Rush The Court

If you are interested in participating in our ATB2 feature, send in your submissions to rushthecourt@gmail.com. We will add to this post throughout the day as the submissions come in so keep on sending them.

Top 25 Games

• #4 Syracuse 61, Seton Hall 56: “Syracuse beat Seton Hall 61-56 in a game that was not decided until the 0:16 mark of the second half. Separated by a single point, 20-19 Syracuse, at the half, the Orange spent the first seven minutes of the second half on an 18-9 run that secured them a double digit lead. Though they survived several pushes by the Pirates over the next eight minutes, the Pirates had one last, sustained push that translated into an 11-2 run that cut the Orange lead to two, 55-53 with just over two minutes left. The Orange hung on, outscoring the Pirates 6-3 over the last two minutes, to secure the win.” (Villanova by the Numbers)
• Colorado 89, #7 Missouri 76: “I know as an Internet sports fan, I’m supposed to full of remorseless rage when my team loses to a team that, to date, had been its lesser in just about every way.  Colorado came into this game having gone just 3-4 versus Top 200 teams and played near-atrocious defense most of the year.  But yesterday in Boulder, they dictated the pace, didn’t start fading until about 30-32 minutes had passed (when they intentionally slowed the tempo), and even then had enough trick shots in the bag to keep their distance against a Mizzou team that was finally getting it together.  I said in the preview that Colorado tends to jump up and play great against heavyweights a few times a year, but they hadn’t done it to Mizzou in a while.  Well … now they’ve done it to Mizzou.” (Rock M Nation)
• Georgia 77, #10 Kentucky 70: “I offer no superlatives in this game for Kentucky.  None.  Kentucky did not play well, and I don’t feel like patting anyone on the back.  Georgia deserves significant praise, particularly coach Mark Fox, for executing a perfect game plan against the Wildcats.  Georgia was simply outstanding, and I am very impressed by what they did against us.” (A Sea of Blue)
• West Virginia 65, #11 Georgetown 59: “This sucks.  There is no sugarcoating what happened today in the Verizon Center.  The Georgetown Hoyas, as recently as December 29, were a top 10 team in the country.  They finished the hardest out-of-conference schedule in the nation at a sparkling 11-1, including road wins at Missouri, Old Dominion, and Memphis.  Since conference play began 10 days ago, this team has been an unmitigated disaster.” (Casual Hoya or Glide Hoyas)

Other Games of Interest

• Arkansas 68, Tennessee 65: “It’s frightening to say, but Tennessee’s season could be over in two weeks.  If one loss turns into another slide, and Tennessee can’t find a win in the next two weeks?  Right now we’re talking about the bubble.  We could be talking about the NIT before Pearl has a chance to get back on the bench (which is not to suggest that any of this is Tony Jones’ fault).” (Rocky Top Talk)
• NC State 90, Wake Forest 69: “NC State NEVER TRAILED and led a Big Four rival by 29 points with two minutes to go in the game when the Pack was up 90-61. That is just fantastic.” (State Fans Nation)
• UNC 62, Virginia 56: “If you missed the game and are just now seeing the score, I bet you’re thinking that Virginia controlled the pace and slowed it down to a crawl. Well, you’re wrong. The Heels pushed their transition game as hard as always, and although UVa would occasionally drain the shot clock down to the dregs – and then hit a ridiculous garbage shot – that was a result of Carolina’s defense as much as anything else. No, this score remained in the fifties because neither team could hit a shot in the second half.” (Carolina March)
• Virginia Tech 71, FSU 59: “What if we told you before today’s game against FSU that Malcolm Delaney would shoot just 3/10 from the field and 0/3 from 3-point range against the Noles? And that the Hokies would be outrebounded 39-30? And that Seth Greenberg would get a meager nine points from his bench? Chances are you’d expect the Hokies to get slapped around by the Noles on their home court en route to an 0-2 start in conference play? But, we didn’t tell you those things and had we, you’d have been wrong.” (Tech Hoops)
• Gonzaga 74, Portland 61: “Gonzaga took care of business tonight at home against the Portland Pilots, 74-61. Steven Gray led the way for the Zags that showed flashes of excellence but had more inconsistent moments that plagued them early. Portland closed the gap a number of times but the Bulldogs made enough plays to squash any rallies and pull out the game in Spokane.” (The Slipper Still Fits)
• Canisius 62, Siena 61: “The Canisius Golden Griffins had all the answers. Siena took leads of 10, 6 and 5 points. Each time the Golden Griffins responded with a barrage of three-pointers over the Saints’ zone defense. When the Saints went man-to-man to take away any perimeter threat, the Griffs penetrated the lane. In the end, Siena got the ball to the player they wanted, where they wanted, but Canisius gave one last rebuttal.” (Pickin Splinters)

Pre-Game Analysis

• Saint Louis at Temple: “Temple will welcome the Saint Louis Billikens to the Liacouras Center for this year’s Atlantic 10 home opener. The Owls will be looking for their second straight win as they continue their run for another Atlantic 10 Championship.” (Owlified)
• Minnesota at Ohio State: “Fresh off their closest game of the season in a road win at Iowa, the Ohio State Buckeyes get the home portion of their Big Ten schedule started as Tubby Smith brings his Minnesota Golden Gophers to town. The Gophers broke a two-game losing streak with a 67-63 victory Tuesday night at home against Indiana. Like Ohio State, Minnesota trailed at halftime before pulling away in the 2nd half. Unlike OSU, the Gophers shot poorly against the Hoosiers and that does not bode well coming into Value City Arena to face one of the Big Ten’s better defensive teams.” (Eleven Warriors)
• Maryland at Duke: “Duke is very, very good. You probably already knew that, too, but it deserved saying anyway. They’re probably the best offensive team in the country: they’re #1 nationally in offensive efficiency, #2 in points per game, #3 in eFG%, and #4 in 3pt shooting. Stopping Duke is a fool’s errand; you only slow them enough to keep up with them. They’re not too shabby on the other side of the floor, either; they’re #5 in defensive efficiency, #31 in eFG%, and #35 in forced TO%. There’s a reason everyone’s hyping Duke: they really are that good.” (Testudo Times: Preview, Game Day Guide, and Gary Williams vs #1)
• Kansas at Michigan: The bloggers from KU and Michigan have an extensive preview. (Rock Chalk Talk: Preview and Q & A with UM Hoops or UM Hoops: Preview, Q & A with Rock Chalk Talk, Player Interviews, and John Beilein Interview)
• UCLA at USC: Previewing the crosstown rivalry that has lost some of its luster in the past few years as both teams have struggled. (Bruins Nation)

News/Analysis

• Syracuse vs. Seton Hall: “Sold Out” Except For All Those Empty Seats: “What is it with Big East opponents and their weird ticket issues these days? You’re well-versed in the whole Georgetown kerfuffle. Now, Seton Hall is touting the news that this Saturday’s game against Syracuse is “sold out.” If you were hoping to show up and get tickets, don’t fret. Upon closer inspection, the claim is slightly suspect.” (Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician)
• The Current State of ACC Basketball: Taking a look at the ACC and it isn’t pretty. (Carolina March)
• Our Midseason Review: Handing out awards for Purdue thus far. (Boiled Sports)
• Bill Self Weekly Press Conference: Selected quotes from the Jayhawks head coach. (Rock Chalk Talk)