Green sparks Spartans, Hayward answers for Butler
The only legit NBA prospect on the Bulldogs' roster is carrying them early on.
Gordon Hayward is 4 for 4 from the field, including two early 3-pointers, but nobody else wearing Butler blue has managed to get in a rhythm. The rest of the team had been 0 for 4 before Shelvin Mack hit a short jumper moments ago.
Michigan State leads 18-14 with 11:02 left before halftime.
Speaking of Hayward, he said there haven't been too many "wow" moments during this dream week in Indianapolis — except for that phone call Tuesday night from tennis star Andy Roddick.
"He's just such a superstar, so for him to call, that was really cool," Hayward said earlier in the week. "You know, I didn't really think about it at first and then I had to listen to it again. He said 'Hey, Gordon this is Andy Roddick' and I was just like 'Wow!'"
Hayward was nearly as good at tennis as he was basketball in high school.
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Draymond Green has come off the bench to provide a spark for Michigan State, hitting a pair of baskets during a 10-2 run that answered seven straight points by Butler.
Green seems to be a little bit hobbled, too, reacting slowly on defense and moving poorly on offense. But at this time of the year, some bumps and bruises are only natural.
Raymar Morgan just checked in with two fouls for Michigan State, taking the place of Green, who plopped down on the bench with a towel over his knees.
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The referees have been quick on the whistle, and foul trouble could become a story line because both teams play physical on defense and prefer low-scoring games.
Raymar Morgan already had a pair of fouls with 15 minutes left in the first half, and the Spartans have four as a team.
Butler players were asked before the game how they would deal with a team from the rough-and-tumble Big Ten, and guard Ronald Nored said the Bulldogs wouldn't back down.
"We're going to have to match their physicality, we're going to have to match their toughness," Nored said. "We're going to have to match them on the boards."
Butler big man Matt Howard also has two fouls with 14 minutes left.
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More injury woes for Michigan State already.
Korie Lucious limped off the court with a gimpy right foot or ankle, moments after a pass helped setup an easy bucket for Raymar Morgan to make it 8-7 in favor of the Spartans.
Michigan State is already missing Kalin Lucas in the backcourt, and losing Lucious would be a significant blow — especially considering Delvon Roe is playing on his own injured knee.
This is a team that has been resilient all season, though, playing through a flu that swept up and down the roster and injuries that have seemingly affected everybody. Morgan sprained his ankle, Chris Allen had a groin injury, and on and on it goes.
Lucious checked out of the game at the first media timeout, but is already set to check back in.
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It's a party on the perimeter in the first couple minutes of the Final Four opener.
Korie Lucious hit two 3-pointers for Michigan State, making the green-clad fans in Indy forget all about injured point guard Kalin Lucas, before Gordon Hayward knocked down two straight of his own to tie the score 6-all about 3 minutes in.
The fans are loving it, but Tom Izzo might not be.
The Michigan State coach was upset that Lucious left his shooting arm up for a bit after his second 3-pointer. Izzo stomped his feet to get his guard's attention and tapped his forehead to tell him to think twice, then went back to the bench muttering.
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Butler players were introduced moments ago, and one of the quaint rituals - as if there aren't enough for the small, hometown school — was each player greeting Blue II.
That's the Bulldogs' mascot.
He was making the rounds at Lucas Oil Stadium before his team played Michigan State. He hung with the guys from CBS, posed for pictures with adoring fans and got a pat on the head from former Butler coach Thad Matta, now at Ohio State.
He was on his best behavior, too. He didn't even bark when the Spartans walked by.
"Normally, we're dragging him. He's dragging us today," said owner Michael Kaltenmark, who is Butler's director of development. "We came in here, and his spirits just lifted."
Blue II is also celebrating a birthday. He turned 6 last Saturday, the same day Butler beat Kansas State to reach its first Final Four.
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Something to watch for in the first national semifinal: Michigan State is undefeated (6-0) when Raymar Morgan has a double-double.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo talked about Morgan during media availability earlier in the week and had to choose his words carefully in describing his career so far. Izzo wouldn't tread on the word "disappointment," but he made it clear that he expects more of the forward.
Morgan has delivered in the NCAA tournament, though, embarking on perhaps the best four-game run of his college basketball career. Does he have another one in him?
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Magic Johnson made his way to his seat moments ago, flashing that enormous smile, slapping high-fives with the face-painted Michigan State fans in the front row of the student section.
Even for the Magic Man, this never gets old.
"This is what you live for. This is what it's all about," he said. "I love it."
The MVP of Michigan State's epic 1979 NCAA title, Johnson was in St. Louis last week to cheer on the Spartans in both rounds of the Midwest Regional, and entered Lucas Oil Stadium for the national semifinal against Butler like a conquering hero returning home.
"It's a great moment. We're back again and I think this year is more special because nobody expected us to be here," Johnson said. "It's so special."
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Talk about a nice way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Indiana state high school basketball tournament: Butler playing in the Final Four in Indianapolis.
The Bulldogs are left to carry the banner in a state that calls basketball its own, where you're more likely to see a backboard and rim attached to the side of barn than you are to see a soccer field in suburbia.
Indiana missed out on the NCAA tournament again, as the once-proud program continues to rebuild. Notre Dame was eliminated in the first round and Purdue was ousted in the regional semifinals by Duke, which plays West Virginia in one of the national semifinals.
That leaves Butler on the big stage against Michigan State.
From small towns like Connersville and Yorktown to bigger cities like Indy and Bloomington, blue Butler shirts are popping up everywhere. Hoosier fans are even joining the bandwagon.
At Victory Field, home of Indy's minor-league baseball team, the words "Go Dawgs" have been scripted into the stands. At the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in New Castle, home of two Butler players and an assistant coach, growing crowds are asking more questions about Butler.
It's been a long time since Indiana State and some kid named Larry Bird played Michigan State in the Final Four, but there are certainly some parallels. And they're evident all over the state of Indiana.
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It hasn't been easy for Butler or Michigan State on the road to Indianapolis.
The Bulldogs had perhaps the easiest game of anybody left in the opening round against UTEP, breezing to a 77-59 victory. The Bulldogs then squeaked by 13th-seeded Murray State by two, upended No. 1 seed Syracuse by four, and struggled to a seven-point win over second-seeded Kansas State in a game that was much closer most of the way.
If that's impressive, consider that Michigan State won its four games by a whopping 13 points — combined. It was the lowest margin for a Final Four team since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 in 1985.
The run began with a 70-67 win over New Mexico State, then came a two-point victory over Maryland in which the Spartans lost star guard Kalin Lucas to a ruptured Achilles' tendon. The injury hasn't slowed them down, though, in a 59-52 win over Northern Iowa and a 70-69 thriller in the Midwest Regional final against Tennessee.
Copyright (c) 2010 The Associated Press
Regional finals set as NCAA tournament separates the contenders from the pretendersThe regional finals are set after two days of games that separated the contenders from the pretenders, the upstarts from the just starting to get serious.
It will be fifth-seeded Michigan State, playing without star guard Kalin Lucas, taking on sixth-seeded Tennessee in Houston. In the other regional final from that half of the bracket, Butler puts its 23-game winning streak on the line against Jacob Pullen, Denis Clemente and second-seeded Kansas State.
Top-seeded Kentucky and its roster of phenomenal freshmen will play second-seeded West Virginia in the East Regional, the only corner of the bracket where the two teams favored to keep playing have done just that. The other top seed still alive, Duke, will face third-seeded Baylor in Houston for the right to play in the Final Four in Indianapolis.
The field of 65 has been whittled to eight, and as the number of teams still lacing up the sneakers keeps getting smaller, the pressure keeps building.
What teams will be able to handle it? The weekend will write that story.
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Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer rescued Duke in the second half, heating up from the field after a miserable first 20 minutes and lifting the top-seeded Blue Devils to a 70-57 victory over fourth-seeded Purdue in the South Regional.
Kyle Singler also had a big game for the Blue Devils, but it's not a surprise. Those three have led the Atlantic Coast Conference champions all season.
It could be argued that Purdue lost the game when Robbie Hummel tore his ACL late in the season, because the Boilermakers never seemed to be the same team. That doesn't mean they can't be proud of the showing they made in the NCAA tournament, beating Siena in the opening round and then outlasting Texas A&M in a rousing second-round matchup last weekend.
The Blue Devils, in their first regional final since 2004, will play third-seeded Baylor on Sunday for a spot in the Final Four.
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Chris Allen managed a key putback with about 30 seconds left, and Michigan State used stellar defense and gritty determination down the stretch to fend off ninth-seeded Northern Iowa 59-52 in the Midwest Regional semifinals.
The Spartans put a somber ending on a dream run for the Panthers, who gave the NCAA tournament plenty of thrills with their wins over UNLV and top-seeded Kansas. But it will be Michigan State playing for a spot in the Final Four, against No. 6 seed Tennessee on Sunday.
After losing star guard Kalin Lucas to a ruptured Achilles' tendon in a second-round win over Maryland, many people wondered if the Spartans would crumble. Korie Lucious came through with several big shots, and Durrell Summers had another big game in the NCAA tournament.
Northern Iowa didn't manage a field goal in the final 10 minutes, but was able to stay within striking distance from the foul line and thanks to its own excellent defense.
The tournament now lacks any real miracle teams, after Saint Mary's lost earlier in the night to Baylor. The best anybody can point to is Horizon League heavyweight Butler, but even the Bulldogs are a No. 5 seed and many folks anticipated them making a deep run.
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Korie Lucious is making Kalin Lucas proud, with a nifty spin move at the foul line and a fadeaway jumper that has given Michigan State a four-point lead with about 90 seconds left.
Free throws have been a thorn for Northern Iowa: Adam Koch, an 84-percent shooter, just missed a pair, and 87-percent shooter Ali Farokhmanesh has missed three of them.
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The heavily Northern Iowa crowd is on its feet at the Edward Jones Dome, not far from the Scottrade Center, where the Panthers won the Missouri Valley tournament a few weeks ago.
Adam Koch's two foul shots have tied the game 51-all with 2 1/2 minutes left against Michigan State in another thriller from the Midwest Regional.
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The lead is back to nine for Duke, its biggest of the night, after a flurry from Nolan Smith. His jumper started the spurt, he made another jumper moments later, then took an assist from Jon Scheyer and made a 3-pointer with 8:04 left.
Smith had been 2 of 12 from the field before hitting three straight shots.
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Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson was becoming frustrated after the Panthers ran plays in the wrong direction on consecutive possessions.
He's probably not too happy about Michigan State getting offensive rebounds, either.
The Panthers forced a turnover and had a chance to take the lead, but Johnny Moran bricked a 3-pointer off the backboard. Moments later he limped off the floor, although it's unclear exactly what he did to his foot or ankle.
(c)2010 Newser, LLC
Monica Wright leads Virginia women into 2010 NCAA tournamentThis is Monica Wright's final NCAA tournament, and the senior guard for Virginia is carrying into it the same enthusiasm she had the first time.
"In past tournaments, I definitely had the same mentality," she said. "Every tournament is a chance to win a national championship. This one is big because it is my senior year, but I feel like I'm still as excited as I was in my second and third year."
Wright intends to make her third consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament a memorable one. By sheer will, which has led to a record-breaking career at U-Va., she has propelled the youthful Cavaliers to their 24th NCAA tournament appearance. Fifth-seeded Virginia (21-9) will play No. 12 seed Green Bay (27-4) at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, on Sunday at 7:20 p.m.
Wright, the 2006 All-Met Player of the Year from Forest Park High whose No. 22 jersey already has been retired into the John Paul Jones Arena rafters, is the only senior among Virginia's starting five, which includes two freshmen and two sophomores.
"She's had to step up in big situations," Virginia Coach Debbie Ryan said. "She's learned when it's time to go, and when it's time to lay back and let somebody else do it. She's really doing a good job of nurturing this team. I'm happy with Monica right now, and I think she's in a good place mentally."
Because Virginia has such a young roster -- seven of the 10 players on the roster had a season or less of college experience entering the season -- Wright has had to do it all. She surpassed three WNBA players, including Cavaliers great Dawn Staley, on the program's scoring list to become Virginia's all-time leading scorer with 2,506 points. She was named the ACC player and defensive player of the year after leading the league in scoring (23.3 points per game) and steals (3.6 per game).
With such a lengthy list of accomplishments, Wright, a Wooden Award and State Farm all-American finalist, had to pause a moment before answering when asked what was the one that meant the most to her.
"I'm not sure," she said. "Probably my favorite was the ACC defensive player of the year, just because I feel like I take pride in my defense and I use my defense so much to fuel my offense. That's something that I was most honored to get. Then also of course, breaking Dawn Staley's record. You know, I give all credit to my teammates for that because they always set me up."
Green Bay, the first team out of the Horizon League to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, is making its 11th appearance in the field of 64. The Phoenix is 4-3 all-time against ACC opponents.
"They're a very solid team and a very solid program," Ryan said. "They just have had a lot of success. Whenever you face a team that's had a lot of success, it doesn't matter where you are coming from or where you're going to; all that matters is that you understand how to win."
Though the teams have never met before, there are a number of connections between Virginia and Green Bay. In 2003, when Ryan coached the U.S. team that won a silver medal at the Pan American Games, one of her assistant coaches was Kathi Bennett, who played at Green Bay and is the sister of Virginia men's basketball Coach Tony Bennett. Green Bay Coach Matt Bollant was an assistant to Kathi Bennett at Indiana and Evansville.
Virginia enters its game against Green Bay having lost three of four, including a surprising loss to North Carolina State in an ACC tournament quarterfinal. Ryan attributes that defeat to the Cavaliers' youth.
"They were up, and they were giddy," Ryan said. "I almost had to calm them down, then [game time] rolls around and it's like they've played six times before they even got out there. We had a great start in that game. The first six or seven minutes, we were incredible and then there was a big let down after that. . . . We have to learn how to handle those kinds of things. Now we have to do just a little bit better job of using the experience we have now to help us in the future."
(c) Copyright 1996-2010 The Washington Post Company
Ex-Marquette star Matthews fits in with Jazz
Wesley Matthews is strikingly honest about it.
When the former Marquette University star is asked about being ignored in last June's National Basketball Association draft, the sting is still felt in his response.
"Of course it bugs me," said Matthews, now the starting shooting guard for the Utah Jazz. "But hey, I can't do anything about it now but try to pay them back.
"I'm a motivated player, anyway, and that just added onto it. I'm not out for blood or revenge or anything like that, but it's just kind of a knock on any basketball player who feels he belongs in a certain league. If you've ever been cut before, you know what I feel like."
After four years at Marquette, the talented trio of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Matthews made the workout rounds for NBA teams last spring. Only Matthews, who often was overshadowed by the other two with the Golden Eagles, is now in the league.
The 23-year-old Madison native spent 19 games as a Jazz starter earlier in the season before returning to the bench. When Utah sent guard Ronnie Brewer to Memphis at the trade deadline, Matthews instantly went back into the starting lineup.
He made his 12th consecutive start as the Jazz met the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night at the Bradley Center, picking up six points in 24 minutes.
"All I can do is play my hardest, play my toughest, play with my heart and play as smart as I can," Matthews said.
Remarkably, he is on pace to start one more game (48) as a rookie than point guard Deron Williams did as a No. 3 overall pick for Utah during the 2005-'06 season.
Matthews is averaging 8.6 points and 2.0 rebounds, and 10 points a game as a starter, but his value is not truly reflected in his statistics. He also plays the role that Luc Richard Mbah a Moute does for the Bucks, usually defending against the other team's top scorer.
It might be LeBron James or Kobe Bryant or Kevin Durant. The other night it was Detroit's Richard Hamilton, and Matthews helped limit the veteran guard to a 4-for-12 shooting night.
"I want to be great," said Matthews, whose father, Wes, played nine seasons in the NBA. "I want to be as good as I can be. That's going against the best every night and at the same time executing on the offensive end. I like that task. It's daunting, it's demanding, but I wouldn't have it any other way."
The Bucks worked out Matthews before the draft but chose Kentucky guard Jodie Meeks with the 41st overall pick in the second round (Meeks has since been traded to Philadelphia).
Utah selected Michigan State big man Goran Suton in the second round but gave Matthews a chance by putting him on its Orlando summer league roster.
"When I started in summer league I didn't play as well as I wanted to and I didn't get the feedback I wanted," Matthews recalled. "I went to the Vegas summer league with Sacramento and played a lot better. It was still not the feedback that I wanted; it was the waiting game.
"Utah sent me an invite for training camp and I knew I had a small window. I said, 'You know what, I'm going to go there and I'm going to try to make them keep me. I want them to lose sleep over this decision.' "
Injuries to Kyle Korver and C.J. Miles helped Matthews get a chance in the preseason, but he also had impressed veteran Jazz coach Jerry Sloan.
Matthews said he didn't have to adjust much to Sloan's methods because "he demands everything I've always done my whole life."
Bucks coach Scott Skiles said Matthews was a perfect fit for Utah's style of play.
"He's a guy I enjoyed watching in college; he's a Jazz-type player," Skiles said. "He's got physical toughness. He plays hard and he's good around the basket; they have a very good off-the-ball cutting team. And he'll stick his nose in there defensively."
Matthews was happy to be back in Milwaukee, and he went out to dinner with family members Thursday night. He admitted it felt strange to be in a different locker room in the Bradley Center after four years as a home team player at Marquette.
And he said he was actively following Marquette's progress in the Big East tournament.
"I'm happy for Marquette right now," he said before the Golden Eagles' Big East semifinal against Georgetown. "I'm texting (coach) Buzz (Williams) and the team all the time.
"It's just how hard they play. They're impressing me, but I knew they were going to be that way because I know how Coach Buzz is. I'm just proud more than anything. Lazar (Hayward) has been coming up big and DJO (Darius Johnson-Odom) has been a great surprise to everybody. Jimmy (Butler) is being constant; Cubi (David Cubillan) is finally coming into his own as a senior."
(c)2010, Journal Sentinel Inc
Gatens looking toward next year for hope
Minneapolis, Minn. -- Matt Gatens arrived for practice Friday wearing a T-shirt celebrating Iowa City High's 2008 state boys' basketball championship.
The Iowa Hawkeye guard was an all-state performer on that Little Hawks team. With his sophomore season coming to an end, college hasn't been as kind to the stay-at-home guard.
Iowa, 10-20 overall and 4-13 in the Big Ten, ends its regular season with a 5 p.m. game Sunday against Minnesota in Williams Arena. This is the first time a Hawkeye basketball team has lost 20 times in a season.
"Coming in to Iowa, I was not expecting to be on that side of history," said Gatens, Iowa's leading scorer at 12.5 points a game. "After the season, it's going to be in the past. ... You've got to try and make next year go the opposite way. Try to get 20 wins."
With just one senior on the roster, and 81 percent of the scoring this season done by underclassmen in a Big Ten that is dominated by juniors and seniors, Gatens sees some light at the end of the tunnel. But the future doesn't change the present.
"This is the place I chose to be," said Gatens, who was on a 15-17 team as a freshman. "It's a great a community and environment. I have a lot of friends here. But on the court, it definitely hasn't been fun. Hopefully we can use it as motivation to turn this thing around."
One of the biggest obstacles facing coach Todd Lickliter in his three seasons at Iowa has been a series of roster defections. The changes have left sophomores like Gatens in leadership roles.
Iowa's individual player statistics
Iowa's scores and schedule
"When guys are leaving left and right it's tough to keep things intact, and going in the right direction," Gatens said. "It's tough to play in a system like coach is trying to do when guys are leaving. If we could have kept the group together, it would have been a lot easier. But you've got to deal with it."
Rumors persist of future transfers, despite denials.
"There are always rumors swirling around," Gatens said. "But I've not heard anything from this group."
Gatens said it would be "a great honor" to be on an Iowa team that got things headed in the right direction for a program that will experience three straight losing seasons for the first time since the early 1930s.
"It would make this whole experience a lot more fun," he said. "It's been a rough couple of years."
Sunday's Iowa men's basketball game
WHO: Iowa (10-20, 4-13 Big Ten) at Minnesota (17-12, 8-9)
WHERE: Williams Arena, Minneapolis, Minn.
TIPOFF: 5 p.m.
TV/RADIO: Big Ten Network/WHO-AM (1040), D.M.; WMT-AM (600), Cedar Rapids.
STATISTICAL LEADERS: For the Hawkeyes - Matt Gatens 12.5 ppg; Aaron Fuller 6.0 rpg; Cully Payne 3.8 apg; for the Gophers - Lawrence Westbrook 12.6 ppg; Ralph Sampson III 6.3 rpg; Devoe Joseph 3.0 apg.
ABOUT THE HAWKEYES: Iowa had a season-high 25 turnovers against Minnesota in a 86-74 home loss Jan. 2.
ABOUT THE GOPHERS: Four of Minnesota's nine league losses have been by three points or less, including two in overtime.
WHAT TO WATCH: Minnesota leads the Big Ten in 3-point percentage at .393. Iowa leads the league in 3-point defense by a wide margin at .306.
Copyright (c)2010 The Des Moines Register
DiRomualdo leads Neumann to a title
Neumann University women's basketball coach Frank Farnese had a precise message for Krista DiRomualdo prior to the Knights' Colonial States Athletic Conference championship game Sunday.
"If you have a balanced attack and distribute the basketball evenly, we'll win the game," Farnese told DiRomualdo. "And she did."
Farnese's instructions proved truthful and fruitful as Neumann topped Gwynedd-Mercy, 75-58, to claim its first conference title since the Knights won the PAIAW Conference in 1989.
DiRomualdo, an Archbishop Prendergast alum, did not register a single field goal attempt, but she spread the ball around, collecting two assists. She helped set up Brittany Whetts, Katie Young and Sami Borcky, who all scored in double-digits.
Whetts registered a game-high 26 points and pulled down eight rebounds to secure the game's Most Valuable Player award. She had three assists, two blocks and a steal. She also shot 10 of 12 at the foul line.
"She just guided us to the championship," Farnese said. "We had a well-balanced attack with our starting five."
That group included Interboro's Nicole Feby, who scored seven points and tallied two assists and two steals, and Borcky, a Sun Valley graduate who totaled 11 points and nine rebounds.
Feby was part of Farnese's first recruiting class, which also included Whetts and Caitlin Agnew. When Farnese, now in his fifth season, took the reigns, he said his focus was to build around that class.
"I set a goal to get to the championship in five years," Farnese said. "We obtained that goal. We put it together and got the championship their senior year."
The Knights (20-6) also earned their first 20-win season since 1987-88, when they finished 20-11. By winning the conference title, they advanced to the NCAA Championship Tournament. Their seeding and destination will be announced today.
"We plan to be on the road," Farnese said. "We just don't know where."
Given Gwynedd-Mercy's stature, Farnese said he expected a much tighter game than the one that played out, but he sensed the tide shifting with about six minutes left in the first half. Then, it was still a close game.
"We were dictating the tempo, winning the possessions," Farnese said. "We went on a nice run and were scoring possession after possession. I felt good going into halftime up 12.
The Knights closed the half with an 11-3 run, grabbing a 39-27 lead. The Griffins pulled within eight points with about 13 minutes remaining, but a 10-5 run by the Knights quickly re-established their solid lead.
"My goal was to keep it close and take advantage of possessions," Farnese said. "Get points of their turnovers."
(c)Copyright 2010 The Delaware County Daily Times
Zoubek's Career Performance Leads Duke
Maryland went into their game at Duke on Saturday with the ability to move ahead of the Blue Devils in the loss column with two games in hand. Well, the Blue Devils made sure to beat those thoughts out of the Terrapins on Mike Krzyzewski's 1,000th game as Duke head coach, jumping out to a 22-8 lead on their way to the 77-56 victory. Jon Scheyer led all scorers with 22 points but he's essentially a known quantity for Duke at this point. The surprising (and somewhat dominant) performance came from the tallest man on the roster. Brian Zoubek scores 16 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in his best game as a Blue Devil, rewarding Coach K for giving him the start.
"He should be getting a lot of credit with what he's done with himself as a basketball player from where he was as a freshman to where he is now," said Maryland head coach Gary Williams. "He is a guy that really found a way to enjoy his college basketball career, which is a great thing (quote courtesy of GoDuke.com)."
Of his seventeen rebounds Zoubek tallied eight on the offensive end, producing a career effort in just 22 minutes of action. Kyle Singler scored just ten points on 4-for-14 shooting but thanks to the seven-footer his off day didn't matter. Greivis Casquez led the Terrapins with seventeen points but fifteen of those came in the second half, and Duke's halftime lead (40-24) had essentially decided the outcome by that point. Maryland went seven minutes in the first half without a field goal, and their frigid shooting from beyond the arc (2-for-13) didn't help matter either.
While a solid effort would have bolstered their resume some (only one opponent has lost by single digits at Cameron; the Blue Devils are 14-0 at home), Saturday's loss leaves Maryland in need of a far better performance (if not a win) when these two get together in College Park on March 3rd. As for Duke, if Zoubek (one writer referred to him as "Kareem Abdul Zoubek" on Saturday) can build upon Saturday's showing this could be a game that fans look back on when attempting to explain their run in March. An important development to say the least, especially when taking into consideration Lance Thomas not being at full strength.
Three Key Happenings
1. San Diego State picks up a key resume-building win over UNLV. Steve Fisher's Aztecs needed Saturday's game against UNLV for two reasons. One, it was a win over a Top 25 team for a program that all-time is 15-78 against ranked opponents. Secondly, and most important, is the boost that the 68-58 win gives their resume. SDSU needed the win to begin gaining separation on the bottom five teams in the Mountain West and as a result they're now tied with the Rebels for third in the standings. Billy White led all scorers with 19 points while freshman Kawhi Leonard added 13 points and 14 rebounds, but it was their defense that ultimately made the difference.
UNLV shot just 35.2% from the field, making just three of seventeen three-pointers on the afternoon. The Aztecs also blocked nine shots and racked up nine steals while also out-rebounding UNLV 39-30. Leading scorers Tre'Von Willis and Chace Stanback combined to make just five of twenty-two shots as SDSU put together one of their best efforts of the season. "I thought we defended in a fashion that gives you a chance to win. They had 25 first half points," remarked head coach Steve Fisher. "We did not allow them to get to the rim at will on straight line drives. We knew who they're 3-point shooters were and we contested the 3-point shots. We made it hard for them to get good, easy looks (quote courtesy of SDSU Athletics)."
2. John Wall and Eric Bledsoe spark Kentucky's 2nd half revival. Neither freshman guard played his best in the first half, allowing the Tennessee zone defense to limit their looks as the Volunteers took a 30-29 lead into the locker room. But head coach John Calipari had a simple message for the phenoms, especially Eric Bledsoe: keep shooting. Those two made plays down the stretch, sparking a 10-0 run to turn a 52-50 deficit into a 60-52 lead they would not relinquish. Wall led all scorers with 24 points while Bledsoe finished with 16, making up for a quiet night from the field (2-6 FG) for DeMarcus Cousins. The Wildcats also received a solid performance from DeAndre Liggins, who finished the night with seven points, four rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes off the bench. Kentucky found the holes in the Volunteers' 3-2 zone, resulting in a number of good looks they were able to capitalize on.
"When you are in a 3-2 zone that is what is open is the corner because you have three guys above the free-throw line and only two guys below the free-throw line," noted Coach Calipari after the game. "We started flashing our center in the middle to make one of those low guys guard them and then our corners were open. We just made open shots (quote courtesy of Kentucky Athletics)." Why is their second half important? Because Kentucky is going to see a lot of zone down the stretch in opponents' attempt to keep Wall and Bledsoe out of the paint. And should they run into a team that's used to playing zone come March (ex.- Syracuse) Kentucky will need to figure out where the gaps are and how to exploit them.
3. Memphis moves into sole possession of 2nd place in Conference USA. By no means are Josh Pastner's Tigers out of the woods in regards to getting back to the NCAA Tournament; in fact they're likely to remain on the bubble despite their 93-86 win at Tulsa. But the combination of their win and UAB's shocking home loss to Marshall leaves Memphis as the lone team a game behind UTEP in the loss column with three weeks left in the regular season. Elliot Williams led Memphis with a game-high 27 points but the most important development has to be the play of Angel Garcia off the bench. The sophomore from Puerto Rico scored 16 points in just ten minutes of action, and as he gains stamina and that surgically repaired right knee gets stronger this team will get stronger.
Garcia and Will Coleman held their own in the matchup with NBA prospect Jerome Jordan, and Saturday's showing may be the first sign of why Coach Pastner agreed to part ways with Pierre Henderson-Niles. With six games left the Tigers have a manageable schedule with their biggest tests being Houston and UAB on the road and a season-ending rematch with the Golden Hurricane, and they've got their Tournament destiny in their own hands. But it's rare to add a player the caliber of Angel Garcia this late in the season (New Mexico State's Troy Gillenwater may be a proper comparison), and if he can build upon Saturday the Tigers could once again find themselves in the Big Dance.
Top Three Games
1. Cal-State Fullerton 113, Cal-State Northridge 112 (3OT) Eric Williams was the hero in the third extra session, grabbing a purposely missed free throw and scoring while being fouled to tie the game. His free throw gave the Titans the lead with 3.2 seconds remaining and they held on to knock off the Matadors. Fullerton's Gerald Anderson scored 11 of his 25 points in said overtime while Kenny Daniles scored 25 to lead Northridge.
2. Saint Louis 68, Dayton 65 (2OT) The team that so many coaches in the Atlantic 10 regard as the most dangerous down the stretch proved exactly why, knocking off Dayton in double overtime. Cody Ellis hit a pair of three pointers in the final extra session and Kwamain Mitchell led the Billikens with a game-high 21. Devin Searcy and Chris Wright scored 16 points apiece for the Flyers.
3. North Dakota St 90, South Dakota St 85 (2OT) Three Bison players scored at least 20 points with Eric Carlson's 24 (and 12 rebounds) leading the way as they picked up the road victory. Clint Sargent led the Jackrabbits with 24, but SDSU was unable to recover from a Josh Vaughn three pointer with three seconds left in the first overtime that tied the game.
Honorable Mention: Baylor 64, Missouri 62 The Bears pulled out the home win late, scrapping for an offensive rebound that Ekpe Udoh eventually tipped in with just over one second remaining. LaceDarius Dunn led all scorers with 17 points while Zaire Taylor led the Tigers with 15.
Three Notable Performances
1. G Randy Culpepper (UTEP) Culpepper went off on East Carolina, scoring 45 points on 14-for-18 shooting (9-12 3PT) in the Miners' 100-76 victory in El Paso.
2. F Ike Okoye (Boise State) Okoye accounted for 32 points and 14 rebounds in the Broncos' 88-80 overtime loss at Nevada.
3. F Kyle Austin (UC Riverside) Austin scored 39 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the Highlanders' 87-84 double overtime loss to Cal Poly.
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