They might have some fight on the bench, but apparantly that fighting spirit doesn't translate to the court.
St. Mary's took advantage of a sloppy and listless Bulldog squad from the opening tap, sending Mississippi State to their fourth loss in five games. At 8-6 with losses to East Tennessee State and FAU on the resume, nothing short of a miracle is getting the Bulldogs to post-season play. Last year they were one of the only teams with a legitimate complaint being left out of the field of 65. This year? Even the NIT is feeling a little ambitious.
St. Mary's stellar backcourt led the way as Matthew Dellavedova and Mickey McConnell combined to make eleven three point buckets, tallying 24 and 28 points respectively. The Gaels, which have featured eleven players from Australia in the past five seasons, play with an international style that makes them difficult to defend. They run a ton of pick and pops with nearly every player they suit up capable of hurting teams from behind the arc. They used that deadly marksman ship to jump out to a 51-34 halftime lead and comfortably cruised to the 94-72 win.
Up next for the Gaels is a New Year's Eve should-win against Hartford before entering WCC play as no worse than co-favorite with perennial champ Gonzaga.
Down in the Valley - Top Teams Assert Their Dominance in the MVC
After streaking into national relevance in the mid 2000's, the Missouri Valley has slipped a bit, enduring a few down seasons in a row. The biggest culprit? Parity. It wasn't that their top teams weren't good (as evidenced by Northern Iowa's magical slaying of #1 Kansas in last years tourney), it was that their middle of the pack wasn't bad. The result? A lot of teams between eight and eleven wins in league play and none of the separation needed for a mid major conference to earn multiple bids in March.
If the opening week of conference play is any indication, the Valley could once again be sending two, maybe three teams to the Big Dance as three of their top teams captured important wins.
The thriller of the night was the 58-57 that saw Missouri State stealing an important win at Northern Iowa on the strength of Kyle Weems game winning three-pointer at the buzzer. Very few teams win on the Panthers home floor. Grabbing the road win early bodes well for the Bears. The win moved Missouri State to 9-3 and gave them their first real resume win. All three of their losses are quality; Oklahoma State, Tulsa and Tennessee, but without a marquee win out of conference the Bears likely need to be 14-4 or better in Valley play to get in the at large discussion.
Northern Iowa on the other hand is in a more unique position. Their is undoubtably some unintentional lingering name value after last year's surprising Sweet Sixteen run. It isn't supposed to matter, but a positive perception regarding a program never hurts. Their resume is very similar to Mo State's, with a worse loss (51-39 to Iowa) and two better wins (Indiana and New Mexico). The Panthers also likely need to get to that 13-14 win range to have much of a chance of entertaining tourney aspirations.
Two other Valley contests were far less enthralling, but equally important opening statements. Conference favorite Wichita State traveled to Evansville, who owns a win over Butler, and simply steamrolled the Purple Aces. The Shockers cruised to the 91-57 win with all five starters scoring in double figures. The win moves Wichita State to 10-2 with wins over Tulsa, Virginia and LSU and quality losses to a pair of top 10 squads, UConn on a neutral floor and a narrow loss at San Diego State. The Shockers are the most legitimate at-large contender in the MVC, but if they play like they did tonight winning the auto bid in the conference tourney might make the point moot. 13 or 14 conference wins would seem to put the Shockers on solid ground.
The final big game saw another league favorite grab an important road win, with Creighton defeating Illinois State 67-54. The Bluejays had some early season struggles, losing in all four attempts to earn a quality win. The Northwestern and BYU losses do no real harm. The losses to Nebraska and Iowa State make it tough to argue for Creighton over some middle of the pack Big 12 team as they lost to several of the worst teams in the league. If the committee sees them on the board next to, say Oklahoma State or Texas A&M it's going to be hard to see the scales tipping in Creighton's favor. Just like Mo State and Northern Iowa, the Jays are going to have to separate themselves from the MVC pack to merit any consideration. In order to do that, you have to beat quality opponents on the road. Tonight's comfortable win in Normal is a good start.
It is going to be an exciting year once again in the Valley, and with a little separation at the top could once again be sending multiple teams in March.
If the opening week of conference play is any indication, the Valley could once again be sending two, maybe three teams to the Big Dance as three of their top teams captured important wins.
The thriller of the night was the 58-57 that saw Missouri State stealing an important win at Northern Iowa on the strength of Kyle Weems game winning three-pointer at the buzzer. Very few teams win on the Panthers home floor. Grabbing the road win early bodes well for the Bears. The win moved Missouri State to 9-3 and gave them their first real resume win. All three of their losses are quality; Oklahoma State, Tulsa and Tennessee, but without a marquee win out of conference the Bears likely need to be 14-4 or better in Valley play to get in the at large discussion.
Northern Iowa on the other hand is in a more unique position. Their is undoubtably some unintentional lingering name value after last year's surprising Sweet Sixteen run. It isn't supposed to matter, but a positive perception regarding a program never hurts. Their resume is very similar to Mo State's, with a worse loss (51-39 to Iowa) and two better wins (Indiana and New Mexico). The Panthers also likely need to get to that 13-14 win range to have much of a chance of entertaining tourney aspirations.
Two other Valley contests were far less enthralling, but equally important opening statements. Conference favorite Wichita State traveled to Evansville, who owns a win over Butler, and simply steamrolled the Purple Aces. The Shockers cruised to the 91-57 win with all five starters scoring in double figures. The win moves Wichita State to 10-2 with wins over Tulsa, Virginia and LSU and quality losses to a pair of top 10 squads, UConn on a neutral floor and a narrow loss at San Diego State. The Shockers are the most legitimate at-large contender in the MVC, but if they play like they did tonight winning the auto bid in the conference tourney might make the point moot. 13 or 14 conference wins would seem to put the Shockers on solid ground.
The final big game saw another league favorite grab an important road win, with Creighton defeating Illinois State 67-54. The Bluejays had some early season struggles, losing in all four attempts to earn a quality win. The Northwestern and BYU losses do no real harm. The losses to Nebraska and Iowa State make it tough to argue for Creighton over some middle of the pack Big 12 team as they lost to several of the worst teams in the league. If the committee sees them on the board next to, say Oklahoma State or Texas A&M it's going to be hard to see the scales tipping in Creighton's favor. Just like Mo State and Northern Iowa, the Jays are going to have to separate themselves from the MVC pack to merit any consideration. In order to do that, you have to beat quality opponents on the road. Tonight's comfortable win in Normal is a good start.It is going to be an exciting year once again in the Valley, and with a little separation at the top could once again be sending multiple teams in March.
A-Plus Night for the A-10
Tonight was a big night for bolstering the national profile of the Atlantic 10. Last season they flirted with sending as many as six teams to the Dance, before eventually settling for three, with three more in the NIT. This season looked to be a down year, with Temple, Xavier and Richmond all taking a disappointing early loss or two.
The Atlantic 10 collectively came up big tonight. First, Dayton took down CAA standout George Mason 73-67. After some early struggles Dayton is looking more and more like an NCAA Tournament team.
Richmond pummeled Wake Forest on the road 90-74. Wake is undeniably down this year, and will likely finsh with a sub .500 record, however aany blowout road win against an ACC school is good for the overall profile.
Lastly, and perhaps most impressivly, Rhode Island knocked off Boston College 67-65. The Eagles got some pub for their early season loss to lowly Yale. Since that upset they had regrouped and and won seven straight, including wins over Cal, Indiana, UMass, Providence and Maryland. This is a great win for the Rams who played Pitt tough in the season opener, and had looked uneven since.
The win moves the Rams to 9-4 and puts another team in the at-large conversation for the league. Likely no more than three will dance, but with Temple, Xavier, Dayton, Richmond and Rhode Island the A-10 is again relevant on the national stage.
The Atlantic 10 collectively came up big tonight. First, Dayton took down CAA standout George Mason 73-67. After some early struggles Dayton is looking more and more like an NCAA Tournament team.
Richmond pummeled Wake Forest on the road 90-74. Wake is undeniably down this year, and will likely finsh with a sub .500 record, however aany blowout road win against an ACC school is good for the overall profile.
Lastly, and perhaps most impressivly, Rhode Island knocked off Boston College 67-65. The Eagles got some pub for their early season loss to lowly Yale. Since that upset they had regrouped and and won seven straight, including wins over Cal, Indiana, UMass, Providence and Maryland. This is a great win for the Rams who played Pitt tough in the season opener, and had looked uneven since.
The win moves the Rams to 9-4 and puts another team in the at-large conversation for the league. Likely no more than three will dance, but with Temple, Xavier, Dayton, Richmond and Rhode Island the A-10 is again relevant on the national stage.
Notre Dame Shows Hot Start is Legit, Downs Georgetown by 14
I'll admit to being among the long list of skeptics regarding Notre Dame. They had a great start and captured some quality wins, but surely once conference play started their lack of atheticism, lack of a true interior scorer and lack of explosiveness from the wing would catch up them, right?
Tonight they laid a lot of lingering doubts to rest, completely handling a Georgetown team with one of the most dynamic and athletic backcourts in the country. The Irish used a smothering defense to harass Georgetown into tough shots, holding the usually efficient Hoyas to just 42% shooting.
Meanwhile on offense, the Irish got a balanced the balanced attack that was so often lacking during the Luke Harangody era. Tim Abromitis threw his name into the ring for Big East POY tossing in twenty points, while Hansbrough and Nash added 15 and 17 respectively.
Up next for the Irish are two more stern tests; a New Year's Day trip to the Carrier Dome and then back home to host UConn on Tuesday. Win both, and it would be hard to have the Irish outside of the Top 5.
Georgetown should rebound easily Saturday hosting DePaul before a trip to ever-improving St. John's on Tuesday.
Tonight they laid a lot of lingering doubts to rest, completely handling a Georgetown team with one of the most dynamic and athletic backcourts in the country. The Irish used a smothering defense to harass Georgetown into tough shots, holding the usually efficient Hoyas to just 42% shooting.
Meanwhile on offense, the Irish got a balanced the balanced attack that was so often lacking during the Luke Harangody era. Tim Abromitis threw his name into the ring for Big East POY tossing in twenty points, while Hansbrough and Nash added 15 and 17 respectively.
Up next for the Irish are two more stern tests; a New Year's Day trip to the Carrier Dome and then back home to host UConn on Tuesday. Win both, and it would be hard to have the Irish outside of the Top 5.
Georgetown should rebound easily Saturday hosting DePaul before a trip to ever-improving St. John's on Tuesday.
Wednesday Gems in Mid-Major Land
Last night's Pitt v. UConn game ushered in the onset of conference play with a bang. The game may have been slightly overlooked thanks to the odd Tuesday Night Football game, but college hoops fans had to be delighted with a great matchup to jumpstart phase two of the college sesason. Non-conference play is almost over, but tonight serves up a nice handful a final conference comparison games.
There are a few more nice major conference match-ups tonight (West Virginia v. St Johns, Georgetown v. Notre Dame), but the most interesting games are taking place far from the reach of nationally televised contests. Here's a quick breakdown of some games worth visiting www.channelsurfing.net for (great links to dozens of hard-to-find games)
7:00 PM -- Furman (8-2) @ UCF (11-0)
UCF has been one of the nation's most pleasnat surprises, riding their undefeated start to #19 in the AP polls. Tonight they get a tricky potential trap game as the Paladins (nominee for oddest nickname - ANYONE know what a "Paladin" is? Email it our way) head to UCF Arena in the first game of the UCF Holiday Classic. Furman's two losses, a 4-point loss to Kent State (who is playing good ball and could win the MAC) and a 24 point drubbing to Penn State.
The Nittany Lions still have Talor Battle (I believe he is in his eleventh year of eligibility...) and beat Indiana last night in Bloomington to kick off Big Ten play. The point being, the loss may not be that bad. Furman enters fresh off a double digit win over South Carolina. The Knights better be sharp tonight or they could be susceptible to an upset.
7:00 PM -- George Mason (9-2) @ Dayton (10-3)
I have both of these teams IN in my earliest prediction bracket for the Big Dance, but both have a lot of work to do to get there. Dayton had some struggles early dropping a tough game to East Tennessee St and enduring a humiliating 68-34 loss to state rival Cincinnati. Since then, the Flyers have regrouped, winning three in a row including last night's 69-65 win at Seton Hall. The Flyers are the most athletic team in the Atlantic 10 and have the talent to unseat Temple, Xavier and Richmond as the A-10's top team.
George Mason fields their best team since their legendary Final Four run in 2006. Their two losses both came outside the continental USA in November, NC State and a final-possession loss to SoCon favorite Wofford. Since then the Patriots wins have been solid, if not spectacular. Tonight marks their first true Top 75 team challenge since Cancun. This is their last chance to pick up a much-needed resume win before entering league play in the brutal Colonial. As of now, they'd be a bubble team at best.
This is the best game of the night, in my opinion. Too bad ESPN chose to give us Duke v. UNC Greensboro and Texas-Arlington v. Kansas instead...
7:00 PM -- Wofford (5-6) @ VCU (7-4)
Wofford is easily the best 5-6 team in the country. All kidding aside, the Terriers schedule has been among the most brutal in the country with losses to Minnesota, Clemson, Air Force, Georgetown, Xavier (3 OT) and South Carolina. More important to note, none of those teams travelled to Wofford's gym. They may have little shot at an at-large bid, but without a doubt their schedule prepared them well to run through the SoCon. A win tonight would give them wins over two of the CAA's top teams (G.Mason), and could be the difference between a #14/#15 seed and a more winnable 4/13 game.
VCU on the other hand faces a much more difficult conference slate and has slipped outside of strong at-large contender range. A loss tonight would be a brutal blow to any at-large hopes the Rams might be harboring. Their win over UCLA was decent, but there is little else to write home about. They have the most athletic team in the CAA and could be a dangerous #11/#12 seed come March if they can right the ship, starting with tonight.
9:05 PM -- Hawaii (9-3) @ Utah State (11-2)
WAC play gets off to a blazing start tonight as the two top teams face off in Orem. Hawaii played surprisingly well in the Honolulu Christmas tournament, knocking off Utah and Mississippi State to claim the consolation bracket. The losses to Florida State and BYU were disspointing in margin, but not "bad losses" per se. The loss to Cal Poly would be a crippler if they find themselves in the 22-23 win range and contending for an at-large birth.
Utah State finds themselves in an all-too-familiar position; great record with little in terms of quality wins. Their losses, by 6 to BYU and at Georgetown won't hurt their profile. Beating Hawaii not only gives them a Top 100 win, it also gets them the early leg up in the WAC standings.
9:35 PM -- Air Force (8-3) @ UTEP (10-3)
Air Force is a middle of the pack team in their league, but given the sterling performance of the MWC thus far this season, being a middle-of-the packer is actually a compliment. One could say nearly the identical thing about UTEP. It's unlikely either of these teams make the NCAA Tournament, but both are solid NIT contenders. Tonight's game gives a nice comparison opportunity for the Mountain West and Conference USA.
11:00 PM -- St.Mary's (10-2) vs. Mississippi State (8-5): Game played in Las Vegas.
St Mary's is two years removed from Patty Mills and one year past Omar Samhan. Despite losing two of the best players in school history, St. Mary's is right in the mix to return to the NCAA Tourney for the second straight year and appear to be poised to snap Gonzaga's decade long stanglehold on the WCC's regular season championship. St. Mary's defeated St John's early in the year, and their only two losses are to BYU and San Diego State, both Top 25 teams. They are in need of a Big 6 conference win to add to their otherwise bleak resume or could find themselves in the same situation as 2009; great record offset by a weak schedule resulting in a disappointing trip to the NIT.
God only knows what is going on at Mississippi State. Eligibility suspensions, fist fights on the bench and a fistful of questionable losses including Florida Atlantic and East Tennessee. At 8-5 the Bulldogs have likely played themselves into a deep hole to earn at at-large bid, though in a weak SEC-West they could pick up 10 or 11 wins. A win tonight, a decent conference run and all of a sudden you are looking at a 20 or 21 win team in a Power Six conference, generally a recipe for dancing...
Maniac's Picks:
Furman +13
Dayton -1.5
VCU -6.5
Hawaii +20.5
Air Force +14
There are a few more nice major conference match-ups tonight (West Virginia v. St Johns, Georgetown v. Notre Dame), but the most interesting games are taking place far from the reach of nationally televised contests. Here's a quick breakdown of some games worth visiting www.channelsurfing.net for (great links to dozens of hard-to-find games)
7:00 PM -- Furman (8-2) @ UCF (11-0)
UCF has been one of the nation's most pleasnat surprises, riding their undefeated start to #19 in the AP polls. Tonight they get a tricky potential trap game as the Paladins (nominee for oddest nickname - ANYONE know what a "Paladin" is? Email it our way) head to UCF Arena in the first game of the UCF Holiday Classic. Furman's two losses, a 4-point loss to Kent State (who is playing good ball and could win the MAC) and a 24 point drubbing to Penn State.
The Nittany Lions still have Talor Battle (I believe he is in his eleventh year of eligibility...) and beat Indiana last night in Bloomington to kick off Big Ten play. The point being, the loss may not be that bad. Furman enters fresh off a double digit win over South Carolina. The Knights better be sharp tonight or they could be susceptible to an upset.
7:00 PM -- George Mason (9-2) @ Dayton (10-3)
I have both of these teams IN in my earliest prediction bracket for the Big Dance, but both have a lot of work to do to get there. Dayton had some struggles early dropping a tough game to East Tennessee St and enduring a humiliating 68-34 loss to state rival Cincinnati. Since then, the Flyers have regrouped, winning three in a row including last night's 69-65 win at Seton Hall. The Flyers are the most athletic team in the Atlantic 10 and have the talent to unseat Temple, Xavier and Richmond as the A-10's top team.
George Mason fields their best team since their legendary Final Four run in 2006. Their two losses both came outside the continental USA in November, NC State and a final-possession loss to SoCon favorite Wofford. Since then the Patriots wins have been solid, if not spectacular. Tonight marks their first true Top 75 team challenge since Cancun. This is their last chance to pick up a much-needed resume win before entering league play in the brutal Colonial. As of now, they'd be a bubble team at best.
This is the best game of the night, in my opinion. Too bad ESPN chose to give us Duke v. UNC Greensboro and Texas-Arlington v. Kansas instead...
7:00 PM -- Wofford (5-6) @ VCU (7-4)
Wofford is easily the best 5-6 team in the country. All kidding aside, the Terriers schedule has been among the most brutal in the country with losses to Minnesota, Clemson, Air Force, Georgetown, Xavier (3 OT) and South Carolina. More important to note, none of those teams travelled to Wofford's gym. They may have little shot at an at-large bid, but without a doubt their schedule prepared them well to run through the SoCon. A win tonight would give them wins over two of the CAA's top teams (G.Mason), and could be the difference between a #14/#15 seed and a more winnable 4/13 game.
VCU on the other hand faces a much more difficult conference slate and has slipped outside of strong at-large contender range. A loss tonight would be a brutal blow to any at-large hopes the Rams might be harboring. Their win over UCLA was decent, but there is little else to write home about. They have the most athletic team in the CAA and could be a dangerous #11/#12 seed come March if they can right the ship, starting with tonight.
9:05 PM -- Hawaii (9-3) @ Utah State (11-2)
WAC play gets off to a blazing start tonight as the two top teams face off in Orem. Hawaii played surprisingly well in the Honolulu Christmas tournament, knocking off Utah and Mississippi State to claim the consolation bracket. The losses to Florida State and BYU were disspointing in margin, but not "bad losses" per se. The loss to Cal Poly would be a crippler if they find themselves in the 22-23 win range and contending for an at-large birth.
Utah State finds themselves in an all-too-familiar position; great record with little in terms of quality wins. Their losses, by 6 to BYU and at Georgetown won't hurt their profile. Beating Hawaii not only gives them a Top 100 win, it also gets them the early leg up in the WAC standings.
9:35 PM -- Air Force (8-3) @ UTEP (10-3)
Air Force is a middle of the pack team in their league, but given the sterling performance of the MWC thus far this season, being a middle-of-the packer is actually a compliment. One could say nearly the identical thing about UTEP. It's unlikely either of these teams make the NCAA Tournament, but both are solid NIT contenders. Tonight's game gives a nice comparison opportunity for the Mountain West and Conference USA.
11:00 PM -- St.Mary's (10-2) vs. Mississippi State (8-5): Game played in Las Vegas.
St Mary's is two years removed from Patty Mills and one year past Omar Samhan. Despite losing two of the best players in school history, St. Mary's is right in the mix to return to the NCAA Tourney for the second straight year and appear to be poised to snap Gonzaga's decade long stanglehold on the WCC's regular season championship. St. Mary's defeated St John's early in the year, and their only two losses are to BYU and San Diego State, both Top 25 teams. They are in need of a Big 6 conference win to add to their otherwise bleak resume or could find themselves in the same situation as 2009; great record offset by a weak schedule resulting in a disappointing trip to the NIT.
God only knows what is going on at Mississippi State. Eligibility suspensions, fist fights on the bench and a fistful of questionable losses including Florida Atlantic and East Tennessee. At 8-5 the Bulldogs have likely played themselves into a deep hole to earn at at-large bid, though in a weak SEC-West they could pick up 10 or 11 wins. A win tonight, a decent conference run and all of a sudden you are looking at a 20 or 21 win team in a Power Six conference, generally a recipe for dancing...
Maniac's Picks:
Furman +13
Dayton -1.5
VCU -6.5
Hawaii +20.5
Air Force +14
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