2009 is a new year. Turn those frowns upside down.
Despite the #1 team in the country losing, you might argue the biggest upset of the weekend occurred in Corvalis. Oregon State, fresh off an 0-18 run in the Pac-10 last year, defeated USC in overtime. The Oregonian’s Paul Buker profiles pre-game articles referring to the Beavers as a “speed bump” and “gimme” before the game. Coach Robinson’s early win should help change the culture at OSU. It sounds like the Trojans ignored their coach while floundering down the stretch. From Buker’s post game analysis:
“TIM FLOYD: (On how USC planned to defend Schaftenaar’s shot)
“The plan was to foul under seven seconds. That’s the first thing that didn’t happen — we did not get the foul. We wanted to put (Haynes) on the line for two shots or one-and-one, get a rebound and make it a free throw contest. That didn’t happen either.”
(Did he want Gibson to leave Schaftenaar to help on Haynes?)
“No, but it happened.”
The win means Oregon State is not in the cellar of the Pac-10 for the first time in awhile. That ignominious distinction falls to Oregon and Arizona. The Ducks excuse is they’re starting three freshmen. Arizona’s wild ride continues as they were swept in the Bay Area. The loss to Cal was alright, but to lose to a Stanford team that was throttled by Az State? Darren Sabedra reviews the game writing, “A victory over Arizona might not carry the cache it did during the Lute Olson era, but Stanford will happily accept what unfolded Sunday night at Maples Pavilion.” Ouch. It was a bad night for Chase Budinger, four field goals made, four fouls and four turnovers. As a team the Wildcats coughed it up 20 times enroute to starting their Pac-10 campaign 0-2 for the first time since 1995-1996.
How about Cal? It appears Mike Montgomery is on his way towards waking the Pac-10’s sleeping giant as Cal beat Arizona and Arizona State over the holiday weekend. Monte Poole attributes the Golden Bear’s hot start to the Coach and new star, Jerome Randle–26pts, 10 assists, 5reb against Arizona State. Scott Ostler has more on how Randle has thrived under the new coaching regime.
So North Carolina won’t go undefeated this season as some prognosticators in their less sagacious moments suggested. The formula to beat the Tar Heels players has never responded well to physical challenges (see Kansas and Georgetown in the NCAAs) and Ty Lawson struggles when matched up with offensive-minded, physical guards (see Rice, Tyrese & Vasquez, Greivis).
Roy Williams recognizes the problems: “We didn’t do a very good job of attacking. We’ve got to be more physical, we’ve got to be tougher mentally and physically and all those things.”
Hopefully last night’s display will push Rice into the national spotlight. Basketball fans know he’s good but even in the ACC where BC is a Siberian outpost the 6-1 guard is under appreciated. Bob Ryan argues Rice compares favorably to other elite BC guards, Michael Adams, Howard Eisley, & Troy Bell. Back in November SI’s Kevin Armstrong wrote this feature on Rice, chronicling the relationship the guard had with his high school coach.
The beleaguered SEC scored two wins over ACC foes this weekend. Alabama blew away Georgia Tech as the Jackets refused to play defense for most of the game. With the woeful end to the Tide’s football season, fans can be encouraged by the stellar performance of Ronald Steele–23points, 10 assists. Coach Mark Gottfried said of his injury ridden point guard: “Early in the game, it was as good as I’ve seen him in a couple years. He was quick, aggressive. Today maybe was a breakthrough. I don’t know that he has to do that every night, but tonight he was an exceptional player.” Bama completes their mini ACC tour with Clemson on Tuesday evening.
Florida limped by NC State. Ken Tysiac reminds Wolfpack fans of familiar problems, inconsistency and injuries in the back-court. State’s 18 turnovers doomed them. But, why was Ben McCauley switching onto Calathes in a one point game?–either double and get the ball out of his hands or switch back in that situation. McCauley had no chance and gave away a clean look.
According to Corey Clark the Seminoles did enough in their non-conference schedule to expect an invite in the dance come March. Its hard to argue his point if wins over Florida and California hold up as the middle of the ACC could see very little difference between team 4 and team 11.
Ole Miss Coach Andy Kennedy, who took over the Bearcats when Bobby Huggins was fired, got arrested this morning in Cincinnati. From theCincinnati Enquirer:
“Former University of Cincinnati head basketball coach Andy Kennedy, now head coach at Mississippi, was arrested this morning on a charge of assault, accused of attacking a taxi driver and hurling racial slurs at the man, according to police and court records. Also arrested was William Armstrong, the director of operations at Mississippi, on a charge of disorderly conduct, reports show. The men are in town for the SEC/Big East invitational at U.S. Bank Arena. Mississippi plays No. 8 Louisville tonight.
Reports state Armstrong, 31, was drunk and thrown out of the Lodge Bar downtown early this morning. After that, he and Kennedy got a cab. A report says Armstrong taunted the driver “in which his conduct was likely to cause a violent response. A separate report says Kennedy “was the aggressor” and punched the driver, Mohammed Ould Jiddou. During the attack Kennedy used “racial slurs.”
Kennedy has pleaded innocent to the charges. We’ll let the system work its course but this certainly presents a distraction for the Rebels tonight.
Tyler Hansbrough should pass Phil Ford to become UNC’s all time leading scorer tonight. Robbi Pickerall is all over the story for the Charlotte News-Observer. He has Psycho T’s take on the milestone. Pickerall declares Lennie Rosenbluth’s 26.9ppg career average an untouchable UNC record. Tyler’s mom will be on hand this evening, and all season, as she has landed a job with the UNC School of Dentistry. I’m sure everything is on the up and up but it looks terrible.
#25 in the polls but #1 in your RPI….Clemson! Pete Iacobelli of the AP examines the Tigers’ annual hot start.
Florida State is 10-1, defeated Florida, but that doesn’t mean Leonard Hamilton is happy. He’s struggling to find a combination that is efficient on both ends of the court. Hamilton is apt to juggle his starting line-up tonight. The Noles must get better before Saturday’s game with #3 Pitt.
Get to know the other Curry: The Chicago Tribune profiles Stephen’s younger brother Seth, a freshman phenom at Liberty.
It no secret the SEC has been dreadful this year. Still, Tennessee and Vanderbilt swept the Big East on Tuesday night and the SEC can gain some respect tonight if Ole Miss and Mississippi State can spring upsets in Cincinnati. The Bulldogs, facing off against the hometown Bearcats, get Coach Rick Stansbury back after his hospital stay. Ole Miss figures to be out manned by Louisville but the Cardinals aren’t the most consistent squad. Nothing sums up the disparity between the leagues–the Big East the strongest at the top; the SEC without a single threat to reach Ford Field at this point–than the following segment from David Brandt’s game preview:
“Louisville is so deep that Reginald Delk, who played a large role for two seasons at Mississippi State before transferring after the 2006-07 season, barely sees the floor as the team’s 10th-most used player.
As for the Rebels, the offense has revolved around guards David Huertas and Chris Warren, two of the four healthy players on the roster who have Division I basketball experience.
Combined, the two are averaging nearly 41 points per game. It’s the rest of the roster that’s been hit and miss.“
Yesterday Eric Gordon went out of his way to take a shit on Indiana Basketball and further bury Kelvin Sampson. Gordon explained that rampant team-wide drug use was to blame for the Hoosiers implosion last Spring. From the interview with The Indianapolis Star:
Gordon didn’t say which players used drugs, but he said D.J. White and two others still on the team were among those who did not. Attempts to reach White and several other former players were not successful. Gordon said Sampson “tried to stop it,” but the coach “was just so focused on basketball and winning and everything.”
Gordon said he spent considerable time with a family friend in Bloomington because the atmosphere around some players was so bad he didn’t feel comfortable on campus.
“Sometimes it felt like it wasn’t even a real basketball team because of all the turmoil that went on,” said Gordon, now a starting guard for the Los Angeles Clippers. “I was just thinking about that the other day. It was so crazy that all that stuff threw off a good season and made it a waste, basically.
“It was really tough for us to be around each other all the time off the court because we were so separate.”
If only the team had seen this:
IU fans: Your former coach feels your pain. UAB has only six scholarship players eligible to compete. Steve Irvins, Brimingham News, blogs:
Terrence Roderick and Armon Bassett have chosen to leave the team while Jeremy Mayfield and Ed Berrios are no longer with the team because they “do not meet NCAA requirements for participation at this time,” according to a university release. Mayfield and Berrios’ issue deals with academics.
Bassett, on that IU team Gordon slammed, was sitting out this season after transfering to UAB. UAB started the season with only 13 scholarships because the NCAA penalized the Blazers for poor graduation rates (presumably from the Mike Anderson era). UAB is getting some help….Mike Davis, Jr. is eligible again after straightening his own academic situation—not a good sign when the coach can’t even keep his own son eligible. Mike Jones, the UAB wide receiver, will also lend his body to the team.
Exams mark the end of the Fall Semester. That means two things in college hoops: The start of conference play and the addition of injured and ineligible players. Fox Sports’ Jeff Goodman ranks the additions. Some notes on his list:
Alex Legion, SG, Illinois–Goodman ranks Legion #1. Certainly no replacement is as hyped as the former high school All-American and Kentucky transfer. Coach Webber warns Illini fans against placing unrealistic expectations on Legion while telling his guard if he wants to take minutes from Trent Meacham and Chester Frazier he had better defend.
Stanley Robinson, SF, UConn–Ranked second on Goodman’s list, Robinson spent his fall semester on an “academic redshirt,” according to Jim Calhoun. I imagine college deans would probably use phrases like academic suspension or academic leave due to probation violation. Robinson stayed near Storrs and worked as a laborer in a metal yard this fall. The Hartford Courant’s Mike Anthony writes about that experience and Robinson’s maturation process.
Laval Lucas-Perry, SG, Michigan–UMHoops.Com has a complete review of Lucas-Perry and a theory on how the Arizona transfer fits in with the surprising Wolverines.
Gus Gilchrist, C & Mike Mercer, G, South Florida–Stan Heath and the Bulls just had both these transfers play. That was Gilchrist’s first college game despite stops at Virginia Tech and Maryland. The highly recruited big man chose the Bulls after his advisor received a job assisting the basketball team. Mercer, a former SEC standout, transferred from Georgia after a knee injury ended one season and an academic suspension threatened another. Brett McMurphy looks at Mercer’s story and what the Bulls might gain from the addition of two starters. A prophetic Stan Heath cautioned, “People are excited about them and we’ll be much better. But we’re not going to conquer the world.” Sure enough the Bulls lost to Niagra 70-55 in the duo’s first game.
Marcus Monk, ?, Arkansas–Yes, we mean that Marcus Monk, the record setting Razorback receiver. After failing to catch on with an NFL team he returned to grad school and will suit up for Arkansas. According to Robbie Nieswanger, despite playing briefly as freshman, the 6′4″ Monk remains an unknown. Its not clear where he’ll play or what he’ll be asked to do for a young and thin squad. Monk is a former Arkansas Mr. Basketball who averaged 20 points and 16 rebounds as a high school senior.
From Sports Illustrated 3/28/1988, Photographed by: John W. McDonough
It was Christmas 1987 when my father, then working in Philadelphia, gave me a Temple basketball t-shirt. I was 10 and the Owls were in the midst of their best season in modern history, carrying the #1 ranking for much of the season before an agonizing loss to Duke in 1988’s elite eight. It was this gift, probably benign in intent, that helped create a college basketball fanatic. After Christmas he returned to Philadelphia, and I as a son desperate to please, followed Temple basketball avidly. Luckily for me many Saturday afternoons that winter were headlined by Tim Perry, Mark Macon, Howard Evans, Ramon Rivas, and a mustachioed Mike Vreeswyk as Temple chased perfection—a role reprised a few years ago by Big Five rival St. Joe’s.
This weekend I traveled down to Philly for Temple’s game against Tennessee. Amongst ubiquitous references to the holiday season, Dionte Christmas played the best 20 minutes of offensive basketball I’ve ever seen in person. Bruce Pearl tried everything to stop Christmas, using three different guys and even what appeared to be a modified version of a box and one, nothing was successful. In a second half Christmas scored 30 points, including 9 points in about 35 seconds blowing out the Vols. It was an astounding performance. Christmas moved well without the ball using staggered screens to get open on several occasions. He also just hit nearly impossible shots. I could only giggle after Christmas drained a tightly contested three ball over Tyler Smith. My laughter was quickly interrupted by a “You Suck Dick” chant from the Temple student section after a touch fall call on the other end. Ah Philly fans.
Dick Weiss has a feature on Dionte in the Daily News. Philly Basketball Blogger Jonathan Tannenwald reviews the game and has audio interviews with Christmas, Fran Dunphy, Bruce Pearl, and talks A-10 basketball with ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.
Christmas was not the entire story. Tennessee really struggled with the 7-foot Sergio Olmos. Olmos blocked 5 shots and challenged countless others keeping the Vols out of the paint. Tennessee struggled to establish any offensive continuity and Temple’s three and four guard line-ups effectively beat their pressure defense denying the Vols easy baskets. Get Tennessee in a half court game and they struggle to execute or defend consistently for 20 seconds. They clearly miss Jajuan Smith and Chris Lofton outside to stretch defenses and keep defenders from collapsing to help on penetration. Lost in many recaps of the game was how successful was in the final ten minutes of the first half with Christmas on the bench nursing two fouls and injured calf (or so it appeared). Temple got points out of Olmos and the underrated Ryan Brooks to maintain their lead. That was a crucial stretch when a top 10 team should have taken control of the game. Tennessee lacked intesity all game long.
Other Games:
John Calipari thinks if his team played tougher they might have defeated Georgetown. Calipari is calling out his upperclassman. Adam Himmelsbach looks at Tyreke Evans’ uneven afternoon as an indication that the combo-guard has some growing to do. It was great win for a Georgetown team that’s exceeded my expectations this year and will clearly challenge for the Big East title. The Hoyas need to find some help off the bench–four starters played over 40 minutes in the OT game–or they will wear down against that rugged conference schedule.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Larry Hartstein examines all the factors that caused Georgia Tech to lose at home to Illinois-Chicago.
Only in Kentucky could a 72-54 victory over Indiana not be enough. Multiple stories express shock that Billy Gillispie didn’t rip his Cats after they took their foot off the gas in the second half. Rick Bozich leads the charge turning the victory into an explanation for why Kentucky will likely continue to struggle.
With the regular season of college football finally all attention can be focused where it should be. The college basketball gods have not disappointed giving us seven games of significant intrigue if not stellar quality. It all starts tonight with a intrastate showdown.
Friday Night
Iowa St. @ Iowa– The rebuilding Cyclones visit a Hawkeyes squad looking to overcome the suspension of its leading scorer. The Des Moines Register’s Randy Peterson and Rick Brown spoke with Northern Iowa coach Greg McDermott, whose Panthers have lost to both squads, to preview the game.
Saturday
Tennessee @ Temple — I’ll be at this game and will give my thoughts on Monday.
Butler @ Ohio St.– Quietly the Bulldogs are undefeated again. Butler Coach Brad Stevens credits his kids’ poise for another quick start. While recent victories over Missouri Valley foes cause David Woods to ponder when the Bulldogs might forsake the Horizon League for Arch Madness. Ohio State has been the surprise (for me at least) in the country so far. They’ve been incredibly successful without major contributions from BJ Mullins yet, paced by the emergence of Evan Turner as go-to scorer. Back to back wins over ranked Notre Dame and Miami weren’t enough to get them into Seth Davis’ top 25. Would handling the upstart Bulldogs get it done?
Memphis @ Georgetown — The marquee national game pitting final four teams from the past few years. Barker Davis of the Washington times predicts the Hoyas will struggle to match-up with the long Memphis back court. I’m intrigued to see how Georgetown freshman center Greg Monroe handles the athletic front line of Taggart and Dozier. Will the combination of pressure man-to-man and zone by Georgetown force a turnover prone, shaky shooting Tigers back court into a dismal performance?
Indiana @ Kentucky – I did say some of these games lack quality. A Kentucky team stuggling with its ball handling and intensity should feel better after pummelling Indiana. However, Kentucky fans should hold some empathy for their rivals as it wasn’t too long ago they were in similar straights. Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader looks back on the probation Cats, dubbed Pitino’s Bombinos, and argues they were worlds better than Tom Crean’s Hoosiers:
It seems Indiana basketball has descended to the nether regions occupied by Kentucky in 1989-90. But Coach Tom Crean sees his Hoosiers facing an even steeper road back to dominance.
“They had a little more experience,” he said on a Thursday teleconference of UK’s 1989-90 team.
True enough. In forming the team lovingly called Pitino’s Bombinos, Rick Pitino had players who had scored 977 points the season before. That included Derrick Miller, Reggie Hanson, Deron Feldhaus, Richie Farmer, John Pelphrey, Sean Woods and Johnathon Davis.
Indiana’s returning players scored 30 points.
Yet, Crean wants the Hoosiers to play with the same zeal exhibited by the Bombinos.
If you think Crean is just engaging in typical berating coach-speak, check out Terry Hutchens’ profile of walk-on Kipp Schutz, an IU baseball player Crean found in a 3-point shooting contest.
If an unthinkable upset occurs can Gillispie survive?
Xavier @ Cincinnati — The Crosstown Shootout for Queen City supremacy and possibly a bowl of chili. Always close, competitive and intense this rivalry is one of college basketball’s best. This year a vastly improved Cincy looks for a resume building win against the #10 Musketeers. Its the first shootout for Mike Williams, Cincy’s former McD AA and transfer from Texas.
Sunday
Gonzaga @ Arizona (in Phoenix) — Ideally Arizona State (playing the other game of the Desert Classic against IUPUI) might be matching up with the Zags. The Cats have the offensive chops to hang but will they protect the ball and play any defense? Their hopes may rest on Jordan Hill’s continued improvement, though Hill draws a tough match-up with Heytvelt, Daye and Sacre off the bench.
Enjoy the games. Video below: “Weekend,” by The Sea And Cake.
Ok so Davis (left, pic taken form Yahoo Movies) talks and writes a lot but we like him. Warming us up for a great weekend in college hoops (more on that forthcoming) Seth talked to Chris McClain on WFNZ’s Mac Attack in Charlotte. Seth thinks UNC might make a mockery of the final four but doubts the Tar Heels will reach perfection. He rates Duke somewhere between #4 and #25 in the country because they don’t shoot the three as well as we think. In hist best moment, Davis refers to Wake Forest as a freakish puppy. He examines the Steph Curry phenomenon but concludes (and we agree) that last year’s Davidson team was better. Direct link here.
More reflections and opinion on Eric Devendorf’s potential suspension. The Post-Standard has a full report on Jim Boeheim’s problems with the judicial boards decision:
“To me,” Boeheim said, “to be suspended from school for a verbal altercation with somebody at (3) in the morning, which nobody got hurt, does not merit being removed from school.”
Boeheim said he received a document detailing testimony during Devendorf’s closed hearing with the SU Judicial Review Board. That document, he said, revealed that three witnesses testified that Devendorf did not punch Kimberly Smith, but “there was a push to the chest.” Those witnesses – SU players Paul Harris, Rick Jackson and Arinze Onuaku — described the event as a “verbal confrontation for about two to three minutes.” Smith, Boeheim said, testified but did not present a witness.
ESPN Radio 1260 interviews with CoachBoeheim, Devendorf’s lawyer and Smith’s lawyer can be found here. Link swiped from Brent Axe’s Post-Standard blog.
players has never responded well to physical challenges (see Kansas and Georgetown in the NCAAs) and Ty Lawson struggles when matched up with offensive-minded, physical guards (see Rice, Tyrese & Vasquez, Greivis).
Exams mark the end of the Fall Semester. That means two things in college hoops: The start of conference play and the addition of injured and ineligible players. 
