College Hoops Week 10 Review: Reynolds Wraps It Up, Pittsburgh, OSU Rise

Thoughts On Week 10:

Individual Performances:

Scottie Reynolds, Villanova.  36 points, four rebounds, two steals vs. Louisville and 27 points vs. Georgetown.  Reynolds had traditionally struggled against the Cardinals but got a career-high to keep the Wildcats atop the Big East.  Georgetown tried to muster another comeback on Sunday but once again Reynolds rose to the occasion.  As a senior Reynolds is proving his mettle more than ever.

Evan Turner, Ohio State.  32 points, nine rebounds, three assists vs. Purdue.  If Turner doesn’t get some national player of the year consideration one would have to assume that the people who make that decision also serve on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame selection committee.  The Buckeyes are back on the national scene as they have beaten ranked teams in two straight contests and much of the credit goes to this forward who can fill a stat sheet.

Andy Rautins, Syracuse.  23 points, eight rebounds, nine assists vs. South Florida.  Wesley Johnson usually gets the most attention for the Orange but Rautins has continued the tradition of star guards.  When he bids adieu after this season Jim Boeheim will miss him much the way he missed Flynn, McNamara, Douglas, etc. 

Team Performances:

Pittsburgh.  Coaches aren’t great prognosticators.  Case in point – the Panthers were picked to finish ninth in the Big East.  Not gonna happen.  Ashton Gibbs and Co. have risen to the challenge after serving as reserves last season.  It also helped that Gilbert Brown and Jermaine Dixon are back in the rotation.  Watch for freshman Gary McGhee – once he figures out interior footwork he’s going to be a force in the pivot for years to come.

Ohio State.  Like I mentioned earlier, the Buckeyes are back in play. Of course, Turner’s return helped tremendously, but take a look at this consistent stat.  Jon Diebler, William Buford and David Lighty are all averaging 13.3 points a game.  Combined with some yeoman work from Dallas Lauderdale this team should rise in the Big Ten standings.

Murray State.  Northern Iowa, Gonzaga and Butler are getting most of the pub from the mid-major conferences but Murray State belongs with this group.  Aside from a close win against Eastern Kentucky the Racers have beaten all their Ohio Valley foes by at least fifteen points.  There only losses have come to Cal (who could be the lone Pac-10 rep in the Dance), Louisiana Tech (lone Wac rep) and Western Kentucky (lone Sun Belt rep) by a combined total of 22 points. 

Oddity of the Week:

Ole Miss only played nine players in their win over Georgia but got contributions from all o f them.  The leading scorer had twelve points.  The lowest scorer had six.

Rankings:

1.       Texas

2.       Kentucky

3.       Villanova

4.       Kansas

5.       Syracuse

6.       Tennessee

7.       Duke

8.       Michigan State

9.       Kansas State

10.   Brigham Young

11.   West Virginia

12.   Purdue

13.   Butler

14.   Gonzaga

15.   UAB

16.   Northern Iowa

17.   Temple

18.   Georgetown

19.   Texas A&M

20.   Georgia Tech

21.   Pittsburgh

22.   New Mexico

23.   Ohio State

24.   Clemson

25.   Miami (Fla.)

26.   Northwestern

27.   North Carolina

28.   Connecticut

29.   Oklahoma State

30.   Florida State

31.   St. Mary's

32.   Cornell

33.   Louisiana Tech

34.   Virginia Tech

35.   Rhode Island

36.   Wisconsin

37.   Marshall

38.   William & Mary

39.   Baylor

40.   Murray State