Bleacher Report - NCAA Tournament

Fighting Illini Struggle with Back-to-Back Losses

Frank Gasper — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:30:03 -0500

The Fighting Illini started off the year 4-0. I figured they were really what people expected them to be. Then came the next two games against the Utah Utes and Bradley Braves.

Against Utah they lost on a last second shot. It was a heart-breaker for the Illini, especially since they had led by 16 at half!

I was shocked when I saw this. The score was 60-58. I just couldn't believe it.

So they lost; I figured that maybe this was just an off game for the Illini, and that they would regroup for their game against Bradley. I guess not.

Against Bradley, they lost by four. This was kind of one of those weird games where both teams were up big at a point in the game.

After trailing 29-28 at halftime, the Braves opened a 47-38 lead with 12:59 left. But the Illini went on an 18-8 run and eventually took the lead on Mike Davis' three-point-play with 4:44 left 62-61.

After Illinois built a 66-61 lead, Bradley scored the next nine points, capped by Andrew Warren's three-pointer.

The Illini ended up losing 72-68, another heart-breaker.

Both of these games were part of the Las Vegas Invitational, where the Illini went 2-2.

Maybe the Illini are a fluke? Hopefully they can get it together and not lose any games for a while.

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The Up and Down Week of the SEC: Week 2

Rick Gillispie — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:14:32 -0500

The week started badly for the SEC as Vanderbilt lost by nine to Cincinnati in the first round of the Maui Invitational and Tennessee lost by one to Purdue in the Paradise Jam Championship.

Tuesday brought five wins for the SEC but the one loss was a bad one. Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Georgia and Mississippi St all cruised to easy wins while Florida got the big win of the night with a 16 point victory over Florida State. Morgan State upset Arkansas by three in the Hall of Fame showcase game.

Kentucky won the Cancun Challenge with an eight point overtime win against Stanford on Wendesday. Vanderbilt beat Arizona by 12 in Maui and Auburn destroyed High Point. The low point for the SEC was The 26 point lost by LSU against Connecticut.

Alabama beat Baylor by three in the Old Spice Classic on Thursday.

Friday was a busy day for the SEC and the league struggled going only 4-4 for the day. Arkansas, Mississippi St, Alabama and LSU all lost while Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina all won. The big win for the night and for the season for the league was Florida's three point win over Michigan State in the Legends Classic.

The Gators continued their strong play by winning the Legends Classic by beating Rutgers. Mississippi State also won on Saturday winning by 14.

The week ended with three games as Arkansas fell to 2-4 with a 13 point loss to South Alabama. Mississippi improved to 5-1 with a 15 point win against Texas A&M-CC while Alabama won a great game against Michigan by two.

SEC POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK TWO:

1. Kentucky 6-0

2. Florida 6-0

3. Tennessee 5-1

4. Mississippi 5-1

5. South Carolina 5-1

6. Vanderbilt 4-1

7. Mississippi St 4-2

8. Alabama 4-2

9. LSU 3-2

10. Georgia 3-2

11. Auburn 3-3

12. Arkansas 2-4

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Florida Gators Surprise Michigan State 77-74

Rick Gillispie — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:10:58 -0500

The Florida Gators got the first major upset of the season with a 77-74 victory over No. 2 Michigan State. The Gators will play Rutgers in the Legends Classic final.

Erving Walker hit a go-ahead three-pointer to clinch the game for the Gators. Michigan State had 22 turnovers for the game and Florida was 22-for-25 from the free throw line.

The Gators are proving that the SEC can and will play with the big boys this year. They entered the game as one of only two undefeated teams in the SEC. With this win the Gators will surely be ranked in the Top 25 poll on Monday.

The Gators had a balanced attack, with five players in double figures. They are showing signs of the teams that won back-to-back championships. When you have a team, not one or two individual stars, anything is possible.

The Gators are still weak on the boards. Michigan State out-rebounded them 36-20. If the Gators plan on making a longer run in the postseason Tyus and Macklin are going to need to do a better job.

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Kansas Jayhawks Gobble Up Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, Improve to 5-0

Neil Powell — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:09:01 -0500

In last Wednesday night's win over Oakland, the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks got only 13 points combined from preseason All-Americans Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins, but still managed a 30-point blowout.

The Jayhawks' opponent on Friday evening at Allen Fieldhouse, Tennessee Tech didn't look to have a much better chance.

The Golden Eagles played Oakland at home earlier this season and lost by 21 points.

Also, the school had never played a No. 1 opponent in its history.

Just two of the many factors that weighed heavily in the home team's favor.

Coach Bill Self's Jayhawks had no problem extending it's current home winning streak to 45, the nation's longest.

Kansas used an early 14-1 run to build a 27-9 lead.

Tennessee Tech, led by senior guard Frank Davis' 23 points, went on an 8-0 run of its own to cut the lead to ten, 27-17, much to coach Self's dismay.

After a fiery timeout Kansas finished the half on a 15-3 run to take a 53-31 lead to the break.

Tyshawn Taylor, who had been struggling coming into the contest (27 percent shooting), had 13 of his team-high 18 points in the first 20 minutes.

The second half was much of the same as the Jayhawks got contributions from everyone.

Of the 13 players that got in the game, 12 of them scored including five in double-figures.

Team leaders Collins and Aldrich had big games. Collins hit four three-point shots and Aldrich posted a double-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and three assists.

Freshman phenom Xavier Henry added 15 points and has scored in double figures in the first five games of his career.

Even seldom used sophomore guard Jordan Juenemann, who had yet to score a point in his career as a Jayhawk, got his moment in the sun with six points in two minutes of action.

Kansas shot 60 percent from the field and 47 percent from behind the arc in the 112-75 victory.

Seven players hit three-pointers in the win.

Notes: Sophomore forward Markieff Morris, who was 2-2 from behind the arc on the evening, is 14-15 from the field on the season.

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Kentucky, Florida The Only Undefeated Teams Left For The SEC

Rick Gillispie — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:30:06 -0500

Not even two weeks into the season and we are down to two teams left in the SEC that are undefeated.

Kentucky 6-0 just won the Cancun Challenge. The Wildcats haven't looked great in their six wins but the are getting it done. But with North Carolina on the schedule for Dec. 5 how long can the stay undefeated.

Florida is 4-0 and wins by an average of 21 points but the Gators have No. 2 Michigan State on Friday so their undefeated season could be over very soon.

With 14 loses by the other remaining 10 teams the SEC is in for another long year. Hopefully they can turn it around and show the nation that the conference is back and ready to win it all.

Four of the other Five major conferences have at least five teams undefeated only the Pac 10 has less. The Pac 10 has two undefeated teams.

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Cincinnati Bearcats Favorites To Win the Big East

Beau Kiklis — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:01:29 -0500

There isn't enough to be said about the Cincinnati Bearcats. They began their 2009-10 campaign unranked, but with high expectations for a team that failed to make the dance last year.

They are currently playing with a 10 man rotation: three of them are freshman, two are sophomores, three are juniors, and two are seniors.

Cincinnati brings the perfect balance of leadership, experience, and youth. Head coach Mick Cronin has been at the helm since 2006. One thing he hasn't done yet: bring a team to the NCAA Tournament. Cronin had his first winning season with the Bearcats last year.

If its one thing that Cincinnati lacks, it's tournament experience. They've been decent on offense, but not good enough. If the Bearcats wants to make a statement this year, they are going to have to put up more points. On the otherside of the ball, they have been solid. They are a defensive ball team. Combine that with an improved offense and this team can is capable of a Big East championship.

There is no question that Deonta Vaughn is the leader of this team. The senior led the Bearcats in scoring as freshman, he was first team all Big East as a sophomore, and last year he made all Big East for the third straight year. He provides leadership, experience, and scoring.

Cincinnati is blessed to have a player like this leading their team. Yancy Gates, Rashad Bishop, Lance Stephenson, and Cashmere Wright are the supporting cast.

Gates, the 6-9 sophomore forward, gives Cincy good size on the block, as well as scoring and rebounding ability. He is a major cause for the buzz around the basketball program.

The 6-6 junior Rashad Bishop, provides a spark on the offensive end and has great size for his position.

The number one high school basketball player last year, Lance Stephenson, is the key to this teams success. His athleticism and explosiveness on offense gives this team more of what they already have: size, athleticism, and youth. He is one of four starters averaging in double digits.

Cashmere Wright is an emotional leader for this Bearcats team. The red shirt freshman guard is a great athlete. His stats may not say much, but his speed and basketball IQ make him a key to this team. He allows Cincy to move Deonta Vaughn to the two guard, making him even more dangerous.

6-0, 6-1, 6-5, 6-6, and 6-9. Cincinnati has great size. Although they lack a true center, they make up for it with the NBA style small forward in Lance Stephenson. At times, this team is capable of playing the four guard offense, similar to the 2006 Villanova Wildcats, who reached the Elite Eight.

This is a very solid basketball team. Cincinnati almost has all the pieces to the puzzle. They lack tournament and winning experience, but after this year, the Bearcats will become a powerhouse in the Big East.

I believe that Cincy will be a contender this year, but I also think that they are a year or two away from making it onto the national map. With that being said, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Bearcats earn a top seed (1-4) in the tourney this year. But in years to come, this team could possibly be in national championship talk. That is if Lance Stephenson will stick around.

The 2009-10 schedule gives Cincy plenty of opportunities to prove themselves. They've already won their first two games at the Maui Invite against two ranked opponents, Vanderbilt and Maryland. They are currently leading in the championship game against Gonzaga 45-39. They return home for a challenging game against Miami (OH) on December 10.

Followed by trips to Xavier and UAB, two very solid opponents. They schedule lightens up before their first Big East game against UConn on December 30.

After a date at Rutgers, Cincy will host Pitt on January 4. Three weeks later, they travel to Louisville on January 24.

The tough Big East schedule continues when they play Syracuse and UConn in the same week in February. Cincy concludes its season with three games that could potentially make or break their season.

February 27 at West Virginia, March 2 vs. Villanova, and March 6 at Georgetown.

This is by no means an easy schedule. Here's a complete schedule .

If Cincy can make it out of the non-conference schedule unscaled, they will be in good shape headed into the rigorous Big East schedule.

Now it's time to make some predictions:

Cincy will start this season 21-0 before losing to Notre Dame on the road. After their hot start, they will finish up the season 4-4, losing two of their last three to Villanova and Georgetown.

Cincy will be eliminated in the second round of the Big East tournament and earn a four seed to the dance, where the will be ousted in the second round.

This years team simply isn't ready to take their program to the next level, but I strongly believe that within the next few years they will make a sweet 16 or elite eight run.

After all, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about this team. Keep a close eye on Cincy over the next few years—the program is developing rather fast.

In addition, Cincy has already signed an ESPNU top 100 player. Justin Jackson, rated a 93 on ESPN.com has signed with the Bearcats. The 6-8 power forward will join his teammate at Arlington Country Day School in Florida, Kelvin Gaines, the 19th best center in the nation according to ESPN.com. The 6-10 center is rated a 90 on ESPN.com, and could make an immediate impact upon his arrival at Cincinnati.

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