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No. 2 Ohio State Suffocates Indiana; Awaits No. 1 Ranking

February 27, 2011   Terrance Harris   No comments

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Here lately, each week produces a new No.1 team.

It appears the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will step up to reclaim their spot at the top of college basketball after easily dispatching Indiana, 82-61, here at Value City Arena on Sunday afternoon. With last week’s No.1 Duke losing at Virginia Tech on Saturday, the Buckeyes should reclaim the top spot they held for several weeks when the latest polls are released Monday.

“It’s something that comes along with this,” said OSU coach Thad Matta, whose team improved to 27-2, 14-2 Big ten for the second-best win total in school history. “One of the things I have always said is no matter where we are ranked, we really want to be there in the end.”

Perhaps as the debate about who are the most deserving of the potential No.1 seeds are to be the overall seed in next months tournament, the Buckeyes may have taken the lead with Sunday’s impressive performance. Star freshman Jared Sullinger had one of his most underwhelming games of the season (five points and seven rebounds in 13 minutes), but that didn’t stop Ohio State. The Buckeyes simply got production in other places, particularly fellow freshman Deshaun Thomas off the bench.

 

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Arizona Showing Signs of Resurgence

February 19, 2011   Terrance Harris   No comments

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Even as his star player Derrick Williams, broken pinky and all, lay underneath a pile in celebration of a thrilling victory in front of him Saturday afternoon, University of Arizona coach Sean Miller was too preoccupied with his own emotions to deal with the dangers there.

Miller was still a bit out of sorts as he approached Washington coach Lorenzo Romar for the customary game-ending handshake following the Wildcats’ 87-86 win at their McKale Center. Not at all meaning to be a jerk, Miller looked Romar in the eye and with a straight face said “Good win.”

“I didn’t mean to say that,” Miller admitted later. “Really what I meant to say is what a game.”

Let’s chalk up the slip to Miller’s coming down from an edge-of-your-seat-ending in which Williams needed to make three incredible defensive plays to secure the win for the Pac-10 leading and 12th-ranked Wildcats. Let’s also chalk it up to the excitement Miller has to be feeling as the resurgence of the once-dominant Arizona program takes form in his second year on the job.

Miller came out here from Xavier for the challenge of returning the Wildcats to the prominence they enjoyed throughout most of the Lute Olson years. There is still plenty of work to be done to get Arizona back to the point where the program is in the national championship conversation each year, but Miller seems well on the way.

He has a stud of a player in Williams, who as a sophomore, may be the best player in the Pac-10 and he’s definitely the most underrated star player out West. Williams is blessed with the God-given instincts of a special player, whose basketball savvy just seems off the charts as we saw him score 26 points, grab 13 rebounds and come up with two blocks on a night that clearly wasn’t his best (6-of-13 shooting from the field and seven turnovers).

 

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Arizona Withstands Late Run by Washington for Wild Win

February 19, 2011   Terrance Harris   No comments

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TUCSON, Ariz. — The Washington Huskies made the second half interesting with a torrid comeback, but it was the 12th-ranked Arizona Wildcats who were able to hold on by the slimmest margins during Saturday night’s 87-86 victory at the McKale Center.

This was easily the Wildcats’ most signature win to date and the one that could have punched their stamp back into the NCAA Tournament and cemented their hold on the Pac-10 regular-season title.

But the Pac-10-leading Wildcats weren’t assured of their eighth straight win until they got a couple improbable deflections by star sophomore Derrick Williams inside the final second of the game. Williams came up with a huge block on a shot by Darnell Gant, and then Williams rejected an inbounds pass to Matthew Bryan-Amaning to end the game.

More Coverage: Wildcat Resurgence

Up until that point it appeared to be anybody’s game as the lead changed several times in the final minutes, which was in stark contrast to the first half and early second half when the Wildcats led by as many as 12 points. But due in large part to some careless turnovers by Arizona, combined with the dominance of Amaning inside during the second half, the Huskies (18-8, 10-5 Pac-10) took the lead late in the second half.

But the Wildcats (23-4, 12-2) regained the lead for good on a layup by Solomon Hill with :17.6 seconds remaining on the clock. But even then, Arizona needed three huge defensive plays from Williams, including a forced travel on Amaning, in order to secure the win.

Williams led the Wildcats with 26 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots. Lamont Jones (15), Jesse Perry (11) and reserve Kevin Parrom (11) also scored in double figures.

Amaning led the Huskies by scoring 18 of his team-high 24 points (12-of-19 shooting) in the second half.

How It Was Won: In a tight game where every shot counted this was won at the 3-point line where the Wildcats converted 11 of 18 treys for 33 of their points.

How It Was Lost: The Huskies had trouble taking advantage of numerous second half turnovers and that caught up with them in the end.

Key Stat: Arizona converted 16-of-18 shots from the free-throw line.

What we liked/Don’t like: Arizona could have easily folded in this game after giving up a big lead, but the Wildcats showed great resolve late in the game by fighting back and coming away with a critical win.

 

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Poll Voters Defy Logic, Leave Texas Behind Kansas

February 14, 2011   Terrance Harris   No comments

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We knew there would be a shakeup in the top two national polls this week after Ohio State became the last of the unbeatens to go down in defeat over the weekend.

The surprise is the Texas Longhorns, easily the hottest team in the country the last month, didn’t leapfrog Kansas into the No. 1 spot in either poll. In fact, the Longhorns — the only team to defeat the Kansas Jayhawks this season — remained third in the AP poll behind Kansas and Ohio State while coming in No. 2 behind the Jayhawks by the slimmest of margins in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ poll which were both released Monday.

Maybe the move shouldn’t be as surprising since Kansas occupied the No. 2 spot ahead of the Longhorns the past few weeks, despite falling at home to Texas last month. But you would figure that perhaps considering the Longhorns (22-3, 10-0), led by Jordan Hamilton and freshman post Tristan Thompson, are by far the most dominant team in the Big 12 right now (they have won 10 straight and their nine-point win over Baylor was their first non-double figure victory in league play) and the fact Kansas (24-1, 9-1) is looking up at them in the standings might actually mean something to voters.

Obviously it doesn’t.

 

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Justin Bieber, Mike Gundy Are Ring Tone Buddies

February 14, 2011   Terrance Harris   No comments

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We found out Sunday that teenage sensation Justin Bieber is a fan of Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy, or at least a fan of his infamous rant, “I’m a man. I’m 40!”

The 16-year-old Bieber has Gundy’s fiery speech as his ring tone

 

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Pitt Withstands Late Villanova Comeback, Maintains Big East Lead

February 12, 2011   Terrance Harris   No comments

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VILLANOVA, Pa. — Brad Wanamaker scored 21 points and Nasir Robinson added another 15 to help lift the fourth-ranked Pitt Panthers to an impressive 57-54 win over No. 9 Villanova on the road Saturday night.

Playing their second game without star guard Ashton Gibbs (MCL injury), the Panthers used a spirited 15-2 run early in the second half to provide some separation and then held in the end to further solidify their place as the top Big East team. Pitt’s win at Villanova’s Pavilion marked the Wildcats’ first home loss in 47 games since 2007.

The Panthers, who sit atop the Big East with a 23-2, 11-1 league mark, improved to 6-0 in conference road games this season.

But Antonio Pena and the Wildcats (19-6, 7-5) made it interesting toward the end. Pena hit a 3-pointer to pull his team within three points with 58 second remaining. Pena then came up with a heads-up strip of Wanamaker on the other end on the next possession to set up the potentially game-tying 3-pointer. But Maalik Wayns‘ 3-point launch came well after time had expired.

Center Mouphtaou Yarou led the Wildcats with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Wayns added 13 points and Pena contributed 10 on the night.

Wanamaker and Robinson — two Philadelphia products who were playing in front many family and friends — were the Panthers lone two scorers in double figures.

How It Was Won: Pitt played great defense throughout the night, contesting nearly every shot Villanova attempted. The Panthers limited Villanova to just 36 percent shooting for the night and 33 percent in the pivotal second half.

How It Was Lost: The Wildcats just didn’t make the shots when they needed to. They went too many long stretches without converting key baskets, including early in the second half when Pitt went on a 15-2 run to pull away.

Key Stat: Pitt got to the foul line 30 times where it converted 20 free throws while Villanova went just 15 of 20 from the free throw line for the night.

What we liked: The Panthers continue to show they are an elite team even without leading scorer Ashton Gibbs on the floor. They have improved to 6-0 in Big East road games, which is something hard to achieve in the country’s toughest conference.

 

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At Kansas, Success Due to Team Before Self

February 08, 2011   Terrance Harris   No comments

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LAWRENCE, Kans. – The signs have been there all season that the Kansas Jayhawks, who were supposedly in a reloading year, are good.

Scratch that.

These Jayhawks are special. Perhaps Final Four special.

In short order, Bill Self has turned his latest collection of star players into a cohesive team. Ask Missouri. Monday, the second-ranked Jayhawks withstood a ferocious start by the 19th-ranked Tigers before methodically, and within a selfless team-first framework, rallying for a 103-86 win at Allen Fieldhouse.

Marcus Morris was his usual dominant self in the second half, but what was most impressive were the points in production that came from everywhere else. Mario Little and a wounded Travis Releford came off the bench to combine for 27 points and 11-of-14 shooting from the field and 5-of-5 shooting from 3-point range.

In all, Kansas had five players score in double figures, while eight of the nine Jayhawks who logged minutes score at least eight points. Markieff Morris made big plays inside that got Missouri‘s bigs into foul trouble in the second half. Then quality production also came from Brady Morningstar, Tyrel Reed, and Thomas Robinson. It was easy to miss that freshman sensation Josh Selby was sitting on the bench in street clothes and wearing a boot.

 

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Jayhawks Rout Tigers in Second Half

February 07, 2011   Terrance Harris   No comments

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LAWRENCE, Kan. — Missouri played about as good as it possibly could during the first half against Kansas on Monday night, yet the Tigers still went into halftime trailing by four points.

The second half wasn’t nearly as close as the No. 2 Jayhawks ran away with an impressive 103-86 over their rivals in front of a packed house at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas’ 103 points were the most scored against Missouri since 2002.

A major reason for the offensive production was an outstanding performance from the Jayhawks reserves. Mario Little came off the bench to score a career-high 17 points, while Travis Releford added 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field as Kansas’ bench outscored the 20th-ranked Tigers 36-16.

The production of the reserves almost overshadowed strong performances from the Jayhawks starters. Marcus Morris, who scored just five points in the first half, finished with a game-high 22 points, while his twin brother Markieff Morris finished with 16 points and guard Tyshawn Taylor added 13 points. With the win Kansas improved to 23-1 and 8-1 in the Big 12 to stay in contention for the league title.

 

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Baylor-Oklahoma Game Postponed Due to Snow Storm

February 01, 2011   Terrance Harris   No comments

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Teams in Big 12 country are having to scramble as a winter storm moves into much of the region.

The Big 12 announced that Tuesday’s night’s Baylor-Oklahoma men’s basketball game in Norman, Okla. has been postponed due to the winter storm. It appears the Missouri-Oklahoma State game will be played Tuesday night in Stillwater, Okla. because the Tigers elected to travel to Oklahoma on Monday, a day earlier than originally planned.

The Baylor-OU game has been rescheduled for Wednesday at Lloyd Noble Center.

 

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Kansas’ Bill Self Hopes to Snap Unlikely Winless Streak at Texas Tech

February 01, 2011   Terrance Harris   No comments

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When you think of tough arenas to play in, Texas Tech‘s United Spirit Arena isn’t anywhere near the top of the conversation.

Except, of course, for Kansas head coach Bill Self, who has yet to win in Lubbock in three tries. Self is hoping his fortunes will change some when the second-ranked and perennial power Jayhawks come into United Spirit Arena Tuesday night to take on the recently surging Red Raiders.

Still, Self struggles to explain the past three games over the last six years when he has taken highly touted teams into Lubbock and come away with stunning losses. Self has won in every other Big 12 venue during his time at KU.

“I don’t think we’ve played particularly well there but they have also played great,” said Self, whose Jayhawks (20-1, 5-1 in the Big 12) are 3-0 in Big 12 road games and 9-0 away from home overall this season. “I don’t know what it is but we just haven’t performed well there.

“I don’t know if you can put much stock in it. Every team is different. They have different teams, we have a different team.

“When you only play every other year, there really is not a rhythm or anything like that that because you always have different teams going down there but certainly our guys have talked about that,” Self continued. “We talked about that yesterday and we will be excited to go down there and perform better.”

 

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