Category archive: Utah State Aggies
Utah State athletic director Scott Barnes said he prodded Morrill to do so. And why not? Morrill is beloved in Logan, Utah, for good reason.
He wins. He wins. He wins.
And despite the most overhauled roster since his inaugural season 13 years ago, the Aggies are still the media's pick to win the WAC.
"It won't be official until they're dethroned,'' New Mexico State coach Marvin Menzies said. "They're the champs until someone takes it from them. They've proven historically that they are the dominant team in the conference. Stew has built up a system and a program that has proven to be successful.''
Nevada has five starters returning. New Mexico State is a contender, too. The coaches selected Nevada first, NMSU second and USU third.
"I tease Stew; he doesn't think he'll win a game this year,'' Barnes said. "But the expectations are his fault since he's set such a high level. We're not the frontrunners by any stretch, but there is great respect. And I've seen an additional spark in his eye. He's really excited about the players here. It's a different kind of excitement. He's not sure what will happen this year.''
Brian Losness/US PresswireStew Morrill has won 324 games in 13 seasons as Utah State's coach.Morrill's run at Utah State is one of the best-kept secrets in college basketball. The Aggies, tucked away in Logan, have always been the third-class citizen in the state to Utah and BYU. But they've been a model of consistency lately.
The NCAA tournament success hasn't occurred like Utah's run to the title game in 1998 and multiple Sweet 16s with different coaches. BYU's Sweet 16 run last season can't be matched, either. Utah State has one NCAA tournament win under Morrill, and that came in 2001, when the Aggies beat Ohio State.
But Morrill has coached the Aggies to 324 wins in 13 seasons, and his teams have gone to 12 straight postseasons, eight NCAAs -- including the past three -- and four NITs. The last time Utah State had made three straight NCAA appearances was from 1962-64.
"The 12 straight postseasons are in jeopardy,'' Morrill said. "To go to 12 straight at the mid-major level is hard to do. I would say it's in jeopardy, and I hope that motivates the team when they read that.''
Morrill did well in his Colorado State tenure, but couldn't make the NCAA tournament out of the WAC. When he moved over to Utah State, he said it was deemed as a lateral or even backward move since USU was in the Big West at the time. The Aggies moved to the WAC shortly after he arrived. A Nevada run -- led by Trent Johnson and Mark Fox -- ensued before Morrill took over the lead in the conference.
"Nevada won five straight titles but then lost so many to the NBA,'' said Fox, now the head coach at Georgia. "Utah State's system of play has no leaks at either end. And there isn't a better disciplined team in America.''
The changing landscape in the WAC, which will see Nevada and Fresno State depart for the Mountain West Conference and Hawaii to the Big West next season, puts the onus on the Aggies to stay for the future of the conference. But they're always a potential target of the MWC if that league wants to get back into the state after losing BYU to independence in football and the WCC in all other sports and Utah to the Pac-12.
"Just like the WAC looked to Nevada several years back for national credibility, Utah State has become the flag bearer for the league,'' WAC commissioner Karl Benson said. "The continuity of the coach is the key. Stew Morrill has built a system and brings in players who may not be blue-chip players but creates a blue-chip team. I compare the job that he has done with what the Boise State football coaches have done from Dan Hawkins to Chris Petersen.''
One of the hidden secrets to Utah State's success is the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The Aggies are a remarkable 193-13 at home and 100-8 in league play under Morrill. Of course, outside of Utah and BYU, Utah State can't get any significant power teams to come to the Spectrum. The Aggies finally broke through and played a road game at a power-six last season, when they went to Georgetown. But the Hoyas wouldn't return the game.
Here's why: "It's the toughest place to play,'' said Saint Louis coach Rick Majerus, who coached Utah against Utah State every season of his tenure there and played at the Spectrum every other year. "I've been to Duke. I've been to the Pit. I've been to Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue, Arizona and around the country. I know the dynamic may change since it's Utah-Utah State.
"It's not mean-spirited, it's not like you're going to get hit with a hot dog or anything. I went to Oakland Raider games. Utah State has an Oakland Raider mentality without the knives and guns.''
Majerus didn't stop there.
"It's the only show in town,'' he said. "The fans sit right behind you. The arena is really tough. It's difficult to get to. You have to fly into Salt Lake City and drive in the winter on this treacherous drive that's like a driveway to death. You're going up to altitude, and I don't care what Tark says about playing indoors, the altitude still bothers you.''
That's a reference to former Fresno State coach Jerry Tarkanian, who told his players that playing at Colorado State and Wyoming won't be a problem because the altitude is outside, not in.
"It's a great home environment, the best in the conference,'' Menzies said. "They've got a great thing going there.''
Morrill said he knew when he took the job that the home court was the selling point, an advantage that Colorado State didn't have in Fort Collins.
"Our seniors went 68-1 here in five years,'' Morrill said.
The Aggies leaned on two seniors during a scrimmage Wednesday night. Forward Brady Jardine and point guard Brockeith Pane combined for 12 points, while redshirt freshman Ben Clifford was the top scorer (eight points) and rebounder (six).
Utah State doesn't appear to have talent that compares to Nevada's Deonte Burton and Dario Hunt or NMSU's Wendell McKines.
But while Burton was picked as the league's preseason player of the year by the coaches, Pane was the choice of the media.
There is still talent left here. But is this is the year when Utah State finally gets beat and knocked off its perch atop the conference?
"We've got our hands full,'' Barnes said. "We're not the frontrunners. But as long as he's here, there's a race.''
1. Duke: No reason to move the Blue Devils. Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith had tremendous summers working out with the USA Basketball select team. The buzz around newcomer Kyrie Irving is just as high. The karma is all good in Durham with Mike Krzyzewski winning a gold medal at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey and the Blue Devils getting a commitment from one of the best players in the 2011 class in Austin Rivers.
2. Michigan State: The Spartans did dump Chris Allen, an indication that the differences between Allen and Tom Izzo were too wide to overcome. But Izzo is feeling quite good about the continued recovery of Kalin Lucas from an Achilles injury. Lucas will be treated carefully in practice over the next month as the Spartans see how much he can push himself. But Izzo is confident Delvon Roe is as healthy as he's been at MSU and fully expects Durrell Summers to be a star and Draymond Green to be a vocal leader.
3. Pittsburgh: The Panthers don't have the star power of the aforementioned top three. But this Panthers team is like an old-school Big East team that has experienced players who have been together and found roles. The summer trip to Ireland provided more positive bonding time for Jamie Dixon's crew as it takes on the role of Big East favorite. There were no flaws this summer, making it more palatable to move the Panthers up a few spots.
4. Kansas State: The Wildcats continue to have a positive vibe from their near brush with a Final Four berth. Kansas State returns Jacob Pullen and an expectation that returnees like Curtis Kelly and Jamar Samuels will continue to blossom. Clearly the rest of the Big 12 believes in the Wildcats, as well, since they were picked to win the league for the first time.
5. Ohio State: The Buckeyes have one of the top freshmen in the country in big man Jared Sullinger. Sure, they lost Evan Turner, but the rest of the wings return and the buzz on the Buckeyes remains that this team was more than Turner a year ago. If players like William Buford, David Lighty and Jon Diebler can handle the responsibility, the Bucks should be a national contender.
6. Kansas: Moving the Jayhawks up to No. 7 is clearly predicated on Josh Selby being eligible for the majority of the season. KU is waiting for Selby to get his academic clearance from the Eligibility Center. He can practice while this is pending, but Kansas needs him out on the court during the real stuff. There is still plenty of talent in Lawrence -- led by Marcus Morris, who coach Bill Self is convinced will be a star -- but Selby is the key for the Jayhawks to be top-10 good.
7. Villanova: The Wildcats didn't rely on Scottie Reynolds in his last few games as much and they survived. Reynolds' eligibility expired and Corey Fisher is the next one to pick up the mantel. Jay Wright had another solid offseason, coaching the USA Basketball select team. There is an expectation now that Wright's teams won't dip. Like Pitt, Villanova is considered a regular near the top of the league on a yearly basis.
8. Gonzaga: The Zags had quite a summer with Elias Harris, Kelly Olynyk and Robert Sacre all playing for their respective national teams. Gonzaga put together arguably the toughest nonconference schedule in the country, too. If Demetri Goodson and Steven Gray can elevate their game as lead guards after the departure of Matt Bouldin, the Zags will be deserving of a top-10 ranking.
9. Florida: The Gators return all five starters from last season's No. 10 seed in the NCAA tournament. But the addition of Patric Young is surely going to bolster this squad. Young won gold for the USA junior national team this summer and proved to be an invaluable member of that squad. His tenacity, hustle plays and overall team focus means he could be a difference-maker for Florida this season.
10. Syracuse: The Orange move up six spots from the May poll in large part because coach Jim Boeheim is almost never wrong about evaluating and projecting his team's talent. Most of the time he hits on the major contributors and Boeheim said Kris Joseph is ready to be a star. He also expects big man Fab Melo to have a monster season, notably on the defensive end where he can block shots and grab rebounds. While it's hard to see yet where and how much C.J. Fair and Dion Waiters will play, they have already impressed, meaning the freshman class will make this team even deeper.
11. Kentucky: If Enes Kanter's eligibility was a certainty, the Wildcats would move up into the top 10. His amateurism eligibility decision is still to be determined. But what can be stated is Kentucky showed on a trip to Canada that the returning players are up for the challenge of a new role. Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins should flourish as John Calipari plays more of his dribble-drive-motion offense. Newcomers like point guard Brandon Knight, Doron Lamb, Terrence Jones and Stacey Poole are all ready to make major contributions.
12. Missouri: The Tigers move up a notch, even without newcomer Tony Mitchell, whose eligibility is in question and in a best-case scenario wouldn't be available until the Big 12 schedule starts. But Mike Anderson can't play the role of being underappreciated anymore. Missouri returns Kim English, a healthy Justin Safford, Marcus Denmon and adds a recruiting class that needs to get more love. Anderson is pushing the significance of point guard Phil Pressey and power forward Ricardo Ratliffe. If both are as impactful as projected, Mizzou may be a league title contender.
13. Illinois: My colleague Doug Gottlieb tabbed the Illini to win the Big Ten. I'm not going that far with Purdue, Michigan State and Ohio State to contend with. But Illinois has no excuse if this is not an NCAA season at the very least. Bruce Weber can't say enough about how much incoming freshman Jereme Richmond will mean to this team. Add him to an already talented roster that includes Mike Davis, Mike Tisdale, D.J. Richardson and returning lead guard Demetri McCamey and the Illini have their best chance since 2005 to challenge for a conference title.
14. North Carolina: Losing the Wear twins and senior Will Graves, the team's top 3-point threat, meant the Tar Heels had to drop a few slots. The talent is in place up front with the return of John Henson and Tyler Zeller and the addition of the top freshman in the country in Harrison Barnes. But the guard play is still a work in progress and an unknown with erratic Larry Drew II and the still-inexperienced Dexter Strickland and Leslie McDonald being joined by newcomers Reggie Bullock and Kendall Marshall.
15. Memphis: The Tigers did get Will Barton eligible after there were questions earlier in the summer once he missed the team's trip to the Bahamas. But all is good now. The Tigers certainly have the talent to be projected higher, but remember they didn't make the NCAAs last season and are leaning heavily on newcomers like Barton, Joe Jackson and Tarik Black. If the Tigers are to be worthy of the top 10, then returnees like Wesley Witherspoon and Will Coleman will have to continue their improvement.
16. Baylor: This is by far the biggest drop in my poll from May to October. The Bears were probably too high in that original poll. Losing Ekpe Udoh and Tweety Carter was significant and maybe I was putting too much emphasis on newcomer Perry Jones. But the reason for this drop is LaceDarius Dunn. He is currently suspended from game competition, but was just reinstated to the team to practice and attend class after allegations that he broke his girlfriend's jaw. But the uncertainty of Dunn's availability casts major doubt on whether the Bears can be a serious contender in the Big 12.
17. Washington: Like Jay Wright, there was positive karma with Lorenzo Romar sharing the coaching duties in Las Vegas for the USA Basketball select team. And the guard play is extremely solid with the return of Isaiah Thomas, Venoy Overton and Abdul Gaddy, wings Justin Holiday and newcomers led by Terrence Ross. Losing Quincy Pondexter shouldn't be underplayed, though. We'll know early enough about the Huskies when they go to the Maui Invitational with a possible semifinal matchup against Kentucky.
18. Butler: Shelvin Mack had a sensational summer and the buzz continues to build that he's one of the top guards in the country. Mack played on the USA select team and the more confident he becomes, the better chance Butler has of being back in the mix for a deep March run again. Sure, losing Gordon Hayward early to the NBA is hard to take for this group, but if Ronald Nored is healthy enough to be as much of a scorer as he was a defender and Matt Howard adds even more productivity and stays out of foul trouble, the Bulldogs won't disappoint.
19. Georgetown: The Hoyas return one of the best backcourts in the Big East with Austin Freeman, Chris Wright and Jason Clark. If Julian Vaughn, Hollis Thompson and newcomers Nate Lubick and Moses Abraham can help offset the loss of Greg Monroe, Georgetown will be in the chase in the Big East. The Hoyas put themselves in position early with another tough slate of nonconference games (going to Old Dominion, Temple and Memphis, to Kansas City to play Missouri, and adding a home game against always-tough Utah State) to gauge where this team will be in January.
20. Tennessee: I probably had the Vols slightly too high in May and the NCAA investigation swirling around the program doesn't help, let alone the self-imposed sanctions against the entire coaching staff that have left a cloud over the season. It shouldn't affect the on-court performance of the players, but it will certainly be a distraction for the coaches as they have to deal with questions throughout the fall. Tennessee still has one of the top newcomers in guard Tobias Harris, and if Scotty Hopson can make shots in bunches, the Vols should still finish in the top three in the loaded SEC East.
21. San Diego State: The Aztecs have quietly gone through the summer with their roster intact, led by one of the more underrated forwards in the country in Kawhi Leonard. Malcolm Thomas is another stud for coach Steve Fisher. If the point guard situation gets settled, the Aztecs should be a top-25 squad. San Diego State challenged itself with five straight games away from home to open the season, including going to Gonzaga before heading off to three games in Oxford, Ohio, as part of the CBE Classic. If the Aztecs survive that stretch, they'll be in a solid position to enter the MWC season as the favorite, fending off BYU, New Mexico and UNLV.
22. Minnesota: The Gophers got two players back that would have certainly helped in March. Lead guard Al Nolen, who became academically ineligible in February last season, is good to go, as is forward Trevor Mbakwe, who sat out last season pending an assault case. Mbakwe is back in the good graces at the school, which stood by him during the case. The Gophers went to Canada in August and returned an even more determined lot. Don't sleep on this squad, especially in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic. Nolen, Mbakwe, Devoe Joseph, Blake Hoffarber, Ralph Sampson III and Rodney Williams are all capable of leading the Gophers to a tournament win and into the top 25.
23. Purdue: On Friday, I ranked Purdue No. 2 and wrote that "the Boilermakers haven't had a single hiccup during the offseason." Less than 24 hours later, Robbie Hummel retore his right ACL during the team's first full practice. The loss can't be overstated. The Boilers still have a pair of All-Big Ten players in JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore and are still very much an NCAA tournament team, but it's hard to foresee this being a Final Four contender without Hummel.
24. Temple: The Owls got pushed down a peg by my newfound belief in Minnesota. Temple is still my pick to win the A-10 with the return of Lavoy Allen and guard Juan Fernandez. The Owls once again have a monster schedule that should tell us plenty by January, with an opener against Seton Hall, quality games in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, playing Maryland in D.C., hosting Georgetown and going to Villanova. The Owls go to Duke, too, but that's not until late February. Oh, and of course, this team has one of the top coaches in the game in Fran Dunphy.
25. Georgia: I was bullish on the Bulldogs in May and I haven't dropped off in October with the return of Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie, two of the top talents in the SEC. Georgia also adds Tennessee State transfer Gerald Robinson, who should open up some scoring on the perimeter. UGA will certainly be pushed in an SEC East that could produce up to five NCAA tourney teams, but the Bulldogs have some summer buzz and momentum heading into that Old Spice Classic tournament in Orlando, especially with an opener against Notre Dame.
Who got pushed out of the poll?
Virginia Tech: The Hokies were No. 22 in my May poll, but they lost one of their key rotation players in J.T. Thompson to a knee injury. Of course, the return of Malcolm Delaney means they will be in the hunt for a top-two finish in the ACC and an NCAA berth. But the Hokies weren't an NCAA team last season and losing a key player pushed them down a few spots for now.
A dozen more to watch (in alphabetical order): BYU, Florida State, New Mexico, Texas, UNLV, Utah State, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wichita State, Wisconsin, Xavier
Not much has changed near the top. Duke is still No. 1, and will be in the majority of long-standing polls in the mainstream media and fledgling ones across the blogosphere.
But these Blue Devils aren't the 2009 Tar Heels. Duke is unquestionably the national favorite, but it's hardly an intimidating force. The schedule will favor the Devils in every game they play, but if they were to get beat by Kansas State or Gonzaga in Kansas City or by Michigan State at Cameron, or by Butler in New Jersey, no one would stop and consider it a tectonic shift in the season.
As for the rest of the poll, the pair of Big Ten teams at No. 2 (Purdue) and No. 3 (Michigan State) has not moved. But eligibility issues and suspensions over the past five months have forced some changes elsewhere in my top 25. Summer success, injuries and a re-evaluation of some teams has also caused some alterations.
So here is my new poll in advance of the season:
1. Duke: No reason to move the Blue Devils. Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith had tremendous summers working out with the USA Basketball select team. The buzz around newcomer Kyrie Irving is just as high. The karma is all good in Durham with Mike Krzyzewski winning a gold medal at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey and the Blue Devils getting a commitment from one of the best players in the 2011 class in Austin Rivers.
2. Purdue: The Boilermakers haven't had a single hiccup during the offseason. They have been quiet, which is just fine for a team that could be Duke's toughest challenge. Robbie Hummel continues to be on schedule to play this season after suffering an ACL tear in February. JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore join Hummel and offer Purdue the treat of three seniors who are all-Big Ten players. This team is a prime candidate for a spot in Houston.
3. Michigan State: The Spartans did dump Chris Allen, an indication that the differences between Allen and Tom Izzo were too wide to overcome. But Izzo is feeling quite good about the continued recovery of Kalin Lucas from an Achilles injury. Lucas will be treated carefully in practice over the next month as the Spartans see how much he can push himself. But Izzo is confident Delvon Roe is as healthy as he's been at MSU and fully expects Durrell Summers to be a star and Draymond Green to be a vocal leader.
4. Pittsburgh: The Panthers don't have the star power of the aforementioned top three. But this Panthers team is like an old-school Big East team that has experienced players who have been together and found roles. The summer trip to Ireland provided more positive bonding time for Jamie Dixon's crew as it takes on the role of Big East favorite. There were no flaws this summer, making it more palatable to move the Panthers up a few spots.
5. Kansas State: The Wildcats continue to have a positive vibe from their near brush with a Final Four berth. Kansas State returns Jacob Pullen and an expectation that returnees like Curtis Kelly and Jamar Samuels will continue to blossom. Clearly the rest of the Big 12 believes in the Wildcats, as well, since they were picked to win the league for the first time.
6. Ohio State: The Buckeyes have one of the top freshmen in the country in big man Jared Sullinger. Sure, they lost Evan Turner, but the rest of the wings return and the buzz on the Buckeyes remains that this team was more than Turner a year ago. If players like William Buford, David Lighty and Jon Diebler can handle the responsibility, the Bucks should be a national contender.
7. Kansas: Moving the Jayhawks up to No. 7 is clearly predicated on Josh Selby being eligible for the majority of the season. KU is waiting for Selby to get his academic clearance from the Eligibility Center. He can practice while this is pending, but Kansas needs him out on the court during the real stuff. There is still plenty of talent in Lawrence -- led by Marcus Morris, who coach Bill Self is convinced will be a star -- but Selby is the key for the Jayhawks to be top-10 good.
8. Villanova: The Wildcats didn't rely on Scottie Reynolds in his last few games as much and they survived. Reynolds' eligibility expired and Corey Fisher is the next one to pick up the mantel. Jay Wright had another solid offseason, coaching the USA Basketball select team. There is an expectation now that Wright's teams won't dip. Like Pitt, Villanova is considered a regular near the top of the league on a yearly basis.
9. Gonzaga: The Zags had quite a summer with Elias Harris, Kelly Olynyk and Robert Sacre all playing for their respective national teams. Gonzaga put together arguably the toughest nonconference schedule in the country, too. If Demetri Goodson and Steven Gray can elevate their game as lead guards after the departure of Matt Bouldin, the Zags will be deserving of a top-10 ranking.
10. Florida: The Gators return all five starters from last season's No. 10 seed in the NCAA tournament. But the addition of Patric Young is surely going to bolster this squad. Young won gold for the USA junior national team this summer and proved to be an invaluable member of that squad. His tenacity, hustle plays and overall team focus means he could be a difference-maker for Florida this season.
11. Syracuse: The Orange move up six spots from the May poll in large part because coach Jim Boeheim is almost never wrong about evaluating and projecting his team's talent. Most of the time he hits on the major contributors and Boeheim said Kris Joseph is ready to be a star. He also expects big man Fab Melo to have a monster season, notably on the defensive end where he can block shots and grab rebounds. While it's hard to see yet where and how much C.J. Fair and Dion Waiters will play, they have already impressed, meaning the freshman class will make this team even deeper.
12. Kentucky: If Enes Kanter's eligibility was a certainty, the Wildcats would move up into the top 10. His amateurism eligibility decision is still to be determined. But what can be stated is Kentucky showed on a trip to Canada that the returning players are up for the challenge of a new role. Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins should flourish as John Calipari plays more of his dribble-drive-motion offense. Newcomers like point guard Brandon Knight, Doron Lamb, Terrence Jones and Stacey Poole are all ready to make major contributions.
13. Missouri: The Tigers move up a notch, even without newcomer Tony Mitchell, whose eligibility is in question and in a best-case scenario wouldn't be available until the Big 12 schedule starts. But Mike Anderson can't play the role of being underappreciated anymore. Missouri returns Kim English, a healthy Justin Safford, Marcus Denmon and adds a recruiting class that needs to get more love. Anderson is pushing the significance of point guard Phil Pressey and power forward Ricardo Ratliffe. If both are as impactful as projected, Mizzou may be a league title contender.
14. Illinois: My colleague Doug Gottlieb tabbed the Illini to win the Big Ten. I'm not going that far with Purdue, Michigan State and Ohio State to contend with. But Illinois has no excuse if this is not an NCAA season at the very least. Bruce Weber can't say enough about how much incoming freshman Jereme Richmond will mean to this team. Add him to an already talented roster that includes Mike Davis, Mike Tisdale, D.J. Richardson and returning lead guard Demetri McCamey and the Illini have their best chance since 2005 to challenge for a conference title.
15. North Carolina: Losing the Wear twins and senior Will Graves, the team's top 3-point threat, meant the Tar Heels had to drop a few slots. The talent is in place up front with the return of John Henson and Tyler Zeller and the addition of the top freshman in the country in Harrison Barnes. But the guard play is still a work in progress and an unknown with erratic Larry Drew II and the still-inexperienced Dexter Strickland and Leslie McDonald being joined by newcomers Reggie Bullock and Kendall Marshall.
16. Memphis: The Tigers did get Will Barton eligible after there were questions earlier in the summer once he missed the team's trip to the Bahamas. But all is good now. The Tigers certainly have the talent to be projected higher, but remember they didn't make the NCAAs last season and are leaning heavily on newcomers like Barton, Joe Jackson and Tarik Black. If the Tigers are to be worthy of the top 10, then returnees like Wesley Witherspoon and Will Coleman will have to continue their improvement.
17. Baylor: This is by far the biggest drop in my poll from May to October. The Bears were probably too high in that original poll. Losing Ekpe Udoh and Tweety Carter was significant and maybe I was putting too much emphasis on newcomer Perry Jones. But the reason for this drop is LaceDarius Dunn. He is currently suspended from game competition, but was just reinstated to the team to practice and attend class after allegations that he broke his girlfriend's jaw. But the uncertainty of Dunn's availability casts major doubt on whether the Bears can be a serious contender in the Big 12.
18. Washington: Like Jay Wright, there was positive karma with Lorenzo Romar sharing the coaching duties in Las Vegas for the USA Basketball select team. And the guard play is extremely solid with the return of Isaiah Thomas, Venoy Overton and Abdul Gaddy, wings Justin Holiday and newcomers led by Terrence Ross. Losing Quincy Pondexter shouldn't be underplayed, though. We'll know early enough about the Huskies when they go to the Maui Invitational with a possible semifinal matchup against Kentucky.
19. Butler: Shelvin Mack had a sensational summer and the buzz continues to build that he's one of the top guards in the country. Mack played on the USA select team and the more confident he becomes, the better chance Butler has of being back in the mix for a deep March run again. Sure, losing Gordon Hayward early to the NBA is hard to take for this group, but if Ronald Nored is healthy enough to be as much of a scorer as he was a defender and Matt Howard adds even more productivity and stays out of foul trouble, the Bulldogs won't disappoint.
20. Georgetown: The Hoyas return one of the best backcourts in the Big East with Austin Freeman, Chris Wright and Jason Clark. If Julian Vaughn, Hollis Thompson and newcomers Nate Lubick and Moses Abraham can help offset the loss of Greg Monroe, Georgetown will be in the chase in the Big East. The Hoyas put themselves in position early with another tough slate of nonconference games (going to Old Dominion, Temple and Memphis, to Kansas City to play Missouri, and adding a home game against always-tough Utah State) to gauge where this team will be in January.
21. Tennessee: I probably had the Vols slightly too high in May and the NCAA investigation swirling around the program doesn't help, let alone the self-imposed sanctions against the entire coaching staff that have left a cloud over the season. It shouldn't affect the on-court performance of the players, but it will certainly be a distraction for the coaches as they have to deal with questions throughout the fall. Tennessee still has one of the top newcomers in guard Tobias Harris, and if Scotty Hopson can make shots in bunches, the Vols should still finish in the top three in the loaded SEC East.
22. San Diego State: The Aztecs have quietly gone through the summer with their roster intact, led by one of the more underrated forwards in the country in Kawhi Leonard. Malcolm Thomas is another stud for coach Steve Fisher. If the point guard situation gets settled, the Aztecs should be a top-25 squad. San Diego State challenged itself with five straight games away from home to open the season, including going to Gonzaga before heading off to three games in Oxford, Ohio, as part of the CBE Classic. If the Aztecs survive that stretch, they'll be in a solid position to enter the MWC season as the favorite, fending off BYU, New Mexico and UNLV.
23. Minnesota: The Gophers got two players back that would have certainly helped in March. Lead guard Al Nolen, who became academically ineligible in February last season, is good to go, as is forward Trevor Mbakwe, who sat out last season pending an assault case. Mbakwe is back in the good graces at the school, which stood by him during the case. The Gophers went to Canada in August and returned an even more determined lot. Don't sleep on this squad, especially in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic. Nolen, Mbakwe, Devoe Joseph, Blake Hoffarber, Ralph Sampson III and Rodney Williams are all capable of leading the Gophers to a tournament win and into the top 25.
24. Temple: The Owls got pushed down a peg by my newfound belief in Minnesota. Temple is still my pick to win the A-10 with the return of Lavoy Allen and guard Juan Fernandez. The Owls once again have a monster schedule that should tell us plenty by January, with an opener against Seton Hall, quality games in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, playing Maryland in D.C., hosting Georgetown and going to Villanova. The Owls go to Duke, too, but that's not until late February. Oh, and of course, this team has one of the top coaches in the game in Fran Dunphy.
25. Georgia: I was bullish on the Bulldogs in May and I haven't dropped off in October with the return of Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie, two of the top talents in the SEC. Georgia also adds Tennessee State transfer Gerald Robinson, who should open up some scoring on the perimeter. UGA will certainly be pushed in an SEC East that could produce up to five NCAA tourney teams, but the Bulldogs have some summer buzz and momentum heading into that Old Spice Classic tournament in Orlando, especially with an opener against Notre Dame.
Who got pushed out of the poll?
Virginia Tech: The Hokies were No. 22 in my May poll, but they lost one of their key rotation players in J.T. Thompson to a knee injury. Of course, the return of Malcolm Delaney means they will be in the hunt for a top-two finish in the ACC and an NCAA berth. But the Hokies weren't an NCAA team last season and losing a key player pushed them down a few spots for now.
A dozen more to watch (in alphabetical order): BYU, Florida State, New Mexico, Texas, UNLV, Utah State, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wichita State, Wisconsin, Xavier
Hawaii has talked to the Big West about adding all its sports -- save football -- to the California-based conference, but it will only happen if the Warriors decide to go independent in football.
That's according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation. The move to the Big West would make sense for men's and women's basketball and certainly for softball, baseball and volleyball, where the addition of Hawaii would give the Big West the needed six members for an automatic berth.
The Big West tournament is moving to the Honda Center, the home of the NHL's Anaheim Ducks, in 2011. Hawaii's women's sports programs were in the Big West from 1984-96. So there is history.
But is it doable, and is it necessary, and why is this going on in the first place?
Going independent in football isn't a foreign concept for Hawaii. Former coach June Jones floated the idea in 2004. But the economy was better then and teams were playing only 11 games, so playing a 12th game when a team goes to Hawaii had some benefits.
Now, with teams already playing 12 games, going for a 13th game may not be as much of a selling point. Hawaii football may have to play eight road games in a given year, and the Warriors would hardly like to do that nor would it make sense economically for the program.
Hawaii wouldn't be considering this if Fresno State and Nevada didn't leave the WAC for the MWC (effective in 2012) last week. According to sources, those moves, despite what MWC commissioner Craig Thompson is saying, may not have occurred had BYU not entertained being a football independent. And that might not have been broached had Utah not been plucked to go to the Pac-10. And that only happened because Texas turned down the Pac-10, and because of that decision, so did at least four other Big 12 schools.
One of the sticking points for BYU is that the Cougars are still dealing with limitations on their own HD Network, BYUtv. Homes games not selected by the MTN or CBS College Sports aren't allowed to be on BYUtv. That means two marquee home nonconference basketball games -- against Fresno State (and former BYU coach Steve Cleveland) on Nov. 12 and former WAC rival UTEP Dec. 23 -- won't be on television. Games against Hawaii (Dec. 4) and Arizona (Dec. 11) are only on BYUtv because the games are in the Utah Jazz arena in Salt Lake City and are not considered true home games. And BYUtv is putting on two games at the Marriott Center against Chicago State and Mississippi Valley State Nov. 20 and 23 because those games are part of the South Padre Island tournament. The HD BYUtv truck will travel to Glens Falls, N.Y., to televise the Vermont-BYU game Dec. 8 in a home game for senior guard Jimmer Fredette.
So, as BYU waits to see if it can resolve the issue with BYUtv and waits to decide if it wants to be a member of the MWC in 2011 before a Sept. 1 deadline (or still go to the WAC or WCC in all sports except football), there are still moves to be made.
The shuffling between the MWC and the WAC may not move the BCS meter one bit for an automatic berth for the MWC. What it has done is possibly crushed the WAC in football, basketball and other sports.
And that's why Utah State athletic director Scott Barnes, like Hawaii athletic director Jim Donovan, is pausing on the severity of the next move.
Barnes put out a statement last week explaining that Utah State was the first of three schools which received an inquiry of interest from the MWC but declined because it signed a binding $5 million buyout that it wouldn't split from the WAC within five years.
WAC commissioner Karl Benson said once Fresno State and Nevada broke the agreement, the rest of the six schools were no longer bound to the agreement.
Barnes said Monday that Utah State has to look at all options but that the MWC has not issued a new inquiry of interest.
Utah State hasn't reached out to the WCC or the Big West. The WCC has made it clear it is not going to take public colleges or universities because its membership is made up only of church-based private schools. The Big West, according to a source with direct knowledge, has heard only from Hawaii and not the other remaining five WAC schools (Utah State, New Mexico State, Idaho, San Jose State or Louisiana Tech).
"We can't panic,'' Barnes said. "We can't make a hasty decision. We have to make the right decision because what we do could affect the WAC for the next 10 years.''
Barnes said if the WAC was to bring in other schools, like UT-San Antonio or Texas State or North Texas, it would revisit another binding agreement. Clearly, those schools need to know what they might be joining. Barnes is a new member of the NCAA tournament men's basketball selection committee. He knows he can't put Utah State in any situation where the men's basketball program doesn't have a chance to earn an automatic bid to the NCAAs.
A six-team WAC won't lose its AQ for two years after it drops below seven teams (at the minimum 2012 and '13) but must add a seventh team three years after (for 2014).
Regardless of what Hawaii, Utah State and other schools decide, the question that is asked by observers within the NCAA membership is what was it for? Adding Nebraska makes sense if the Big Ten wanted to be at 12 and the Cornhuskers are still within the footprint of the league. But the rest of the moves are lateral and don't really mean much more than possibly getting rid of a conference that has had a long history in the NCAA.
"What's important here is to make a rationale decision,'' Barnes said. "Our mission is to educate the student-athlete and win championships.''
If that's the mission, then why even move conferences in the first place?
• Keep an eye on what happens with two schools/programs and their powerful athletic directors. Texas-San Antonio athletic director Lynn Hickey, a member of the men's basketball selection committee, has a new Division I football program and the Alamodome to sell. That's in addition to a Texas market that could be tantalizing for the WAC. Meanwhile, Charlotte athletic director Judy Rose has a football program that is going to Division I in an area where football is popular. The 49ers might be a possible realignment team if there is movement within C-USA to go back to its former home.
• In a few weeks, the selection committee will discuss when and where the "First Four" games will be played. The committee has to decide how it will spread out the four games -- two games between the last four at-large schools for a seed line like an 11 or 12 and two games between the last four AQs for two of the 16 seed lines. The games will likely be in Dayton, but the question is will all four games be on Tuesday or two on Tuesday and two on Wednesday (evening or afternoon)? And will the games be split up with one AQ and at-large game on each day or the AQs one day and the at-large teams another? The NCAA is going through a new television mockup with four different networks to serve (CBS, TBS, TNT and Trutv) and all the games on simultaneously.
What he could have added as well in his letter to USU fans is that his basketball program has stood quite well on its own for some time.
Lost amid the moves of Fresno State and Nevada to leave the WAC for the Mountain West in 2012 is how they will affect the Utah State men's basketball program.
The Aggies are gunning for their fourth straight regular-season WAC title and have been in the NCAA tournament three times since joining the WAC in 2005 (and two of three were as an at-large). The Aggies also made four NCAA tournament appearances out of the Big West under coach Stew Morrill.
For a school that lacks a national profile, that's certainly worth touting.
"We got shafted,'' said Morrill, reacting to the moves by Fresno State and Nevada to leave the WAC after agreeing to $5 million buyouts four days earlier. "But we'll be fine. We've been in a lot of different leagues and we've survived. We've survived in the Big West. We were fine. In the WAC, we've been fine. We'll stay in the WAC and it will change, but we'll be fine.''
The good news for Utah State and the rest of the WAC is that the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament isn't going away. The NCAA offered a clarification that if the WAC were to stay at six members in 2012-13, it would still have the AQ for the two seasons after the membership dropped below seven. But in the third season it would need to add a seventh school that has been a Division I member. You can be assured that will occur.
"That's huge to keep the AQ,'' Morrill said.
Adding BYU in men's basketball -- and the door isn't closed completely yet -- would have been a huge coup for Utah State. Utah will lose its home-and-home games with BYU after this season when the Utes go to the Pac-12 (the programs will still play once). If USU had secured a home-and-home in the same league with BYU it would have allowed it to differentiate itself against Utah within the state. Utah State has longed to be on equal footing with the Cougars and Utes.
"We've played [BYU] for 100 years or so and we'll play them either way if they're in our league or not,'' Morrill said. "If not, then we'll still play them in our nonconference. The game will always exist for sure.''
AP Photo/Douglas C. PizacComing off a 27-win season, Stew Morrill and his Aggies will once again be the WAC favorites.Amid the upheaval this week, Morrill gathered his staff and told them to make sure they are selling the Utah State program, maybe not the league, but the program for sure.
"We've been to 11 straight postseasons, seven NCAA tournaments and averaged 25 wins,'' Morrill said. "We've been in two different leagues and last year had an RPI of 30. Whatever our situation will be, in recruiting I tell our guys that we will have a strong basketball program. We average 10,000 fans, we're 176-13 at home since I've been here at Utah State. Sometimes you sell the league you're in and sometimes you have to sell your program.''
Utah State returns the core of its 27-win team from last season, led by Tai Wesley, Nate Bendall and Pooh Williams.
"These kids have won three straight and now they're all seniors,'' Morrill said. "And they're going to make a heckuva run to win four straight WAC regular-season titles. It will be an unbelievable feather in their cap. It's frustrating that football rules the world and we saw that on a much larger scale with Kansas. So much is based on football and that's why you have to have a strong program. The tendency is to panic, but I'm not into that in this stage in my life. We've been through different leagues before.''
Morrill though isn't budging much on his scheduling, especially when the Aggies received an NCAA at-large berth last season despite a schedule that didn't include much quality competition outside the region. Beating BYU was the best nonconference win for the Aggies and knocking off Wichita State later in the season didn't hurt.
"We must have done something right to get two at-large bids in the last five years,'' Morrill said. "I want to schedule smart. Everyone knows we have four starters back.''
Morrill said he was finally ready to do two-for-one agreements with power-six schools and tried to set one up with St. John's but said it was shot down. He's still looking for one game and is open to a similar deal.
The Aggies play two of their toughest nonconference games -- at BYU (Nov. 17) and Utah (Nov. 24) -- within a week. Going to Denver and Southern Utah won't be a walk since the games are on the road, but the Aggies should be the pick in both. Hosting Big West favorite Long Beach State and a tournament with Troy, Idaho State and Western Michigan are the other highlights for Morrill. On the surface, it's fair to question the schedule without a single power-six game on the slate. And it will be skewered come March if the Aggies don't have a daunting record.
But the Aggies have found ways to earn their bids and continue to be a success, in spite of the constant shift in conferences and alignment. Expect that to continue.
If the Saints, who are cruising in the MAAC with a 10-0 record, can survive this stretch -- let alone another five-game string against upstart Iona and Fairfield at home and Niagara, Canisius and Rider on the road -- still unbeaten in the league, then the BracketBusters opponent on either Feb. 19 or 20 will be even more important to the Saints' NCAA at-large hopes.
It's essentially Butler or bust.
If the Saints can win this week (at St. Peter's Thursday and at Marist on Saturday), there's a very good chance the Saints will be Butler's opponent in the highest-profile BracketBusters game. Matchups will be made this weekend so teams have a few weeks to deal with travel and scouting.
The concept has done wonders for some and been irrelevant for others, but one thing is certain: Teams that have an outside shot at an NCAA tourney at-large or are looking for a seed boost once they qualify as an automatic can't go wrong with another quality nonconference game in late February.
Some teams won't get that chance. The West Coast Conference isn't participating in the event and there are some omissions from other conferences like the Summit (only Oral Roberts and not Oakland), the America East (no Maine), the Big Sky (served up only Montana State and not Northern Colorado or Weber State).
There are 98 teams involved in 49 games during BracketBusters. The 11 games that will air on the ESPN family of networks are determined first and then the conference commissioners will pair up the remaining 76 teams.
Home and road teams are already set for the event, so it's a bit difficult to maneuver who can go where. But the most important aspect of matching teams should be done based on who has a shot to be in the field. Not all of the 22 set teams are in that group. Actually, maybe only six could have an outside shot at an at-large.
AP Photo/Mike CarlsonFran McCaffery is hoping BracketBusters provides a way to boost his team's NCAA at-large chances.Siena is one of them.
"It's going to mean something and I would say if we could have a phenomenal league record and beat Butler and then not lose until the finals of the [MAAC] then we'd have a shot," said Siena coach Fran McCaffery. "We'll be right there in that discussion, but we don't want to get ahead of ourselves and assume the next five or six games."
McCaffery would actually be in favor of holding off on announcing the BracketBusters matchups until a few more weeks. But nevertheless, he still wants that Butler game. From a storyline perspective, it makes sense. Those are two of the better-known programs in the field and each has had some NCAA tournament success (Siena has won its last two first-round games).
"We're hoping we can put ourselves in position to get an at-large bid," McCaffery said. The problem for the Saints will be the six games prior to a possible showdown with Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Ubiles didn't play against Manhattan on Jan. 18, played 33 minutes in a win over Loyola (Md.) on Jan. 21, but then missed the road game at Manhattan on Sunday. Meanwhile, guard Kyle Downey, who scored 16 points in Ubiles' absence in the first Manhattan game, broke his foot and is now out, possibly for the season.
"We're short-handed for this tough stretch, but I know we have to keep winning," said McCaffery.
Siena did beat Northeastern early in the season for what might turn out to be a solid win. It was a game McCaffery said was scheduled because "nobody wanted to play us and nobody wanted to play them and we're two hours away." But losses to Temple, St. John's, Georgia Tech and Northern Iowa were the supposed "up" games that the Saints failed to win.
Meanwhile, Butler has been rolling in the Horizon at 9-0 with a 16-4 record overall. That mark includes a win at Northwestern and home victories against Ohio State (without Evan Turner) and Xavier. Playing Clemson on a neutral court and UAB on the road (both losses) will help the power rating.
A year ago, Butler coach Brad Stevens said beating Davidson on the road was a key win for helping the Bulldogs get an at-large bid after losing to eventual champ Cleveland State in the conference tournament.
"We were coming off two losses that week before the Davidson game," Stevens said. "And you don't want to be on a losing streak at that time of the year. Doubt starts to creep in. That was a good win that got us going in the right direction."
Stevens knows the Bulldogs will get a quality BracketBusters opponent as the premier home team. There was a time when the staff was anticipating Wichita State as a possible opponent, but two losses last week for the Shockers have led to a belief that it could be Siena. Louisiana Tech, which tops the WAC, is also a possibility, but the name value of a Siena-Butler matchup may have more cachet.
The Bulldogs are handling their business in the Horizon as they become the top draw in every opposing building. That won't change as the Bulldogs go to Green Bay on Friday (ESPNU, 9 ET) and then to Milwaukee, two places the Bulldogs lost last season.
With Matt Howard staying out of foul trouble in the league after being in it throughout the nonconference, the Bulldogs are getting more of a complete effort. Gordon Hayward has been a Horizon MVP and barring a complete collapse, the Bulldogs are in good shape as far as the NCAA tournament is concerned.
Joining Butler as a BracketBusters home squad is Northern Iowa (8-1, 17-2), which leads the Missouri Valley. But Siena has already played Northern Iowa (the Panthers won 82-65) and that's why it makes more sense to send Siena to Butler and Louisiana Tech to Northern Iowa. The latter matchup may not seem headline-worthy to the mainstream fan, but these are the leaders in the WAC and MVC and both teams are talented enough to win a first-round NCAA tournament game.
If you were to pit Siena-Butler and Louisiana Tech-Northern Iowa, you'd likely have four teams that are going to be in the field of 65 matching up a few weeks before Selection Sunday.
The other hot teams are in the Colonial, but they obviously can't go up against each other. Northeastern, Old Dominion, George Mason and William & Mary all could be in play for the CAA's automatic bid with the Tribe the most likely at-large candidate because of nonconference wins over Wake Forest and Maryland on the road and Richmond at home.
That's why the question of who will play at GMU and Northeastern and where ODU and William & Mary will play during BracketBusters will be a fluid process this week.
I'd like to see the following: Wichita State at Northeastern as two of the top teams in the MVC and CAA; William & Mary hitting the road to play the best team in the Ohio Valley (Murray State); ODU traveling to Green Bay, pitting one of the top teams in the CAA against the second-best in the Horizon; and Charleston, which took out North Carolina, makes sense at George Mason in a matchup of two of the best from the Southern and CAA.
"We need a good game," said Northeastern coach Bill Coen, whose Huskies have won 11 games in a row, the third-longest streak in the country. "We've used all our mulligans and probably need to stay perfect the rest of the way to get an at-large berth. But in the spirit of the BracketBusters, we'd like to play our way into the conversation."
Northeastern failed to win games in the nonconference against potential NCAA teams Siena, Rhode Island and Saint Mary's before a humbling loss to Western Michigan in Honolulu on Dec. 23 -- its last loss -- set the team straight.
"It was good for us to be on the road because we had to take a hard look at ourselves," Coen said. "It was like a foreign tour. We were together all the time and had to go eat together breakfast, lunch and dinner and figure it out."
What happened was Northeastern got back to defending and Chaisson Allen started to play the point like Coen expected, teaming up with potential CAA Player of the Year Matt Janning.
Now Coen says the Huskies are cheering for a BracketBusters game "that will help us the most."
They're not alone.
"I don't know if I'll be in that frame of mind again," DeChellis said Thursday. "I didn't know what half we were in when they said the game was 38-33. I thought it was a dream. I thought it was halftime."
Nope, that score was 17-15 for the Nittany Lions. Penn State beat Illinois Wednesday night in a game that is memorable for its statistical oddities. Illinois didn't attempt a free throw. Not one free throw, not one attempt, and the Illini were playing at home.
Illinois was 15-of-50 from the field, 3-of-16 on 3s and didn't have a single player in double figures. Penn State was 13-of-46, 3-of-17 on 3s and 9-of-11 at the line.
"It was a slugfest," DeChellis said. "We missed open shots. Illinois missed open shots, shots that went in and out and around the rim. Both teams defended well, though."
DeChellis said he's not sure he has ever seen a home team not get to the free throw line.
But the Nittany Lions won. They got a road win. They landed a quality RPI win considering Illinois (21-6, 9-5 Big Ten) is No. 19. Penn State (19-8, 8-6) is much deeper at No. 58.
The NCAA selection committee isn't supposed to invite teams based on how entertaining they are for its television partner, CBS. This is about the top 34 teams remaining after the 31 automatic qualifiers. The process is subjective, but wins and losses matter more than style of play.
"[The selection committee doesn't] care; it's a win and it goes on that side of the column," DeChellis said. "It's not like they won't count the win because we only scored 38 points."
Penn State is in an intriguing position now. The Nittany Lions have won on the road against two of the top teams in the Big Ten in Michigan State and Illinois. The Nittany Lions also have a home win over Purdue. Robbie Hummel and Chris Kramer were hurt and didn't play against the Illini, but the result still goes down as a W for the Nittany Lions.
As for bad losses for the Nittany Lions, well, it's hard to find any of them on the schedule. Losing to Rhode Island on a neutral court isn't awful and neither is falling to Temple at home. In the Big Ten the Nittany Lions didn't lose to Indiana or Iowa, the two teams at the bottom of the standings that have no shot of making the postseason.
Northwestern, which lost to Penn State and has a win over Michigan State in East Lansing, beat Ohio State at home Wednesday to continue to prove the Big Ten's depth from No. 1 to No. 9. "Depth" and "competitive balance" are decent words to describe the league (notice I didn't use "stellar" or "simply grand" or "great" to describe anything about the Big Ten).
"The league is good to where anybody can beat anybody," DeChellis said. "There's a buzz that's been created. No one is going to run away with the league. Michigan State looked like the front-runner [and then lost badly at Purdue] and they still have a game left with Purdue and Illinois. There's still a lot left to see how the Big Ten works out."
Penn State is hardly safe. The Nittany Lions have four games left -- at Ohio State on Tuesday, Indiana and Illinois at home, and at Iowa. DeChellis said he would like a split at the very least. It that happens, Penn State is 10-8 in the Big Ten heading to Indianapolis with quality wins within the conference.
Penn State hasn't been to the NCAA tournament under DeChellis. The last appearance was a rare Sweet 16 in 2001 under Jerry Dunn.
To ensure the Nittany Lions can win these games, DeChellis, beginning with the win over Illinois, had Penn State go back to Defense 101. The Nittany Lions hunkered down on defensive drills to ensure they could defend. Clearly they did against the Illini.
"All I know is that if we keep winning games it will be hard to keep us out of the tournament," DeChellis said.
• UNLV's NCAA hopes took a damaging blow with a 77-68 loss at Wyoming to drop to 7-5 in the MWC, 19-7 overall.
• Utah State's road loss to Boise State got worse once the Broncos lost at home to Idaho on Wednesday night. At 6-6, the Vandals are now just a game behind Boise State in the conference standings but are 12-13 overall.
• Notre Dame at Providence on Saturday could be a bubble elimination game. The Irish and the Friars both lost Wednesday night. A loss to Notre Dame would put PC at 8-7, 16-11, with the only real hope of getting any at-large attention coming in the form of a win over Pitt when the Panthers visit Feb. 24. Notre Dame would slip to 5-9, 14-12 with a loss and would probably have to knock off Connecticut on the road.
• Tyler Zeller moved well for North Carolina in the win over NC State. If he continues to improve, the Tar Heels will be even tougher to defend.
• Tennessee lost again, this time to Ole Miss, and it hardly seems like news anymore. The Volunteers dropped to 7-4 in the SEC East and a very average 16-9 overall.
• Give Auburn coach Jeff Lebo credit for rising above some of the mediocrity this season and getting the Tigers to 6-5 in the SEC West so far, 17-9 overall.
• No other way to say it: Miami (15-10, 4-8), Maryland (16-9, 5-6) and Virginia Tech (16-9, 6-5) are facing some must-win games in the next week. All three lost Wednesday night; the worst of the bunch was the Hokies, who fell to rival Virginia. Here's the problem: Virginia Tech's next three games are home against Florida State, at Clemson and home versus Duke. Miami's next game is against Boston College, while Maryland hosts North Carolina and Duke.
• Northeastern finally gave away first place in the CAA. The past two times the Huskies lost, so too did VCU. This time NU let Georgia State come into Boston and take away a 70-68 win on a buzzer-beating layup by Ousman Krubally as time expired. The loss dropped Northeastern to 11-5, tied with George Mason for second behind VCU, which moved to 12-4 with a win over Delaware.
Quick hitters for Thursday:
• Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said second-leading scorer Raymar Morgan started to feel ill against Illinois on Jan. 17.
Since then, Morgan has been diagnosed with a case of mono/walking pneumonia, according to Izzo, who shut Morgan down Wednesday and didn't play him in the win over Minnesota. It's unclear if Morgan can go Saturday against Indiana.
Morgan's production continued to go down after Jan. 14 when he scored 17 points in a win at Penn State. He played 31 minutes and scored eight points in the win over Illinois. He played 18 minutes and scored just one point in the loss to Northwestern. He went for 21 minutes, scoring four points in a win at Ohio State, and then played just eight minutes and scored two points in a win at Iowa. He could only muster three minutes in the loss to Penn State.
"He's still our best all-around player," Izzo said.
Morgan hasn't been practicing. The hope is that within a week or so -- around four weeks since the diagnosis -- he should be on the other side of the illness. But conditioning will be a factor, too.
"I'm hoping by March we can get the whole team together," Izzo said.
The Spartans have dealt with a number of injuries and illnesses with various setbacks for forwards Delvon Roe and Goran Suton.
The difference for the Spartans on Wednesday was their defense. Michigan State held Minnesota to 47 points, 3-of-12 3-point shooting and 15-of-52 (28.8 percent) overall. MSU also outrebounded the Gophers, 38-21.
"If we can get everyone back I still think we can be one of those teams (to go far in March)," Izzo said.
• Izzo said it took him days to get over the combined home losses to Northwestern and Penn State.
But just when he thought he had beat himself down enough, he watched the Penn State tape and kept seeing how far out the Nittany Lions were hitting shots last Sunday.
And for that moment, it eased the pain of losing. So when Izzo saw Minnesota coach Tubby Smith on Wednesday night, he sat with him on the bench and asked Smith if the Gophers planned on hitting deep shots.
"When you're on the floor, you don't realize how far out they're shooting from," Izzo said. "We guarded them. The Northwestern game we didn't play well (18 turnovers)."
Listen Friday to more of my interview with Izzo on the ESPNU College Basketball podcast.
• Wake Forest coach Dino Gaudio said Thursday he had feared two stretches of games in the preseason. He said he worried about the stretch of at BYU, North Carolina, at Boston College and Clemson. Wake won all four of those games. The second stretch was at Georgia Tech, at Miami, Boston College and at NC State. So far the Demon Deacons are 0-2 in this current stretch.
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• Is Miami in the field? • Should Oklahoma State worry? • What is the magic RPI number?  |
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Poor shooting (3-of-20 on 3s, Jeff Teague 0-for-5) and giving up 32 points to Jack McClinton were deciding factors in losing 79-52 Wednesday night at Miami.
The Demon Deacons are a much-improved basketball team from a year ago, both in development of players like Teague and James Johnson and the infusion of freshmen like Al-Farouq Aminu. But it's hard not to look at an eerily similar situation to last season. Wake beat Duke at home and then lost four straight games to essentially fall out of the postseason.
Wake beat Duke at home and has lost two straight to fall out of contention possibly for a No. 1 seed. The fall isn't as far, but it's still a post-Duke dip, nonetheless.
• Utah State, which hosts New Mexico State on Thursday as a ranked team, is well aware of its perilous spot in the top 25. USU coach Stew Morrill said Thursday his players were really excited about getting ranked this week and the staff embraces the sudden stamp of approval nationally. But he keeps reminding them that one loss can lead to a slide out of the rankings. Check Friday for more of my interview with Morrill on the ESPNU College Basketball podcast.
• Lost amid the wild Wednesday were a few other results: Boston College beat Virginia by 10 to move to 6-3 in the ACC, 18-6 overall. BC goes to Wake and hosts Clemson and Duke the next three games. Winning one of these three is crucial to the Eagles' NCAA chances.
• Utah took out TCU by eight to stay in stride with San Diego State atop the Mountain West.
• Illinois State beat Southern Illinois by three in overtime in Carbondale to go to 19-4 overall, 8-4 in the Missouri Valley, tied with Creighton and three games behind Northern Iowa.
• VMI beat Winthrop in overtime, 110-106, and continue to be one of the more exciting team to watch. VMI is the leader in the Big South and if it can win the league, the Keydets will be a tough first-round matchup.
Butler at Davidson, the highlight game Feb. 21, is a blockbuster game. Both teams will be in the NCAA tournament, regardless of whether they win their conference tourney. This game could easily be an NCAA second-round matchup, considering the way both teams have played at times this season. Butler's Brad Stevens said Monday the good news was that the two teams probably won't face each other now in the NCAAs. The other positive outcome is that they will have to play next season in Indianapolis as part of the return portion of BracketBusters.
Utah State at Saint Mary's is another one that makes sense based on geography. Utah State is undefeated in the WAC. Saint Mary's was just ranked before Australian Olympian and sophomore point guard Patty Mills went down with a broken hand. This game will be crucial for both squads. Saint Mary's must prove it can beat a quality opponent without Mills for the NCAA tournament selection committee. The only other team on the schedule that fits the criteria will be Gonzaga on Feb. 12, and Mills isn't due back until late February at the earliest. USU could use another quality road win since the WAC is having a down season with no other potential at-large team.
Northern Iowa at Siena is another quality game, but it's the wrong opponent for Siena. Northeastern should be playing the Saints. Instead, Northeastern was stuck playing at Wright State in a game that does nothing but hurt the Huskies.
Siena is the top team in the MAAC, and undefeated at this juncture. The Saints played a great schedule, even though they didn't win any of the games in Orlando at the Old Spice Classic or against Kansas or Pitt. Northern Iowa is leading the Missouri Valley with a 10-1 record. But the Panthers beat NO ONE in the nonconference that will be in the NCAA tournament. Even the teams from supposedly higher-rated conferences like the Big East (Marquette), the Big 12 (Iowa State), the Big Ten (Iowa) -- and if you want to throw in the Mountain West (Wyoming) -- were all losses. The only win against a team from a higher-rated conference was Auburn from the SEC. Auburn is 2-4 in the SEC, 13-8 overall.
AJ Mast/Icon SMIMatt Janning and Northeastern will play at Wright State on Feb. 21.In ESPN.com's InsiderRPI, Siena is rated No. 23, Northeastern No. 55 and Northern Iowa No. 76. Northeastern also beat VCU, which is ranked No. 61, and which got a better road game in going to Nevada. Northeastern also beat George Mason, which is rated No. 60, and got a better road game at Creighton. Memo to the CAA office: Northeastern is the best team in your league, so deal with it and prop the Huskies up in this event.
UNI might not get a bid if it doesn't win the Valley. Siena probably has to win the MAAC. Northeastern probably has to do the same in the CAA. The one area in which a loss to Wright State (7-4 Horizon, 13-9 overall) could hurt is in seeding NU if it gets a bid. Losing at Nevada or Creighton wouldn't hurt as much.
One of the more intriguing games, although it might not sell tickets, is Green Bay at Long Beach State. Green Bay beat Butler on Monday to go to 10-2 in the Horizon, 18-6 overall. Long Beach State is atop the Big West at 6-2 (11-9 overall). The Buffalo at Vermont game should also be highly competitive, since the Bulls (14-5, 6-1) and Catamounts (16-6, 7-2) are currently atop the MAC East and America East, respectively.
Here's a schedule of the BracketBusters games that will be televised by the ESPN family of networks. Game times and networks will be released Monday.
Feb. 20
VCU at Nevada
Illinois State at Niagara
Feb. 21
George Mason at Creighton
Butler at Davidson
Miami (Ohio) at Evansville
Hofstra at Fairfield
Green Bay at Long Beach State
Liberty at Old Dominion
Boise State at Portland State
Utah State at Saint Mary's
Northern Iowa at Siena
Buffalo at Vermont
Northeastern at Wright State
Some quick hitters for Tuesday:
• Jeff Capel isn't going to Georgia or anywhere else that's not a slam-dunk basketball job. UGA isn't a better job than Oklahoma. At least one close source to Capel confirmed that he's not going to run out of Norman for just anything. OU athletic director Joe Castiglione can match money, too. If Maryland had opened -- and it isn't now, according to athletic director Debbie Yow -- then that might be a possibility, since it is an elite basketball job. But go to Georgia? From what I've been told, no shot.
• Xavier's Sean Miller is a popular name to throw against a wall and see if it sticks. But Miller again has a great situation at Xavier. He just got a 10-year deal. Like Gonzaga's Mark Few, it would have to be a major, major upgrade in a job to pull Miller away from XU. The buyout isn't an issue for him, but quality of life is, so don't expect to see Miller hopping around unless it's a can't-miss situation.
• Glad to see Yow came out and quieted the rumors on Gary Williams. This has obviously been a tough week for Yow (our condolences to her on the loss of her sister, Kay). But she did need to settle everyone down. Few people have as much passion for their job as Williams does for his. I couldn't see a scenario in which he was going to get fired. Not sure what the exact buyout was on Williams' contract, but the full figure of his deal was $6 million with three years remaining. Williams will go down swinging, and he should. He deserves to try to right the ship in College Park. The assistants need to step up and do a better job of recruiting, too.
• If Michigan State were healthy, do you really think the Spartans would lose to Northwestern and Penn State in the same season? Taking Raymar Morgan out of the lineup for an extended period of time (he won't play against Minnesota due to "walking pneumonia") was going to hurt. Morgan played limited minutes the past two games. If he's not healthy, the Spartans won't be right.
• If Seton Hall's Bobby Gonzalez had done what Texas Tech's Pat Knight did in running on the court -- twice -- to challenge the officials, do you think the Big East would have just reprimanded him? The Big East does seem to have more teeth than the Big 12 when it comes to disciplining their folks. Gonzo was suspended for a Big East game this season for his actions in the Rutgers game last season. While Knight defending his players can be viewed as admirable, the appearance of charging the officials could have easily resulted in a suspension.
• The decision by Juan Pattillo to remove his redshirt status has been a great one for Oklahoma. He is averaging 10.3 points, 2.7 boards and 19 minutes a game over the past three games. He's also 12-of-18 from the field and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. The JC transfer didn't get eligible until August and missed summer conditioning. He was also banged up and wasn't able to practice as much. But he took the redshirt status away before the Texas game Jan. 12. Since then, he has turned into a great find off the bench at both ends of the court.
• By the way, the more the Big East and ACC teams beat each other up, the more likely it appears Oklahoma will be one of the No. 1 seeds.
Craig Robinson and his wife, Kelly, stayed in the Lincoln bedroom Tuesday night at the White House, getting a chance to admire the original Gettysburg Address encased in glass.
For Robinson, it was hard not to get emotional or at least be in awe of his surroundings.
But he had no idea what was about to occur Thursday night in Berkeley, Calif.
When Robinson walked out onto the Haas Pavilion court for warm-ups, the Cal student section started clapping, standing and giving him a rousing ovation. The ovation spread to the rest of the fans.
"It was the most moving thing I've seen, other than Tuesday," Robinson said Friday morning, comparing the ovation to the emotion he felt watching his brother-in-law, Barack Obama, become the 44th president of the United States and his sister, Michelle, the first lady.
"It was the classiest thing I've ever seen," Robinson said. "It's by far the most emotional thing that has happened to me since Tuesday."
Robinson said he hadn't been introduced yet. He had just come out for warm-ups when the ovation started. He said Cal coach Mike Montgomery hadn't even come out from his team's locker room.
Oh, by the way, Oregon State beat Cal, 69-65, coming back from 11 points down. It was by far the best game Roeland Schaftenaar played for Robinson. Schaftenaar, a big man who can step out and shoot 3-pointers, scored 22 points going 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. "He was aggressive," Robinson said of Schaftenaar. Robinson said the Beavers' 1-3-1 zone started to frustrate the Bears in the second half. Cal still made 11 3-pointers but didn't make them at the right time.
Oregon State outscored Cal 33-22 in the second half after trailing by seven at halftime.
"We never stopped playing," Robinson said.
It's hard to underscore how surprising it is that Oregon State has two Pac-10 wins, against USC at home and at Cal no less. Oregon State didn't win a game last season in the Pac-10 under former coach Jay John, now a Cal assistant, and Kevin Mouton, who replaced John once he was fired.
Oregon State was predicted to finish last in the Pac-10 this season. Yet the Beavers are tied with Arizona at 2-5 in the league. Rival Oregon, which plays at Oregon State on Jan. 31, is winless in the first seven games.
"USC was the most surprising of the wins since I didn't think it would come so soon in the Pac-10 season and it was right after UCLA," Robinson said of the 23-point loss to the Bruins. "But to get this one was a surprise too. We were coming off our worst game against Washington [85-59 loss] and then had all these distractions. This team easily could have not played well."
Robinson coached practice Sunday, gave the team off Monday, and then the assistants ran practice Tuesday. Robinson met the team Wednesday in Berkeley for an 8-10:30 p.m. practice. So clearly, the Beavers had plenty of reasons to fail against a Cal team that's in position to challenge for the Pac-10 title.
"I'm so proud of these guys," Robinson said.
• Washington continues to look like a legitimate challenger to the Pac-10 title. The Huskies held off USC late Thursday night and this time got more scoring pop from guard Justin Dentmon. He got to the line 11 times, made all of them, then finished with 22 points. The Huskies (14-4, 5-1) host UCLA on Saturday in Seattle and have a chance to be alone in first place in the Pac-10 with a win.
• Utah State moved to 18-1 with a four-point win over San Jose State. There's no question the Aggies are the quietest 18-1 team in recent memory.
• Gonzaga and Saint Mary's are the only two ranked teams in the same conference, not from a BCS conference. That's great for the WCC, but the bottom of the league needs to catch up sooner than later so there isn't so much of a disparity.
• Boston University beat UMBC 80-77 in double overtime Thursday. John Holland scored 18 points and played 44 out of a possible 50 minutes. He played all 60 minutes, scored 29 points, in a quadruple overtime win over Stony Brook three days earlier.
• LSU coach Trent Johnson wouldn't say Saturday's game against Xavier is a must-win since the Tigers didn't win nonconference games at Utah or against Texas A&M in Houston. But he does recognize that Xavier is one of the best teams in the country and will certainly be a great win for the Tigers. LSU is on a roll offensively since scoring 59 points in an SEC-opening loss at Alabama. The Tigers have since scored 85, 83 and 81 in consecutive wins over South Carolina, at Ole Miss and Mississippi State. The big reason for the change is taking care of the ball, shot selection and overall offensive execution, especially in the first half, Johnson said.
• Alabama coach Mark Gottfried said the Tide has adjusted to life without point guard Ronald Steele, who has stopped playing basketball after suffering another injury (this time plantar fasciitis after knee injuries last season). Mikhail Torrance scored 24 in Steele's absence in a win over Ole Miss. The first two games without Steele were losses at Mississippi State and Auburn.
• Memphis coach John Calipari said he's glad he has two more nonconference games left on the schedule, beginning Saturday at Tennessee (the other is at Gonzaga Feb. 7). He said he wants to see Tyreke Evans at the point against competition outside of Conference USA after making the move last month. Calipari is fairly confident that the Tigers will get a high seed with their strength of schedule increasing with these two nonconference games.
• Was at Vermont's win over Hartford on Thursday and two things jumped out to me: one was that former Michigan State guard Maurice Joseph comes off the bench for the Catamounts and the other was how much Vermont coach Mike Lonergan discussed the NIT. Joseph is averaging 8.9 points and can be a scoring pop off the bench. But defensively he needs to tighten up to be a starter. Meanwhile, Lonergan said another huge incentive for the Catamounts to win the America East regular-season title is to get the NIT bid that goes to the regular-season champ if it doesn't win the conference tournament. He wants this team in the postseason in some form. He said the NIT rule of awarding the regular-season champs from every conference that doesn't get an NCAA bid was one of the best rules put in by the postseason event.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Andy Katz
Andy Katz is a senior college basketball writer for ESPN.com. He started working for ESPN.com in 1998, eventually leaving a 10-year newspaper career in 1999 to join ESPN.com full-time. In addition to covering breaking news for the site and college basketball on a daily basis through his Daily Word, Katz is a reporter for studio and remote coverage of college basketball and the NBA draft on ESPN's family of networks. Katz is a regular on ESPNU's "The Bracket" show throughout the college basketball season.