David Changas (@dchangas) is an RTC correspondent. He filed this report after last night’s game between Ole Miss and Vanderbilt in Nashville.

Prior to the season, the Ole Miss Rebels were picked to once again finish in the middle of the pack in the SEC. Little did anyone know that the league would be quite as bad as it has been, with preseason favorite Kentucky leading a throng of disappointing teams that may miss the NCAA Tournament. Given his track record of not having made the Big Dance in his first six seasons in Oxford, it was reasonable to assume that Andy Kennedy’s squad would once again be left out. But the Rebels brought a gaudy 13-2 record and an improving RPI into Tuesday’s contest against Vanderbilt in icy Nashville, and with it the hope that this could be the year Kennedy gets the monkey off his back. With a pre-conference schedule filled with an array of cupcakes and losses only to top-50 RPI mid-majors Indiana State and Middle Tennessee State, it was reasonable to be skeptical about whether this Rebels team was any different than some of Kennedy’s prior squads which, though talented, never did enough to qualify for the Tournament.

Ole Miss Celebrates Its Comeback Against Vandy

What we did not know about the Rebels coming into the season – and what appears to separate this team from prior Rebel teams – is that they would have a difference-making scorer who could lead them from NIT mainstay to SEC contender. But in junior transfer Marshall Henderson,  Ole Miss has just that, and he proved it in the grandest way possible on Tuesday. The Rebels’ 10-point overtime victory in Nashville is one that they clearly were expected to get, especially given that they were coming off a blowout win at Tennessee and a 15-point win at home on Saturday against #10 Missouri. In that game, the Rebels held the Tigers to 36% shooting from the field and forced 19 turnovers en route to a 64-49 victory. But given the way Tuesday’s contest unfolded, this is the type of win that could propel Ole Miss to bigger things, signaling that the Rebels can win on nights when they are not at their best.

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Jason Prziborowski is an RTC correspondent. He filed this report after Saturday’s Big East game between Pittsburgh and Marquette.

Pitt hoisted a banner at halftime of Saturday’s game against Marquette, marking the occasion of two million fans who have watched games at the Petersen Events Center. In addition, the banner marked a few notable achievements in The Pete’s 11-year history: 5-0 versus Top 5 opponents, a sellout each and every year, and six conference championships. Pitt plays its home games in the Petersen Events Center, the relatively cozy arena on campus that holds 12,508 spectators chomping at the bit to see Panther victories, something that typically happens early and often throughout the season. Pitt is in its 11th season at The Pete, and it has reeled off an astonishing winning percentage that is close to 90% in almost 200 games. All of this begs the question of why is it so tough for opponents to win there?

Two Million Fans Have Seen Numerous Pitt Wins at The Pete

First and foremost, there is The Oakland Zoo, Pitt’s famed student section. The 2,000 deep U-shaped student section that occupies the majority of the bottom 10 rows of The Pete is a great place to start. An hour before tip-off, The Zoo is about 75% full, with students outfitted in this season’s gold Oakland Zoo t-shirts. On the back of every chair when students arrive sits a large single sheet of newspaper print. During starting lineups, every member of the section covers his or her face with this newspaper when the opposing team is announced. They want everyone in the building to know they are not impressed, a la McKayla Maroney of the US Olympic Gymnastics Team. The Oakland Zoo brings energy, dedication, and a presence, not to mention noise and intimidation, all of which is very hard for the opposing team to tune out.

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Joe Dzuback is an RTC correspondent. He filed this report after Louisville’s convincing win over Seton Hall tonight in Newark.

Louisville paid Seton Hall a visit and the Pirates hung with the top five team for the first 28 minutes of action, but depth, experience (and yes) talent prevailed as the Cardinals used a 12-2 run, fueled by Luke Hancock’s two three-pointers, to establish a lead and go on to beat the Pirates, 73-58.

Three Key Takeaways.

1. All you need is two really quick guards and a really, really big guy under your basket. And Rick Pitino. The Cardinal guards applied a press on virtually every Seton Hall possession that so harassed point guards Aaron Cosby (a sophomore) and freshman Tom Maayan that the two had to dribble the ball over midcourt on over half of the Pirates’ possessions. Passes to the center or sidelines that broke the press left the ball-handler (often Brandon Mobley or Edwin Fuquan) with the task of trying to get by 6’ 11” Cardinal center Gorgui Dieng. The Hall managed only six points off fast breaks tonight, whereas the Cardinals scored 21 points off 16 Seton Hall turnovers.
2. Kevin Willard learned defense at the knee of the master… Rick Pitino. Through the first five possessions of the second half Louisville led 36-34. Having had 41 possessions apiece, Louisville’s defense had allowed Seton Hall 0.84 points per possession, while the Hall had yielded 0.88 points per possession. The Cardinals had forced 10 turnovers while the Pirates had forced six Louisville turnovers of their own. Willard was a member of Rick Pitino’s Louisville staff for six years before taking his first head coaching job at Iona. Willard compiled a 45-49 record with the Gaels before moving over to Seton Hall.
3. Brandon Mobley is a year away. Although the Pirates’ sophomore forward scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds, he faded during crucial stretches of the second half. “He’s a sophomore. I expected to use him for 20-24 good minutes this season, not 33-36 minutes,” explained Kevin Willard who went on to describe the sophomore forward as “the most talented player on the squad” but prone to losing focus after playing too many minutes.

Louisville’s Pressure Defense is Always a Star of the Game

Stars of the Game.  Gorgui Dieng and the Louisville defense. The junior all-conference candidate logged a double-double, scoring 16 points while he gathered 14 boards. Playing in only his third game back from a broken wrist, Dieng logged 33 minutes as he blocked three shots, dished two assists and intercepted a post pass to trigger one of Louisville’s fast breaks. The Cardinal defense forced 16 turnovers, credited to 12 steals and a pressure defense that forces numerous bad passes.

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It was good to hear from Kim English over the weekend. The former Missouri Tiger, perhaps a player whose on-court talents were inflated by the media due to his charming personality and usage of Twitter, is now playing in the D-League for the Detroit Pistons. But he’s still closely watching his Tigers, who escaped an upset from Bucknell due mostly to their really freakin’ good point guard.

Something tells me he’s on the fast track to being a studio analyst.

Doug Gottleib and Seth Davis Disagree on Jim Boeheim

I could elaborate, or you could just read about their exchange of tweets, courtesy of Jared Smith at NunesMagician.com. Let’s all appreciate the love/hate these two share with one another.

(Uncle) Khalif Wyatt?

We hope you were watching, but understand it may have been difficult to give Temple – Kansas your undivided attention alongside the NFL Playoffs. What you missed may have been the coming out party for Khalif Wyatt, who dropped 26 on 8-of-19 shooting (and 7-of-7 from the free throw line) in a losing effort. He also turned the ball over just once

Kaliff Wyatt auditioning for best Old Man Game in College Hoops– a clear favorite to make my team

— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) January 6, 2013

There’s no doubt that Wyatt is a legitimate point guard with a unique look and feel to his game… like Uncle Drew, without the staged playground game and hours of make-up. Old folks can appreciate style.

Really impressed with Khalif Wyatt. That dude plays like he’s on the Spurs #crafty #oldschool

— eric porter (@RealEricPorter) January 6, 2013

What have we learned from this game? Wyatt puts the team on his back all day, everyday. But more importantly we can compete with anyone.

— brandi johnson (@Every1lovesBJ) January 6, 2013

Game’s over, but I think Khalif Wyatt has just been awarded more free throws

— Adam Gardner (@adamgardner09) January 6, 2013

Now between his game against Kansas and 33 points against Syracuse, it’s fair to say that Wyatt is licensed to hang a big number on any opponent this season.

Sabatino Chen, Colorado Gets Robbed

The hottest button college basketball topic of the week was unquestionably the final seconds of the Pac-12 opener between Colorado and Arizona. You know the deal: Colorado blew an eight-point lead with under two minutes to play, and Satabtino Chen’s bank shot three-pointer as time expired as called off… but it shouldn’t have been.

Ball Don’t Lie.

— Sabatino Chen (@sabatinochen23) January 4, 2013

And yes, I did call bank!

— Sabatino Chen (@sabatinochen23) January 4, 2013

Twitter went nuts. At first the shot did look too close to call, meaning it should not have been overturned to begin with. And after America watched for the 17th time, it was clear that 0.1 seconds remained on the clock and Satabino’s shot should have counted. Lost in this moment’s was Chen’s lack of accuracy from beyond the arc. Despite being a 6’4″ guard, he’s simply not a respected shooter.

Worth mention that Sabatino Chen doubled his career number of three pointers last night. He was 2-23 before the game.

— Ezra Amacher (@EzraAmacher) January 4, 2013

Additionally, props to those who simply felt sorry for Chen, as he’s now college basketball Armando Galarraga, the former Detroit Tigers pitcher who was wrongly deined a perfect game due to a botched bang-bang play at first base a few summers ago. Not only is this a big bummer for the Buffs, it’s a huge bummer for Chen, who could develop a bit of a cult hero status in Boulder for a few years to come.

That was Sabatino Chen’s moment. He was robbed of that.

— Myron Medcalf (@MedcalfByESPN) January 4, 2013

Sabatino Chen should never buy drinks in Boulder for the rest of his life.

— Kevin Pelton (@kpelton) January 4, 2013

#BBN Gets Richer

Keeping up with the (Matt) Joneses is going to be nearly impossible next college basketball season. That’s right, John Calipari has pretty much put together a perfect 2013 recruiting class following the latest signing of center Dakari Johnson, with an Andrew Wiggins or Julius Randle likely to follow.

Of the 8 top recruits that have committed thus far in the 2013 class, 4 have committed to Kentucky

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) January 6, 2013

Naturally, the smug responses came in droves… and they probably still are if you follow the hashtag #BBN.

Kentucky is killing the competition right now;Coach Cal could sell fire in hell…both Harrison twins,James Young & Dakari Johnson??

— Branden Hunter (@JustCallmeBHunt) January 6, 2013

So for those keeping score, Derek Willis, James Young, Dakari Johnson, Harrison’s & Marcus Lee plus returning players and we ain’t done. #UK

— Lyndsey Gough (@lyndseygough) January 6, 2013

The recruiting class for #BBN next year is going to be #INSANEEEEE

— Jordan Tedrow (@Jstillwell2008) January 6, 2013

Wiggins & Randle will make this the best recruiting class of all time. #BBN

— •Troy A. Woods• (@Troy_Woods30) January 6, 2013

Oh yeah, and this dude will be in Lexington in 2014.

Mercy. RT @katis32: Had 16 pts, 17 rebs, 11 blocks and my dad said I had 10 or 11 assists. Also broke the rim on a dunk. Ripping for #BBN

— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_CJ) January 7, 2013

I hate you, sometimes, Kentucky. I hate you.

As we’re now back on a regular schedule with The RTC Podcast, we hope that those of you listening out there will continue to give us feedback in terms of some of the things you like and don’t like about our weekly venture. And definitely please feel free to continue to hit us up with commentary via Twitter and/or email if you have a good idea of something you’d like for us to discuss or add to the podcasts or end-of-week podblasts.

This week, as always, we’re hosted by Shane Connolly (@sconnolly114), where we took a hearty look back at the Big East’s blunderful weekend, talked over the new transfer rules and their possible downstream ramifications, and discuss some of the most indispensable players in college basketball. We’ll be back Friday afternoon with the shorter RTC Podblast, per the usual schedule. Thanks!

Happy New Year to everyone out there in college basketball land. We’re ready to tip off 2013 with a fresh new RTC Podcast to ring in conference play and the push toward March Madness. This is the time of year where the pretenders start to become exposed, and the contenders establish themselves as legitimate. Shane Connolly (@sconnolly114), as always, hosts this week’s podcast, where we break down most of the big games over the last week, riff about some pre-conference predictions, and look forward to this weekend’s most interesting games. Hey, Bucknell.

After this week, the podcast is also moving back into the normal schedule of Tuesday/Friday recordings. Feel free to jump around using the outline below. Also make sure to add the RTC Podcast to your iTunes lineup so that you’ll automatically upload it on your listening device after each recording. Thanks!

• 0:00-8:09 – Arizona’s Controversial Win to Stay Undefeated
• 8:09-13:58 – Louisville Establishes Themselves as This Season’s King of Kentucky
• 13:58-19:46 – UCLA Knocks Off Missouri in Westwood
• 19:46-22:40 – UNC’s Impressive Win Over UNLV
• 22:40-26:47 – Minnesota and Cincinnati Start Conference Play with Big Wins
• 26:47-30:00 – Illinois Hits First Rough Patch
• 30:00-31:31 – Gonzaga – the Big 12’s #2 Team
• 31:31-33:22 – Creighton Pushes Towards the Top 10
• 33:22-39:25 – Rapid Fire Questions
• 39:25-42:06 – Quick Pick Conference Champs
• 42:06-47:25 – Weekend Preview and Wrap-up

We welcome any and all feedback on these podcasts including topics for future discussion or if you want to send us any questions for our “May Not Be From Actual Listeners” segment. Hit us up atrushthecourt@yahoo.com or @rushthecourt on Twitter.

David Changas is an RTC correspondent. He filed this report after last night’s game between Butler and Vanderbilt in Nashville.

Butler came into Saturday’s game at Vanderbilt boosting a resume’ that included wins over Marquette and North Carolina in a run to the championship game of the Maui Invitational, and an upset of then top-ranked Indiana in the landmark game of the season on December 15. On the other hand, it included an early-season thrashing from a pedestrian Xavier team, as well as a blowout loss to Illinois in the Maui final. After playing for the national championship in consecutive seasons, coach Brad Stevens’s 2011-12 squad missed the NCAA Tournament in its Horizon League swan song, and as the Bulldogs head into their inaugural run through the Atlantic 10 conference schedule, the question facing them is whether they can be a dominant team in the league, or whether they are merely a team that raises its level of play for big games but is prone to lapses against lesser opponents.  If Saturday’s second-half demolishing of a mediocre Commodores club is any indication, Butler may be the team to beat in the A-10.

Rotnei Clarke and Butler Easily Handled the Commodores in the Second Half Last Night

The Bulldogs led just 25-22 at the break, but came out in the second half and blitzed Vanderbilt with an early 19-7 run, riding the hot shooting of senior guard Rotnei Clarke to a 68-49 win. After missing his first six attempts of the game, Clarke went on a torrid run in the latter part of the first half and early part of the second that saw him hit five three-pointers on his way to a game-high 22 points. The Bulldogs’ only other double figure scorer was freshman guard Kellen Dunham, who finished with 12. “When Kellen and Rodney get going, we should win.  Those should be the nights we win,” Stevens said after the game.  Given the performance of his two guards, and the second half run, Stevens had to be pleased that his team took care of an inferior opponent in a hostile road environment.

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Here’s hoping that everyone is enjoying a safe and memorable holiday season. Here at RTC we’ve fallen victim to some of the same time-sucking madness that envelops everyone at the end of the year, but we were able to get together Episode Seven of the RTC Podcast last night to publish today. As always, Shane Connolly (@sconnolly114) is our host and he leads us through the last couple week of action with a focus on the nation’s undefeated teams who have already suffered their first losses.

Next week we’ll do Episode Eight at the end of the week and then we’ll jump back into the normal schedule of Tuesday/Friday recordings. Feel free to jump around using the outline below. Also make sure to add the RTC Podcast to your iTunes lineup so that you’ll automatically upload it on your listening device after each recording. Thanks!

• 0:00-6:00 – Indiana Knocked From #1 – Meaningful?
• 6:00-7:02 – Butler is King of the Upset
• 7:02-8:23 – Jim Boeheim Wins #900 Then Loses
• 8:23-11:40 – Florida Goes 0-2 Against Wildcats
• 11:40-13:13 – Impressions of Arizona
• 13:13-14:43 – Kansas State Enjoying Life with Bruce Weber
• 14:43-19:10 – Bragging Rights Reactions
• 19:10-20:54 – Thoughts Heading into New Mexico-Cincinnati
• 20:54-27:48 – Kansas Wins at Ohio State
• 27:48-30:44 – Bluegrass Battle Preview
• 30:44-35:25 – Can UNC Avenge Last Year’s Loss vs UNLV?
• 35:25-37:10 – Gonzaga’s Big 12 Holiday Weekend
• 37:10-38:09 – Quick Picks and Wrapup

We welcome any and all feedback on these podcasts including topics for future discussion or if you want to send us any questions for our “May Not Be From Actual Listeners” segment. Hit us up at rushthecourt@yahoo.com or @rushthecourt on Twitter.

Some quick thoughts from tonight’s inter-regional battle between New Mexico and Cincinnati…

Three Key Takeaways.

1. Unbeaten No More. Cincinnati is #8 in the AP Poll, #8 in the ESPN/Coaches Poll, and #10 in the RTC Poll this week, but we are not sure anyone actually believed the Bearcats were that good or if simply the momentum of an unbeaten campaign had put them there. They play hard and defend well, but this is a guard-heavy, flawed team. And when the guards are not hitting — the starting backcourt of Cashmere Wright, Sean Kilpatrick and JaQuon Parker went 14-of-42 including an astonishing six total makes from inside the arc — Cincinnati has a lot of trouble scoring. The good news for Mick Cronin\’s team is that his squad can put the flawless record behind them as Big East play approaches. His team is good enough to finish in the top quarter of the league this season, but they have to find a way to get more balance in their offense (11 points from the front line) before we will see them pushing the upward boundaries of the polls again.
2. Still Uncertain About New Mexico. Steve Alford’s squad is a tough team to get a read on this season. They have beaten a bunch of good-not-great teams but it is tough to discern what they actually do very well. Tony Snell and Kendall Williams are certainly capable players, but neither will take a game over in the same way that some of the other stars in the Mountain West will. Their defense and length was solid tonight, but they were playing a smallish, guard-oriented team in the Bearcats. They appear well-coached, but it\’s difficult to say how much that will matter against conference foes that already know who they are dealing with. The gut says that the Lobos are an NCAA Tournament team again — probably somewhere in the neighborhood of a #7-#10 seed — but that they are not quite in the same class with UNLV and San Diego State this season.
3. Impressive Effort From New Mexico’s Role Players. Everyone is familiar with the talents of Lobo stars like Tony Snell and Kendall Williams (who combined for 26 points and six rebounds), but I also came away impressed with the skill and effort level of two of New Mexico’s lesser-known players, Alex Kirk and Cameron Bairstow. Neither is the type of player for whom you run offensive sets, but both guys exhibited a knack for getting their hands on the ball near the basket, resulting in 22 points, 13 rebounds and an untold number of tips, scrapes, and clear-outs with their aggressive dispositions.

Star of the Game. Alex Kirk, New Mexico. As mentioned above, Kirk’s activity around the basket was impressive enough tonight on its own merits, but his proper positioning to maneuver in place to reject Sean Kilpatrick’s long jumper attempt with two seconds remaining ensured the big road win for the Lobos. Throw in 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, seven rebounds and countless hustle points, and it was clear that the seven-foot sophomore was the difference in tonight’s game.

Quotable.

• “I thought I had him… I coulda drove him left but I didn’t.” – Cincinnati’s Sean Kilpatrick, referring to the final play of the game where his long jumper was blocked by Alex Kirk.
• “Sorry I’m late, I had to talk to Coach Knight. I wasn’t leaving until he said I was finished.” – New Mexico head coach Steve Alford, proving that a quarter-century of time doesn’t always change relationships.
• “That’s why you gotta be able to dance to every dance.” – Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin, on playing different styles successfully.

Sights and Sounds. For much of the game Cincinnati fans’ eyes and ears were split between the game on the court and the school’s football team playing Duke in the Belk Bowl. With all the plasma screens in the luxury boxes tuned to the football game, it was easy enough for much of the crowd to keep tabs on the Bearcats’ gridiron fortunes. When arena staff flashed that UC had taken a seven-point lead with a minute remaining, Fifth Third Arena erupted.

What’s Next. The immediate future gets no easier for either team, as both squads will suit up on New Year’s Eve for tough road games. Cincinnati travels to Pittsburgh for its AFC Central Big East opener, while New Mexico continues its tour of the Midwest by traveling to St. Louis.

Yeah, we know we’re recycling old images but this is a good one and the sentiment is the same. We want to wish everyone  reading Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy your families, gifts and all the trappings that go along with the season — it’s truly a special time of year.