Bleacher Report - College Basketball

Rico Pickett Suspended: Another Reason Manhattan Should Fire Barry Rohrssen

Ari Kramer — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:22:33 -0500

Six days.

Junior college transfer Rico Pickett couldn't even make it through a week of the regular season at Manhattan without "violating a team rule."

Pathetic.

Jasper coach Barry Rohrssen knew he wasn't signing a saint when he beat out Jim Calhoun and Billy Donovan for Pickett, who endured two suspensions as a freshman at Alabama, but, although Rohrssen never verbalized the following statement, the coach embraced the point guard as his last life-line.

Rohrssen knew his back was against the wall.

After three full seasons at the helm, his team still fit the mold of a rebuilding squad, which was an acceptable label in 2006-07 and 2007-08, but definitely not in 2008-09 or the present.

He struggled to live up to recruiting expectations, and, when he did sign highly-rated high school seniors, they transferred after a year or two.

Pickett was Rohrssen's last chance to prove that he was the recruiter Manhattan thought he would be. From April until November, the "Fire Barry" sentiments evaporated into the Riverdale air because Jasper fans hoped Pickett, who was ranked No. 46 in ESPN's 2007 recruiting class, could revive the program.

Now, the hope is gone.

Pickett's violation had not been disclosed to the public as of Friday night. As a result, Manhattan fans are speculating the worst—the vagueness of his suspension implies an offense much worse than a late arrival to practice.

Given Pickett's history, it is fair to assume he brought the suspension on himself. However, Rohrssen knew he would need to monitor Pickett's lack of discipline, yet he failed to do so. Therefore, this violation is, ultimately, the coach's fault.

The suspension joins Rohrssen's poor recruiting, limited player development, and ineffective coaching on the growing list of reasons for Manhattan to fire its coach.

There is no doubt that Rohrssen is a nice, moral person. Unfortunately, though, he was never cut out to be a mid-major head coach.

This is his fourth year at the helm. He was given a chance to rebuild, but his players, under his reign, have not carried Manhattan back to the top of the MAAC.

If firing a coach in-season was acceptable in college basketball, you know what I'd say. But, it isn't.

Regardless, Rohrssen should not be walking the sidelines at Draddy Gymnasium come November 2010.

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Ohio State Buckeyes-Cal Bears: OSU Rebounds with Impressive Win, 76-70

Drew Gatewood — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:29:10 -0500

Ohio State bounced back after a scrappy performance against North Carolina last night by defeating No. 12 California, 76-70. The Buckeyes dominated the paint, something they couldn’t do last night, on their way to a win in Madison Square Garden.

Dallas Lauderdale was the catalyst for this defensive performance with eight points, five rebounds, and a career-high seven blocks. Evan Turner once again put on a clinic with another double double. He had 26 points and 14 rebounds, along with six assists.

Last night he had 10 turnovers in a frustrating performance for the Buckeye guard; tonight he held it to four, all of which were in the second half.

The Buckeyes' starters did their part of the scoring tonight. Jon Diebler had 14 points, most of which were from his improved three-point shooting. William Buford had 12, and David Lighty added 11 for a Buckeye team that found its shooting touch after a poor performance last night.

Ohio State shot 50 percent from the field, including 40 percent from behind the arc. This was the first time this season they were out-rebounded and won, as the California Bears won the battle of the boards 33-29.

California played tough in the second half but dug too deep of a hole in the first half to climb out. Going into the half the Bears were down 38-25.

Jerome Randle led the charge for the Bears with 26 points, going 6-12 from three-point range. Patrick Christopher chipped in 12 and Jamal Boykin and Omondi Amoke each added 11.

California shot 40 percent from the field, and was a respectable 43 percent from three. The Bears outscored the Buckeyes 45-38 in the second half but it was too late to overcome the damage from the first half.

Ohio State (3-1) will face Lipscomb (0-3) on Tuesday in what should be another home win for the Buckeyes. They still have several difficult non-conference games including Florida State and Butler before conference play starts.

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Penn State Basketball Continues Its Outstanding Iowa Hawkeye Impersonation

Nathan B — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:20:50 -0500

Wow, the NIT sure is looking nice right now for the Nittany Lions. Items in the rearview mirror may be far less significant than they appear.

Apparently jealous of Iowa's horrendous start with true nice-guy Mr. Lickliter at the helm, Penn State continues to try to one-up the Hawkeyes and prove that they, too, belong in the basement of the Big Ten.

Their efforts today resulted in a 63-60 loss to Tulane that wasn't as close a game as the score indicates. Tulane led by 10 with eight minutes left in the game, but PSU rallied, which itself is rather surprising, considering the Lions' final field goal percentage of 27.6.

This atrocity of a game followed on the heels of Penn State's drubbing at the hands of UNC-Wilmington. Losses to the Seahawks and Green Wave were not quite what the NIT defending champions were expecting in Charleston. In fact, there are few sports where anyone should log consecutive losses to teams named the Seahawks and Green Wave.

This is a really poor version of the Charleston Shuffle and will definitely not be remembered as a "classic" in Nittany Lion basketball lore, except for classically displaying that Talor Battle has absolutely no one on this team who can help him win.

He's also proven he's not quite ready to do it himself, turning in a 3-for-13 performance, including a paltry one-of-five from behind the arc. At least Battle makes his free throws, though (logging another eight-of-eight after last night's 11-of-12 effort).

Sophomore guard Chris Babb was invisible for the second game in a row, though not quite invisible enough, shooting one-of-six on his three-point attempts before mercifully being yanked for most of the game.

Junior forward Jeff Brooks was one of the few brighter spots for Penn State, but no one has shown enough consistency to indicate that PSU is even guaranteed of being able to beat Indiana or Iowa this year. Consider it a three-team race...for the basement.

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Nebraska Huskers Basketball: So Far 2010 Is Not The Year

Josh Klein — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:54:22 -0500

Since Danny Nee left the program in 2000, Nebraska has had to rebuild itself from mediocrity to respectability. But it isn't done yet. Not even close.

For the past two or three years, Nebraska fans have been led to believe that the next year would be the year that the Huskers would make that leap into the top-six of the Big 12.

The highest finish in that time: seventh.

That season, Nebraska went 7-9 in the Big 12, but 13-3 against non-Big 12 opponents, making it to the second round of the NIT. Unfortunately, Nebraska lost Alex Maric to graduation and was left with a veteran but small group for the following season.

Last season though, Nebraska exceeding some people's expectations going 18-13 including a second straight invite to the NIT.

Again, Husker fans were left thinking that next season would be the season.

It's hard in the Big 12. Especially in a year as loaded as this one. Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M all have promising rosters this season. Not to mention that Baylor still feels it can rise to the occasion and teams like Iowa State and Texas Tech hope to make a significant jump.

Nebraska has young talent. Again.

It seems each year this team loses someone that could provide senior leadership. Players like Ade Dagundaro and Cookie Miller, one lost to graduation another to a transfer.

If a game against Saint Louis is any indication, this team is far from gelling. Brian Diaz is tall, but soft in the middle. Ubel is tentative at best in tough situations. Lance Jeter shows promise, but seems to still be getting a hang of the offense and Brandon Richardson shows flashes but ultimately is still to inexperienced to know exactly what he offers.

What the Huskers gained in height this season they lost in experience and toughness. Players like Paul Velander, Steve Harley, and Ade Dagundaro provided some much needed swagger and toughness in years past.

That aspect is ultimately gone and remains only in remnants of Ryan Anderson and Sek Henry.

Once again this was supposed to be the year. But it seems that with players like Lance Jeter, Tony McCray, and Brian Diaz, next season is the one to look forward to.

But maybe, just maybe, this team can get itself together before Big 12 play with the addition of Christian Standhardinger to the roster. Standhardinger is a long defensive player with scoring skills that would add to the size in the starting five and on the bench.

Right now Nebraska doesn't have a clear-cut rotation of starters. They haven't molded the starting five that we can count on night in and night out. Instead they will be mix-matching the line-ups to find the best combination of players. That doesn't bode well with teams like TCU and USC coming up soon.

If Nebraska wants to compete in the Big 12 this season, it needs to be successful out of conference. Beating up on South Carolina Upstate is one thing, but losing to Saint Louis is another.

This weekend Doc Sadler needs to find a rotation that will work and that he sticks to. With the length on the floor their defense should be stifling. It was last year without the height, it should be better this year with some height.

With 12 games left on the OOC schedule, Nebraska needs to find a combination that works on the floor and in the paint.

Nebraska wants to get to 8-8 in conference play again, and would like to add a cool 12 wins, it will need to win 11 of the next 12 games to have a shot at the goals set before them.

Doc needs to coach like he's never coached before with this young group to do anything note worthy in conference play, but it starts with out of conference gelling and losses to teams like Saint Louis won't help.

The bad news gets even worse for the Huskers, because Kansas comes to town the second Big 12 conference game of the season. At that point, the gelling better have been done, or Nebraska fans may be in for a long season without a postseason bid.

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Surprise, Surprise: Louisville Strong Out of the Gate

Jonathan Lintner — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:58:08 -0500

Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals spurned an early season trend in their 96-66 win over Arkansas last Wednesday night.

They won an early season game, and they did so without a scare.

Since joining the Big East in 2005, Pitino has noticeably adjusted to the Cardinals’ strenuous conference schedule. Louisville typically disregards its preseason ranking, placing winning on the back burner in favor of instilling team chemistry and lasting stamina.

Last season, Pitino’s strategy peaked.

Louisville started the new year with three losses—to Western Kentucky, Minnesota and UNLV—then reeled off nine straight wins, won the Big East Conference Tournament and solidified itself as the top seed in the NCAA Tournament.

As he always does, Pitino caught some flack for the early blunders. As always, they were forgotten in January, February, and especially March.

It remains to be seen what Pitino’s approach will be this season.

Could the Big East’s expected drop in talent be more reason to push early? Could the higher profiles of non-conference opponents like Western Kentucky, UNLV, and Kentucky be a reason to make an early push?

Or was Louisville’s blowout of Arkansas simply a product of five Razorback suspensions, which left John Pelphrey’s depleted roster full of walk-ons and golfers?

The answer lies somewhere in the middle.

"This team is very good," Pitino said. "We're nowhere near our potential, and it's the best we've ever looked since I've been here in an opening game. My teams are very tough to watch the first few games of the season."

Six Cardinals scored in double figures against Arkansas—two more than last season’s opener against Morehead State. But the biggest contribution of the night came from one of the most unlikely of suspects.

Senior guard Reginald Delk, a Mississippi State transfer, racked up a game high 20 points off the bench in only 22 minutes. Delk’s previous career high was 10 points.

Louisville also got 12 points from senior Edgar Sosa and 10 from sophomore Jared Swopshire. Sosa averaged just over seven points per game last season while seeking a defensive identity. Swopshire averaged just one point.

No matter what crazy lineup Pitino threw at Arkansas, no matter what the substitution pattern was to keep the game close, Delk, Sosa and Swopshire threw it all off with—surprise, surprise—production.

However, Pitino did try his best to make Louisville’s first contest worthwhile. He started Delk and guard Preston Knowles out of the half, and the Razorbacks rallied from 14 down to make is a 48-45 game.

That didn’t last long, as by the time the next media timeout started, Louisville was up 65-48.

The Cardinals went on to blowout the Razorbacks and hold star shooter Rotnei Clarke, fresh off a 51-point performance against Alcorn State, to 16 points. That's with a roster that contains five freshman and five sophomores.

"I think it's just the result of us putting very few things in and getting better at what we put in earlier in the year," Pitino said. "We had to keep it very basic."

Pitino constantly tears his team down, claiming they can’t play defense early in the season.

The fact that he hasn’t yet mentioned the Cardinals’ inabilities may signal the underrated potential of this years squad.

And instead of leaving the early season with some noticeable scars, the Cardinals could be ready to provide Western Kentucky, UNLV, and Kentucky with some non-conference scares.

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Vanderbilt Individual Player Previews: Vanderbilt at St. Mary's (SILLY EDITION)

Robert F. Funke — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:12:40 -0500

Rather than giving a full game breakdown and prediction for Vanderbilt at St. Mary's, which is being done all around the media by people far more qualified and knowledgeable than me (to be discussed later this afternoon), I will instead make specific predictions about Vanderbilt players. Here they are...

Jermaine “Dolla” Beal: Beal will make all of his free throws. He will also shoot 5 of 8 from beyond the arc, and finish with double-digit assists. He will only commit two turnovers. He will have one highlight-worthy drive to the basket. He will not dance afterwards.

Jeffery “The Rocketeer” Taylor: Expect at least two “balloon boy” jokes in postgame writeups, because Taylor will be jumping very high tonight, and Moraga, California is the topical humor capital of the West Coast. Taylor’s stats will finally catch up with his highlight reel. Expect 25 points, at least. He will unfortunately miss three free throws.

“Fun” Festus Ezeli: When it comes to Festus and shot-blocking, the question is not “if,” but “will any of the basketballs explode?” Here’s your answer: yes, but not how you expect.

A.J. “All Jamz” Ogilvy: This will be a very interesting night for Ogilvy indeed. Ogilvy seems to be in the process of shaking the rust off after a preseason interrupted with a concussion. As a result of that concussion, combined with the fact that five of St. Mary’s players are fellow Aussies, Ogilvy will spend much of his time in the post yelling Australian trash talk.

“Oy! Should’ve worn yah budgie smugglers, you might find a bondi cigar (“cigah”) in ‘em! You don’t know Christmas from Bourke Street, mate!”

In a fit of what anthropologists call “Aussie Rage,” he’ll score impressively. Look for four dunks and one bucket from beyond the arc, filled out with impressive post play. This performance will be marred, however, by several sloppy errors, several missed free throws, and a superfluous conversation with a referee about Olivia Newton-John.

All six Australians will have to be asked to change out of khaki shorts before the game, and will stop the game for thirty minutes in the first half to go play sand volleyball. Lance Goulbourne will join them.

Brad “The Quiet Storm” Tinsley: With the time zone change, expect a quieter scoring night from Tinsley, a gifted, but skittish shooter. He’ll score 10, (two threes, a layup, and two of three free throws). A close analysis of the game, however, will lead to the undeniable conclusion that bad things just don’t seem to happen when he’s in the game.

Andre “Temperature” Walker: At the unveiling of his new Sean Paul-inspired nickname, walker will post a triple-double (12 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists).

Lance “[Monster Mash voice] Gho-o-u-l”bourne: No one will understand why, and there will be no video evidence of how it happened, but Lance Goulbourne will score 11 points and grab 6 rebounds in only three minutes of play, his PT cut short as punishment for joining in the sand volleyball game. Stallings will explain that he "expected it from AJ, but Lance should know better."

John “Just John For Now” Jenkins: Many people expect Jenkins to light it up from beyond the arc, but I just don’t think he will. He will be a respectable 4 of 5 from beyond the arc, but his powers will be much diminished as he travels further from Tennessee, an affliction that similarly affects Lamar Alexander and the Dixie Chicks.

Steve “100 Proof” Tchiengang: Five rebounds, four fouls, three blocks, two points, and a shattered backboard.

There you go. I’ll end with a fun fact: Did you know that the “Mary” in “St. Mary’s” is actually not the Virgin Mary, but Mary J. Blige ?

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Marcus Jordan Trying To Create Image For Himself at UCF

Ryan Bass — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:09:43 -0500

Marcus Jordan wears black, square glasses and stands at 6'3"—three inches shorter than his famous father.

His arms and chest are decorated in body art. He has two stars right below his shoulders that bear his initials. His father didn’t prefer the ink.

Marcus wears the letters UCF across his chest, not UNC. His father wore the No. 23. He prefers No.5.

Really, the only similarity between Marcus and his father, Michael Jordan, is the family name draped across the back of their respective jerseys.

It’s pretty much the only thing Marcus wants to be compared to with his father, despite continuous expectations from the time he was young to become like the Hall of Famer and NBA icon.

“I have had those expectations since sixth grade, so just growing up, you learn how to deal with them,” Jordan said. “You know you’re not going to be Michael Jordan Jr., you’re going to be Marcus Jordan. I have no problem with that.

“I love [being his son], and I wouldn’t want to be anybody else.”

Marcus is beginning his first collegiate season of basketball at UCF after being recruited to play for the Knights in early April. He headlines a talented freshman class, including forward Keith Clanton and swingmen Nik Garcia and R.J. Scott.

Marcus’ recruitment to the Knights made national and even global headlines, especially when he made his official commitment on Apr. 6.

Head coach Kirk Speraw noted that a commitment like one of Marcus’ speaks for itself, but UCF didn’t recruit the Chicago native for the name he bears on the back of his jersey.

“Our decision to recruit Marcus was strictly on what he would bring to our team and the skill set that he had,” said Speraw, who is entering his 17th season as head coach of the Knights. “It didn’t matter if his name was Marcus Smith, his skill set is what we needed for this basketball team and what he would bring to this basketball team. All the other stuff was not even a thought in our minds.”

The decision to lure Marcus to Orlando was helped by his former teammate at Whitney Young High School, A.J. Rompza. The two are best friends, and combined with AAU teammate, Nik Garcia, made Marcus feel something different about this team than any other.

“I really felt like this team was a family here,” Jordan said. “I just thought I was joining the UCF family, basically. Having A.J. Rompza down here already, one of my best friends, and having Nik Garcia coming down with me as well, I wasn’t going into it alone.

“I felt comfortable here.”

Averaging 10 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game in his senior season at Whitney Young, Marcus continued to improve on his skill set as the season went on. He averaged 16.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in the post season, en route to leading his team to the Class 4A State Championship.

Speraw believes his skill set goes beyond what shows up in the box score.

“He will bring a very competitive level to this team and is somebody that has very good instincts with the basketball,” Speraw said. “Those are two skills that people don’t look at very often, but those are two skills that are very critical to a successful basketball program. We are excited to add that ingredient to the rest of the mix that we have.”

Joining Marcus in the 2009 recruiting class is a local talent that will be looking to make headlines as well in Clanton. The 6'8" forward was named the Class 1A Player of the Year his senior year at Orlando Christian Prep and led them to a 30-2 record—including a state championship.

“He is a great young man,” Speraw said of Clanton. “He is very unselfish, and he is going to be great to play with because he is so unselfish, has great vision, and is such a tremendous passer.”

Scott, a Louisiana native, and Garcia, a Chicago native, will also factor into the success of the recruiting class. Scott also led his team to a state title his senior year and is known for his play-making ability. Garcia, a 6'6" shooting guard, is a lights-out shooter, averaging 22 points per game last season. Garcia’s 3-point shooting will be a huge compliment to the inside games of Clanton and the penetration ability of Marcus and Scott.

“Nik is a great shooter,” Speraw said. “He has a reputation of making big shots in basketball games. He brings good length and he has a good sense on how to play.”

Although Marcus has been slowed by a knee injury and has yet to find his touch from the field, all of the freshman will be counted on to adjust quickly to the college level to help contribute this season.

Despite the buzz surrounding his recruitment and the expectations that come with his last name, Marcus is not just looking to make an identity for himself, but also wants to help the Knights find their own identity.

“I want to get my name out there, but I want to get UCF basketball’s name out there too,” Marcus said. “I’m looking forward to doing both.”

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Mercer-Fisk: Bears Blow Out Bulldogs 110-45

J. Andrew Lockwood — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:09:00 -0500

It was a blowout from the beginning. The Bears (3-1) took the tipoff to start the game and then proceeded to mount a 16-2 lead before the five-minute mark over the Nashville-based NAIA Fisk University.

Fisk (0-6) seemed to be hopelessly outmatched against Mercer’s starters and top scorers, as the Bears would shoot close to 60 percent from the field in the first half.

While the game was more of a tune-up for the Bears' matchup against the ACC’s Florida State Seminoles coming into town three days later, Mercer played everyone on the bench and saw quality minutes from their starters in the 110-45 win.

The game set three University Center records on Wednesday night: the most points scored by a team (toppling the 2005 mark of a 105-101 win over Troy), the biggest margin of victory (the previous largest margin was 32 points against Savannah State in 2005), and equaled the most rebounds in UC history with 58.

After the game, head coach Bob Hoffman said on MercerBears.com, “It was great to get to play a lot of people tonight. The level of play was good, and I played some guys out of position. They competed no matter where they were playing.”

For the Bears fans that saw a tight exhibition game against Division II GSCU, the blowout win was a sigh of relief. It was also an opportunity to see many of the new faces on the floor this season for the Bears. While E.J. Kusnyer and Daniel Emerson would finish with 14 points each, guards Ridas Pulkauninkas and James Florence dropped 13 points in limited action.

Clearing the benches throughout the game, the 2,000-plus fans in the UC saw hometown product David O’Shaughnessey score his first five points at Mercer, as well as fellow freshmen and transfers Chris Smith, Jake Gollon, Michael Jenkins, Brandon Moore and Tevin Swann see plenty of the hardwood in the second half. All 15 players for Mercer ended up scoring on the night.

For Fisk, Michael Brodnax would net 12 points while teammate Bradley Grayson would add in 10. With only two players finishing in double figures on the night, the Bulldogs would end up shooting only 29.7 percent from the floor.

Now, the Bears turn their sights to the CSS-TV matchup against Florida State, a team that has already beaten A-Sun opponents Jacksonville and Stetson by considerable margins in Tallahassee early this season.

Photo Courtesy of Alex Lockwood Photography

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Duke Basketball Player Profile: Brian Zoubek

Mike Kline — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:55:44 -0500

This is the continuation of a series profiling Duke's basketball players and what they hope to contribute to this year's team.

It has been a frustrating three seasons for senior Brian Zoubek.

The 7-foot-1 center has suffered through an inconsistent and injury-plagued career so far as a Blue Devil.

Coming in with a class of Lance Thomas, Gerald Henderson, and Jon Scheyer, Zoubek was billed as a legitimate 7-footer, something Duke had never really had under Mike Krzyzewski.

His first game out of the gate was encouraging, as he scored in double figures. Duke fans were jumping for joy for "Zou."

Only problem is, the inconsistency that has followed has been Zoubek's calling card.

Ask any fan and you will likely find varying opinions of Zoubek. Some might call him a total bust. Others might say he in on the verge of a breakthrough year. While those like me will just figure he is what he is: nothing more, nothing less.

Zoubek, without question, has been a hard worker, even if he hasn't lived up to some of the lofty expectations some fans may have had for him.

It has been easy to focus on his shortcomings. He is slow, and at times clumsy in his footwork. He has been foul prone and has done more traveling than Jack Kerouac.

Not to mention, he has never played like a true seven footer. How many times has he been out rebounded, had his shot blocked or been just plain embarrassed by quicker and smaller players?

If you are answering "a lot," then you are probably not in the Brian Zoubek Fan Club. But before you put him out to pasture, why not give this lovable giant one more chance?

First of all, he is finally healthy and in three games this year, Zoubek has shown some improvement. He at times has played as big as his frame by keeping the ball high on rebounds and shot attempts.

And while he will never be your typical post-up-type player, he can be an opportunistic scorer. He has shown the ability to score points off put backs and offensive rebounds.

He also, at least last year, isn't too bad on the free-throw line, which is always good for a big man.

Zoubek isn't likely to see much time against smaller teams and for good reason but against the right teams, expect to see more of him.

He has clearly bulked up this year, and when ACC play starts, he is likely to be useful against teams with large front courts.

He has shown the ability to be a respectable rebounder and he at times can cause opposing bigs problems, as he did against Florida State's Solomon Alabi last season.

And if all else fails, he can provide Duke with five fouls.

Regardless of your opinions of Zoubek, he definitely can serve a purpose for this Duke team. Finding that purpose probably will depend on what team the Blue Devils are playing at the time.

Oh yeah, and did I mention the beard? That is another first in the Krzyzewski era, at least as far as I can remember.

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Arizona Wildcats Beat Rice Despite Sloppy Play

Tom Phillips — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:55:01 -0500

The Arizona Wildcats looked sloppy against the Rice Owls Thursday night.

Despite winning 66-49 over the Owls, the Cats struggled to find a rhythm in their game.

There was a constant helter skelter surrounding the Wildcats.

Passes flying everywhere, turnovers, and hurried shots. There was not the consistent flow to the game that so many Arizona fans are used to seeing.

A lot of this could be contributed to Sean Miller's substitution rotation. It seemed at every stoppage in play, another Wildcat was trading the floor for the bench and vice versa.

Every scholarship player who wasn't injured played in the game. The team did not seem able to find a rhythm with whoever else happened to be in the game. As a unit, they do not seem entirely confident in each other's abilities.

This has a lot to do with players not yet sure of what their roles are on the team.

Based on the first two games only three players seem to know what their roles are and are confident in doing them.

The first is Nic Wise. Wise is the team's best player and knows he will be counted upon to do the heavy lifting for the team. As the team's only senior he took on the role against Rice; racking up 15 points, seven assists, and five steals.

Wise showed why he will be so vital for this team this year. He will lead them on the court, while at the same time trying to help develop the underclassmen into being a more cohesive unit.

The second is Solomon Hill. Hill knows that he is going to be counted on to do a little bit of everything and two games into the season he looks confident with the role.

Hill has scored double figures in both games so far and proved himself to have excellent hands for a wing player. He is also not afraid to get down low and fight for the rebound against bigger, more physical opponents.

Derrick Williams is the third player who looks confident in his role. Williams seems to know that he will be counted on to be the guy who will need to hit the glass at all times.

Even though he is only averaging five rebounds a game, he is active and a pest to the opposition. He will also be the dunker on the team. He showed it against Rice flying in for a momentum-swinging dunk.

Jamelle Horne seemed to gain confidence as the game went on but early in the game you could see his frustration with his teammates. Horne needs to remember that he made the same mistakes last year and let it go, if he wants to help the team improve.

Arizona is young and is bound to go through some growing pains. Hopefully they won't last too long as the Cats are heading to Hawaii to play in the Maui Invitational November 23-26.

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Syracuse-UNC and Puerto Rico Tip-Off Highlight Weekend of College Hoops

Jameson Fleming — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:52:15 -0500

Syracuse Strives to Knock off National Champ for Second Consecutive Year

Last season, an up-and-coming Syracuse team went to Kansas City, made an unthinkable comeback, and eventually sent the Kansas Jayhawks, the defending champions, to the showers after SU won in its favorite time of day: overtime.

This season, North Carolina may be the defending champs, but the Tar Heels face a challenge similar to the up-hill battle the 'Cuse fought and won last year. The Orange had to invade Jayhawk territory to come away with the CBE Classic Title.

UNC must defeat Jim Boeheim's bunch in SU's home away from home. That's no easy task considering the 'Cuse is 10-2 in its last handful of early-season tournaments that culminated in New York City.

Roy Williams has one of his toughest tasks ahead of him to have his Heels prepared to put points on the board against Syracuse's stingy zone.

Ohio State attempted to stop Carolina's offense in the second half with a sagging 2-3 zone defense, but the Orange will give UNC a completely different look.

Through three games, Syracuse's athleticism and incredible length has allowed Boeheim to crank up the defensive pressure. He's able to send his perimeter players out past the three-point arc to put pressure on the ball.

Boeheim's front line is so long and so effective at blocking shots that quick ball reversal hasn't resulted in easy baskets like past years.

North Carolina does present a challenge that Syracuse may not be able to meet. SU has not seen a team with the menacing size UNC brings to the table.

With six players who stand 6'10'' or taller, Roy Williams will keep sending redwood tree after redwood tree into the paint.

UNC should nullify the 'Cuse's dominance of the paint and hold the edge around the basket, but Boeheim's guard play has been so good that UNC may not be reloading quickly enough to win this early season battle.

Red-shirt sophomore Scoop Jardine looks like a jazz musician from New York City's Village Vanguard anticipating the beat rather than missing it after a season off.

Jardine will soon be playing the lead if he continues to excel. With less experienced and smaller guards running the show for North Carolina, Jardine's ball-hawking skills could be the difference on Friday night.

For now, Syracuse, in its midseason form, has the advantage over a North Carolina team trying to figure the best way to reload its double-barreled shotgun.

Come back in March, however, and Roy Williams will likely have that shotgun locked, loaded, and aimed perfectly. And if that fails, he'll have the depth to fill a backup pistol.

Puerto Rico Tip-Off

The organizers of this event miraculously struck gold with the first two games of the tournament with the pairings of Dayton-Florida State and Villanova-George Mason.

The second round should be just as good, as Dayton probably has the best pair of wins this season and Villanova is a top 10 team.

Kansas State will also tip off against Mississippi, who may be the class of the SEC West.

The Wildcats from Philadelphia are without their top freshman big man, Mouphtaou Yarou, who stayed home sick.

That proved costly against George Mason and could keep Villanova out of the championship game because Dayton's athleticism can exploit 'Nova's lack of size.

The Flyers may have a bunch of players with common last names in a Wright, two Johnsons, and a Williams, but their games have made them stand out. Dayton's needed all four to post outstanding efforts in its two wins against Creighton and 19th-ranked Georgia Tech.

It's a great sign for Brian Gregory's team to beat the Yellow Jackets despite the fact that Chris Wright, who dominated Creighton, couldn't make a positive play to save his life against G-Tech.

Dayton should move on to the finals against the winner of Kansas State-Mississippi.

The Wildcats of Manhattan, not the Manhattan in New York, but rather the ones of Kansas, come with a duo of guards that should challenge what's likely the best defensive backcourt in the SEC.

Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente vs. Chris Warren and Terrico White should be one of the most exciting matchups of the early season. Both duos can score at will, but only Warren and White will likely shut the opponents down.

Mississippi's defense should be the deciding factor.

The final, whether it features Dayton or Villanova against either Mississippi or Kansas State, will likely be won by Dayton/Villanova's half the of the bracket.

Both squads (even 'Nova without Yarou) are better than what the Rebels and Wildcats can bring to the table right now.

Few other quick notes:

South Carolina should roll through the Charleston Classic. After beating up what's arguably the second-best team in the field, La Salle, the Gamecocks get Big East cellar dweller South Florida, then likely the winner of Miami vs. UNC-Wilmington. It's a chance for a great start to Darrin Horn's second season in Columbia.
Vanderbilt at St. Mary's should be a defining game for both squads. The Commodores can make good on their sleeper status with a win on the West Coast. The Gaels can show they are for real after losing Patty Mills.
Providence isn't supposed to be very good, but the Friars are 3-0. They get an Alabama team that's already lost to Cornell. This is a chance for Providence to further increase the Big East's dominance and make the start to the SEC's season even more painful.
Cornell can show it is really, really for real instead of just pretty for real if it knocks off Seton Hall at home. That would give the Big Red road wins over Alabama and Massachusetts and a home win vs. Seton Hall.
The 2K9 consolation is nothing to sleep on either. Ohio State against California could set up to be an offensive showcase with the way both teams can score from the perimeter (though you wouldn't know it from Thursday night).
Oklahoma heads to VCU in a payback game which the Rams almost won last year. This has trap game written all over it for the Baby Sooners.
Mercer has a history of beating major conference programs. Saturday it gets it shot at Florida State at home.
On Sunday, Auburn vs. North Carolina State. It's the major conference basement championship. Yippee.

For more on college basketball, follow Jameson on Twitter.

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North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Ohio State Buckeyes in 2K Classic Semis

bill duke — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:18:35 -0500

Out to a 3-0 record SU, the No. 4 North Carolina Tar Heels look to remain undefeated against the 2-0 No. 15 Ohio State Buckeyes favored by a three-pointer.

The two are taking part in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden and in UNC’s last nine games it is 9-0 SU and 6-2 ATS (not all of its games had betting lines).

The Tar Heels have taken seven overs in its last 10 games when favored by four points or fewer.

Ohio State is 5-1 ATS in its last six games.

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Tobias Harris: Latest Addition To the Tennessee Vols Basketball Family

Joel Barker — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:19:29 -0500

To say that Tobias Harris was a big catch for Bruce Pearl and the Tennessee Vols would be a massive understatement. As a matter of fact, Harris is quite possibly Pearl's biggest catch yet.

Harris officially signed his national letter of intent on Wednesday night and announced his decision at the ESPN Zone in Manhattan on Thursday.

In just four seasons on the job in Knoxville, Bruce Pearl has raised the level of play and the level of expectations to unprecedented heights.

Tennessee is a football school. It's been known pretty well for basketball too, but that had much more to do with Pat Summitt and the Lady Vols more than anything the men ever did.

Of course that's expected, since Pat Summitt is the greatest coach in the history of the women's game, maybe in the history of basketball, period. Still, Bruce Pearl had quite a job on his hands.

Four years in, his program is on the verge of equaling the dynamic duo of Vols football and Lady Vols basketball. This signing almost assures that.

Not to say that a 5-star, top-rated prospect is a "cant-miss" player, but in basketball, the flops are much fewer and farther between than in football recruiting.

Tobias Harris will bring a big-bodied, physical presence to the wing that the Vols have never consistently had. At 6'8", 210 pounds, Harris is a versatile big man who can play any position on the court.

Harris chose Pearl and the Vols over Jim Boeheim, Rick Pitino, John Calipari, and Gary Williams. There were other high-profile coaches involved in his recruitment, but those four are about as big as it gets in college basketball.

Looking into the crystal ball for 2010-11 seems rather silly since '09-'10 is just getting underway, but let's take a look, shall we.

I fully expect Scotty Hopson to bolt for the NBA after this season. The way-too-early glimpses into his sophomore campaign reveal the player that we all thought would bolt after his freshman season.

Tyler Smith, Wayne Chism, and JP Prince will hopefully lead the Vols to some much higher heights this season before graduating. They will all be on NBA rosters next season.

Highly touted freshman Kenny Hall will be starting next season. He and Harris should fit well in that Vol frontcourt. As a matter of fact, having those two 6'8", 200-plus-pound forwards in the mix might become a force to be reckoned with.

In the backcourt the Vols will welcome guard Trae Golden, who just signed his letter of intent to play for Pearl as well. Throw in Melvin Goins, Jordan McRae, Cameron Tatum, and Renaldo Woolridge, and you see why Vols basketball fans have a lot to look forward to.

Back to the present.

I think the most telling fact of Harris and Golden's signings lies in their quotes immediately following their decision. Both said they "like the family atmosphere" in Knoxville.

Score another big compliment for Bruce Pearl and Co.

Harris felt so much like family that he decided to stop in Tuesday night on the way home from a visit to Georgia Tech. Harris and his father watched the Vols thrash UNC-Asheville from the upper deck of Thompson Boling Arena. He just couldn't stay away.

Pearl's recruits have never been to the level of Roy Williams, Coach K, or John Calipari, but Pearl hasn't coached at Kansas, UNC, Duke, or Memphis.

No, Pearl took over a basketball program that was third on its university's athletic totem pole and had experienced minimal success over the past two decades. The pedigree was not there.

There were no Dean Smiths or Adolph Rupps in Bruce Pearl's bloodline. Only a young, energetic coach with fire in his veins and a drive to succeed.

Pearl has made basketball in Knoxville a family environment and it's drawing in some of the nation's best to play there.

The coach who did not come from a big-time, coaching family tree has created his own family atmosphere in Knoxville.

In the world of college basketball, family is everything. Pearl's blood line doesn't run Tar Heel blue or contain the Rupp DNA, but he's establishing his own family in Knoxville just fine.

Tobias Harris wont be the last high-profile prospect to experience that.

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Ohio State-UNC: Buckeyes Keep It Close But Fall Short, 77-73

Drew Gatewood — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:44:24 -0500

The Buckeyes once again show that they just aren’t ready to compete with college basketball’s elite teams.

On a night where OSU would have to play the perfect game, they were riddled with turnovers and poor shooting. Midway through the second half four Buckeyes had four fouls. All four players were starters and the team quickly found themselves down 19.

They scrapped and clawed their way back, but fell short in the end, 77-73.

The main area of concern for OSU was the post play, and it continued to become a larger concern as both Madsen and Lauderdale combine for six points, seven rebounds, and eight fouls.

Evan Turner once again did all he could to carry the Buckeyes. He was the teams leading scorer with 23 points and eight rebounds. Unfortunately he also led in another category, turnovers. He had 10 to lead all players.

Jon Diebler was a bright spot for OSU at times and ended up with 17 points and four rebounds. His 4-13 shooting performance was his lowest of the season, but he did make some big shots on several OSU scoring runs. David Lighty added 13 points and six rebounds for the Buckeyes as well.

The Tar Heels showed why they are the No. 4 team in the country. Shooting 49 percent from the filed and 46 percent from behind the arc, North Carolina never let up and had a double-digit lead most of the game. They also got a boost from their bench to the tune of 17 of their 77 points.

Will Graves had 14 points and five rebounds while Marcus Ginyard added 10 points. Deon Thompson had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

The Tar Heels had another very impressive performance against a talented OSU team. This win should be very beneficial for North Carolina come Selection Sunday.

OSU (2-1) will go back to the drawing board against Lipscomb (0-3) on Tuesday. That should be another easy non-conference warmup game before they get tested once again by Florida State and Butler in the upcoming weeks.

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Kentucky's Opening Games Present Reality Check on Defense

Jonathan Lintner — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:59:09 -0500

The Kentucky Wildcats’ first two games may not have yielded the overwhelming victories Big Blue fans anticipated.

But if coach John Calipari truly expects Kentucky basketball to make a full recovery, two squeakers were just what the doctor ordered.

On Monday, Miami of Ohio finished 15-of-26 from three-point range. Their star forward, Nick Winbush, opened a perfect 6-of-6 from deep. The Wildcats found themselves down 36-18 to the visiting Redhawks—in Rupp Arena, no less.

Yet Kentucky fought back to win 72-70 on a last-second field goal by John Wall, the highly touted touch in Calipari’s first recruiting class in the Bluegrass State.

Calipari said he didn’t mind the 18-point first-half deficit, enduring his getting-to-know-you period with the Wildcats in the most trying fashion.

“I was ecstatic that we got down 18 points because I wanted to see what we were made of,” Calipari said. “When this team wouldn't go away, the thing I loved about my team was they would say, ‘We are not losing this. We are not losing this game.’”

The Wildcats visited the National Invitational Tournament last March in their second season under Head Coach Billy Gillispie. With Calipari, they inked the top recruiting class in college basketball—including Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Jon Hood, Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton—and entered the season No. 4 in the nation.

Expectations are running high, but Calipari said some tight contests to start the season are good for keeping his players—and him—down to Earth.

“We needed this,” Calipari said on Monday. “When you are not in a situation coaching that is life or death and you are trying to get your team better, you can feel the way I was feeling out there. Yeah, I wanted to win the game. But I needed to learn.”

Thursday night’s 102-92 win over Sam Houston State didn’t go over as well with the coach, who said that right now this is “the worst defensive team that [he has] had since 1988.”

The Bearkats’ Corey Allmond broke former Kentucky player Tony Delk’s Rupp Arena three-point shooting record in his 37-point performance, once again shredding the nets on the Wildcats’ home court.

At halftime, Sam Houston state had recorded only two two-point field goals. The rest were threes.

The offense was there for Kentucky, but Calipari was less than high on his team’s defense after the game.

“They have no urgency defensively—none,” Calipari said. “There is not enough time in the day for me to teach all the habits that these guys need. I am going to try like heck.”

Without watching the tape, the players knew the Wildcats’ biggest problem defensively: communication.

“We have to talk,” Wall said. “The next couple teams we play can shoot threes. Rider can shoot threes better than [Sam Houston State], so we have to work on it. I'm not really concerned, but we're nowhere where need to be as an offensive team or a defensive team. They main thing we need to work on right now is our defense. We still have a lot of work to do.”

Kentucky hosts Rider this Saturday at 1 p.m. With less than two days to prepare, Calipari said he knows how much the Wildcats can improve between now and then is limited.

But according to Bledsoe, the players know where to start.

"Communication is a big problem,” Bledsoe said. “Ramon [Harris] did it and we have to start feeding off of him. Teams are going to come in a lot this season trying to go at John [Wall], and that's when everybody else has to step up and start making plays.

“You can't just let teams come in and break records like they did tonight. It definitely gets everybody's attention.”

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Top Ranked Jayhawks Get Back To Business, Blast Bears 94-44

Neil Powell — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:52:47 -0500

The last time the Kansas Jayhawks basketball team took the court, the Memphis Tigers gave the top rated team in the land all they could handle.

Thursday night at the cozy confines of Allen Fieldhouse, the Central Arkansas Bears did not.

The Jayhawks used a 21-0 run to jump out to a 29-5 lead early in the first half and never looked back.

Paced by senior leader Sherron Collins' seven points, eight players scored and 11 took the court in the first 20 minutes.

The second half was much of the same as everyone with a crimson jersey contributed to the 94-44 blow out victory.

As Kansas coach Bill Self cleared the bench nine players ended up posting seven points or more.

Xavier Henry, Marcus Morris, Tyrel Reed and Collins led the team in scoring with 12 points each.

Freshman Thomas Robinson grabbed 13 rebounds and added eight points off the bench.

Maybe the brightest moment of the game was freshman point guard C.J. Henry getting first action of the season hitting two 3-point shots en route to scoring eight points in just nine minutes.

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No Tobias Harris, No Problem for Syracuse Orange

Dan Kelley — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:36:27 -0500

One of the major benefits of having a hall of fame head coach like Jim Boeheim is that you’re never short on talented young hoopsters who want to come play for your school.

That’s why there’s no reason for Orange fans to sweat mega-prospect, Tobias Harris’ announcement tonight that he will play his college basketball at Tennessee rather than Syracuse.

Of course, nobody is happy about missing out on ESPN.com’s seventh ranked high school senior. That would be absurd. At the end of the day though, Harris opting for creamsicle orange just opens things up for some other elite high schooler to wear the Syracuse shade of orange.

That may not happen in the 2010 class though. The Orange already have one of the nation’s top recruiting classes, and Jim Boeheim could just tuck that scholarship away for next season’s class. Right now, four high school seniors are committed to play for Syracuse next year, three of whom are listed among ESPN.com’s top 100.

The future Orange stars already committed are third ranked shooting guard, Dion Waiters; second ranked center, Fab Melo; 12th ranked small forward C.J. Fair and 14th ranked center Baye Moussa Keita.

Fair, in particular, is one reason not to worry too much about losing Harris. The 6’7, 196 pound Fair looks like the prototypical Syracuse forward that Boeheim recruits every year. He has long arms, a lot of athleticism and the ability to step out and shoot the three-ball. He could develop into a terrific player that will make Syracuse forget all about Harris.

The rest of Syracuse's 2010 class is equally as solid.

Waiters, a 6’4 combo guard, will have an opportunity to step in and start at the two-guard spot immediately, replacing the graduating Andy Rautins. Waiters will bring a very different game to the position than Rautins does though, with the ability to drive to the basket in addition to being able to knock down a jumper. His size, strength and explosive athleticism is going to make him a very dangerous scorer for the Orange next season.

The big story that had Syracuse in the recruiting spotlight this offseason though, was the commitment of the seven-foot Brazilian center Melo.

Like Waiters, Melo will have a chance to step into a starting role immediately next year, with Syracuse losing Arinze Onuaku after this season. He’ll bring a smooth jumper and an advanced offensive repertoire for a young big man. He’ll also be an intimidating presence at the back of Syracuse’s 2-3 zone.

Coming in somewhat under-the-radar is another big man, Baye Moussa Keita of Oak Hill Academy. With Melo expected to be able to contribute immediately, Keita may find himself buried on the depth chart next year.

Keita will likely redshirt, but he could end up being a great player with time to develop. Since Melo is unlikely to be a four year player, Keita will certainly get his chance somewhere down the road.

These four high school stars make up what is already the fourth ranked recruiting class in the nation for 2010. Tobias Harris would have been a terrific addition, which may have pushed them to number one, but with or without him the Orange won’t be hurting for talent any time soon.

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The Bull Hits the Fan: Possible NCAA Investigations Near for USF

Drew Gatewood — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:36:22 -0500

The USF men’s basketball program is currently under investigation by the University and possibly the NCAA in the upcoming future. Reports surfaced that Maryland Transfer, Augustus Gilchrist, the Bulls star center was tampered with during the transfer process.

Evidence reportedly reveals Terrelle Woody, a strength and conditioning assistant, driving Gilchrist on personal trips. It’s been stated he was used as his personal valet, which included two separate trips to Orlando for Magic games during the NBA Finals. The NCAA allows for occasional local transportation. Tampa is an hour from Orlando and does not fit into that definition.

Terrelle Woody is also accused of helping out at USF practices in the off-season. The Tampa Tribune reports on several occasions, seeing Woody, assistant coach Jeremy Cox and Stan Heath with nine players in the Sun Dome in August having an “open gym.”

This is a direct violation of NCAA rules, as this type of activity cannot resume until September 15. Woody was supposedly brought onto the USF staff to guarantee that Gilchrist would sign with the Bulls in 2008.

Woody was also present in the Bulls locker room before games, at halftime, and during post game conversations. Both former players and assistant coaches have verified he presence on the team long before being and official member.

Stan Heath is denying any possible violations that may have occurred according to the report on FanHouse.com where it was originally posted along with allegations of a possible theft between former and current USF players.

Jesus Verdejo and Gabby Belardo, former USF players, also had reported a theft of almost eight thousand dollars in personal merchandise taken from their campus apartment in April 2009. The two players filed a police report with the Hillsborough County Sheriff and indicated they felt current players: Dominique Jones, Anthony Crater, and Justin Leemow were to blame.

Stan Heath held a team meeting in order to try and reclaim the stolen belongings. Heath claims that no one on the team was involved in the burglary. He also has stated he conduced a search of the players rooms personally and didn’t come up with any of the stolen goods. The case is currently inactive according to Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts website.

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Foul Shooting: A Prevalent Difficulty in College Basketball

Ari Kramer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:14:32 -0500

It's called the charity stripe for a reason.

Obviously, the points are not handed out—as charity might imply—at the foul line, but the concept is that hitting an unobstructed shot from 15 feet away should be a "gimme" for anyone. However, every college basketball fan knows foul shooting is simply not as easy as it should be for way too many players.

Syracuse's Arinze Onuaku has a better chance of not hitting water when he falls out of a boat than of draining a foul shot. Onuaku, who connected on 29.8 percent of his free throws in 2008-09, is the archetype of a terrible foul shooter, but teammate Rick Jackson (48.1), Delvon Roe (45.5), and Dallas Lauderdale (45.8) are not many steps behind.

Forget the game's worst, though. Instead, examine last year's top 100 foul shooters on ESPN.com and you'll notice that only 91 Division I basketball players converted more than 70 percent of their foul shots.

Do the math: 347 teams multiplied by eight (the average number of players used in the typical college rotation) equals 2,776 players.

Yes, there is probably a minimum amount of free throw attempts required to crack the top 100 list on ESPN.com, but, regardless, good foul shooters in Division I are about as scarce as loyal fans of N.J.I.T. in America.

Miserable foul shooting has been the bane of many teams.

The college basketball world witnessed Memphis inexplicably squander a nine-point lead with 2:12 remaining in the thrilling 2008 NCAA Championship after only nailing three of its seven foul shots down the stretch.

Today, No. 6 Villanova reached the stripe 39 times. Meagerly, the Wildcats only totaled 23 conversions. The result, a one-point win over a rebuilding George Mason squad.

A week ago, Saint Peter's held a one point lead with three seconds remaining in a sloppy contest against Seton Hall. But, Eugene Harvey nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to doom the Peacocks, who shot an abysmal 4-of-10 from the line. Not only would Saint Peter's have reached 70 percent had it hit three more foul shots, but it also would have left the Prudential Center with an upset victory.

There are, of course, multitudes of other examples, begging the question: why do so many players struggle with something that should be so easy?

The most obvious answer is that too many players lack a productive work ethic—taking 100 foul shots a day is time consuming and boring, so many players don't take their time at the line seriously.

However, devoting a significant portion of practice to foul shooting is 100 percent necessary because it facilitates the process of muscle memory. The more one repeats a certain activity in a certain style or form, the easier it is for one's muscles to remember how to reproduce the action.

By that method, the more a player practices a specific form at the line, the more successful he will be. The more successful he will be, the more successful his team will be.

It's called the charity stripe for a reason, and it's time for players to take advantage.

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Tom Crean Gets His Hoosiers in Line, Indiana's Rotation Is Emerging

Mark Fodor — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:58:00 -0500

The Indiana University men's basketball team saw their undefeated season end tonight, as the Rebels of Mississippi spotted the Hoosiers an early nine-point lead before settling down and dominating in the school's first round Puerto Rico Tip-Off matchup.

Indiana led 20-11 at the 14:14 mark but relinquished the lead just four minutes later and eventually fell 89-71.

At 2-1, Tom Crean and the youthful Hoosiers have begun to settle into the grind of a major-conference schedule. As fans, we're starting to figure out who the stars are, and who will be relegated to a season spent wearing the candy-striped pants and chatting with assistant coaches.

Let's take a look at the Hoosiers' rotation as it stands today.

Point Guard: Jeremiah Rivers

Doc's kid has started all three games (Crean has gone with the same starting five thus far), but before Ole Miss he was pretty quiet on the stat sheet, totaling just eight points and a 9:8 assist:turnover ratio in heavy minutes. Tonight, we saw why Rivers, the 6'5", 210-lb. Georgetown transfer, is so highly regarded by his teammates.

In 27 minutes of action, largely limited by foul trouble, Jeremiah scored 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting and added seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals. His turnovers are still troubling (four tonight), but Rivers looked like a natural PG bringing the ball up and handling good defense from a high-major opponent.

His rebounding abilities may allow Crean to go smaller at the two as the season progresses, but he needs to improve his defense if he wants to stay out of foul trouble and on the floor for 30-plus minutes a game.

Shooting Guard: Verdell Jones III

Ah, Verdell. As the Hoosiers wound down last year's 6-25 schedule, it was Jones that emerged as Indiana's star in the making. Last year, I called him "a joy to watch on defense and simply nerve-wracking to watch with the ball," and although the 6'5" SG has put on weight and made his mark as a slashing scorer and spot-up shooter, he's still a work in progress while, um, dribbling.

His turnovers are down this season since he's been able to move to the two and bring the ball up less, but he still has a tendency to get too flashy and, say, bounce the ball off his own foot and out of bounds. Or throw it over somebody's head.

Jones scored 17 tonight on 8-of-15 shooting and gives the Hoosiers a legitimate threat from midrange and driving the ball. But he needs to accept a role as a catch-and-shoot (or drive) type of player if he wants to really help the offense grow.

His long-armed defense is still very good as long as he doesn't get caught in transition.

Swingman: Maurice Creek

The 6'5" true freshman from Maryland has stepped into the starting rotation and led the Hoosiers in scoring through three games, averaging almost 20 ppg. He's an athletic player who seems to thrive as a scorer and can bang down low when needed.

In his first real test against Ole Miss, Creek turned the ball over four times. He had only one total turnover in the first two games. As Indiana's secondary ball-handler, Creek needs to be able to slow down and run the offense with confidence.

His obvious talent and poise make Creek a virtual lock to hold down this position throughout the season, but the frosh still has a lot of growing up to do. He's going to have to guard a ton of good players as the year wears on and needs to step up on the defensive end.

Forward: Christian Watford

Watford exploded for double-doubles in his first two games against Howard (14-11) and USC Upstate (17-10) but was held in check tonight, shooting 20 percent for a mere five points. Although his rebounds were also down (five tonight), it should be noted that four of those were on the offensive glass.

Watford, at 6'8" and 220 lbs., was recruited as a small forward type. But undersized Indiana needs him to post up this year, playing the role that the since departed Nick Williams filled last season. He can be a force on the glass and has good range (2-of-5 from outside the arc this year), making him a tough matchup for traditional power forwards.

An important factor for Watford going forward is free throw shooting. He will be going to the line a lot this year and needs to convert his opportunities.

Forward/Center: Tom Pritchard

Pritchard started his freshman year strong, averaging a double-double through the first third of the season before fading down the stretch. He was burdened with being the Hoosiers' sole legitimate big man, battling with the best of the Big Ten as an 18-year-old.

The key for Pritchard this year? Consistency. He played just 10 minutes against USC Upstate and struggled against their 7'3" center Nick Schneiders, racking up four quick fouls. Ole Miss was a better gauge of what Tom can bring to the table. He played a solid 30 minutes, chipping in eight points to go with eight rebounds (four offensive). His thunderous dunk early set the tone for the opening Hoosiers run.

Pritchard needs to stay out of foul trouble. He is the best of IU's big men at running the pick-and-roll sets that make up so much of Crean's offense and is crucial to Indiana's scoring potential in the half-court game. With much of last year's weight off his shoulders, the 6'8" Pritchard has to continue to work hard on both ends of the court, or he risks losing minutes to Indiana's other big men.

Key Reserves

Senior juco transfer Devan Dumes was Indiana's most reliable scorer last year and one of their best deep threats. He is still coming back from an offseason injury and has yet to find his shot, going 2-of-10 from deep in the first three games.

If he can get healthy, I expect Dumes to play a lot of minutes at SG, especially alongside Rivers, who has the size to make up for Devan's 6'2", 192-lb. frame. Dumes can also handle the ball and plays competent defense on the opposing point guard, making him the top option off of the IU bench.

Derek Elston, the true frosh from tiny Tipton, Indiana, has made a big impact in his first three games. At 6'9" and 220 lbs., with the frame to add more bulk, Elston is athletic and tough on the inside. He has played an average of 17 minutes so far this year and put up some major numbers in limited time, averaging over nine points, five rebounds, and a steal per game.

He is more athletic than Pritchard and nearly as much of an offensive threat as Watford. Expect Elston to play around 20 minutes a game as the No. 3 big man.

Jordan Hulls, Indiana's Mr. Basketball and the leader of Bloomington South's state championship team last year, has a problem. He is barely six feet tall. Against inferior competition, this isn't so much of an issue, and Hulls gave Indiana good minutes against Howard and Upstate spelling Rivers.

But against the larger players of Ole Miss, Hulls looked lost running the offense and was harassed into three turnovers and an 0-of-3 shooting performance in just 12 minutes. Hulls is going to have to work on his outside shot and his confidence if he wants to survive the Big Ten grind.

Bench Contributors

Matt Roth is the Hoosiers' token gunner, the Steve Kerr of the team if you will. The sophomore needs to accept fewer minutes this season and be ready to come off the bench and provide instant offense.

Bobby Capobianco, the freshman from Loveland, Ohio, looks like he is a grade or two below Watford, Pritchard, and Elston as a big man. In 18 total minutes so far, he has yet to score or make an impact on the glass. Frankly, I expected more from Capobianco, and hopefully he will develop as the season goes on, since IU needs more than a three-man 4/5 rotation.

Tijan Jobe is seven feet tall. He is also slow and can't shoot. Jobe got dominated by Upstate's Schneiders, the 7'3" German.

An undersized jitterbug from Carmel, Daniel Moore is another guy who will have to make the best of his spot minutes. He has better speed than Hulls but lags behind his fellow PG elsewhere. On the upside, he has gotten a couple of rebounds so far this year, which shows some toughness.

Bawa Muniru was cleared to play later than most of his fellow freshmen, but Indiana could really use him as a backup center. At 6'11" and 242 lbs., Muniru has excellent size and athleticism. He has made a few plays (a block and two points vs. Howard, three rebounds vs. Upstate) in his handful of minutes, but he is buried on Tom Crean's bench until he learns the schemes.

Brett Finklemeier, Stephen Gambles, and Kory Barnett round out the roster. One of them must emerge as Indiana's lead cheerleader and the first man off the bench and high-fiving at timeout time. None figure to see the court often.

Breakdown

Here's what I hope for the Hoosiers to accomplish this year.

Point Guards

Rivers: 27 mpg, improve A:TO ratio, stay active on the boards.
Hulls: 10 mpg, run the offense when Rivers sits.
Moore: 3 mpg, be an energy and fast break threat guy.

Shooting Guards/Small Forwards

Jones: 23 mpg, score around 14 ppg, don't turn it over, be smart off the ball.
Creek: 25 mpg, keep scoring, help run offense as secondary ball-handler.
Dumes: 22 mpg, be a threat off the bench, push Jones for a starting spot.
Roth: 10 mpg, spread the floor as a three-point threat.

Forwards/Centers

Watford: 25 mpg, continue to develop as post-up force, work on defense.
Pritchard: 25 mpg, be consistent on the boards! Stay out of foul trouble.
Elston: 20 mpg, bring energy off the bench, crash the boards, and score a bunch off the bench.
Muniru: 7 mpg, guard dominant big men for stretches. Continue growth.
Capobianco/Jobe: 3 mpg, give the top three some rest without much of a fall-off.

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Baylor Basketball Quartet Playing Hoops at the Next Level

Denton Ramsey — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:47:56 -0500

Four of Baylor’s superstar seniors that helped guide the 2008-09 Bears men’s basketball team to the NIT title game are playing hoops at a higher level.

And all four have a huge chance of one day hooping it up on the NBA hardwood.
Curtis Jerrells, Henry Dugat, Kevin Rogers, and Mamadou Diene all graduated from BU last year with high accolades in basketball, education, and experience.

It looks like all four will get even more of the latter, with the quartet of stars all garnering a chance to play basketball at a higher level in the coming years of their lives.

Jerrells recently inked a contract to play for the San Antonio Spurs’ NBA Development League team, the Austin Toros, and he began training camp on Nov. 13.

Dugat, meanwhile, was invited to (and is currently attending) the Rio Grande Valley Vipers training camp with hopes of landing a spot on the team’s roster.

Rogers, on the other hand, is taking his game abroad as he is currently playing in Greece for the Panionios ON Telecoms Athens basketball team.

In addition, Diene is also continuing to improve his game by playing basketball abroad.

All four (with Diene being the very first) signed to play basketball at Baylor under the helm of head coach Scott Drew, who continues to remold the Bears hoops program.

With four players and counting with future hopes of playing in the NBA, look for Drew’s name to soon pop up on Coach of the Year ballots.

Stay tuned for updates on all four of these Baylor Bears playing basketball at the next level…

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

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USF Bulls Slip By Davidson Wildcats 65-58

Drew Gatewood — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:41:49 -0500

Augusts Gilchrist helped the Bulls to their 3-0 start with 21 points and eight rebounds. It wasn’t pretty for Gilchrist who went just 3-9 from the field, but made up for it on the line going 15-16.

Dominique Jones had a double double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. He was four assists shy of a triple double, and without his five turnovers could have made a serious run at it.

The Bulls out rebounded the Wildcats 39-26 and also had an advantage in the steal department with nine to Davidson’s three. Both teams played sloppy in the first half and finished with 16 turnovers a piece for the game. Davidson’s 23 personal fouls help USF capitalize and pull away getting more opportunities at the line than the Wildcats.

The USF bench once again failed to show up managing only six points and three rebounds. As the season progresses more and more will be expected from players like Justin Leemow and Toarlyn Fiztpatrick.

The Bulls shot 40 percent from the field, including a miserable 27 percent from three-point range. The only saving grace for USF was that Davidson shot 36 percent from the field with an even worse 26 percent from behind the arc.

Will Archambault led the Wildcats with 14 points and six rebounds. He also got help from Bryant Barr who chipped in 13 points and Steve Rossiter who added 10 points and six rebounds.

The Wildcats Bench was responsible for 19 of Davidson’s 58 points and nine of the teams 26 rebounds. Unfortunately for Davidson they also contributed to eight of the teams 16 turnovers.

USF (3-0) will continue to put their unbeaten streak on the line when they face Kent State (3-1) on Wednesday. The Bulls current progress is promising considering they should be favored in most of their remaining non-conference games.

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Kentucky Wildcats Get Win Despite Giving Up 92 Points

Rick Gillispie — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:29:35 -0500

The Kentucky Wildcats raised their record to 3-0 with a 102-92 win over Sam Houston State. The Wildcats gave up 18 three-point shots by the Bearkats.

Kentucky had five players score in the game with all the players scoring 15 or more points. DeMarcus Cousins led the Wildcats with 27 points.

Thru three games now the Wildcats are giving up an average of 73 points a game. As the season unfolds the young Wildcats will need to drop this number to around 60 a game to contend with the best teams in the country.

Kentucky has the ability to score a bunch of points on every night but to win the National Title the defense will have to get better.

Kentucky will be back on the court Saturday against Rider.

For all the SEC news check out my blog .

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Penn State-UNCW: Bad Night for the Bottom of the Big Ten

Nathan B — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:56:27 -0500

This is not the way Penn State and Talor Battle envisioned their trip to Charleston.

The Lions are shuffling out of the first round of the Charleston Classic after getting blasted by a weak UNC-Wilmington squad 80-69. Worse yet, Penn State was never really in the game.

Battle attempted to carry the team, scoring 29 (eight-of-23 from the field, including two-of-nine from behind the arc and 11 of 12 from the free throw line) and playing every single minute.

Unfortunately, the team as a whole shot a miserable .323 (.268 on three-point attempts). Perhaps more foreboding, the defense gave up huge numbers to UNCW (.574 overall, .625 on three-point attempts) and lost by 11 despite having just five turnovers to the Seahawks' 15.

Penn State couldn't even outrebound the diminutive Seahawks; both teams had 30 total rebounds. UNCW had lost previous games at Appalachian State and home vs. George Washington.

The Lions will certainly hope this is just a blip on the radar after wins over Penn and Robert Morris (though those were both very close games in the first half before PSU pulled away).

Combined with Iowa's well-known woes and Indiana's generally expected loss to Ole' Miss tonight, the bottom third of the Big Ten (Northwestern included, and yes I know they've only played one game against a good opponent, and didn't perform horribly) has taken a step backwards from last year. PSU nearly made the NCAA Tournament last year; they were one of the last few left out.

Games like this will not put them in the discussion come March. They have, yet again, a rather pathetic non-conference schedule (the reason they were left out last year), the lone challenge being a home game against Virginia Tech in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Their scheduled road game at Virginia isn't what it used to be, though they may not even be favored against the worst of the ACC after this performance.

This year, they appear to have Talor Battle—and little else. Though the scoring against Robert Morris was well-balanced, Battle has scored 27 and 29 in the last two games, getting very little support from his teammates. Chris Babb was non-existent tonight and Andrew Jones needs to step up his game as well.

Otherwise, like Indiana and Iowa (and probably Northwestern), the Nittany Lions are in for a long season.

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Villanova-George Mason: 'Cats Survive Scare from Patriots

Steve Chott — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:12:16 -0500

Early on in this college basketball season, the No. 6 ranked Villanova Wildcats were almost knocked off by the George Mason Patriots in Puerto Rico. The Wildcats squeaked away with a 69-68 win thanks to some freshman heroics.

The game was won on a late three by freshman Isiah Armwood, who played a total four minutes.

The three were the only points he made.

Armwood was only in the game because Antonio Pena and Taylor King had both fouled out.

The Wildcats struggled at times, shooting 35.8 percent from the field and hitting 59 percent of their free throws.

Even though they played a bad game, no credit should be taken from the Patriots who played their hearts out and almost came away with the win.

The Wildcats will play the Dayton Flyers in the semifinal of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tomorrow at afternoon at 3 p.m. EST.

Dayton upset Georgia Tech in the opening round of the tournament.

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Memphis-Kansas: Tigers Take Top-Ranked Jayhawks To the Wire, 57-55

Neil Powell — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:51:15 -0500

Just the sound of the words "Memphis Tigers" will bring smiles to Jayhawks basketball fans for eternity.

On Tuesday night Kansas packed up its No.1 ranking and headed for the Scott Trade Center in St. Louis, MO for the second game of the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic and a rematch of the 2008 national title game with Memphis.

Five of the night's starters (Kansas' Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins and the Tigers' Pierre Henderson-Niles, Doneal Mack, and Willie Kemp) played in that championship game—one of the most thrilling games of all time.

Although the stakes were not as high this time around, the two programs did play in front of dozens of legendary players and a nice-sized crowd.

Players like Rick Barry, Walt Bellamy, and Jayhawks legend Lynette Woodard had to appreciate the scrappy play of rookie coach Josh Pastner's Memphis squad and the physical dominance of Kansas big man Aldrich.

The two teams looked like they were playing in only their second game of the season as turnovers and missed shots were commonplace. They played to a less—than—sizzling 10—10 tie at the 10 minute mark of the first half.

The Jayhawks' offense struggled to be consistent, as the Memphis defense harassed them into nine turnovers before the break.

Despite the dominating performance by Aldrich (eight points on four-for-five shooting) KU held a narrow 26-20 lead going into the locker room.

Memphis, missing the marquee superstar they've usually had in recent years, saw Duke transfer Elliot Williams take the first step of filling that roll.

Williams finished with 21 points and had a good look at a three-point shot at the buzzer that appeared to be good when it left his hand.

It was preseason All-American Aldrich who carried Kansas throughout the evening displaying an array of moves around the basket.

He finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks, once again proving to the nation he's going to be a force under the bucket all year.

Jayhawks' guard Sherron Collins, another Preseason All-American, finished with 12 points and five rebounds, but missed significant time in the second half due to cramps.

At the 13 minute mark Collins exited the game in pain. He returned three minutes later, only to collapse on the court and grab his leg.

He did return in the final minute of the game and scored on a floater that was goal tended. Collins fed Aldrich on a sweet drive-and-dish and then made one of his two free throw attempts to help seal the victory.

Freshman forward Xavier Henry, who committed to Memphis but changed his mind, added 11 points and Marcus Morris chipped in 12 off the bench for the Jayhawks.

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Tobias Harris' Decision: Where's He Gonna Go?

Caleb M. — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:09:46 -0500

Tobias Harris. Anyone who actually follows college basketball knows the name. He's quite possibly the most sought after recruit in the nation.

Schools like Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Syracuse, Tennessee, and others have all been in the running, and Harris has expressed interest in all of them.

But today is decision time, and he's announcing his school of choice on ESPNU tonight.

There's more than a couple reasons why Harris is so sought after. He's versatile, his work ethic is amazing, and he can play multiple positions although listed as a power forward. Not to mention his 29 points a game...

Harris has been a top prospect since his sophomore year, and he has definitely lived up to expectation. He has great shooting ability, his rebounding is phenomenal, and he can play multiple positions at 6'8" and only 210 pounds.

Coaches call his competitiveness electrifying, and his work ethic above and beyond. So where will he go? The top three schools, or so it seems, is Syracuse, Tennessee, and Georgia Tech.

There's speculation that Tennessee's the winner. Jayvaughn Pinkston, a 6'6" forward from Brooklyn, planned to announce his commit to the Vols when his press conference was cancelled at the last minute. We can only assume it's because they got Harris and retracted Pinkston's scholarship offer.

Georgia Tech was his last visit, and that was last Monday. But instead of coming straight home, he decided to drive north and watch the Tennessee game in Knoxville. A sign? Perhaps.

Harris will have a major impact on whatever team he goes to.

Tennessee is most likely his choice. Stars Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism will be gone at forward. That leaves benchwarmers Emmanuel Negedu and Steven Pearl, as well as praised freshman Kenny Hall.

Next year the SEC could be tougher than ever. Vanderbilt is on the rise, as well as South Carolina and Mississippi State. And Kentucky cracked the top five this year. The addition of Tobias Harris will keep Tennessee at the top as well.

Georgia Tech is a solid top 15 team. But as far as forwards go, they have three top freshman, a stud senior (Zachery Peacock), and then a stud junior in Gani Lawal.

Both Peacock and Lawal will most likely be gone next year. That leaves three freshman. If Harris comes aboard, the Jackets will continue to fly high in the polls, and would fill a major hole for Georgia Tech next year, possibly putting them on top of the ACC.

Syracuse would really benefit from the addition of a stud forward. Rick Jackson is a returning starter and a junior who could more than likely be gone next year. As well as Arinze Onuaku who is a returning starter, and a senior.

That leaves Wesley Johnson who just transferred from Iowa State, average player Kris Josepth, and impact freshman James Southerland.

Next year it could very well be just Kris and James. But if they added Harris, that'd give Syracuse a huge boost, lifting them near the top of the Big East.

Watch ESPN tonight to keep up with the latest in college basketball recruiting, and to find out Tobias Harris' decision.

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Top Prospect Tobias Harris Picks Tennessee, Spurns Syracuse

Dan Kelley — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:06:30 -0500

A top prospect in the class of 2010, Tobias Harris finally made his decision tonight, choosing to play his college basketball at the University of Tennessee over the likes of Syracuse, West Virginia, Louisville and Kentucky.

The 6-8, 220-pound forward made his announcement at the ESPN Zone in New York City, surrounded by a crowd of fans hoping he would choose to wear Syracuse's orange rather than Tennessee's. In fact, the Syracuse-slanted crowd booed the decision.

"I liked the family atmosphere, the campus," he said. "It was a place I could imagine going to if I wasn't playing basketball. I can talk to coach [Bruce] Pearl about anything."

He joins shooting guard, and fellow ESPN Top 100 recruit, Jordan McRae as well as shooting guard Trae Golden in Tennessee's 2010 recruiting class.

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Tobias Harris Picks Bruce Pearl, Tennessee Volunteers

Mark Fodor — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:00:42 -0500

Bruce Pearl has to be happy tonight, as his star recruiting prospect, five-star forward Tobias Harris of Dix Hills, N.Y., just announced his commitment to the University of Tennessee.

Harris, rated seventh overall by ESPNU and universally regarded as a top-10 prospect in the Class of 2010, rolled with the Vols in favor of competing offers from Big East powers Louisville, Syracuse and West Virginia, Maryland and Georgia Tech from the ACC, and UT arch-rival Kentucky in the SEC.

Over at ESPN, Matt Winklejohn has this great feature on Harris's growth as a player over the last several years.

The SEC was college basketball's punching bag last season, but between Kentucky's Calipari revival and Pearl's hard work at Tennessee, it's starting to look as if the conference may return to prominence sooner than expected.

Nabbing a major prospect like Harris is a coup for Pearl, Tennessee and the SEC as a whole.

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Tobias Harris Signs with Tennessee, Becomes Bruce Pearl's Biggest Catch

Joel Barker — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:58:24 -0500

High School phenom Tobias Harris has signed on to play basketball with the University of Tennessee Volunteers.

In what has been a highly anticipated announcement, the young man is quite possibly the biggest recruit that coach Bruce Pearl has landed in his five years as head coach at Tennessee.

Harris was the No. 7 rated recruit in the nation by ESPN and some publications have him as high as No. 5 overall. He is the No. 1 rated power forward in the country.

The 6'8, 210 pound forward chose Tennessee over offers from Maryland, Syracuse, West Virginia, Louisville, Kentucky, and Georgia Tech.

Since taking over the program, Bruce Pearl has quickly made Tennessee a destination for talented players from all across America. Last year's big signing of Scotty Hopson came with plenty of hype and the expectations appear to be coming to fruition in his sophomore season.

By following that signing with a high profile player like Harris, Tennessee becomes a major player for the nation's top recruits, a distinction Tennessee basketball has never had.

Harris made headlines in Knoxville just two nights ago, as he purchased his own ticket and sat in the upper deck for Tennessee's 124-49 thrashing of UNC-Asheville.

According to multiple recruiting services, Harris is the highest rated recruit in Tennessee basketball history to sign with the Vols.

To read more about Tobias Harris and the Vols basketball future, read this.

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