Phil of Hoops

Not a season to remember for Wake Forest

March 8, 2012 by Phil Kasiecki

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 a wonderful addition to the CAA coaching ranks

March 7, 2012 by Phil Kasiecki

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.

Bruiser Flint won’t be stressing out the next few days

March 6, 2012 by Phil Kasiecki

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 has promise next season, but clear room for improvement

March 4, 2012 by Phil Kasiecki

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.

Despite the quarterfinal loss, the tournament is a positive ending for UNCW

March 3, 2012 by Phil Kasiecki

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 fights the injury bug together and to the end

March 3, 2012 by Phil Kasiecki

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.

2012 CAA Tournament – First Round Notes

March 3, 2012 by Phil Kasiecki

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.

Quick Hitters – March 2, 2012

March 2, 2012 by Phil Kasiecki

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.

Kyle Casey deserves a better ending

February 27, 2012 by Phil Kasiecki

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.

Ivy League showdown looms between old rivals

February 18, 2012 by Phil Kasiecki

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.

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Conference Coverage

2011-12 ACC Post-Mortem

May 19, 2012 by Michael Protos

A look back at the 2011-12 season in the ACC, one with good but not great results and a few teams that had unexpected finishes in the NCAA Tournament.

Idaho State makes a decision

March 15, 2012 by Gidal Kaiser

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” …

The Big Sky Championships: who’s gonna win

March 6, 2012 by Gidal Kaiser

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 …

Playing catch-up: the Big Sky all-conference team & “first-round” analysis

March 5, 2012 by Gidal Kaiser

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.

What Was The Reason Behind Cleveland State’s Five Game Losing Streak?

February 26, 2012 by Joe Fell

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 …

Cleveland State Vikings Use Solid Contributions By Freshmen To Defeat Detroit Titans, 77-64

February 24, 2012 by Joe Fell

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 …

Much Is At Stake In The Final Week Of Horizon League Play

February 21, 2012 by Joe Fell

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 …

Cleveland State Loses To Drexel Dragons 69-49 In ESPN BracketBusters Matchup

February 18, 2012 by Joe Fell

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 …

Butler Bulldogs Hang On To Defeat Cleveland State Vikings, 52-49

February 11, 2012 by Joe Fell

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 …

Valparaiso Crusaders Dominate Cleveland State Vikings 59-41

February 9, 2012 by Joe Fell

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 …

Big Sky Conference update – Jan 26, 2012

January 26, 2012 by Gidal Kaiser

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 …

Cleveland State Vikings Overwhelm Milwaukee Panthers 83-57

January 22, 2012 by Joe Fell

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 …

Big Sky Conference update – January 18, 2012

January 18, 2012 by Gidal Kaiser

One team stands alone atop the standings for now, with another a little behind them and a logjam near the middle of the pack.

Cleveland State Use Barrages from Outside to Defeat Loyola

January 7, 2012 by Joe Fell

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 …

Big Sky roundup, week 1

January 5, 2012 by Gidal Kaiser

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 …