Thanksgiving week is long over and so are most of the early season exempt tournaments. These events are often resume builders for March (see Butler in the 2006 NIT Season Tipoff) so let's look at the winners of each event a little bit more.
NIT Season Tipoff - Texas A&M. I expected the Aggies to take a bit of a step back after losing star Acie Law, but they impressed with big wins in New York over Washington and Ohio State. While super freshman DeAndre Jordan has been super on the boards (14.4 per 40 mins) and from the field (83.3 FG%) upperclassmen Josh Carter, Joseph Jones and Dominique Kirk are the leading scorers. This team is still playing stifling defense so expect to see them in March.
Maui Invitational - Duke. I was one who thought that the Blue Devils might have been a bit overrated with people putting them in their preseason top 10. It's still early, but any top 10 wouldn't be credible without having Duke present at this point. Coach K has his team running more than it did last year, back to Duke basketball. Kyle Singler lived up to his hype in winning the tournament MVP, and if Coach K finally decides to take advantage of his depth this team will be dangerous.
College Basketball Experience Classic - UCLA. When you're a preseason #2, you're expected to win big games early in the season. When you're without two of your top guards, that will hardly be taken into consideration by media and fans. Darren Collison and Michael Roll were missed, but the Bruins still handled Maryland and beat a good Michigan State team in the finals. Another star freshman - this time Kevin Love - has paced the team by averaging a double-double through 7 games. By the way, this team still plays some great defense. Imagine that coming from a Ben Howland coached team.
Great Alaska Shootout - Butler. I don't have to like Butler. And after beating Maryland last March, I'm not going to do it. What you must do, however, is give them their due as a legitimate top 25 team. The Bulldogs win games with a simple formula - slow the tempo, protect the rock like the Hope Diamond, and take lots of threes. Butler doesn't have much size which shows up in their defense and rebounding, but that deadly efficient offense is enough to beat a team when it's running smoothly. Wins over Virginia Tech and Texas Tech in the final two rounds aren't landmark wins, especially compared to what the team did last season, but they are strong wins for Butler early in the year.
Old Spice Classic - North Carolina State. The Pack didn't make it easy with late wins over South Carolina and Villanova in their last two games, but freshman JJ Hickson led them to victory in the second edition of the Orlando based event. NC State has no experience at point guard so expect some growing pains - turnovers have been a problem so far. The talent is there to finish high in the ACC.
US Virgin Islands Paradise Jam - Baylor. The Bears have not been good in a long time. The program is coming off of one of the worst scandals of all-time and has won as many as 6 Big XII games just once this decade. Scott Drew is seeking to change that, and he has laid the groundwork with solid recruiting classes including freshman Lacedarius Dunn and sophomore Demond Carter, both out of Louisiana. Wins over Wichita State, Notre Dame and Winthrop, all recent NCAA Tournament teams is cause for celebration for a team that has beat just one tournament team in the last four seasons. In all liklihood Baylor is still a season or two away from truly competing in the Big XII, but an NIT berth may be in the cards.
Anaheim Classic - USC. Lose to Mercer by double digits on your home court to open the season and you have to prove you deserved that top 25 preseason ranking. The Trojans didn't quite do that in Anaheim, but their championship game thrashing of Southern Illinois showed their potential. The top seven in minutes for USC are all either freshman or sophomore. Star freshman OJ Mayo (59.2 eFG%, 21.8 ppg) has been an offensive force early on despite taking terrible care of the ball, turning it over 4.7 times per game.
South Padre Island Invitational - Vanderbilt. Andrew Ogilvy is the best freshman that no one is hyping. He's an international player that hails from Australia so right now Fran Fraschilla might be the only analyst at the Worldwide Leader that knows who he is, but if he continues to make two-thirds of his shots that will change quickly. Losing Derrick Byars hurts this team, but they can still get back to level they were at last season with Shan Foster and Ogilvy leading the charge.
Puerto Rico Tipoff Classic - Miami. The Hurricanes are still number one in Ken Pomeroy's version of the RPI. Early wins over Marist, VCU and Providence are all solid for this team though they did struggle with Morgan State and Alabama State after returning from the island (albeit without Jack McClinton). McClinton is the star and a returning All-ACC player, but he will need to be even better this season for Miami to contend in the ACC.
Chicago Invitational Challenge - Xavier. This one was most notable for the Musketeers' rout of then-top 10 Indiana. Xavier went to the tournament last season and came excruciatingly close to upending Ohio State. Now with four seniors in their top six, Xavier is the clear favorite in the Atlantic Ten and should make a return trip to the Big Dance.
Las Vegas Invitational - North Carolina. Louisville losing in the semifinals of the championship round took away the made-for-TV top 10 matchup with North Carolina. The Tar Heels didn't roll in the finals, though, fighting off a feisty BYU team deep into the second half. The story early for the Heels is that they look like a top 5 team. No surprise there. UNC has played well offensively and defensively and shows little weakness in its component numbers with only their opponents eFG% (107th) ranking outside the nation's top 100. Watch out for their game against Kentucky at Rupp Arena where they will likely be without Tywon Lawson.
Legends Classic - Texas. In yet another new event, the Longhorns ran Tennessee out of the building in the finals. They're still an offensive force, even without Kevin Durant, but the defense would still seem to need some tweaks, at least in the early going.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Terps win, ACC rolls
The Terps put together their best game of the season on Wednesday night to beat Illinois, 69-61, at the Comcast Center. Maryland put together a 40 minute game on their way to the team's first big win of the young season.
The defense was again stifling, limiting Illinois to just 24 of 72 shooting from the field while keeping them off the free throw line in a game that saw a very low number of fouls called. On offense the team played well enough, scoring just under a point per possession against what should be a very strong defensive team. Maryland limited turnovers for the second straight game, giving up the ball just 12 times in an estimated 70 possessions.
Individually, Eric Hayes may have been the player of the game, scoring 16 points and hitting 4 three point shots, displaying a renewed shooting touch that carried over from the Lehigh game. Freshman center Braxton Dupree got his second consecutive start and made the most of it once again, scoring 10 points and grabbing 5 rebounds in just 18 minutes of action.
Cliff Tucker was the other freshman to have a breakout game, scoring 9 points and snaring 5 rebounds in just 12 minutes in relief of Landon Milbourne. Tucker showed more assertiveness in the offense and also displayed previously unseen shooting skill on a few occasions. Milbourne again failed to get comfortable and make an impact on the game in his time, and it would seem that Tucker should soon push for more time.
Greivis Vasquez had another mixed bag of a game. The good was dishing 10 assists against just 2 turnovers, running the offense smoothly, and having 7 rebounds. The bad was an atrocious 2 for 14 shooting night that included another o-fer on seven shots from behind the arc. That puts him at an obscene 7-39 from deep through 7 games.
On the defensive end the Terps gave up a few open shots from the perimeter while letting Illinois get very little in the way of good looks close to the basket. No doubt the Illini are not the best of offensive teams, to put it kindly, but another stifling defensive effort (with a nice performance from an emerging Jerome Burney) leads one to believe that the defense may once again be very good.
In the shocker of the day, the ACC once again won the "challenge" with the Big Televen winning 8 of the 11 games over the past three days. At this point shouldn't the ACC be looking to more competitive series against the SEC or the Pac-Ten?
The defense was again stifling, limiting Illinois to just 24 of 72 shooting from the field while keeping them off the free throw line in a game that saw a very low number of fouls called. On offense the team played well enough, scoring just under a point per possession against what should be a very strong defensive team. Maryland limited turnovers for the second straight game, giving up the ball just 12 times in an estimated 70 possessions.
Individually, Eric Hayes may have been the player of the game, scoring 16 points and hitting 4 three point shots, displaying a renewed shooting touch that carried over from the Lehigh game. Freshman center Braxton Dupree got his second consecutive start and made the most of it once again, scoring 10 points and grabbing 5 rebounds in just 18 minutes of action.
Cliff Tucker was the other freshman to have a breakout game, scoring 9 points and snaring 5 rebounds in just 12 minutes in relief of Landon Milbourne. Tucker showed more assertiveness in the offense and also displayed previously unseen shooting skill on a few occasions. Milbourne again failed to get comfortable and make an impact on the game in his time, and it would seem that Tucker should soon push for more time.
Greivis Vasquez had another mixed bag of a game. The good was dishing 10 assists against just 2 turnovers, running the offense smoothly, and having 7 rebounds. The bad was an atrocious 2 for 14 shooting night that included another o-fer on seven shots from behind the arc. That puts him at an obscene 7-39 from deep through 7 games.
On the defensive end the Terps gave up a few open shots from the perimeter while letting Illinois get very little in the way of good looks close to the basket. No doubt the Illini are not the best of offensive teams, to put it kindly, but another stifling defensive effort (with a nice performance from an emerging Jerome Burney) leads one to believe that the defense may once again be very good.
In the shocker of the day, the ACC once again won the "challenge" with the Big Televen winning 8 of the 11 games over the past three days. At this point shouldn't the ACC be looking to more competitive series against the SEC or the Pac-Ten?
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Terps to take on Illini
For the second straight season Maryland will face Illinois in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, this time at Comcast Center. The Illini are currently 4-1, opening the season with consecutive close wins over Northeastern and Hawaii before taking third place in the Maui Invitational with wins over Arizona State and Oklahoma State. Their only loss so far was in the semifinals out in Maui to Duke.
So far Illinois has relied on a balanced scoring attack with Brian Randle, Shaun Pruitt, Chester Frazier, Trent Meachem, Calvin Brock and Rodney Alexander all averaging at least 8 ppg. It's not much of a secret that Illinois likes to play a slow, grind it out game typical of the Big Ten. They rank outside the top 250 in the nation in raw possessions per game for the fifth straight season.
In 2007 the Illini were a terrific defensive team, ranking in the top 5 in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency. They were undone by an offense that ranked ninth in the Big Ten, outside the top 100 in the country. The team has undergone some personnel changes, losing Jamar Smith, Warren Carter and Rich McBride from last season's team. Yet there is no one area where the offensive improvement has taken place. Illinois has improved slightly across the board, improving in all four major categories while posting an excellent OR% and respectable numbers elsewhere. Some of this might be genuine improvement, but at this stage it is too early to tell.
Another subplot to watch, albeit a minor one as it relates to the outcome, is the presence of Jeffrey Jordan on the Illinois bench. The son of the best player of all-time can't do better than walk on at Illinois? Genes aren't everything in this case. Jordan has played sparingly in four games so far, scoring one point and failing to hit a shot from the field. Illinois didn't get Eric Gordon but they did snag Jordan. Fair trade?
So far Illinois has relied on a balanced scoring attack with Brian Randle, Shaun Pruitt, Chester Frazier, Trent Meachem, Calvin Brock and Rodney Alexander all averaging at least 8 ppg. It's not much of a secret that Illinois likes to play a slow, grind it out game typical of the Big Ten. They rank outside the top 250 in the nation in raw possessions per game for the fifth straight season.
In 2007 the Illini were a terrific defensive team, ranking in the top 5 in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency. They were undone by an offense that ranked ninth in the Big Ten, outside the top 100 in the country. The team has undergone some personnel changes, losing Jamar Smith, Warren Carter and Rich McBride from last season's team. Yet there is no one area where the offensive improvement has taken place. Illinois has improved slightly across the board, improving in all four major categories while posting an excellent OR% and respectable numbers elsewhere. Some of this might be genuine improvement, but at this stage it is too early to tell.
Another subplot to watch, albeit a minor one as it relates to the outcome, is the presence of Jeffrey Jordan on the Illinois bench. The son of the best player of all-time can't do better than walk on at Illinois? Genes aren't everything in this case. Jordan has played sparingly in four games so far, scoring one point and failing to hit a shot from the field. Illinois didn't get Eric Gordon but they did snag Jordan. Fair trade?
Monday, November 26, 2007
Top 25 #2
- UCLA
- North Carolina
- Memphis
- Kansas
- Georgetown
- Duke
- Washington State
- Texas A&M
- Texas
- Butler
- Marquette
- Clemson
- Xavier
- Michigan State
- Brigham Young
- North Carolina State
- George Mason
- Louisville
- Indiana
- Tennessee
- Southern California
- Vanderbilt
- Ohio State
- Creighton
- Baylor
Sunday, November 25, 2007
ACC Week 2
Duke (6-0): beat Princeton, Illinois, Marquette, Eastern Kentucky. Duke rolled into Maui and won their fourth Maui Invitational title. In a season loaded with elite freshman, Kyle Singler continued to do his part, scoring 18 points per game in Hawaii to win the tournament's MVP award. Worth noting: Duke is back to its running ways after a year away from that formula, running to the tune of greater than 73 possessions per game. That's the most for the Blue Devils since at least 2003.
Clemson (5-0): beat Old Dominion, Presbyterian, Gardner Webb. The Tigers got another possible NCAA Tournament resume-builder with the win over Old Dominion. Clemson faces very few elite teams, but the rest of the nonconference schedule has plenty of tests with Purdue, South Carolina and Charlotte coming to Littlejohn, a road date with Alabama, and three games in the San Juan Shootout in late Decemeber.
Miami (5-0): beat Providence, Morgan State. Miami nipped Providence to take the inaugural Puerto Rico TipOff Classic before beating a poor Morgan State team by 4 without the services of Jack McClinton. The 'Canes temporarily find themselves atop the RPI standings. We know that one won't last.
North Carolina (5-0): beat Iona, South Carolina State, Old Dominion, Brigham Young. The Heels also won a tournament title, beating a feisty BYU squad to take the Las Vegas Invitational without a showdown with fellow top 10 Louisville. UNC, like Maryland recently, struggled with the deep shot against BYU, hitting just two, although they are averaging over six threes per game in their first five.
Boston College (4-0): beat Mercer, Rhode Island. BC has escaped the big upset so far, but with so many freshman in the rotation playing key roles that might not last. Freshman shooting guard Rakim Sanders, considered just a good recruit, has averaged 16.3 ppg on good shooting numbers (58.6 eFG%) giving the Eagles a potent backcourt with Sanders and star Tyrese Rice.
Wake Forest (3-0): beat North Carolina Central, Winston-Salem State. Wake is another young team with eight of their top nine scorers so far being freshman or sophomores. WF beat two of the newest members of Division I, but not by all that many, winning the two games by 17 and 20 respectively. It will be a growing process for a team that will go on the road for four of its next five games.
Virginia (5-1): beat Drexel, Penn, lost to Seton Hall. The Cavs were upset in the finals of the Philly Hoop Group Classic in a convincing loss to Seton Hall. Virginia has a plethora of backcourt scoring options that should help create a dynamic offense, but the defense will likely be a big question mark. After giving up more than a point per possession (108.9 eff) in a win at Arizona, the Cavs did the same against Seton Hall (eff = 110.5) and lowly 2-4 Penn (eff = 102).
North Carolina State (4-1): beat Rider, South Carolina, Villanova, lost to New Orleans. The Wolfpack dropped out of the rankings with a disastrous loss to New Orleans before bouncing back nicely by taking the Old Spice Classic title including a win over a ranked Villanova team. Freshman sensation JJ Hickson leads the team in scoring at 18.0 ppg through his first five games. But Hickson comes off of the bench and ranks just fourth on the team in minutes which could lead to some tough decisions later in the season.
Florida State (5-2): beat Georgia State, Florida, lost to South Florida. After wrapping up the Glenn Wilkes Classic with a terrible loss to Big East bottom feeder South Florida, FSU came back and took out the defending national champs for the second straight season. It was a good win to be sure, especially in Gainesville, but the early season losses suggest that Florida State could be headed back to the ACC cellar.
Georgia Tech (3-2): beat Notre Dame, lost to Winthrop. The Yellow Jackets took two of three in the Virgin Islands before taking a week off. GT will go on the road for their next three, starting with an ACC-Big Ten Challenge match at highly ranked Indiana. After seeing his scoring drop by over six points per game last season, Anthony Morrow is putting up big numbers, averaging 19.0 ppg while hitting three three-pointers per contest.
Virginia Tech (2-2): beat Eastern Washington, lost to Butler, Gonzaga. Alaska was not kind to the Hokies as they lost to two mid-majors in Butler and Gonzaga. There are lots of young players in the mix, but those young guys will need to learn to play defense in a hurry. Both Gonzaga and Butler averaged about 1.25 points per possession against Virginia Tech. Butler put up 84 points in an overtime game that went just 59 possessions. After ranking in the top 25 in steal percentage each of the past four seasons due to their backcourt of Jamon Gordon and Zabian Dowdell, the Hokies check in at a gruesome 280th in the nation.
Clemson (5-0): beat Old Dominion, Presbyterian, Gardner Webb. The Tigers got another possible NCAA Tournament resume-builder with the win over Old Dominion. Clemson faces very few elite teams, but the rest of the nonconference schedule has plenty of tests with Purdue, South Carolina and Charlotte coming to Littlejohn, a road date with Alabama, and three games in the San Juan Shootout in late Decemeber.
Miami (5-0): beat Providence, Morgan State. Miami nipped Providence to take the inaugural Puerto Rico TipOff Classic before beating a poor Morgan State team by 4 without the services of Jack McClinton. The 'Canes temporarily find themselves atop the RPI standings. We know that one won't last.
North Carolina (5-0): beat Iona, South Carolina State, Old Dominion, Brigham Young. The Heels also won a tournament title, beating a feisty BYU squad to take the Las Vegas Invitational without a showdown with fellow top 10 Louisville. UNC, like Maryland recently, struggled with the deep shot against BYU, hitting just two, although they are averaging over six threes per game in their first five.
Boston College (4-0): beat Mercer, Rhode Island. BC has escaped the big upset so far, but with so many freshman in the rotation playing key roles that might not last. Freshman shooting guard Rakim Sanders, considered just a good recruit, has averaged 16.3 ppg on good shooting numbers (58.6 eFG%) giving the Eagles a potent backcourt with Sanders and star Tyrese Rice.
Wake Forest (3-0): beat North Carolina Central, Winston-Salem State. Wake is another young team with eight of their top nine scorers so far being freshman or sophomores. WF beat two of the newest members of Division I, but not by all that many, winning the two games by 17 and 20 respectively. It will be a growing process for a team that will go on the road for four of its next five games.
Virginia (5-1): beat Drexel, Penn, lost to Seton Hall. The Cavs were upset in the finals of the Philly Hoop Group Classic in a convincing loss to Seton Hall. Virginia has a plethora of backcourt scoring options that should help create a dynamic offense, but the defense will likely be a big question mark. After giving up more than a point per possession (108.9 eff) in a win at Arizona, the Cavs did the same against Seton Hall (eff = 110.5) and lowly 2-4 Penn (eff = 102).
North Carolina State (4-1): beat Rider, South Carolina, Villanova, lost to New Orleans. The Wolfpack dropped out of the rankings with a disastrous loss to New Orleans before bouncing back nicely by taking the Old Spice Classic title including a win over a ranked Villanova team. Freshman sensation JJ Hickson leads the team in scoring at 18.0 ppg through his first five games. But Hickson comes off of the bench and ranks just fourth on the team in minutes which could lead to some tough decisions later in the season.
Florida State (5-2): beat Georgia State, Florida, lost to South Florida. After wrapping up the Glenn Wilkes Classic with a terrible loss to Big East bottom feeder South Florida, FSU came back and took out the defending national champs for the second straight season. It was a good win to be sure, especially in Gainesville, but the early season losses suggest that Florida State could be headed back to the ACC cellar.
Georgia Tech (3-2): beat Notre Dame, lost to Winthrop. The Yellow Jackets took two of three in the Virgin Islands before taking a week off. GT will go on the road for their next three, starting with an ACC-Big Ten Challenge match at highly ranked Indiana. After seeing his scoring drop by over six points per game last season, Anthony Morrow is putting up big numbers, averaging 19.0 ppg while hitting three three-pointers per contest.
Virginia Tech (2-2): beat Eastern Washington, lost to Butler, Gonzaga. Alaska was not kind to the Hokies as they lost to two mid-majors in Butler and Gonzaga. There are lots of young players in the mix, but those young guys will need to learn to play defense in a hurry. Both Gonzaga and Butler averaged about 1.25 points per possession against Virginia Tech. Butler put up 84 points in an overtime game that went just 59 possessions. After ranking in the top 25 in steal percentage each of the past four seasons due to their backcourt of Jamon Gordon and Zabian Dowdell, the Hokies check in at a gruesome 280th in the nation.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Kansas State vs George Mason
There might not be anything in sports better than Feast Week on ESPN.
That might be an exaggeration, but the annual plethora of college games on the ESPN family of networks during Thanksgiving week has only gotten better with the NCAA loosening restrictions on exempt tournaments which had added new tournaments to the old staples.
One of the more interesting games of the week so far was the showdown between nationally ranked Kansas State and upstart mid-major George Mason in the quarterfinal round of the Old Spice Classic in Orlando.
Kansas State, a once dead program, has been resuscitated with the addition of perhaps the top freshman in the country, Michael Beasley, as well as one of the top recruits of 2006, Bill Walker. The rebuilding job was jumpstarted by since departed Bob Huggins during his only season in Manhattan. Now Frank Martin takes over the job (aided by ace recruiter Dalonte Hill, the man who delivered Beasley to the Wildcats).
George Mason, on the other hand, doesn't have that kind of star power. But what they do have is a deep, well-rounded, veteran team. Senior guard Folarin Campbell and star senior big man Will Thomas (my favorite non-Terp in the country) are the two remaining starters from the Patriots' improbable run to the 2006 Final Four. Campbell is joined in the backcourt by John Vaughn and Jordan Carter among others, giving the Patriots the talent and experience to compete with most teams in the country.
In the end George Mason came out with a convincing win, building a comfortable working margin over the last eight minutes of the first half with Michael Beasley out of the game due to foul trouble, before keeping the Wildcats at bay in the second half for the double digit victory.
Beasley was everything that had been promised, scoring 30 points despite playing limited minutes due to foul trouble. And although he didn't get his third 20 rebound game in four games, he still showed a knack for position and the raw strength that makes him a tremendous rebounder. But even with a dominating performance from Beasley, Kansas State still couldn't even make the game interesting in the final minutes. The Wildcats will contend for at least a tournament berth just because of Beasley, but at this point the Wildcats did not look to be a top 25 squad.
George Mason, on the other hand, might be a top 25 caliber team. Announcer Fran Fraschilla couldn't say enough good things about Will Thomas' skill and basketball IQ. Thomas displayed a knack for getting himself into position to get the ball, scoring in a variety of ways in the post while also getting to the line. He went right at Beasley to draw Beasley's 4th foul and also showed a great ability to pass out of the double team and find the open man. Meanwhile the Patriot's backcourt had a number of scorers who were willing to drive and able to hit the open three.
GMU lost a competitive game to a quality Villanova team in the semifinals tonight and will face South Carolina in the third place game of the tournament this weekend, but this is still a team that will play in March, perhaps even if they don't win the CAA.
That might be an exaggeration, but the annual plethora of college games on the ESPN family of networks during Thanksgiving week has only gotten better with the NCAA loosening restrictions on exempt tournaments which had added new tournaments to the old staples.
One of the more interesting games of the week so far was the showdown between nationally ranked Kansas State and upstart mid-major George Mason in the quarterfinal round of the Old Spice Classic in Orlando.
Kansas State, a once dead program, has been resuscitated with the addition of perhaps the top freshman in the country, Michael Beasley, as well as one of the top recruits of 2006, Bill Walker. The rebuilding job was jumpstarted by since departed Bob Huggins during his only season in Manhattan. Now Frank Martin takes over the job (aided by ace recruiter Dalonte Hill, the man who delivered Beasley to the Wildcats).
George Mason, on the other hand, doesn't have that kind of star power. But what they do have is a deep, well-rounded, veteran team. Senior guard Folarin Campbell and star senior big man Will Thomas (my favorite non-Terp in the country) are the two remaining starters from the Patriots' improbable run to the 2006 Final Four. Campbell is joined in the backcourt by John Vaughn and Jordan Carter among others, giving the Patriots the talent and experience to compete with most teams in the country.
In the end George Mason came out with a convincing win, building a comfortable working margin over the last eight minutes of the first half with Michael Beasley out of the game due to foul trouble, before keeping the Wildcats at bay in the second half for the double digit victory.
Beasley was everything that had been promised, scoring 30 points despite playing limited minutes due to foul trouble. And although he didn't get his third 20 rebound game in four games, he still showed a knack for position and the raw strength that makes him a tremendous rebounder. But even with a dominating performance from Beasley, Kansas State still couldn't even make the game interesting in the final minutes. The Wildcats will contend for at least a tournament berth just because of Beasley, but at this point the Wildcats did not look to be a top 25 squad.
George Mason, on the other hand, might be a top 25 caliber team. Announcer Fran Fraschilla couldn't say enough good things about Will Thomas' skill and basketball IQ. Thomas displayed a knack for getting himself into position to get the ball, scoring in a variety of ways in the post while also getting to the line. He went right at Beasley to draw Beasley's 4th foul and also showed a great ability to pass out of the double team and find the open man. Meanwhile the Patriot's backcourt had a number of scorers who were willing to drive and able to hit the open three.
GMU lost a competitive game to a quality Villanova team in the semifinals tonight and will face South Carolina in the third place game of the tournament this weekend, but this is still a team that will play in March, perhaps even if they don't win the CAA.
Terps 72, Lehigh 51
Coming off of a terrible stretch of two games in Kansas City to start the week, the Terps returned home to the Comcast Center to play a game the day after Thanksgiving as has become something of a tradition for the team. The opponent was Lehigh, a team that was neither big name power conference team like UCLA or a feisty mid-major like Northeastern.
The game had an odd feel to it thanks in no small part to the sparse holiday crowd. Absent from the lineup was Boom Osby who sat out with an illness. In his place, freshman center Braxton Dupree got his first collegiate start. Dupree responded with a breakout performance, scoring 14 points (including a team high 10 in the first half) to go with 5 boards. Dupree established position on the inside and looked much more comfortable with the ball in his hands, following up missed shots and going strong to the goal in order to draw fouls. The young center made a strong case for increased minutes in the future. In the upcoming nonconference games against the likes of Morgan State, Savannah State and Delaware, among others, Dupree should be receiving extensive minutes to gain experience that will benefit him in ACC play.
Maryland was up by only seven at halftime against the Mountain Hawks due largely to poor perimeter defense, but in the second half the Terps put the game away with stifling defense. Greivis Vasquez poured in 17 of his team-high 22 in the second half, the fifth time in six games he has led the Terps in scoring. Vasquez also showed improved decision making in turning the ball over just two times while passing up poor shots. In fact the entire team showed a committment to avoiding turnovers with just 12 in the entire game, a marked departure from the first five games of the season.
Jerome Burney was the first big man off the bench in his return from an eye injury that cost him the previous two games this week. Burney played his most extensive minutes of the season alongside fellow freshman Dino Gregory in what was a thin frontcourt without Osby and the still-injured Dave Neal and Shane Walker not seeing action until garbage time.
Cliff Tucker and Adrian Bowie also played extensive minutes in leiu of Landon Milbourne, combining for 8 points. Bowie in particular played a large role in shutting down Lehigh on defense in the opening portion of the second half that proved to be the difference in the game.
The team's next game will be at the Comcast Center this Wednesday against Illinois in the ACC-Big Ten challenge. That game, along with next Sunday's game against Virginia Commonwealth in the BB&T classic, may represent the Terps' last chance for a marquee out of conference win . For that reason the contest will take on added importance. Expect a breakdown of that game in the coming days. The team played perhaps their best overall game of the season, even allowing for the weaker competition, and showed some signs of busting out of the malaise of the past two weeks.
The game had an odd feel to it thanks in no small part to the sparse holiday crowd. Absent from the lineup was Boom Osby who sat out with an illness. In his place, freshman center Braxton Dupree got his first collegiate start. Dupree responded with a breakout performance, scoring 14 points (including a team high 10 in the first half) to go with 5 boards. Dupree established position on the inside and looked much more comfortable with the ball in his hands, following up missed shots and going strong to the goal in order to draw fouls. The young center made a strong case for increased minutes in the future. In the upcoming nonconference games against the likes of Morgan State, Savannah State and Delaware, among others, Dupree should be receiving extensive minutes to gain experience that will benefit him in ACC play.
Maryland was up by only seven at halftime against the Mountain Hawks due largely to poor perimeter defense, but in the second half the Terps put the game away with stifling defense. Greivis Vasquez poured in 17 of his team-high 22 in the second half, the fifth time in six games he has led the Terps in scoring. Vasquez also showed improved decision making in turning the ball over just two times while passing up poor shots. In fact the entire team showed a committment to avoiding turnovers with just 12 in the entire game, a marked departure from the first five games of the season.
Jerome Burney was the first big man off the bench in his return from an eye injury that cost him the previous two games this week. Burney played his most extensive minutes of the season alongside fellow freshman Dino Gregory in what was a thin frontcourt without Osby and the still-injured Dave Neal and Shane Walker not seeing action until garbage time.
Cliff Tucker and Adrian Bowie also played extensive minutes in leiu of Landon Milbourne, combining for 8 points. Bowie in particular played a large role in shutting down Lehigh on defense in the opening portion of the second half that proved to be the difference in the game.
The team's next game will be at the Comcast Center this Wednesday against Illinois in the ACC-Big Ten challenge. That game, along with next Sunday's game against Virginia Commonwealth in the BB&T classic, may represent the Terps' last chance for a marquee out of conference win . For that reason the contest will take on added importance. Expect a breakdown of that game in the coming days. The team played perhaps their best overall game of the season, even allowing for the weaker competition, and showed some signs of busting out of the malaise of the past two weeks.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Terps lose 2
The Terps got a scare from Hampton at home last Monday in the quarterfinals of the CBE Classic and almost didn't make it to Kansas City for the championship rounds. When they got there, the team put together a display of sub-par (at best) basketball in two losses to #1 UCLA (71-59) in the semifinals and to Missouri (84-70) in the 3rd place game.
The shooting from beyond the arc was terrible in both games and could prove to be the biggest flaw in this year's team. Only a late triple from Eric Hayes against UCLA saved the Terps from their first 0-fer from behind the arc in nine years. Landon Milbourne's three in garbage time against Missouri did the same in the second game. Maryland shot a combined 2 of 26 from deep in Kansas City including numerous open misses. The good news is that simple regression to the mean will help the team improve as the near misses go down more often. But even then, it's clear that this team will struggle from deep after the loss of Mike Jones and even DJ Strawberry.
In part that is a result of the Gary Williams philosophy. His offense stresses getting the big men plenty of touches, getting mid-range shots for guards and creating points in transition and off of turnovers. His recruiting over the past two seasons has seen an influx of guards who excel at slashing and distributing but have weaknesses shooting.
The team continued to be careless with the ball resulting in dozens of turnovers over the two games. It was a combination of several things, not just one area of weakness. Passes were ill-advised or lazy. The frontcourt players tried to do to much and gave the ball away to the opponent rather than back to their own guards. And the Terps had at least seven offensive fouls against Missouri. Perhaps this isn't surprising given the opponents. UCLA might be the best defensive team in the nation and Missouri's 40 minutes of Hell offshoot will cause turnovers if nothing else. However the Terps were extremely careless in the first three games as well.
The loss on Monday night was expected. Even without Collison and Roll, UCLA is a top 15 quality team. The loss to Missouri stings a bit more though. It isn't entirely unexpected, although Missouri leading from the opening tip is a bit surprising, but with only Illinois and possibly VCU or Holy Cross left on the nonconference schedule as potential quality wins, losing two games in Kansas City could hurt if they find themselves on the bubble in March.
In game one the offense (OEff = 78.5) was wretched while the defense (DEff = 94.5) had a respectable effort. The consolation game saw some improvement on offense (OEff = 87) which was counterbalanced by the teams worst defensive effort (OEff - 104.5) of the season.
The trip was not without positives, though they were admittedly few and far between. Offensively, Maryland got to the line a good deal in both games and began to convert more often once there, hitting on 35 of 41 shots (85.3%). Rebounding also improved markedly against Missouri as the Terps owned the defensive glass while also rebounding a fair number of the own missed shots.
The shooting from beyond the arc was terrible in both games and could prove to be the biggest flaw in this year's team. Only a late triple from Eric Hayes against UCLA saved the Terps from their first 0-fer from behind the arc in nine years. Landon Milbourne's three in garbage time against Missouri did the same in the second game. Maryland shot a combined 2 of 26 from deep in Kansas City including numerous open misses. The good news is that simple regression to the mean will help the team improve as the near misses go down more often. But even then, it's clear that this team will struggle from deep after the loss of Mike Jones and even DJ Strawberry.
In part that is a result of the Gary Williams philosophy. His offense stresses getting the big men plenty of touches, getting mid-range shots for guards and creating points in transition and off of turnovers. His recruiting over the past two seasons has seen an influx of guards who excel at slashing and distributing but have weaknesses shooting.
The team continued to be careless with the ball resulting in dozens of turnovers over the two games. It was a combination of several things, not just one area of weakness. Passes were ill-advised or lazy. The frontcourt players tried to do to much and gave the ball away to the opponent rather than back to their own guards. And the Terps had at least seven offensive fouls against Missouri. Perhaps this isn't surprising given the opponents. UCLA might be the best defensive team in the nation and Missouri's 40 minutes of Hell offshoot will cause turnovers if nothing else. However the Terps were extremely careless in the first three games as well.
The loss on Monday night was expected. Even without Collison and Roll, UCLA is a top 15 quality team. The loss to Missouri stings a bit more though. It isn't entirely unexpected, although Missouri leading from the opening tip is a bit surprising, but with only Illinois and possibly VCU or Holy Cross left on the nonconference schedule as potential quality wins, losing two games in Kansas City could hurt if they find themselves on the bubble in March.
In game one the offense (OEff = 78.5) was wretched while the defense (DEff = 94.5) had a respectable effort. The consolation game saw some improvement on offense (OEff = 87) which was counterbalanced by the teams worst defensive effort (OEff - 104.5) of the season.
The trip was not without positives, though they were admittedly few and far between. Offensively, Maryland got to the line a good deal in both games and began to convert more often once there, hitting on 35 of 41 shots (85.3%). Rebounding also improved markedly against Missouri as the Terps owned the defensive glass while also rebounding a fair number of the own missed shots.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Atlantic Sun Domination?
The Atlantic Sun is usually just your run of the mill low-major Division I conference. They're almost always outside of the top 20 in the RPI's conference rankings and don't sniff ever an at-large bid. But so far this southeastern conference with constantly changing membership has pulled off four upsets of BCS conference teams.
The first was Gardner-Webb stunning a ranked Kentucky team at Rupp Arena in the opening rounds of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. This was a team that was bad enough to post a 9-21 record last season en route to finishing 7th in the conference. Then Mercer - another sub .500 conference team - went to USC and beat the Trojans to spoil OJ Mayo's debut. Both of these wins were by double digits. Not exactly lucky wins.
The latest two wins were pulled off by defending conference champ Belmont, winning at Cincy and at Alabama over the last week. Neither of those teams are expected to be as good as Kentucky or USC, but wins at high-major programs for a team like Belmont are always something special.
Of course the Atlantic Sun is still just 13-29 against Division I teams this season so there's only so much to be excited about. But either way, four wins over name programs in two weeks is amazing for this conference.
The first was Gardner-Webb stunning a ranked Kentucky team at Rupp Arena in the opening rounds of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. This was a team that was bad enough to post a 9-21 record last season en route to finishing 7th in the conference. Then Mercer - another sub .500 conference team - went to USC and beat the Trojans to spoil OJ Mayo's debut. Both of these wins were by double digits. Not exactly lucky wins.
The latest two wins were pulled off by defending conference champ Belmont, winning at Cincy and at Alabama over the last week. Neither of those teams are expected to be as good as Kentucky or USC, but wins at high-major programs for a team like Belmont are always something special.
Of course the Atlantic Sun is still just 13-29 against Division I teams this season so there's only so much to be excited about. But either way, four wins over name programs in two weeks is amazing for this conference.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
In-Season Tournaments
COACHES VS CANCER CLASSIC
Richmond 44, Maine 42
Memphis 102, Tennessee-Martin 71
Gardner-Webb 69, Alabama A&M 55
Kentucky 67, Central Arkansas 40
Buffalo 89, Ohio Valley 82
Connecticut 69, Morgan State 65
Denver 76, East Central 75
Oklahoma 71, San Francisco 55
Tennessee-Martin 66, Maine 62
Central Arkansas 69, Alabama A&M 59
Morgan State 77, Ohio Valley 66
San Francisco 87, East Central 70
Memphis 80, Richmond 63
Gardner-Webb 84, Kentucky 68
Connecticut 82, Buffalo 57
Oklahoma 80, Denver 50
Memphis 63, Oklahoma 53
Connecticut 78, Gardner Webb 66
Oklahoma 69, Gardner-Webb 55
Memphis 81, Connecticut 70
NIT SEASON TIPOFF
Columbia 47, Delaware State 41
Ohio State 91, Wisconsin-Green Bay 68
Saint Joseph's 86, Fairleigh Dickinson 66
Syracuse 97, Siena 89
UTEP 77, Texas A&M-CC 62
Texas A&M 67, Oral Roberts 53
Utah 77, High Point 64
Washington 88, New Jersey Tech 47
Siena 88, Fairleigh Dickinson 66
Wisconsin-Green Bay 70, Delaware State 50
Texas A&M-CC 86, Oral Roberts 81
High Point 75, New Jersey Tech 53
Syracuse 72, Saint Joseph's 69
Ohio State 68, Columbia 54
Texas A&M 81, UTEP 76
Washington 83, Utah 77
Texas A&M 77, Washington 63
Ohio State 79, Syracuse 65
Syracuse 91, Washington 85
Texas A&M 70, Ohio State 47
COLLEGE BASKETBALL EXPERIENCE CLASSIC
Hampton 72, Tulsa 55
Maryland 79, North Florida 50
Fordham 76, Central Missouri 66
Missouri 87, Central Michigan 76
Cal State San Bernadino 71, Weber State 59
UCLA 83, Youngstown State 52
Louisiana-Monroe 60, Northern Michigan 53
Michigan State 86, Chicago State 53
Tulsa 83, North Florida 66
Central Missouri 75, Central Michigan 70
Chicago State 80, Northern Michigan 50
Youngstown State 69, Weber State 65
Maryland 70, Hampton 64
Missouri 79, Fordham 55
Michigan State 83, Louisiana-Monroe 65
UCLA 76, Cal State San Bernadino 41
UCLA 71, Maryland 59
Michigan State 86, Missouri 83
Missouri 84, Maryland 70
UCLA 68, Michigan State 63
OLD SPICE CLASSIC
South Carolina 74, Penn State 67
North Carolina State 72, Rider 63
Villanova 76, Central Florida 68
George Mason 87, Kansas State 77
Rider 82, Penn State 73
Kansas State 73, Central Florida 71
North Carolina State 63, South Carolina 61
Villanova 84, George Mason 76
Central Florida 70, Penn State 59
Kansas State 82, Rider 69
George Mason 69, South Carolina 68
ANAHEIM CLASSIC
Mississippi State 68, UC-Irvine 53
Southern Illinois 63, Chattanooga 41
Miami (OH) 64, South Alabama 59
USC 60, San Diego 50
South Alabama 77, San Diego 55
Chattanooga 85, UC-Irvine 80
Southern Illinois 63, Mississippi State 49
USC 57, Miami (OH) 53
San Diego 60, UC-Irvine 57
TOP OF THE WORLD CLASSIC
Tennessee State 78, Alaska-Fairbanks 64
Colorado State 69, Oregon State 56
Akron 64, South Carolina-Upstate 60
Portland State 75, IUPUI 73
Alaska-Fairbanks 62, Oregon State 60
IUPUI 80, South Carolina-Upstate 54
Portland State 66, Akron 63
Colorado State 87, Tennessee State 68
Oregon State 65, South Carolina-Upstate 46
IUPUI 82, Alaska-Fairbanks 47
Akron 74, Tennessee State 72
Colorado State 64, Portland State 63
US VIRGIN ISLANDS PARADISE JAM
Georgia Tech 82, Charlotte 77
Winthrop 72, Illinois-Chicago 58
Baylor 64, Wichita State 55
Notre Dame 76, Monmouth 33
Charlotte 64, Illinois-Chicago 63
Monmouth 59, Wichita State 50
Winthrop 79, Georgia Tech 73
Baylor 68, Notre Dame 64
Wichita State 67, Illinois-Chicago 60
Monmouth 58, Charlotte 56
Georgia Tech 70, Notre Dame 69
Baylor 62, Winthrop 54
PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF CLASSIC
Virginia Commonwealth 73, Houston 72
Miami 85, Marist 61
Providence 66, Temple 64
Arkansas 75, College of Charleston 59
Houston 64, Marist 58
College of Charleston 79, Temple 76
Miami 69, Virginia Commonwealth 63
Providence 67, Arkansas 51
Temple 73, Marist 69
Houston 84, College of Charleston 69
Arkansas 70, Virginia Commonwealth 60
Miami 64, Providence 58
MAUI INVITATIONAL
Marquette 74, Chaminade 63
Oklahoma State 83, Louisiana State 77
Duke 83, Princeton 61
Illinois 77, Arizona State 54
Arizona State 61, Princeton 42
Louisiana State 78, Chaminade 72
Duke 79, Illinois 76
Marquette 91, Oklahoma State 61
Chaminade 74, Princeton 70
Arizona State 87, Louisiana State 84
Illinois 65, Oklahoma State 49
Duke 77, Marquette 73
GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT
Butler 79, Michigan 65
Virginia Tech 69, Eastern Washington 52
Texas Tech 74, Alaska-Anchorage 47
Gonzaga 74, Western Kentucky 71
Western Kentucky 71, Alaska-Anchorage 67
Michigan 61, Eastern Washington 53
Butler 84, Virginia Tech 78
Texas Tech 73, Gonzaga 63
Eastern Washington 64, Alaska-Anchorage 62
Western Kentucky 73, Michigan 69
Gonzaga 81, Virginia Tech 64
Butler 81, Texas Tech 71
CYCLONE CHALLENGE
Centenary 72, Lipscomb 69
Iowa State 58, Winston-Salem State 44
Winston-Salem State 68, Lipscomb 58
Iowa State 67, Centenary 57
100 CLUB CLASSIC
Colgate 83, Texas State 77
Kennesaw State 80, Jacksonville State 74
Texas State 86, Jacksonville State 83
Colgate 81, Kennesaw State 53
AIR FORCE CLASSIC
Northern Colorado 104, Virginia Military 97
Air Force 67, Dartmouth 38
Dartmouth 98, Virginia Military 87
Air Force 71, Northern Colorado 62
PRICE CUTTER CLASSIC
UNC Greensboro 70, Texas-Pan American 56
Missouri State 86, Harding 67
Texas-Pan American 83, Harding 64
Missouri State 79, UNC-Greensboro 52
PEGGY CRONIN CLASSIC
Belmont 86, Cincinnatti 75
Western Carolina 63, Bowling Green 60
Bowling Green 78, Belmont 67
Cincinnatti 66, Western Carolina 64
Bowling Green 69, Cincinnatti 67
Belmont 79, Western Carolina 70
HISPANIC COLLEGE FUND CHALLENGE
Pittsburgh 103, Houston Baptist 69
Saint Louis 54, North Carolina A&T 43
Saint Louis 91, Houston Baptist 56
Pittsburgh 88, North Carolina A&T 61
North Carolina A&T 96, Houston Baptist 71
Pittsburgh 69, Saint Louis 58
BASKETBALL TRAVELERS TIP-OFF TOURNEY
Massachusetts 90, Cal Poly 64
Northern Iowa 75, Northern Illinois 45
Massachusetts 102, Northern Illinois 87
Northern Iowa 62, Cal Poly 55
Cal Poly 88, Northern Illinois 78
Northern Iowa 75, Massachusetts 68
BASKETBALL TRAVELERS CLASSIC
UC Santa Barbara 92, Northwestern State 71
Stanford 111, Harvard 56
UC Santa Barbara 79, Harvard 61
Stanford 97, Northwestern State 58
Harvard 90, Northwestern State 60
Stanford 67, UC Santa Barbara 48
BASKETBALL TRAVELERS INVITATIONAL
Saint Bonaventure 61, Loyola Marymount 50
New Mexico 88, Presbyterian 57
Loyola Marymount 83, Presbyterian 76
New Mexico 81, Saint Bonaventure 54
Saint Bonaventure 79, Presbyterian 72
New Mexico 86, Loyola Marymount 58
WORLD VISION CLASSIC
San Diego State 62, Liberty 50
Fresno State 75, Portland 68
San Diego State 78, Portland 64
Fresno State 71, Liberty 62
Portland 73, Liberty 62
San Diego State 89, Fresno State 72
WORLD VISION INVITATIONAL
Pacific 90, Western Michigan 76
Oregon 100, Pepperdine 70
Western Michigan 70, Pepperdine 65
Oregon 80, Pacific 64
Pacific 84, Pepperdine 76
Oregon 87, Western Michigan 88
FIRST SHOT TOURNAMENT
Appalachian State 81, Lipscomb 58
San Jose State 78, Middle Tennessee 77
Middle Tennessee 68, Lipscomb 52
San Jose State 64, Appalachian State 62
Lipscomb 79, San Jose State 72
Appalachian State 84, Middle Tennesse 79
AMERICA'S YOUTH CLASSIC
Colorado 83, Florida A&M 59
Wisconsin 79, Savannah State 32
Wisconsin 88, Florida A%M 40
Colorado 58, Savannah State 43
Savannah State 70, Florida A&M 62
Wisconsin 78, Colorado 52
SAINT MARY'S TIPOFF CLASSIC
Drake 81, UC San Diego 63
Saint Mary's, Sonoma State
Saint Mary's 72, Drake 66
HORNET ROUNDBALL CLASSIC
Coppin State 69, Saint Paul's 65
Delaware State 77, Allen 44
Coppin State 72, Allen 61
Delaware State 70, Saint Paul's 69
SMU TIP-OFF CLASSIC
Southern 75, Southern Methodist 61
Alabama State 90, Paul Quinn 72
Alabama State 64, Southern Methodist 54
Paul Quinn 84, Southern 81
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND TOURNAMENT
Valparaiso 90, Grace 59
Vanderbilt 81, Austin Peay 67
Iowa 62, Florida-Gulf Coast 49
Bradley 98, UMES 71
Utah State 77, Montana-Western 58
Bradley 82, Florida-Gulf Coast 74
Iowa 65, UMES 48
Vanderbilt 87, Valparaiso 78
Utah State 71, Austin Peay 68
PHILLY HOOP GROUP CLASSIC
Drexel 86, Navy 70
Loyola 89, Penn 68
Virginia 92, Howard 53
Seton Hall 111, Robert Morris 107
Robert Morris 93, Navy 77
Penn 80, Howard 65
Seton Hall 94, Loyola 80
Virginia 72, Drexel 58
Drexel 56, Robert Morris 40
Loyola 73, Howard 58
Robert Morris 72, Howard 53
Drexel 54, Loyola 52
Virginia 100, Penn 85
Seton Hall 79, Navy 75
Penn 71, Navy 67
Seton Hall 74, Virginia 60
CHICAGO INVITATIONAL CHALLENGE
Indiana 100, Longwood 49
Illinois State 89, North Carolina-Wilmington 73
Xavier 90, Southeast Missouri State 59
Kent State 74, Coppin State 51
Illinois State 90, Southeast Missouri State 71
Indiana 95, North Carolina-Wilmington 71
Xavier 98, Coppin State 49
Kent State 80, Longwood 62
Coppin State 102, Southeast Missouri State 99
North Carolina-Wilmington 80, Longwood 65
Southeast Missouri State 82, Longwood 78
North Carolina-Wilmington 78, Coppin State 57
Indiana 70, Illinois State 57
Xavier 78, Kent State 65
Kent State 65, Illinois State 59
Xavier 80, Indiana 65
GLENN WILKES CLASSIC
Cleveland State 73, South Florida 70
Rhode Island 90, Florida Atlantic 63
UAB 86, Stetson 49
Florida State 92, Georgia Southern 67
Georgia Southern 72, Cleveland State 70
Stetson 68, Florida Atlantic 62
Florida State 78, UAB 72
Rhode Island 74, South Florida 67
South Florida 100, Florida Atlantic 69
Georgia Southern 59, UAB 57
Cleveland State 69, Florida State 66
Rhode Island 80, Stetson 65
Cleveland State 76, Florida Atlantic 66
Rhode Island 74, UAB 69
Georgia Southern 68, Stetson 55
South Florida 68, Florida State 67
LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL
Old Dominion 64, South Carolina State 54
North Carolina 107, Iona 72
Louisville 104, Hartford 69
Brigham Young 100, Jackson State 61
Louisville 84, Jackson State 53
North Carolina 110, South Carolina State 64
Brigham Young 97, Hartford 73
Old Dominion 74, Iowa 63
Hartford 73, Jackson State 57
South Carolina State 81, Iona 76
Jackson State 74, Iona 70
Hartford 80, South Carolina State 72
Brigham Young 78, Louisville 76
North Carolina 99, Old Dominion 82
Louisville 64, Old Dominion 53
North Carolina 73, Brigham Young 63
BLUE RIBBON CHALLENGE
Rutgers 70 Tennessee Tech 64
Rutgers 79, North Dakota State 67
Rutgers 73, North Carolina Central 48
Florida 75, North Dakota State 65
Florida 93, Tennessee Tech 65
Florida 105, North Carolina Central 51
North Dakota State 105, North Carolina Central 51
North Dakota State (2-2) 90, Tennessee Tech 72
North Carolina Central (1-3) 73, Tennessee Tech (0-4) 70
Florida (4-0) 88, Rutgers (3-1) 63
LEGENDS CLASSIC
New Mexico State 75, UC-Davis 65
New Mexico State 100, Lemoyne-Owen 64
Texas 73, UC-Davis 42
Texas 100, Arkansas-Monticello 52
West Virginia 81, Arkansas-Monticello 53
West Virginia 106, Prairie View A&M 43
Tennessee 101, Arkansas-Monticello 44
Tennessee 89, Prairie View A&M 75
UC-Davis 97, La Verne 55
UC-Davis 71, UC-Santa Cruz 49
Texas 101, New Mexico State 86
Tennessee 74, West Virginia 72
West Virginia 75, New Mexico State 61
Texas 87, Tennessee 78
Richmond 44, Maine 42
Memphis 102, Tennessee-Martin 71
Gardner-Webb 69, Alabama A&M 55
Kentucky 67, Central Arkansas 40
Buffalo 89, Ohio Valley 82
Connecticut 69, Morgan State 65
Denver 76, East Central 75
Oklahoma 71, San Francisco 55
Tennessee-Martin 66, Maine 62
Central Arkansas 69, Alabama A&M 59
Morgan State 77, Ohio Valley 66
San Francisco 87, East Central 70
Memphis 80, Richmond 63
Gardner-Webb 84, Kentucky 68
Connecticut 82, Buffalo 57
Oklahoma 80, Denver 50
Memphis 63, Oklahoma 53
Connecticut 78, Gardner Webb 66
Oklahoma 69, Gardner-Webb 55
Memphis 81, Connecticut 70
NIT SEASON TIPOFF
Columbia 47, Delaware State 41
Ohio State 91, Wisconsin-Green Bay 68
Saint Joseph's 86, Fairleigh Dickinson 66
Syracuse 97, Siena 89
UTEP 77, Texas A&M-CC 62
Texas A&M 67, Oral Roberts 53
Utah 77, High Point 64
Washington 88, New Jersey Tech 47
Siena 88, Fairleigh Dickinson 66
Wisconsin-Green Bay 70, Delaware State 50
Texas A&M-CC 86, Oral Roberts 81
High Point 75, New Jersey Tech 53
Syracuse 72, Saint Joseph's 69
Ohio State 68, Columbia 54
Texas A&M 81, UTEP 76
Washington 83, Utah 77
Texas A&M 77, Washington 63
Ohio State 79, Syracuse 65
Syracuse 91, Washington 85
Texas A&M 70, Ohio State 47
COLLEGE BASKETBALL EXPERIENCE CLASSIC
Hampton 72, Tulsa 55
Maryland 79, North Florida 50
Fordham 76, Central Missouri 66
Missouri 87, Central Michigan 76
Cal State San Bernadino 71, Weber State 59
UCLA 83, Youngstown State 52
Louisiana-Monroe 60, Northern Michigan 53
Michigan State 86, Chicago State 53
Tulsa 83, North Florida 66
Central Missouri 75, Central Michigan 70
Chicago State 80, Northern Michigan 50
Youngstown State 69, Weber State 65
Maryland 70, Hampton 64
Missouri 79, Fordham 55
Michigan State 83, Louisiana-Monroe 65
UCLA 76, Cal State San Bernadino 41
UCLA 71, Maryland 59
Michigan State 86, Missouri 83
Missouri 84, Maryland 70
UCLA 68, Michigan State 63
OLD SPICE CLASSIC
South Carolina 74, Penn State 67
North Carolina State 72, Rider 63
Villanova 76, Central Florida 68
George Mason 87, Kansas State 77
Rider 82, Penn State 73
Kansas State 73, Central Florida 71
North Carolina State 63, South Carolina 61
Villanova 84, George Mason 76
Central Florida 70, Penn State 59
Kansas State 82, Rider 69
George Mason 69, South Carolina 68
ANAHEIM CLASSIC
Mississippi State 68, UC-Irvine 53
Southern Illinois 63, Chattanooga 41
Miami (OH) 64, South Alabama 59
USC 60, San Diego 50
South Alabama 77, San Diego 55
Chattanooga 85, UC-Irvine 80
Southern Illinois 63, Mississippi State 49
USC 57, Miami (OH) 53
San Diego 60, UC-Irvine 57
TOP OF THE WORLD CLASSIC
Tennessee State 78, Alaska-Fairbanks 64
Colorado State 69, Oregon State 56
Akron 64, South Carolina-Upstate 60
Portland State 75, IUPUI 73
Alaska-Fairbanks 62, Oregon State 60
IUPUI 80, South Carolina-Upstate 54
Portland State 66, Akron 63
Colorado State 87, Tennessee State 68
Oregon State 65, South Carolina-Upstate 46
IUPUI 82, Alaska-Fairbanks 47
Akron 74, Tennessee State 72
Colorado State 64, Portland State 63
US VIRGIN ISLANDS PARADISE JAM
Georgia Tech 82, Charlotte 77
Winthrop 72, Illinois-Chicago 58
Baylor 64, Wichita State 55
Notre Dame 76, Monmouth 33
Charlotte 64, Illinois-Chicago 63
Monmouth 59, Wichita State 50
Winthrop 79, Georgia Tech 73
Baylor 68, Notre Dame 64
Wichita State 67, Illinois-Chicago 60
Monmouth 58, Charlotte 56
Georgia Tech 70, Notre Dame 69
Baylor 62, Winthrop 54
PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF CLASSIC
Virginia Commonwealth 73, Houston 72
Miami 85, Marist 61
Providence 66, Temple 64
Arkansas 75, College of Charleston 59
Houston 64, Marist 58
College of Charleston 79, Temple 76
Miami 69, Virginia Commonwealth 63
Providence 67, Arkansas 51
Temple 73, Marist 69
Houston 84, College of Charleston 69
Arkansas 70, Virginia Commonwealth 60
Miami 64, Providence 58
MAUI INVITATIONAL
Marquette 74, Chaminade 63
Oklahoma State 83, Louisiana State 77
Duke 83, Princeton 61
Illinois 77, Arizona State 54
Arizona State 61, Princeton 42
Louisiana State 78, Chaminade 72
Duke 79, Illinois 76
Marquette 91, Oklahoma State 61
Chaminade 74, Princeton 70
Arizona State 87, Louisiana State 84
Illinois 65, Oklahoma State 49
Duke 77, Marquette 73
GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT
Butler 79, Michigan 65
Virginia Tech 69, Eastern Washington 52
Texas Tech 74, Alaska-Anchorage 47
Gonzaga 74, Western Kentucky 71
Western Kentucky 71, Alaska-Anchorage 67
Michigan 61, Eastern Washington 53
Butler 84, Virginia Tech 78
Texas Tech 73, Gonzaga 63
Eastern Washington 64, Alaska-Anchorage 62
Western Kentucky 73, Michigan 69
Gonzaga 81, Virginia Tech 64
Butler 81, Texas Tech 71
CYCLONE CHALLENGE
Centenary 72, Lipscomb 69
Iowa State 58, Winston-Salem State 44
Winston-Salem State 68, Lipscomb 58
Iowa State 67, Centenary 57
100 CLUB CLASSIC
Colgate 83, Texas State 77
Kennesaw State 80, Jacksonville State 74
Texas State 86, Jacksonville State 83
Colgate 81, Kennesaw State 53
AIR FORCE CLASSIC
Northern Colorado 104, Virginia Military 97
Air Force 67, Dartmouth 38
Dartmouth 98, Virginia Military 87
Air Force 71, Northern Colorado 62
PRICE CUTTER CLASSIC
UNC Greensboro 70, Texas-Pan American 56
Missouri State 86, Harding 67
Texas-Pan American 83, Harding 64
Missouri State 79, UNC-Greensboro 52
PEGGY CRONIN CLASSIC
Belmont 86, Cincinnatti 75
Western Carolina 63, Bowling Green 60
Bowling Green 78, Belmont 67
Cincinnatti 66, Western Carolina 64
Bowling Green 69, Cincinnatti 67
Belmont 79, Western Carolina 70
HISPANIC COLLEGE FUND CHALLENGE
Pittsburgh 103, Houston Baptist 69
Saint Louis 54, North Carolina A&T 43
Saint Louis 91, Houston Baptist 56
Pittsburgh 88, North Carolina A&T 61
North Carolina A&T 96, Houston Baptist 71
Pittsburgh 69, Saint Louis 58
BASKETBALL TRAVELERS TIP-OFF TOURNEY
Massachusetts 90, Cal Poly 64
Northern Iowa 75, Northern Illinois 45
Massachusetts 102, Northern Illinois 87
Northern Iowa 62, Cal Poly 55
Cal Poly 88, Northern Illinois 78
Northern Iowa 75, Massachusetts 68
BASKETBALL TRAVELERS CLASSIC
UC Santa Barbara 92, Northwestern State 71
Stanford 111, Harvard 56
UC Santa Barbara 79, Harvard 61
Stanford 97, Northwestern State 58
Harvard 90, Northwestern State 60
Stanford 67, UC Santa Barbara 48
BASKETBALL TRAVELERS INVITATIONAL
Saint Bonaventure 61, Loyola Marymount 50
New Mexico 88, Presbyterian 57
Loyola Marymount 83, Presbyterian 76
New Mexico 81, Saint Bonaventure 54
Saint Bonaventure 79, Presbyterian 72
New Mexico 86, Loyola Marymount 58
WORLD VISION CLASSIC
San Diego State 62, Liberty 50
Fresno State 75, Portland 68
San Diego State 78, Portland 64
Fresno State 71, Liberty 62
Portland 73, Liberty 62
San Diego State 89, Fresno State 72
WORLD VISION INVITATIONAL
Pacific 90, Western Michigan 76
Oregon 100, Pepperdine 70
Western Michigan 70, Pepperdine 65
Oregon 80, Pacific 64
Pacific 84, Pepperdine 76
Oregon 87, Western Michigan 88
FIRST SHOT TOURNAMENT
Appalachian State 81, Lipscomb 58
San Jose State 78, Middle Tennessee 77
Middle Tennessee 68, Lipscomb 52
San Jose State 64, Appalachian State 62
Lipscomb 79, San Jose State 72
Appalachian State 84, Middle Tennesse 79
AMERICA'S YOUTH CLASSIC
Colorado 83, Florida A&M 59
Wisconsin 79, Savannah State 32
Wisconsin 88, Florida A%M 40
Colorado 58, Savannah State 43
Savannah State 70, Florida A&M 62
Wisconsin 78, Colorado 52
SAINT MARY'S TIPOFF CLASSIC
Drake 81, UC San Diego 63
Saint Mary's, Sonoma State
Saint Mary's 72, Drake 66
HORNET ROUNDBALL CLASSIC
Coppin State 69, Saint Paul's 65
Delaware State 77, Allen 44
Coppin State 72, Allen 61
Delaware State 70, Saint Paul's 69
SMU TIP-OFF CLASSIC
Southern 75, Southern Methodist 61
Alabama State 90, Paul Quinn 72
Alabama State 64, Southern Methodist 54
Paul Quinn 84, Southern 81
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND TOURNAMENT
Valparaiso 90, Grace 59
Vanderbilt 81, Austin Peay 67
Iowa 62, Florida-Gulf Coast 49
Bradley 98, UMES 71
Utah State 77, Montana-Western 58
Bradley 82, Florida-Gulf Coast 74
Iowa 65, UMES 48
Vanderbilt 87, Valparaiso 78
Utah State 71, Austin Peay 68
PHILLY HOOP GROUP CLASSIC
Drexel 86, Navy 70
Loyola 89, Penn 68
Virginia 92, Howard 53
Seton Hall 111, Robert Morris 107
Robert Morris 93, Navy 77
Penn 80, Howard 65
Seton Hall 94, Loyola 80
Virginia 72, Drexel 58
Drexel 56, Robert Morris 40
Loyola 73, Howard 58
Robert Morris 72, Howard 53
Drexel 54, Loyola 52
Virginia 100, Penn 85
Seton Hall 79, Navy 75
Penn 71, Navy 67
Seton Hall 74, Virginia 60
CHICAGO INVITATIONAL CHALLENGE
Indiana 100, Longwood 49
Illinois State 89, North Carolina-Wilmington 73
Xavier 90, Southeast Missouri State 59
Kent State 74, Coppin State 51
Illinois State 90, Southeast Missouri State 71
Indiana 95, North Carolina-Wilmington 71
Xavier 98, Coppin State 49
Kent State 80, Longwood 62
Coppin State 102, Southeast Missouri State 99
North Carolina-Wilmington 80, Longwood 65
Southeast Missouri State 82, Longwood 78
North Carolina-Wilmington 78, Coppin State 57
Indiana 70, Illinois State 57
Xavier 78, Kent State 65
Kent State 65, Illinois State 59
Xavier 80, Indiana 65
GLENN WILKES CLASSIC
Cleveland State 73, South Florida 70
Rhode Island 90, Florida Atlantic 63
UAB 86, Stetson 49
Florida State 92, Georgia Southern 67
Georgia Southern 72, Cleveland State 70
Stetson 68, Florida Atlantic 62
Florida State 78, UAB 72
Rhode Island 74, South Florida 67
South Florida 100, Florida Atlantic 69
Georgia Southern 59, UAB 57
Cleveland State 69, Florida State 66
Rhode Island 80, Stetson 65
Cleveland State 76, Florida Atlantic 66
Rhode Island 74, UAB 69
Georgia Southern 68, Stetson 55
South Florida 68, Florida State 67
LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL
Old Dominion 64, South Carolina State 54
North Carolina 107, Iona 72
Louisville 104, Hartford 69
Brigham Young 100, Jackson State 61
Louisville 84, Jackson State 53
North Carolina 110, South Carolina State 64
Brigham Young 97, Hartford 73
Old Dominion 74, Iowa 63
Hartford 73, Jackson State 57
South Carolina State 81, Iona 76
Jackson State 74, Iona 70
Hartford 80, South Carolina State 72
Brigham Young 78, Louisville 76
North Carolina 99, Old Dominion 82
Louisville 64, Old Dominion 53
North Carolina 73, Brigham Young 63
BLUE RIBBON CHALLENGE
Rutgers 70 Tennessee Tech 64
Rutgers 79, North Dakota State 67
Rutgers 73, North Carolina Central 48
Florida 75, North Dakota State 65
Florida 93, Tennessee Tech 65
Florida 105, North Carolina Central 51
North Dakota State 105, North Carolina Central 51
North Dakota State (2-2) 90, Tennessee Tech 72
North Carolina Central (1-3) 73, Tennessee Tech (0-4) 70
Florida (4-0) 88, Rutgers (3-1) 63
LEGENDS CLASSIC
New Mexico State 75, UC-Davis 65
New Mexico State 100, Lemoyne-Owen 64
Texas 73, UC-Davis 42
Texas 100, Arkansas-Monticello 52
West Virginia 81, Arkansas-Monticello 53
West Virginia 106, Prairie View A&M 43
Tennessee 101, Arkansas-Monticello 44
Tennessee 89, Prairie View A&M 75
UC-Davis 97, La Verne 55
UC-Davis 71, UC-Santa Cruz 49
Texas 101, New Mexico State 86
Tennessee 74, West Virginia 72
West Virginia 75, New Mexico State 61
Texas 87, Tennessee 78
Top 25 #1
- North Carolina (1-0)
- UCLA (3-0)
- Memphis (4-0)
- Kansas (3-0)
- Georgetown (2-0)
- Washington State (3-0)
- Duke (2-0)
- Tennessee (3-0)
- Gonzaga (3-0)
- Louisville (1-0)
- Marquette (2-0)
- Indiana (2-0)
- Texas (2-0)
- Virginia (3-0)
- Oregon (4-0)
- North Carolina State (1-0)
- Wisconsin (4-0)
- Michigan State (2-0)
- Florida (4-0)
- Texas A&M (4-0)
- Clemson (2-0)
- Pittsburgh (4-0)
- Kansas State (3-0)
- Southern Illinois (1-0)
- Syracuse (3-0)
ACC Week 1
Miami (3-0): beat Florida Southern, Marist and Virginia Commonwealth. The Hurricanes played well in their first three games, advancing to the finals of the inaugural Puerto Rico Tip-Off. Jack McClinton has dominated the scoring for the Canes so far while Miami finds itself in the early national top 10 for both FT Rate and FT%. 27-31 from the line was the difference in a 6 point win over a quality VCU team.
Virginia (3-0): beat Vermont, Howard, and Arizona. Virginia got the conference's biggest win in the opening weeks by defeating an Arizona team on the road that had been ranked in the top 20. So far former Maryland commit Jeff Jones has shown signs of taking up some of the departed JR Reynolds scoring duties while the team has put up good showings on the glass on both ends of the court.
Boston College (2-0): beat New Hampshire and Florida Atlantic. After losing Jared Dudley and other key contributors from a team that went 10-6 in the ACC, Boston College was expected to go through a rebuilding year this season. Winning their first two bu 10 and 6 over poor competition supports that view though Tyrese Rice and Shamari Spears did miss the season opener due to a one game suspension.
Clemson (2-0): beat Furman and Mississippi State. That win over the Bulldogs could look very good on Selection Sunday. A respectable 28-38 performance on FT may have been the difference in the game. If the Tigers can sort out their woes at the charity stripe, that could be enough to finally get them over the hump.
Duke (2-0): beat North Carolina Central and New Mexico State. The Blue Devils ran up and down the court on their way to averaging over 100 points a game in their two tune ups before heading to the Maui Invitational. The Blue Devils went ten deep and could be back to their days of running and gunning after a year of half court basketball.
North Carolina (1-0): beat Davidson. The neutral site win over Davidson was a nailbiter, but even for a top team it isn't an embarrassing way to open the season. But if Stephen Curry had done just a bit better in justifying his hype, the Tar Heels could have been looking at an 0-1 start.
North Carolina State (1-0): beat William & Mary. The Wolfpack look to be one of the toughest teams to predict this season. If super recruit JJ Hickson comes anywhere close to matching his debut performance (31 points, 12-12 FG), the Wolfpack could have the inside track for second place in the conference.
Virginia Tech (1-0): beat Elon. A win is a win, but beating Elon by just 5 at home is cause for concern. Newcomer Jeff Allen will lock down what could be a good frontcourt but so far freshman Hank Thorns and Malcolm Delaney are the only two true guards to see playing time. If frehsman Dorenzo Hudson qualifies later in the year it could help the Hokies make it back to the postseason.
Wake Forest (1-0): beat Fairfield. James Johnson had a double double in his collegiate debut for the young Demon Deacons. Wake Forest is still young and is overcoming a lot of adversity after the sudden death of former coach Skip Prosser, but the team is talented enough to make some noise in the ACC. However this team is still probably another year away from seriously competing within the conference.
Florida State (3-1): beat Nicholls State, Georgia Southern, UAB; lost to Cleveland State. The loss to the Vikings in the Glenn Wilkes Classic doesn't look good for the 'Noles just days after a contract extension for coach Leonard Hamilton. A backcourt of Swann, Rich, and Douglass could be among the better guard combinations in the ACC, but the frontcourt takes an almost immeasurable downgrade with the loss of do-it-all PF Al Thornton.
Georgia Tech (2-1): beat Tennessee State, Charlotte; lost to UNC-Greensboro. The early loss to a Southern Conference team isn't good. The Yellow Jackets should be talented enough to make a run at NCAA Tournament consideration, but what Paul Hewitt can do with this group remains to be seen. Two more wins to take the Paradise Jam would be a nice way to bounce back from a bad early loss.
Virginia (3-0): beat Vermont, Howard, and Arizona. Virginia got the conference's biggest win in the opening weeks by defeating an Arizona team on the road that had been ranked in the top 20. So far former Maryland commit Jeff Jones has shown signs of taking up some of the departed JR Reynolds scoring duties while the team has put up good showings on the glass on both ends of the court.
Boston College (2-0): beat New Hampshire and Florida Atlantic. After losing Jared Dudley and other key contributors from a team that went 10-6 in the ACC, Boston College was expected to go through a rebuilding year this season. Winning their first two bu 10 and 6 over poor competition supports that view though Tyrese Rice and Shamari Spears did miss the season opener due to a one game suspension.
Clemson (2-0): beat Furman and Mississippi State. That win over the Bulldogs could look very good on Selection Sunday. A respectable 28-38 performance on FT may have been the difference in the game. If the Tigers can sort out their woes at the charity stripe, that could be enough to finally get them over the hump.
Duke (2-0): beat North Carolina Central and New Mexico State. The Blue Devils ran up and down the court on their way to averaging over 100 points a game in their two tune ups before heading to the Maui Invitational. The Blue Devils went ten deep and could be back to their days of running and gunning after a year of half court basketball.
North Carolina (1-0): beat Davidson. The neutral site win over Davidson was a nailbiter, but even for a top team it isn't an embarrassing way to open the season. But if Stephen Curry had done just a bit better in justifying his hype, the Tar Heels could have been looking at an 0-1 start.
North Carolina State (1-0): beat William & Mary. The Wolfpack look to be one of the toughest teams to predict this season. If super recruit JJ Hickson comes anywhere close to matching his debut performance (31 points, 12-12 FG), the Wolfpack could have the inside track for second place in the conference.
Virginia Tech (1-0): beat Elon. A win is a win, but beating Elon by just 5 at home is cause for concern. Newcomer Jeff Allen will lock down what could be a good frontcourt but so far freshman Hank Thorns and Malcolm Delaney are the only two true guards to see playing time. If frehsman Dorenzo Hudson qualifies later in the year it could help the Hokies make it back to the postseason.
Wake Forest (1-0): beat Fairfield. James Johnson had a double double in his collegiate debut for the young Demon Deacons. Wake Forest is still young and is overcoming a lot of adversity after the sudden death of former coach Skip Prosser, but the team is talented enough to make some noise in the ACC. However this team is still probably another year away from seriously competing within the conference.
Florida State (3-1): beat Nicholls State, Georgia Southern, UAB; lost to Cleveland State. The loss to the Vikings in the Glenn Wilkes Classic doesn't look good for the 'Noles just days after a contract extension for coach Leonard Hamilton. A backcourt of Swann, Rich, and Douglass could be among the better guard combinations in the ACC, but the frontcourt takes an almost immeasurable downgrade with the loss of do-it-all PF Al Thornton.
Georgia Tech (2-1): beat Tennessee State, Charlotte; lost to UNC-Greensboro. The early loss to a Southern Conference team isn't good. The Yellow Jackets should be talented enough to make a run at NCAA Tournament consideration, but what Paul Hewitt can do with this group remains to be seen. Two more wins to take the Paradise Jam would be a nice way to bounce back from a bad early loss.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Maryland vs UCLA
On Monday night, Maryland will face off against #2 UCLA in the semifinals of the College Basketball Experience Classic. The Terps will rightfully enter the game as the underdog, especially after their questionable performances last week in wins over Hampton and Northeastern. Add that to the fact that UCLA (along with North Carolina and Memphis) is on the early short list for best team in the nation and things look bleak.
But there is some hope. This UCLA team will have some questions in the backcourt. Losing Aaron Afflalo off of last year's team hurts, but what hurts more will be the absence of PG Darren Collison, perhaps the team's best player (with apologies to Kevin Love), as well as swingman Michael Roll. Both players will be out for at least another ten days which will lead to some depth problems in the backcourt in the championship rounds of the CBE Classic.
To compensate for the losses of Roll and Collison, the Bruins have gone big in their first three games. The backcourt will be composed of Russell Westbrook and Josh Shipp while three players 6-8 or better man the frontcourt - Alfred Aboya, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and the headliner, Kevin Love. That won't be the end of the Bruins size advantage. The top three players coming off the bench so far have been Chace Stanback, Lorenzo Mata-Real and Nikola Dragovic. All of those players are also 6-8 or taller.
What should win this game for the Bruins is the defense. The Bruins were ranked second in the nation in defense last season by adjusted defensive efficiency (behind only Kansas) and so far have played the same stifling defense, albeit against less than stellar opponents. The Bruins height advantage should lead to plenty of rebounds tomorrow night. They have been particularly adept at grabbing defensive rebounds on the year so far, snaring 81% of their opponents misses.
The uncertainty in the backcourt is what the Terps must hope to exploit. Without Collison's excellent shooting and passing, it's hard to imagine that this version of the Bruins is deserving of their lofty ranking. If the Terps can get some easy baskets in transition, this game will be interesting. Maryland's defense is probably good enough to hold UCLA in check offensively. On the flip side, UCLA's defense is most certainly good enough to stifle Maryland's offense and that should prove to be the difference in the game.
Prediction: UCLA 74, Terps 61
But there is some hope. This UCLA team will have some questions in the backcourt. Losing Aaron Afflalo off of last year's team hurts, but what hurts more will be the absence of PG Darren Collison, perhaps the team's best player (with apologies to Kevin Love), as well as swingman Michael Roll. Both players will be out for at least another ten days which will lead to some depth problems in the backcourt in the championship rounds of the CBE Classic.
To compensate for the losses of Roll and Collison, the Bruins have gone big in their first three games. The backcourt will be composed of Russell Westbrook and Josh Shipp while three players 6-8 or better man the frontcourt - Alfred Aboya, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and the headliner, Kevin Love. That won't be the end of the Bruins size advantage. The top three players coming off the bench so far have been Chace Stanback, Lorenzo Mata-Real and Nikola Dragovic. All of those players are also 6-8 or taller.
What should win this game for the Bruins is the defense. The Bruins were ranked second in the nation in defense last season by adjusted defensive efficiency (behind only Kansas) and so far have played the same stifling defense, albeit against less than stellar opponents. The Bruins height advantage should lead to plenty of rebounds tomorrow night. They have been particularly adept at grabbing defensive rebounds on the year so far, snaring 81% of their opponents misses.
The uncertainty in the backcourt is what the Terps must hope to exploit. Without Collison's excellent shooting and passing, it's hard to imagine that this version of the Bruins is deserving of their lofty ranking. If the Terps can get some easy baskets in transition, this game will be interesting. Maryland's defense is probably good enough to hold UCLA in check offensively. On the flip side, UCLA's defense is most certainly good enough to stifle Maryland's offense and that should prove to be the difference in the game.
Prediction: UCLA 74, Terps 61
Terps to Maui in 2009
Thanks to the new rules on preseason tournaments and exempt games, college basketball teams can now participate in tournaments ever year. For the 2009-2010 season, the Terps will be headed back to Hawaii to play in the 26th annual Maui Invitational once again. Maryland joins a field that includes Arizona, Louisville, Gonzaga, Colorado, Wisconsin and Vanderbilt along with the host Chaminade.
It will be the Terps fourth appearance in what is perhaps the most prestigious season opening tournament in college basketball. The team also played in the event in 1994, 2000, and 2005. Maryland's best finish in the tournament came in 1994 when they finished second, losing 97-90 in the championship game to Arizona State. They finished 3rd in 2000 and 5th in 2005.
Next season Maryland plays in the 3rd annual Old Spice Classic in Orlando. The eight team tournament includes Gonzaga, Memphis, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Siena, Tennessee, and Wichita State.
It will be the Terps fourth appearance in what is perhaps the most prestigious season opening tournament in college basketball. The team also played in the event in 1994, 2000, and 2005. Maryland's best finish in the tournament came in 1994 when they finished second, losing 97-90 in the championship game to Arizona State. They finished 3rd in 2000 and 5th in 2005.
Next season Maryland plays in the 3rd annual Old Spice Classic in Orlando. The eight team tournament includes Gonzaga, Memphis, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Siena, Tennessee, and Wichita State.
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