November 23, 2009 –
by Brendon
Saturday
Saturday’s slight was highlighted by a mid-major battle in Philadelphia between Siena and Temple. The Owls won, 73-69, in what has to be a frustrating loss for Fran McCaffery’s team, since the Saints won three of the Four Factors.
|
Poss |
PPP |
eFG |
Turn |
Reb |
FTR |
| Siena |
70 |
0.99 |
0.483 |
0.158 |
0.324 |
0.203 |
| Temple |
70 |
1.05 |
0.557 |
0.201 |
0.273 |
0.082 |
As we continue to see, eFG is the trump card to override deficiencies in the other areas. Siena made seven more free throws, had three fewer turnovers and two more offensive rebounds, but none of that mattered because of the disparity behind the 3-point arc. Siena hit 1-of-9; Temple made 6-of-19. Juan Fernandez was especially big for the Owls, making 4-of-6. Read More »
Posted in Reviews/Previews
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Tagged Atlantic-10, Butler, Craig Robinson, Drake, Evansville, Fran McCaffery, Jeff Capel, Juan Fernandez, Kevin O'Neill, Larry Sanders, Loyola Marymount, Missouri Valley, Nik Raivio, Oregon State, Pac-10, Portland, Sacramento State, Shaka Smart, Siena, Southern Cal, Southern Illinois, Steven Pledger, Temple, UNLV, VCU, Willie Warren
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November 16, 2009 –
by Brendon
In sum: At 16-0, the Big 12 was one of three conferences — along with the ACC and Big East — that emerged unscathed from the first weekend of play, though there were three close calls, all in the state of Texas. In Lawrence, the Jayhawks throttled a not-terrible Hofstra team in Xavier Henry’s 27-point debut. Texas, Nebraska and Kansas State all had impressive performances as well.
Team of the week: Texas Tech. It wasn’t a weekend that made folks stand up and take notice, but there was probably a better chance that the Red Raiders would lose one of their three games this weekend than win all three. Tech throttled South Dakota on Friday and then faced, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, fresh off a win over Oregon State. Corpus Christi led at half, but a suffocating defense — something missing in Lubbock last season — helped Tech win, 66-59. The next afternoon, in the season’s first matchup of teams from major conferences, Texas Tech took out Oregon State, 64-60.
| Teams |
Poss |
PPP |
eFG |
Turn |
Reb |
FTR |
| Oregon State |
63 |
0.95 |
0.467 |
0.316 |
0.448 |
0.178 |
| Texas Tech |
63 |
1.01 |
0.510 |
0.205 |
0.241 |
0.212 |
Texas Tech held a third straight opponent to less than a point per possession, something the Red Raiders only did six times in 33 games last season. They’re still pretty miserable on the backboards, but let’s take one deficiency at a time. It’s a good win against a team that many thought would compete for an NCAA Tournament berth this year. Read More »
Posted in Big 12, Reviews/Previews
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Tagged ACC, Angelo State, Baylor, Big 12, Big East, Boston University, Drake, Ekpe Udoh, Hartford, Hofstra, Iowa State, Jeff Capel, Kansas, Kansas State, Loyola (Ill.), Memphis, Mississippi, Nebraska, Norfolk State, Oklahoma, Oregon State, SMU, South Dakota, St. Louis, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas Tech, VCU, Xavier Henry
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November 13, 2009 –
by Brendon
The best games on Saturday’s slate give us looks at two teams expected to be among the best mid-majors this season as well as a two-time defending conference champion attempting to bring its shooting form south of the Mason-Dixon against an opposing coach making his debut with a new school.
Creighton at Dayton (1 p.m. ET): I feel comfortable calling this the best matchup of the weekend in terms of the quality of the two teams. The problem is injuries. For Dayton, guard Rob Lowery is out, greatly diminishing the Flyers’ backcourt depth. Creighton will be without starting forward Justin Carter. The 6-foor-4 senior has a torn MCL. Casey Harriman and Chad Millard, who are expected to be key cogs in a small Creighton frontcourt may also be out.
Have I diminished the spectacle of this matchup enough yet? Let me rebuild it. Even without those players, this is a game featuring the coaches’ preseason pick to win the Atlantic 10 and finish second in the Missouri Valley. Read More »
Posted in Mid-Majors, Reviews/Previews, SEC
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Tagged Alabama, Alex Ruoff, Anthony Grant, Atlantic-10, Booker Woodfox, Brian Gregory, Casey Harriman, Chad Millard, Chris Wright, Chris Wroblewski, Chuck Davis, Cornell, Creighton, Dayton, Geoff Reeves, Ivy League, JaMychal Green, Jeff Foote, Jermareo Davidson, Josh Dotzler, Justin Carter, Kenny Lawson, Larry Sanders, London Warren, Louis DAle, Luke Fabrizius, Marcus Johnson, Mark Gottfried, Mid-Majors, Mikhail Torrance, Missouri Valley, P'Allen Stinnett, Penn, Princeton, Richard Hendrix, Rob Lowery, Ryan Wittman, SEC, Senario Hillman, Steve Donohue, VCU, West Virginia
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