15 Feb 2 - Elite ACCtion
Volume XIX, No. 13 - 15 Feb 2: MIDCONFERENCE/Major - [] Top 25 Ballot
The top 5 ACC teams have pulled away from the rest of the league and, although both the BIG 12 and BIG 10 are deeper overall (with the PAC-12, BIG EAST and SEC not that far behind), no other league features better matchups among its highest echelon. Duke faced two tough road games (on top of the news that tRasheed Sulaimon was dismissed from the team). The Blue Devils earned a split on the week as host Notre Dame won @77-73 as pJerian Grant(23p12a6r) made his case for first-team All-American (countearcting 22p17r;10/18fg from already certified freshman cJahlil Okafor). If not for poor free throw shooting (10-for-20), DU might have swept its big games. As is, it handed Virginia its first loss of the season with a 19-5 closing run to win on the road, 69-@63. Meanwhile, North Carolina led for most of the game on the road (including by as much as 18 points) before host Louisville staged its own rally to win @78-68(OT) (as cMontrezl Harrell[22p15r] and xTerry Rozier[21p10r] led the way -- UNC's main issue is that there's no consistent scoring threat besides gMarcus Paige[15p4a]).
At the midconference break, it's still Virginia alone in first place at 7-1 with Notre Dame, Louisville and North Carolina all one game back while Duke and Syracuse are tied for fifth. (But strictly among the Elite: Duke and ND are both 2-1, UVa is 1-1, and UNC and Lville are 1-2 -- only two of those games have ended by as much as a 6-point margin.)
In the first Top-25 matchup inside the MISSOURI VALLEY since 1982, Northern Iowa dumped Wichita State, @70-54 (behind fSeth Tuttle's 27p9r;10/13ft performance). The win ended the Wheatshocker's30-game MVC win streak, secured an NCAA bid for the Panthers (and the league's status as a two-bid Mid-Major and not just a 1BC/Anti-Spoiler). WichSt's fDarius Carter hasn't been able to develop into a first-rate frontcourt player to balance its quality three-man backcourt.
Even with some terrible finishing from its bargain-basement front court, surging Ohio State trounced Maryland, @80-56 (as bMarc Loving sank 5-for-5 on three-pointers and xD'Angelo Russell[18p6a14r] starred again). Meanwhile, vaunted Texas continued to tumble, outpaced on the road at Iowa State (86-@89; despite 17p10r from xJonathan Holmes) and pounded by new-look Baylor (60-@83; as the return of pIsaiah Taylor[16p10a6r] hasn't translated into team success).
Elsewhere, the PAC-12 contenders fell off the pace: Utah fell at mediocre UCLA (59-@69), and Stanford tripped at struggling Washington State (88-@89). VCU was literally BLACK & BLUE after losing gBriante Weber(knee) and falling vs crosstown rival Richmond (@55-64). Unheralded Purdue is 6-3 at the break in the BIG 10 after dumping Indiana (@83-67). Struggling to keep in touch in their races, Xavier surprised host Georgetown (66-@53) and Oklahoma State knocked off Baylor (@64-53).
George Washington couldn't live up to its half of the ATLANTIC 10 "showdown", getting dumped at VCU (48-@72) and then slipping again at surging Rhode Island (55-@59). 14-7 TCU is beyond irrelevant in the BIG 12 race, falling to 1-7 in conference play after dropping two more (@61-64 vs Kansas; 66-@83 at Iowa State). Boise State kept Colorado State out of a three-way tie for the MOUNTAIN WEST lead with a @82-78 win. Florida edged Arkansas (@57-56 as tDorian Finney-Smith[16p9r4a] did everything except hit the game-winning free throws) to keep second place in the SEC in the questionable hands of Texas A&M. pIsaiah Whitehead(19p) is finally back on court for Seton Hall, who knocked off Xavier (@90-82). Tripping on the road: St. John's (74-@77 at Creighton) and Dayton 64-@66 at Massachusetts).
In 1BC showdowns, Cleveland State handled Green Bay (@76-62 behind 25p12r from xTrey Lewis) to forge a four-way mess atop the HORIZON. Louisiana Tech knocked offunbeaten Western Kentucky (@69-56; despite 17p10r from xT.J. Price) to tie up the CONFERENCE USA standings at the break. Unbeaten Albany opened a gap on second-place Vermont with 47-@44 road win in AMERICA EAST. Host Texas Southern tied up the SWAC standings, dumping unbeaten Alabama State (@80-65).
It's the midconference break (or close enough) for everyone else now (except the IVIES). Wisconsin had a gap lead in the BIG 10 over six teams tied for second place (Maryland, Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan State, Purdue and Michigan). Undefeated Kentucky had a gap lead in the SEC ahead of surprising Texas A&M, with five teams in a scrap for third place (Arkansas, LSU, Georgia, Mississippi and Florida). (Only unbeaten Murray State in the 1BC OHIO VALLEY also had a gap on its conferencemates.)
Holding onto to slim leads at the break: No surprise -- it's Kansas alone on top of the BIG 12, with West Virginia and Iowa State close behind and a gap on the rest of the league (as Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Baylor as well as Oklahoma State and Texas were still hanging in skirting .500, while TCU couldn't hang.) Virginia led the ACC (as chronicled above). Villanova was alone on top of the BIG EAST, but Georgetown, Providence and Butler were just behind tied for third; and with Seton Hall (and maybe even Xavier) still within striking distance. Arizona had the PAC-12 lead all to itself, with Utah second and Stanford third, with unheralded Oregon and Oregon State as well as heralded UCLA tied for fourth (with Colorado as well as Washington and California having lost contact). Among the MMs, now wounded VCU led the ATLANTIC 10 at the break, but second-place Dayton and Rhode Island were at the ready, with George Washington and newcomer Davidson as well as unheralded Richmond and Massachusetts one more game back. Meanwhile, undefeated Tulsa led SMU in the AMERICAN (with a gap on Cincinnati, Temple and Memphis as Connecticut struggled to hang in at .500). Amont the 1BCs, undefeated Stephen F. Austin led Sam Houston State in the SOUTHLAND; newcomer Georgia Southern led Georgia State and Louisiana-Monroe in the SUN BELT; Wofford led Chattanooga (with newcomer Mercer in third) in the SOUTHERN; and New Mexico State led Missouri-Kansas City in the WAC.
Tied up at the break: both Wyoming and San Diego State led MM MOUNTAIN WEST (with Colorado State, New Mexico and Boise State tied for third). Among the 1BCs, Akron and Kent State led four teams tied for third in the MID-AMERICAN; Louisiana Tech and Western Kentucky led UAB in one-bid CONFERENCE USA (with Old Dominion and UTEP tied for fourth); Valparaiso and Cleveland State only had a half-game lead on Green Bay and Oakland in the HORIZON; Colgate and Bucknell had a gap on the rest of the PATRIOT field; North Dakota State and South Dakota State were tied atop the SUMMIT; North Florida and Florida Gulf Coast shared the ATLANTIC SUN lead (a gap ahead of the rest); Sacramento State and Eastern Washington both led Montana in the BIG SKY; and Texas Southern and Alabama State both led Southern (a gap ahead of the rest of the SWAC pack). Meanwhile, three teams tied for the BIG WEST lead: UC-Davis, UC-Irvine and Long Beach State all three games up on everyone else.
- -
For once, Kentucky has a "tough" week in conference (Tuesday vs Georgia, Saturday at Florida). Among the ACC Elite: Virginia's on the clock with two big games (Monday at North Carolina, Saturday vs Louisville) while Duke goes for payback when Notre Dame comes to Cameron (Saturday). Wisconsin hasn't skipped a beat since losing pTraevon Jackson, so don't expect host Iowa to make things any different (Tuesday). Kansas can go a long way towards securing its eleventh-straight BIG 12 title with a home win over Iowa State (Monday); meanwhile, West Virginia tries to stay in contact with two big games of its own (Tuesday at Oklahoma, Saturday vs Baylor). Villanova looks for payback against visiting Georgetown (Saturday).
Colorado State looks to get back in the MOUNTAIN WEST race on the road at Wyoming (Wednesday). It's SMU's big week in the AMERICAN: hosting Cincinnati (Thursday) and visiting unbeaten Tulsa (Saturday).
UC-Irvine is up against it in the BIG WEST this week (Thursday vs UC-Davis, Saturday at Long Beach State). Sam Houston State tries to stay in contact in the SOUTHLAND race (Saturday vs Texas A&M-Corpus Christi). Newcomer Georgia Southern makes its stand in the SUN BELT with two big home games (Thursday vs Georgia State, Saturday vs Louisiana-Monroe). Who'd have thunk it, but Harvard's postseason hopes are on the line when it visits unbeaten Yale (Saturday).
-- Ron
Top 25 - 15 Feb 2: MIDCONFERENCE/Major - [] Column
Elite ACCtion
How do you call a pass play at the 1-yard line when you've got rbMarshawn Lynch at the ready? The same gambling mentality that got 7 points instead of 3 at the end of the first half wound up costing Seattle the game at the end of the second half. Chalk one more up for The Pretty Boy -- Ugh -- who now has to be proclaimed "The Greatest Quarterback Ever". Yikes.
The top 5 ACC teams have pulled away from the rest of the league and, although both the BIG 12 and BIG 10 are deeper overall (with the PAC-12, BIG EAST and SEC not that far behind), no other league features better matchups among its highest echelon. Duke faced two tough road games (on top of the news that tRasheed Sulaimon was dismissed from the team). The Blue Devils earned a split on the week as host Notre Dame won @77-73 as pJerian Grant(23p12a6r) made his case for first-team All-American (countearcting 22p17r;10/18fg from already certified freshman cJahlil Okafor). If not for poor free throw shooting (10-for-20), DU might have swept its big games. As is, it handed Virginia its first loss of the season with a 19-5 closing run to win on the road, 69-@63. Meanwhile, North Carolina led for most of the game on the road (including by as much as 18 points) before host Louisville staged its own rally to win @78-68(OT) (as cMontrezl Harrell[22p15r] and xTerry Rozier[21p10r] led the way -- UNC's main issue is that there's no consistent scoring threat besides gMarcus Paige[15p4a]).
At the midconference break, it's still Virginia alone in first place at 7-1 with Notre Dame, Louisville and North Carolina all one game back while Duke and Syracuse are tied for fifth. (But strictly among the Elite: Duke and ND are both 2-1, UVa is 1-1, and UNC and Lville are 1-2 -- only two of those games have ended by as much as a 6-point margin.)
In the first Top-25 matchup inside the MISSOURI VALLEY since 1982, Northern Iowa dumped Wichita State, @70-54 (behind fSeth Tuttle's 27p9r;10/13ft performance). The win ended the Wheatshocker's
Even with some terrible finishing from its bargain-basement front court, surging Ohio State trounced Maryland, @80-56 (as bMarc Loving sank 5-for-5 on three-pointers and xD'Angelo Russell[18p6a14r] starred again). Meanwhile, vaunted Texas continued to tumble, outpaced on the road at Iowa State (86-@89; despite 17p10r from xJonathan Holmes) and pounded by new-look Baylor (60-@83; as the return of pIsaiah Taylor[16p10a6r] hasn't translated into team success).
Elsewhere, the PAC-12 contenders fell off the pace: Utah fell at mediocre UCLA (59-@69), and Stanford tripped at struggling Washington State (88-@89). VCU was literally BLACK & BLUE after losing gBriante Weber(knee) and falling vs crosstown rival Richmond (@55-64). Unheralded Purdue is 6-3 at the break in the BIG 10 after dumping Indiana (@83-67). Struggling to keep in touch in their races, Xavier surprised host Georgetown (66-@53) and Oklahoma State knocked off Baylor (@64-53).
George Washington couldn't live up to its half of the ATLANTIC 10 "showdown", getting dumped at VCU (48-@72) and then slipping again at surging Rhode Island (55-@59). 14-7 TCU is beyond irrelevant in the BIG 12 race, falling to 1-7 in conference play after dropping two more (@61-64 vs Kansas; 66-@83 at Iowa State). Boise State kept Colorado State out of a three-way tie for the MOUNTAIN WEST lead with a @82-78 win. Florida edged Arkansas (@57-56 as tDorian Finney-Smith[16p9r4a] did everything except hit the game-winning free throws) to keep second place in the SEC in the questionable hands of Texas A&M. pIsaiah Whitehead(19p) is finally back on court for Seton Hall, who knocked off Xavier (@90-82). Tripping on the road: St. John's (74-@77 at Creighton) and Dayton 64-@66 at Massachusetts).
In 1BC showdowns, Cleveland State handled Green Bay (@76-62 behind 25p12r from xTrey Lewis) to forge a four-way mess atop the HORIZON. Louisiana Tech knocked off
It's the midconference break (or close enough) for everyone else now (except the IVIES). Wisconsin had a gap lead in the BIG 10 over six teams tied for second place (Maryland, Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan State, Purdue and Michigan). Undefeated Kentucky had a gap lead in the SEC ahead of surprising Texas A&M, with five teams in a scrap for third place (Arkansas, LSU, Georgia, Mississippi and Florida). (Only unbeaten Murray State in the 1BC OHIO VALLEY also had a gap on its conferencemates.)
Holding onto to slim leads at the break: No surprise -- it's Kansas alone on top of the BIG 12, with West Virginia and Iowa State close behind and a gap on the rest of the league (as Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Baylor as well as Oklahoma State and Texas were still hanging in skirting .500, while TCU couldn't hang.) Virginia led the ACC (as chronicled above). Villanova was alone on top of the BIG EAST, but Georgetown, Providence and Butler were just behind tied for third; and with Seton Hall (and maybe even Xavier) still within striking distance. Arizona had the PAC-12 lead all to itself, with Utah second and Stanford third, with unheralded Oregon and Oregon State as well as heralded UCLA tied for fourth (with Colorado as well as Washington and California having lost contact). Among the MMs, now wounded VCU led the ATLANTIC 10 at the break, but second-place Dayton and Rhode Island were at the ready, with George Washington and newcomer Davidson as well as unheralded Richmond and Massachusetts one more game back. Meanwhile, undefeated Tulsa led SMU in the AMERICAN (with a gap on Cincinnati, Temple and Memphis as Connecticut struggled to hang in at .500). Amont the 1BCs, undefeated Stephen F. Austin led Sam Houston State in the SOUTHLAND; newcomer Georgia Southern led Georgia State and Louisiana-Monroe in the SUN BELT; Wofford led Chattanooga (with newcomer Mercer in third) in the SOUTHERN; and New Mexico State led Missouri-Kansas City in the WAC.
Tied up at the break: both Wyoming and San Diego State led MM MOUNTAIN WEST (with Colorado State, New Mexico and Boise State tied for third). Among the 1BCs, Akron and Kent State led four teams tied for third in the MID-AMERICAN; Louisiana Tech and Western Kentucky led UAB in one-bid CONFERENCE USA (with Old Dominion and UTEP tied for fourth); Valparaiso and Cleveland State only had a half-game lead on Green Bay and Oakland in the HORIZON; Colgate and Bucknell had a gap on the rest of the PATRIOT field; North Dakota State and South Dakota State were tied atop the SUMMIT; North Florida and Florida Gulf Coast shared the ATLANTIC SUN lead (a gap ahead of the rest); Sacramento State and Eastern Washington both led Montana in the BIG SKY; and Texas Southern and Alabama State both led Southern (a gap ahead of the rest of the SWAC pack). Meanwhile, three teams tied for the BIG WEST lead: UC-Davis, UC-Irvine and Long Beach State all three games up on everyone else.
- -
For once, Kentucky has a "tough" week in conference (Tuesday vs Georgia, Saturday at Florida). Among the ACC Elite: Virginia's on the clock with two big games (Monday at North Carolina, Saturday vs Louisville) while Duke goes for payback when Notre Dame comes to Cameron (Saturday). Wisconsin hasn't skipped a beat since losing pTraevon Jackson, so don't expect host Iowa to make things any different (Tuesday). Kansas can go a long way towards securing its eleventh-straight BIG 12 title with a home win over Iowa State (Monday); meanwhile, West Virginia tries to stay in contact with two big games of its own (Tuesday at Oklahoma, Saturday vs Baylor). Villanova looks for payback against visiting Georgetown (Saturday).
Colorado State looks to get back in the MOUNTAIN WEST race on the road at Wyoming (Wednesday). It's SMU's big week in the AMERICAN: hosting Cincinnati (Thursday) and visiting unbeaten Tulsa (Saturday).
UC-Irvine is up against it in the BIG WEST this week (Thursday vs UC-Davis, Saturday at Long Beach State). Sam Houston State tries to stay in contact in the SOUTHLAND race (Saturday vs Texas A&M-Corpus Christi). Newcomer Georgia Southern makes its stand in the SUN BELT with two big home games (Thursday vs Georgia State, Saturday vs Louisiana-Monroe). Who'd have thunk it, but Harvard's postseason hopes are on the line when it visits unbeaten Yale (Saturday).
-- Ron
- Key games this week:
- Monday:
- Virginia-@NCarolina, @Kansas-IowaSt, @CoppinSt-MorganSt(BaltimoreMD), @
NJIT-Hampton,
- Tuesday:
- @Kentucky-Georgia, Wisconsin-@Iowa, Louisville-@MiamiFL, WVirginia-@Oklahoma, @Butler-StJohns, @
HighPt-Radford, @CoCarolina-UNCAsheville,
- Wednesday:
- OhioSt-@Purdue(BG), @Maryland-PennSt, @Baylor-TCU(TX), @Wyoming-ColoradoSt, @Texas-OklahomaSt, @Mississippi-TexasA&M, @Georgetown-Providence, @Oregon-Washington, @
Toledo-EaMichigan,
- Thursday:
- @Stanford-
UCLA(CA), @SMU-Cincinnati, @Michigan-Iowa, @UAB-LouisianaTech, @UCIrvine-UCDavis(CA), @GeorgiaSo-GeorgiaSt(GA), @ETennesseeSt-Wofford, @EaKentucky-Belmont,
- Friday:
- @GeoWashington-Dayton, @
CoCarolina-HighPt,
- Saturday:
- Kentucky-@Florida, @Duke-NotreDame, @Virginia-Louisville, Kansas-@OklahomaSt, @Villanova-Georgetown, @WVirginia-Baylor, Utah-@
Colorado, @NoIowa-Drake(IA)(BIG4), Oklahoma-@TCU, SMU-@Tulsa, @MichiganSt-Illinois, @Xavier-Providence, @OldDominion-Charlotte, @Georgia-Tennessee, @Akron-Buffalo, @CMichigan-WeMichigan(MI), @LongBeachSt-UCIrvine(CA), @UNCWilmington-William&Mary, @Navy-Army(MIL), @StonyBrook-Vermont, @SamHoustonSt-TexasA&MCC(TX), @GeorgiaSo-LAMonroe, @Yale-Harvard,
- Sunday:
- Maryland-@Iowa, @BoiseSt-SanDiegoSt, @MiamiFL-Clemson, @Indiana-Michigan, @OregonSt-Washington, @Richmond-RhodeIsland, Valparaiso-Oakland,
- - - - - - -
- Monday week:
- Monday week:
- @Oklahoma-IowaSt, @Baylor-OklahomaSt.
Top 25 - 15 Feb 2: MIDCONFERENCE/Major - [] Column
- Kentucky (20-0)
- Arizona (20-2)
- Gonzaga (21-1)
- Duke (18-3)
- Virginia (19-1)
- Wisconsin (18-2)
- Kansas (18-3)
- Villanova [BIG 5u] (19-2)
- Louisville (18-3)
- Notre Dame (20-3)
- West Virginia (17-3)
- North Carolina (17-5)
- Iowa State (16-4)
- Utah (16-4)
- Ohio State (16-5)
- Northern Iowa (20-2)
- Maryland (18-4)
- Oklahoma (14-7)
- Wichita State (18-3)
- Baylor (15-5)
- Stanford (15-6)
- VCU (17-4)
- Butler (16-6)
- San Diego State (16-5)
- SMU (17-4)
- Honorable Mention:
UCLA (13-9), Richmond (12-9) (@BLACK&BLUE), Purdue (14-8), Washington State (10-11), Xavier (14-8), Oklahoma State (13-7).
posted by Ron @ Saturday, February 07, 2015
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