19 Dec 2 - "I'm A Lumberjack, And I'm OK!"

Volume XXIV, No. 5 - 19 Dec 2 - [] Top 25 Ballot

"I'm A Lumberjack, And I'm OK!"

Yes, young teams can be inconsistent; but ... Come on! Duke has already proven itself beating Kansas on a neutral court in the CHAMPIONS CLASSIC; yet somehow it managed to lose at home to unheralded Stephen F. Austin, @83-85(OT) (snapping a 150-game home win streak against nonconference opponents). The SFA-Lumberjacks didn't do anything special to earn the (squeak) road win; neither did the D-Blue Devils do anything special to lose. DU just didn't post, which is more disappointing in the Big Picture ... Ugh. - - (Wait, didn't we just do this!?) Evansville turned back into a pumpkin right away after its stunning road win at Kentucky; at least SFAus looks to be more legitimate for the long haul.
     St. Mary's came up with a huge win, taking down Utah State (@81-73 as bJordan Ford[27p5r] starred).

Rising Richmond dumped tumbling Boston College (@64-44 as tJacob Gilyard[22p6a8r] starred).

"Big Brother" Louisville dumped "Little Brother" Western Kentucky (@71-@54 as bJordan Nwora[25p5r] starred) in their annual clash (at a neutral-site in Nashville,TN).

- - - - - -

Mostly, it was a big week for preseason tournaments - - lots of tight results that don't really mean much, but some decisive scores caused a major reshuffling of the national rankings.
     At the EMERALD COAST CLASSIC in Niceville,FL, Florida State edged Tennessee (@60-57) in the semifinals and then beat Purdue in overtime (@63-60[OT]) in the final, both on the strength of its defensive prowess; Purd had edged VCU (59-56) in the semis while Tenn edged VCU (72-69) for third place.
     At the BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS in Paradise Island,BAHAMAS, Michigan took out North Carolina (73-64) and thumped Gonzaga (82-64); Gonz edged Oregon in overtime (73-72[OT] on cFilip Petrusev[21p15r]'s star turn) while UNC edged Ore (78-74 sinking 20-for-21 free throws).
     In the LEGENDS CLASSIC at the BARCLAYS CENTER in Brooklyn,NY, Auburn dumped New Mexico (84-59) and beat Richmond (79-65); both Rich (62-52) and NM (59-50) beat Wisconsin.
     At the MAUI INVITATIONAL in Lahaina,HI, Kansas came through as expected, edging surprising Dayton in the final (90-84[OT] on bDevon Dotson[31p6r]'s star turn); Dayton thumped both Georgia (80-61) and Virginia Tech (89-62); VaTech surprised Michigan State (71-66); MichSt outran UGa (93-85 as pCassius Winston[28p8a] dueled 37p6r from GC bAnthony Edwards).
     In the LAS VEGAS-THANKSGIVING INVITATIONAL at ORLEANS ARENA in Las Vegas,NV, San Diego State dumped Creighton (83-52) and beat Iowa (83-73 as bMalachi Flynn[28p5r]'s starred); both Iowa (72-61) and Creighton (83-76 on pMarcus Zegarwoski[32p5a]'s star turn) beat Texas Tech.
     At the ORLANDO INVITATIONAL, Maryland came through as expected, beating Temple (76-69) and Harvard (80-73 despite 30p0a from gBryce Aiken) as well as thumping Marquette (84-63 despite 27p6r from bBrendan Bailey) as Anthony Cowan averaged 24p3a in three games; gMarkus Howard put up 51p in Marq's 101-79 romp over USC in the semis, but managed only 6p;1/12fg against the Wolverines in the final; USC thumped Harv for third (77-62 as GC cOnyeka Okongwu[27p14r] dominated); Davidson dropped two, falling to Marq [63-73 as gMarkus Howard{40p2a} dueled 28p10r from xKellan Grady] and also Temple [53-66].)

Arizona won the WOODEN LEGACY/ANAHEIM CLASSIC, taking out Wake Forest (73-66) in the final; disappointing Providence went 1-2, tripping against BIGW/Long Beach State (65-@66) and losing to COLON/College of Charleston (55-63 as bGrant Riller[29p5r] starred).
     Nevada won the PARADISE JAM in St. Thomas,USVI, dumping MAC/Bowling Green in the final (77-62 on bJazz Johnson[25p5r]'s star turn).
     A10/St. Louis completed its 4-0 run through the GOTHAM CLASSIC field with a 64-@54 win at BosCol. (Meanwhile, Belmont fell again, tripping at SKY/Eastern Washington [82-@87 despite 30p7r from fNick Muszynski]).
     A10/George Mason emerged as champion of the CAYMAN ISLANDS CLASSIC in George Town,CI, edging New Mexico State in the final (68-64); disappointing South Florida lost to both NmSt (45-65) and Nebraska (67-74). (Host SUMMIT/Omaha won the Consolation bracket.)
     Colorado edged Clemson (71-67) in the final of the LAS VEGAS-MAIN EVENT at T-MOBILE ARENA. (Disappointing UC-Irvine went 1-3 to share the Consolation crown at Clark High School along with SUNB/Louisiana and HORIZ/Detroit.)

Butler beat Missouri (63-52) and edged Stanford (68-67 on bKamar Baldwin's game-winner) to win the CBE CLASSIC at the SPRINT CENTER in Kansas City,MO.
     Pittsburgh edged Kansas State (63-59) and beat Northwestern (72-59) to win the FT. MYERS TIP-OFF. (MAAC/Monmouth won the Consolation frame at home, including thumping Radford [@80-63].)
     Oklahoma State beat Syracuse (86-72 on pIsaac Likekele[26p8a5r]'s star turn) and dumped Mississippi (78-37 allowing no double-figure scorers) to win the NIT SEASON TIP-OFF at the BARCLAY CENTER in Brooklyn,NY. (IVY/Yale won the Consolation bracket in Orlando,FL, including dumping MAC/Western Michigan [73-51].)
     Memphis went 4-0 to win the BROOKLYN-THANKSGIVING CLASSIC, including edging N.C. State (83-78 despite 24p6a5r from pMarkell Johnson) in the feature match at the BARCLAYS CENTER.
     West Virginia edged MVC/Northern Iowa (60-55) and handled Wichita State (75-63) to win the CANCUN CHALLENGE in CANCUN,MEXICO.
     A10/La Salle edged both Wright State (72-70) and SUNB/South Alabama (81-76[OT]) to win the GULF COAST SHOWCASE in Estero,FL.
     Ohio State won its home showcase OS-BUCKEYE CLASSIC, including dumping "Little Brother" MAC/Kent State (71-52).
     Texas State and SMU both went 4-0 to share the new SOUTHWESTERN SHOWDOWN as both beat UNLV on the road.

Oregon State won the LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS/NOVEMBER CLASSIC, including dumping WCC/San Jose State (83-48) in the feature match at ORLEANS ARENA. Illinois won its home showcase I-ILLINI OAHU CLASSIC.
     Indiana won its home showcase I-HOOSIER CLASSIC. WCC/Santa Clara won its own CABLE CAR CLASSIC.
     Kentucky won its home showcase K-WILDCAT BBN SHOWCASE. Arkansas won the A-group of the new COLLEGIATE HOOPS ROADSHOW, all at home.
     WCC/Pacific and MAC/Northern Illinois both went 3-0 to share the crown of the B-group of the new COLLEGIATE HOOPS ROADSHOW, all at home as well.

- - - - - -

Unwelcome Guests stole their crowns away from host schools expecting a home showcase win.
     Tulsa went 4-0 to win the V-COMMODORE INVITATIONAL, including beating Vanderbilt (67-@58 despite 26p6r from bAaron Nesmith).
     DePaul won the M-GOLDEN GOPHER INVITATIONAL, including beating MAC/Central Michigan (88-75) and edging Minnesota (73-@68).
     SUMMIT/North Dakota, SUNB/Georgia Southern and BIGS/Campbell all beat host ASUN/Florida Gulf Coast in the FGC-EAGLE CLASSIC but each split 1-1 among themselves to share the crown. SOCON/Furman won ATLANTIS Consolation, including road-routing host COLON/Elon (97-@61). Colgate won LEGENDS Consolation, including thumping host HORIZ/Bay (99-@81 as Jordan Burns[40p] starred).

- - - - - -

North Dakota State dumped host Idaho (70-@53) to put the SUMMIT LEAGUE up 1-0 in its head-to-head CHALLENGE with the BIG SKY.

- - - - - -

Having already taken out San Diego in the semifinals (70-61), A10/St. Bonaventure shouldn't have any trouble with CUSA/Florida Atlantic in the final of the BOCA RATON BEACH CLASSIC (Monday).

In their new head-to-head CHALLENGE, look for the BIG 12 to lead 3-2 after this week over the BIG EAST on its way to an overall 6-4 win (Wednesday through Sun 22 Dec). Road wins from Texas Tech (at DePaul) and Marquette (at Kansas State) should cancel each other out this week, but later Kansas (at Villanova) and Texas (at Providence) should overcome Xavier (at TCU).
     Look for the BIG 10 to beat the ACC 8-6 in their head-to-head CHALLENGE (Monday through Wednesday) with Michigan (over Louisville), Ohio State (over North Carolina), Iowa (over Syracuse) and Wisconsin (over N.C. State) claiming road wins to counter Virginia (over Purdue), Florida State (over Indiana) and Duke (over Michigan State).
     The new SEC/AMERICAN ALLIANCE gets started with a modest four-game slate (Sunday; Sat 1 Jan). Look for Houston to win on the road at South Carolina (Sunday); and it might wind up 4-0 come January if SMU can win at Vanderbilt.
     With the SUMMIT already leading 1-0 head-to-head against the BIG SKY, look for things to be tied by week's end with only South Dakota State (over Montana State) able to win on the road. Overall, look for the SUMMIT to win 5-3 (despite only getting three home games).

The BIG 12 hosts the PAC-12 in two high-profile matchups as Baylor meets Arizona and Kansas meets Colorado (both Saturday). St. Mary's puts its ranking to the test with a neutral-site clash against Dayton as part of the JERRY COLANGELO CLASSIC at TALKING STICK in Phoenix,AZ (Sunday). In one of the strongest editions of their annual State Title grudge match, Washington hosts Gonzaga (Sunday).
     This year's CROSSTOWN SHOOTOUT is just below the radar has Xavier hosts Cincinnati (Saturday).
     Look for Belmont to complete the sweep at home against arch-/city-rival Lipscomb in the second leg of the BATTLE OF THE BOULEVARD (Tuesday).

- - - - - -

In early conference play, Michigan hosts upstart Iowa (Friday). Virginia hosts North Carolina (Sunday).
     Virginia Tech hosts Duke (Friday).

P.S. Look for the Official Invitation for the 13TH ANNUAL Pigskin Pool Party (Ron's College Football Bowl Season Pool) shortly.

-- Ron

Key games this week:

Monday:

(None),

Monday-Wednesday:

ACC[12-5;3]/BIG 10[5-12;3] CHALLENGE on-campus
[Virginia Tech does not play.]
-(Mon: @Minnesota-Clemson, @Illinois-MiamiFL;
   Tue: Michigan-@Louisville, FloridaSt-@Indiana, Duke-@MichiganSt, @Syracuse-Iowa, @BostonCol-Northwestern, @Pittsburgh-Rutgers,
   Wed: OhioSt-@NCarolina, @Maryland-NotreDame, Virginia-@Purdue, Wisconsin-@NCState, @PennSt-WakeForest, @GeorgiaTech-Nebraska).

Monday,Wednesday,Saturday:

(new)BOCA RATON BEACH CLASSIC 2x4 Semis @ BocaRatonBeachFL; WarmUp2 on-campus
-(Finals: StBonaventure-ILChicago; SanDiego-FLAtlantic; Hofstra-Canisius; Mercer-HolyCross),

Tuesday:

@Wright St-WeKentucky(BG), @NewMexicoSt-UTEP,
BATTLE OF THE BOULEVARD HomeAway on-campus
-(@Lipscomb-Belmont[NashvilleTN];
   Tue: @Belmont-Lipscomb[NashvilleTN]),

Wednesday:

@Villanova-Penn(PhiladelphiaPA)(BIG5), @MorganSt-Towson(BaltimoreMD), @UTValley-WeberSt(UT), @{CalBaptist}-UCRiverside(RiversideCA),

Wednesday-Sun 22 Dec:

(new)BIG 12[0-0]/BIG EAST[0-0] BATTLE on-campus
-(Wed: @DePaul-TexasTech, @OklahomaSt-Georgetown;
   Sat: @KansasSt-Marquette, @StJohns-WVirginia;
   Sun: @IowaSt-SetonHall;
   Tue week: @Baylor-Butler;
   Tue 17 Dec: @Creighton-Oklahoma;
   Sat 21 Dec: @Villanova-Kansas, @Providence-Texas;
   Sun 22 Dec: @TCU-Xavier),

Thursday:

(None),

Thursday-Sat 21 Dec:

SUMMIT[0-0;1]/BIG SKY[0-0;1] CHALLENGE on-campus - - SUMMIT leads 1-0
[Denver, Oral Roberts, Purdue-Ft. Wayne, South Dakota and Western Illinois all do not play;
Idaho State, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Portland State, Sacramento State, Southern Utah and Weber State all do not play.]
-(@Idaho-NDState;
   Thu: @MontanaSt-SDState;
   Fri: @Montana-NDakota;
   Sun: @EaWashington-NDakota;
   Mon 16 Dec: @NDState-MontanaSt;
   Tue 17 Dec: @EaWashington-Omaha;
   Sat 21 Dec: @SDState-Idaho @Omaha-Montana),

Friday:

@Michigan-Iowa, Duke-@VirginiaTech, @RhodeIsland-Providence(RI),

Saturday:

Arizona-@Baylor, Colorado-@Kansas, @Creighton-Nebraska(NE), @Drexel-LaSalle(PhiladelphiaPA), @KentSt-ClevelandSt(OH)(NEO), @NDState-ETennesseeSt, @Mercer-GeorgiaSt(GA), @SoUtah-UTValley(UT),
THE HOLY WAR 1Off on-campus
-(@StJosephs-Villanova[PhiladelphiaPA][BIG5]),
CROSSTOWN SHOOTOUT 1Off on-campus
-(@Xavier-Cincinnati[CincinnatiOH]),
ELGIN BAYLOR CLASSIC 1Off on-campus
-(@Seattle-Portland),
BATTLE OF THE BAY 1Off on-campus
-(@Hampton-NorfolkSt[VA]),

Sunday:

@Virginia-NCarolina, Gonzaga-@Washington(WA), @Hartford-SacredHeart(CT)(CT6),
HALL OF FAME-F-AZ-DEC/JERRY COLANGELO CLASSIC TrplHdr @ PhoenixAZ/TALKING STICK/
-(StMarys-Dayton, @GrandCanyon-Liberty, Tulane-StLouis),
LONE STAR SHOWDOWN 1Off @ FtWorthTX
-(@Texas-@TexasA&M[TX]),

Sunday,Sat 1 Jan:

(new)SEC[0-0]/AMERICAN[0-0] ALLIANCE on-campus
-(Sun: @SCarolina-Houston;
   Sat 1 Jan: @Memphis-Georgia, @WichitaSt-Mississippi, @Vanderbilt-SMU),

- - - - - -

Monday week:

(None).

---

Top 25 - 19 Dec 2 - [] Column

1. Michigan (7-0) (vBIG.E) [v3:ATLANTIS]
2. Ohio State (7-0) (vOH) (vBIG.E) [3rrvBUCKEYE]
3. Maryland (8-0) [v3:ORLANDO]
4. Arizona (9-0) [v3:WL/ANAHEIM]
5. Virginia (7-0) [2v2:HALL.FAME]
6. Colorado (6-0) (@@P12.CHINA) [v2:LV-MAIN]
7. Florida State (7-1) (@FL) [2v2vEMERALD]
8. Stephen F. Austin (5-1)
9. St. Mary's (7-1) [@@SACMTO]
10. Duke (7-1) (@@CHAMPS) [2v2:2K.E]
11. Gonzaga (8-1)
12. North Carolina (6-1)
13. Tennessee (6-1) (:HOF-B-CAN)
14. Kentucky (6-1) (@@CHAMPS) [4rrvK/W BBN]
15. Oregon (6-2) (vP.KNIGHT)
16. Washington (5-1) (:ARMED.F)
17. Kansas (5-1) [v3:MAUI]
18. Michigan State (5-2) (@BIG.E)
19. Baylor (5-1) [3:MYRTLE.BCH]
20. San Diego State (8-0) [2v2:LV-THANX]
21. Utah State (7-1) [v2:JAMAICA]
22. Auburn (7-0) (:VETERANS) [2v2:LEGENDS]
23. Louisville (7-0) [4rrvG.S]
24. Memphis (6-1) [:3rrvBROOK-T]
25. Richmond (6-1)

Honorable Mention:

Purdue (4-3), New Mexico (6-2), Virginia Tech (6-2), Iowa (5-2), Creighton (5-2),

St. Louis (7-1) [4rrvGOTHAM],

Nevada (5-3) [v3:PARADISE],
George Mason (8-1) [v3:CAYMAN],
UC-Irvine (4-4)/Louisiana (3-3)/Detroit (1-5) [rr:LV-MAINcons],

Butler (7-0) [2v2:CBE],
Pittsburgh (6-2) [2v2:FT.MYERS],
Oklahoma State (7-0) [2v2:NIT.TO],
West Virginia (7-0) [2v2:CANCUN],
Tulsa (6-1) [4rr@V/COMDORE],
DePaul (8-0) [2rr@M/G.GOPHER],
La Salle (4-3) [3:GULF.CST],
Yale (5-3) [2:NIT.TOcons],
Texas State (5-2)/SMU (7-0) [4rrvnSOUTHWN],

Illinois (5-1) [4rrvI/I OAHU],
Oregon State (7-1) [4rr:@LVC-NOV],

Indiana (7-0) [4rrvI/HOOSIER],
North Dakota (3-5)/Georgia Southern (5-3)/Campbell (5-2) [3rr@FGC/EAGLE],
Santa Clara (7-1) [3rr@CABLE],

Furman (5-1) [2rr@ATLANTIScons],
Arkansas (7-0) [4rrvnC-HOOPS-A],
Colgate (4-3) [2rr@LEGENDScons],
Omaha (4-4) [2@CAYMANcons],

Pacific (5-3)/Northern Illinois (5-2) [4rrvnC-HOOPS-B],
Monmouth (4-5) [2rrvFT.MYERScons].