Where will Davis land?

All of this begs the question as to how someone as talented as Davis could go relatively unnoticed in the over-saturated recruiting landscape. The only comparison player we could think of who rocketed up this quickly this late was Tracy McGrady who went from a relative unknown coming into the summer before his senior year to the top recruit in his class by the time he graduated a little over a decade ago, but that was pre-YouTube and even pre-Google (yes, there was a world before Google). Part of the reason that Davis has shot up the rankings is because of a ridiculous growth spurt during his sophomore and junior years (6-7 inches in 18 months according to Evan Daniels). Still some Illinois recruiting gurus [Ed. Note: We are imagining a Hoop Dreams-like TV segment here.] only had him as the #9 player in the state of Illinois after the high school season ended just a few months ago. There has been some speculation amongst Illinois high school basketball fans that Davis may have been ranked so low coming into the summer because he played in a weak Chicago Public League division that most of the recruiting gurus paid little attention to and until this summer he had skipped the AAU summer circuit. All of this seems perfectly reasonable although somewhat surprising so we are left to wonder just how good Davis actually is. For that we turned to Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports and Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog, who have seen Davis in person and spoken with Davis and people close to him.

Goodman
“It is shocking to see a player these days fly under the radar until this late in the recruiting game. I love this kid and the reason why I would put him at number one is because I don’t see many–if any–weaknesses in his game. He has size and versatility. He may not be as offensively skilled as Kevin Durant, but has a more complete game with his ability to impact on the defensive end. He can step out and make shots, puts it on the floor, passes it well and can score in the post. Honestly, I am not sure there is any fair comparison – maybe Rasheed Wallace back in the day when he played hard.”

Zagoria
On the late recruitment comparison to McGrady: “Good comparison” [with respect to their late appearance on recruiting radars], but he wasn’t willing to go that Davis would turn out to be the caliber player that McGrady was. He felt that Kyrie Irving would be a better, more modern comparison as Irving was a relative unknown two years ago and now is considered one of the best players to ever come out of New Jersey.

Recruiting: Along with the three schools already mentioned, Zagoria knows “that Roy Williams and UConn coaches are watching [Davis].” As for the possibility that Kentucky might sign him along with Gilchrist and Marquis Teague, it “wouldn’t shock him and could become part of one of the greatest recruiting classes ever.”

Comparison: He can see the Kevin Durant comparison, but Davis isn’t as “smooth or polished” as Durant was. Instead he cited Antonio McDyess (with ACLs) as a good comparison player, but Davis “will need to fill out”.

We don’t want to put too much praise on this rising high school senior, but his size, frame, and skill set remind me of another player who played in Chicago his senior year almost a decade and a half ago: Kevin Garnett. We aren’t saying that Davis will ever achieve the success that Garnett has had, but from what we have seen (in limited highlight clips) it looks like he has the tools to be a similar player although we cannot say anything about his intensity although we doubt many high school players can match the nightly insanity of KG. Below we have a video showing off a little of the skill set that we are talking about with a little of the attitude that we have been wondering about.

One other thing to watch for is the influence of Tai Streets, the CEO of Mean Streets (yes, AAU basketball is a big business). Some of you may remember Streets from his time at Michigan where he was a star receiver on the 1997 National Championship football team, but he also played sparingly as a freshman on the basketball team before committing full-time to football (a wise choice as he ended up getting drafted in the NFL where he spent several years playing for the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions). Given the likely influence of Streets we wouldn’t be surprised to see Davis at least make a visit to Ann Arbor (or be less inclined to join the Buckeyes).

Now that we’re all back in the swing of things from the holiday weekend, let’s dive into another set of morning links.

1. Former Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez was arrested under suspicion of trying to steal a $1,395 man purse from a Ralph Lauren store in a New Jersey mall. The story says “satchel”, but we all know that’s just a nice way of saying man purse. We don’t know which man purse it is, but these are the most likely options (purse 1 or purse 2).
2. Adam Zagoria brings you the winner of future all-name college basketball teams, God’s Gift Achiuwa, who is being recruited St. John’s. Zagoria missed a great potential finishing joke when he forgot to mention the upcoming moment where Knick fans boo the selection of God’s Gift.
3. The Legends Classic announced the match-ups and locations for the regional match-ups of its early season tournament with Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Michigan, and UTEP hosting a bunch of sacrificial lambs–Albany, Bowling Green, Detroit, Gardner-Webb, Mercer, Niagara, Western Carolina, and William & Mary.
4. Georgia’s athletic department took a step toward getting back to business as usual by naming Frank Crumley interim AD on Tuesday.  University prez Michael Adams, though, has formed a committee who will search outside the UGA system for a permanent replacement for Damon Evans.
5. Celebrate we will, for it’s the July evaluation period.  Coaches might not be able to talk to available recruits, but they may watch them as much as they want and determine where — that is, on whom — they’ll concentrate their recruiting efforts.  The period kicked off with a huge showcase in Indianapolis featuring over 4,000 basketball players as well as many of the biggest names in the coaching game.

Happy Fiscal New Year, everyone.  We hope that your 2010-11 is filled with great financial security and hoops hysteria.

1. Here’s some somewhat dated news, but it didn’t seem to get much attention until this week, which is that Mississippi State’s Renardo Sidney evidently sees himself as a 1-and-doner when he finally gets to play this coming season.  Sidney tweeted during last week’s draft the following: “NYC #2011  Believe dat.”  The big man who sat out the entire 2009-10 season over concerns with his eligibility certainly has the ability to become a top prospect, but he may want to check next year’s draft location before he makes his reservations.
2. It was an odd summer day for comings and goings yesterday, but Michigan dismissed junior guard Laval Lucas-Perry from its team for an undisclosed violation of team rules, while Oregon forward Jamil Wilson is transferring back east to Marquette for his final three years of eligibility.  Lucas-Perry was a sometime starter for John Beilein’s team, now facing a huge rebuild after losing his two stars and another key contributor in LLP.  Wilson was a starter at Oregon, averaging 5/3 in just under 17 minutes per game — nice coup for Buzz Williams to grab the talented forward from nearby Racine.
3. Insert New Jersey chemical plant joke here…  Rutgers will offer naming rights to its football and basketball stadiums (“the RAC”) as a way to offset some of the expense of a recent renovations.  Some RTC ideas: The Honeywell Hive?  The Prudential RAC?  Toys R Us Arena?  Campbell Soup Bowl?  We could go on…
4. An interesting discussion over at Fanhouse as to whether, with John Wooden’s passing, if Coach K is the best coach alive.  He’s certainly on the short list, but it’s hard to believe that he’s above Phil Jackson or Scotty Bowman, much less Pat Summit or Geno Auriemma in his own sport.
5. At the Under-19 World Championships, Team USA led by Duke’s Kyrie Irving (21 pts) and rising prep senior Austin Rivers (19 pts) won the gold medal when Quincy Miller (another rising senior) hit a three with 25 seconds remaining to give the Americans a three-point lead that stuck.  Good job, fellas.

With John Wall presumably going to the Wizards, you have to figure this would result in the Prez doing the dance at least once.  We’re not saying we want this to happen.  We’re just saying it might.  And it might be worth a few votes in the Bluegrass.

Even more interesting than the actual cartoon is the authorship.  The copyright on the left side bears the name Demetrius Calip and there’s the “by D. Calip” at the top.  You may recall that Demetrius Calip was a guard for the 1989 national champion Michigan Wolverines, but the site says the author is 11 years old.  So either Demetrius has become a cartoonist and is using this 11-year old persona as a (rather poor) cover, or we have an artistic 11-year old college hoops fan who knows his Michigan basketball history, or bears the name of the former Wolverine.

The ACC/Big Ten Challenge is surely one of the highlights of the non-conference season. These two power conferences are perennially the most competitive and successful in college basketball, and the powers-that-be who determine the games routinely do a fantastic job of pitting the best teams from each respective conference against each other. The Challenge next winter is ratcheted up even another notch with Duke, Michigan State and Purdue likely rounding out the top three in the polls. Let’s delve into each game with a breakdown and prediction:

November 29- Virginia at Minnesota

The ugly Sylven Landesberg breakup was crushing for Virginia’s hopes of contending in the ACC this season. Trusting Tony Bennett and his system, most prognosticators would likely have pegged the Cavailers as a NCAA team with Landesberg around. Virginia still has returning talent in spite of his departure, but it won’t feature enough firepower to win at the Barn in Minneapolis. Replacing Lawrence Westbrook and Damian Johnson won’t be easy, but Tubby Smith still has a 47% three-point shooter in Blake Hoffarber, breakout candidate Devoe Joseph and the return of star guard Al Nolen at his disposal. Winner: Minnesota (Big Ten leads 1-0).

November 30- North Carolina at Illinois

One of the headlining matchups, this game should peg two top-25 teams that boast loads of young talent. Depending on how much of an impact freshmen Harrison Barnes, Kendall Marshall and Reggie Bullock can make immediately, and how much John Henson, Tyler Zeller and Larry Drew improve in the offseason, Carolina could make the leap from NIT participant to top-15 team. Illinois has their own heralded recruiting class entering Champaign to play alongside reigning assist kid Demetri McCamey and the twin towers of Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale. It’s a bit overzealous to expect a young UNC team to win such a difficult road game this early in the season. Winner: Illinois (Big Ten leads 2-0).

Mike Tisdale leads a talented Illinois squad against Carolina

These two teams faced off in last year’s Challenge and the Buckeyes were able to emerge victorious in Columbus. Now they travel to Tallahassee to take on a Seminole squad that may have lost Solomon Alabi, but they do return all-ACC candidate Chris Singleton and sophomore Michael Snaer, a much-ballyhooed recruit two years ago that could make an impact. The Buckeyes still out-man the ‘Noles at nearly every position, though. If Aaron Craft is able to run the point as a freshman, the sky’s the limit for Thad Matta’s team. Jared Sullinger is the most college-ready player of this year’s class. He teams with three-point marksman Jon Diebler, the super-talented William Buford, defensive stalwart David Lighty and shot-blocker extraordinaire Dallas Lauderdale. Buckeyes squeak one out on the road. Winner: Ohio State (Big Ten leads 3-0).

November 30- Michigan at Clemson

Clemson will be looking for redemption after last season’s Challenge collapse against Illinois. A new coach, Brad Brownell, leads the Tigers charge without Trevor Booker. They still have enough to knock out a rebuilding Michigan team on their home floor. Demontez Stitt, Andre Young and Tanner Smith lead a talented Clemson backcourt, while Jerai Grant can certainly contribute in the post. Without Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims, it’s going to be a long season for John Beilein. Look for incoming freshmen Tim Hardaway Jr. and Evan Smotrycz to get an opportunity right away. Winner: Clemson (Big Ten leads 3-1).

November 30- Georgia Tech at Northwestern

Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt opted to remain in Atlanta rather than further pursue the St. John’s job. This decision could pay long-term dividends, but in 2010-11 it will likely be NIT for Hewitt’s Tech squad. Gani Lawal, Derrick Favors and Zach Peacock, their top three frontcourt scorers, all depart. It’ll be a more backcourt-oriented approach next season with Iman Shumpert, Mfon Udofia and Glen Rice Jr. all playing leading roles. Northwestern has their best opportunity in years to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. Leading scorer and rebounder Kevin Coble returns from last season’s devastating injury. Their three double digit scorers from last season are also back. The Wildcats take this one at home fairly easily. Winner: Northwestern (Big Ten leads 4-1).

November 30- Iowa at Wake Forest

Losing Al-Farouq Aminu, Ish Smith, Chas McFarland and L.D. Williams is a hard hit for the Demon Deacons and new coach Jeff Bzdelik. Luckily for Wake, their opponent in this matchup would kill to be in their situation. Iowa and recently hired Fran McAffrey have a full-blown rebuilding project staring them in the face, one that will probably keep Iowa near the Big Ten cellar for a few more seasons. Wake Forest is hoping sophomores C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart can post more consistent campaigns. Former coach Dino Gaudio locked up four impressive recruits that will all compete for playing time. In front of their raucous home crowd, they should win this game in blowout fashion. Winner: Wake Forest (Big Ten leads 4-2).

December 1- Michigan State at Duke

This game could very well be the best regular season matchup of the 2010-11 season. #1 vs. #2. Tom Izzo vs. Coach K. Kalin Lucas vs. Kyrie Irving. Reigning Final Four participants. The final day of the Challenge. It doesn’t get any sweeter than this for a non-conference matchup, quite possibly the most hyped since #1 Duke battled #2 Texas in East Rutherford in 2005 (which ones am I forgetting?). You won’t see many prognosticators picking Duke to lose at home at any point next season. With Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith back along with Irving and Seth Curry joining the fray, it’s going to be close to impossible to knock off the Blue Devils in front of their fans. If any team can do it next season, though, it’s Michigan State. They’re used to big games. Winner: Duke (Big Ten leads 4-3).

Michigan State can beat Duke if Durrell Summers gets hot

While Purdue matching up with North Carolina would have been sexier, the Hokies could very well prove to be the second best ACC team when the season comes to an end. Malcolm Delaney returning to Blacksburg for a final season gives the team major credibility. He’s joined by fellow leading scorers Jeff Allen and Dorenzo Hudson. Purdue is the better team overall now that JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore are back, a group many will peg to cut down the nets in Houston (I can’t argue). Robbie Hummel will be 100% following his ACL injury and Lewis Jackson the same after a foot injury hindered his 2009-10 season. Purdue’s headstrong and experienced unit will know how to handle the raucous Hokie crowd, handing the Big Ten an enormous road win in the process. Winner: Purdue (Big Ten leads 5-3).

December 1- NC State at Wisconsin

Sidney Lowe’s Wolfpack are truly one of the more intriguing teams heading into the summer. C.J. Leslie was a major coup as was Tracy Smith opting to play another season in Raleigh. Throw in Ryan Harrow, Lorenzo Brown, Scott Wood and Javier Gonzalez, and NC State could be in serious business for the first time since Julius Hodge was adorning the red and white. But winning at the Kohl Center? In December? When eventual national champ Duke couldn’t even accomplish the feat? That’s too much to ask. Jon Leuer returns for Bo Ryan as an all-Big Ten candidate. Winner: Wisconsin (Big Ten clinches, leads 6-3).

December 1- Indiana at Boston College

Nobody is talking about the Eagles as a possible sleeper. While most of the recruiting class under Al Skinner has ditched, new coach Steve Donahue still has some serious talent returning. Joe Trapani, Corey Raji, Reggie Jackson, Josh Southern and Biko Paris is not a terrible situation by any means, although the rebuilding process after 2010-11 will be strenuous. If they become acquainted to a new offensive philosophy, BC could make an NCAA Tournament push. Indiana will have Maurice Creek back from injury and returns nearly everyone of note with the exception of Devan Dumes. The pesky Hoosiers should give BC a run for their money, but they’re just not quite at the point of winning road games against ACC competition. Winner: Boston College (Big Ten leads 6-4).

December 1- Maryland at Penn State

Talor Battle coming back to Happy Valley gives the Nittany Lions some hope. The fact remains that they’re a one-man team more often than not. Unless forwards David Jackson, Jeff Brooks or incoming guard Taran Buie improve significantly, it’ll be the same story for Penn State. Maryland looks depleted with the senior class losses of Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne. It’s prudent for role players Adrian Bowie, Dino Gregory, Cliff Tucker and Jordan Williams to take the torch and become impact contributors for Gary Williams. Williams showed the most potential for stardom last season.  I expect him to lead the way in this confidence-building road victory. Winner: Maryland (Big Ten wins 6-5).

The other big news today was a report out of Eugene that Oregon was prepared to offer Michigan State’s Tom Izzo the richest head coaching contract in college basketball history — greater than Kentucky coach John Calipari’s $32M/8-year deal he received last spring.  Phil Knight is backing the search financially and this squares with the rumors that UO was going to attempt to hire a big name this year.  Izzo said today that he was happy where he’s at, which is currently coaching yet another Spartan team into the Final Four.  It probably won’t be Izzo, but someone will bite on this.  The numbers are simply too large to pass up.

In other coaching carousel news, Marshall’s Donnie Jones has taken the head coaching position at Central Florida.  He replaces Kirk Speraw, who was fired two weeks ago after compiling the all-time wins record in eleven seasons at UCF.  So… does this mean that CUSA FrOY and DPOY Hassan Whiteside is going pro? His mother says that early reports of his going pro are premature and that no decision has yet been made.

We’ve already discussed Kansas center Cole Aldrich and Michigan guard Manny Harris’ decisions to go pro in other spaces, but two other prominent players announced their intentions to go pro today.  Seton Hall sophomore center Herb Pope will test the waters, but is likely to stay in the draft, and UTEP junior center Derrick Caracter will also leave school for professional opportunities.  Pope is projected as a late first rounder, but Caracter at this point is not seen as a legitimate prospect given some of his previous offcourt troubles.

The big news of the weekend was that Siena’s Fran McCaffery eschewed several openings in the Big East for a job outside of his comfort zone in the heartland at Iowa.  His work will be cut out for him in Iowa City, as the Hawkeyes were 10-22 (4-14 B10) last year and appear from a talent perspective to be light years away from the 1990s when they were an NCAA Tournament staple.  This article discusses some of the challenges that McCaffery will face coaching and recruiting in the Big Ten.

Meanwhile, St. John’s is apparently taking a hard look at former UCLA coach and current ESPN commentator Steve Lavin, whose hiring would satisfy the Red Storm’s desire for a big-name coach.  A west coast guy, Lavin would need to hire a strong New York-centric staff to handle recruiting the area.  His charisma and the UCLA ‘name’ would certainly help, and the truth is that a Sweet Sixteen-level coach — which is what Lavin was at UCLA and it wasn’t good enough — is probably plenty good enough for the Johnnies at this point.  At least one NY area columnist thinks this would be a great fit.  BC’s Al Skinner is also still reportedly in the mix.

Seton Hall has its guy, as the Pirates hired Iona coach Kevin Willard, who has led Iona out of a 2-28 quagmire to a situation where the Gaels are expected to be one of the top teams in the MAAC next season.  The Hall struck out on McCaffery in part because their pay offer of $700k annually could not approach what a Big Ten school could offer.  Willard was the MAAC Coach of the Year this past season and Rick Pitino is on record as calling him the “best assistant” he’s ever had.

In NBA Draft news, Michigan’s Manny Harris is expected to announce his intention to leave school on Monday.  Harris averaged 18/6/4 assts in a disappointing season for the Wolverines, who missed postseason play altogether.  The 6’5 guard who sometimes struggles with shot selection is projected as a second-round pick at best, but he will have time to assess his prospective position in the draft before making a final decision.

New Mexico State’s Jahmar Young will also test the draft waters after a junior campaign where he averaged 20/4/3 assts for the season.  The 6’5 wing is not currently projected as a pick in either of the first two rounds, so we’d expect to see him back in Las Cruces again next season.

Today playing against a Michigan team that was playing for its NCAA Tournament life (no chance of an at-large bid), the Buckeyes found themselves down by 2 points with 2.2 seconds left after Manny Harris hit a fade-away jumper from the elbow. Thad Matta called a timeout to draw up a play. During that same timeout, John Beilein apparently was trying to figure out if he could get reservations at the best restaurant in Indianapolis later that night. You can see the result below:

Obviously, the defense by Michigan was atrocious (nobody on the inbounds, nobody on the Turner, . . .) but Turner still had to hit 30+ footer to win it. And with that shot, I think it is safe to say that March Madness is officially underway.

h/t to Dan Levy

The big thing from the past week. Big Ten season ends in three way tie. Exciting as the seesaw race was all year, it ended in melodramatic fashion as both Purdue and Michigan State hung on after Ohio State had already won out several days prior. The Boilers and Spartans took care of business, beating teams they were supposed to beat. Michigan State racked up back to back banners, but the big story is that this was the first title for Purdue since 1996. Now to see how many teams can go to the dance based on their performance in the Big Ten tournament.  Four Big Ten teams are in the top 25: #5 Ohio State, #6 Purdue, #11 Michigan State, and #13 Wisconsin.

Power Rankings (final)

1. Ohio State 24-7, 14-4
2. Purdue 26-4, 14-4
3. Michigan State 24-7, 14-4
4. Wisconsin 23-7, 13-5
5. Illinois 18-13, 10-8
6. Minnesota 18-12, 9-9
7. Northwestern 19-12, 7-11
8. Michigan 14-16, 7-11
9. Iowa 10-21, 4-14
10. Indiana 10-20, 4-14
11. Penn State 11-19, 3-15

Big Ten Tournament – Indianapolis – March 11th-14th

First Round

• #9 Iowa vs. #8 Michigan – March 11 – 2:30 ET – ESPN2 – This game could really go either way. The first game was a 14-point victory for Michigan at home, whereas the second game was a two-point victory in OT for Michigan on the road. For Michigan, Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims both had at least 20 in each game, so look for that to continue. For Iowa, Aaron Fuller played well in the first game, but went crazy for 30 in the second game. Matt Gatens was absent in the first game, but exploded for 21 in the second game. Michigan comes in having lost four of six games while Iowa has lost the past five of six games. Iowa should do well inside in this game, but I think Michigan has finally figured out that they can’t rely totally on threes, so I am going with Michigan in this one.
• #10 Indiana vs. #7 Northwestern – March 11 – 4:55 ET – ESPN2 – This game will most likely go to Northwestern. It is just too difficult to win two games against the same team within a week’s time, especially for a team as inconsistent as Indiana has been all year. The big thing Indiana has going for itself in this game and for this tournament is that they are essentially the home town team, especially if they are able to fill Lucas Oil Stadium with Indiana fans. If not, I think Northwestern has too much John Shurna and too much Michael Thompson for IU to handle. I also think Northwestern will make the adjustments on Jordan Hulls to stop his flurry of threes.
• #11 Penn State vs. #6 Minnesota – March 11 – 7:30 ET – I am going with Minnesota in this one. They have really come on strong to close out the season, winning four of their last six games, including a 35-point drubbing of Iowa. Both of the matchups between these teams during the regular year were close victories for Minnesota, so I expect this one to be close because it is on neutral ground, and I wouldn’t expect either of the team’s fans to come out in droves. Penn State will need Chris Babb to have a big game along with Talor Battle and David Jackson, while Minnesota needs a consistent performance from Westbrook, Sampson, Hoffarber, and Johnson. The X-factor for Minnesota is Devoe Joseph who struggled in both contests. If he can step up then Minnesota wins easily;  if not they will win in a close battle.

Quarterfinals (projected)

#8 Michigan vs. #1 Ohio State – March 12 – 12 ET – ESPN – Ohio State will have had ten days off by the time they play this game, so it will be crucial for them to shake off the rust and come out of the gate quick. The only team in the first round game that beat OSU is Michigan, but that was a nine-point loss without Evan Turner. If Iowa manages to squeak by Michigan, they are looking at least a 10 point loss against OSU, but if Michigan wins as I predict, it could be a little bit closer. OSU just has too much offensive power for Michigan or Iowa and it would be a huge upset if they don’t advance.

#5 Illinois vs. #4 Wisconsin – March 12 – 2:25 ET – ESPN – These two teams play again after only five days between games. This game means the world to Illinois; if they lose their season is over and their chance of getting into the tournament is officially zero. They have been on the bubble for a while, but it will  burst with a loss here. Illinois upset Wisconsin in their first matchup, but that was without Jon Leuer. Add his 20 points to the mix, and that led to a 15-point Wisconsin victory. Unless Demetri McCamey has a monster game like their first matchup, I don’t see an Illinois win likely in this game. Illinois has lost five of six, whereas Wisconsin has won five of six coming into this one.

#7 Northwestern vs. #2 Purdue – March 12 – 6:30 ET – Big Ten Network – On paper, Purdue should win this game; they have won 12 out of their past 13 games. Northwestern, who I have as the projected winner of game 2, has lost four out of their past six games. The one thing Northwestern has going for itself in this game is the past. They won their only meeting of the year between these games, and that should give them some confidence. The other thing that should give them confidence is that John Shurna, who has been a beast for most of the Big Ten season, had only eight points in the victory against Purdue. This is the first test against a middle of the road team since their loss to MSU, a game in which they are going to need a lot more offensive production than they did against the Spartans. I give the edge to Purdue in this one, just based on the negative trajectory of Northwestern the second half of the season.

#6 Minnesota vs. #3 Michigan State – March 12 – 25 min. after Game 6 – Big Ten Network – This game, which I project to feature Minnesota and Michigan State, will go down to the wire, at the end going to Michigan State. Their first matchup was a seven-point victory for MSU, while their second matchup was a one-point squeaker for the Spartans. The Gophers have come on strong, but still managed to lose to Michigan twice as well as Indiana on the road. Michigan State is starting to get it together, but there is no way that Tom Izzo isn’t going to have his guys ready to play. Raymar Morgan will have to continue to dominate down low, and Kalin Lucas will need to get back to his mid season ways. The one question mark here is Chris Allen, who has been suspended indefinitely, so MSU will be without his almost 10 PPG for most likely the entirety of the Big Ten tourney. They will need to make up for those lost points.

#4 Wisconsin vs. #1 Ohio State – March 13 – 1:40 ET – CBS – This projected game between OSU and Wisconsin will go down to the last seconds, if not OT. It is unfortunate that each time these two teams played this season they weren’t at full strength. The first matchup was missing Evan Turner, and OSU had their lowest point production of the year. The second matchup was missing Jon Leuer, and Wisconsin lost by nine. On paper, just by running the numbers, it looks like this game should go to Wisconsin. Add in 15 points for Wisconsin or even 11 based on Leuer being in the game, and you have a victory for the Badgers. OSU has only lost one Big Ten game with Evan Turner at full strength, and that was a nailbiter to Purdue. Wisconsin has only lost once with Jon Leuer in the game, and that was a seven-point loss to MSU in which he had 21. This one is simply too close to call.

#3 Michigan State vs. #2 Purdue – March 13 – 25 min. after Game 8 – CBS – This projected game would pit MSU vs. Purdue, the second such matchup between these two teams since Robbie Hummel went down to injury. This past matchup was a nine-point victory for MSU in a low scoring game that had both teams shooting poorly and MSU turning it over eight more times than they average on the season. This next game should be a lot crisper, and one would hope that the cast of big time players for each team would step up more than they did before. For Purdue, Moore and Johnson will have to score more and shoot better than last game. For MSU, Lucas, Morgan, and a couple more will have to step up offensively and take care of the ball better this time around. I think Purdue will have a much better game in this one, but in the end, I just don’t think they have enough reserves to draw from to beat MSU.

#1 Ohio State/#4 Wisconsin vs. #2 Michigan State – March 14 – 3:30 ET – CBS – The projected teams in this game are either Ohio State/Wisconsin vs. Michigan State. I will just run through the different scenarios of teams, and who would win given the matchups. OSU vs. MSU should be a close one with the last matchup going to OSU by seven points. In that game, Evan Turner had a 20/10/6 asst game. The supporting cast had solid games as well, with maybe another eight points being the maximum that they would score. For MSU though, Kalin Lucas and Raymar Morgan could pump in another 15 points in total, and that would be the only way they will beat OSU. In that matchup, I would go with OSU. In the MSU vs. Wisconsin matchup, looking at their last game, which went to Wisconsin by 18, it is hard to say that MSU would pull out that game as well. That was even without Jon Leuer for Wisconsin, but the X-factor in that game was the loss of Kalin Lucas with a sprained ankle. His leadership could have made it a 10-point game or less, but Wisconsin still would have won that game. With each of these matchups, I am assuming the MSU team that I have seen later in the season. If the team that was playing midway through the season, or even the team that tends to step up come tournament time shows, that could sway the results of these games. If those Spartans come to play, I think they have the ability to beat either OSU or Wisconsin, but I haven’t seen that team very much this season.

Season Recap

Ohio State moves from #16 to #5. Ohio State has exceeded expectations more than any other team in the Big Ten this season except for Wisconsin. They started the year ranked #16 in the nation, and according to the latest rankings, they top the Big Ten with a #5 ranking. They were able to do that of course behind the outstanding play of Evan Turner but also because they have the ultimate role players. Clearly Turner can do it all, but Jon Diebler is the long range guy, David Lighty is the defensive specialist with offensive punch, Dallas Lauderdale blocks shots inside and dunks, and William Buford is the offensive leader in waiting. They aren’t close to the tallest team in the conference, but they have a big size advantage over other teams at the guard positions, and have done a good job covering up their size disadvantage inside. The story of the year for this team has been Evan Turner. With him they are practically unstoppable, but without him they were an average team in the Big Ten. With their record and current ranking it is possible for the Buckeyes to be a #2 in the Big Dance if they progress far into the Big Ten Tournament.

Purdue starts fast, picks up steam, and then loses a leader. Purdue set a school record for wins to start the season, and then closed out the season in similar fashion. They struggled in the middle of the conference season with a three-game losing streak, but came out of it strong behind the play of their big three: E’Twaun Moore, Robbie Hummel, and JaJuan Johnson. Then Hummel went down with a torn ACL and Purdue is still trying to find their new identity as a team and make up for Hummel’s 16 points a game. This team has developed over the past three years with three juniors, but now they need a couple seniors and underclassmen to step up if they want to go anywhere in the Big Ten or the NCAA Tournament. Purdue needs to channel their inner Notre Dame this week and next, showing that they seem to play better without their star player. I think Matt Painter will get these guys to believe that they are just as good without Hummel. Whether that is true or not is to be determined, but I know everyone in the Big Ten will be rooting for Purdue to represent the conference well. After all, they still only have four losses on the year, something very few others team s in the top 25 can claim.

Michigan State starts fast, Lucas goes down, and now what? MSU started out of the gates fast, trying to live up to its preseason #2 billing. They looked good until they started losing to some of the traditional big guns in Florida, UNC and Texas. Those were losses to good teams at the time, but now one of those won’t be making the tournament and the other two are borderline. This team has risen and fallen behind Kalin Lucas, who was criticized early for his lack of leadership and then praised midway through the season for his abundance of it. This team hasn’t quite fired on all cylinders yet this season, and have looked a little off since Kalin Lucas got hurt with a sprained ankle. Lucas has had some good games since coming back from the ankle injury, but the team as a whole has been consistently inconsistent. They will need to pound the ball inside to Raymar Morgan and Draymond Green while relying on Durrell Summers to slash and spot up. Lucas will need to get into the lane while also hitting from the outside and dishing to the big men inside. They have a size advantage inside against most teams in the Big Ten, but haven’t been able to capitalize on it for a whole game yet this season. This will be the time to start, and if they do, they should go deep into the tournament.

Wisconsin is slow and steady and finishes a game back. This Bo Ryan team is like most of his others: They don’t turn the ball over, they control the pace, they play within a system, and they play hard. This team is led by Trevon Hughes but with Jon Leuer close behind. According to the rankings, Wisconsin has also overachieved this season. They weren’t picked to even be in the top 25, but they played themselves in and finished at the #13 spot. Wisconsin is a dangerous team now, as they figured out how to win games without Jon Leuer for a while, but they have really excelled since he has been back in action and shaken off the rust. The team now isn’t at the huge size disadvantage they were at for most of the Big Ten season, but then again, they haven’t played the top of the Big Ten since Leuer has been back. The scary thing though, is that Wisconsin blew out MSU by 18 at home without Big Jon. This club is at full health now, so the sky is really the limit. If they play well, they might very well win the Big Ten tourney, which might be good enough for a #3 or #4 seed in the Big Dance.

Illinois endures and then runs into a wall. To say that this Illinois team is streaky would be an understatement. For much of the season they had trouble just winning or losing one game at a time, but instead they came in bunches. They need to win probably all of their games in the Big Ten tourney to get to the NCAAs, so they are hoping that streakiness comes into play very soon. This team has been led by Demetri McCamey all year, even though he had been benched by Bruce Weber at one point in the season to prove a point about his lack of leadership. It worked for a while, as McCamey took over at times on their way to big wins over MSU and Wisconsin. McCamey then got overgenerous in the assist department, and his scoring plummeted, leading to some key losses at OSU and Purdue. This team has never been able to combine the inside and outside presence at the same time, sometimes seeing Mike Davis have big games, but never a complete game by everyone except for their big wins against Wisconsin and OSU. If the Big Ten is to get a fifth team into the tournament, it will be Illinois, but they just haven’t proven that they can beat the top teams in the conference consistently. In the big games they have faltered. They will need to step up in a big way to have a chance at winning the Big Ten tournament and go to the dance. The Big Ten should be pulling for them though.

Minnesota never quite gets on track. The season started with offcourt distractions for Minnesota along with being overrated in the preseason, a billing they weren’t able to equal. They were projected at #25, getting to as high as #22 before dropping off the map. Minnesota has flirted with the bubble, but at this point I am not sure they have enough to make it even if they win a couple in the Big Ten tourney. Al Nolen being ruled ineligible hurt the team, but played a big role in developing Devoe Joseph, who ended as the #4 scorer on the team, and a couple points higher than Nolen. Lawrence Westbrook has been hot and cold all year, winning a game in the last second without doing much in the previous 40 minutes, and sometimes taking over. Ralph Sampson III has continued to develop, as Tubby Smith will need him next year. Speaking of Tubby Smith, it is not a secret that he hasn’t been happy with this team, but that did help to light a fire under them. Minnesota was a team possessed at the end of the season until they folded against Michigan. Anything can happen with this team come Big Ten tourney time, as they actually have the talent and the athleticism to play with anyone, but mentally, I am not sure they are as strong.

Northwestern exceeds but falls short. Nobody thought this team had much of a shot at the beginning of the year, with Kevin Coble and Jeff Ryan going down, but they also didn’t know about a guy named John Shurna, who would emerge as a Big Ten star in the making. Shurna only put up 7.3 PPG last year, but he actually blew away Coble’s 15.5 PPG in 2009 with 18.5/6.4/2.6 asst averages this year. Michael Thompson was the top of his support staff, good for almost 14 PPG. Luka Mirkovic had flashes where he would dominate, but other times he would disappear. Drew Crawford also showed flashes of offensive brilliance, but like most freshman, consistency wasn’t his strong suit. I am not sure what postseason tournament this team will be in, but I think next year they should be looking good. First they take on Indiana, and then could be back playing Purdue once again.

Michigan never lives up to its billing. I am not exactly sure what made Michigan a preseason #15, especially now that I have seen their stats for the past two years,and they are remarkably the same. My bet is that the prognosticators thought that given the same roster, they would have to improve. Well, they didn’t. Last year was the Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims show, and so was this year. The unfortunate thing for Michigan this year is that their three-point shooting percentage dropped: 29.8% this year vs. 33.4% last year. Fortunate for Michigan though, they at least shot 200 fewer of them this year. Their biggest win of the season was Ohio State, until you realize that Mr. OSU Evan Turner was not playing. They just couldn’t beat teams, and when they lost, they were sometimes in the 40s. Considering that they have only two scorers, scoring in the 40s isn’t half bad. Even if they get past Iowa, which they should, they will run into an OSU team that isn’t messing around now, so that will most likely end their disappointing season.

Iowa plays the spoiler but finishes as expected. Iowa was supposed to finish the bottom of the Big Ten, and they did, so there isn’t a whole lot to write about that. What Iowa can be most proud of this year is spoiling the chances for Northwestern to make the tournament by starting their late season slide. Aaron Fuller and Matt Gatens provided Iowa with offensive firepower, especially after Anthony Tucker was suspended following the second drunken incident in as many years. Mid-January was a good time for the Hawkeyes, winning three of four, before dropping four straight prior to the Northwestern upset. Iowa also proved to Indiana that they had their number this year, sweeping them to make sure they stayed out of the basement in the Big Ten this year. I would say that this team either lived up to potential or partially exceeded it, about as much as you can ask for from a team. There is a chance they can get by Michigan, but after that, it is game over against OSU.

Indiana surprises early but fades fast. Indiana had some ugly losses early on in Puerto Rico, and then surprised a lot of people by getting back on the horse for three great games to teams that are ranked #19 and above. They hung with Maryland for three-quarters of a game, beat a Pitt team that finished second in the Big East, and then hung with #2 Kentucky for more than a half. Then Maurice Creek, their top scorer at the time, got hurt. After that, IU drops three straight, but comes back and beats Minnesota at home in OT followed up with a victory over PSU. And that’s the last we hear from the Hoosiers before they dropped eleven straight. This Hoosier team just didn’t have enough weapons inside or outside, and they are a couple guys and maybe a couple of years away from really being able to battle day in and day out in the Big Ten. Verdell Jones and Christian Watford did admirable jobs anchoring the offense in Creek’s absence, but it wasn’t enough, and it wasn’t at a high enough percentage late in the season. The team just turned the ball over way too much and couldn’t knock down free throws. They have a chance of getting by Northwestern, but they will have to channel as much energy as the first time they played Purdue to win that game.

Penn State struggles and then comes alive. Penn State is probably the best 3-15 in conference team I have ever seen. I was really surprised that they couldn’t win a game in the Big Ten until very late in the season, but I think what hampered PSU more than anything was the inability for other guys to step up and help out Talor Battle. Near the end of the season when they started to win games other playres pitched in and it led to some nice victories, including a sweep of Northwestern. Most of the year it was the Talor Battle show, but I think David Jackson and Chris Babb should have gotten involved earlier on, and you would likely have seen more Ws for Penn State this year. I am not sure they will be able to get by Minnesota in their Big Ten tourney game, but if they do, I wish them luck.

Quarterfinals, West Coast Conference Tournament.

Loyola Marymount vs Portland.  13:34 left, first half.

Hank Gathers had just scored on a dunk to put his Lions ahead, 25-13.  Unfortunately, we all know what happened soon after.

Twenty years to the day have passed since that moment, one of the most tragic in the history of college basketball.  Gathers, of course, was much more than the leader of the most exciting college team ever to take the floor, and what he meant to people as a friend and family member cannot be explained or summarized in a hundred articles on this or any other website, or by the various 20-year remembrances of both Gathers and that 1990 Loyola Marymount team that you’re likely to see in the next few weeks.   After that moment, the entire WCC Tournament was stopped.  As regular season champions, Loyola Marymount was awarded the WCC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.  They were cast as a #11 seed in the West region, and given the “opportunity” to decline the bid for obvious reasons.  This was a good basketball team; they had posted a 13-1 WCC record and were 26-6 overall.  But if they chose to sit this one out — who could blame them?

The remaining Lions decided to play on, knowing that it was the most fitting way to honor their departed friend.  What came after that was probably the most remarkable three-game run in NCAA Tournament history, and not just because LMU was an underdog in each game.  Knowing that not playing was not an option, these guys had to find a way to go out and win games and enjoy basketball without feeling like they were minimizing the life of their fallen teammate.  Working this out in your head would be difficult at any age, let alone when you’re a college kid between 18-22.  Still, they found a way to get through the first game and defeat New Mexico State, 111-92.  They found a way to annihilate defending champion Michigan 149-115 — that is not a typo — hitting 21 three-pointers and forcing UM into 27 turnovers.  They found a way to endure and win the Sweet 16 game against Alabama, 62-60,  a game in which Alabama would actually pull the ball out even when the Tide had 3-on-1 and 4-on-2 fastbreaks so as not to get caught up in the LMU style.  It took the eventual champion in UNLV — one of the best college basketball teams of all time — to defeat them in the Elite Eight.

Fryer (#21) Celebrating

The entire nation had become fascinated with LMU even before Gathers’ death.  Everyone remembers the hyperdrive, speed of light, is-this-really-happening pace that coach Paul Westhead employed (LMU averaged 122.4 PPG that year).  Everyone remembers Bo Kimble’s tribute of shooting his first free throw of each game left-handed, and that he was 3-3  in the NCAA Tournament with the left hand.  The greatest part of the LMU run, though, was the 41-point performance by Jeff Fryer in the second round game against Michigan.  A perfect fit for Westhead’s offense, Fryer was a skilled shooter with classic form and unbelievable range who had the green light to go up with it pretty much as soon as he crossed half-court.  Against Michigan, he entered a rarified state of shooting consciousness, hitting 15-20 on the night — and an unbelievable 11-15 from behind the three point arc.  And if you ever get to see a replay of this game, you’ll notice — a lot of them weren’t exactly with his toes near the line.  It was phenomenal.  The 11 threes still stand as a record number for an NCAA Tournament game, and it was one of the great individual performances in the history of the event.  Mr. Fryer still lives in California and was kind enough to answer some of our questions about those days.

The Righty Kimble Going Lefty

RTC: To this day, when people think of Loyola Marymount, they think of the fast-paced style, the great tournament run in 1990, and Hank Gathers’ untimely death in the West Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals that year.  The WCC Tournament begins on Friday.  It’s been 20 years.  What has been the impact of Gathers’ death on your life?

JF: The impact of Hank’s life on my life would be the privilege of playing hoops with one of the best college ball players ever.  I’m thankful that he decided to play his college years at LMU and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.  I try not to dwell on his death, just try to remember his life, and that everybody has a time to pass on, and that was his time.

JF: It was actually a very confusing time, due to the fact that we were mourning his death and also celebrating victories in the NCAA Tourney.  So it was like, what are we supposed to be feeling, joy or sadness?  It was a very difficult time and it took a while to sort through all that.

Jeff Showing His Form

JF: It was actually “six seconds to shoot” according to Coach Westhead.  One of the quotes I will always remember him saying (and I might butcher it) was:  “When ’tis done, ’twere well it were done quickly.”  I believe that was Shakespeare from Macbeth.  It basically meant push the ball down the court quickly every time.

RTC: Why do you think more teams don’t adopt the outright full-court pressing/”run-and-gun” style?  Is VMI the closest thing these days?

JF:  A team must have certain types of players to play that style, and the coach must recruit those players specifically.  Also, the guys must buy into the system and trust in their coach that it will work.  If not, it could look awful.  Thankfully, we had Bo and Hank to help our cause.

RTC: We named our preseason list of college basketball’s best long-range sharpshooters after you, for good reason.  There have been few players we’ve ever seen who had the green light AND the ability to confidently let it sail from pretty much anywhere.  Were you always a great outside shot (like in high school) or was it a niche that you found on this team?

JF: Well, there wasn’t a three point line while I was playing in high school.  Many of my shots were well beyond the three point line, though.  I believe, because I grew up with two older brothers, I was forced to shoot from far away because I had to shoot over them.  Also, my senior year of high school, they announced that the three-point line would be in effect in the NCAA the next year, and Coach Westhead called me to say that my stock just went up in value.

RTC: What makes a great shooter, and what made you one?  Who are some of the great shooters you’ve seen in your life?

JF: I would go to college games, watch players shoot, and pattern my shot after theirs.  It didn’t always work so I just shot my natural shot, which felt the most comfortable, and it worked.  I was also blessed by God with the ability to shoot the basketball.  I did spend countless hours in the backyard practicing as well.

JF: It was just one of those games where everything was clicking.  I had some great point guards who passed me the ball at the right place and time.  I was getting a lot of open looks because the Michigan players were tired.  I was just in the zone, you could say.

JF: I think Max Good is doing a great job.  He has a great recruiter in Jason Levy, and they are getting some great talent in there.  They are young and talented, and beat Gonzaga recently who was ranked #9 in the country.  When they are healthy, they can beat anybody.  I believe it is time that they build their own legacy at LMU, and I think they are starting to do that now.

Jeff Teaching Youngsters at His Academy

JF: I do run the Jeff Fryer Basketball Academy.  After coaching in high school and college for a number of years, I decided to train kids and run camps.  I do my training out Newport Beach, California.  It is very rewarding to see the progress of the kids I coach, not just in shooting skills, but the overall offensive and defensive game.  I also started working for SC Capital Partners Inc., an investment banking firm in Irvine, CA, about a year ago.  We raise capital for growing companies and take private companies public, and so on. I’m also very involved in my church.

RTC: Are you still in contact with any of the players from the LMU days?

JF: Yes, actually we just had a 20 reunion for our basketball team during the 1990 season.  It was good to see all the guys.  ESPN filmed a documentary on our team for the 30/30 series which will air on April 3 on ABC.

JF: Syracuse, New Mexico, Gonzaga, and Kansas.

UPDATE: Found some video clips of Jeff Fryer and Bo Kimble on The Arsenio Hall Show just before the UNLV game in case any of you are interested. Clip 1 and clip 2.

Jason Prziborowski is the RTC correspondent for the Big Ten Conference.

The big thing from the past week:

Hummel-less Purdue headed for free fall? Robbie Hummel tore his ACL against Minnesota last week, and now he is out for the season. Purdue hasn’t been the same since. Hummel was the second leading scorer and the leader of the Boilermakers, a void that has yet to be filled. Purdue survived against Minnesota, but couldn’t repeat the same result against Michigan State. How will Purdue respond in the postseason to his injury?

Now four Big Ten teams are in the top 25: #6 Ohio State, #7 Purdue, #11 Michigan State, and #15 Wisconsin.

Power Rankings

1. Ohio State 24-7, 14-4
2. Purdue 24-4, 12-4
3. Michigan State 22-7, 12-4
4. Wisconsin 21-7, 11-5
5. Illinois 18-12, 10-7
6. Northwestern 18-11, 7-10
7. Minnesota 17-12, 8-9
8. Michigan 14-15, 7-10
9. Iowa 10-19, 4-12
10. Penn State 11-17, 3-13
11. Indiana 9-19, 3-13

Coming Up

• Indiana @ Purdue – March 3rd – 6:30 ET – Nobody expected their last matchup to be a 3-point thriller, but this is a cross-state rivalry that has endured no matter how each team is doing. Indiana has never really recovered from that last loss to Purdue, but maybe this is the game they need to salvage their season. Purdue is reeling from the loss of Robbie Hummel and this is the type of game they need to win to figure out just how good they will be come tournament time.
• Michigan @ Michigan State – March 7th – 4:00 ET – Don’t underestimate this intrastate rivalry, even though Michigan State has dominated the series in recent years. Their first meeting was a one-point thriller won by Michigan State; this one is the end of the regular season for both teams, so this is their last chance to prove themselves before the Big Ten Tournament.
• Wisconsin @ Illinois – March 7th – 12:00 ET – Their last matchup was a big Illinois upset over Wisconsin at the Kohl Center, but this one could be much different. Illinois has struggled of late, losing to Minnesota in addition to OSU and Purdue. Wisconsin, on the other hand, has been playing extremely well, especially with Jon Leuer starting to get his groove back. Illinois has played well at home this year, so that could be the advantage they need to win this one.

Breaking It Down

• Ohio State downs Michigan State and Illinois, good enough to share. Ohio State has done everything they could lately by winning their last four in the Big Ten, including a big win at Michigan State. They got a little help of their own this past week when the Spartans took down the Boilers, leading to a possible three-way tie for first place in the Big Ten. Evan Turner joined forces with William Buford and Dallas Lauderdale to take down Michigan. Turner was his usual self, taking over at times, but also making the rest of the team better. Most impressive has been the play of Lauderdale, dunking his way to 14 points against the Wolverines. Jon Diebler hasn’t been too shabby either, pouring in 21 points all from long range against Illinois.
• Purdue should get a share of the Big Ten, but what happens next? Purdue had just gotten its highest ranking of the year at #3 in the country when Robbie Hummel went down, so it is even more unfortunate that the top two teams (Kansas and Kentucky) lost this past weekend before Purdue did. Now they have been leapfrogged by Syracuse and others on the way to dropping to #7, right behind OSU. In watching the Michigan State game I was curious as to who would step up for Purdue, and I think I got my answer: Chris Kramer. Kramer poured in 11 points, 5 points above his average. The downside for Purdue though is that E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson both had off games. That led to their lowest point production of the year, but more importantly, I think it left Purdue wondering what their potential is now without Hummel. They have Indiana and Penn State, two teams that might not test Purdue, but once the Big Ten Tournament begins, a new Purdue must emerge or they will be exiting the Big Dance early.
• Is Michigan State ready for the dance? Their last game was bittersweet for the Spartans. They beat Purdue at Mackey Arena, giving them a chance for a three-way tie in the Big Ten, but the way in which they won is a problem. It was rather fortunate that MSU could win a game in which they barely shot 40% from the field, 22% from long range, and committed 22 turnovers. It was partly their defense that held Purdue to 30% from the field, but it was also Purdue’s offense sans Hummel that was to blame. Raymar Morgan had a monster 16/11 game and Draymond Green’s 12/11 game wasn’t bad either. The problem for the Spartans had to do with Kalin Lucas and the rest of the team. Lucas was responsible for eight turnovers to go with his eight points, so he will need to cut down on that before the Spartans head into the postseason. MSU should handle Penn State and Michigan, but consistency is an issue with this team.
• Wisconsin blowing away the bottom. Since their unexpected loss to Minnesota on the road, Wisconsin has been getting it done against teams they should be beating. It’s a little hard to say if they are back to their pre-Jon Leuer broken wrist shape or not, but all signs are pointing to yes. Jon Leuer himself is getting more comfortable and is close to putting up the same type of numbers as he was before the injury. Just tracking his games shows that he is getting close in terms of points: four against Minnesota, 11 against Northwestern, and 13 against Indiana. More impressively and demonstrating his impact on defense is his progression of blocks: one against Minnesota, three against Northwestern, and four against Indiana. Trevon Hughes hasn’t been a slouch either, taking over against Indiana while going 3-4 from long range. They have Iowa and then Illinois to close out the regular season before the Big Ten Tournament.
• Can Illinois stop the slide and go to the dance? Illinois has now lost four out of their last five games, including two against OSU and Purdue. Those games were somewhat expected, but the real killer was the Minnesota game. They should have been beaten Minnesota, especially at home, but that was a game that really hurt their postseason chances and added a layer of pressure that they really didn’t need going into their last regular season game against Wisconsin. Demetri McCamey really struggled against Minnesota, but at least he showed the type of offensive aggressiveness that they need from him. I think he could lay off a couple of threes and take it to the basket a little more. He actually played very well against OSU, putting up the type of numbers they need from him. Unfortunately they couldn’t stop Evan Turner and that was the reason why they lost. They will need to bring everything to beat a team in Wisconsin that is starting to heat up.
• Oh where, oh where, has Northwestern gone? Northwestern took care of business against Iowa behind a 29-point effort from John Shurna. The Iowa game was payback for an earlier loss that took away their tournament hopes. That was the high note for the past week, as they took a shellacking from Penn State and Talor Battle next. The question of that game was, John Shurna, where did you go? Shurna struggled from the field on his way to nine points, and fortunately for the Wildcats, Michael Thompson really picked it up on his way to 21 points and was the only player to score in double figures. That’s the type of consistency that has plagued Northwestern during their losses. Next up is Chicago State before closing out their regular season on the road against Indiana. They will be going somewhere in the postseason — it just won’t be the Big Dance.
• The peaks and valleys of Minnesota’s season. Minnesota was making a strong push to finish out the season and maybe trying to surprise some teams in the Big Ten Tournament, but then the wheels just fell off against Michigan. Minnesota has proved they can play with the big dogs in Purdue and Wisconsin, but then they have also lost to the likes of Indiana and now Michigan twice, the second being a blowout. Devoe Joseph and Lawrence Westbrook led the Gophers against Illinois, but it was all Damian Johnson and Colton Iverson in their loss to Michigan. You just never know what you are going to get from this team, as they continue to prove. I am sure Tubby Smith is looking to next year so he can get some sleep at night.
• Michigan snaps its third three game losing streak of the season. Michigan has struggled of late, not being able to get more than two guys on the scoreboard. That all changed during their blowout of Minnesota at home, putting up 83 points, their biggest total of the Big Ten season. It happened that Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims both lit it up on the same night, while getting help from Stu Douglass as well. The key to the win, though, was that Harris drove to the basket much more than normal, beating his man for easy layups. That high percentage and not relying on the long range shots led Michigan to a scorching 60.4% from the field. That’s what they should have been doing all year. They could be dangerous come Big Ten Tournament time. They close out at Michigan State before then.
• Iowa sweeps Indiana. Iowa was supposed to be the team that Indiana should beat, but the Hawkeyes didn’t agree. They swept the Hoosiers and passed them in the standings, ensuring a good possibility of avoiding the bottom of the Big Ten to end the year. Matt Gatens was sensational for Iowa, dropping 25 points on the Hoosiers. They also got their usual performance from Aaron Fuller inside, and that’s all it took to take down Indiana. It will be a rough journey ahead for the Hawkeyes as they finish their season on the road against Wisconsin and Minnesota, as both teams that play very well at home.
• The Lions bury the Cats. All I have to say here is, who knew? Penn State couldn’t win a game in the Big Ten all year, and now they have won three of four. They have distributed the scoring load which has really helped them not have to rely entirely on scoring from Talor Battle. They have two tough teams coming up in Michigan State and Purdue, but they could upset one of them, as their last matchup against MSU was close. They play a different Purdue team this time at home though, so maybe they could be a spoiler.
• Indiana’s loses the fight along with their confidence. Count them, ten straight losses for Indiana, and the formula has been pretty clear lately. Indiana sticks around in the first half, or at least for the first 10 minutes, and then lets the other teams pull away, never to be seen again. Indiana is throwing the ball away close to 20 times a game, including a lot of unforced turnovers. The most exciting moment for Indiana in the past week is the first ejection of their coach, Tom Crean. The crowd loved it and was chanting Crean’s name. Too bad for the Hoosiers, Crean isn’t able to suit up, as it is now evident that he has a lot more passion than the young Hoosiers, who have packed it in since their game at home against Purdue. There is some hope that Indiana could come alive against Purdue, but most fans have given up on this team for the year.

Now it’s getting serious.  College basketball teams across the country now fall into one of four camps: bored, because they know their NCAA bid is secure; resigned, because they’ve known for a long time that they’re out; relieved, because they think they’ve played their way in; and downright antsy, because they’ve still got work to do.  That last group are the most interesting ones at this time of year, and there are plenty of them out there.  We’ll be keeping an eye on all of those games and, of course, commenting on any game we can find on the tube in today’s three-man weave version of BGTD.  We hope to hear from you while we’re at it.  Here are the games on which we’ll definitely be keeping tabs, though we’ll probably find more throughout the day:

• 12 PM – Notre Dame @ #13 Georgetown on CBS (regional) – RTC Live
• 12 PM – #2 Kentucky @ #17 Tennessee on CBS (regional)
• 12 PM – Michigan @ #9 Ohio State on ESPN
• 12 PM – Northeastern @ George Mason on ESPN2
• 2 PM – North Carolina @ Wake Forest on CBS
• 2 PM – #21 Texas @ #23 Texas A&M on ESPN
• 2 PM – Mississippi @ Arkansas on ESPN2
• 4 PM – #1 Kansas @ Oklahoma State on CBS
• 4 PM – Florida @ Georgia on SEC Network
• 6 PM – Mississippi State @ South Carolina on ESPN
• 8 PM – Illinois State @ #22 Northern Iowa on ESPN2
• 8 PM – Missouri @ #6 Kansas State on ESPN-U
• 8 PM – Southern Miss @ Memphis on CBS College Sports
• 9 PM – #8 Villanova @ #4 Syracuse on ESPN

We will start with our coverage at 11 AM. Feel free to drop by throughout the day and ask questions/comment on anything that is happening in the world of college basketball.

11:05: Well it certainly is very orange in Syracuse. And Bob Knight with the first shot of the day mocking fans who would pay $750 to watch this game. Nice. Evan Turner just signed a “Evan Turner” home-made trophy being held by some kid wearing a home-made “Villain” t-shirt.

11:06: Knight just admitted he is rooting for Steve Alford and New Mexico tonight. Not a surprise, but still amusing. I’m sure the BYU players will have something to say to the media after the game.

11:10: We would love to interview the fan who sits in that seat or the row of seats that Erin Andrews just featured. The almost looks like Final Four type seating or what we saw earlier this year for the game at the new Cowboys stadium.

11:17: Hubert Davis calling out the Mountain West and BYU. Can we get Shawn Bradley on the phone to mock UNC? Jay Bilas comes to BYU’s defense by comparing them to and crushing Virginia Tech. He’s not going to be a popular guy the next time he visits Blacksburg. Digger makes the best point of the entire discussion by saying that the reason we are talking up the mid-majors is because the PAC-10 is awful this year.

11:20: “This is the weakest at-large field ever. The weakest at-large field ever.” – Jay Bilas. He should be fun on Selection Sunday.

11:21: Does Digger have a yellow highlighter today? Is this the first time he has went with the traditional yellow for his highlighter?

11:35: Nice feature about Hank Gathers. I still remember hearing about it the day it happened on SportsCenter the night it happened. Still jarring to see the video. Nice shout-out to RTC fan Jeff Fryer. It’s too bad they ran into the buzzsaw that was the 1990 UNLV team. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing that “30 for 30″ documentary.

11:45: I love seeing the replay of the Scottie Reynolds shot. Not because I root for Villanova, but because it is the craziest basketball moment I have ever seen in person. Just the ecstasy of the Villanova fans that followed their utter despair after they had almost blown the game moments before.

Noon: Pretty tame GameDay. Hubert didn’t say anything particularly ridiculous. The picks: Kansas over Oklahoma State; Texas split with Texas A&M; Tennessee over Kentucky; New Mexico over BYU; and Villanova split with Syracuse. Knight just asked the committee to put two teams in the top 12 into the NCAA Tournament. Brilliant!

12:05: Jim Larranaga with a rousing pbre-game speech on ESPN2. Not quite Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday, but not bad for an actual coach. Right now my TV is getting Notre Dame at Georgetown, Michigan at Ohio State,  Northeastern at George Mason, and Boston College at Georgia Tech. I’ll be keeping an eye on those games and whatever else catches my eye. Make sure to leave comments/questions in the comment section and I’ll try to keep up with them. I’m not really happy with CBS keeping me from watching Tennessee-Kentucky because that is a much more interesting game.

12:07: By the way, if you weren’t aware we are covering the Notre Dame-Georgetown game with a RTC Live so be sure to check it out.

12:10: We just found a link to the Kentucky-Tennessee game. Here it is if CBS tried to cheat you out of the game.

12:15: Notre Dame out to an early 11-4 lead. The Hoyas look sloppy right now. Speaking of sloppy, the UK-UT game is 4-3 almost 4 minutes into the game. Weak stuff from the Buckeye fans playing their rivals and they have huge patches of empty seats in the lower bowl. Ugh. George Mason 4, Northeastern 2 almost 7 minutes into the game. This is awful. I might not watch this game at all. It is probably hazardous for my health. Georgia Tech 15, BC 7 with 15 minutes left in the first half. This is probably the least important game of the game, but the most interesting so far.

12:30: Tennessee destroying Kentucky right now. Up 18-4 with 11:22 left. In DC, all 5 Notre Dame starters have already scored midway through the 1st half. They look like the much more focused team today. Georgetown looks a little lost out there. Obviously Austin Freeman‘s absence hurts, but they should be able to overcome that against a Gody-less Irish squad. Ohio State up 19-12 on the Wolverines with 9 minutes left in the first half. Fireworks at the Patriot Center, GMU up 13-6 on Northeastern with 8:34 left. Georgia Tech has opened up a 10-point lead with 9 minutes left.

12:40: Kentucky is getting worked right now. Down 29-18, but they may have just taken Tennessee’s best shot. If I were a UK fan I would be having flashbacks to the South Carolina game right now though.

12:50: The Irish up by 4 at half. If Georgetown gets their act together they should win this game pretty easily. Ohio down by 1 at half to the Woverines. This would kill their seed.  Pitt is up 30-23 at St. John’s on another of our RTC Lives.

12:57: Seth Davis with some good-natured taunting of Greg Anthony about the 1991 Duke-UNLV. At least I think it was good-natured. If we see Seth come back from the next break with a black eye we will know otherwise.

1:00: Ok. Now I know Greg doesn’t care. He just did a commercial joking about that game.

1:10: Tennessee up 40-29 at half against Kentucky. It looks like the Wildcats might be headed to their second loss of the year, which should wrap-up the #1 overall for Kansas even if they slip up in the Big 12 Conference Tournament.

1:30: William Buford is killing Michigan. He has 23 today. Turner “only” has 16. OSU only up by 7 with 4:13 left. As Magic Johnson would say “It’s winning time.”

1:45: Looks like a huge win for the Irish. Up by 13 with 2:15 left. Bad loss for the Hoyas. They’re looking at a #4 or #5 seed right now. Ohio State hangs on for the win over Michigan by 9. Are they a #2 seed right now? On the other CBS game, Tennessee might just blow this game.

1:55: Great finish on ESPN2 for what seemed like it was going to be atrocious earlier. GMU up by 3 with 33.9 seconds left. Northeastern ball. Timeout.

1:57: Huge 3 by Northeastern. Nice for them to get a lucky 3 after last weekend where they were crushed by a bank 3 from Louisiana Tech. Tied with 23.9 seconds left. GMU ball.

2:00: Awful finish on ESPN2. GMU blows it on a stupid foul with time about to expire and Northeastern hits a pair of FTs to win it 50-48.

2:05: And CBS switches over to the better game finally now that the Georgetown-Notre Dame game is over. 2 point game with 1:08 left after a wild sequence. I really hope the Vol fans don’t RTC if they win this. Huge 3 by Scotty Hopson. 5-point lead with 33.7 seconds left and John Calipari takes a timeout. He is now 1/6 from 3.

2:10: John Wall gets called for a charge. This is why LeBron James didn’t go to college (and the $95M Nike contract). No superstar calls in college unless you play for Coach K. Tough loss for Kentucky, but they showed some heart in coming back.

2:20: Ok. This next set of games looks significantly less entertaining. On the bright side you get to watch the best game of this session being played on what might be the ugliest court in college basketball.

2:30: The Aggies use an 11-2 run to go up 18-9 with 8:24 left. Texas is in trouble of getting blown out here. Ray Turner is controlling the game with his effort and already has 6 points. Nobody on the Longhorns seems to want to compete with him.

2:55: Texas explodes after being held to 11 points in the first 16 minutes (obviously Dogus Balbay was the problem. . .) to cut the Aggie lead to 31-23 at halftime. In a more surprising result, Cincinnati is up 39-33 at West Virginia with 13 seconds left. In Winston-Salem, UNC is beat Wake Forest 32-28.

3:15: The most interesting game right now is going on in Morgantown where the Mountaineers are down by 7 with 16:55 left thanks to the Bearcats shooting 70% (7/10) from 3-point range so far. A loss here would take WVU out of the 2 seed line, which would really shake things up.

3:35: The Aggies have opened up a big lead now. They’re up by 15 with 9 minutes left. The Longhorns look dead right now. I don’t see them making a comeback here. Meanwhile in Morgantown, the Mountaineers made a big comeback to take the lead with 11:10 left in the game. All the momentum is in their favor so they should be able to pull away. The Bearcats just aren’t tough enough to respond on the road.

4:10: Well it looks like the Texas-Texas A&M game finished just the way that we expected, but Cincinnati is hanging around at West Virginia (down by 6 with 59.7), but the real action is on CBS with Wake down to UNC by 5 with under 45 seconds left. Huge offensive foul on Wake Forest and it looks like the Deacons are going to come up just short.

4:15: West Virginia and UNC hang on for wins. Big losses for Cincinnati and Wake Forest. I’m not sure what to make of the Deacons at this point. They should be a lot better at this point in the year and UNC was awful from the FT line. What does it say about how far UNC has fallen this season that I’m criticizing Wake Forest for losing to them?

4:20: OK, so here we go with Kansas and Oklahoma State.  OK St has jumped out to an early lead (15-9) but I think its safe to say — ha — that KU will be back.  Kansas is playing to stay perfect in the conference, and OSU is playing for…well, the NCAA.  Their position is a little less tenuous than it has been recently, but this win would seal it tight.

4:28: If OSU is going to even have a prayer at pulling this off, they’re going to need that early level of intensity from both themselves AND the crowd.  And they can’t trade missed deep threes for old-fashioned and-ones.

4:36: While we have this meeting of the minds at the scorer’s table, I checked in on the Georgia Dance Team Georgia vs Florida game (32-28 UGa, 3:00 1H) and the color guy said that before today, he didn’t think that Tennessee’s bid was secured for the NCAA, but it is now.  Was it even close for UT?  Of COURSE they were in before today.

4:44: Of course, if KU’s defense keeps allowing OSU players easy layups, that intensity will stay up and KU will be in for a long one.  Jeez, that Anderson three makes it a SIXTEEN point lead.

4:51: KU, to be sure, has moved their hands a lot more than their feet on defense so far.  Cripes, another three and it’s up to 17.  By the way, J’Covan Brown was hit hard and took a pretty bad fall, and was taken off on a stretcher in a C-collar.  Hope he’s OK.

4:59: James Anderson is FEELING it for OSU.  It’s up to 19…until that Collins three takes it back to 45-29.  That’s your halftime margin.  The question now is, will OSU come out and play to win, or not to lose?  Back at UGA/Florida, Georgia went on an 11-2 run and have themselves a 45-35 lead.  Florida’s getting NOTHING inside.

5:17: Anderson has missed a three and Collins has hit one to start the 2nd.  I expect Collins to go to that place that so few players can, and take over this game.  He’s done it before.  And…uh…Matt Pilgrim just had a HUUUUGE one-handed follow slam and a snazzy move against Aldrich for two straight buckets, and this is a 19 point game again.  Aldrich could have gotten called for a foul, too.

5:23: Aldrich answered with an and-one!  This is getting good.  I know substance matters over style, and I know I’ve said it before…but that Cole Aldrich free-throw shooting style is about as graceful as the barrel-throwing ape in Donkey Kong.  Hey, whatever works.

5:30: Anderson’s starting to get a little cute with the ball.  And he’s starting to cool down.  Kansas has realized that the two things that will erase this deficit are defense and good shot selection.  This is a good TO by Travis Ford to calm his players down.  We’re barely five minutes into the half, the lead is still 16, but you can still sense some nerves in the Cowboys.

5:34: Anyone know who that was sitting to T. Boone Pickens’ left?  Anyway, there’s Kansas’ plan.  They had the chance to shoot two threes on that possession and pased them up, eventually getting a nice 8-foot jumper from Tyshawn Taylor.  That was right after Anderson missed another questionable three.

5:40: Georgia’s gone cold and it’s a 17-4 run for Florida — the lead is two, 71-69 with 5 minutes left.  Florida could REALLY use this one.

5:42: I’m a little surprised they called that foul on OSU’s Keiton Page.  He was hand-checking, but to be honest the KU guards have had their hands on OSU’s guards all night out front.  Kansas’ shot selection is still impeccable, but OSU’s is almost as good.  Anderson has missed his last three shots outside the lane but hit his last two in the lane.  It’s STILL 16…with 8:55 left.  Hmmm…

5:46: Page and Xavier Henry trade TWO threes apiece!!  Taylor then answers for KU.  The last FIVE FGs have been threes!  OSU better hope Anderson got his rest in the time he’s been on the bench — the last two minutes of game time.  Because I doubt  he’ll sit again, with about seven minutes left.  UGA/Florida’s still a 78-76 game with 90 seconds left.

5:53: OSU should be giving thanks for Matt Pilgrim today — another FG means he’s 7-7 and I think he’s only missed once from the FT line.   AND…Dick Enberg just stole my Thanksgiving/Matt Pilgrim line.  I can’t believe the timing on that.

5:57: Georgia pulled it out against Florida by the above score.  OSU is starting to get a little smarter with the ball, taking good shots deeeep into the shot clock.  Anyone surprised by that Collins trey, though?   Guy’s ridiculous in crunch time.  Still…it’s 11 at the under-4.

6:07: Oklahoma State cannot afford to miss FTs.  Kansas is starting to hit some shots and you can’t leave free points out there against #1, especially when it’s a tournament-sealing win.  It’s single digits…

6:10: Anderson tweeked the back on that dunk, he’s hurting.  I’ll say this, ol’ Keiton Page is a good time-waster.  That boy can run off seconds at a time just dribbling through traffic.  Still eight, and 1:20 is a LONG time with all the scorers KU has.

6:16: Looking grim for the Jayhawks now.  What is it about the color Orange and Kansas?  First Tennessee, now it looks like Oklahoma State.

6:19: The students are poised at Oklahoma State…

6:22: And there it is.  The OSU students RTC after defeating Kansas and Oklahoma State probably just played themselves into the NCAA Tournament.

6:28: Is Syracuse playing for the #1 ranking?  Looks that way.  And it looks like they’ll get it, given the success of nationally-televised orange-team upsets today.  Then again, the only stronger theme on the day is…the upset.  I guess Texas (I know, it’s not really orange) didn’t live up to it.

6:31: And now, Mississippi State and South Carolina.  MSU is another squad who neeeeds a win, and as we know, South Carolina is not an easy place to play.  Just heard a great stat about Tennessee: UT has held their opponents to less than 69 points 19 times this year.  They’re 19-0 in those games.  Listen, 69 is not a low number.  That’s impressive.  And I didn’t see the UT players doing the John Wall dance immediately after the game.  I don’t know, fellas…he kind of ruined you for a few minutes, there…but hey, to the victors go the dancin’ rights.

6:40: MSU has set themselves up well, since SC played that late game on Thursday.  SC has to be a little tired, so this halftime seven-point lead they’ve built is a little bigger than it looks.

6:54: So helped and hurt themselves today?  OK State, Notre Dame certainly on the good side.  Cincinnati and Florida took punches today.  And as I’m scanning the dial…there’s ESPN-U’s Lowell Galindo.  Anyone surprised?  I don’t think that guy goes home.  I think he has a cot there in the studio, and the rest of the time he’s right there in that chair.  Halftime show analysis?  There he is.  High school football recruiting show?  Bang.  Lacrosse rankings?  Yep.  I hope they’re paying you by the hour, Lowell.  I used to joke about the full Windsor knot he sports — and make no mistake, it’s as big as ever — but he also deserves credit for knowing his stuff and working like crazy.

7:14: It’s a little bit of a quiet time right now, with only MSU-South Carolina and Stanford-Arizona on my package.

7:26: MSU has pushed their lead out to 16 points at this time, which if it holds would be a pretty good win for the Bulldogs.  This would make it 5 of 6 wins heading into the last week of the season.  With 21+ wins and a winning SEC West record, you figure that they’re going to do well enough to make the NCAAs, but their OOC schedule was really weak and therefore they can’t really afford to drop these kinds of games.

7:30: Just switched over to catch a minute of the Arizona-Stanford game and the announcers were discussing the fantasy that the Pac-10 would get three teams into the NCAA Tournament.  What I love hearing at this time of year is when announcers in every league in America argue over and over that their conference is so tough and deserves X number of teams (usually what they really deserve plus two).  Coaches do the same thing.  Cal of course is probably in as the league champion and with a solid OOC schedule, but that’s gonna be it unless another team wins the Pac-10 Tourney.

7:34: Watch out, SC has their game down under double-digits now.  And as soon as I type that, MSU drills a three to push it back up to twelve.

7:40: Good point in terms of the SEC teams playing a late Thursday night game followed by travel and a Saturday afternoon game.  Both Kentucky and South Carolina looked a little slow today.  The Pac-10 is one conference that typically does the Thurs/Sat two-step, but they’re usually in the same area with no travel between the two days.

7:43: Of course, completely blowing my theory out of the water is the fact that Vandy-Georgia played an OT game on Thursday night, and both teams won today.  Nevermind.

7:46: Promo for Syracuse-Villanova there… how crazy would it be if Syracuse loses and Purdue (w/o Hummel) beats Michigan State at home tomorrow and subsequently moves up to #1?  Should that happen, and the Boilers manage to also do well in the Big Ten Tournament, I think the Committee would have no choice but to give them a #1 seed.

7:50: MSU finishes off South Carolina, and we’d have to say that Carolina has been one of the bigger disappointments of the year.  14-14 (5-9) with their fifth loss in a row… it appears that the team has quit on Darrin Horn this year.

8:00: Checking out Gameday here, and Bruce Pearl is puffing up his program a little with their big wins over Kansas and Kentucky this year.  That’s all fine and well, but if you want to be considered more than a team that can pull off big upsets, you have to win something in March, and UT has definitely struggled with that in years past.

8:04: As we pass through the 8 o’clock hour here, a couple of interesting games are popping up.  On ESPNU, we’ve got Kansas State hosting Missouri and Gonzaga taking on San Francisco in a rematch game with a team responsible for one of their losses in the WCC.  I’m very interested in K-State tonight; they need to make sure that they’re not looking ahead to their game with Kansas this upcoming week.

8:10: Wow, New Mexico winning at BYU is a huge win for the Lobos.  The highlights of Jonathan Tavernari jawing with Darington Hobson and Steve Alford was phenomenal.  I wonder what got him so upset.  Other than losing the game, of course.

8:20: Mizzou is off to a pretty good start so far at K-State.  The Tigers are one of the quietest good teams in America this year.  It honestly wouldn’t surprise me if they were back in the second weekend again this year because their style of play is so difficult to prepare for in March.  Especially in the second game of the weekend.

8:26: I just noticed that Cornell is ripping Penn a new one in Ithaca tonight, and my immediate thought was wondering if the Big Red could clinch the first NCAA bid tonight.  Alas, Harvard would have had to lose, and they’re up big on Yale in the second half so the best Cornell can do if they hold on tonight will be to clinch at worst a one-game playoff with Harvard for the NCAA bid.  They’re definitely still in the driver’s seat, though.

8:28: Maryland is on a 14-2 run to finally get on top of Virginia Tech.  Tech has dropped its last two games and Maryland came into today having won their last four.  If the Terps can win this one, they’ll likely head into Wednesday night’s game versus Duke just one loss behind the Devils in the loss column.

8:35: Quick check-in on a couple of other games finds that Gonzaga is up 27-20 now while on a 21-4 run, so it appears the Zags may have started this one in sleepwalking mode.  Stanford is up eight on Arizona in Maples, as it appears to me that Sean Miller’s team has just worn down the last third of this season.  I also have LSU-Auburn, but I can’t bear to watch that abomination right now.

8:45: Missouri still up 8 on K-State in the first half, but I’m fixated right now on the Maryland-Va Tech game on 360.  Jeff Allen just had a huge dunk to tie the game again, and this one has every indication of going down to the wire.

8:54: Back to tied in Blacksburg after Greivis Vasquez got a big steal for a layup.  He’s not shooting the ball well tonight, but he has 31/5/3 assts in a game where it’s pretty much him doing all the heavy lifting for the Terps.

8:58: Tech has been a lot more balanced offensively, with Malcolm Delaney, Dorenzo Hudson and Jeff Allen all in double figures.  Holy cow, I just turned it over in time to see Arizona exact some revenge in Maples for its buzzer-beating loss several years ago.  Lamont “Momo” Jones banks in a fading 18-footer at the buzzer mere seconds after Stanford looked like they were going to take the lead and win the game!

9:00: Great finish there.  Back in Blacksburg, Maryland leads by three and is on the defensive end as Va Tech is taking out the ball with 0:18 on the clock.  The Terps are making a habit of these close games, but the good news is they’re winning them.  Wow, a crosscourt pass led to a JT Thompson three that just tied the game!  What an amazing sequence of events – Eric Hayes hits a two with five seconds left, followed by VT’s Malcolm Delaney going all the way Tyus Edney-style to tie it back up.  Vasquez’s shot at the buzzer to win wasn’t all that far off, but we’re headed to OT.

9:11: I’ll get to the marquee game in Syracuse here.  A few minutes ago, Bob Knight called the Orange zone the best he’s ever seen?!?!  It’s really good, but I have trouble believing that statement.  The amount of orange in that building looks pretty cool on HD, but it makes it a little difficult to see the ball on high-arcing shots!

9:20: Back over to the Maryland game, and the Terps are up one with about two minutes left.  Maryland’s defense was able to force a shot-clock violation but the Hokies will get another chance after a Terp turnover.

9:22: This game defines back-and-forth, as VT’s Terrell Bell just hit a three to give the Hokies a two-point lead, followed by a foul that will send the Terps to the line with a chance to tie.  A shot by Vasquez to win was off and it appeared Va Tech might have enough time to get it downcourt and win but they were a little late on the final layup attempt (which missed anyway).

9:30: Villanova looks strong so far despite the 35,000 screaming orange fans in the building.  One thing I have always enjoyed about Jay Wright’s teams is that his guys never seem to get rattled.  Over in the double-OT game, Maryland continues to put the pressure on the home team, but it’s still only a two-point margin.

9:34: Vasquez now has 41 points on 13-32 shooting.  Whew.  Maryland up three, but Va Tech isn’t going away.

9:36: It’s always interesting to see people holding beers at a college basketball game.  Considering the late 9pm tipoff in Syracuse, I think it’s safe to say that this crowd is well lubricated tonight.

9:38: Tech’s Dorenzo Hudson had a great look on a layup attempt to tie it, but VT will get the ball back here down two with about 40 seconds remaining.

9:42: Wow, didn’t really see Malcolm Delaney going to the line and missing both!  Va Tech is definitely behind the eight-ball now, down four with thirty-five seconds to go…  so of course Delaney goes into the lane and gets an and-1 opportunity.

9:46: Timeout allows me to check back in on Villanova-Cuse and I just saw Derrick Coleman, Pearl Washington and Billy Owens sitting there.  Ah yes, the days when Jim Boeheim was considered a recruiter who couldn’t win the big one (sorta similar to John Calipari nowadays).

9:48: Malcom Delaney coast to coast again to cut the Maryland lead back down to one after Eric Hayes hit two FTs.  He’ll step to the line again.  After a Hayes miss, Delaney drove to the left and kicked it out to Erick Green (who was 0-3 at that point) for a trey to win.  Not sure I understand that decision.  Maryland also got a little lucky in that they called timeout when they didn’t have one there!  But the referee said that there was a foul prior to the timeout, not that it makes much sense.  Still, Va Tech lost an OT game for the first time in seven games.  Maryland just continues to sneak by and win these close games.

9:52: Back on K-State vs. Missouri, the Wildcats are up six in a very low-scoring affair in Manhattan.  At Syracuse, Arinze Onuaku has been a quiet warrior for SU this year.  You can count on him to give you 10/5 and act as an anchor to that zone every single night.

10:00: The refs just missed two straight calls on the Syracuse end.  I’m not sure how three guys can miss calls that are so obvious?  I don’t like Villanova’s offensive decisionmaking right now.  They’re 1-15 but the shots are not well-considered and Syracuse is simply taking the ball off the rim and heading the other way.

10:06: A couple of other games heading to the wire, as Gonzaga is holding off SF and K-State is up eight on Mizzou.  Still three minutes to go there.  Syracuse’s offense looks fantastic in transition right now.

10:08: Great half for Syracuse, with a 20-6 run to end the half.  Villanova can’t hit shots, and that makes all the difference for the Wildcats.  I’m over on the U now and Mizzou is down only five with 1:10 left.

10:12: Missouri with a silly foul on Pullen and a missed FT isn’t helping their chances.  With the losses at the top of the polls today, how about K-State as a darkhorse #1 seed should they either a) defeat KU on Wednesday, or b) win the Big 12 Tournament?  They have no bad losses, and they’re pretty much on fire, having won six in a row coming into this one tonight.

10:18: That’ll do it for Mizzou as K-State is up six with the ball going to the line under twenty seconds.  Heading back over to Cuse-Nova, and VU has already cut a little bit into the lead.

10:21: Yarou is an absolute necessity along with Pena if Villanova has visions of another Final Four this season.  He’s come out strong here in this second half.  Reynolds is 4-10 from the floor right now (3-6 from deep), and I suspect he’s going to look to go off here shortly.

10:30: Syracuse continues to maintain the roughly ten-point lead here.  Knight and Bilas just had a little bit of an Andy Rautins lovefest, before Onuaku made me look good with a sick follow jam.  When playing like this, the Orange are the best team in the country.  I’m not sure even Kansas can go as talented at the sixth and seventh players on the team.

10:38: Haha, reading lips, Boeheim said “I saw the ball.” to the ref on that latest call that he didn’t agree with.  Really nice rejection by Yarou who has shown a lot of promise on the big stage tonight.  With eleven minutes to go, I feel like Scottie is going to have to try to take things over soon or they’re going to be too far down to come back.

10:42: Syracuse is +16 on the glass and has seventeen offensive boards right now.  WOW, look at Onuaku with the falling-down and-1 on yet another offensive board of his own miss.  Reynolds hit a three the last trip down, but he’s really going to have catch fire to even give Nova a chance at this rate.

10:44: Onuaku with another and-1!  The Orange are absolutely destroying Villanova inside.  The environment in this building is electric.  Taylor King, where have you been all evening?

10:48: I liked Jay Bilas’ description there — Syracuse has just cut Villanova up tonight.  As good as Villanova is, they just are not capable of handling the inside power of Syracuse.  Everyone is getting into the act for SU.  Boeheim has only played seven players, but six of them are in double figures already.  Brandon Triche is the lone outlier.

10:56: This is starting to really get ugly for Villanova.  I’d expect that if these two teams play again in the BE Tourney or the NCAA Tourney, they will not easily forget this feeling.  Syracuse is clearly the better team, but I’m not sure that they’re twenty points better.

11:00: And with the promo that next week’s Gameday game is Duke-UNC, I’m reminded again why picking those games ahead of time isn’t the best idea.  The way they should handle it is to do it like the football program where they pick the big game of the week.  With all of the games they show every Saturday on their limitless number of channels and affiliates, there are only a few games each weekend they wouldn’t be able to cover.

11:05: Thanks, Coach Dale.  Are the buckets really ten feet here too?

11:07: Grandson, son and other guy?  I think Knight just hit his medication alert.  He turns into a senile old bat after 11pm.

11:12: 35K on their feet as the Orange celebration is in full effect.  What an amazing story for a team that lost so many of their “stars” from last season’s team.  Jim Boeheim is a smiling man, indeed.  Villanova will be fine, but I do remain concerned about their lack of post play heading into March.

11:14: A few other scores while we were fixated on the Syracuse-Villanova game.  Marshall beat Central Florida 121-115 in three overtimes tonight, and Gonzaga ended up winning by six over USF.

11:16: ESPN says there’s no consensus pick for the #1 team in America.  I still don’t know why Kansas isn’t that team.  If anyone can explain to me how they differ all that much from last year’s Carolina team, I’d love to hear about it.

11:18: And that’ll do it, folks.  Another twelve-hour, 5,000+ word masterpiece.  We’ll be back next weekend to go through all the games with you again.  Be sure to stop by and let us know what we’re doing wrong.  Another great day of college hoops… let’s move on to March!

]]> http://rushthecourt.net/2010/02/27/boom-goes-the-dynamite-02-27-10-edition/feed/ 0 http://rushthecourt.net/2010/02/24/checking-in-on-the-big-ten-19/ http://rushthecourt.net/2010/02/24/checking-in-on-the-big-ten-19/#comments Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:27:12 +0000 rtmsf http://rushthecourt.net/?p=18196

Jason Prziborowski is the RTC correspondent for the Big Ten Conference.

Jason Prziborowski is the RTC correspondent for the Big Ten Conference.

The big thing from the past week:

• The Big Ten’s top four moved up as a group. Both Purdue and Ohio State reached their highest rankings of the year. The same can’t be said for Michigan State and Wisconsin, but as a group, this is the highest that the top four have been ranked. It is looking very likely that the Big Ten will send at least five teams to the Tournament this year.  Now four Big Ten teams are in the top 25: #4 Purdue, #9 Ohio State, #11 Michigan State, and #14 Wisconsin.

Power Rankings

1. Purdue 22-3, 10-3
2. Ohio State 20-7, 10-4
3. Michigan State 21-6, 11-3
4. Wisconsin 19-6, 9-4
5. Illinois 17-9, 9-4
6. Northwestern 17-9, 6-8
7. Minnesota 14-10, 5-7
8. Michigan 13-12, 6-7
9. Indiana 9-16, 3-10
10. Iowa 9-18, 3-11
11. Penn State 9-16, 1-12

Coming Up

• Wisconsin @ Minnesota – February 18th – 9:00 ET – ESPN – This game means a lot for Wisconsin, as another loss for the Badgers really takes them out of the race for the Big Ten regular season title. Minnesota has nothing to lose and everything to gain at this point. Add to the mix that Minnesota usually plays well at home, and it could spell defeat for Wisconsin. I am sure Trevon Hughes and company will have something to say about that though.
• Illinois @ Purdue – February 20th – 4:00 ET – ESPN – Last game was a close one that ended Purdue’s losing streak, and since then, Illinois has been playing a lot better. This game definitely has big time potential impact in the Big Ten and as far as seeding goes in the tournament. Demetri McCamey had a monster game last time around, so Illinois will look for him to contribute once again. Mike Davis and DJ Richardson also played well. They will need more out of Mike Tisdale this time, as JaJuan Johnson dominated that matchup and got Tisdale in foul trouble. The Big Three for Purdue will have to lead once again. This should be a good one, although it is always tough to win at Mackey.
• Ohio State @ Michigan State – February 21st – 12:00 ET – CBS – This is another game that has direct Big Ten Title implications. Having seen both of these teams play in person as well as on TV now several times, this will be quite a battle of two very different teams. Michigan State has a much more traditional makeup to their team, with big post guys, shooting guards, and a quick high-scoring point guard. Ohio State on the other hand has oversized guards and an undersized post presence. The game is at Michigan State, so that should give the Spartans an edge. OSU has to be able to stop the post scoring of the Spartans and keep them off the boards, whereas MSU has been able to stop Evan Turner and the outside scoring of Jon Diebler and David Lighty.

Breaking It Down

• Purdue cracks the top four. Purdue has now beaten all of the top teams in the Big Ten at least once after last night’s win at Ohio State. It is kind of amazing to look back now when Purdue went through their three-game slide at the beginning of conference play, and now they are ranked #4 nationally behind Kansas, Kentucky, and Villanova. Nova’s loss to UConn on Tuesday puts Purdue is in position to move up even higher next week after their big win at OSU (assuming they can get past Illinois over the weekend).
• Ohio State had increased its Big Ten winning streak to nine games prior to the home loss to Purdue last night. All year everyone has been saying that if you can stop everyone else but Evan Turner, you should be able to beat Ohio State. Purdue was able to prove that notion correct, but Indiana didn’t have the scoring power to overcome it. Against Illinois, Turner had almost triple double numbers (16/11/8 asst), but even more impressively was the performance of Jon Diebler and David Lighty. OSU visits Michigan State on the road next, and they’ll need to win that one to have any remaining realistic shot at the conference title.
• Michigan State is marching out of their mid-season valley. The problem during the Spartans’ losses was defense, and even though it appears like they have solved that problem, it’s still too early to tell. The reason I say it is too early to tell is because that improved defense has occurred against two of the bottom of the teams in the league in Penn State and Indiana. The other problem during the losses was the lack of Kalin Lucas. That problem has also disappeared as Lucas went off for 24 against Penn State and a much bigger than it seems 13 against Indiana. Michigan State has OSU and Purdue next, so there is no rest for the Spartans anytime soon.
• Wisconsin’s destiny is in its own hands. The Badgers were upset by Illinois a week ago at home, something that never happens, due to great games by Demetri McCamey and Mike Tisdale. They bounced back at home trouncing Indiana behind Jason Bohannon, who lit it up from 3-point land on his way to dropping 30 on the Hoosiers. Wisconsin has the easiest schedule remaining of the top five teams in the Big Ten. They should win the next four easily, with the exception of their last game on the road against Illinois, which could prove difficult. Illinois will have battled the best in the Big Ten before taking on Wisconsin, so Wisconsin will need to make sure not to play down to the competition for the rest of the month of February.
• Illinois’s gauntlet continues. Last week I mentioned that I thought Illinois had made great strides and proven that they weren’t gunning for the top of Big Ten just based on their scheduling. I may have underestimated Illinois’ talent and the way they have been playing lately, but I think I was redeemed a bit by watching the Ohio State game. Illinois was blown out early, and never really made much of a run against the Buckeyes. They actually did well in a couple of statistical categories, but really suffered on the shooting end and could never really stop OSU. I was very surprised that Demetri McCamey didn’t step up earlier, and it was unfortunate that Mike Tisdale got in foul trouble, because he was hurting OSU in the zone by keeping the ball high and being able to throw over the top to him near the basket. The tough thing for Illinois though, is that they don’t get to take any nights off, as they take on Purdue on the road this weekend.
• Northwestern’s slipper came off against Iowa and got put in the closet last night agaisnt previously-winless Penn State. In the Iowa game, John Shurna and Michael Thompson combined for 36 of Northwestern’s 65. Unfortunately, nobody else was in double figures. Also dooming them was the fact that they shot under 45% from the field and 30% from deep, while Iowa shot 50% from both the field and 3 point land. Unfortunately, it was a similar story against Penn State.  The Wildcats did sandwich their two losses with an OT win against Minnesota where all of the aforementioned players were in double figures. I have heard many people say that Northwestern’s shot at the tournament is now over because of those two bad losses, but if they win at Wisconsin and the rest of their games, they might give the committee something else to think about.
• Has Minnesota left the building? The month of January and now February hasn’t been kind for the Golden Gophers. They sandwiched a couple of wins against Northwestern and Penn State with a bunch of close losses and a blowout to Ohio State on the road. This team overall has just been too inconsistent. Lawrence Westbrook is playing well now, but where has Ralph Sampson III gone? He has been invisible the last couple of games. Devoe Joseph and Blake Hoffarber have been similarly inconsistent. What would make their season at this point is to score upsets against Wisconsin, Purdue, or Illinois.
• Michigan wins two straight. Looks like DeShawn Sims and Manny Harris aren’t willing to ride off into the sunset just yet. These two have continued to put up huge numbers, with Sims going for 27 each of the past two games and Harris going for 20 each. All they need to win is for someone else to put in a couple buckets here and there, and they have been doing it recently. They also have three games left that they can really put a thorn in the sides of the better teams in the conference, potentially shuffling the standings at the end of the year.
• Indiana’s streak goes to unlucky number seven. IU has turned into a two-man show lately, with Verdell Jones III and Christian Watford carrying the load. The problem is that these guys aren’t putting up Harris and Sims type of numbers. The Hoosiers need someone else to score, especially inside. The one good sign for the Hoosiers against the Spartans was how often and how many times they scored from the charity stripe. They haven’t shot 89% all year from the line, and certainly haven’t made close to 30 trips in a night either. The part where the Hoosiers really need work is on the defensive end. Everyone has been basically scoring at will, so once the Hoosiers can plug the big hole on defense, maybe their offense will come around.
• Iowa steals Northwestern’s slipper. Iowa fulfilled its duty as a spoiler this year, or at least if Northwestern doesn’t end up making it into the tournament, they will have. There was some off the court news this past week for Iowa as well, with Anthony Tucker officially leaving the program. In their loss to Purdue, Iowa shot a frigid 30% and then stepped up to shoot 50% against Northwestern, while holding Northwestern to 44% in addition to taking 30 trips to the free throw line. Against Purdue, Aaron Fuller had an uncharacteristically bad game with only two points, but in their OT heartbreaker to Michigan, he exploded for 30. I would say that’s getting back on the right track. They go on the road against Northwestern again next, and something tells me that this result might be different.
• Penn State finally won a game. The Nittany Lions picked apart Northwestern in Evanston last night by shooting 56%, putting all five starters in double figures and destroying the Cats on the boards (+17).  It was the kind of performance that makes you wonder where it’s been all year?  It was the Talor Battle show on Saturday against Michigan State. It was fortunate that he poured in 30 points against the Spartans. The unfortunate part was that he didn’t have a ton of help, and Kalin Lucas scored 24 points himself, thus minimizing the Battle Effect. This team has two scorers, and they both performed. Michigan State won the game on the boards, something that this Penn State team just doesn’t do well enough.