January 18, 2010 –
by Brendon
Notre Dame had a tough loss on Saturday in Cincinnati. After controlling most of the first half, the Irish could never pull away from a tough Bearcats defense. Eventually, UC’s dominance of the backboards caught up to UND, and the Irish fell, 60-58. Despite Luke Harangody growing into the Big East’s version of Tyler Hansbrough over the last two seasons, he’s seen the talent erode around him, and the team success that Notre Dame experienced during Harangody’s first two seasons is proving elusive in his final two.
As a freshman, Luke Harangody and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish won 24 games, reached the Big East Tournament semifinals and the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed. As a sophomore, Harangody saw his team win 25 more games, earn a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and win a game there.
Last season, Notre Dame was a consensus top-25 team entering the season, this despite losing Rob Kurz and replacing him with no one (I suppose it was sophomore Tyrone Nash, in theory). Notre Dame disappointed, though, finishing 8-10 in conference and 18-14 overall (before the NIT, where the Irish won three times). A seven-game losing streak in January and February ruined the season. Read More »
Posted in Big East
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Tagged Ben Hansbrough, Big East, Cincinnati, DePaul, Jack Cooley, Joey Brooks, Jonathan Peoples, Kyle McAlarney, Loyola Marymount, Luke Harangody, Mike Brey, Mike Broghammer, Mike Cook, Morehead State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Rob Kurz, Rutgers, Ryan Ayers, Scott Martin, Seton Hall, St. John's, Tim Abromaitis, Tom Knight, Ty Proffitt, Tyler Hansbrough, Tyrone Nash, USF, West Virginia, Zach Hillesland
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November 23, 2009 –
by Brendon
After perusing all of the scores from this weekend, I count 36 that were particularly meaningful, and I’m probably underselling others. While the opening weekend of the college basketball was exciting because it was new, we definitely learned a lot more over the last three days simply because there were games that could go either way. We saw the Big East get its first loss — four of them, in fact. We saw Big Ten teams place seventh and eighth in eight-team tournaments. And at Madison Square Garden on Friday, we saw Syracuse complete the most impressive two-game stretch of the season.
Most of the interesting games were on Friday, so, it’s Friday’s games that account for most of my words on this Monday. I’ll be looking at Saturday and Sunday in subsequent posts.
Friday
Syracuse’s 87-71 win over North Carolina headlined the night’s action and rightfully so. Syracuse is a team that lost Jonny Flynn and two other key players from last year’s Sweet 16 team, and prior to last season, Syracuse had narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament twice in a row, so the Orange no longer give off the scent of a program that can simply reload.
Enter Wesley Johnson. Well acknowledging that his length and diverse skillset would be a huge asset for a team lacking both, I was very cautious about those who saw Johnson as an immediate star and potential Big East Player of the Year in his first season at Syracuse after transferring from Iowa State. Johnson had 25 points and eight rebounds on Friday, and that doesn’t convey the length he adds to Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone.
|
Poss |
PPP |
eFG |
Turn |
Reb |
FTR |
| North Carolina |
76 |
0.93 |
0.413 |
0.250 |
0.432 |
0.302 |
| Syracuse |
76 |
1.14 |
0.610 |
0.210 |
0.343 |
0.059 |
When you look at Syracuse’s figures above, notice that this one game is a replica of the Orange’s season thus far. Syracuse’s offense has been exceptional at hitting shots, especially 2-pointers — the Orange hit an incredible 59.6 against that imposing UNC frontcourt. The rest of the offensive for Syracuse, however, has been nothing special. Syracuse continues to turn the ball over too much, has not been great on the offensive glass and has not gotten to the line. It’s important to remember, though, that shooting is the overriding factor in an offense’s success and that the type of 2-pointers Syracuse has been making are not as beholden to fate as the 3-point shot. Read More »
Posted in Reviews/Previews
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Tagged Alabama, Andy Kennedy, Appalachian State, Arkansas, Atlantic-10, Auburn, Big East, Big Ten, Boston College, Boston University, Brown, California, Central Florida, Chris Warren, Chris Wright, Cornell, Davidson, Dayton, DePaul, Drexel, George Mason, Indiana, Iowa State, JaMychal Green, Jeff Lebo, Jim Boeheim, Joe Trapani, Jonny Flynn, Kansas State, La Salle, Mac Koshwal, Mikhail Torrance, Mississippi, Missouri Valley, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Northern Iowa, Ohio State, Penn State, Providence, Rakim Sanders, Reggie Jackson, Rutgers, SEC, Seton Hall, South Carolina, St. John's, St. Joseph's, St. Mary's, Syracuse, Talor Battle, Tennessee, Terrico White, Tulane, USF, Vanderbilt, Villanova, Wesley Johnson
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November 18, 2009 –
by Brendon
In retrospect, it was bad planning that I chose Arkansas-Louisville rather than the game that followed it, Memphis-Kansas, as the first game of the new season on which to take possession-by-possession notes. Still, there’s nothing as useful as taking possession data by hand to give me a good sense of a team and its players.
As it turned out, Arkansas’ lack of depth caught up with it in the game’s final 15 minutes, and Louisville’s 3-point shooting and ball-hawking defense ended the competitive phase of this game. The 96-66 Louisville victory, while lacking the last-second drama of the nightcap of Tuesday’s doubleheader, still left plenty of interesting conclusions to glean.
Let’s start with the basic tempo-free team box:
|
Poss |
PPP |
eFG |
Turn |
Reb |
FTR |
| Arkansas |
76 |
0.87 |
0.422 |
0.211 |
0.262 |
0.293 |
| Louisville |
75 |
1.26 |
0.568 |
0.132 |
0.390 |
0.178 |
For a team with just six scholarship players thanks to a bevy of suspensions, Arkansas did a pretty good job of taking care of the ball against Louisville’s zone press. Julysses Nobles had just two turnovers in 38 minutes as the point guard facing most of the heat from the Cardinals’ seemingly endless depth of aggressive guards. It was big man Mike Washington’s careless play — six turnovers — in just 28 minutes — that accounted for more than a third of the team total (16). The senior center was called for three travels and had two shots blocked in Arkansas’ first 21 possessions. Read More »
Posted in Big East, Game of the Night, SEC
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Tagged Alcorn State, Appalachian State, Arkansas, Big East, Earl Clark, Edgar Sosa, Jared Swopshire, Jerry Smith, John Pelphrey, Julysses Nobles, Kansas, Kentucky, Kyle Kuric, Louisville, Marshawn Powell, Memphis, Mike Washington, Preston Knowles, Reginald Delk, Rick Pitino, Rotnei Clarke, Samardo Samuels, SEC, Stefan Welsh, Terrence Jennings, Terrence Williams, UNLV, USF, Western Kentucky, Yinka Dare
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November 17, 2009 –
by Brendon
We waited a long time for Lance Stephenson’s debut, and we’ll need to wait a bit longer to witness Stephenson’s first good performance. The prep standout shot just 2-for-10, grabbed four rebounds and didn’t contribute maybe tangible peripherals (steals, assists, blocks) in 22 minutes of Cincinnati’s 69-62 win over Prairie View A&M on Monday night.
Stephenson’s poor shooting helped contribute to a first-half deficit that stood at 38-30. Cincinnati had just a 37.1 percent eFG in the first half thanks primarily to 15 misses on 3-point shots in the opening 20 minutes. Mick Cronin’s team clamped down on defense in the second half, holding Prairie View to just 24 points thanks to Cincy’s superior size and talent. Yancy Gates and Steve Toyloy combined for 19 rebounds, including eight of teammates’ misses. Cincinnati has to be happy to have the victory, but it wasn’t a fortuitous start for Stephenson or for his coach, both of whom enter crucial seasons in their careers. Read More »
Posted in Big East
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Tagged Big East, Cincinnati, Deonta Vaughn, DePaul, Georgetown, James White, Lance Stephenson, Mick Cronin, Mike Williams, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Prairie View A&M, Seton Hall, Steve Toyloy, Syracuse, UAB, UNLV, USF, West Virginia, Yancy Gates
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November 15, 2009 –
by Brendon
In sum: It wasn’t always pretty, but the Big East emerged from the season’s first week unscathed with a 17-0 record. Seton Hall and Pittsburgh both narrowly escaped home losses on Friday night, while Providence nearly blew a 19-point lead in defeating Mercer on Sunday. All in all, it’s a good start for a league that figures to go through some growing pains in the pre-conference schedule.
Team of the week: South Florida. The opening win was a departure from the Bulls’ typical pre-conference play. For once, the offense was actually good.
|
Poss |
PPP |
eFG |
Turn |
Reb |
FTR |
| USF |
63 |
1.06 |
0.55 |
0.21 |
0.26 |
0.32 |
| SMU |
63 |
0.97 |
0.47 |
0.19 |
0.29 |
0.21 |
The Bulls have not been a good shooting team for a while, but the difference in eFG was, basically, the margin of victory. Augustus Gilchrist’s 8-for-12, including a 3-pointer, was a big reason why the shooting efficiency was better. Chris Howard’s 6-for-6 from inside didn’t hurt either. We’ll learn a lot more about the Bulls in the week ahead. Read More »
Posted in Big East, Reviews/Previews
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Tagged Alabama, Alcorn State, Arkansas, Augustus Gilchrist, Big East, Binghamton, Bobby Gonzalez, California, Chris Howard, Cincinnati, Columbia, Cornell, Dayton, DePaul, East Carolina, Eugene Harvey, George Mason, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Jeremy Hazell, Jerome Randle, Kansas State, Keon Lawrence, LaSalle, Louisville, Mercer, Miami (Fla.), Mississippi, Monmouth, North Carolina, Northern Iowa, Ohio State, Penn, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Prairie View A&M, Providence, Seton Hall, South Carolina, St. Bonaventure, St. John's, St. Peter's, Syracuse, Temple, Tennessee, USF, Villanova, Virginia
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November 15, 2009 –
by Brendon
In sum: There wasn’t much in the way of drama in the first week of play for ACC teams. The league, as a whole, went 14-0, and only four of those victories were by a margin of fewer than 20 points. Perhaps it’s a surprise that two of those four such wins were by North Carolina. On Sunday, 12 3-pointers helped keep Valparaiso close against the Tar Heels, but UNC’s 62 percent shooting from inside was too much for the Crusaders to overcome.
Team of the week: Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons had a pair of impressive wins this weekend, starting Friday night with a 76-56 victory over Oral Roberts, a traditional power in the Summit League, and the coaches’ pick to finish second this year. On Sunday, Wake throttled East Carolina on the road, 89-58. Al-Farouq Aminu has emerged with the departures of James Johnson and Jeff Teague. After scoring 25 points and grabbing 13 boards against ORU, he had 23 points and nine boards against ECU. Read More »
Posted in ACC, Reviews/Previews
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Tagged ACC, Al-Farouq Aminu, Auburn, Boston College, Corey Raji, Courtney Dunn, Dartmouth, Dayton, East Carolina, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Jacksonville, James Johnson, Jeff Teague, Kansas State, Mercer, Mississippi, Mississippi State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Oral Roberts, Purdue, Rakim Sanders, Rider, St. Joseph's, Tennessee, Tony Bennett, Tyler Roche, USF, Valparaiso, Villanova, Virginia, Wake Forest
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November 12, 2009 –
by Brendon
The season’s first weekend of games gives us an underwhelming slate, but there are still a few games you may want to keep your eye on, even if that just means reloading the online box score a few times. I’ll be giving you a couple of games of note for each night this weekend, starting with Friday.
Massachusetts at Central Florida (7 p.m. ET): A pair of middling mid-majors go at it in Orlando on Friday night. For UMass, it’s finally time to put a terrible 2008-09 season in the rearview mirror. Last winter was nothing short of a disaster for a Minuteman team coming off of a 25-win season and returning an all-conference backcourt. What UMass did not return, though, was its coach, Travis Ford, who left for Oklahoma State. Folks in Amherst expected Ford to take UMass back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998, but instead, he was helping those in Stillwater end a four-year drought. Derek Kellogg came in with an entirely new system, and the Minuteman never quite made the adjustment. A schizophrenic team, UMass started 1-6, later defeated Kansas, Dayton, Temple and Rhode Island, but still finished just 12-18. Read More »
Posted in Big East, Mid-Majors, Reviews/Previews
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Tagged A.J. Rompza, Anthony Crater, Anthony Gurley, Arkansas, Atlantic-10, Augustus Gilchrist, Bamba Fall, Big East, Central Florida, Chris Howard, Chris Lowe, Cincinnati, Conference USA, Dayton, Derek Williams, Dominique Jones, Florida Atlantic, Jarrid Famous, Jermaine Taylor, Kansas, Keith Speraw, Luke Bonner, Massachusetts, Matt Doherty, Mike Mercer, North Carolina, P.J. Gaynor, Paul McCoy, Providence, Rhode Island, Rice, Ricky Harris, Sean Carter, SMU, Stan Heath, Temple, Terrell Vinson, Tony Davis, Tony Gaffney, USF, Wake Forest
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February 25, 2009 –
by Brendon
To be at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center for Notre Dame’s 103-84 dismantling of Providence on Saturday afternoon was — at least for me — to turn the page on this group of Friars seniors. Providence, the only college basketball team with five 1,000-point scorers, had a team long on experience and short on notable performances, and it seemed they had run out of time to achieve something — like an NCAA Tournament appearance — out of their basketball-playing time on Smith Hill.
The defense was never there. The smart decision-making was never there. The clutch play down the stretch was never there. And so the big wins were never there either. But then Tuesday night arrived, and everything came together at once. Read More »
Posted in Big East, Game of the Night
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Tagged Big East, Cincinnati, DeJuan Blair, DePaul, Geoff McDermott, Jamie Dixon, Jonathan Kale, Keno Davis, Levance Fields, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence, Randall Hanke, Rutgers, Sam Young, Sharaud Curry, St. John's, USF
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