Around The Blogosphere: February 3, 2011
Posted by nvr1983 on February 3rd, 2011
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
- #19 Syracuse 66, #5 UConn 58: “There will be no five-game losing streak. There will be no talk of scandals. Tomorrow, the only thing worth talking about will be the fact that Syracuse basketball won a game and they did so when they needed to most. For more than one reason, Wednesday’s 66-58 win over UConn helped change the conversation and get a program back on track.” (Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician: Recap and Photos)
- #6 Duke 80, Maryland 62: “Well, I was wrong: it wasn’t a close game after all. Duke got 22 and 21 points out of Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith, respectively, to overcome a Jordan Williams double-double and defeat Maryland in the Comcast Center, 80-62. In truth, the game was much closer, as Maryland had the lead as small as five more than midway through the second half, but the result is the only thing that matters. Maryland is now dropped to 14-8 overall and 4-4 in the ACC. The Terrapins will likely need a deep run in the ACC tournament or 11 ACC wins (or both) to sneak into the NCAA tournament, the latter of which would require a 7-1 finish to conference play.” (Testudo Times)
- Indiana 60, #20 Minnesota 57: “Indiana ran circles around the Gophers for three quarters of the game before Minnesota actually showed life. However, the deficit and ineptitude at the free throw line proved insurmountable and ultimately doomed Minnesota’s comeback chances. The Hoosiers walked away with a 70-67 victory and yet another win over a ranked team at home” (From the Barn: Recap or Inside the Hall: Recap and Interviews)
Other Games of Interest
- Virginia Tech 77, NC State 69: “Tell me if you’ve heard this story before: The Hokies jump all over a team on the road in North Carolina and get up by about 16 points, but then crumbles in the second half, allowing its opponent back in the game. . .” (Tech Hoops)
News/Analysis
- Notre Dame Men’s Basketball, Midseason Review: Taking a look back at the Irish and their impressive early-season showing. (Rakes of Mallow)
- Reexamining the return of Ryan Evans: “Last year Jon Leuer burst onto the national scene with 17 points and 7 rebounds against the No. 5 Blue Devils, and a redshirt freshman by the name of Ryan Evans also emerged. The Arizona native collected eight rebounds and blocked two shots in 21 minutes while sparkling defensively on Kyle Singler during crunch time. Though Leuer’s blue-collar performance against the Boilermakers (24 points, a career-high 13 rebounds) gave us flashbacks to Duke, the more surprising similarity between two wins was the play of Evans. Despite being little more than an afterthought during this Big Ten season, Evans reprised his key role in UW’s biggest win this season. Even though his play seemed to come out of left field, a second look reveals just how fine a line there is between success and failure in college basketball.” (Bucky’s 5th Quarter)
- At Bob Hurley’s 1,000th Win: “The game was a special moment. It was literally an honor and privilege to cover. St. Anthony’s defeated St. Mary’s (Jersey City) 76-46 in a high school contest at the Golden Door Charter School in Jersey City. What makes this so special was that it was win number 1,000 for Bob Hurley.” (Villanova by the Numbers)
- Inside the Numbers: Three Point Shooting: “Despite shooting a larger proportion of three point shots than most other teams in the country, Beilein has yet to field an above average three point shooting team in Ann Arbor. Early on this season, it appeared that Michigan was ready to fire up more missed threes. At the end of November, six games into the season, Michigan was shooting just under 30% from long range. Half way through December, 11 games into the season, the Wolverines were still shooting just 31% on threes. Despite that sluggish start, Michigan has consistently improved into an average to above average three point shooting team.” (UM Hoops)
