The Morning Dish – Wednesday, February 2nd
Illini Win in the Izzone: Many believed Illinois’ road game at Michigan State was the last major hurdle for the Illini to jump over before hitting a clear path for an undefeated regular season. Although that talk ignores that any Big Ten team is capable of and more than determined to knock off Illinois, the hurdle in Lansing never materialized. Illinois jumped out to a 41-33 halftime lead and cruised to an 81-68 win. Guard Luther Head led Illinois again with 22 points, including four three pointers. The Illini drained 13-of-24 three pointers. As a team, Illinois shot better than 56 percent from the field, finding open shots regardless of the defense chosen by Spartan coach Tom Izzo. The Spartans were led by guard Alan Anderson, who scored 14 points. But Illinois’ hot shooting and timely defensive stops prevented Michigan State from seriously threatening the No. 1 team in the land.
Boston College Follows the Illini’s Lead: Unlike the Illini who score lots of points en route to win after win, Boston College suffocates opponents with defense and ball control. The Eagles also remain undefeated by beating West Virginia 62-50 last night. Forward Craig Smith led Boston College with 23 points, and the Eagles held the Mountaineers to less than 36 percent shooting from the field. Forwards Tyrone Sally and Mike Gansey led West Virginia with 10 points apiece as the Mountaineers struggled against Boston College’s stringent defense. The Eagles won despite using only seven players in the game.
Inconsistent Terrapins Dominated Down South: Fresh off wins against Duke and Georgia Tech, Maryland visited Clemson last night looking to win three consecutive ACC games for the first time in two years. But the Tigers did not play their part as Clemson dominated Maryland for an 88-73 blowout. Senior forward Sharrod Ford led Clemson with 25 points and 10 rebounds, his third consecutive double-double. The Terrapins struggled to find any offensive rhythm for most of the game, shooting less than 40 percent, including only 2-of-11 from three-point range. If the Terrapins fall behind, they are ill-suited to rally because they lack consistent three-point shooters. Guard John Gilchrist led Maryland with 18 points.
From Bad to Worse: Purdue’s season and coach Gene Keady’s swan song have been a struggle through three months. Now, the Boilermakers must hope their star play can be effective while injured. Forward Carl Landry slammed into Michigan’s Chris Hunter on Sunday, forcing the Boilermaker to receive seven stitches above his left eye, which swelled overnight. Landry missed practice Monday, but Keady, who will retire at season’s end, said the Big Ten’s leading scorer should be available for Purdue’s game at Ohio State tonight.
Friar Defrocked: Providence learned that sophomore guard Gerald Brown will leave the team to address personal issues. Brown has played in 15 games for the Friars, averaging 7.1 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. A season of underachievement and disappointment continues for the Friars as Providence has dropped their first seven conference games.
Wolfpack Look to Limp to March: North Carolina State is in the middle of the ACC pack and will be without another important contributor until March. The Wolfpack hope it won’t be too late for senior forward Levi Watkins to help NC State reach the NCAA Tournament when he returns in about four weeks from a knee injury. Watkins averages 4.7 points per game, but he has started 12 games for North Carolina State and is one of the more consistent contributors.
Hokie Will Play: Virginia Tech senior guard Carlos Dixon is one of the major reasons the Hokies are contending in the ACC midway through conference play. But he missed most of the Hokies’ beat down at Duke last weekend when he injured his thumb in a tumble for a loose ball. X-rays did not indicate severe damage, and school officials said Dixon will be available for tonight’s game at Miami – the hardwood version of one of the ACC’s best new football rivalries.
Moore Help for Cincinnati: Backup point guard Chadd Moore will play tonight for Cincinnati against Louisville in a clash of Conference USA’s best teams. Moore, who has a history of back injuries, missed a game last weekend when he aggravated the back last week against South Florida. Moore averages 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, but he is the lone point guard on the bench to back up starter Jihad Muhammad.
Hurting Hogs: Arkansas will play South Carolina tonight without starting forward Mike Jones, whose groin injury appears more severe than team officials originally believed. His backup, Marcus Monk, will also miss the game. Monk is a wide receiver for the Razorbacks’ football team, and a shoulder injury from one of the team’s final games continues to both Monk. The lone good news for Arkansas is that sophomore guard Ronnie Brewer is ok after turning his ankle against Kentucky on Saturday.
Duke’s Disappearing Bench Act: Duke has jumped out to a fantastic start in spite of a litany of injuries that have cut into the team’s depth. Add one more to the infirmary report. Freshman forward David McClure is out indefinitely because doctors must perform surgery to clear debris in his left knee. McClure only averages 1.6 points and 1.4 rebounds per game, but his presence allows coach Mike Krzyzewski to rest starting forwards Shavlik Randolph and Shelden Williams. Randolph missed time earlier this season because of mononucleosis and freshman forward Reggie Love is still out because of a foot injury.
How to Get a Championship Ring Without Trying: While on the subject of Duke, there’s one less championship ring in the family of Duke alumni. That’s because former Duke forward Christian Ast sold his 1991-92 championship ring on Ebay earlier this week for $8,000. Ast played a minor role for that team and transferred to American, where he finished his collegiate career. He left the United States to return to his native Germany to play in professional leagues there. Guess the pay isn’t too good.
Shirt Off His Back: Washington officials said their star guard, Nate Robinson, may have broken NCAA codes by accepting a free jersey from former Husky football player and current Chicago Bear Terry Johnson. Johnson rewarded Robinson for his team-leading effort in Sunday’s win against Arizona State. But NCAA codes ban gifts to players on scholarship. Washington officials believe any sanctions would be minor and would not include a suspension, especially if Robinson returns the jersey. The rules clearly have a good purpose, but cases like these make them seem overbearing.
The Godfather Is Angry: Doug Compton is the godfather to one of the sons of Quin Snyder, Missouri’s head coach. Snyder’s wife and three of her friends stay at Compton’s house. The Kansas alum also owns a construction company that is a sponsor of the poster that Jayhawk fans bring to games to mock opponents. And the affiliation presented a huge conflict of interest Monday when the poster featured a call for Missouri to fire Snyder. An irritated Compton visited Snyder at his hotel to assure him that he had not approved the poster and that he would not sponsor the publication in the future. Friendship before school allegiance.
Dreamer Gets a Job: ESPN Dream Job Season Two winner Mike Hall appears to be MIA since winning the contest for a job at ESPN last year. But never fear Hall fanatics, he will be the anchor for ESPN’s new college sports network, ESPNU, which will debut March 4. What better way to get instant exposure than to become the anchor for a college sports network right before the onset of March Madness? Guess those ESPN folks know a thing or two about marketing.
