November 30, 2006

ACC/Big Ten Challenge Recap

For those living under a rock the last three days, life didn't change very much. T.O. is still being T.O., nobody wants the Alabama head coaching job, and the ACC is still ahead of the Big 10.

This year the last one was 8 to 3, which is tied for the the largest margin of victory for the Dick Vitale Love Conference with the 2003 and 2004 contests which finished 7-2.

In case you missed it, the games were a lot closer than the final tally would indicate, with only two being decided by 10 or more points. Other than those, all of the games were still a contest going down to the final minutes.

Here is a quick recap of the action for those who instead watched America's Top Model.

Monday
North Carolina State 74 - Michigan 67 Tommy Amaker continues the poor results for coaches who started under Coach K. Does it seem weird to anyone else that such a great coach has such a problem teaching others how to coach? Advice to Johnny Dawkins: Stay in Durham. Michigan blew an early lead and couldn't climb back into this one which NC State led by 21 in the second half. New Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe might not have been the first choice to replace Herb Sendek, but he is looking like the right one now.

Tuesday
Maryland 72 - Illinois 66 Maryland is quietly becoming the team that secretly no one wants to face. They went into Assembly Hall and beat Illinois at home, something that never happens. Was it just me, or was one of the Orange Crush wearing a #10 Netherlands soccer jersey? That could explain the result right there. The Terps didn't have Ikene Ibekwe, and got big games from Greivis Vasquez and Mike Jones instead. If you are keeping score, that is 2-0 ACC

Wisconsin 81 - Florida State 66 Kammron Taylor (Chris Rock look alike) and Alando Tucker led the Badgers easily over Florida State. Tucker even played most of the game with a swollen eye which was poked so hard he bled. Florida State is still a very good team, but Wisconsin is that much better. Don't let that loss to Missouri State make you think otherwise (If they lose at home to North Dakota State again, you can think otherwise).

Georgia Tech 77 - Penn State 73 Penn State is a trendy pick for the top tier in the Big Ten, and hanging with a ranked ACC team should do wonders for their confidence heading into conference season. Of course their coach refused to call this a moral victory. Georgia Tech, whose only loss is to UCLA, opens their conference season against Miami on Sunday. That game should not be a problem for the Jackets because...

Northwestern 61 - Miami 59 The Hurricanes lost to Northwestern. Northwestern?! If the Big Ten thought they were going to get a win on Thursday night, they certainly didn't expect Northwestern's name to be next to it. The Wildcats' Craig Moore scored 24 points, including knocking down seven three point shots.

Duke 54 - Indiana 51 Very tough game for Indiana to lose. Duke did not play their best, struggling in ways that will not work when they start to face ACC opponents. They shot less than 30% after half time and only 32% for the game. However, their defense was tough enough to hold off the Hoosiers. My new favorite Indiana player is Errek Suhr, who looked like a midget on the floor (5-9, 156 *ding*) but definitely gave his all on every possession down the stretch.

Current Tally: 4-2

Wednesday
Boston College 65 - Michigan State 58 Michigan State never challenged in this game, and it might be my television, but it looks to me like Tom Izzo is getting more grey by the minute. Every since those rumors of him taking over the football team, I think he started transforming into John L. Smith (When will the slap come? Bets?). Jared Dudley had 30 points for BC, and Sean Williams added 5 blocks. On a side note, I don't think I have ever seen goal tending called as many times as it was in this game. It had to be 4 or 5 at least.

Purdue 61 - Virginia 59 Similar to Northwestern, I don't think the Big Ten thought the Boilermakers would be their only winning team on Wednesday. Tarrance Crump hit a nice little teardrop shot with a second remaining to give Purdue the lead in what had been a back and forth game. Virginia player JR Reynolds stepped out of bounds while taking the desperation shot to try for the win, giving the Big Ten their final win in the contest.

Virginia Tech 69 - Iowa 65 Adam Haluska had 5 threes and 24 points, but Virginia Tech was just better on Wednesday night. The Hokies had a big run at the end of the first half which continued into the second, building a 15 point lead. After that, it was academic. Hold on and hope that the Hawkeyes don't get too hot from beyond the arc. Zabian Dowdell was the leading scorer for the Hokies with 18.

Clemson 90 - Minnesota 68 Is there any more happy person in the world than Gonzaga coach Mark Few? He got the job when Dan Monson left to take over the troubled Minnesota program. I think looking back Monson might have been better served by staying in Spokane. The Tigers hit 12 three point shots in the romp which was all but over at halftime.

North Carolina 98 - Ohio State 89 This game was why this series was created. Oh how thoughtful ESPN was 8 years ago. Ohio State was without Greg Oden, but I don't know if it would have mattered. (I think I was still hearing Dick Vitale in my sleep last night, "This guy will be awesome. As good as Mourning, as good as Ewing. Yeah, Baby!") North Carolina has taken a page out of the Phoenix Suns playbook and look to run the floor non-stop and get 100 possessions a game. 100 per game! The Buckeyes managed to stay with them pretty well, but over the course of 40 minutes, unless you totally control the game tempo, it is going to be tough to win. Ron Lewis scored 30 for Ohio State, but North Carolina got four players into double digits to take it.

So there you have it, 8-3, with the three coming from some unlikely places. I personally can't wait until next year.

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November 16, 2006

Michigan State vs. Texas - Coaches vs. Cancer

Ok, so not a game recap, but close enough. Tonight's Coaches vs. Cancer game looks to be closer than the opener which saw Maryland just destroy St. John's. Yes, I said Maryland was nothing to worry about for the National Championship and I stand by that, despite their 32 point win over the Red Storm.

But now we have the big test for Michigan State to start the season. Both teams are young, but of the young ones, Texas features the best ones. Kevin Durant is expected to be one of those who is one and done this season. Without the NBA age restrictions, he most likely would have jumped to the NBA right out of high school. Instead, we get to watch him lead a Texas squad which could still win the Big XII championship, despite starting no one older than a sophomore.

So, a little live commentary for you tonight, even if it won't be posted until after the game is through.

17:30, 1st half - I am already impressed with Durant who has size like I haven't seen since the Syracuse freshman of 2002-3. He is in contesting on every rebound and has a sweet touch from outside on the floor, even with his big 6-9 frame.

15:50, 1st half - It is funny watching Michigan State play like a smaller school team. What do I mean? When an outmatched school plays the big boys, they usually take a lot more three point shots, and try to press a lot more on defense. Already Michigan State is trying to establish the outside shot because they are afraid of going inside against Durant and the rest of the Longhorns. Plus they are being very difficult on defense, believing they can force the young Texas team into turnovers, which is likely. Just so out of style for Michigan State who has had so many good inside players over the years. I don't expect them to live the entire game outside, but this is really a different style for them.

13:25, 1st half - While Michigan State is living on the outside right now, Texas can't fall into that trap. They have the ability to take it inside and should take advantage of that. Durant just took an ill-advised three. They need to be more patient and run the offense. This might be a little of the youth showing and a little of the "first big game" jitters.

8:45, 1st half - Durant gets his 5th rebound of the game and looks to be out-hustling the Michigan State team on the boards. This was exactly what Tom Izzo was worried about in his Monday press conference, with the Spartans not crashing the boards as much as he would like. Still Michigan State leads, mostly on the strength of their three point shooting so far.

3:23, 1st half - Michigan State is still living outside, but Texas has come back to take the lead. And the leader of that comeback, the freshman, Durant. If this guy doesn't win the freshman of the year in the Big XII or make the first team all-conference, I am not sure the voters are watching. He is doing everything. Inside, outside, steal, block. He has all the skills. I am going to hate to see him jump to the NBA next year.

Halftime - 40-36 Texas. I am still in awe of Durant. 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks. You can't deny him. Watching him is really something, especially with his arms and rebounding ability. Michigan State shot 6 for 10 from the three point line, which was huge in them being this close. That is half their points and still has them playing like a mid-major trying to take on a team which is bigger and stronger. Actually, that might be true for how Texas matches up against the Spartans. I am impressed that Michigan State has eight players on the board at this point. That depth will come in handy for them in the Big Ten season. I fully expect that long range percentage to drop in the second half, and I am guessing Texas will shoot better than 25% from the arc in next 20 minutes. Still a great half of basketball between two young teams.

17:03, 2nd half - I am disappointed in Texas's ability to make a shot that is not a dunk or a three point basket (although they are doing too great from three). Why shouldn't these young shooters have the ability to make a shot from five feet, 10 feet, even two feet away? Maybe that #18 rating by Texas is warranted no matter how much talent they have.

15:05, 2nd half - Matt Hill looks like Carrot Top with his hair out there. When I was in school, the freshman on most sports teams were forced to shave their heads to show their commitment to the team. This was not a good deal for some of these guys, whose hair never grew back. For Hill, this would be an improvement. Let's bring back tradition in the locker room at the Garden as soon as this game ends.

13:03, 2nd half - Michigan State took the lead on a three from Maurice Joseph. The Spartans are now 8-14 from long range and I still worry about their ability outside of that long range shot to contend. Despite crashing the boards a little more in the second half, they continue to have trouble penetrating. Of course, who am I to argue with that recipe? West Virginia lived off that the last two seasons, and it got them a couple of Sweet 16 appearances.

11:53, 2nd half - Idong Ibok. All I can say is wow to that block.

9:18, 2nd half - Durant has two points in the second half. That hurts, especially since he was huge in the first twenty minutes. Still, Texas is closing back to Michigan State because the Spartans are turning the ball over on offense.

8:43, 2nd half - AJ Abrams has been big in the second half. With Texas only making three baskets to this point in the second, AJ has had the right ones.

5:50, 2nd half - Despite Durant being able to take long shots, I don't think he should be right now. He is bigger than every man on the floor. He needs to take the ball inside and challenge the Michigan State defenders, who are at a huge disadvantage right now.

5:20, 2nd half - Abrams again for three which pulls Texas to 59-58. That is his 6th three of the game. That is six of the seven that Texas has hit. Anyone else think they should concentrate some more on the inside considering their less than 30% shooting from the arc right now?

4:02, 2nd half - Finally Durant is starting to drive and challenge inside to get to the line. This is what Texas needs to do to win games, especially when they are the more talented team. They don't need to shoot over 20 times from three point land to win. They have that good of a game on the interior.

8 seconds, 2nd half - Wow, I can't believe that Texas lost Neitzel on the dribble. No one covered the basketball and little Drew had a chance to just drive the lane for the go ahead score. 63-61 Michigan State. Unbelievable lapse in defense right there. and now the Longhorns only have two seconds to score to tie.

2 seconds. 2nd half - Abrams had a chance to make the three, dribbling against the defender and taking the long shot to win. Great look and just missed. Tough loss for Texas, and a very good win for Michigan State. I still hold on my opinion of Michigan State, although I think they have the edge on Maryland in the final game. Their three point shooting saved them tonight (9-18, 50.0%), although over time, it was less and less of their gameplan. Still in the first half, they would have been far behind if they hadn't been shooting 50%. Durant also did not have the second half like he did in the first, which is a credit to the Spartan defense.

Overall a very good game plan by Izzo and Michigan State. They did well shutting down Durant after half time and I commend them on a win that will look very good come tournament time. The Spartans might actually be the class of the middle of the Big Ten, which somewhat doesn't say much since past Wisconsin and Ohio State, not much is expected. Still that could be their ticket to a #7 to #9 seed and that is enough to get your ticket to the dance.

And as for Kevin Durant, I am impressed to say the least. He was good enough that my brother was calling me part way through the game to say so himself. That kid is a goldmine, and I really hope he stays beyond this year.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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December 11, 2005

Be-Deviled!

The good news? You are ranked #2 in the country. You are facing a team that is starting two freshmen, including one who will most likely touch the ball often. You are playing at a neutral court, taking away a very significant home court advantage. You have a smaller faster team, determined to control the tempo.

Your top four scorers all finish in double digits while the other team only manages to have two. You go the first 9 minutes of the game before you commit a turnover. You consistently are getting the calls that could go in either direction. Your big men are even managing to shoot free throws well.

You should win; you don’t, all because of the bad news.

The bad news? You are playing the #1 team in the country. Despite the neutral court, the team you are playing has a 9 game winning streak and is 16-1 all-time in the building. Their top scorer sets a career high in scoring. Your top forward injures his leg with a little less than five minutes remaining in the first half and doesn’t return to the game. After those first nine minutes, you commit 16 turnovers for the rest of the game while only forcing seven. The top two scorers on the other team, the only ones in double digits, outscore your top four. Other than those top four, your team manages just two baskets.

You are playing Duke. You lose by 31.

This was the game that will plague the coach of the Texas Longhorns, Rick Barnes, until tournament time. Texas was favored by many going into the game based on match-ups and the results so far this season. Duke had struggled in games it should have won easily, including needing a last second desperation shot from Sean Dockery to win against Virginia Tech. Meanwhile, the Longhorns had rolled over opponents.

Despite all in their favor, it would be a 6’4” senior guard from Roanoke, Virginia, that would do them in. J.J. Redick, already known throughout the league for his ability on the free throw line, decided to show off his shooting ability against Texas. Right from the start, he was integral to Duke’s success. In the five minutes, Redick had scored 5 points, and was drawing defenders to him allowing the rest of the team to get free and score. It looked as if Redick would be the side story in the game, contributing with baskets when needed and helping his teammates to produce while he was double covered.

Instead, J.J. Redick became the story. Over the next four minutes, Redick scored eight of Duke’s nine points. With a big three point shot to cap that run, he became the ninth player for Duke to score 2000 points in his career. Shots were falling from all over for him. He hit from inside the line, just outside the arc, and from what would have been at least two feet behind the NBA three point line. Texas had no answer to stop him.

Duke steadily pulled away to a twelve point lead at halftime with Redick contributing 22 of Duke’s 45. Tough defense late in the first half led to a flurry of turnovers by the Longhorns. Texas found itself pushing to get back into the game but only committed more errors and consistently found themselves with two defenders surrounding them. Their only bright spots in the half came when they created space and drove the lane against Duke. Brad Buckman was able to draw last year’s defensive player of the year, Shelden Williams, out of the lane and Duke’s forwards were unable to stop drives by Kenton Paulino.

However, Buckman went down with a leg injury late in the first half changing the look of the inside game for Texas. While Texas’s other players were able to contain the inside game on the defensive end, they were unable to open up the lanes that Buckman had given them. The forward returned to the bench with a leg wrap after going to the locker room for treatment. He did not return to the game, and his presence was missed.

After the half, Texas seemed to come back energized. A quick 9-2 run in the first two minutes brought the lead down to 5 points. That was the end of the highlights for the Longhorns.

Over the next six minutes, Duke had a 22-4 run to pull away from Texas for good. Redick began the run with a three point shot to become Duke’s 8th all-time scorer. The tenacious Duke defense swarmed the Texas guards, forcing turnover after turnover. Redick hit another three point shot to force a time out after the lead had reached thirteen and he didn’t stop there. When Texas tried to switch up the defense against him and sent in a faster man to guard Redick, all he did was embarrass him. With a quick head fake, he forced Texas guard J.D. Lewis into the air wildly flailing his arms. The sophomore never had a chance as Redick calmly took one step to the right and sent in another three point shot. As he ran down court, Redick gave a holler and waved his fist in the air.

While Redick continued to pour it in from the outside, Williams came alive under the basket. Faced with a rotating series of big men to contend with, Williams dropped in 23 including nine of ten from the free throw line, a place that in the past had often plagued the big man.

With ten minutes remaining, Texas had little idea of what it could do to score on offense. The pressure of Duke’s defense and the lack of confident play at the point guard spot led to trouble organizing their sets.

Redick hit two free throws with six minutes remaining in the game to complete his scoring. He finished with 41, a new career high. He became the first player since Danny Ferry, 17 years earlier to the day against Miami, to score over 40 in a game for the Blue Devils.

Shelden Williams finished 5 blocks in addition to his 23 points. This was the 24th time in his career, the 4th this year, that he had blocked five or more shots in one game. He is currently 8th on the all-time blocked shots list in the ACC and second at Duke, just 27 behind leader Mike Gminski.

Texas forward LaMarcus Aldridge led the Longhorns with 21 points, mostly coming in the last minutes of the game when Duke was playing four freshmen. Paulino, after closing the first half with 11, could only manage three for the rest of the game, finishing with 14.

Duke’s next game is Sunday, December 18th, against Valparaiso. Texas will play Tennessee next Saturday.

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January 12, 2005

Wilkinson Badgers Buckeyes

When you win 36 games in a row and 51 out of 53, you have to have some breaks go your way. When Wisconsin took to the floor on Tuesday night, they were hoping for just that. Earlier in the day, it was decided that leading scorer and second leading rebounder Alando Tucker would be sitting out the game against Ohio State after an ankle and foot injury he suffered on Sunday during practice. Without Tucker, they were losing almost a quarter of their offense.

Instead of Alando Tucker, the Badgers had Mike Wilkinson. Wilkinson was the second leading scorer for the team going into the game and left it after scoring 29, a new career high. Wilkinson was repeatedly fed the ball inside and was very effective thanks to the foul trouble by Ohio State's Terence Dials. With Dials on the bench, Matt Marinchick was unable to contain the faster and more aggressive Wilkinson.

Wilkinson added 10 rebounds to his total but by far, the most important board of the game was grabbed by Clayton Hanson with less than a minute remaining in the ball game. On Wisconsin's previous possession, Zach Morley drew a foul, but missed both shots from the free throw line. On the second shot, Hanson grabbed the rebound as Wilkinson blocked out the bigger Dials. Hanson was fouled and went to the line where he hit both shots. The next possession for Ohio State resulted in a turnover as Brandon Fuss-Cheatham threw the ball over the head of the running Dials. Wisconsin made 5 more free throws in the last thirty seconds while Ohio State was only able to counter with one basket of its own.

Despite leading for most of the first half, Ohio State was consistently cold shooting the basketball, especially from three point range. The Buckeyes started the game 2 for 10 from the arc and finished 7 for 23. Tony Stockman, who hit 5 of 7 from three in the Ohio State win against Iowa was especially off from long range and the rest of the floor. He finished 4 for 17 shooting including only 1 of 9 from long distance. Bo Ryan commented after the game that "it was a combination of both" Ohio State missing the open shots they were given and good pressure by the Badger defense.

Still, the best thing that Wisconsin did all night was to take Dials out of the game. He still managed 15 points and 8 rebounds, but it came in only 24 minutes as he repeatedly had to go to the bench, including the last six minutes of the first half when Wisconsin was able to grab the lead from Ohio State and extend it to 5 by the break. Dials picked up his third foul a little over a minute into the second half and was a non-factor on defense especially after he received his next one just 3 minutes later. Without Dials, and given the poor shooting of the Buckeyes, they continued to fall behind. When the shots finally did fall, they were down by 11 and Wisconsin was able to keep ahead just enough to outlast them. J.J. Sullinger and
Matt Sylvester were big in the run that Ohio State tried to make, but it was just not enough.

Not everything Wisconsin did worked. When Wilkinson went out of the game, he was replaced by red shirt freshman Brian Butch. Butch had sat out last season to get stronger and was effective in keeping the Buckeyes in check at the defensive end. Where he still needs to work is in his shot selection. He took two three point shots late in the first half while Dials was sitting on the bench. This was the time when he should have been getting the ball down low as he had the advantage over the Ohio State players. You can be sure that Ryan reminded him of this during a time out after the second shot refused to fall.

With the win, Wisconsin extended its home winning streak to 37 games. Asked about the streak after the game, Ryan was nostalgic for a bit, referring to streaks he had while at Wisconsin-Platteville earlier in his career. Still, Ryan was all business. "I really haven't talked about [the streak]," said Ryan. "This right here, when you have a team coming in the next night...that's all we concentrate on." Ryan will need to have the team concentrating. Their next game is Sunday against Michigan State, who will try and counter Wilkinson with Paul Davis. Wisconsin will be looking to extend the winning streak to an NCAA-leading 38.

Ohio State's next game is a non-conference match against 6-5 LSU.

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December 24, 2004

You Have Learned Well Grasshopper

Tuesday night was the fourth meeting between Bobby Knight and Steve Alford on the basketball court, and the first triumph for the Alford led team. The Iowa Hawkeyes soundly beat Texas Tech 83-53 at the United Center in Chicago to continue their season with only a single blemish coming against North Carolina. Earlier in the year, I commented on how Alford needed this season to be fantastic if he hoped to continue holding onto his job at Iowa. If Tuesday night was any indication of how Iowa will play in the Big Ten, then Alford's team will not only see the NCAA tournament, they will be in the Sweet 16, and Alford will keep his job.

Apparently Alford learned something from Bobby Knight along the way when he was at Indiana. Iowa plays almost the exact same offense that Texas Tech does and many of the principles that Alford uses in his coaching style come from Knight. When it came down to it on Tuesday, Iowa was just better at executing at both ends of the floor.

While Pierre Pierce again had a solid game for the Hawkeyes, he was not the driving force in the win. Without looking around the net, I am sure that 6'11" center Erik Hansen was given big credit for the victory and deservedly so.

Hansen had 6 blocks in the game, and he probably got his hand on at least 5 other shots without getting credit for the deflection. He added 9 points mostly coming in the second half when Iowa was safely in the lead. His biggest contribution on the offensive end was 6 offensive rebounds which let Iowa keep possession of the ball for multiple shot attempts. Obviously, because of the big presence inside, which Texas Tech had no answer for, Hansen was dominant at the defensive end. Together with Greg Brunner, they clogged up the lane using a combination of a strong 2-3 zone and man to man defense. The 2-3 zone was killer for Texas Tech in the first half. They had no way to get the ball inside and time after time down the floor they would be forced to pass around the outside and attempt to stay clear of the big men. This caused an abnormal amount of turnovers for the Red Raider team, many of them coming on traveling calls as Texas Tech players tried to get separation from the tough defense. They ended the first half with 16 turnovers which led to 12 Iowa points and a very red faced head coach.

If you want the driving force on offense, it wasn't Mr. Pierce either. That would be Adam Haluska. Haluska started the offense for the Hawkeyes by grabbing their first 8 points of the game and jetting them to a 10-3 lead on Texas Tech. The first six minutes of the game totally belonged to him. He was able to get free when Pierce was well covered and either dish the ball away or score. Had Haluska not picked up his second foul about nine minutes into the game, Iowa would have put the game away in the first half. It was obvious that the offense just ran slower without him on the floor. Pierce was their sole focus and Texas Tech was able to concentrate on him. It wasn't that there weren't other options on offense. Jeff Horner had some nice drives from the baseline but was terrible shooting from elsewhere on the floor. Brunner also contributed when he could. By far though, Haluska drove the offense and shot 7 for 9 including 3 for 3 beyond the arc. Add in four free throws and he had himself a 21 point night.

My player to watch for future games is Alex Thompson. Thompson came into the game with 7:40 to play in the first half to rebound off some Texas Tech free throws. Thompson looked a little rough around the edges, but that can be expected for a freshman. At 6'9", he will be a force to come for the Hawkeyes inside and if he is ever on the court at the same time as Hansen, opposing teams better hope they have some three point shooters. Thompson needs some work on his passing which was not as crisp as you would want from the big man as he feeds it back outside to the shooters. He did have a nice look boarding the ball and reigned in 5 over his 11 minutes. Coming out of Ames, Iowa, it is amazing that Iowa State didn't get this guy. If Tim Floyd or Larry Eustachy were still the coach for the Cyclones, you know that Thompson would have been wearing red this season and maybe Haluska might not be on the Iowa team.

Sure it is only one game, but this is one game that Texas Tech will want to forget. Despite playing well for most of the game on the defensive end, being competent at keeping Iowa on the outside and shooting from long distance, they did not have the same success at the offensive end. Freshman guard Martin Zeno looked like a freshman on the floor. He had 4 turnovers and only two assists. He constantly was forcing the ball inside and then would get beat back on defense. At the same time, Jarrius Jackson was the only offensive option on the floor for the Red Raiders who could accomplish anything. By the second timeout of the game, it was clear that if he didn't touch the ball, the Texas Tech team was not going to score. It took them 9 minutes to finally get a man solidly in the lane, and he was called for a three second violation.

The highlights for the Red Raiders were few. Devonne Giles outbattled 3 Iowa players to get an offensive rebound at one point. There were times when Ronald Ross's defense was enough to frustrate the taller and faster Pierce. Zeno did throw some nice feeder passes. Jackson did manage a great drive through the middle of the lane to the hoop, but it came in the final minutes when most of Iowa's main players were already on the bench watching the walk ons play. Bobby Knight has a lot of work to do before Wednesday night's game against Georgia State. Maybe he can call Steve Alford and get some tips on running his offense.

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December 16, 2004

Batman vs. Two-Face

Last year, Depaul made the NCAA tournament and defeated Dayton in the first round before being run over by eventual champion Connecticut to the tune of a 27 point loss. The MRI didn't think that Depaul deserved to go to the tournament despite tying for the Conference USA title. Thanks to the tournament committee, Depaul got a friendly match-up against Dayton, another team the MRI didn't think deserved to be there. Anyone who watched the game between those two could see that neither team displayed the type of play that proved they should be there.

This year's Depaul season is beginning to look a lot like last year. A team with a good deal of talent, but when they show up for games, they act like Two Face from the old Batman comics. The good side came out against Notre Dame on Saturday, leading them to a great win on the road. The bad side came out against Northern Illinois and Bradley, two games that Depaul should have won but didn't. The real question going into last night's game at Northwestern was which side of Two Face's coin would show at the opening tip.

Bill Carmody, the Northwestern coach and last year's Big Ten coach of the year, had the perfect item on his Utility Belt to counter the Two Face Depaul, the Princeton game. Before coming to Northwestern 4 years ago, Carmody was either an assistant or head coach at Princeton for 18 years. During that time, he studied and implemented Princeton's patented slow down game. Last night, Northwestern was able to execute to perfection, leaving the final score of the game in the low 50s and frustrating the talented Blue Demons.

Time after time down the court, Depaul struggled to get any rhythm on offense. Several times, drives by Sammy Mejia and Drake Diener were stalled. Depaul was forced to live off of 12 foot jumpers just outside the lane and when they stopped falling in the second half, that was all that Northwestern needed to take the lead, and the win. Diener was also not on with his game last night. After scoring 19 on a 7 of 10 shooting performance, including 3 for 5 from beyond the arc, against Notre Dame, he went cold coming back to Chicago. He could manage only 2 points against the Wildcats. Quemont Greer was the lone bright spot for the Blue Demons, but success with getting the ball inside to him stalled out in the latter part of the game when Northwestern was able to clog the lane and not give him the open look. Greer had one run midway through the second half but stalled out with 20 points and didn't score in the final 8:30.

Northwestern was helped by 6'10" Duke transfer Michael Thompson, appearing in his first game for the Wildcats. The offense ran through him on Wednesday night, leading to a 12 point and 5 rebound performance by the McDonald's All-American. Depaul tried to double Thompson with some success. After the game, Thompson was surprised by the tactic. "I definitely did not expect that my first game back. I didn't think they knew," Thompson said. "They were getting frustrated, though, because if anyone doubles down, Vedran or somebody out top makes them pay for it." Vedran is Vedran Vukusic, who had 4 points in the final 90 seconds to help seal the win and 17 overall. Vukusic and Thompson led the slow deliberate drive to the finish for Northwestern.

Depaul coach Bill Leitao will have a big job over the next few days before the Blue Demons take on the UIC Flames on Saturday at home. "I don't forget about any game, everything has to be analyzed," said Leitao after the loss. We will see Saturday if he found a way to get the good side of the coin to come down for his Two Face team.

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December 15, 2004

Welcome to my Home

There are several givens in life. We all die. Most of us pay taxes. 16 seeds don't win the first round games in the NCAA tournament. Duke doesn't lose at home against non-conference opponents. Read that last one again. Duke doesn't lose at home against non-conference opponents. Since Mike Krzyzewski took over the program, they are 176-8 against non-conference teams playing at Cameron Indoor Stadium, including 160 of the last 163.

Tuesday night, the latest team to test the Blue Devils at home was Illinois-Chicago. They should have suspected they were in for a long night when the security guard who let them into the visiting team door closed it behind them, locked it, and then walked away with a cackle only heard in horror movies. Still, they took the floor, took their licks, and went out with their head held high.

Watching the first 10 minutes of the game, you wouldn't have expected the final score to be as lopsided as it was. The Flames were able to run with Duke up and down the floor, preventing the Blue Devils from breaking out on more than one transition basket in the first half. Duke struggled to get the ball inside enough to Shelden Williams, and when they did, he was either fouled before the shot or had to pass it back out. UIC was shooting the ball well, and Duke was able to answer with some 3 point shots, but never enough to pull away. Most trips down the court, Duke was only able to manage one shot and a lack of rebounding was hurting them on the scoreboard.

All that changed with a little less than 9 minutes remaining in the half. At that point, Daniel Ewing stole the ball and ran down the court, passing the ball up in the air to himself before dunking it down. Normally you would count on this to start one of the patented Duke runs. Down by six before that basket, they needed a spark to help them get over whatever was plaguing them in the first few minutes. The run came, but not how you would expect. While causing UIC to turn the ball over 5 times in the next three minutes, Duke gave it back three times. They were only able to string 9 points together before the Flames' Jovan Stefanov ended the run with a great inside basket and hit the foul shot to keep the game tied at 25.

By far, the biggest lapse of the first half for the UIC defense happened with just over 4 minutes remaining. Lee Melchionni hit two three point basket within one minute and both times, the UIC defense backed off him. Yes, Melchionni is a forward, and normally forwards don't shoot three pointers. However, any scout for UIC would have told them that last year he shot 36%, which while not the tops on the team, was still pretty good. This season, so far, he had been better, shooting 36.8% on 7-19 shooting. Why then would the UIC players consistently back off of Melchionni as he caught the ball beyond the 3 point arc and assume he would miss? All combined, it served to give Duke a seven point lead at the half.

From my standpoint, the first half MVP was Ewing. He may not have led the team in scoring. He may have been only 3 for 9 from the floor. However, he was the catalyst for everything that Duke did in the final ten minutes of the half. Over the course of the game, Ewing added 5 steals to an already gaudy 18 from the first six games. He also tacked on 5 assists to go with a number of lane driving baskets which helped to spark the offense.

UIC's one bright spot from the first half was Stefanov who scored 15 of their 31 points. As their only offense, he helped to keep the game close. This could be the main reason why in the second half, they lost touch with the Duke team. Stefanov didn't score for the rest of the game and Cedrick Banks, the all-time leading scorer at UIC, wasn't able to even match Stefanov's 15 points from the first half, finishing with 12 points, 7 of which were scored in the first 6 minutes of the game.

Duke just poured it on during the second half, and Williams emerged as the star of the second half. It almost seemed that Ewing tagged him at half time and said, "You are IT!" Williams began the second half with an 8-0 run of his own helping Duke to a 21-0 run over seven minutes spanning the first and second half. UIC was finally able to get on the board with an inside shot by Elliott Poole but by that point, Duke was up for good.

UIC did a nice job of keeping the intensity level up throughout the game despite the score, but it was just too much to overcome. Even though they were overmatched in this game, they still have what it takes to make a run in the Horizon league and take on Wisconsin-Milwaukee for the conference title.

On Duke's side, they had a number of bright spots in the game. Once again, their three point shooting was right on throughout and they finished 9-23 from beyond the arc. They were able to more consistently take the ball inside to Williams and Ewing is starting to resemble a real point guard, creating offense both with the pass and on his own, driving the basket. They had a nice solid contribution from Freshman DeMarcus Nelson who played 22 minutes and scored 9. Nelson was the all-time leading scorer in high school in the state of California, so he can only improve what is already a great shooting team. Last, their pressure defense was enough to wear down a UIC team that normally holds onto the ball very well. They caused 23 turnovers, almost double what UIC was averaging going into the game. The defense also set a Duke record for blocked shots in a game with 18, seven of them by Williams. Overall, a very solid performance by the Blue Devils. They will need to improve on the way they begin games because they will not be able to spot ACC opponents a good lead like they have in their last two games against Toledo and UIC. Other than that, very solid overall.

It may not be as flashy as it once was, but it got the job done. And it continued what is now a common theme in life: Duke does not lose against non-conference foes at home.

Posted by bmiraski at 3:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 13, 2004

Saturday Afternoon: Lounging with the Big Ten

Saturday afternoon, two college teams invaded the home stadiums of their closest NBA franchises. One drew a crowd which hadn't packed the stadium since the glory days of the franchise during the mid-90s. For their game, they put on a show belonging in the NBA, with high flying dunks and crisp play. The other team played a tough inside game reminiscent of older teams which used to play in the arena, all the while wearing flashy silver uniforms which seemed to belong in the NBA.

The two teams are Illinois and Michigan State, the consensus #1 and #2 teams in the Big Ten. Unfortunately for Michigan State, there is a wide gulf separating the two which was definitely apparent on court this weekend.

Illinois walked into the United Center in Chicago on Saturday, and played like they belonged in the arena all the time. The senior heavy team has finally adapted to coach Bruce Weber's motion offense and it has given them a spark over their opponents not seen since the Final Four team of 1989. In evidence on Saturday afternoon was also the strength of the defense. Illinois was consistently able to cause turnovers which led to some highlight filled transition baskets causing the crowd, very much clad in orange all around, to go crazy. The main man leading all of this pressure on defense was Dee Brown, whose play has improved by leaps and bounds since last year. Several times he created steals which he was able to push up the floor and create with. The most punishing of these happened with less than a minute to go in the first half. Brown stole the ball with a great play and dished a fabulous alley-oop pass to Luther Head who finished the play. With this, the Illini crowd went nuts and didn't stop screaming until the start of the second half.

Overall, Illinois was impressive. I was most intrigued by the play of James Augustine at center. He has definitely matured since last season. His play is more crisp and he is making more confident passes to his teammates. This has helped him to be more aggressive inside with his shooting and become a real force on defense. His improvement is much needed as I am still not sold on Senior Nick Smith. Smith has displayed that he still doesn't get it. Maybe he was too much of Bill Self's type of player but his attitude just doesn't seem to fit with the rest of his team. This was in evidence on Saturday when, with the game well at hand, Smith was called for a silly foul and in disgust whipped the ball down the court. This led to a technical foul and the immediate benching of Smith. In a closer game, displays like this could cost Illinois and therefore Smith will be one that needs to be watched closely by the coaching staff.

It wasn't all Illinois on Saturday, but at times it seemed that way. One bright spot for Oregon was freshman Malik Hairston. Hairston hails from Detroit and all of the schools in the state of Michigan should be ashamed of themselves for not being able to keep this talent at home. No, he wasn't Mr. Basketball in the state, but he sure seems a lot more poised at his young age that Drew Neitzel has for Michigan State. Hairston showed amazing court vision, shooting, and speed, against the Illini. This was even more impressive when you consider that he was doing it against a very mature and experienced Illinois team. According to Hairston's father, Ernie Kent was able to impress Malik and his mother enough to make him choose Oregon. Tom Izzo and Tommy Amaker could only wish they had made such a good impression.

Izzo's team was the other Big Ten team in action on Saturday at it's nearest NBA home. Sporting a strange set of silver uniforms and cheered on by the "Green Man Group", Michigan State showed off its inside strength against Stanford, a team which has been lacking on the boards this year. The first half was very much in Michigan State's favor as they fed the ball inside to Paul Davis, something that worked very well for them against Duke in the ACC-Big Ten challenge. They went into half time leading by 9, both on the scoreboard and the backboards.

The second half was more of the same though Michigan State started to improve in other aspects of its offensive game. Shannon Brown stepped up with a great drive through the lane six minutes into the half, finishing with a powerful dunk. Two minutes later he followed with another dunk after a baseline drive. Stanford was able to break up an alley-oop attempt by the Spartans soon after, but a rebound and great feeder pass inside to Davis led to him drawing a foul and making the free throws. The varied offensive attack will only help Michigan State getting into conference play as they will not be able to rely on Davis and only Davis all game. At this point, Ager and Brown are the two best candidates to step up and contribute on the offensive end.

Stanford did have some highlights in the game and there is some there for Trent Johnson to work with, especially with another down year in the PAC-10. Stanford was able to get the ball inside a few times against the Spartans and this led to some nice baskets for the Cardinal. Unfortunately, Stanford was not always that patient on offense and this held them back, leading to turnovers and missed rebounding opportunities.

One last note on Neitzel. With a little over four minutes remaining the game and the Spartans leading by 16, Drew Naymick made a great block at the defensive end. Neitzel ended up with the ball in his hands and tried to make a fancy alley-oop play which was broken up easily by the Stanford defense. His better play would have been to bring the ball back outside and slow it down, drawing time off the clock, and looking for the inside pass for an easier basket. As a freshman, this mistake is understandable, but with someone who will be looked upon to provide a lot of early leadership on this team, it was the wrong choice. Izzo told him as much 20 seconds later when he took him out of the game, but did it by teaching, not yelling, something that will only help Neitzel as this season moves on.

Michigan State outrebounded Stanford 28-24, something that was going to be key for them going into the game. Improved shooting helped them to the 25 point win which was definitely missing in their game against Duke where they were definitely outshot from the outside.

While impressive, Michigan State has a bit of ground to make up on Illinois before the two meet on February 1st. They still have too many weaknesses to exploit while Illinois seems a fully formed team. I have no doubt that Illinois will lose a game before February, and the game between them and the Spartans may again come down to the rebounding battle. Right now though, the Spartans would find themselves getting run out of their own gym.

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December 12, 2004

Saturday Morning: Flipping Channels

With the regular season over in football, and most schools either finishing finals or not starting yet, there were close to 100 basketball games on Saturday to match Division 1 teams. With so many games going on though, there were a few match-ups that kept me with my finger on the remote control buttons and switching the channel every few minutes.

The toughest choice on Saturday was the early game. Rick Pitino and a Louisville team with high expectations traveled into Gainesville to take on Pitino's protege, Billy Donovan and his Florida squad. Last years battle saw Louisville roll all over the Gators and help to make sure that a team which had just been named to the #1 position earlier in the week would suffer its second loss of the week, keeping Florida winless all time when they are leading the nation. Neither team was ranked as highly this time, but it doesn't mean the game didn't mean much to both teams. Florida is trying to prove they still have what it takes to compete at the top as they have in the past few years. This year, the talent level is not the same in Gainesville but the expectations are still there. Louisville is still battling back from its opening loss to Iowa out in Maui. They have won every game since and while Pitino thinks the team is still not at its full potential, that doesn't mean they shouldn't play better than they have.

It is conceivable that this game would have been enough to keep me interested, but over on the ESPN Full Court plan was a very close game between South Florida and Michigan. Michigan is coming off a win in the NIT last year and hoping that momentum can carry them into the NCAA tournament this year. However, Michigan was not the story of the game. Rather, that fell to a 6'9" Senior out of Tampa, Florida, named Terrence Leather. Leather towered over the court, leading his team at every opportunity. Every time he touched the ball, he drew the defense to him, and yet, each time he was able to score. He shot inside, laying it off the glass. He would step back and drop in twelve footers over the defenders. He would drive to the basket, playing as hard as he could every minute he played the game.

No one expected Leather to amount to much after his first two years with the team. Something happened to him last year when he averaged 15.5 points a game and became their threat inside. He has carried it over into this season and put on a show in this game. The only thing that kept him from totally dominating, and possibly kept his team from winning, was Leather getting himself into foul trouble. Despite being on the bench for much of the game, with about 15 minutes left in the second half, Leather had 23 of his team's 43 points and they were only down two to Michigan. At that point, Leather got his fourth foul and was sent to the bench. With him out of the game, Michigan was able to take advantage and pull a little further ahead, slowly increasing the lead over the next 5 minutes to 9 points. It would have been worse had South Florida Senior guard Marlyn Bryant not made a massive block inside just before Leather re-entered the game. While he was out, the only player able to do anything for the Bulls was their 5'10" point guard Brian Swift.

Leather coming back into the game was able to provide a small spark and allow the Bulls to once again close the gap as he scored 5 more points. They did not take advantage of him coming back though and feeding him the ball inside did not happen as often as it should have. Instead, South Florida continued to try and live on the outside, a tactic which was not working against Michigan's defense. Down 8, four minutes after returning, Leather fouled out of the game. Once he was out, Swift tried to keep the game close, but he couldn't do it on his own. The Bulls ended up losing by nine. Swift and Leather combined for 41 of the team's 62 points. Not much is expected from South Florida this season after last year winning only one game in Conference USA, but Terrence Leather will definitely put on a show where ever he goes. I know he kept me watching him throughout the game on Saturday.

In between watching Leather's performance, I was taken back in time by watching the Louisville and Florida game. Billy Donovan's clubs have always been known for speed, running their opponents up and down the court and gaining advantages not with superior shooting but penetrating guard play. Rick Pitino wins in a similar way with great guard play, but adds on a pressure defense which is hard for most teams to handle. His attempts to use this in the NBA have never met with much success, but you can't argue with his success on the college level. He seeks to take his third team to the Final Four and this year looks to be the team that can do just that.

Watching both teams on Saturday, I was impressed by how much these teams resembled their teams of the past. Late in the first half, Florida was able to capitalize on their speed and cause turnovers which led to some easy transition baskets. However, you could see the youth of this Florida team, especially Corey Brewer and Taurean Green. Poor shot selection and letting their speed get ahead of them led to a number of turnovers the other direction and allowed wide open shots for the star guards of Louisville, Francisco Garcia and Taquan Dean.

Early in the second half, Garcia was well along the way of taking charge of his team. Within 30 seconds, he hit a three pointer, stole the ball twice and followed that up with another basket, all resulting from the tough press defense which Louisville successfully used to keep Florida from running on them.

It wasn't that Florida didn't try to stay in the game. I was very impressed by David Lee, who has lost a great deal of weight from last season. He looks like a totally different player out on the court. His mobility has improved and this has directly led to him becoming a more productive player for the Gators. Down six with ten minutes remaining, Lee drove the basket in transition and was fouled. The foul was questionably called intentional and Lee hit both free throws. Florida scored on the possession and cut the lead to two.

Swings like this are often enough to get a team back into the game. Listening to the crowd in the O'Connell Center, you would have thought that the Gators had taken the lead or extended it and were ready to pull off the win. Unfortunately for the fans, the team was still down and whatever influence they had, it seemed to drive the Louisville guards even more. Garcia and Dean consistently were able to answer Florida runs and silence the crowd. That is just what happened after this sequence, with Garcia scoring on a pass from Dean. 5 minutes later, it was a Dean three pointer which silenced the Gator crowd.

Florida was able to keep the game close throughout, including a sequence in the final minute when sloppy play by Louisville with Garcia out of the game let Florida have a chance to win. Fully expecting the game to be over with a minute left and the Cardinals up five, Florida was able to rebound a bad three pointer by Dean, taken with 25 second left on the shot clock, and turn it into 2 points on the other end after a foul. A turnover on the next possession by the Cardinals was run down the court by Florida. Strangely, David Lee took a three pointer which hit nothing and fell into Louisville's hands. With their top three point shooter, Anthony Roberson, on the floor, there is no reason that Lee, who didn't hit a three all last year or this year, should be taking that shot. That sealed the game for Pitino. Louisville never trailed the entire game, but still has some work to do to make teams worry about players other than Dean and Garcia. Still, those two were able to lead this team to a win again.

There are days that don't have games with this much appeal, and I was able to watch two at the same time with the rest of Saturday still to follow. Still, I feel sorry for the "Last" button on my remote. At least it will get a break the rest of the week.

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