16 Feb 8 - Mountainous Bounce Back
Volume XX, No. 14 - 16 Feb 8 - [] Top 25 Ballot
Mountainous Bounce Back
After turning in the worst performance of any team in the entire BIG 12/SEC CHALLENGE last week (when it was blown out on the road at mediocre Florida), West Virginia bounced back in a big way by having the best week of any team in the country with two Top-25 wins: First, the Mountaineers edged Iowa State on the road (81-@76 by dominating the boards 41-23); then, they followed that up with a solid home win over Baylor (@80-69). Oklahoma helped them out by falling on the road at lowly Kansas State. Rising Texas surprised Baylor on the road (67-@59). By week's end, it was WVU who found itself alone in first place in the BIG 12.
North Carolina coughed up its gap lead in the ACC after a tough week: First, Louisville slowed down the Tar Heels (@71-65, holding them to 34% shooting as gMarcus Paige[9p4a;3/13fg] was stymied); then, UNC blew a 15-point lead on the road at Notre Dame as the Irish came back to edge them (@80-76 on 31-for-38 free throws while committing only 2 turnovers). Meanwhile, streaking Virginia won its sixth straight, shutting down Pittsburgh on the road (64-@50). Elsewhere, Miami(Florida) beat Notre Dame (@79-70). After the dust settled, Louisville and North Carolina shared the lead in the ACC, a game ahead of Virginia and Miami(Florida) who were suddenly back in the running for the regular season title.
Texas A&M gave up control of the SEC race with a double-dip of its own: First, Vanderbilt gained its first (and only) elite win of the season in a rout (@77-60 -- can anyone say, "Desperation Trail"?); then, in what should have been a showdown for first place, South Carolina edged the Aggies on the road (81-@78 as pSindarius Thornwell[29p9a6r] starred). But SCar had also dropped its own DT loss at mediocre Georgia (56-@69). Kentucky blew a 21-point lead of its own in a DT road loss at lowly Tennessee (77-@84); but the Wildcats bounced back themselves by thumping upstart Florida (@80-61 as GC bJamal Murray[35p6r;8/10 3s] had his best game of the season). Meanwhile, Vandy gave back the juice with a road loss at scrappy Mississippi (78-@85). Lo and behold, thanks to two wins against also-rans, talented LSU found itself alone on top of the SEC standings.
Houston complicated things for SMU in the AMERICAN race with a (squeak) home win (@71-68), cutting the Mustangs' lead to just one game. Memphis did likewise to Cincinnati with a (squeak) home win of its own (@63-59). Meanwhile, Temple moved up with an (overtime) home win over Tulsa (@83-79[OT]); but Tulsa was able to beat Houston (@77-63) later on. Connecticut had an easy 2-0 week to tie Temple for second place, a game behind leader SMU.
Villanova was solidly in control of the BIG EAST, pounding Creighton (@83-58 on 16-for-29 three-point shooting) and handling Providence on the road (72-@60 shutting down pKris Dunn[11p3a6to]) -- even more impressive: both wins came without cDaniel Ochefu, who is out with a concussion. Prov was already coming off a DT loss at lowly DePaul (70-@77 as cMyke Henry[27p11r] starred). Georgetown couldn't keep pace with the leaders, falling at Butler (76-@87 as the Bulldogs shot 31-for-38 free throws led by tKelan Martin[35p8r;12/13ft]) and at Seton Hall (61-@69). By week's end, Nova led Xavier by a game.
Indiana fell off the pace in the BIG 10 race with a DT trip-up at lowly Penn State. Maryland (which has as good a starting five as anyone in the country) moved up with a solid win over talented Purdue (@72-61 on 24-for-27 free-throw shooting as Duke transfer xRasheed Sulaimon[21p10r] led the way while holding the Boilermakers to 3-for-25 on three-pointers). Meanwhile, Michigan (which has played most of conference play without its star tCaris LeVert [out with a leg injury]) had a tough week: falling at home to Indiana (@67-80 as IU closed the first half on a 25-0 run while Mich went scoreless for 10+ minutes) and was dominated at home by arch-rival Michigan State (@73-89 as MichSt shot 64% as Bryn Forbes[29p;8/10 3s] and tDenzel Valentine[21p8a9r] led the way). Overall, 2-0 Iowa led both Maryland and Michigan State by a game (with a gap on everyone else after that).
Oregon held onto the lead in the PAC-12 with a couple of home wins over the Mountain schools: First, the Ducks stopped Colorado (@76-56); then, they beat Utah (@76-66 as pDillon Brooks[30p9a6r] starred and fJakob Poeltl[13p8r] stalled). Both Mountaineers also tripped at DT Oregon State as well as the Beavers edged both Utah (@71-69) and Colorado (@60-56). Meanwhile, Arizona edged at upstart Washington (77-@72) with cRyan Anderson averaging 27p14 in a 2-0 week; and USC completed the sweep of arch-/city-rival UCLA (@80-61). Oregon led USC by a game, with Arizona and Washington one more game back, both tied for third.
BYU stopped St. Mary's (@70-59) to put the WEST COAST title back in play. Gonzaga edged at Pepperdine (69-@66 despite 26p7r from fStacy Davis). StMary and Gonz are now tied for first place, but BYU's DT trip at home against lowly Pacific has it two games back in third.
George Washington handed VCU its first loss in ATLANTIC 10 play with a (squeak) road win (72-@69 led by Patricio Garino[27p]). Upstart St. Bonaventure handled St. Joseph's on the road (83-@73 as pJay Adams[31p7a] starred). Dayton and VCU shared the lead, both a game ahead of St. Joseph's, with both George Washington and St. Bonaventure tied for fourth.
Despite a DT trip at Illinois State (53-@58), Wichita State continued to lead the MISSOURI VALLEY by three games as Evansville's trip at collapsed Northern Iowa (54-@57) had it on the outside looking in at an at-large bid. Still unbeaten San Diego State edged second-place New Mexico (@78-71[OT]) to open a three-game gap in the MOUNTAIN WEST as Boise State's DT loss at Air Force (53-@61 behind 25p7r from C.J. Siples) knocked the third-place Broncos below the at-large cutoff.
Monmouth outran host Siena (93-@87 as 5-8 gJustin Robinson[36] outdueled fJavion Ogunyemi[31p]) to keep a one-game lead over Iona in the METRO ATLANTIC. New Mexico State dominated the WAC showdown rematch with {Grand Canyon} (@70-50 led by cPascal Siakam[17p16]) to take control of the regular season race; coach (former NBA star) Dan Majerle's {GC} team is still way ahead of schedule with two more years to go before it's officially eligible for Division I.
IVY/Unbeaten Yale handed Columbia its first loss (@86-72 led by Justin Sears[27p]) to take the outright lead (over CU and Princeton). COLONIAL/Hofstra dropped two: tripping at home to UNC-Wilmington (@67-70) and falling in overtime at James Madison (95-@98[OT] as Ron Curry[31p] starred) -- it's now UNCW alone in first place ahead of second-place William & Mary. OHIO VALLEY/Belmont fell at home to lowly Eastern Kentucky, dropping into a first-place tie with Tennesee Tech, both a game ahead of third-place Tennessee State.
BIG SKY/Both Weber State (felled at North Dakota) and Montana (edged at Sacramento State) split on the week to remain tied for first place (with a gap on the rest). ATLANTIC SUN/North Florida dropped its first two league games of the season (tripping at home against Stetson, tanking on the road at Florida Gulf Coast [65-@81]) to drop into a first-place tie with Jacksonville. SOUTHLAND/Unbeaten Stephen F. Austin won on the road at second-place Houston Baptist (72-@66 as cThomas Walkup[35p12r] starred) to open up a two-game gap on HouBap, Texas A&M-CC and upstart {Incarnate Word}. NORTHEAST/Fairleigh Dickinson edged host Wagner in overtime (82-@79[OT]) to forge a three-way tie (along with St. Francis[Pennsylvania]) on top of the standings. MEAC/Hampton tripped at Maryland-Eastern Shore to drop into a three-way tie for the top spot (along with South Carolina State and Norfolk State).
- - - - - -
In a rare palate-cleanser non-conference game, SMU hosts Gonzaga (Saturday).
Oklahoma has a big week at home (Monday vs Texas, Saturday vs Kansas). Michigan State visits Purdue (Tuesday) and hosts Indiana (Sunday). Pittsburgh has it rough (Tuesday vs Miami[Florida], Sunday at North Carolina). West Virginia visits Kansas (Tuesday). Iowa State hosts Texas (Saturday). South Carolina has a big week at home (Wednesday vs LSU, Saturday vs Kentucky). Arizona hosts USC (Sunday). Iowa visits Indiana (Thursday).
Duke has a big week at home as well (Monday vs Louisville, Saturday vs Virginia); Lville has a tough week on the road (Monday at Duke, Saturday at Notre Dame). Xavier has a tough week on the road (Tuesday at Creighton, Saturday at Butler). Butler visits Seton Hall (Wednesday). St. Joseph's visits George Washington (Wednesday).
Oregon visits California (Thursday). Notre Dame visits Clemson (Monday). Texas A&M visits LSU (Saturday).
It's the first of two BIG WEST showdowns when Hawaii hosts UC-Irvine (Thursday).
-- Ron
Top 25 - 16 Feb 8 - [] Column
Mountainous Bounce Back
After turning in the worst performance of any team in the entire BIG 12/SEC CHALLENGE last week (when it was blown out on the road at mediocre Florida), West Virginia bounced back in a big way by having the best week of any team in the country with two Top-25 wins: First, the Mountaineers edged Iowa State on the road (81-@76 by dominating the boards 41-23); then, they followed that up with a solid home win over Baylor (@80-69). Oklahoma helped them out by falling on the road at lowly Kansas State. Rising Texas surprised Baylor on the road (67-@59). By week's end, it was WVU who found itself alone in first place in the BIG 12.
North Carolina coughed up its gap lead in the ACC after a tough week: First, Louisville slowed down the Tar Heels (@71-65, holding them to 34% shooting as gMarcus Paige[9p4a;3/13fg] was stymied); then, UNC blew a 15-point lead on the road at Notre Dame as the Irish came back to edge them (@80-76 on 31-for-38 free throws while committing only 2 turnovers). Meanwhile, streaking Virginia won its sixth straight, shutting down Pittsburgh on the road (64-@50). Elsewhere, Miami(Florida) beat Notre Dame (@79-70). After the dust settled, Louisville and North Carolina shared the lead in the ACC, a game ahead of Virginia and Miami(Florida) who were suddenly back in the running for the regular season title.
Texas A&M gave up control of the SEC race with a double-dip of its own: First, Vanderbilt gained its first (and only) elite win of the season in a rout (@77-60 -- can anyone say, "Desperation Trail"?); then, in what should have been a showdown for first place, South Carolina edged the Aggies on the road (81-@78 as pSindarius Thornwell[29p9a6r] starred). But SCar had also dropped its own DT loss at mediocre Georgia (56-@69). Kentucky blew a 21-point lead of its own in a DT road loss at lowly Tennessee (77-@84); but the Wildcats bounced back themselves by thumping upstart Florida (@80-61 as GC bJamal Murray[35p6r;8/10 3s] had his best game of the season). Meanwhile, Vandy gave back the juice with a road loss at scrappy Mississippi (78-@85). Lo and behold, thanks to two wins against also-rans, talented LSU found itself alone on top of the SEC standings.
Houston complicated things for SMU in the AMERICAN race with a (squeak) home win (@71-68), cutting the Mustangs' lead to just one game. Memphis did likewise to Cincinnati with a (squeak) home win of its own (@63-59). Meanwhile, Temple moved up with an (overtime) home win over Tulsa (@83-79[OT]); but Tulsa was able to beat Houston (@77-63) later on. Connecticut had an easy 2-0 week to tie Temple for second place, a game behind leader SMU.
Villanova was solidly in control of the BIG EAST, pounding Creighton (@83-58 on 16-for-29 three-point shooting) and handling Providence on the road (72-@60 shutting down pKris Dunn[11p3a6to]) -- even more impressive: both wins came without cDaniel Ochefu, who is out with a concussion. Prov was already coming off a DT loss at lowly DePaul (70-@77 as cMyke Henry[27p11r] starred). Georgetown couldn't keep pace with the leaders, falling at Butler (76-@87 as the Bulldogs shot 31-for-38 free throws led by tKelan Martin[35p8r;12/13ft]) and at Seton Hall (61-@69). By week's end, Nova led Xavier by a game.
Indiana fell off the pace in the BIG 10 race with a DT trip-up at lowly Penn State. Maryland (which has as good a starting five as anyone in the country) moved up with a solid win over talented Purdue (@72-61 on 24-for-27 free-throw shooting as Duke transfer xRasheed Sulaimon[21p10r] led the way while holding the Boilermakers to 3-for-25 on three-pointers). Meanwhile, Michigan (which has played most of conference play without its star tCaris LeVert [out with a leg injury]) had a tough week: falling at home to Indiana (@67-80 as IU closed the first half on a 25-0 run while Mich went scoreless for 10+ minutes) and was dominated at home by arch-rival Michigan State (@73-89 as MichSt shot 64% as Bryn Forbes[29p;8/10 3s] and tDenzel Valentine[21p8a9r] led the way). Overall, 2-0 Iowa led both Maryland and Michigan State by a game (with a gap on everyone else after that).
Oregon held onto the lead in the PAC-12 with a couple of home wins over the Mountain schools: First, the Ducks stopped Colorado (@76-56); then, they beat Utah (@76-66 as pDillon Brooks[30p9a6r] starred and fJakob Poeltl[13p8r] stalled). Both Mountaineers also tripped at DT Oregon State as well as the Beavers edged both Utah (@71-69) and Colorado (@60-56). Meanwhile, Arizona edged at upstart Washington (77-@72) with cRyan Anderson averaging 27p14 in a 2-0 week; and USC completed the sweep of arch-/city-rival UCLA (@80-61). Oregon led USC by a game, with Arizona and Washington one more game back, both tied for third.
BYU stopped St. Mary's (@70-59) to put the WEST COAST title back in play. Gonzaga edged at Pepperdine (69-@66 despite 26p7r from fStacy Davis). StMary and Gonz are now tied for first place, but BYU's DT trip at home against lowly Pacific has it two games back in third.
George Washington handed VCU its first loss in ATLANTIC 10 play with a (squeak) road win (72-@69 led by Patricio Garino[27p]). Upstart St. Bonaventure handled St. Joseph's on the road (83-@73 as pJay Adams[31p7a] starred). Dayton and VCU shared the lead, both a game ahead of St. Joseph's, with both George Washington and St. Bonaventure tied for fourth.
Despite a DT trip at Illinois State (53-@58), Wichita State continued to lead the MISSOURI VALLEY by three games as Evansville's trip at collapsed Northern Iowa (54-@57) had it on the outside looking in at an at-large bid. Still unbeaten San Diego State edged second-place New Mexico (@78-71[OT]) to open a three-game gap in the MOUNTAIN WEST as Boise State's DT loss at Air Force (53-@61 behind 25p7r from C.J. Siples) knocked the third-place Broncos below the at-large cutoff.
Monmouth outran host Siena (93-@87 as 5-8 gJustin Robinson[36] outdueled fJavion Ogunyemi[31p]) to keep a one-game lead over Iona in the METRO ATLANTIC. New Mexico State dominated the WAC showdown rematch with {Grand Canyon} (@70-50 led by cPascal Siakam[17p16]) to take control of the regular season race; coach (former NBA star) Dan Majerle's {GC} team is still way ahead of schedule with two more years to go before it's officially eligible for Division I.
IVY/Unbeaten Yale handed Columbia its first loss (@86-72 led by Justin Sears[27p]) to take the outright lead (over CU and Princeton). COLONIAL/Hofstra dropped two: tripping at home to UNC-Wilmington (@67-70) and falling in overtime at James Madison (95-@98[OT] as Ron Curry[31p] starred) -- it's now UNCW alone in first place ahead of second-place William & Mary. OHIO VALLEY/Belmont fell at home to lowly Eastern Kentucky, dropping into a first-place tie with Tennesee Tech, both a game ahead of third-place Tennessee State.
BIG SKY/Both Weber State (felled at North Dakota) and Montana (edged at Sacramento State) split on the week to remain tied for first place (with a gap on the rest). ATLANTIC SUN/North Florida dropped its first two league games of the season (tripping at home against Stetson, tanking on the road at Florida Gulf Coast [65-@81]) to drop into a first-place tie with Jacksonville. SOUTHLAND/Unbeaten Stephen F. Austin won on the road at second-place Houston Baptist (72-@66 as cThomas Walkup[35p12r] starred) to open up a two-game gap on HouBap, Texas A&M-CC and upstart {Incarnate Word}. NORTHEAST/Fairleigh Dickinson edged host Wagner in overtime (82-@79[OT]) to forge a three-way tie (along with St. Francis[Pennsylvania]) on top of the standings. MEAC/Hampton tripped at Maryland-Eastern Shore to drop into a three-way tie for the top spot (along with South Carolina State and Norfolk State).
- - - - - -
In a rare palate-cleanser non-conference game, SMU hosts Gonzaga (Saturday).
Oklahoma has a big week at home (Monday vs Texas, Saturday vs Kansas). Michigan State visits Purdue (Tuesday) and hosts Indiana (Sunday). Pittsburgh has it rough (Tuesday vs Miami[Florida], Sunday at North Carolina). West Virginia visits Kansas (Tuesday). Iowa State hosts Texas (Saturday). South Carolina has a big week at home (Wednesday vs LSU, Saturday vs Kentucky). Arizona hosts USC (Sunday). Iowa visits Indiana (Thursday).
Duke has a big week at home as well (Monday vs Louisville, Saturday vs Virginia); Lville has a tough week on the road (Monday at Duke, Saturday at Notre Dame). Xavier has a tough week on the road (Tuesday at Creighton, Saturday at Butler). Butler visits Seton Hall (Wednesday). St. Joseph's visits George Washington (Wednesday).
Oregon visits California (Thursday). Notre Dame visits Clemson (Monday). Texas A&M visits LSU (Saturday).
It's the first of two BIG WEST showdowns when Hawaii hosts UC-Irvine (Thursday).
-- Ron
- Key games this week:
- Monday:
- @Oklahoma-Texas, Louisville-@Duke, @Clemson-NotreDame(@GreenvilleSC), @Mercer-
Chattanooga, @TexasA&MCC-HoustonBaptist(TX), @JacksonSt-Southern, @Howard-Hampton(DC/VA),
- Tuesday:
- WVirginia-@Kansas, Xavier-@Creighton, MichiganSt-@Purdue, @Kentucky-
Georgia, @MiamiFL-Pittsburgh, @KentSt-NoIllinois,
- Wednesday:
- @SMU-
Tulsa, @SCarolina-LSU, SanDiegoSt-@FresnoSt(CA), @SetonHall-Butler, @Utah-Washington, @GeoWashington-StJosephs, @Omaha-SDState, @TennesseeSt-TennesseeTech(TN),
- Thursday:
- Iowa-@Indiana, Oregon-@California, @StMarys-Pepperdine(CA), @Temple-Connecticut, @
Hawaii-UCIrvine, @ColofCharleston-JamesMadison, @William&Mary-Hofstra, @Oakland-Milwaukee, @LouisianaTech-MidTennessee, @NewHampshire-Albany, @UNCAsheville-Radford, @CoCarolina-HighPt,
- Friday:
- (None).
- Saturday:
- @Oklahoma-Kansas, Xavier-@Butler(BG), Virginia-@Duke, Louisville-@NotreDame(BG), Kentucky-@SCarolina, @SMU-Gonzaga, TexasA&M-@LSU, @Providence-
Georgetown, @IowaSt-Texas, @Michigan-Purdue, @Louisiana-LittleRock, @Valparaiso-WrightSt(BG), @Connecticut-Tulsa, @StJosephs-LaSalle(PhiladelphiaPA)(BIG5), @StBonaventure-GeoWashington, @Colorado-Washington, @LouisianaTech-UAB, @Omaha-NDState, @SDState-SDakota(SD), @NoIllinois-Akron, @UNCWilmington-JamesMadison, @Harvard-Yale, @Columbia-Princeton, @Iona-Siena(NY), @Quinnipiac-Fairfield(CT)(CT6), @YoungstownSt-ClevelandSt(OH)(NEO), @Colgate-Bucknell, @CoCarolina-GardnerWebb, @Radford-Winthrop, @StephenFAustin-TexasA&MCC(TX), @SacredHeart-CConnecticutSt(CT)(CT6), @TexasSo-JacksonSt,
- Sunday:
- @MichiganSt-Indiana, @NCarolina-Pittsburgh, @Arizona-USC, @
StonyBrook-NewHampshire,
- - - - - - -
- Monday week:
- Monday week:
- @WichitaSt-
NewMexicoSt, @Monmouth-Manhattan, @WrightSt-Oakland.
Top 25 - 16 Feb 8 - [] Column
- Villanova (20-3)
- Iowa (19-4)
- West Virginia (18-4)
- Oklahoma (18-3)
- Xavier (20-2)
- Virginia (19-4)
- Louisville (18-4)
- Oregon (19-4)
- Michigan State (20-4)
- North Carolina (19-4)
- Kansas (18-4)
- Maryland (21-3)
- Kentucky (17-3)
- SMU (20-2)
- Texas A&M (18-5)
- Providence (18-6)
- Baylor (16-6)
- Iowa State (17-6)
- Miami(Florida) (18-4)
- Dayton (19-3)
- South Carolina (19-3)
- Arizona (19-5)
- Indiana (19-5)
- San Diego State (16-6)
- Wichita State (16-6)
- Honorable Mention:
- Kansas State (14-9), Vanderbilt (13-10), Houston (16-7), DePaul (8-15), Texas (16-7), Tennessee (11-12), Georgia (13-8), Penn State (12-12), BYU (16-8), Illinois State (14-11).
posted by Ron @ Friday, March 04, 2016
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