ESPN Men's Basketball

ESPN.com's Andy Katz reviews the just-completed Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

Andy Katz talks with Minnesota’s Al Nolen after winning the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- West Virginia’s Casey Mitchell did just about everything he could to help the Mountaineers try to beat Minnesota in Sunday night’s Puerto Rico Tip-Off final.

Foul problems plagued a number of other players and even seldom-used bench players like freshman Kevin Noreen had to step in to provide some hustle and production.

It wasn’t an ideal scenario -- and no one from WVU felt worse about the 74-70 loss than point guard Darryl Bryant.

In Friday’s semifinal win over Vanderbilt, Bryant scored 11 points on 2-of-11 shooting with six assists and one turnover. But against Minnesota, he wasn’t just off. He admittedly disappeared. And it cost the Mountaineers dearly as Minnesota lead guard Al Nolen scored 17 points, got to the line 12 times (converting 11), and backcourt teammate Blake Hoffarber connected on four 3s.

Bryant played just 10 minutes, took (and missed) one shot and finished with more turnovers (3) than points (0) and assists (1).

“I let my team down,’’ Bryant said. “We’re going to be good regardless of losing this game. But honestly, I didn’t show up to play. I let my team down. I was a no-show. We’ll get better. This is a long season and it’s just the third or fourth game of the season. We’re a talented bunch. We just have to pick it up. We will and we’ll win.’’

The Eers discovered they have a shooter and go-to scorer on the trip in Mitchell. He followed up his 31-point, game-winning-3 performance against Vandy with a 27-point showing against the Gophers. Mitchell, a senior, is no longer waging verbal warfare with West Virginia coach Bob Huggins.

“I’m a senior and I’ve got nothing to lose, so I’m focused every night,’’ Mitchell said. “If my shot doesn’t fall, I’ve got to help my team somewhere else and make the pass to an open man.’’

The Mountaineers didn’t get special play out of Kevin Jones or John Flowers on the wing. Deniz Kilicli is still a work in progress. Bryant and Joe Mazzulla were either erratic or not as productive. The role players -- Cam Thoroughman, Dan Jennings, Dalton Pepper and Noreen -- all had their moments of contribution.

But the reality is, West Virginia can only be a Big East contender if Mitchell makes shots, Bryant is locked in, Jones becomes a special talent and the rest of the players hit the boards.

It didn’t help on Sunday that the Mountaineers weren’t the more physical team and didn’t draw fouls. The Gophers went to the line 35 times compared to WVU’s 23.

West Virginia wasn’t exactly the most physical team here.

"We haven’t been this year,’’ Huggins said. “Generally we are. As a rule, we haven’t been this year.’’

And that needs to change for the Mountaineers to reach their potential.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- His eighth-ranked team left Puerto Rico a disappointing 1-2, but North Carolina coach Roy Williams said he’s not panicking.

Maybe that’s the case. It’s a long season, after all. But UNC also departed here late Sunday night without knowing if it truly has a leader on its team.

Williams is taking on the responsibility of trying to develop one amid the locker room, but it remains to be seen if anyone among the current Tar Heel personnel has the right personality to take charge of the team.

“Right now, we don’t have one,’’ said Williams after Sunday night’s 72-65 loss to Vanderbilt. “It has to be the coaches until the players develop it on the floor. We don’t have bad kids. They all want to do the right thing. They just don’t know how to do it. It’s up to me to teach them and it might be by running the dickens out of them or they’ve go to accept it themselves.’’

North Carolina struggled with Lipscomb in their opener before pulling away in Chapel Hill. And then the Heels dismantled Hofstra in the first round here Thursday. But North Carolina was essentially manhandled by Minnesota in Friday’s semifinals and never had great flow Sunday against the Commodores. And there was no player to shake them out of their funk.

There is undoubtedly plenty of talent, led by AP preseason all-American Harrison Barnes. But the freshman thus far hasn’t exhibited the personality of taking over a game from a vocal standpoint. He also struggled against a more physical team (0-for-12 against Minnesota). Point guard Larry Drew II doesn’t have that extroverted personality on the court, either. Neither does Tyler Zeller or John Henson and it’s too soon to say whether or not the newcomers like Kendall Marshall can command that role.

“I’m not panicking by any means,’’ Williams said. “I feel 100 times better than I did last year. We’re still a work in progress.’’

The Tar Heels lost an unthinkable 17 games last season. Williams called the season the most frustrating he has had as a coach. Carolina had leadership -- at least some outspoken types like Deon Thompson -- but could never mesh. Thompson is gone and the offseason brought about the abrupt departure of the Wear twins to UCLA, as well as the dismissal of senior shooting guard Will Graves, the top returning 3-point shooter.

The Tar Heels will have their moments when they’re not a proficient 3-point shooting team (like Sunday’s 3-of-11 performance) and there will be games where they’re on. The ability to score on the break and from the wing shouldn’t be a question. But North Carolina shouldn’t be as dominated physically as it was by Minnesota and Vanderbilt. If that’s a trend, then the Tar Heels will be in trouble.

“I said after the first home game that this team will get better as the season goes along,’’ Williams said. “Z and Larry are the only guys we’ve had that have ever started a game before this year. We’re a work in progress.’’

Williams said the Tar Heels will show flashes of being a really good team.

Whether or not that can come on a consistent basis -- especially with plenty of quality games left on the nonconference schedule -- remains to be seen.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- When Tubby Smith made the abrupt decision to leave Kentucky on his own terms and go to Minnesota in 2007, the question at hand was whether he could lead the Gophers to a championship.

Last season, he directed a depleted roster that was without its top defender (ineligible Al Nolen) to the school’s first-ever Big Ten tournament title game appearance. The Gophers lost and then fell in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Minnesota was on the verge of having momentum in the offseason with Nolen eligible, Trevor Mbakwe cleared of his legal troubles and the embattled Royce White finally gone. But then the team’s best offensive creator, Devoe Joseph, failed to live up to Smith’s standards and was suspended indefinitely prior to the start of the season. Minnesota’s attempt to earn a championship of any sort, beginning with the Honda Puerto Rico Tip-Off, seemed derailed.

Well, not quite.

The Gophers beat No. 8 North Carolina 72-67 on Friday night by outmuscling the Tar Heels in the paint. They locked down the first-ever freshman preseason first-team all-American Harrison Barnes (a stunning 0-for-12 from the field) and showed the country the strength and depth of their frontcourt.

What does it mean? Well, for starters, Minnesota will play West Virginia in Sunday night’s championship game on ESPN2. And every other Big Ten team should be put on notice that the Gophers are a legitimate contender with Michigan State, Ohio State, Illinois and Purdue for the conference title.

“I think at the beginning of the year we definitely had the confidence that we could beat these type of teams, but you want some of the younger guys on the team to see it too,’’ said Minnesota senior guard Blake Hoffarber. “I think we proved a lot to a lot of people.’’

The Minnesota staff said that Joseph still has to go through a checklist of things for him to be reinstated by Smith after being suspended for a violation of team rules. He wasn’t on the trip and hasn’t played in a game this season, despite averaging 9.4 points a game last season.

“The guys know that we’re team-oriented, and while we certainly miss Devoe, we believe in the guys we have,’’ Smith said. “We’ve worked extremely hard in the offseason and on our Canadian trip [in August] and learned some things about what buttons to push. We’ve overcome a lot of challenges.’’

The Gophers haven’t played a slouch yet, beating solid mid-majors in Wofford, Siena and then Western Kentucky in the first round here in Puerto Rico.

But what Carolina found out is that Minnesota is a bear to deal with in the post with Ralph Sampson III (12 points), Mbakwe (12 points, nine boards), Colton Iverson (11 boards) and Maurice Walker (five points, four boards) all able to clog the middle, board and defend. The Minnesota bigs outplayed the Tar Heels’ John Henson (as many turnovers as blocks with three), Tyler Zeller (played in foul trouble most of the game) and Justin Knox (fouled out) in addition to locking down Barnes a day after he scored 19 points in the first half and looked unstoppable against Hofstra. Barnes was humbled and completely shut down by the Gophers’ defense

“They are tough,’’ Zeller said. “We had a hard time getting through the screens. It’s effective the way they use everyone. If one [big] gets tired, then the next one comes in and is very talented. It makes it very difficult.’’

The Gophers outrebounded North Carolina, got to the line more often and had an answer for any and every UNC run. Hoffarber led the Gophers with 20 points and Sampson and Mbakwe each had a dozen, but this was clearly a team that had balance.

“We lost our composure from the first moment of the game,’’ North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. “They were the more aggressive team right from the start and we did all the backpedaling. We didn’t react.’’

Williams wasn’t pleased with the poor boxing-out by his team or how the Gophers were effective in getting to the rim.

“We just stunk,’’ Williams said. “They were more aggressive than we were. It wasn’t a good night.’’

Williams vented a bit about the attention Barnes received Friday by ESPN for his performance Thursday, saying that “it’s tough on a freshman when everybody is saying he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread and to live up to that. People need to be realistic.’’

But he didn’t shy away from crediting the Gophers.

“We’re standing and dribbling, going side to side and they’re attacking the basket,’’ Williams said. “And they’re good defensively. Every time we set a screen, they got over it. And every time they set a screen, we hit it and acted like it was Velcro.’’

The Tar Heels shot 22 percent on 3s, under 40 percent overall and could never get in an offensive rhythm against Minnesota’s switching defenses.

But whether they would admit it or not, the Gophers were anxious to prove they belong in the elite by beating a blueblood like Carolina on a neutral court.

And they were convincing in doing so.

“We knew this was a big game for the program,’’ Mbakwe said. “We just came out and played well and played every play like it was our last.’’

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- If Western Kentucky coach Ken McDonald needs to remind his team who they are and what they need to do to be successful, then he’ll likely bust out the second-half tape of Friday's win over Hofstra for the rest of the season.

The Hilltoppers, one of the Sun Belt favorites and a possible pest in the NCAA tournament if they get a bid, came back from 14 down to Hofstra to win 62-60 in the consolation game of the Honda Puerto Rico Tip-Off at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico.

How significant a comeback was it for the Toppers? Western Kentucky has a shot to go 2-1 if it can beat Davidson on Sunday, which for a team hoping to possibly be an at-large school is a major development.

“Our backs were against the wall,’’ McDonald said. “We’re still trying to figure out who we are, but we can use this.’’

McDonald said that kind of swing can help shape a season and he’s hoping to build off of it. Western Kentucky has three studs who could play anywhere in Sergio Kerusch, Juan Pattillo (who started out at Oklahoma) and Steffphon Pettigrew. But the Hilltoppers hadn’t played cohesively through the first three halves of the tournament.

“You could tell we weren’t as together as we had been in the first two games [which started with a 28-point road rout of Saint Joseph’s],’’ Pettigrew said. “We were out of sync in the first game and first half. We didn’t have our focus. Now we’ve got a chance to leave Puerto Rico Sunday feeling good.’’

The trapping and pressing of Western Kentucky completely flustered Hofstra down the stretch. Putting Pattillo on CAA player of the year Charles Jenkins took him out of the game. Still, Jenkins had two chances to win it, but the first time he passed off to Mike Moore, who missed a wide-open 3-pointer. Then on the last possession with three seconds left, he didn’t touch the ball.

Jenkins, who scored 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting, said after the game he had confidence in Moore taking the shot. He said the young team is gaining confidence. But he knew there was a missed opportunity for the Pride.

Western Kentucky will have some opportunities to improve its power-rating with a loaded nonconference schedule that includes South Carolina and Louisville at home and road trips to Vanderbilt, Memphis and Murray State.

But leaving here 0-3 would have been a deep hole for the Hilltoppers. Now the chance is there for a 2-1 departure and momentum toward a possible at-large bid.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Some quick thoughts on Davidson's 70-67 win over Nebraska here at the Honda Puerto Rico Tip-Off:

Davidson coach Bob McKillop is going to maximize this team and it'll be a factor in the Southern Conference with Appalachian State, College of Charleston and Wofford. The Wildcats had a near-miss at Penn, were overmatched against West Virginia and got a solid win over Nebraska by making 11 3-pointers.

The Wildcats are a young squad, but have pieces with De'Mon Brooks able to slice into the lane, Brendan McKillop able to make 3s (6-of-11 on Friday) and balance from Jake Cohen (19 points) and J.P. Kuhlman(11).

McKillop was pleased with the way the Wildcats responded over the past 24 hours. He said the competitiveness Davidson showed against West Virginia was the first step toward maturing. Beating Nebraska was a major point forward and McKillop said the win was a lift for his team’s confidence.

Davidson isn’t going to beat itself and now it has some confidence that it can win. That’s a dangerous combination for SoCon teams that are used to seeing the Cats as a contender.

Meanwhile, Nebraska is in trouble. NU coach Doc Sadler came to Puerto Rico unsure about the squad he had in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers have size with Christian Standhardinger, Andre Almeida and Jorge Brian Diaz. But what they lack is consistent offensive execution and reliable guard play, even from the leading perimeter player, fullback-like Lance Jeter.

But the Huskers couldn’t finish off Davidson and couldn’t figure out how to deal with the Wildcats’ offensive execution. Now they enter Sunday’s 7-8 game with a real chance of leaving here 0-3.

“It’s going to be very critical, because it’s motivation,’’ Jeter said. “It’d give us motivation going back home for our regular season games. It gives us motivation for practice. We feed off this energy and I feel like once we get a good win here, it’ll carry over to home.’’

The problem for the Cornhuskers is that they have nothing to rely on at this juncture. They can defend, but even that comes in streaks as they gave up 11 treys to Davidson a day after the Wildcats missed their first 19 3s against West Virginia.

Sadler said that he can’t even begin to describe how poor the offensive execution has been so far in San Juan.

“Maybe it’s the defense,’’ Sadler said. “Until we get it corrected, until we understand how the game has to be played, we’re going to struggle.’’

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- If Casey Mitchell and Bob Huggins are finally on the same page, West Virginia has a real shot to compete for a Big East title.

If they continue this cat-and-mouse game of who is in control -- a game that Mitchell will always lose to the 673-win head coach -- then the Mountaineers may turn into a team that doesn’t reach its potential.

So far in this young season, Mitchell has kept quiet, not talking back to Huggins and playing the kind of defense required by Huggs. Mitchell’s ability to shoot was never in question. If he had been in line with his coach, that might be more known nationally. And it may now after Mitchell buried a decisive 3-pointer with three seconds left to finish off a career-high 31-point performance in Friday’s 74-71 semifinal win over Vanderbilt in the Honda Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

“I think he’s realized that he’s going to do what we asked him to do or he’s not going to play,’’ said Huggins. “He’s figured that out. We’re not asking him to do things that aren’t good. We’re not asking him to do bad things. But it’s hard to learn when your mouth is running. He’s grown up a lot.’’

Mitchell came to West Virginia a year ago from Chipola (Fla.) Junior College. Huggins recruited him to be a sharp-shooter. He was playing double-figure minutes in nonconference play last season, but his lack of defense and attention to detail led him to limited time. He played double-figures minutes only three times after Dec. 29.

Then he was suspended to start practice for a week to start this season.

“I know he gets frustrated with me,’’ Mitchell said of Huggins. “He knows I can play better. But he left me out there. Last year, I talked back a couple of times when I thought I was right about a situation. This year, I never say nothing back. I take it. I keep going. I keep working hard.’’

Mitchell said Huggins has gotten into his head, but in a positive way.

“He made me learn a valuable lesson that no matter how good you are, you’ll sit down [if you don’t listen],’’ Mitchell said. “I learned from my mistakes this year. I’m not going to do it again. I’m going to listen to him, stay humble and work hard.’’

Mitchell’s teammates are well-aware that he and Huggins have had issues.

“I guess they’re alike,’’ said WVU’s Kevin Jones. “They’re both stubborn. Once Casey was listening and not talking back and buying into the season, he stepped up and matured. It’s showing on the court. He’s got a scorer’s mentality and when he gets hot it’s lights out. We know that from practice. Not a lot of others know it, but the country will know it as the season goes on.’’

Teammate Darryl Bryant, who can feed Mitchell’s shooting, said the reason for the Huggins-Mitchell riff was about his defensive focus.

“He wanted to when he wanted to,’’ Bryant said of Mitchell’s desire to play defense. “He wasn’t buying into Huggs. This year, he is and it’s carrying over to the game. I knew he would. He can make shots and when he’s hot, he’s hot.’’

Mitchell had one streak in the second half when he scored 11 of 13 points for the Mountaineers. He was stunned when in the middle of the last offensive possession and the game tied, Vanderbilt went to a zone. Bryant found Mitchell open for the 3-pointer.

Vanderbilt’s Kevin Stallings defended the zone, saying it had been good to the Commodores.

“We should have had him covered on that last play,’’ Stallings said of Mitchell. “There was no reason for him to have gotten that shot on the last play. We just missed coverage and didn’t do what we’re coached to do. But he still had to make the shot and he did.’’

Mitchell said when he sees a zone, “my eyes light up. I found the open spot and usually I can get wide open against a zone.’’

Mitchell, who is in better condition this season, said he felt that he was going to have a bust-out game when he arrived in San Juan. Mitchell scored 12 points in 22 minutes in the opening win over Oakland and then scored a dozen points in 20 minutes in the win over Davidson here Thursday. Mitchell made six 3s and 9-of-15 shots (as well as 7-of-8 FTs) to score 31 points.

If Mitchell is ready to listen, then his shooting can be the perfect complement to the ballhandling and driving ability of Bryant and Joe Mazzulla on the perimeter, Jones and John Flowers on the wing and the rotation of strong men role players like Deniz Kilicli, Cam Thoroughman and Dan Jennings.

“There seems to be a curse where everyone wants to show the world what they can’t do rather than what they can,’’ Huggins said of Mitchell. “He’s learned so much and he can be a better player. He’s understanding how to play and that’s why he’s better. He was in miserable shape last year. He’s in great physical condition now. He just needs confidence. He knows I’m not going to pull the hook on him.’’

No way. Not when Mitchell can shoot like he did Friday to elevate the Mountaineers to a win.

Andy Katz looks at the Vanderbilt-WVU and UNC-Minnesota matchups at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic.

After a win over Western Kentucky, Minnesota's Blake Hoffarber looked ahead to Friday's matchup with eighth-ranked North Carolina at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Ralph Sampson III was getting the ball in the post, spinning with a soft hook from the left and then the right and then straight up the middle.

The moves were so fundamentally sound that it almost made you pause for a moment and disregard his full name. He was no longer just Ralph Sampson’s son. He had created his own identity, a player who could score in the post like his famous father, but on his own terms.

For three years, Sampson III has attempted to find his role with Minnesota and in the sport, without being known simply as his father’s son. But Sampson III failed to distinguish himself enough and his introverted personality made it even harder to get to know him.

He’s still a bit shy. And he’s hardly a star. But he certainly showed he has the potential to be a dominant presence at his position this season with his 22-point, 8-rebound performance in Minnesota’s impressive 95-77 win over Western Kentucky in Thursday’s first round of the Honda Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

“Everything is clicking right now,’’ said the soft-spoken Sampson III. “I’m consistently knocking down a hook shot with both hands. I hit a few jumpers and had a high free throw percentage. Everything is coming together right now. It’s a good feeling. It’s been a long time.’’

Sampson III came to Minnesota with hype out of Duluth, Ga., mainly because of his name, not his game. He had some rather pedestrian seasons as a freshman and sophomore, averaging 6.3 points and then 8.2. Following his freshman year, Sampson III was humbled when he tried out for the Under-19 US national team and got cut. The team eventually won the gold medal in New Zealand.

“He worked hard this summer,’’ said Minnesota assistant coach Vince Taylor. “Now he’s taking his time. He’s not in a hurry. He looks, he checks and then went middle, went left and went right. He’s become better and better and is maturing. We’re trying to get him to become more of a leader, but it’s not his personality. He’s giving all he has and we’re happy with that.’’

The Western Kentucky game was hardly a fluke. Sampson III has strung together three straight strong performances together to start this season against Wofford (20 points, 13 rebounds), Siena (13 and 6) and now Western Kentucky.

North Carolina and the lengthy frontline of Tyler Zeller, John Henson and the beefy Justin Knox is up next for the Gophers in Friday night’s semifinal.

“This has greatly improved my confidence,’’ Sampson III said. “I’m doing things I couldn’t do in the past. I’m being consistent. In the past, my confidence would go up and down between games. I would have a good game, then a not so good game, then vice versa. Now everything is clicking for me.’’

Sampson III said his mindset is right. He said the entire Gopher team is clicking well, which says something about the toughness of this squad considering they are playing without their top creator on offense (suspended wing Devoe Joseph). Joseph has to go through a checklist of things to get back in head coach Tubby Smith’s good graces after the violation of team rules. While he’s out, Sampson III is providing the lift that might help this team for the whole season, even when Joseph is reinstated.

But Sampson III's toughness and ability to score in the low post will be tested against UNC. He said he’ll have to deal with potentially getting the ball stolen or a shot blocked and go right back at the Tar Heels. He can’t lose his newly found confidence or ability to be an aggressor.

“If you do that then you’ll be in a funk the whole game,’’ Sampson III said.

Taylor said the Tar Heels would be a better matchup then the Hilltoppers because it will be more of a traditional frontcourt, rather than 6-6 to 6-7 athletic wings, which can be difficult for the 6-11 Sampson III.

“It will be more tactical,’’ Taylor said. “We’ve got enough bigs with Ralph and {Trevor Mbakwe, Colton Iverson and Maurice Walker]. We can rebound and shoot the ball with them. We’ll just have to cut down on our turnovers [19 against WKU].’’

For the Gophers to have a chance to take down Carolina, they’ll need confidence out of Sampson III. They’ll have that from point guard Al Nolen, wings like Rodney Williams and a big like Mbakwe. But if Sampson III is playing with this newfound self-esteem, the dark horse Gophers are even more of a threat to win big this season.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Harrison Barnes made everything look so easy: running the court, the 3-pointers, the face-up game. The North Carolina freshman did just about anything he wanted to do against Hofstra.

Barnes was so dominant in the first half of UNC’s 107-63 win over Hofstra that he could be selfless in the second half and allow the rest of Carolina’s players to gain confidence and find their roles.

Of course, this was an anomaly for the Tar Heels. Don’t expect North Carolina to run many teams out of the building and lead by 25 at halftime, like it did to a depleted Hofstra on Thursday at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. But the 19-point (7-9 FG, 4-4 3-pt), 5-board performance in 14 first-half minutes by Barnes could become the norm.

“It was incredible,’’ said North Carolina forward Tyler Zeller of Barnes’ sizzling first half, laughing and pointing at the preseason All-American who was sitting next to him in the locker room. “In practice there are times when he doesn’t miss. He’s definitely a very good shooter.’’

There’s a reason that Barnes was tabbed as the top player in the class of 2010 and the first freshman to ever be named AP first-team preseason all-American. He is quite simply a game-changer.

“It’s very comforting,’’ said UNC guard Larry Drew II of having Barnes on his team. “It relaxes me knowing that he’s out there. It definitely puts a lot of pressure on the defense.’’

Barnes took two more shots in the second half, one of which one was a 3. He missed both. But it didn’t mean anything since he had already made his mark for the Tar Heels, the slew of NBA scouts and everyone else here at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico. North Carolina cruised to the 44-point victory and will face either Minnesota or Western Kentucky in the semis Friday night.

“There was great ball movement, and we were attacking the zone,’’ Barnes said. “The second half I just had to make sure that everyone got involved. They guarded me differently in the second half, too. But we got our other teammates involved.’’

Zeller and John Henson did their part as well, combining for 23 points and 19 rebounds. But the more important development was the play of the much-maligned guards. Drew was steady with six assists and one turnover. Kendall Marshall had 9 assists and 2 turnovers and Reggie Bullock added 6 points. Dexter Strickland was a solid wing and efficient in making 4 of 5 shots

“We’re making things happen,’’ Drew II said. “Last year we made the best of the situation last year. But we didn’t have someone like Harrison to make the plays that he makes.’’

The Heels lost 17 games last season and missed the NCAA tournament. North Carolina coach Roy Williams called the season the most frustrating of his career, just a year after winning the national title. If Barnes can produce like he did Thursday, he won’t be sweating nearly as much this season.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings made it clear Wednesday night that the Commodores were one of the better teams in the SEC and ready to make a deep run in this tournament.

But what Stallings wasn’t prepared for Thursday occurred -- nervousness.

That’s right. His Vanderbilt team with veteran guards in John Jenkins, Jeffery Taylor and Brad Tinsley froze a bit as Nebraska’s rugged, physical style manhandled the Commodores in the first half.

“We were nervous,’’ said Jenkins. “I don’t know why.’’

“Because they care,’’ Stallings said as he walked by in the hallway at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico. “That’s why. They care so much.’’

The Commodores settled down enough to finally pull away a bit from the Cornhuskers after Nebraska had a six-point lead late in the first half. Vandy finally found its groove on 3-pointers, including a trey from forward Steve Tchiengang, and beat Nebraska 59-49 to advance to a semifinal matchup against West Virginia at the Honda Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Huskers will play Davidson in the consolation bracket.

“I think we were just anxious to come out and play,’’ Taylor said. “We were a little overhyped. I think it was in part why we missed some shots that we usually make.’’

The Commodores, who will need the 3s without a reliable post scorer after the departure of A.J. Ogilvy, were 5-of-17 from behind the arc. Jenkins was 1-of-5 while Taylor made both of his 3s.

“I was sitting on the bench and realized I had to get going,’’ Jenkins said. “It wasn’t the prettiest thing, but hopefully we’ll come out and get a W tomorrow.’’

Taylor especially was peeved about his poor free throw shooting, making just 6 of 12 at the line. The Commodores missed eight free throws as a team.

“I can’t shoot 50 percent at the line,’’ Taylor said. “John and I have to establish ourselves early in the first half. I think we’ve settled down now that we have the first game out of the way.’’

Stallings was, and is, confident about this group. On the other hand, Nebraska coach Doc Sadler isn't quite sure what he has this season. What he found out, though, was he has a squad that can hang around and compete against NCAA tourney-caliber teams. Finding a way to finish is within reach.

The Cornhuskers outrebounded Vandy by three and made as many field goals. The problem was perimeter shooting as NU was 0-of-10. Sadler saw some potential after the game, but still wanted a finisher and creator on the perimeter. That might mean more from Toney McCray and Lance Jeter.

Playing Davidson, though, means Nebraska will need to dominate the backboard since the Wildcats are even weaker than Vandy in the frontcourt. If that happens, the Huskers should get back on the winning track.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- West Virginia coach Bob Huggins has 24 hours to get his team ready to play either Vanderbilt or Nebraska in the semifinals of the Honda Puerto Rico Tip-Off. And it didn't take him long to light into it, either.

Shortly after the Mountaineers' 84-70 first-round victory over Davidson on Thursday afternoon, Huggins implored his team to find a consistent streak. It did not in the foul-plagued game against the Wildcats (67 fouls called).

“I think our strength will be our balance, but obviously it wasn’t [today],’’ Huggins said. “Casey [Mitchell] can make shots. Deniz [Kilicli] should score in the post. We’re not consistent.’’

Mitchell did make two 3s. Darryl Bryant did score 22 points and Kevin Jones did score 10, while Dan Jennings was a complement off the bench with 10 boards and eight points. Kilicli fouled out -- like Jones and John Flowers -- and didn’t score, missing two shots in six minutes.

“It’s about needing to do this 35 more times,’’ Huggins said. “It’s not about tomorrow or today. It’s about the rest of the year and for some of them the rest of their careers.’’

Davidson hung around in the game, cutting a lead of 19 down to a manageable 10 at one point despite missing the first 19 3s it took. Part of that was West Virginia’s foul troubles and also the inability to find any consistency.

Bryant bailed out the Mountaineers late by making shots and getting to the line.

“Somebody is going to have to step up,’’ said Bryant, who missed last season’s Final Four with a broken foot. “I feel like I need to show everybody that I’m back on that level. That’s it. We need to be prepared for tomorrow. This is a national tournament against some of the best teams. We’ve got to be mentally focused to play.’’

The Mountaineers were picked fifth in the Big East, but they certainly have the talent to challenge for the conference title. Huggins said as much, in large part because of his team's ability to shoot. How the Mountaineers handle defense and the rebounding game will go a long way toward determining if they can hang with the rest of the Big East elite. Having Bryant and Joe Mazzulla on the court together makes for a tough guard matchup and there is confidence this team will be in the thick of the race.

Huggins was hard on the Mountaineers after the game, mainly because he knows they can play better. One gets the sense they will in Friday’s semifinals.