The Morning Dish – Tuesday, January 11th
Orange Down Irish: Syracuse used a 14-0 run late in the second half to erase a
six-point deficit in South Bend, Ind., and Jim Boeheim became the first coach with 300 Big
East victories as part of the Orange’s 70-61 win. Gerry McNamara scored a game-high 22
points, including an NBA-range three-pointer with the shot-clock winding down to seal the
Irish’s fate. Josh Pace finished with 16 points, and Billy Edelin provided a spark off the
bench with five assists and a career-high seven steals. Notre Dame’s Chris Thomas shot just
1-for-14 from the field, including 1-for-11 from long range.
Sooners Upset Huskies: Taj Gray scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead
Oklahoma to a 77-65 win against visiting Connecticut last night at the Lloyd Noble Center. The
Sooners shot 52 percent from the field and never trailed, while holding the Huskies to 36
percent shooting. Sophomore guard Lawrence McKenzie added 18 points for the Sooners, who
avenged last season’s 86-59 shellacking in Storrs, Conn.
Granger Grounded: New Mexico forward Danny Granger, who was averaging 19.5 points and
9.4 rebounds per game, underwent knee surgery yesterday and will miss the Lobos’ game Saturday
at Air Force. The 6-foot-8 senior injured the knee while attempting to block a shot in the
first half of last Saturday’s 89-75 win against Wyoming. Granger, a huge reason for New
Mexico’s 14-2 start, is listed as questionable for next week’s games at BYU and Utah.
Clipped Wings: Already without senior forward Wayne Simien, Kansas could head to Iowa
State tomorrow without the services of guard Keith Langford and freshman forward Christian
Moody. Both were injured in the Jayhawks’ 65-59 win against Kentucky Sunday. Langford suffered
an apparent concussion after diving for a loose ball late in the second half, while Moody
severely sprained his left ankle and wore a boot yesterday.
King Hits Court: Virginia Tech’s Jeff King, a second-team All-ACC tight end for Frank
Beamer’s Hokies during the football season, began practicing with Virginia Tech’s basketball
team yesterday. In addition to the muscle that the 6’5, 256-pound King will provide, head
coach Seth Greenberg hopes he can bring leadership to the young squad much like Hokie
quarterback Bryan Randall did when he joined the basketball team last season. King averaged
25 points and 14 rebounds as a senior at Pulaski County, Va., High School.
Bulldogs Lose Frazier: Mississippi State guard Winsome Frazier, the Bulldogs’
second-leading scorer averaging 13.3 points per game, will miss the rest of the season after
breaking his foot in Saturday’s 87-76 victory against Mississippi. Frazier, who will undergo
surgery today, landed awkwardly on his left foot after leaping to block a shot against the
Rebels. The Bulldogs’ first test without their leading three-point shooter comes tomorrow
against Tennessee.
Stricter Academic Standards Set: The NCAA Division I Board of Directors approved the
first phase of an academic reform package yesterday. The Academic Performance Program applies
to every men’s and women’s sport, and schools will receive reports in the coming weeks that
will indicate which of their teams fall below the new standards. Committee chairman and
University of Hartford president Walter Harrison said football, baseball and men’s
basketball are the biggest concerns, with an estimated 30 percent of football teams failing
to meet the new standards. There will be two different measures of academic performance used
in the program, an Academic Progress Rate (APR) based on the number of student-athletes on
each team who are eligible and return to campus full-time each term, and a longer-term
graduation success rate. Teams that fall under a minimum APR will lose up to 10 percent of
their allotted scholarships for a particular sport when a player who is academically
ineligible leaves the school.
Crawford Intends to Leave UK: Kentucky guard Joe Crawford, a 6’4 freshman
averaging 3.8 points per game, has told head coach Tubby Smith he intends to transfer.
Crawford cited a lack of playing time – he was averaging 12.8 minutes per game – as the
reason for his decision.
Aztecs Not Stoked: San Diego State dismissed senior guard Wesley Stokes, who averaged
12.1 points and 5.8 assists per game last year after transferring from Missouri, for
academic reasons. Stokes had not practiced or played in a game this season.
Sumpter Sidelined: Villanova forward Curtis Sumpter, the team’s leading scorer and
rebounder with 17.4 and 8.8 per game, respectively, will be sidelined three to six weeks
with a sprained right knee. The junior had recorded three straight 20-point performances,
helping the Wildcats to an 8-2 start and an 84-46 blowout of West Virginia in their Big East
opener. Sumpter was injured in practice Friday and missed Villanova’s 78-72 loss to Notre
Dame Saturday.
Joneliunas Leaves USC: Due to lack of playing time, South Carolina sophomore center
Paulius Joneliunas decided to transfer to American University. With Gamecocks head coach
Dave Odom favoring an up-tempo style of play, the 6-foot-10 240-pound Joneliunas didn’t fit
the system and played in just three games this season.
Matta’s Contract Remains Unsigned: Thad Matta became the head coach at Ohio State six
months ago, but he is technically working without a contract, having not inked the seven-year
deal that has since been extended to eight. Matta, who said signing the agreement was
originally delayed in the wake of the news of the program’s ban from postseason play this
season, and later when Ohio State officials turned their attention to the suspension of
quarterback Troy Smith from the Alamo Bowl, expects to sign the agreement soon.
Tonight’s Menu:
• Maryland travels to Wake Forest, looking to rebound from Saturday’s 34-point loss at
UNC.
• Louisville heads to Southern Miss for a Conference USA showdown.
• Marshall and West Virginia square off in an intrastate battle.
• Missouri looks for a huge upset at Oklahoma State.
• Arkansas (13-2) hooks up with Alabama (12-3).
