The BIAH Advent Calendar: Day 24

Yup, it is December. And as the temperatures outside drop, the heat is rising on college campuses across the country as basketball season kicks into full swing. But December is also a time to reflect on the past year. This December is special, because as we draw closer to the new year, we get closer to the end of the aughts. In the spirit of the holidays, we are going to celebrate the decade past by counting down the top 25 games, players, and teams of the last 10 years with the BIAH advent calender. Each day, we will be unveiling the next on each of our lists, culminating with our gift to you on Christmas Day: the best game, the best player, and the best team of the 2000's.

Here is No. 2:


2005: Illinois vs. Arizona: Probably the greatest comeback I have ever seen live. Illinois came into this game with jut one loss, suffered in the final game of the 2005 regular season. Arizona started to pull away from the Illini midway through the second half. With the score 60-57, Arizona went on a 15-3 run that put them up 15 with four minutes left. Everyone thought that the game was over:



Illinois took the lead in the overtime thanks to a couple of Deron Williams threes, but Arizona was able to get possession down 90-89. Hassan Adams threw a three of the back board as the buzzer sounded, and Illinois advanced to the final four.


JJ Redick, Duke: Love him or hate him, you cannot deny that Redick was one of the greatest shooters and scorers in college basketball history. He still holds the record for most career three pointers made in NCAA history, and held the ACC scoring record until Tyler Hansbrough broke it late last season.

As a freshman, Redick had an immediate impact, averaging 15.0 ppg, earning third team all-ACC honors, as the second leading scorer for a team that won the ACC Tournament title and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. His sophomore season, Redick was the leading scorer for one of the most talented teams of the decade. He averaged 15.9 ppg and was named second team all-ACC as Duke won the ACC regular season title and reached the Final Four.

Looking at that picture, is it any wonder people hated JJ Redick?
(photo credit: Fantastik Sports)

But it was his final two season that solidified Redick as one of the decade's best. As a junior in 2005, Redick won the ACC player of the year award (as well as the Rupp Award for national player of the year) and Duke once again won an ACC Tournament title. But Redick couldn't lead the Devils pas Michigan State in the Sweet 16. His senior season saw Redick and Adam Morrison duel all season long for the NCAA scoring title. While Morrison won that, Redick won the Naismith and Wooden awards, averaging 26.9 ppg as he led Duke to both the ACC regular season and tournament titles. But once again, the Dukies lost in the Sweet 16, this time to LSU ending JJ's career.


2001 Duke Blue Devils: The knock on Coach K is that his Duke teams never have NBA talent on them. Looking at the 2001 roster, that would be a tough thing to believe. This Duke roster had five guys - Carlos Boozer, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Dahntay Jones, Chris Duhon, and Shane Battier - currently playing significant minutes in the NBA, and that doesn't even include Jay Williams, the most talented player on that team and 2nd overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft before having his career ended in a motorcycle accident, or Nate James.

Duke would go on to win both the ACC regular season and tournament titles, which is especially impressive when you consider that Carlos Boozer, their best inside player, was out for much of the season with a foot injury. Boozer was back by the NCAA Tournament, and he helped carry the Blue Devils to a national title.

Duke's 2001 title team had six guys reach the league.
(photo credit: Charlotte Observer)

Perhaps what this team will be most remembered for was their two unbelievable comebacks against Maryland. They played the Terps four times that season, and in the first match-up, Jay Williams scored 8 points in 13 seconds as the Blue Devils made it all the way back from down 10 with under a minute left in the game. In the Final Four, the fourth match-up between the two ACC powers, Duke found themselves down 22 in the first half before rallying to win.


No. 3: Illinois v. Arizona, JJ Redick, Duke's 2001 team
No. 4: Duke v. Maryland, Shane Battier, UNC's 2005 team
No. 5: Michigan State v. Kentucky, Jay Williams, UConn's 2004 team
No. 6: UConn v. George Mason, Emeka Okafor, Illinois's 2005 team
No. 7: Oklahoma State v. Texas, Carmelo Anthony, Michigan State's 2000 team
No. 8: UCLA v. Gonzaga, Jameer Nelson, Maryland's 2002 team
No. 9: Barton v. Winona State, Blake Griffin, St. Joseph's 2004 team
No. 10: West Virginia v. Wake Forest, Juan Dixon, Kansas's 2008 team
No. 11: Kansas v. Memphis, TJ Ford, Syracuse's 2003 team
No. 12: West Virginia v. Louisville, Stephen Curry, and UCLA's 2008 team
No. 13: Gonzaga v. Arizona, Kevin Durant, and Florida's 2006 Team
No. 14: UConn v. Duke, Joakim Noah, and Duke's 2002 team
No. 15: Oklahoma State v. St. Joe's, Chris Paul, and UConn's 2006 team
No. 16: Gonzaga v. Oklahoma State, Ty Lawson, and Kentucky's 2003 team
No. 17: Duke v. Maryland in the 2001 Final Four, Deron Williams, and Gonzaga's 2006 team
No. 18: Duke v. Indiana, Mateen Cleaves, Gonzaga
No. 19: Syracuse v. Kansas, Dwyane Wade, UCLA's 2006 team
No. 20: Pitt v. Villanova, Michael Beasley, and Duke's 2004 team
No. 21: Duke vs. Maryland in the 2001 ACC Semis, Josh Howard, Arizona's 2001 team
No. 22: Marquette v. Kentucky, Tayshaun Prince, UConn's 2009 team
No. 23: Vermont v. Syracuse, Andrew Bogut, and Memphis's 2008 team.
No. 24: UConn v. Miami, Luke Harangody, and Kansas's 2003 team
No. 25: Drake v. Western Kentucky, Wayne Simien, and Louisville's 2009 team.

Continue reading...

Droppin' Dimes: A Sea of Blue

Droppin' Dimes is a new feature we are trying out at BIAH this year. A couple of times a week, we are going to catch up with the bloggers behind the best team-specific sites on the web. If the internet really is becoming the new newspaper, then the writers at these sites are the de facto beat writers. They know their teams inside and out, and hopefully will provide you (and us) with some detailed insights. If you would like to recommend a site or pose a question for a certain team, you can reach us at contactbiah@gmail.com or @ballinisahabit.

In our newest edition of Droppin' Dimes, we had a chance to catch up with Glenn Logan, the mind behind A Sea of Blue, a Kentucky basketball blog and a must-read for any hoops fan in the Commonwealth. Hit the jump to hear Logan's thoughts on UK2K, Kentucky's freshman class, and the way Calipari has been treated by the media (trust me, it is more than worth the read).


1. Kentucky won their 2,000th on Monday night, the first program to do so. While this is clearly an impressive statistic, there has been some debate around the blogosphere as to whether it matters to anyone other than Big Blue Nation. What does this number mean to Kentucky fans? In your opinion, is it an accurate way to rate the greatest program of all-time?

I think it is a significant milestone, much as the 1,000th victory was. Of course it will be a bigger deal to fans of the UK program than it will be to non-fans, and in a real sense, I don't know if it is a huge factor toward "greatest program of all time" status. After all, North Carolina is only a few games behind, and so is Kansas, so does the fact that UK got there first by eight games mean that they are 0.4% better than UNC, for example? That's not much of an argument.

Kentucky was the first school to wins 2,000 games.
(photo credit: Examiner)

So in a real-world context, winning the race to 2,000 by such an insignificant amount is little more than a reason to celebrate, and UK fans have not had a lot to celebrate in terms of basketball for the last four years. But it is reasonable to assume that winning the race to 2,000 victories is one more small argument to add to the case that the Kentucky program is the best in the country from a historical standpoint.


2. When Kentucky hired Coach Cal, one of the criticisms from media-types was that Kentucky was hiring a coach that has had both of his Final Fours erased from the record books. Big Blue Nation has rallied around their new coach, citing the fact that Cal never actually was implicated at either UMass or Memphis. Are Kentucky fans at all concerned about this happening at Kentucky?

Some are, remembering the horrors of 1989 and the reputation Kentucky has had over the years for NCAA rulebreaking. Make no mistake, UK fans do not want a rulebreaker here who will win a championship only to have it forfeited by the NCAA, nor do fans want a coach who will constantly be answering questions from the NCAA Committee on Infractions. Kentucky has had a record clean of major NCAA infractions for 20 years. At some point, it's time to recognize that.

Calipari gets a very bad and unfair rap for NCAA compliance, and it is becoming a downright witch hunt. People choose not to remember that it was Calipari who reported Marcus Camby to the NCAA, who essentially said that Calipari was a victim of Camby's misbehavior.

When players hide lawless behavior from coaches and get arrested, nobody blames the coach. When players hide NCAA rulebreaking from the coach and the school gets punished, everybody blames him. That's unfair and unethical. Either the coach, as the man at the top of the program, is responsible for both, or neither, and obviously lawbreaking is far more serious. This "coach is responsible for what the players do" is simply a cudgel selectively used by wrong-thinking people to bludgeon those coaches they happen to dislike. If the coach is responsible for everything their players do, then it's everything, not just NCAA compliance.

Kentucky fans have embraced Coach Cal.
(photo credit: Wildcats Thunder Blog)

In addition, I don't get how the Calipari detractors can ignore the fact that Calipari was exonerated on both occasions. Oh, they mention it, but somehow, they decide that it's justified for them to substitute their own judgment for that of the NCAA Committee on Infractions, and fair for them to ignore germane and important facts selectivly under the questionable rubric of "The buck stops here (with the coach)." It's a sad commentary on the Calipari detractors, and not on Coach Cal himself.

As a parting shot on this, North Carolina coach Roy Williams was held responsible by the NCAA for Kansas' going on probation when for giving gifts just as Williams was leaving Kansas for the UNC job. Directly, knowingly responsible. Yet everyone wants to talk about Calipari, a man whom the NCAA has specifically exonerated in both instances of NCAA difficulties, and in the UMass case Calipari was actually characterized as a victim of Canby's shenanigans. That mostly goes unmentioned by Calipari's critics. If that doesn't illustrate a clear double standard, nothing does.


3. A lot of the pundits have said that DeMarcus Cousins is the x-factor for the Wildcats, whether or not he can show the maturity and intensity during games to allow him to live up to his potential. What are your thoughts on Cousins through 12 games?

Well, I hardly think intensity is his problem any more, but I think that the Kentucky team and fans do have to worry about that intensity morphing into behavior that will get him thrown out of games. In the most recent game when UK played Long Beach State at Rupp Arena, one of the 49er players seemed to bait Cousins with a little touch and some smack-talk. It worked, and both he and Cousins got a technical. He nearly got another on a bad block-charge call when he went bounding around in disgust.

So yes, controlling and harnessing Cousins' emotions is a concern. He seems to have gotten well past the lack of intensity that plagued his early games, but now the fear is becoming the flip side -- will his intensity result in on-court demonstrations that get him technical fouls? Cousins is growing up, but he still has some growing up to do.

As far as his game goes, it is still a bit raw. For 6'11"/260+ pound guy, Cousins has astonishing quickness and body control. That's why he gets nearly half of his own misses back for another try. Not only that, Cousins is single-minded around the rim -- he won't stop until somebody gets clear control of the ball away from him, or he scores. Relentlessness is an underrated characteristic in a ball player, and Cousins defines it.

I would like to see DeMarcus pass out of the post more. He is a bit of a black hole in there -- when the ball comes to Cousins in the post, it rarely comes back out. Part of his maturation needs to be passing out of double- and triple-teams to the open shooter, rather than running over or through them.


4. After the UConn game, Cal had a quote where he said that Kentucky was "a 4-5 team", referring to the struggles Kentucky has had this season. A large part of that can be attributed to the fact that so many freshman are playing such significant roles and that everyone on the roster is learning a new, and complicated, system. Will this be a problem as the season progresses? Where have you seen a positive change?

Wasn't it the irrepressible Al McGuire who said, "The best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores."? The question becomes, then, when do Kentucky's freshman mature into sophomores? Will it be next semester, or next school year? I think that answer will define the Wildcats' success this year.

If Kentucky hopes to win, or even compete for a national championship, they absolutely must defend better. Very few college freshmen at this level have ever had to defend anyone in their lives -- their job in high school or AAU was to score a lot. John Wall, for example, should be a great defender with his size and quickness, but he is absolutely not any good at defense yet. Everyone notices his breathtaking speed and ambidextrous ball handling but nobody says boo about the fact that he still can't defend a decent high-school player.

But Wall is not the only one -- in fact, Darius Miller, a sophomore, has had struggles defensively, and lack of defense has cost Darnell Dodson a ton of playing time. To his credit, Cousins is improving faster defensively than either John Wall or Eric Bledsoe, and that even though that is great, all one has to do is look at Kentucky's defensive 3-point percentage (UK is giving up 36% from the arc, 235th in the nation) to see how vulnerable the Wildcats are to good shooting teams.

Kentucky fans have seen improvement, especially versus Drexel the other day, but then UK regressed against Long Beach State. It is a work in progress, and when the SEC season gets here, everybody will know if that progress has been enough.


5. You knew that I was going to ask a question about John Wall: through 12 games, can you call him the best Kentucky freshman of all time? If he continues to post these numbers, continues to hit as many big shots, and the Wildcats win a national title, where do you see him in terms of greatest Wildcats ever?

It is a little awkward to use the words, "of all time" when freshmen haven't always been allowed to play as freshmen, and the rules of college basketball have been changed so significantly over the years. But if we confine the answer to recent history (let's say since the advent of the 3-point shot), I think I can make an attempt.

It kind of depends how you rate players. Based on the Tendex rating system, DeMarcus Cousins actually eclipses Wall by a fairly wide margin. On the Prouty System, Wall is substantially ahead of Cousins. But I can say, with relative confidence, that the best freshman player UK has ever had is on this team, at least at this point in the season.

Statistically speak, is Cousins having a better year than Wall?
(photo credit: Kentucky Sports Radio)

If this Kentucky team wins a national title, I think Wall will be lauded as one of the best players ever, but I don't know if his jersey will ever be hoisted into Rupp's Rafters, even if he leads the Wildcats to a win. As far as I know, UK has no "one and done" players who have retired jerseys, and for a fact, I believe Wall will be the first "one and done" that I can actually remember at Kentucky.


Bonus: In a number, what are the chances that John Wall returns for his sophomore season? DeMarcus Cousins? Patrick Patterson? Daniel Orton? What are the odds of Coach Cal landing Brandon Knight?

John Wall returning: 5% (injury only) -- It would be irresponsible of Wall to return, and Calipari will not let him barring extraordinary circumstances.

Demarcus Cousins: 60% -- His game is not NBA ready, even if his body is.

Patrick Patterson: 5% (injury only) -- Patrick Patterson will have no reason. He will graduate this year, one year early. See John Wall above.

Daniel Orton: 95% -- Orton is not ready, his knee is still only about 95%, and he doesn't have a pro game. Plus, he is a smart kid to whom a college degree means something, much like Patterson.

Chances of landing Brandon Knight? I am not a recruiting analyst, it isn't my thing, but I would say that our chances are a bit better than 50%. You can never tell what these kids are thinking, and Selby may beat him to the punch. Other factors may also figure in, such as closeness to home, other good recruiters, etc.

Continue reading...

UPDATE: Final thoughts on the Roland injury

UPDATE: Derrick Roland is heading home for christmas.


Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, heard about the injury Roland suffered after his team hosted the Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.

He offered to pay for Betty Cofield, Roland's aunt and legal guardian, to rent a private jet to fly up to Seattle.

"He wanted his staff to find out out how much it would cost," Mavs spokesman Colin Killian said.

He wasn't the only one offering support.

Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar, assistant Raphael Chillious, and senior Quincy Pondexter made the trip across town to visit Roland in the hospital.

Donald Sloan sits with Derrick Roland in the hospital.
(photo credit: Seattle PI)

Apparently, this isn't the first time Roland has suffered this kind of injury. Back in the 2003-2004 season, when he was playing at Seagoville High School in Dallas (with Donald Sloan and current Blazer LaMarcus Aldridge), Roland fractured his right leg; the same leg he broke on Tuesday night.

There have been conflicting reports as to whether or not Roland will be able to get home by Christmas. Doctors are hopeful he will be able to leave tonight, but according the Texas A&M head coach Mark Turgeon "The doctor is worried about flying him home with blood clotting and things like that so he's probably going to be here through Christmas." Turgeon, Sloan, and Aggie assistant Dustin Clark have remained in Seattle.

Aggie assistant, addressing the media after the game, had this to say about the view of the injury from the bench, and how his team handled it:

Our trainer ... became very very pale. I think he almost passed out looking at the injury. It was a very gruesome sight for everyone to look at. I didn't see it. According to our trainer it was protruding from the skin. It was gory. ... We heard it. I didn't see it. you cold hear the snap. It was a loud snap. I know we all heard the snap and it's something you're never going to forget. It was a loud break.

First of all, we said a prayer as a team. We all got together, we prayed for D-ro. A lot of our guys were in tears. Crying I think partly because of the injury, the way it looked. Partly because they realized D-Ro was down, being such a tough, competitive guy that he is, it's tough to see a guy like Derrick Roland in that situation. I think a lot of our guys were upset by both the injury and the way it looked and the fact that D-Ro was down. We tried to get the guys back. At one point, coach Turgeon was going to go with him to the hospital instead of finishing the game. Again, our guys really wanted to rally around him and see if we could come up with a win. Our prayers are with D-Ro and hopefully he comes out of surgery ok. He's stable now and we expect him to make a full recovery.

Roland's collegiate career looks to be over. He can apply for a medical hardship waiver, but an extra year of eligibility is only granted if the player participated in less than 30% of the team's games. Roland played in 12 of Texas A&M's 30 games, or 40%. But according to reports, his playing career isn't over. The injury was apparently a clean, albeit gruesome, break, and doctors have said it was similar to the injury suffered by Kenyon Martin his senior season.

If there is one part of this ordeal that does put a smile on your face, it was the doctor that did Roland's surgery:

And as it turns out, Roland might have even had a Washington-area fan in the operating room with him. According to Killian, one of the doctors prior to performing the surgery had something to tell Roland.

Yep, the doctor was an Aggie.

"(Roland's) face lit up," Killian said. "It put him at ease."

Anyone wishing to send a get well wish to Roland can find contact information here.
Continue reading...

For $249, you can learn Bracketology from Joe Lunardi

Its true.

Joe Lunardi is teaching a class at St. Joseph's on Bracketology. The material the class will cover includes "such topics as an introduction to “NCAA March Madness"; a History of the NCAA Tournament; NCAA Selection Committee(s), the Selection Process, Seeding and Bracketing, RPI, the construction of mock brackets, and finally the building of your own bracket."

So if you have an extra $249 laying around, and you want to learn how to build a bracket, then go take the class.

Or you can do what we do - just watch the games, and spend a few minutes every morning checking standings, box scores, and game recaps.

Because, as you should know, we got all 65 teams correct last year.

Lunardi didn't.

Maybe we should teach a bracketology class.

Continue reading...

Thursday's Shootaround: Nic Wise again, Missouri and West Virginia roll

West Virginia 76, Ole Miss 66: While the final score might say this was just a ten point game, West Virginia was in firm control of this game for most of the second half. The Mountaineers took over early in the second 20 minutes as Wellington Smith knocked down four straight threes in the span of six possessions, opening up a 12 point lead. Ole Miss could never crack that difference, as West Virginia was just too tough defensively and too much on the offensive glass. The Mountaineers grabbed 22 offensive rebounds for the game. Wellington Smith scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, while Devin Ebanks added 15 points and 13 boards, both season highs.

Arizona 76, NC State 74: The best game of the night ended up being the last game of the night, as the Wolfpack overcame an eight point deficit with just 37 seconds to play, eventually tying the game on a full court layup by Javier Gonzalez. But Nic Wise, who just two nights ago hit a buzzer-beater to beat Lipscomb, went back the other way, hitting a layup of his own with a second left on the clock.



Oral Roberts 75, New Mexico 66: I tried to warn the Lobos yesterday, but to no avail. New Mexico went into the Mabee Center last night and lost to upset minded Oral Roberts, who also has wins over Missouri and Stanford this season. ORU took an early 14 point lead, but New Mexico came all the way back, going ahead 58-57 with 6:50 left on a Philip McDonald three. But the Golden Eagles would respond, using a 10-0 run over the next four minutes to earn the win and hand UNM their first loss of the season. Michael Craion, who hit the game-winner against Mizzou, had 18 points, 13 boards, and 7 assists.

USC 60, St. Mary's 49: The Trojans won their third game in a row in the Mike Gerrity era as a 19-5 run in the first half allow USC to open up a big lead. The Gaels would get as close as four in the second half before the Trojans pulled away. Gerrity had 17 to lead the way.

Jaw-droppers:

• Old Dominion 81, Charlotte 48: Old Dominion took a 30-10 lead before heading into the break up 40-13 on a team that had one loss on the season coming in and had beaten Louisville by 22. Gerald Lee had 16 to lead the way for the Monarchs.
• Nevada 99, Tulsa 68: Tulsa was supposed to compete for the C-USA title, but looked terrible against the Wolfpack. Down 48-30 at the break, Nevada went on a 23-5 run to open the second half, eventually taking a 39 point first half lead. Luke Babbit had 24 and 11.
  
• Siena 84, Rider 62: Rider is supposed to be the third best team in the MAAC? Clarence Jackson had 22 and Alex Franklin went for 22 and 11 boards as the Saints whooped up on the Broncs. Ronald Moore, who leads D1 with 8 apg, had 12 in this one.
  

Other games of national interest:

• Kentucky 86, Long Beach State 73: Kentucky avoided the mother of all trap games, using a late surge to pull away from a scrappy 49ers team. DeMarcus Cousins had 15 points and 10 boards in just 13 minutes and John Wall added 12 of his 19 points in the second half.
• Missouri 81, Illinois 68: Kim English scored 24 points, and Missouri's harassing pressure forced Illinois's guards into 22 turnovers as the Tigers held on to win the Braggin' Rights game.
  
• Tennessee 99, North Carolina A&T 78: Tennessee opened up the game with a 22-0 run, and this one was never in doubt.
  
• Georgetown 86, Harvard 70: Chris Wright notched 34 points, 4 assists, and 6 steals while Greg Monroe added 16 points, 16 boards, 5 blocks, and 4 steals in the win. The game was blown open in an 11-0 run at the end of the first half that was sparked by the boards, two blocks, two steals, and assist and a bucket from Monroe.
• Villanova 93, Delaware 67: Delaware had cut a 19 point first half lead to six early in the second half when the Wildcats answered with a 23-6 run to put away the Blue Hens.
• UNLV 77, Hawaii 53: UNLV got 14 points and 7 boards out of Derrick Jasper as they used a stifling first half defensively to take a 44-21 lead.
• Arizona State 61, USC Upstate 52: Ty Abbott and Jamelle McMillan both had 15 points as ASU went on runs of 23-3 and 19-3 during this game, but were unable to pull away.
• Louisville 84, Louisiana-Lafayette 69: Samardo Samuels went for 29 points and 15 boards as Louisville was playing without Terrence Jennings.
• BC 79, UMass 67: Joe Trapani and Corey Raji both scored 18 points to lead the Eagles to a win over instate rivals UMass.
• Minnesota 92, South Dakota State 62: Blake Hoffarber scored 16 points to lead six players in double figures for the Gophers.
• Xavier 70, Miami OH 67: Xavier got four free throws from Jordan Crawford in the final 23 seconds as they held on to beat the Redhawks.
• St. John's 80, Bryant 44: DJ Kennedy scored 18 points as the Johnnies won in a rout.
• Alabama 90, Mercer 71: The Crimson Tide opened this one with a 22-2 run, and JaMychal Green led the way with 27 points and 13 boards.
• Wisconsin 68, Milwaukee 58: Jon Leuer scored 25 points, and the Badgers used a 19-8 run to close the first half before holding on down the stretch.
• BYU 88, Nebraska 66: Jimmer Fredette scored 24 points and Jackson Emery added 23 as the Cougars never trailed.
  

Continue reading...

Thursday Morning Dump

- ESPN's Jemele Hill compares coach Cal to Charles Manson, doesn't sit well with brass

- Gary Parrish saw a lot of basketball this week

- Andy Katz was a busy man the past two days: Recap of the past six weeks; SEC review; Big Ten review; Mountain West; Pac-10; Everybody else

- A good article, but, Franta Claus? Come on Fraschilla

- A very good peice about the importance of scheduling

- Idaho suspends guard Marcus Lawrence

- Your weekly Renardo Sidney update

- RushTheCourt's Christmas list

- We've seen all the "best of the decade" lists, but how about a worst games of the decade?

- A look at the all-time wins race using graphs

- The Memphis-Texas parallel

- Your one hoops-related gossip link of the week: Female high school basketball coach busted for seducing players

- Texas A&M's Roland has successful surgery on broken leg

- A statistical review of the Kansas vs. Cal game

After the jump, Oral Roberts made Sportscenter's top ten.



Continue reading...

The BIAH Advent Calendar: Day 23

Yup, it is December. And as the temperatures outside drop, the heat is rising on college campuses across the country as basketball season kicks into full swing. But December is also a time to reflect on the past year. This December is special, because as we draw closer to the new year, we get closer to the end of the aughts. In the spirit of the holidays, we are going to celebrate the decade past by counting down the top 25 games, players, and teams of the last 10 years with the BIAH advent calender. Each day, we will be unveiling the next on each of our lists, culminating with our gift to you on Christmas Day: the best game, the best player, and the best team of the 2000's.

Here is No. 3:


2005: Gonzaga vs. Michigan State, Gonzaga vs. UConn: Gonzaga participated in two classics in the 2005 Maui Invitational, so we figured we would just throw them both in there.

In the semifinals, Gonzaga played a three OT classic with the Spartans. There were too many big shots to mention, but we will summarize. The final 7:30 of regulation saw 13 lead changes, four in the last 1:14 alone. The game was sent to OT when Maurice Ager hit his fifth three in the final 7:30. The Bulldogs had a chance to win it in the last nine seconds of overtime, but missed three shots in that span. The second OT ended when a Spartan turnover resulted in 0.9 seconds being put back on the clock, but Gonzaga was unable to capitalize. In the third and final OT, Adam Morrison gave Gonzaga the lead with 19 seconds left on two free throws. After a miss by MSU, Derek Raivio made two more free throws. Shannon Brown tried to get off a three as time expired, but lost the handle. Tom Izzo argued for a foul against Jeremy Pargo, but none was to be called as th Zags won this one 109-106.

The following night against UConn, the Huskies took a 63-57 lead with just 37 seconds left on the clock, but Gonzaga would stage a comeback. Two free throws from Raivio cut the lead to 63-61, and after Rudy Gay missed the front end of a 1-and-1, Morrison had two shots blocked by Hilton Armstrong before JP Batista was fouled by Gay. Batista would hit both free throws with 6.6 seconds left on the clock, but the game was not over. Denham Brown hit a tough turn-around jumper from the baseline with 1.1 seconds left on the clock, and Gonzga was unable to score.

If anyone has video of either of these game, please send it along.


Adam Morrison, Gonzaga: Morrison was not the most liked player in his time at Gonzaga. He was a lanky white kid with a mop top haircut and the mustache of a low-budget porn star that plays with excessive emotion. Does it surprise you he wasn't liked nationally? By the time Morrison arrived in Spokane in 2003, Gonzaga had already firmly entrenched themselves as a national power. As a freshman, Morrison was a role player, averaging 11.0 ppg, on a Gonzaga team that went 27-2 and earned a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament before being knocked out in the second round.

With Blake Stepp and Cory Violette graduating, Morrison's role expanded as a sophomore. He averaged 19.0 ppg and was named first team all-WCC as the Zags again had an impressive regular season, going 25-4 before being upset by Bobby Knight's Texas Tech team in the second round of the 2005 tournament.

But it was Morrison's junior season that put him on the map historically. The Zags were a spectacle throughout the season, as they participated in four games that made out top 25 games of the decade. Morrison dueled all season long with JJ Redick for the national scoring title and the player of the year awards. He finished the season averaging 28.1 ppg, 28.5 ppg against major conference teams, and Gonzaga once again went 27-3, winning both the WCC regular season and tournament titles (they accomplished that feat all three years Morrison was there). The Zags would earn a #3 seed in the dance, and looked destined to make the Elite 8 as they were up 17 on UCLA. But the Bruins would come back, and the lasting image most will have of Morrison is of him in tears, inconsolable while laying on the court.

The lasting image most have of Adam Morrison's collegiate career.
(photo credit: Photobucket)

2007 Florida Gators: In 2006, the Florida Gators came out of nowhere to make a run to the national title. As a result, the stars of that team (Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer) shot up the NBA Draft boards. But in a surprise move, every one of the Gators underclassmen made the decision to return to school, making Florida the consensus #1 team in the preseason.

Despite stumbling down the stretch of the regular season, Florida still won both the SEC regular season and tournament. As was the case in 2006, they rolled through the NCAA Tournament en route to their second straight title.

Corey Brewer was a large part of Florida's back-to-back titles.
(photo credit: SI)

This Gators squad was loaded with NBA talent. Joakim Noah, Al Horford, and Corey Brewer would all go on to be drafted in the lottery. Taurean Green and Chris Richard, who came off the bench, were both picked in the second round. And Mareesse Speights was selected in the first round the next season.


No. 4: Duke v. Maryland, Shane Battier, UNC's 2005 team
No. 5: Michigan State v. Kentucky, Jay Williams, UConn's 2004 team
No. 6: UConn v. George Mason, Emeka Okafor, Illinois's 2005 team
No. 7: Oklahoma State v. Texas, Carmelo Anthony, Michigan State's 2000 team
No. 8: UCLA v. Gonzaga, Jameer Nelson, Maryland's 2002 team
No. 9: Barton v. Winona State, Blake Griffin, St. Joseph's 2004 team
No. 10: West Virginia v. Wake Forest, Juan Dixon, Kansas's 2008 team
No. 11: Kansas v. Memphis, TJ Ford, Syracuse's 2003 team
No. 12: West Virginia v. Louisville, Stephen Curry, and UCLA's 2008 team
No. 13: Gonzaga v. Arizona, Kevin Durant, and Florida's 2006 Team
No. 14: UConn v. Duke, Joakim Noah, and Duke's 2002 team
No. 15: Oklahoma State v. St. Joe's, Chris Paul, and UConn's 2006 team
No. 16: Gonzaga v. Oklahoma State, Ty Lawson, and Kentucky's 2003 team
No. 17: Duke v. Maryland in the 2001 Final Four, Deron Williams, and Gonzaga's 2006 team
No. 18: Duke v. Indiana, Mateen Cleaves, Gonzaga
No. 19: Syracuse v. Kansas, Dwyane Wade, UCLA's 2006 team
No. 20: Pitt v. Villanova, Michael Beasley, and Duke's 2004 team
No. 21: Duke vs. Maryland in the 2001 ACC Semis, Josh Howard, Arizona's 2001 team
No. 22: Marquette v. Kentucky, Tayshaun Prince, UConn's 2009 team
No. 23: Vermont v. Syracuse, Andrew Bogut, and Memphis's 2008 team.
No. 24: UConn v. Miami, Luke Harangody, and Kansas's 2003 team
No. 25: Drake v. Western Kentucky, Wayne Simien, and Louisville's 2009 team.

Continue reading...

Lipscomb files a complaint over the ending to the Arizona game

On Monday, Lipscomb played Arizona at Arizona. The game ended up going to overtime, where Adnan Hodzic gave the Bisons a two point lead with a free throw with 4.7 seconds left. But at the other end, Nic Wise hit a three at the buzzer that presumably gave the Wildcats the win.

The refs went to the monitors to review it, and eventually ruled that the shot counted.

But did Wise actually get the shot off in time? If you watch the replay, it looks like the ball is still in his hand when the light goes on.

See for yourself


Lipscomb coach Scott Sanderson didn't argue the call after the game, but has since changed his stance. He told the Tennessean:

I don't want in any way, shape or form to sound like there's sour grapes on our behalf, but the clock showed 0:00 and the ball was still in (Wise's) hands. The red light on top of the backboard was on. We looked at it frame-by-fame.

The issue appears to be the angle that was used. When looking from behind, it seems that the ball is clearly in Wise's hand. But from that angle it is impossible to have any depth perception. From the side, it becomes a much more difficult call, and one that cannot be made using the youtube video above.

As with football, the original ruling stands unless there is sufficient visual evidence on the replay to overturn it. In this case, the original ruling is that Wise got the shot off, and since the angle from the side does not (according to the officials on the court) give indisputable evidence of the ball still being in Wise's hand, the officials did not overturn the call.

There is another issue.

The clock didn't start on time.

If you watch the video, you will see that the clock starts a half second late off the rebound. Taking that into account, Wise's shot probably should not have counted.

The most ironic part of all?

The refs asked for glasses at one point while reviewing the shot.

Continue reading...

Wednesday's Pregame Beat

The last day of games before the holidays, and we got a couple great ones tonight.

7:00 pm: Rider @ Siena: The Broncs and the Saints are two of the better teams in an overlooked MAAC this season.

7:30 pm: Ole Miss @ West Virginia: One of the concerns we have with with the Mountaineers is how they will fare playing against a team with good guard play. Ole Miss fits that description to a T with Chris Warren, Terrico White, and Eniel Polynice. Will the Rebels be able to handle WVU inside, though?

8:00 pm: New Mexico @ Oral Roberts: Oral Roberts is a dangerous team. Ask Missouri. The Lobos are going to be in for a fight on the road.

8:00 pm: Tulsa vs. Nevada: Tulsa is coming off of a loss to Nebraska, while Nevada was upended by BYU is a shootout. This matchup features two of the best players outside the BCS conferences in Jerome Jordan of Tulsa and Luke Babbitt of Nevada.

9:30 pm: Illinois vs. Missouri: This is one of the best rivalries between teams that aren't in the same conference. Illinois has good guards, but they are youngand may be susceptible to turnovers against the Tigers pressure.

10:30 pm: NC State @ Arizona: Arizona is coming off of a overtime win against Lipscomb where Nic Wise hit a three at the buzzer that looked to be after time had expired. The Wolfpack will be without Tracy Smith, who was suspended for bad mouthing officials after the game.

Other notable games:

• 5:30 pm: St. Mary's vs. USC
• 7:00 pm: Louisiana-Lafayette @ Louisville
• 7:00 pm: UMass @ BC
• 7:00 pm: South Dakota State @ Minnesota
  
• 7:00 pm: Delaware @ Villanova
• 7:00 pm: Charlotte @ Old Dominion
• 7:00 pm: North Carolina A&T @ Tennessee
• 7:00 pm: Miami OH @ Xavier
• 8:00 pm: TCU @ Houston
• 8:00 pm: Mercer @ Alabama
• 9:00 pm: Milwaukee @ Wisconsin
• 11:00 pm: Nebraska vs. BYU
• 11:30 pm: UNLV @ Hawaii
  

Continue reading...

Can the NCAA get anything right?

First, it was Memphis.

If you remember, a month ago the NCAA shot down the Tiger's appeal of the punishment they received for using an ineligible Derrick Rose because, as the infractions committee said:

Where is the risk if there is no significant penalty when things go awry? If the IAC sets aside the penalties in this case, it would send the message that an institution can take chances, even with knowledge of potential infractions problems, with impunity.

Then, they threatened to increase the penalty if Memphis didn't let the appeal die.

Which is ridiculous on all accounts, considering it was the NCAA's Clearinghouse that deemed Rose eligible to play.

But we all know that already.

What you may not know is that the NCAA recently reduced the significant punishment of Rob Senderhoff. If you remember, Senderhoff was given a three-year show-cause penalty because he was the assistant that patched through the illegal calls between Kelvin Sampson and recruits, a violation which is the cause of the current situation in Bloomington, and the reason Sampson is coaching in the NBA right now.

When I say reduced, take that term with a grain of salt.

The NCAA appeals committee rejected the request by former Indiana assistant coach Rob Senderoff to have sanctions against him reduced -- despite agreeing the committee on infractions "abused its discretion" in a number of ways.

Oddly, though, the appeals committee's final determination stated, "Despite our findings that the Committee on Infractions in a number of ways abused its discretion in this case, we do not find that the penalties imposed were excessive in light of the nature, number and seriousness of the violations as well as the unique circumstances under which they occurred."

Umm, can't the NCAA just admit they are wrong once in a while?

That wasn't the worst part, according to Senderhoff's lawyer:

He was bothered that the official NCAA press release did not mention the appeals committee's findings that the infractions committee had abused its discretion.

"That was the heart of Rob's appeal," Tompsett said. "And for the NCAA to issue a press release that doesn't tell the public that the appeals committee agreed with us shows the lengths the NCAA is willing to go to protect the Committee on Infractions."

Seriously, though, is anyone surprised?

I'm not.
Continue reading...

Another Ed O'Bannon sighting, this time as a broadcaster

We've talked quite a bit about Ed O'Bannon over the years here at BIAH. It started in the summer of 2008 when we did a "Where Are They Now?" segment on him. He was a brief internet sensation as the Washington Post followed suit this summer, catching up with O'Bannon the used car salesman.

But that was far from all we would hear about O'Bannon.

There was the video last summer where he responded to Lil' Wayne's line "I'll leave you missin' like the f-in O'Bannons."

Ed O'Bannon went from player of the year to used car salesman to college hoops broadcaster.
(photo credit: WaPo)

Then Ed became the lead plaintiff for a group suing the NCAA because they can make money off the likenesses and successes of former college players.

Then, O'Bannon made headlines as he became a high school coach at the Henderson School in Nevada.

Now?

Yesterday, O'Bannon made his debut as a broadcaster, doing color commentary for HoopTV as they covered the Las Vegas Invitational.

O'Bannon is college hoops royalty. He won the 1995 national player of the year award after leading UCLA to their 11th national title. He would go on to be the 9th pick in the 1995 NBA Draft, but injuries derailed his NBA career. After bouncing around the world playing in various professional leagues, O'Bannon retired and finally settled in Nevada, becoming a car salesman.

We're glad to see O'Bannon back involved in college hoops. We loved him at UCLA.

We didn't get a chance to see O'Bannon's broadcast. Did anyone? How did he do?

Continue reading...

Wednesday's Shootaround: Texas makes its bid for #1, and a gruesome injury to Derrick Roland

Texas 79, Michigan State 68: The Longhorns have stated their case for No. 1 as they have beaten two top 10 teams in four days. The impressive part is that Texas beat the two teams playing two different styles. Against UNC, they outran and outbigged the Heels. Against the Spartans, the Longhorns used suffocating defensive pressure on the perimeter to force turnovers and keep the Spartans from getting good shots.

After a first half in which Texas struggled on the offensive end, allowing Michigan State to take control, the Horns made a run late in the second half to pull away from MSU. It wasn't so much a run as a surge - Texas just took control of the game late as it was obvious the Hons had fresher legs.

Damion James has firmly entrenched himself in the player of the year race. He had 23 and 13 last night, which comes off of a 25 and 15 performance against UNC. James was far and away the best player on the floor last night.

So in the last two games, Texas has outlasted two top ten teams, beating them at their own game; outrunning and beating UNC in the paint before suffocating the Spartans perimeter players while dominating the defensive glass. Does this mean they are the best team in the country? A lot of people are going to be convinced, but keep two things in mind: 1. Both the UNC and Michigan State games were played in Texas, with the Spartans playing in the Longhorns home arena. Might have been a different story had the games been played at the Dean Dome and Breslin Center; 2. While Cal is playing much better than they were at the start of the season, I'm still not ready to say Kansas has been tested, which isn't necessarily their fault. No one expected Cal, UCLA, and Michigan to all be out of the top 25 at this point in the season. Texas had their struggles against inferior competition early in the season (Iowa anyone?). I'm not ready to say Texas is better than Kansas yet, and I won't be until I see Kansas play a team that forces them to play a full game (they play at Temple and Tennessee in the coming weeks).

I do, however, think it is safe to say that right now, there should be no argument as to who the two best teams in the country are.

Kansas 84, Cal 69: Kansas withstood a Cal team playing much better than they were just a few weeks ago as the Jayhawks weathered a flurry of jumpers from Cal's three-headed back court to pull away late. All five starters reached double figures for the Jayhawks, led by 17 from Sherron Collins. But perhaps the most important stat line came from Tyshawn Taylor, who struggled so much early in the season he lost his starting job. Taylor scored 13 points, handed out 7 assists, and helped in holding Jerome Randle to just 3-15 shooting. Cole Aldrich, who still has yet to really assert himself on the offensive end, controlled the paint defensively to the tune of 10 boards and 5 blocks. Patrick Christopher's 21 points and Jamal Boykins 15 and 15 kept Cal in this one.

Washington 73, Texas A&M 64: Put an asterisk next to this one. This was a dogfight until early in the second half when Derrick Roland suffered a gruesome leg injury (we are going to post the video, but we urge you not to watch if you are at all squeamish - its bad):



The Aggie players were visibly shaken to the point of tears on the bench as they watched their leader get carried off the court on a stretcher. (UPDATE: According to Andy Katz, Roland's surgery was successful.) Washington would go on a 19-6 run, and you have to credit the Huskies for that.

We send our condolences to the Aggie family, and hope for a speedy recovery for Roland. The injury all but ended his college hoops career.

There were quite a few upsets last night:

• UAB 67, Butler 57: The Blazers built up a 16 point lead midway through the second half, but a furious rally by the Bulldogs cut the lead to two late in the second half. But UAB got three straight layups, the last with 44 seconds left, to hold on. Gordon Hayward had 12 points and 15 boards to lead Butler, but Matt Howard again struggled, finishing with 6 points on 3-8 shooting before fouling out. The Blazers were led by 18 points from Jamarr Sanders and held Butler to 34% shooting. It was the second straight big win for UAB, who was coming off of a win over Cincinnati.
• South Alabama 67, Florida 66: Coming off of losses to Richmond and Syracuse, Florida blew another home game to South Alabama. After regaining the lead, the Gators allowed a tip-in from DeAndre Hersey with 1.8 seconds left. Florida needs ot find consistency out of Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton, who are both shooting in the 30's.
• Nebraska 74, Tulsa 70: The Cornhuskers got 12 points from Eshaunte Jones and held on to beat the Golden Hurricanes in the Las Vegas Classic. Tulsa does have a win over Oklahoma State, but with losses to Nebraska and Missouri State, does this mean UTEP is the team to beat in C-USA?
• Loyola MD 72, Indiana 67: Indiana came all the way back from 24 points down, but Brett Harvey, who finished with 25 points and 5 assists, converted a four point play to kill the rally then knocked down two free throws, all in the final two minutes, as the Greyhounds beat the Hoosiers.
  
• Florida Gulf Coast 64, DePaul 61: FGC picked up their first ever win over a Big East schools as DePaul, who got 16 and 13 from Mac Kowshal, missed a game-tying three in the final seconds. Reggie Chambers had 20 in the win.
• Arkansas 66, Missouri State 62 OT: This game never should have gone to OT, as a defensive breakdown by the Razorbacks gave the Bears a wide open layup astime expiredin regulation. Rotnei Clarke, who had a team-high 19 points, hit a three with under a minute left in OT to give Arkansas the lead, then hit two free throws late to seal it.

Other notable scores:

• Purdue 90, SIU-Edwardsville 63: The Boilermakers overcame a sluggish start, using a run sparked by JaJuan Johnson, who finished with 16 points, to open up a 17 point halftime lead.
• Syracuse 92, Oakland 60: The Orange used a 17-4 run midway through the first half and got 27 points from freshman Brandon Triche in the win.
• UConn 71, Maine 54: The Huskies struggles continued, as they slogged their way to a 26-26 halftime tie with the Bears. But Jerome Dyson scored 22 of his 27 points in the second half as the Huskies pulled away. Ater Majok had 5 points, 4 boards, and 3 blocks in 18 minutes.
• UNC 98, Marshall 61: The Heels got 19 points and 10 boards from Ed Davis and 18 points form Tyler Zeller to bounce back from a loss to Texas.
• Ohio State 72, Cleveland State 59: David Lighty led the Buckeyes with 30 points as they pulled away in the second half from the Vikings.
• UNLV 67, SMU 53: The Rebels got 12 points from Tre'Von Willis and Anthony Marshall as they used a 22-2 first half run to put this one away.
• Georgia Tech 80, Kennessaw State 55: The Jackets got 18 points from Zach Peacock to lead four players in double figures.
• Clemson 79, Western Carolina 57: Trevor Booker had 31 points and 7 boards as th Tigers pulled away in the second half against the Catamounts using a 19-0 run to break open a 56-51 games.
• Richmond 89, UNC-Greensboro 63: The Spiders got 25 points form David Gonzalvez as they ran away from UNCG.
• BYU 110, Nevada 104: Jimmer Fredette scored 33 points after being held scoreless for the games first 9 minutes as the Cougars held on to beat Nevada and advance to the finals of the Las Vegas Classic. Jackson Emery added 27 points.
  
• St. Mary's 78, Northeastern 67: Omar Samhan had 19 points and 8 boards, and a three from Ben Allen late in the second half broke a 49-all tie as the Gaels pulled away down the stretch.
• USC 55, Western Michigan 51: Mike Gerrity scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, once again leading the Trojans to a win. USC overcame a nine point halftime deficit, and caught a break when David Kool missed a three off of an offensive rebound of a free throw that would have tied it late.
• Florida State 95, Tennessee-Martin 68: FSU used a 23-2 run to start this game. Michael Snaer scored 18 in the win.
• Notre Dame 101, Bucknell 69: Luke Harangody had 20 points and 11 boards as the Irish jumped out to a 15-4 lead and were ahead 49-22 at the half.
• Virginia Tech 71, UMBC 34: The Hokies got 16 first half points from Malcolm Delaney as they took a 38-13 half time lead.
• Seton Hall 94, Navy 56: Seton Hall got 18 points from Jordan Theodore and 17 from Jeremy Hazell as the Pirates pulled away in the second half.
• Michigan 76, Coppin State 46: Michigan got 20 points from Stu Douglass and 18 from DeShawn Sims, but still shot just 33% from three in the win.
• Pitt 74, Ohio 49: Ashton Gibbs scored 15 points as the Panthers jumped out to an early 17 points lead and never looked back.
  
• Cincinnati 74, Winthrop 57: Yancy Gates scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half as the Bearcats went into the break up by 16.
• Iowa State 83, North Dakota 52: The Cyclones overcame a sluggish start as Marquis Gilstrap and 16 points and 13 boards.
• Maryland 98, Winston-Salem 55: Greivis Vasquez might have finally found his groove - he finished this game with 27 points, 11 assists, and 8 boards.
• Mississippi State 88, Centenary 51: Barry Stewart had 20 points and Ravern Johnson added 14 in the Bulldogs win.
• Texas Tech 100, Stanford 87: Mike Singletary scored 24 of his 28 points in a second half surge as the Red Raiders held on despite 27 points and 11 boards from Landry Fields.
• Washington State 72, LSU 70: After tying the game with 7 seconds left in regulation, Klay Thompson hit two free throws (he had 26 points on the night) to give Wazzu a 72-68 lead. But after an LSU bucket and a turnover, bo Spencer, who led the Tigers with 23 points, missed a contested three at the buzzer.
• Oregon 77, Idaho 71: Malcolm Armstead scored 23 points to help the Ducks hold off the Vandals.
• UCLA 75, Colorado State 63: The Bruins went on a 29-9 run after falling behind 54-46 in the second half for the win. Nikola Dragovic led UCLA with 17 points.
  

Tuesday's Best:

• Greivis Vasquez might finally be getting hot as he was two rebound shy of a triple double, adding 27 points and 11 assists in a win for the Terps.
• Morgan State's Kevin Thompson led the Bears to a 87-80 win over Towson with 22 points and 25 boards.
  
• Jimmer Fredette scored 33 points in the last 31 minutes of the game and added 5 assists as BYU outlasted Nevada 110-104.
• Nate Rohnert scored 34 points as Denver beat Seattle with a three at the buzzer.

Continue reading...

Wednesday Morning Dump

- Karen Syphers to plead not guilty, again.

- Derrick Roland had successful surgery on his leg, but teammates and some of his coaches will remain in Washington with him until his family comes. Sad, we wish him as speedy a recovery as possible

- Sebastian Telfair has faith in Lance Stephenson

- Gary Parrish wrote a great article about Texas' Damion James

- A fantastic report of last night's game between Indiana and Loyola (Md.)

- A bitter review of the MSU/Texas game

- Nobody likes internet trolls

- Louisville's Terrence Jennings suspended one game for violating team rules

- Player of the year race

- Good read on Cal's Jerome Randle

- No big apple school has been to the big dance since 2006

- Is Kansas flawless? Their own blog doesn't think so

- I might have said this before, but Texas is flexing it's muscle

- Minnesota's Royce White still suspended, says Tubby Smtih

- Jeff Capel and Willie Warren need to get on the same page

- Georgetown junior Nikita Mescheriakov to transfer at end of semester; A tribute to Mescheriakov

- A screen shot of Nic Wise's shot against Lipscomb

- Has any WCC player played as well as Omar Samhan?

- Only in Philadelphia

This kid doesn't like you:




Continue reading...

The BIAH Quotables

This a new feature we are trying out here at BIAH this season. Throughout the week, we are going to post some notable quotes or excerpts that show up in our google reader. Stupid people say stupid things 24 hours a day, and being somehow associated with the college hoops landscape does not preclude that fact. That said, we will not limit our quotables to the simple and idiotic, as the insightful and intelligent will also be highlighted. Feel free to pass along any quotables you stumble across to contactbiah@gmail.com or @ballinisahabit.

The snow is starting to melt and holiday season is starting to heat up. Here are some worthy quotables to get you through the holiday work week.


The big game of the weekend was "Mega-Bowl" Texas vs. UNC game at Jerry' Jones' Colosseum. Texas won in decisive fashion and raised the eyebrows of many hoops enthusiasts:

The 60-41 advantage on the boards posted by Texas, as impressive as it may look, in fact doesn’t begin to capture the degree of abject domination that the ‘Horns inflicted on their opponent.

Keep in mind North Carolina actually shot pretty well, and, more to the point, they shot significantly better than Texas. Which means there were fewer opportunities for the ‘Horns to haul down defensive boards. So for this team to get 19 more rebounds anyway means their work on the glass had to be absolutely absurd. Indeed it was: the Longhorns got to fully half of their own misses and rebounded 72 percent of Carolina’s missed shots.

The big controversy of the weekend was the ending to the Butler vs. Xavier game. John Adams, the NCAA coordinator of officials was concerned that the fans might get involved upon hearing the official ruling:

I went to the assistant police chief and said I think there is a 50-50 chance that they will wave off the basket.

If that happens, you need security with [the officials] right away. Once Xavier got the bad news, it was momentarily not pretty. But I'll hand it to the Xavier coach [Chris Mack]. He wasn't happy, but he didn't go crazy. He got his team off the floor and was gracious in the interview room.

Andy Katz made a nice point about Arizona State's record when given time to prepare. He believes coach Herb Sendak deserves the credit:

Give Herb Sendek five full days to prepare for a game and you get quality results. Arizona State beat San Diego State by three in Tempe. Over the last three seasons, Sendek is 10-1 when given a week of prep.

A fantastic line written from the Syracuse blog, Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician:

At the Knicks game friday night (David Lee is my hero). I noticed this banner at MSG. Nice to see our own GMac (Gerry McNamara) on there doing an awkward fist pump that looks like it may result in Tommy John surgery. The only problem with this banner was that it was too high to urinate on the image of a particular Georgetown player.

Stay classy Syracuse.

Another great team-specific blog, Boiled Sports, had a great piece about Purdue's Big Ten opener against Iowa. The writers are thinking about taking that night off, I can't blame them:

Next week the Boilers take on Iowa in the first Big Ten conference game of the season. And, frankly, Iowa is so terrible, we don't think we can watch. Seriously, the bloodshed may be enough to give this one a "mature audiences only" rating. I know I don't like watching baby seals get clubbed, but maybe you sick bastards do.

Does anyone want to write the game recap column? Seriously, we're offering this up in the hopes that someone who is brave enough to watch that game is willing to share their observations. We're afraid watching Iowa basketball might make us worse hoopsters than we already are and, well, we can't afford that.

Our first tweet to appear in The BIAH Quotables comes from ESPN analyst/ color commentator Jimmy Dykes. He has a warning for all the players this week:

Upset alert for all teams the next 24 hours. If u r looking forward to Christmas break more than your next game, u r in trouble.

Continue reading...

The BIAH Advent Calendar: Day 22

Yup, it is December. And as the temperatures outside drop, the heat is rising on college campuses across the country as basketball season kicks into full swing. But December is also a time to reflect on the past year. This December is special, because as we draw closer to the new year, we get closer to the end of the aughts. In the spirit of the holidays, we are going to celebrate the decade past by counting down the top 25 games, players, and teams of the last 10 years with the BIAH advent calender. Each day, we will be unveiling the next on each of our lists, culminating with our gift to you on Christmas Day: the best game, the best player, and the best team of the 2000's.

Here is No. 4:


2002: Duke vs. Maryland: In the early 2000's, Duke-Maryland was one of the best rivalries in the country. Both teams were loaded with NBA talent, both programs won league titles as well as a national title, and it seemed that every time these two squads took the court, it was an instant classic.

Maryland took control on this game late, going up 90-80 with just over a minute left in the game. That's when Jay Williams took over:



That comeback would go down in history as the "Miracle Minute".

In the overtime, the Dukies would hit a number of big baskets, and after hitting 1-2 free throws to five the devils a 98-96 lead with 12 seconds left, Shane Battier would block Juan Dixon at the rim before the Devils dribbled out the clock.


Shane Battier, Duke: Battier was a throw back player for the Dukies. When he first got to campus, he was known as a defensive stopper, a role playing big man that could pass and shoot, and the country's best at drawing a charge. As a sophomore it was more of the same, as Battier still played a role for the '99 Duke team that lost to UConn in the title game.

But with guys like Elton Brand, Trajan Landgon, and William Avery all leaving Duke after the season, Battier became a much more influential player on the offensive. As a junior, Battier not only averaged 17.4 ppg and 5.6 rpg while shooting 44% from three, he also averaged over 2 steals and 2 block per game. Duke would go on to win both ACC title before being knocked out in the Sweet 16 as Battier was named 2nd team all america.

Battier was known for his defense at Duke. This block sealed Duke's win in the "Miracle Minute".
(photo credit: ESPN)

Battier had a fantastic senior season. He averaged 19.9 ppg and 7.3 rpg and was also arguably the best defensive player in the country. Duke once again won the ACC regular season and tournament titles (the 1998 ACC Tournament title was the only conference championship Battier didn't win in his four years in Durham), but also won the 2001 national title. Battier, for his efforts, earned both the Naismith and Wooden awards as well as the 2001 NCAA tournament MOP.


2005 North Carolina Tar Heels: North Carolina in 2005 was led by a trio of juniors - Rashad McCants, Sean May, and Raymond Felton. But after their freshman season, did anyone think a title was within reach for these guys? In their first season, under the tutelage of Matt Doherty, the Heels went just 17-15 before Doherty was basically forced out and Roy Williams was brought in.

Rashad McCants was a big reason why UNC the Heels won the 2005 title.
(photo credit: UNC Athletics)

Even the 2005 season got off to an inauspicious start with a season opening loss to Santa Clara out in Maui. But Roy Williams brought in an excellent freshman named Marvin Williams, and combining those four with experienced role players Jackie Manuel, Jawad Williams, Reyshawn Terry, and David Noel, the Tar Heels won the 2005 ACC regular season title before rolling through the NCAA Tournament and beating Illinois, who had just one loss on the season heading in, in the finals.


No. 5: Michigan State v. Kentucky, Jay Williams, UConn's 2004 team
No. 6: UConn v. George Mason, Emeka Okafor, Illinois's 2005 team
No. 7: Oklahoma State v. Texas, Carmelo Anthony, Michigan State's 2000 team
No. 8: UCLA v. Gonzaga, Jameer Nelson, Maryland's 2002 team
No. 9: Barton v. Winona State, Blake Griffin, St. Joseph's 2004 team
No. 10: West Virginia v. Wake Forest, Juan Dixon, Kansas's 2008 team
No. 11: Kansas v. Memphis, TJ Ford, Syracuse's 2003 team
No. 12: West Virginia v. Louisville, Stephen Curry, and UCLA's 2008 team
No. 13: Gonzaga v. Arizona, Kevin Durant, and Florida's 2006 Team
No. 14: UConn v. Duke, Joakim Noah, and Duke's 2002 team
No. 15: Oklahoma State v. St. Joe's, Chris Paul, and UConn's 2006 team
No. 16: Gonzaga v. Oklahoma State, Ty Lawson, and Kentucky's 2003 team
No. 17: Duke v. Maryland in the 2001 Final Four, Deron Williams, and Gonzaga's 2006 team
No. 18: Duke v. Indiana, Mateen Cleaves, Gonzaga
No. 19: Syracuse v. Kansas, Dwyane Wade, UCLA's 2006 team
No. 20: Pitt v. Villanova, Michael Beasley, and Duke's 2004 team
No. 21: Duke vs. Maryland in the 2001 ACC Semis, Josh Howard, Arizona's 2001 team
No. 22: Marquette v. Kentucky, Tayshaun Prince, UConn's 2009 team
No. 23: Vermont v. Syracuse, Andrew Bogut, and Memphis's 2008 team.
No. 24: UConn v. Miami, Luke Harangody, and Kansas's 2003 team
No. 25: Drake v. Western Kentucky, Wayne Simien, and Louisville's 2009 team.
Continue reading...

Holiday Festival Day 2

We had the opportunity to go to Madison Square Garden four times already this season - for the Preseason NIT, the SEC/Big East Invitational, and the Jimmy V Classic. While the experience was great and the games even better, what most don't realize is that for bloggers like ourselves, events like this are a great opportunity to network.

One of the people we got a chance to meet there was Ray Floriani, a columnist at College Chalk Talk and a fellow member of Rush the Court's army of correspondents. Ray was able to battle the snow and made it to the Garden on Sunday for the first round of the Holiday Festival and was kind enough to do a write-up for us.

Ray will be popping up from time-to-time here at BIAH.

By Ray Floriani

NEW YORK CITY - Cornell’s last trip to the Holiday Festival was 1970. It was billed the ECAC Holiday Festival and had a power packed field. Back then nationally ranked South Carolina and Western Kentucky (remember Jim McDaniels?) met in the final with Frank McGuire’s Gamecocks earning an 86-84 victory. Cornell went 1-2 in the eight team field, losing to South Carolina the first round, defeating Manhattan then dropping a fifth place game to Holy Cross.

Suffice to say the Big Red’s return trip, almost four decades later, was much more enjoyable and memorable as they claimed the championship defeating St.John’s in the final 71-66.

Cornell's cheerleader wishing everyone a happy holiday after the Big Red's title.

The championship was an outside shooting affair at the onset with both teams lighting it up beyond the arc. The numbers bear this out.

• Cornell: 58 possessions, offensive efficiency of 122, effective FG 70%
• St. John's: 59 possessions, offensive efficiency of 112, effective FG 52%
  

Offensive efficiency is points per possession multiplied by 100. Cornell registered 1.22 points per possession. Both Teams had above average offensive efficiency marks. Cornell, as noted, bordered on the superlative.

EFG percentage takes into account three point shots. The formula is

EFG = FGM + (.5 * 3pt FGM)/FGA.

The Big Red’s 11 of 18 mark from beyond the arc was a major reason for the very high EFG mark.

In the first half both teams shot well (an identical 7 of 11 from three). St. John’s took a 36-31 lead into halftime. In the second half St. John’s cooled off and Cornell gradually caught the Red Storm and took a lead. St. John’s coach Norm Roberts felt Cornell denied the paint and gave the three. On the other side Cornell mentor Steve Donahue believed the percentages would catch St. John’s, not known as a proficient three point club. They did.

Davidson defeated Hofstra 61-52 in the consolation. It was a tough game emotionally for both coaches. Bob McKillop of Davidson is a Hofstra grad and Tome Pecora of Hofstra is a good friend who once coached with McKillop (at Long Island Lutheran High school 1984-87). "I just tried to look at the scoreboard and see home and visitors," McKillop said.

Final notes...

'Spahn and Sain and pray for rain'. The old Boston Braves baseball slogan can apply to Hofstra. They have two good guards in junior Charles Jenkins and freshman Chaz Williams. The Pride needs someone, preferably an upperclassman, to step up and contribute on a regular basis. Hofstra has to rebound better as they were beaten on the boards both nights.

Davidson is still under .500 at 5-8. They are getting better. Part of the process was former role players now having new duties and being asked to step up with the Stephen Curry era over. The Wildcats also had a tough non-league schedule with the likes of Butler, Rhode Island and Gonzaga before the trip here. Suffice to say they are coming together and had two fine outings in the Big Apple.

Davidson and Cornell are two throw back teams with their ball movement, precision cutting and mid to long range shooting. For the two games Cornell had 39 assists to just 24 turnovers. The Big Red assisted on 68% of their field goals.

MVP Jeff Foote was very impressive. The seven foot Cornell senior center doesn’t force the issue, is a good passer and has nice inside moves. Foote also has something you rarely see on any level from big men today, a soft jump hook. Foote scored 19 points and had a game high 11 boards in the championship game.

Have to love the MSG scoreboard. You get virtually every college score men and women. Case in point. I exited MSG knowing the Sacramento State Women’s team defeated the Academy of Art 92-70.

All Tournament:

Chaz Williams, Hofstra - Two good games, led Hofstra with 14 points in the consolation.

Jake Cohen, Davidson- Scored 18 both games, a 6-10 freshman and the Wildcats’ leading scorer.

Dwight Hardy, St. John’s- An all tourney selection who came off the bnch and was a factor both nights. Led the Storm with 19 points aginst Cornell.

D.J. Kennedy, St. John’s- A solid scorer and rebounded the 6-5 senior swingman has to be guarded outside and can get to the rim.

Ryan Wittman, Cornell - Hit the shot that sent Cornell to the final. Scored 10 in the final but had 29 in that big semifinal victory.

MSG Lou Carnesecca Holiday Festival MVP - Jeff Foote, Cornell: Foote’s exploits were noted previously. He can also be credited with great humilty as he said after the game "the only other MVP I got was in a high school tournament. To get it here on this stage at Madison Square Garden is really exciting."

To all.. A Happy Holiday!
Continue reading...

Tuesday's Pregame Beat

There were games all day today. Right now BYU is playing Nevada, St. Mary's is playing Northeastern, and Georgia Tech, Memphis, and Richmond have already won big. Here is the college basketball schedule for tonight.

7:00 pm: Michigan State @ Texas: Big game tonight out in Texas. This matchup is going to answer a lot of questions about both team. Does Texas has yet to play a quality oponent with an elite back court, which Michigan State has. The Spartans, on the other hand, have struggled this season, especially against teams that have size inside as they are smaller this season than in years past. I don't think the Spartans are going to be able to handle the Horns inside, but I think we all have learned to never write off a Tom Izzo coached team.

7:00 pm: Oakland @ Syracuse: Syracuse is playing as well as anyone in the country this season, but the Grizzlies have a talented club. Keith Benson is one of the best big men at the mid-major level, and Johnathon Jones is a solid back court player. The Orange are going to need to be ready to play tonight.

7:30 pm: Western Carolina @ Clemson: Clemson better not sleep on the Catamounts. They are 10-1 on the season, and look to be the best team in the Southern Conference. Louisville, who plays a similar style to Clemson, slept on Western Carolina and came away with an L.

8:00 pm: Missouri State @ Arkansas: The Razorbacks are not all that good this season, but they have a great home court and a couple of talented players. The Bears and undefeated, but still a bit untested. Winning on the road against an SEC team would be a statement win.

8:00 pm: Stanford @ Texas Tech: Tech is coming off of a loss to a good Wichita State team, and while the Cardinal aren't the same Cardinal of a few years ago, this is still a team that boasts one of the best players out west in Landry Fields and took Kentucky to overtime.

8:00 pm: Butler @ UAB: Butler looks like they have started to figure things out as Gordon Hayward is beginning to play like the all-american everyone thought he would be, but Matt Howard is still struggling. UAB just beat Cincinnati at home, can they pick up another win?

9:00 pm: Cal @ Kansas: Cal is going to need a huge performance out of Jerome Randle, Patrick Christopher, and Theo Robertson if they hope to beat Kansas at home. The Jayhawks will have a huge advantage inside.

11:00 pm: Texas A&M @ Washington: Nice contrast of styles here. The Aggies are excellent defensively and like to slow the pace. Washington hasn't played much defense all season and loves to push the tempo and put up points.

Other notable games:

• 5:00 pm: Western Michigan vs. USC
• 5:30 pm: Tulsa vs. Nebraska
• 7:00 pm: Tennessee-Martin @ Florida State
• 7:00 pm: South Alabama @ Florida
• 7:00 pm: Bucknell @ Notre Dame
• 7:00 pm: George Washington @ East Carolina
• 7:00 pm: Marshall @ UNC
• 7:00 pm: UMBC @ Virginia Tech
• 7:00 pm: Navy @ Seton Hall
• 7:00 pm: Maine @ UConn
• 7:00 pm: Coppin State @ Michigan
• 7:00 pm: Ohio @ Pitt
• 7:30 pm: Winthrop @ Cincinnati
• 8:00 pm: Central CT @ Northwestern
• 8:00 pm: Winston-Salem @ Maryland
• 8:00 pm: Centenary @ Mississippi State
• 8:00 pm: SIU-Edwardsville @ Purdue
• 9:00 pm: San Diego State @ Drake
• 10:00 pm: LSU @ Washington State
• 10:00 pm: Idaho State @ Oregon
• 10:30 pm: Colorado State @ UCLA
• 10:30 pm: SMU @ UNLV
  

Continue reading...

Tuesday's Shootaround: UK2K, a Nic Wise buzzer beater, and more struggles in Norman

UTEP 89, Oklahoma 74: The Miners started the game on fire hitting six of their first nine threes and eventually opened up a 19 point first half lead. Oklahoma would cut the lead to ten twice, but would never get an closer. Willie Warren had 26 points, which is much better than the four point performance he had against Northern Colorado, but he still seems to be on a different page than Jeff Capel.

If you didn't believe us before, maybe you will now: UTEP is for real. Randy Culpepper, who had 27 points last night, is one of the most dynamic scoring guards in the country, Derrick Caracter and Arnett Moultrie are a nice combination for each other on the front line, 6'7" Julyan Stone is Evan Turner v2.0, and guys like Christian Polk and Jeremy Williams are excellent role players. Polk had 17 last night. It is going to be fun to see UTEP and Tulsa battle for the C-USA title.

Kentucky 88, Drexel 44: Kentucky did it. They became the first team to win 2,000 games. Now, personally, I don't think it is that big of a deal. Does becoming the first to 2,000 wins really mean that much? Does it say anything about the current UK program? The two teams right behind the Wildcats, Kansas and UNC, have won the last two national titles and three combined this decade. Kentucky hasn't even reached a final four since '98.



That said, for fans of the blue bloods, the argument always is who's program, who's team, is the best of all-time. Having the most wins is a compelling way to argue that. UCLA has the overwhelming lead in national titles, but that really all came from one decade of success. The most wins is a sign that your program has consistently been the best.

Enough about UK2K. Last night, the '09-'10 Wildcats looked the best that they have all season. For the first time, they dominated and overwhelmed an inferior opponent for 40 minutes. Are the Wildcats finally starting to put it all together? That's a scary thought for SEC teams. Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins both scored 18 points to lead the Wildcats.

Arizona 83, Lipscomb 82 OT: Lipscomb led for the majority of this game, but Arizona took a three point lead late before Brian Wright hit a triple with 1.5 seconds left to force the overtime. The game was back and forth in OT, with Lipscomb taking a two point lead late. Adnan Hodzic missed the second of two free throws with just 4.7 seconds on the cock, setting up an exciting finish. You tell me if the ball is still in his hands:



Cornell 71, St. John's 66: The Big Red got 19 points, 11 boards, and 5 blocks out of Jeff Foote and 20 points from Jon Jacques as they went into the Garden and knocked off the Johnnies. With about two minutes left in the game, Foote scored in the paint to break a 60-all tie, and a minute later Jacques knocked down his fifth three of the game to give Cornell a 67-62 lead. Dwight Hardy led St. John's with 19 points.

Kansas State 90, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 76: The Wildcats looked a step slow as they slogged their way to a 14 point win over winless UAPB. Jacob Pullen led the way with 18 points.

Oklahoma State 77, La Salle 62: The Pokes got 28 points from James Anderson and 18 points from Marshall Moses as they led the entire game. La Salle got 22 points from Rodney Green, but never really threatened OK State.

South Carolina 81, Furman 57: Devan Downey led four players in double figures and flirted with a triple double, going for 16 points, 8 assists, and 7 steals, as the Gamecocks won. The news wasn't all good today, as it was announced that Dominique Archie will be undergoing season ending knee surgery.

Arizona State 69, UCSB 42: Rihard Kuksiks had 24 points on eight threes and Derek Glasser became the Sun Devils all time assists leader.

Dayton 65, Appalachian State 49: The Flyers continue to struggle on the offenive end as they shot just 38.6% from the floor. Chris Wright had 14 points, however, as Dayton pulled away down the stretch.

Miami 80, North Carolina A&T 59: The Hurricanes got 14 points of out Malcolm Grant to lead five players in double figures in a blowout win.

Vanderbilt 99, Mercer 59: Vandy looks like they are starting to play some defense. For the second straight game, they held their opponent to 25 first half points. An 18-2 run during the first half broke this one open. Freshman John Jenkins led the way with 17 points.

Wichita State 69, North Dakota State 57: The Shockers used a 13-0 run to start the game, and kept the lead at double digits throughout. Toure Murry led the way with 15 points.

Monday's Best:

• Jacksonville's Ben Smith scored 32 points and hit 7 threes, but the Dolphins fell to East Tennessee State.
  
• Providence's Greedy Peterson had 25 points and 13 boards in PC's win over Yale, but Alex Zampier of the Bulldogs kept them close with 25 of his own.
• Lipscomb's Adnan Hodzic may have missed a free throw that eventually cost them the game, but his 34 points and 13 boards were the biggest reason the Bison had a chance to win.
• Jamarco Warren of Charleston Southern had 37 points and 6 steals in a win over Southeastern University.
• Long Beach State's TJ Robinson had 22 points and 18 boards in a loss.
  

Continue reading...

Tuesday Morning Dump

- Andy Katz tries to solve the clock dilemma

- UConn having trouble selling tickets

- Adam Zagoria provides us with a look at Derrick Caracter's new life

- Any guess as to who the guy on the right in this picture is?

- Seth Davis has some advice for Oklahoma

- Matt Doherty has forgiven UNC

- John Wall to be featured in SI?

- Gary Parrish's title for his week in review: Xavier fails at math, Gonzaga fails at basketball. Classic.

- Nikola Dragovic pleads not guilty

- What the voters got wrong this week

- A letter to santa from Hoosier fans

- Ohhh thanks, because I totally have been wondering what Eric Devendorf has been up to?

- A good read on somebody you (and I) probably should know but don't

- South Carolina's Dominique Archie to have season-ending knee surgery

- Indiana State reinstates Marshall

- A couple of hilarious comments from fans of struggling teams that are still ranked

- NC State's guard Smith suspended for criticizing referees

- So this wasn't Anthony Tucker's first drunken arrest

- World's tallest teen is 6'11 New Jersey girl who is trying to learn basketball. Go figure

- Just because schools were canceled due to snow doesn't mean we can't learn anything

After the jump, he's 13?


Continue reading...

Jio Fontan commits to USC

Kevin O'Neil is already making his presence felt in Southern California as he has gotten a commitment from Fordham transfer Jio Fontan.

Fontan, a product of the same high school team that yielded Tyshawn Taylor, Travon Woodall, and four other D1 players, averaged 15.3 ppg as a freshman for Fordham, but decided to leave the school over the summer.

At first he wasn't granted his release, but finally got it last month after head coach Dereck Whittenburg was fired.

Fontan should be expected to contribute major minutes for USC when he becomes eligible in December 2010 as Mike Gerrity and Dwight Lewis are both graduating this spring. With Alex Stephenson and Nikola Vucevic both coming back, head coach Kevin O'Neil has a solid core to recruit and build around.

This addition comes of the heels of the Trojans 22 point win over Tennessee.

While it is still going to take a while for this program to get back to where they were under Tim Floyd, landing players like Fontan, who also had drawn interest from Alabama, Tennessee, and Miami, is a good first step.

Things may be looking up for the Trojans.

Continue reading...