Hold’n Court: The HoopGroup Blogs

The Hoop Group has announced the dates for The Hoop Group Elite Top 100 Tour this spring.  Each of these events offers the most instruction, competition and exposure of any event this spring for players in grades 10-12.  So whether you are a senior still looking for a school or trying to get ready for college ball, or an underclassmen looking for great exposure before the summer begins, The Hoop Group Elite Top 100 Tour is the place to be.  Check out the following link for all of the stops on the tour:

 http://www.hoopgroup.com/hoopgroup/eibc_t100.php

For 7th-9th graders, The Hoop Group Junior Elite Tour presents the “must attend” events of the spring.  The Junior Elite Tour gives up and coming players a great opportunity to compete against the best young players in their area.  Also, they get a chance to learn from some of the best teachers in the game and be evaluated by and get exposure from The National Recruiting Report and other scouting services.  The Junior Elite Tour will also be the place to be to earn an invite to one of this summer’s biggest events: Eastern Invitational’s Junior Elite (August 2-5 at The College of New Jersey).  For more info on the Junior Elite Tour, visit:

http://www.hoopgroup.com/hoopgroup/eibc_t100.php

Raise your hand if you are Super Bowl previewed out. I mean how many different ways can you possibly break down 1 game? Thank God the NCAA tournament is so fast moving from round to round. Now is the time when teams start making their moves in one direction or the other on both the college and HS levels. Here are some of the things that jumped out at me from this past week.

*The Lehigh Valley is a great HS basketball area. Why you ask? Because of the great fan support you see from the community. They proved that again at the 12th Lehigh Valley Hoop Group Showcase. I can remember our first year when there were over 1,000 fans lined up outside in subzero weather waiting for us to open the doors. They appreciate great players, great teams and well played games. They were not disappointed with the entertaining card from this year. Check out www.hoopgroup.com for results.

*Is it me, or does there seem to be more and more bad basketball games? Very few games have a good flow. Teams are struggling to score and get good shots. Drive and kick action works when Derrick Rose is driving. I’m not sure it makes for everyone. I am often left wondering what a team ran offensively when a game is done. I hope moving the 3 point line back works, because fans could use some help. They have seen too much “Bad Hoops” this year if you ask me.

*The next time you start wondering why a coach is fouling late in a game when he is down big, I present UMass at St Joe’s on Wed. I made the point on TV that sometimes coaches will use it more as a teaching point than trying to win the game. Travis Ford did both! When Ahmad Nivens had a dunk at the back end of UMass’ press, the Hawks were up 15 points with a little over 2:30 left in the game. With 50 seconds left they were up 13! UMass didn’t quit. In fact they knocked down a couple of tough 3’s, forced St Joe’s turnovers and cut the lead to 2 with 5 seconds left. Pat Calathes had to make both FT’s to seal the win with about 3 seconds left. Not only was it the strangest game I have seen in years, but it also proved the old adage- “It ain’t over… ‘til it’s over.”

*How does Memphis beat a healthy Gonzaga team by 8 and lose ground in the polls? I know that Kansas has been equally impressive all year, but what do the Tigers need to do to please voters?

*It was great to see Sean Singletary become just the 5^th player in ACC history with over 1,500 points, 500 assists and 400 rebounds. Unfortunately, it was one of those things that no one seemed to notice. Sean is one of my favorite Hoop Group alum’s. He is a great kid and a great player. He certainly could have gone into the NBA draft last year, but came back for his senior year at UVA. After a quick start to the season, including a dramatic win at Arizona where Sean just took over the game late, the Cavs have struggled. But it has not been because of Singletary. He just needs some consistent help from his teammates. I hope he gets it soon, because it would be a shame if this 2-time 1^st team All-ACC guard finishes his career on a down note.

*Seton Hall at Rutgers Wednesday night. Who cares? Well thanks to 6 consecutive Big East wins between the 2 schools, a lot of people do. Fred Hill and Bobby Gonzalez were hired at NJ’s two Big East schools 2 years ago. They were both hard working coaches who developed strong reputations as proven recruiters in the NY/NJ metropolitan area. They were 2 energetic, passionate coaches who promised to keep local talent in the Garden State. They also promised to make their games a relevant rivalry in the Big East. Two weeks ago when both teams were winless in the Big East you had to wonder when their games would have significance. Well, Gonzalez’s Pirates have run off 4 straight Big East wins and have the look of a post season team. At the same time Hill’s Scarlet Knights have won back to back games over nationally ranked teams including the stunner at Pitt on Saturday. The RAC should be rocking Wednesday. So should The Rock in the rematch later this year. That’s the type of rivalry the New Jersey fans deserve. With 3 of the top 10 HS programs in the country in North Jersey as well as the proximity to NYC, Philly, Baltimore and DC, why can’t Rutgers and Seton Hall be 2 of the Big East’s top programs? In time, they can be if they continue to keep some of these players home. For now, just enjoy the game.

HERE’S THE DEAL

The only new entry into the Deal or No Deal Top Twenty-Six this week is Linden, NJ. Phil Colicchio has steadily built this program into the premier public high school basketball program in the state of New Jersey. Last year they handed St Pat’s their only loss of the season and this year they now topped Mt Vernon of NY. They play everyone tough. They opened the season with a loss to Plainfield, which they avenged recently, and also lost a close game to Pennsbury in the Bay Ball Classic during the   Christmas Holidays. They have distanced themselves from everyone else in New Jersey except the big three. Good Counsel, of the DC Catholic League, lost to DeMatha and fell into the “Close But No Deal” pile to make room for Linden.

Holy Cross took the hardest fall losing twice during the week to Christ the King and Lincoln. The have the most losses in the Top Twenty Six, but stay in “The Deal” because all losses are to teams rated above them.

The top twelve in the poll all completed the week unscathed.

And now onto the teams in question…Deal… or No Deal?

Team of the Week

R……………U…………The team of the week goes to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, who pounded the #18 Villanova Wildcats at the RAC 80-68, and then won at #17 Pittsburgh 77-64. 

Against Nova, Rutgers starting guards Anthony Farmer and Mike Coburn each tallied 23 pts a piece.  The Scarlet Knights shot 64% from the field in the 1st half, and shut down Nova’s offense in the 2nd.  There was a stretch of over 12 straight minutes where Villanova didn’t connect on a field goal! 

Against Pitt, aside from the last 3 minutes of the 1st half, Rutgers really dominated the game.  Rutgers continued its hot shooting ways connecting on 54% of their field goals and shooting 9-14 from 3 point range.  Led by freshmen Corey Chandler’s 18 points and Mike Coburn’s 17 (3-3 from 3), this team is gaining confidence and is playing more and more as a team.  At one point in the 2nd half, Rutgers outscored Pitt 20-2.  The loss was only the eighth in Pitt’s 100 games at the Petersen Events Center.  Not too shabby.  Winning a road Big East game is a big deal, but winning a road game in Big East play against a top 25 team who you haven’t beaten since 2001, is beyond amazing.

Rutgers (10-11, 2-6) has struggled mightily this season.  But, they are young.  Coach Fred Hill is only in his 2nd year and Rutgers fans need to know that it is a process.  You don’t just build a long time bottom dweller Big East program overnight. Coach Hill is well known for his recruiting prowess.  Getting Corey Chandler was a good start.  Getting Mike Rosario(St. Anthony, NJ), Pat Jackson(Boys & Girls HS, NY) & Christian Morris(South Kent Prep, CT) is even better. 

The game vs Nova on Wednesday was great, not only because they won, but because they had some players & coaches in the house.  Gregory Echenique, a 6′9″ junior big man from St. Benedict’s HS in Newark, NJ was in attendance.  This is the one position that Rutgers has truly lacked over the years.  One of the biggest things that Greg values is education.  Rutgers is one of the top academic schools in the Big East, probably right behind Georgetown, Syracuse and Notre Dame.  Georgetown has too many big guys, so you’d most likely get lost in the mix there.  Syracuse and Notre Dame are too cold and it snows too often.  A guy of Greg’s nature can come in, play right away, be a major force down low, and get a great education at a state university.  Current NBA commissioner David Stern is a Rutgers grad.  Quincy Douby went to Rutgers and is playing in the NBA.  Greg, if you come to Rutgers you will reach your potential! 

Also in the house at Rutgers were 6′6″ junior Kevin Parrom, from St. Raymond’s, NY & Myck Kabongo, a freshman guard who plays at St. Benedict’s.  When asked what his thoughts were on Rutgers, Kevin remarked, “All I can say is that I love the RAC; it looks like an awesome place to play.”  The RAC, when full, is one of the top 10 toughest places to play in the country, hands down.  The head coaches of St Patrick’s, Kevin Boyle, and St. Benedict’s, Danny Hurley, were also both at the RAC supporting RU.   

Rutgers is not an NCAA tournament team this year, that is clear.  But, what they are trying to do now is lay the foundation for future recruits to come here.  Yeah, their current record isn’t a sight for sore eyes.  But, have faith Rutgers fans, the Scarlet Knights will be a force to be reckoned with down the road, and now, on the road as well. 

Now, I want to talk a little bit about Indiana University.  Last week, I had Indiana as a 3 seed in my Bracks.  I knew they didn’t have any great wins, but they did however have a top 25 RPI.  Yes, I know, Eric Gordon might be the best freshman in the country.  But, still, they haven’t beaten anybody.  They had a game at home, a place they rarely lose at, against a middle of the pack Big East team in UConn.  Jim Calhoun had just suspended starting guard and leading scorer Jerome Dyson, as well as backup guard Doug Wiggins.  You had to figure that when it was all said and done Indiana would win this game. 

But, they didn’t.  In fact, they were pretty much dominated by UConn the whole 2nd half.  The Huskies appeared to be the more physical team right from the get go and really seemed like they were playing with a sense of urgency.  This was a huge win for UConn, but just as big of a win for the Big East.  When a middle of the pack Big East team wins at arguably the top team in the Big Ten, it will make the process of selecting teams a bit easier come Selection Sunday if we’re discussing a team from these two conferences.  Currently, Indiana’s best win is at Minnesota.  Yes, they are 6-0 in the Big Ten.  But, they have yet to play Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State or Purdue.  They struggled with Illinois at home.  They lost to Xavier, their only true test of the season.  They have a strength of schedule of 126.  I have dropped Indiana from a 3 seed to a 5 seed. 

Why are people so shocked by this upset?  Indiana has not beaten anybody.  Yes, they’re Indiana, and since they kept beating mid-level teams, they continued to rise in the polls.  Remember, in college basketball rankings don’t mean anything.  In fact, most teams relish in not being ranked and being the underdog.  However, it is kind of surprising that UConn won without 2 of their top 7 players.  What does this say about Indiana & the Big Ten?  Hmm… 

Some believe that this team has Final 4 potential.  I will not completely disagree with that.  But, they have yet to prove that they are capable of making a run of that nature.  Big game this week at Wisconsin.  A win there will quiet many critics.

*Florida did what they had to do this week.  They took care of business on the road at South Carolina and then came home and obliterated Vanderbilt.  They finally beat somebody who is a projected NCAA tourney team.  Although the SEC is weak, they currently are leading the East division, right in front of Tennessee.

*Villanova (13-5, 3-4) this past week was ranked #18 in the nation.  They were a 7 seed in my Bracks.  They then lost at Rutgers and at home to Notre Dame.  Their RPI then plummeted from 29 to 61.  That’s a big drop.  They are now out of the top 25 and out of my Bracks.  This just goes to show how important every week and every game is.  Nova plays at Pittsburgh and home to Syracuse this week.  Two tough games.  But, they know they are capable of winning these games because they already beat both of these teams within the last few weeks.  And, winning them both would put them right back into good shape.  Let’s also remember…this was a team who trailed LSU (7-12, 0-5) 54-33 with 8:30 minutes to go at home.  If it wasn’t for Malcolm Grant’s late game heroics, this would have been an awful loss.  There is a lot of parity in the Big East, so they are definitely capable of righting the ship. 

*The team that is quietly rising in the polls and rising in the Bracks are the Stanford Cardinal.  Stanford (16-3, 5-2) has one questionable loss this year at Siena, but even the Saints are tied for 1st place in the MAAC.  Their other 2 L’s are at Oregon, a very tough place to play, and at home vs. UCLA, no shame in that loss either.  They have beaten Arizona, Arizona State and USC.  I was very generous and gave Stanford a 3 seed this week.  They are not this good, but continue to win consistently, and right now, nobody outside the top 10 teams are winning consistently.  Stanford gets a 3 seed pretty much by default. 

*The Pac-10 right now is the best conference in the country.  They have a chance to get 7 out of 10 teams into the NCAA tourney.  USC, who started 0-3 in the conference, has now won 4 consecutive games.  If all of UCLA, Washington State, Arizona, Arizona State, Stanford, USC & Oregon all finish over .500 in the conference, I find it hard to imagine any of them being left out.

*There are currently 10 teams who have been consistent throughout the year:  Memphis, UNC, Kansas, Tennessee, Duke, Michigan State, Washington State, UCLA, Georgetown & Texas.  The rest of college basketball is a big mess. 

*All of my #1 seeds and #2 seeds remained the same this week.  Even with Tennessee’s loss at Kentucky, they still remain a #1 due to their #1 RPI and #3 SOS.

*I dropped Texas A&M from a 6 seed (which as I stated last week was a very generous seed) to a 10 seed after their loss at home to Baylor.  I know it was a 5 overtime game, but again, here is another team who really hasn’t beaten anybody.  Their best win is against Ohio State @ MSG, but that was way back in the middle of November.  They don’t really have any terrible losses, but their SOS of 104 isn’t helping their case.

*New Teams in the Bracks:  Florida, Purdue, Mississippi State, UNLV, UNC-Asheville, Wagner, Alabama State & Jacksonville

*Teams removed from the Bracks:  Villanova, Providence, Syracuse, San Diego State, Winthrop, Quinnipiac, Southern & Belmont

*Games of Note this Week

1)  Louisville @ UConn:  UConn is coming off of a very nice win at Indiana.  Tonight, Jerome Dyson and Doug Wiggins will still be suspended and will not play.  Aside from their loss at Seton Hall, a team who has actually won 4 in a row, Louisville has been playing as good as anyone in the Big East.  They will attempt to separate themselves a little from the jumble in the standings.  I do not think that UConn will have a let down.  But I suspect Louisville will win. 

2)  Seton Hall @ Rutgers:  Yes, winning this game does not make Rutgers a contender.  But, Seton Hall has won 4 Big East games in a row.  They are now 4-3 in the conference.  They are slowly becoming a true factor.  A win here continues their momentum and moves them up the ladder.  Rutgers can’t stop them, right?  Wrong.  This is a rivalry game.  Both teams are hot.  There will be a sellout crowd at the RAC on Wednesday night at 9pm.  The Rutgers students will be out in full force.  I won’t predict a winner here due to the fact that it’s my alma mater in RU.  But, I do know this; both coaches, both teams want this one in the worst way. 

3)  Memphis @ Houston:  Wednesday night.  Will this be the Tigers first loss of the season?  Houston is a very good home team.  They defeated a name team in Kentucky at home earlier in the year, so it appears that they will be ready for the challenge.  I just don’t know if they can do it.  But, Memphis has to lose some time, right?

4)  Vanderbilt @ Mississippi:  Also a Wednesday night affair.  Both of these teams were unbeatable in non-conference play.  Now, they’re both under .500 in the SEC.  The loser of this game will move to 2-4 in the conference and will suddenly go from an absolute sure fire lock for the NCAA’s, to a team needing a win in their next game to stay above water.  Vandy hasn’t really proven they can beat a solid team on the road yet.  Now is their chance.

5) Indiana @ Wisconsin: Thursday night.  As mentioned numerous times earlier, can Indiana beat a quality team?  It is asking a lot because Wisconsin rarely loses at home.  And, the Badgers too are coming off of a tough loss at Purdue, so they will be ready to go.  Even though IU has struggled to beat top teams, they are still atop the Big Ten conference with a 6-0 record.  Wisconsin knows that.

6)  Arizona @ USC:  Thursday late night.  USC got off to a horrendous start in Pac-10 play at 0-3.  They are now 4-3 after winning at UCLA and at Oregon.  Two tremendous wins.  They are beginning to hit their stride now.  They are also, believe it or not, the best defensive team statistically in the Pac-10.  Yes, better than UCLA, Washington State & Arizona State.  They pride themselves on their “D,” and freshman sensation OJ Mayo will attempt to continue their winning ways.

7) Dayton @ Rhode Island:  Saturday afternoon.  I don’t know who needs this game more.  Dayton lost the other day to Richmond and is now 2-3 in league play.  Rhode Island is looking to beat one of these top teams in the league to add to their resume.  The problem with URI’s resume is that their wins at Syracuse and vs. Providence don’t look as good anymore.  Beating Dayton would add a nice touch to it.  These teams need to keep their eyes on the other teams in the A-10.  St. Joe’s & Charlotte are slowly catching up to the Big 4 of Xavier, UMass, Dayton and Rhode Island.  Be careful, in March, for one of these teams, this will be a game you’ll look back on and wish you had won.

8)  Stanford @ Washington State:  Saturday afternoon.  These two teams have been hot.  Washington State will try to draw the line between the top of the conference and the middle of the pack.  Whoever wins this game will be the 2nd best team in the Pac-10.  I expect Washington St. to hold down the fort at home, but can Brooke Lopez and the Cardinal prove that the 3 seed given to them in the Bracks is not an aberration?   

9)  Tennessee @ Mississippi State:  Saturday evening.  Mississippi St. is 5-0 in the 5th best conference in the country.  This is their 1st major test of the season.  Can they take down the Volunteers and really give them a big time win that they could really use?  I just think Tennessee has too many weapons.  But, they’re at home.  And, this is college basketball.  Should be a good one.

10)  North Carolina @ Florida State:  This is a potential season saving game for the Seminoles if they win.  At 2-4 in the ACC, they are on their way to another disappointing ending to a season.  They need this win.  They must have it.  They must figure out a way to get it done.  If they do, they would put themselves back in the thick of things in the very balanced ACC.

And now, please enjoy my FACTS & BRACKS.  Remember, this is as accurate as it gets. 

Hard to believe that January is almost over and we are really in the meat of hoops season. It seems that I am on the road every day heading to another game. What could be better than that? Here are some of my rambling thoughts from last week:

*Congrats to Chuckie Martin and the Memphis Tigers who jumped to #1 with UNC’s loss to Maryland. Chuckie becomes the first former full-time Hoop Group employee to be ranked #1 in the country. Now the talk will really heat up as to whether the Tigers can run the table.

*The Boardwalk Hoop Group Showcase was another tremendous success with great boys’ games on Sat. and another entertaining girls’ card on Sun. Many of you probably saw the CBA vs Boys and Girls game on MSG. Mike Quick and his crew at MSG cover HS sports better than any other large market TV outlet in the country. Mike is one of the guys who are genuinely passionate about the players and coaches at the HS level and it shows in his work. For results and recaps of all the games, check out hoopgroup.com.

*I saw Jason Thompson in person for the first time Monday vs Iona. He did not have his best game, but thanks to his younger brother, Ryan, the Broncs escaped with the overtime win at home. Even though he did not play well, it is easy to see that he has refined his game. NBA scouts have been to every Rider game because of his length and athletic ability. If he continues to tighten up his game, he will be able to contribute at the NBA level. Hard to imagine when he was a 6’2 JR in HS, that Jason would potentially be a face up 4 man in the NBA.

*Friday night I was up in Buffalo for what looked like a dog of a game- 2-14 Canisius vs first place Niagara. At the start of the telecast we talked about it being a rivalry game, throw out the records, blah, blah, blah. I’m not sure if I REALLY believed that, but sometimes you need to sell the audience. Well the young Griffs played the game of the season and pulled the major upset as the students stormed the floor. But by far, the best story of the night was walk on Bob Bevilacqua. Here was a kid that could not play at RIT, had to beg his way onto the team, wasn’t in the media guide, and now is a cult hero at Canisius. Bobby “Drinks” (every cult hero needs a nickname) had 10 points, 4 assists and all the big plays in the last 2 minutes. Because of this and his improbable story, he was carried off the court on his teammate’s shoulders. What’s better than that? You don’t get that in the NBA.

*I tried the same logic Sat night for the St. Joe’s vs Penn game - it being a rivalry game, throw out the records, you never know in the Palestra, blah, blah, blah. Well, apparently I went to the well one time too many – St Joe’s 82…Penn 42.  OUCH!

*After seeing Mike Ringgold play well for Rider on Monday, it reminded me that sometimes college coaches and scouting services focus too much on what players can’t do. In Mike’s case right now, he can’t shoot the ball. That scared many coaches away. But Tommy Dempsey and his staff focused on what he could do – defend any position, provide toughness, finish at the rim and play hard every possession. Dempsey and staff were obviously right as Ringgold is a starter and valuable contributor for a 13-5 team that already has wins over Penn St and Rutgers.

*Spoke to Gary Waters the other day after Cleveland State’s big win over Butler. It is great to see Gary and assistant coach Larry D having such success so early at CSU. You would be hard pressed to find a nicer guy in the business than Waters. While Fred Hill and his staff will get it done, Rutgers fans are starting to realize that Waters did a better job than he was given credit for at RU. His teams played hard, defended and won at home. You just have to wonder if he might still be there if he didn’t go to his Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Kent State and get stuck in that blizzard.

Finally, as we get deeper into conference play, remember that nothing is definitive yet. Talk of NCAA bids in early January is really a joke. Locks, bubbles, last 4 in, last 4 out- please. There is too much basketball to be played. Can we just let them play the games and then decide who is in? Here’s a novel idea- win your way into the tournament!

HERE’S THE DEAL

The storyline of this past week was the first defeat suffered by Gonzaga of the Washington DC Catholic League. They fell, in a close game, to the Stags of DeMatha. Mike Jones’ DeMatha squad is very young and thus far they have had an up and down season. However, their stunner over Gonzaga shows they are on the rise and will be a major power over the next couple of years.

Rice and St Patrick traveled to Erie, PA and met in the championship of the McDonald’s classic. There, Rice came away with a hard fought 60-57 victory. Holy Cross lost, in the last seconds, to California’s top team in Archbishop Mitty, Bishop Loughlin lost to Holy Cross, and Mt St Joseph lost a close one to Oak Hill. All the losses were to teams rated above them so we didn’t penalize anyone. However, Nansemond River and Hillhouse both lost and fell into the “Close But No Deal” category. Nansemond River lost to Deep Creek and Hillhouse lost their showdown with Wilbur Cross, and then lost to Xavier.

Christ the King is back in “The Deal” as they are playing well and we have finally forgiven them for their loss to Caravel of Delaware at Christmas. Rounding out the Top Twenty Six is Roman Catholic as they are back on a winning streak and have a few quality wins.

And now onto the teams in question…Deal… or No Deal?

Some thoughts from Big Monday. After a great weekend of college basketball upsets, surprises and big wins from unlikely contenders, Big Monday didn’t slow the season down.

*Much like the Boardwalk Hoop Group Showcase this weekend (three straight games to end Saturday that came down to final possessions or overtime, a great day of High School basketball on the shore), Big Monday gave us two down to the wire classics. The parity in the top 8 conferences is striking. Excluding the “Big 6″ (Memphis, Kansas, Duke, UNC, UCLA and Tennessee are clearly above everyone else in the nation right now), anyone seems to be capable of beating anyone else on any given night. And as Maryland and USC showed us this weekend, even those six aren’t completely immune.

*Georgetown showed the grit and toughness that comes from being battle tested as they pulled out a home win in OT, 64-62. This is the second game at the Verizon Center in a little over a week that Georgetown has struggled but came out with a win on the last possession. They did the same thing two Saturdays ago against UConn as Roy Hibbert bailed out the Hoyas with an unusual three pointer at the buzzer. While the Hoyas are 5-1 in conference, the record doesn’t tell the whole story as they are two possessions away from being 3-3. At the same time don’t discount the ability some teams have to find a way to win at the end of games, this year’s Georgetown team seems to be one of them.

*The Hoyas need to figure some things out though. They can’t find an identity on the offensive end outside of their Princeton sets. When the sets and backdoors get shut down they are too predictable. They simply give the ball to Hibbert and get out of the way. No one is able to draw two defenders, they aren’t coming off ball screens and don’t set up their shooters using off ball screens. Last season they could give the ball to Big East Player of the Year Jeff Green and he could create good scoring situations for the Hoyas with his versatility. If he had a smaller player on him they could utilize a post up and he also had the ability to break bigger defenders down off the bounce.

This year Roy Hibbert just isn’t the same kind of presence. He is much better within the flow of the offense. Although people view him as a “go to big man,” his play doesn’t back that claim up. His moves are too slow and he doesn’t have the aggressiveness or killer instinct you want out of your go to guy.

Their other fatal flaw is they have no guards to break down defenses. Whether it is the pressure of Pittsburgh or the 2-3 zone of Syracuse last night, nobody on G-town is getting into the paint to open up space for teammates. Jonathan Wallace is a great leader and I love his story of walk on to star, but getting by defenders isn’t his strong point. DaJuan Summers is an NBA talent and Austin Freeman, Jessie Sapp, Chris Wright, Vernon Macklin and Jeremiah Rivers bring a lot to the table, but dribble penetration isn’t one of the things on that table.

We saw Memphis and Pittsburgh capitalize on this by pressuring the ball, denying the wings and disabling the Hoyas from initiating all of the great things Coach Thompson has them doing in the half court. Syracuse did the same thing by making them play against the zone. Cuse came up a little bit short but Georgetown’s penetration deficiencies were very apparent as a worse Orange team with less depth took Georgetown into OT and had numerous chances to put the game away in regulation.

*Speaking of Cuse… the young Orange can take a lot away from Monday night’s battle. First, they now know they can go into a hostile environment against the league’s elite and play with them. Although they didn’t execute down the stretch and missed 5 free throws in overtime, this young team will take this game and build on it.

*Johnny Flynn is exciting to watch one minute and frustrating the next. Jim Boeheim and staff need to make sure they keep emphasizing game management and shot selection to their young point guard. It is great that he wanted to take the big shot down the stretch, but he needs to understand that simply taking a shot to take a shot doesn’t mean it is the right play.

In the last four minutes with Cuse controlling the game and the ball in his hands, Flynn didn’t make high percentage plays. He put himself and his team in tough spots, allowing Georgetown to come back from five down with under a minute to play. With the game tied and the ball on the final possession of regulation, Flynn took an ill-advised pull up jump shot with a hand in his face WITH 8 SECONDS LEFT! Instead of making sure his team got the last chance to win (typically a shot with 3 seconds left to leave some time for an offensive rebound) in regulation, his quick shot gave Georgetown the ball and plenty of time to set up a final shot.

Like many talented players before him (and including a lot of current NBA stars), Flynn can’t settle for contested shots to win games. He has to try and find a penetration lane to get a closer look for himself or an open shot for a teammate, not a low percentage jump shot. (I don’t understand this disturbing trend! If those aren’t good shots all game long, why do they become player’s go-to-shots to win a game?)

I haven’t seen a point guard with more explosiveness or sheer ability than the Niagara Falls native. His killer instinct and drive to take the big shots isn’t something that can be taught. He is the whole package, now he needs to start thinking the game.

*Georgetown’s decision to play zone against Syracuse baffled me. One of the Hoyas’ strengths is half court defense. The zone is a nice change of pace against most teams, but to go to it for extended periods against the premiere zone team in the nation doesn’t make any sense. Syracuse practices offense against their own zone every day and relish when people zone them. Even without shooters Andy Rautins and Eric Devendorf in the lineup, I wouldn’t want to challenge the Orange to beat my zone all game. Syracuse knows how to puncture the zone with passes to flashers and the big men have great instincts passing to open shooters out of the middle. It is a tough task to zone a zone team.

*This is a Syracuse them that has the potential to be a serious contender come 2009. If everyone sticks around they will be dangerous. Their younger players will have a year under their belts where they carried the load and when you add in injured veteran shooters Rautins and Devendorf this will be the most talented Orange team since 2003.

The key to their potential lies in the bottom of their zone. Their best seasons under Jim Boeheim in the last 30 years have been when their zone is anchored by a big man with an intimidating presence in the middle and tall, athletic, long players on the outside. The 1987 national runner up was anchored by Rony Seikaly with Derrick Coleman and Howard Triche on the outside. The ‘96 finalist had a beast in Otis Hill in the middle with John Wallace and a slew of long players on the other side. Then we have the ultimate back row in the 2003 National Champs. The 7-foot wall Craig Forth and shot blocking specialist Jeremy McNeil (2.8 bpg in under 20 mpg) with Mello and Hakim Warrick manning the outside.

The length of the outside defenders is probably the biggest key to the zone for Cuse as they are the ones responsible for challenging shots when the ball is reversed to shooters. The longer and more athletic those guys are the tougher they make it for zone offenses to utilize the three pointer off ball rotation. This crop of Orange has two guys that fit that role perfect in 6′10′’ Hoop Group alum Donte’ Greene and the super athletic Paul Harris. Watch how well these guys develop defensively because it might be the key to a championship run for next year’s team. Remember, the 2003 title was won on a Hakim Warrick block of a three point shot from the corner!

*We saw another one of those slept on freshman have a big night last night as James Anderson on Oklahoma State went for 17 points and 6 rebounds in a heartbreaking 63-61 loss at home. Anderson gave Texas all they could handle. His ability to finish with either hand is striking for a younger player. Anderson can shoot it, drive it and is excellent in the open court. He is averaging over 15 points a game in his first season in Stillwater.

*Great decision to zone the Cowboys for a majority of the second half by Rick Barnes. In a tough place to win the Longhorns dictated the tempo and didn’t allow OK State to keep getting easy baskets off James Anderson and Byron Eaton penetration.

Barnes’ choice to abandon the zone with a minute left and challenge Oklahoma State to make a big play was questionable. Sean Sutton drew up a great dribble hand off into a flare screen set that got Anderson a wide open 3 to tie the game with under 10 seconds left. I would have liked to see Barnes switch back to a zone during the time out to once again change the look for Oklahoma State. Any time you can change defenses after a time out it makes your opponent have to react and think as opposed to running a well designed play they know how to execute.

*Last night we saw two of the best players in the nation at using the ball screen. The aforementioned Johnny Flynn and Texas’ DJ Augustine. They get so low to the ground and come off the pick shoulder to hip. It is at this point that they separate themselves from everyone else. They both are exceptional at reading their defender and making the correct decision as a result. Both guys can shoot over the top when their man goes under, they split the defense when the defender hedges too far, they drag their defender to swing the ball or find a cutter, and what makes them so special is that if you switch it they will both immediately break down a weaker defender to get into the lane and do what they do best, make plays. Last night that is all they did as Flynn scored 24 and Augustin had 26.

*Davidson is back! We were all a little worried as one of last year’s Cinderella teams struggled through a suicidal non-conference schedule but the Wildcats are clearly still the class of the Southern Conference. Even though losses to Western Michigan and Charlotte are a little questionable, they lost to UNC, Duke and UCLA by an average of 5.6 points per game. No one else in the nation can say they gave three of the top 6 teams in the nation a competitive game, unfortunately “almost” won’t get Davidson an at large bid, they need to take their 9-0 conference start and turn it into a third straight conference tourney title.

*We could have called this night MAAC Monday as 4 conference games showed a lot about some of the contenders. Siena continues to roll in conference play as they beat bottom feeder Canisius 77-49.

The Saints are now 7-1 in MAAC play and after an inconsistent start to the season (that included a loss to James Madison and a win over Stanford) they seemed to have found their way. The Saints are being led by junior Kenny Hasbrouck. He was the second leading scorer on the conference tourney runner up team from last season and he carried the scoring load early on for the Saints.

It has been the emergence of a pair of sophomores that has allowed Siena to stay among the conference elite. Former Eastern Invitational Campers Edwin Ubiles and Alex Franklin have combined to average over 31 points and almost 12 rebounds. Ubiles has played his way into the level of elite mid major players and is the among the early favorites for MAAC Player of the Year. He scored 28 in the Saint’s biggest conference win against defending champs Niagara and 29 in a win over Holy Cross.

*Something to look out for… Siena has only played one game against the top 5 teams in the conference. They will still play Marist, Rider and Loyola twice each and Niagara again. Don’t expect them to run away with the MAAC.

*As good as Siena is this year, watch out for them next season as they return their entire roster!

*In a matchup of 5-2 teams Marist came away with a convincing 84-65 home win against Niagara. Marist will contend for the MAAC title again with the early leader for MAAC Freshman of the Year Jay Gavin and Syracuse transfer Louie McCroskey leading a balanced attack.

Matt Brady has completely transformed a once dead program that hasn’t sniffed an NCAA Tournament since the days of Rik Smits. Last year the Red Foxes won their first ever NIT game and were on the cusp of an NCAA birth before being upset by Siena in the conference tournament.

Brady is a winner. He was a huge piece of the staff that recruited Jameer Nelson, Delonte West, and co. to St. Joe’s. He was the basketball version of an offensive coordinator for Phil Martelli’s teams, including the one that finished the regular season 27-0 and eventually lost in the Elite 8 to Oklahoma State. Expect big things from the Marist program in the future, unless of course Brady gets a bigger job first.

*Rider’s OT victory over Iona boosted them into second place in the MAAC. Rider has the most talented player in the league in Jason Thompson (20 ppg, 11.4 rpg and 2.6 bpg), his brother Ryan has turned into a nice complimentary player and Harris Mansell is one of the more dangerous shooters in the nation. They will have to beat Marist, Siena and Niagara if they want to go anywhere and so far they haven’t done that (0-2 with losses to Niagara and Marist). They are intriguing because of their talent and definitely one to keep an eye on.

*Niagara is the fourth contender for the MAAC crown. The Purple Eagles are trying to win their third automatic bid in four years. From the outside looking in everything seems fine, they are 11-6 and 5-3 in conference, they have one of the nations leading scorers in Charron Fisher (27.5 ppg), a nice cast of supporting scorers in Tyrone Lewis and Stanley Hodge and the freshman leader in assists in the nation in Anthony Nelson.

Upon closer look you will find that this Niagara team has some fatal flaws. First, they only play 6 guys more than 8 mpg. Last season they had 8 guys in their rotation and plenty of depth to survive the rigors of close MAAC games. This year their primary players have no support behind them on the bench and even more importantly no one to challenge them in practice on a daily basis.

Second, and more importantly, is the fact that 4 of the six players in the rotation are shooting lower than 40% (including Fisher’s inefficient 39% and Lewis’ 36%). Shooting a low percentage will catch up to you sooner than later and with no time for the primary guys to rest don’t expect this problem to get any better.

Prediction: A fourth place finish in the MAAC for the defending champs.

*Heart Breaker of the Night: Howard falls to South Carolina State 60-58. In the matchup of 1-2 MEAC teams, South Carolina State took a 3 point lead with 19 second left. On the ensuing Howard possession Randy Hampton was fouled with 2 seconds left while shooting a three. Hampton connected on the first before missing two straight to give SC State the win.

*Overlooked performance of the night: Maryland-Eastern Shore’s Ed Tyson scored 34 in a conference loss to Norfolk State. Tyson is one of the MEAC’s best scorers at 18 ppg.

*Biggest upset of the week goes to the University of Maryland, who defeated North Carolina in Chapel Hill 82-80.  This gets Maryland back on the map.  They still have some horrid losses this year though.  American University goes into the Comcast Center and beats up on them, and then they go and do this.  Again, this is why college basketball is so great.  The win puts them at 2-2 in the ACC and maybe gives them some confidence to erase a brutal beginning half of the season. 

*Get your fire extinguishers out!  Why, you ask? Well, the Cleveland State Vikings are absolutely on FIRE!  They are now 12-5 overall (against D1 opp) and 7-0 in the Horizon League.  They defeated Butler & Valparaiso both this week.  I know it’s early to start thinking At-Large bids and all, but Cleveland State is starting to put together a nice resume.  Their RPI is now 50, while their Strength of Schedule is now at 66 in the nation.  They would really need to keep up the hotness throughout league play to really be considered.  They passed a HUGE test this week.  Can they keep this up?  Let’s hope so.  They remain a 12 seed in this week’s Bracks as Horizon Champs.   

 *We now have a new #1 seed.  As a result of UCLA’s loss at home to OJ Mayo and the USC Trojans, the Bruins have been dropped to a #2 seed.  Tennessee has the #1 overall RPI in the country, with a Strength of Schedule of 3.  They really have earned this seed.  They’ve beaten West Virginia, @ Xavier, @ Gonzaga, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt & Ohio State.  Easily, they have the most quality wins in the country and deserve a 1 seed now with flying colors.   

*The team to fall the furthest in the Bracks  is Texas A&M.  Texas A&M had a rough week, losing @ Texas Tech & @ Kansas State. While they may not be described as “awful” losses, A&M has not proved to anyone that they can beat top competition.  Their only quality win this year is against Ohio State, who might be just the 4th best team in the Big Ten.  With an RPI of 42 & SOS of 150, I have dropped them from a 3 seed to a 6 seed (which still may be a bit generous).  They play a hot Baylor team at home this week, followed by a game in Stillwater vs. Oklahoma State.  If they want to consider themselves a serious contender they’ll go 2-0 this week.  Prove to me, Aggies, that you can win a road game, even if it is against a bottom tier Big 12 team. 

*New Teams in the Bracks:  USC, Kansas State, Southern, Quinnipiac, Utah State, Stephen F. Austin, VCU & Lafayette

*Teams removed from the Bracks:  Arkansas, Virginia, Jackson State, Wagner, Nevada, Sam Houston State, Delaware & Holy Cross