Gator (and Southern) Hoops Blog #10 - Season 2

My Beloved 95 Bloggees:



The 4 - 0 Tide keep rolling. With last year's NIT championship loss to Wichita State in their minds, Alabama secured revenge with a 70 - 60 win over the Shockers http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111180648  . The Tide had a whopping 14 blocked shots and 6' 8 250 lb freshman Nick Jacobs had 5 of them in just 9 minutes! Swat!

Tony Mitchell shot 9 of 15 for 26 points leading the scoring for the Crimson and White. The Tide are for real and to be feared. March and early April might be quite busy for Alabama fans. You can't help but pull for a classy coach like Anthony Grant. Plus, I like his pedigree. NEXT




Some pundits have half-jokingly suggested that injured Peyton Manning might deserve the MVP award in the NFL this year because with him missing all of the games of the Indianapolis Colts they are winless. Could Arkansas's powerful 6' 7 235 lb Marshawn Powell possibly capture the SEC "Manning MVP" award this year?

Reports out of Arkansas are that Powell suffered a severe knee injury in practice Thursday. How much time he will miss has not been determined but he did have to sit out Friday's 87 - 78 loss to Houston http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111180019  . The Razorbacks were outrebounded 38 - 27 by their Conference USA opponent, an indication of how much they missed Powell's bulk. NEXT





Southern Conference's Davidson Wildcats gave a scare to the Duke Blue Devils on Friday night leading by one at the half. Then Duke turned it up a notch as they are known to do and came out on top 82 - 69 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111180173  . Gator decommit Austin Rivers scored 17 points on 8 for 13 from the field but suffered 4 turnovers. Seth Curry also contributed 17 points on 6 for 11. NEXT





Just because your dad played in the NBA like the sons of Doc Rivers and Dell Curry mentioned above, does not guarantee that you will have an impact on college basketball. Eastern Michigan's Quintin Dailey, Jr. fits that category. The Eagles senior only scored one point in just 8 minutes of play last night in the 62 - 51 victory over Arkansas-Little Rock. For the year, Dailey is only averaging 1.7 points per game and for his career just 2.4 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/88455  .

Quintin Dailey, Sr, the troubled University of San Francisco star who played in the NBA for 10 years, died a year ago with heart complications http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/11/sports/ncaabasketball/11dailey.html . NEXT






Continuing the theme of NBA offspring, Georgia Tech was led by Glen Rice, Jr. off the bench in the Yellow Jackets 73 - 60 Friday win over last year's Final Four darling, VCU http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111180232  . Rice, who missed the team's first three games because of a rules violation, had 19 points, 7 for 11 from the field, 3 for 6 beyond the arc.

In 1988, I was one of the 10 Gator fans in Salt Lake City, Utah to I see his dad, Glen Rice, Sr, score 39 on 16 for 24 shooting for Michigan to defeat Florida 108 - 85 in a Final 32 game of the Big Dance http://www.gatorzone.com/basketball/men/media/2003/pdf/142.pdf  .

That Michigan team had a Fab Five before the more famous early 90's version (that included Chris Weber and Juwan Howard). The 1988 Fab Five had five starters who played in the NBA. We will make this a trivia question, can you name them? Scroll down at the bottom for the answer. Reply if you answered correctly without googling. That would be impressive and I want to know. You already have one. NEXT




Mississippi State might be the only team that has already played five games. Their development as a top-notch SEC team was evident last night defeating 15th ranked Arizona 67 - 57 to win the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer at Madison Square Garden http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111180366 . The Bulldogs showed balanced scoring with UTEP transfer 6' 11 230 lb , junior Arnett Moutrie, who had a double-double with 19 points and 10 boards, the only one in double figures.

With preseason All-SEC first teamer, senior Dee Bost at the point and 6' 10 270 lb Renardo Sydney's presence in the post, along with Moutrie, Coach Rick Stansbury has an outstanding nucleus which will be a force in the SEC. NEXT




Congrats to Bloggee Alan who as AD saw his Jacksonville Dolphins win their first of the year, defeating his former employer, Samford, 70 - 57 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111180281  . The Dolphins, who try to repeat last year's upset at Florida on Thanksgiving Friday night, shot an efficient 50 % led by Aloys Cabell and his 17 points. Samford's senior Jeffrey Merritt seemed to be the only Bulldog in sync offensively with 22 points on 9 for 14, including 3 for 4 long-range. THAT'S IT.




Enjoy....former Gator assistant, Lewis Preston, won his first game as head coach at Kennesaw State with a 65 - 59 victory over Southern Conference's Chattanooga.....you newbie bloggees, let me know what you think so far....I always look forward to reading feedback, positive or negative,



Barry



Trivia Answer


Glen Rice

Loy Vaught

Rumeal Robinson

Gary Grant

Terry Mills

Gator (and Southern) Hoops Blog #9 - Season 2

My Beloved 95 Bloggees:




If I only had an editor, he or she would have caught my fumble in the last blog that South Carolina's point guard/wide receiver is Bruce Ellington not Wllkington. NEXT



On Thursday night, Florida manhandled North Florida 91 - 55 http://www.gatorzone.com/basketball/men/boxscore.php?gameid=10279   . Four of the Gators Fabulous Five guards, Kenny Boynton (20), Erving Walker (17), Mike Rosario (15) and Bradley Beal (12) were in double figures, while the other, defensive specialist Scottie Wilbekin, did his thing with 4 steals.

The lack of frontcourt depth is worrisome which was exacerbated by the absence of Will Yeguete who was sitting out due to concussion symptoms. He took an elbow to the face last game from Ohio State's Jared Sullinger. That is a big ouch. NEXT




When was the last time you saw an ACC team only score 42 points? That happened to first-year coach Mark Turgeon's Maryland Terrapins in Puerto Rico on Thursday when they ran into Anthony Grant's defensive machine, Alabama, 62 - 42. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111170006  ? It was a complete wipeout, with no Maryland player scoring double figures. Not only were the Turtles outrebounded 44 - 28 but they shot just 26.5 % against the pressure of the Crimson Tide.

Alabama was led by Tony Mitchell's double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. If I were the Tide AD. I would do everything possible to make Anthony Grant a long-time Tuscaloosa resident. I love his team and the future of Tide hoops with him at the helm. NEXT




Mike Anderson's Arkansas Razorbacks continue to be undefeated with a 91 - 68 victory over Oakland on Wednesday night in its second game of the season http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111160019  . Marshawn Powell was the man again with his 20 points on 9 for 13.

However, here is a freshman to watch, point guard B. J. Young, who scored 16 points in just 20 minutes on 5 for 8 shooting, 3 for 5 from the deep end. Last year I saw an entertaining televised St. Louis high school basketball game that featured two All-Americans from that town, Young and the Gators' Bradley Beal . They are both so special. NEXT




Speaking of Arkansas, do you remember Corliss Williamson, the 1994 NCAA Tournament MVP when Arkansas won the Big Dance. "The Big Nasty" is currently the 2nd-year head coach at Central Arkansas (Scottie Pippen's alma mater) from the Southland Conference. His first year was disappoining with a 5 -24 record. This year could be worse. The Bears are 0 - 3 after Wednesday night's 97 - 90 loss to NAIA's Philander Smith College http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/teams/cdm   . Nothing more needs to be said. NEXT




In a battle of future Gator in-state opponents, 25th ranked Florida State held off Stetson, 79 - 66 Wednesday night http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111160213  . The Seminoles' Okaro White had 18 points on 8 for 11 from the field, while Bernard James had a double-double with 15 points on 7 for 8 along with 11 rebounds. Deividas Dulkys came off the bench shooting 6 times without a miss, 4 times outside of the arc for 16 points.

FSU has very large bodies with a a starting frontcourt of 6' 11, 6' 10 and 6 ' 8 and a backcourt of two 6' 5 guards, and even more size coming off the bench. It will be a "tall" challenge for the Gators when they host FSU on December 22. Also, Stetson is much improved under their new head coach, Casey Alexander, a long-time assistant (and former player) at the successful Belmont program. The November 28th battle against the Hatters in Orlando may not be a pushover for the Orange and Blue. Ask FSU. NEXT




Mark Gottfried's N C State Wolfpack won a 60 - 58 nail biter over Princeton Wednesday night http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111160411  giving the Raleigh school a 3 - 0 record. The key stat was N. C. State winning the battle on the boards 34 - 22. The Pack's success has taken place even while not at full strength. Sophomore 6' 8 forward C.J. Leslie will be eligible to play Saturday against Vandy after serving a 3-game suspension for accepting improper benefits. NEXT




Visiting Creighton ruined UAB's opener on Wednesday 70 - 60 . Bloggee Doug who was in attendance raved about Doug McDermott and his 27 points on 11 for 18 shooting, 3 for 4 long distance. Bluejay head coach, Greg McDermott was also pleased with his son's play.

For the Blazers, former local high school star, Jordan Swing, a Western Kentucky transfer, had 14 points in his UAB debut. Pre-season Conference USA Player of the Year, 6' 10 Cameron Moore, was not a factor offensively with just 7 points, but he had 7 blocked shots and 12 rebounds. THAT'S IT.





Enjoy....Blogee Bob's 3 - 0 Campbell Camels defeated N.C. A&T 94 - 66.....freshman Trey Freeman hit both of his free throws so he is now 22 for 22 this year,




Barry

Gator (and Southern) Hoops Blog #8 - Season 2

My Beloved 95 Bloggees:




Florida dug themselves a 16-point second half hole last night in a 81 - 74 road loss to 3rd-ranked Ohio State http://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=21806  . The stats for the game were basically even for the two teams except free throws and turnovers. Florida was 13 for 21 while Ohio State was 27 for 34 from the charity stripe. Also, Florida had 16 turnovers (not terrible) but Ohio State just had 7.

I remember former broadcaster and Marquette coach, the late Al McGuire, used to say, "You cut the head off, you kill the body." If the Gators play Ohio State again, I would encourage that Florida give more minutes to shut-down defender Scottie Wilbekin and put him on Buckeye point guard Aaron Craft. During the short periods when that happened last night, Wilbekin gave Craft fits. Florida would sacrifice some offense but it would be more than offset by Ohio State being out of sync.

Gator center, Patric Young, certainly held he own against Ohio State's Player of the Year candidate, Jared Sullinger. Young outrebounded Sullinger 12 to 6 and was only outscored 16 to 14. That is a tremendous sign for the Orange and Blue, but more scoring needs to come from frontcourt reserves. NEXT


There were a couple worse losses by SEC teams on Tuesday night. LSU lost for the second straight year to the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, this time on the road 71 - 63 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111150122  . Don't forget Coastal Carolina's head coach is the country music crooner and former head coach at South Alabama, Clemson and Auburn, Cliff Ellis.

The game was supposed to celebrate the opening of Coastal Carolina's new arena but construction was delayed. So they played in a 1,039 seating facility on campus. Of course it sold out. Back to the play on the court, the Chanticleers outrebounded their SEC opponent, 51 - 32. This does not bode well for LSU coach Trent Johnson who is probably regretting his move from Stanford. NEXT



In another shocker, South Carolina was upset on the road by Southern Conference's Elon 58 - 53 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111150195  . The Gamecocks did not have a player in double figures, shooting 31 % and just 3 for 27 or 11 % from way out...."Paging Bruce Elkington, Bruce Elkington, please come from the football field to the basketball court." (referring to last year's freshman point guard sensation, now a wide receiver/wildcat QB on the Gamecock football team). NEXT



Kentucky won the battle of heavyweight programs with a 75 - 65 win over the Rock-Chalks of Kansas on Tuesday night http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111150292  . The Wildcats started three freshmen (Marquis Teague, Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist) and two sophomores (Terrence Jones and Deron Lamb), with each of them in double figures, playing at least 33 minutes. This just in, Coach John Calipari can recruit.

Florida transfer Eloy Vargas pitched in a rebound during his 7 minutes for the Wildcats. On the other side, Kansas's Travis Releford, brother of Alabama's point guard Trevor, had more turnovers (5) than points (4) in 28 minutes. NEXT



Vanderbilt's Tuesday 80 - 68 win over Bucknell is more impressive than the score indicates considering the 'Dores star guard, John Jenkins, was a spectator nursing a hurt ankle http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111150615  . Jeffrey Taylor bounced back from his dismal performance in Sunday's Cleveland State loss, to lead 5 Vandy players in double figures with 14 points on 6 of 10 shooting. NEXT



The Gators may regret the transfer of 6' 11 255 lb Kenny Kadji . They could have used him last night against Ohio State after seeing his numbers in Miami's 72 - 57 win over Rutgers http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111150355  . Kadji scored 13 points on 6 for 11 shooting along with 3 steals, 2 blocked shots and 5 rebounds in 30 minutes for Jim Larranaga's Hurricanes. NEXT



On Monday night, 16th ranked Alabama had an impressive home win over Oakland, 74 - 57 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201111140006  . The visitors were picked to finish second in the preseason Summit League poll and has represented the League in the NCAA tourney the last two years.

JaMychal Green led the Tide with 18 points on 7 for 13 shooting. Tony Mitchell just missed a double-double with 12 points and 9 rebounds. Coach Anthony Grant has to be ecstatic with the play of the highly-touted in-state freshmen Trevor Lacey and Levi Randolph who scored 10 and 9 points respectively. If the Tide continue playing this tight defense yielding just 40% shooting, 22% beyond the arc by the Grizzlies, something special could be happening at the Capstone. NEXT




Auburn had a similar home victory Monday night but with a different feel to it. The Tigers got by Kennesaw State 68 - 55 but the guests played without last year's Atlantic Sun Player of the Year, Markeith Cummings http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111140028  . If you remember, Kennesaw State was crushed by Wisconsin on Saturday 85 - 31, and in that game Cummings scored 18 of those points.

Frankie Sullivan was in a groove for Auburn with 22 points on 6 for 11 shooting after a subpar 3 for 12 and 8 points on Auburn's opening night. NEXT



Monday night had an interesting matchup of head coaches in an overtime thriller. Isiah Thomas and Florida International defeated former Georgia Tech coach, Paul Hewitt and George Mason 79 - 76. Will Isiah take the Panthers to the next level after an 11 - 19 record in his collegiate coaching rookie year? Will Paul Hewitt continue the winning tradition at George Mason started by Miami Hurricanes coach, Jim Larranaga? NEXT



The Big South Conference shined on Monday night, especially during the following games:


High Point barely lost at Big Ten Purdue 67 - 65.

Presbyterian soundly defeated Eastern Kentucky from the Ohio Valley Conference 78 - 50.

But the game that means the most to Bloggee Bob was his 2 - 0 Campbell Camels defeating Jeff Lebo's East Carolina Pirates from Conference USA 76 - 74. Campbell's freshman point guard, Trey Freeman, sank 12 of 12 free throws in the victory. (I love to see 100 % free throw shooting by a player when he has double digit attempts). Freeman is now 20 for 20 this year. We will keep an eye on him. THAT'S IT




Enjoy.....there were more games to report during the last two nights, but I don't want to send out novels.....I will tell you Gator decomit Austin Rivers was 1 for 7 in Duke's win over Michigan State....also Bob Huggins and West Virginia have not recovered from their exhibition game loss, with a 70 - 60 home upset by Kent State.






Barry

Gator (and Southern) Hoops Blog #7 - Season 2

My Beloved 95 Bloggees (Welcome Bruce):


Florida decommit Austin Rivers had 15 points, 3 steals and no turnovers on Saturday to lead Duke to a 96 - 55 victory over the Blue Hose of Presbyterian College from the Big South Conference http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111120173  . "Doc Jr." was 5 for 8 from the field contributing to the Blue Devils whopping 61 % shooting percentage.

For you Birmingham bloggees, Presbyterian's big William Truss from last year's State Final Four participant, Vestavia Hills High School, had 4 points in 8 minutes. Surprisingly his 257 pound frame did not fetch any rebounds. NEXT




Butler, who defeated the Gators in the Elite Eight last year, is off to a miserable start. After losing in an exhibition game to Northern State, it dropped its opening game in overtime at Evansville 80 - 77 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111120193  . Gator killer Khyle Marshall only had 6 points and 2 offensive rebounds. He should have imagined that the Purple Aces were wearing Orange and Blue so that he could possibly duplicate the key numbers he had against Florida, 10 points and 7 offensive rebounds.

Butler is certainly looking forward to next year when the Arkansas transfer sharpshooter, Rotnei Clarke, will be eligible for the Bulldogs. NEXT



Wisconsin demolished Kennesaw State from the Atlantic Sun Conference 85 - 31on Saturday http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111120657  . At halftime it was 41 - 8......for the game the Badgers outrebounded the Owls, 40 - 17 and outshot them, 59 % to 23 %. The number one-ranked point guard, Jordan Taylor, http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/viewcbse.asp only had 11 points but distributed 7 assists for 15th ranked Wisconsin.

The first year coach for Kennesaw State is former Gator assistant Lewis Preston. Here are his frustrating words after the game: "When I go back and look at this film, if I don’t kick the TV in, I’m going to go back and look at the number of open shots. We probably missed five or six layups; we missed some easy shots in the sweet spot.” Take it easy, Coach. NEXT




On Sunday, Middle Tennessee State from the Sun Belt Conference defeated host Loyola Marymount 58 - 51 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111130317  . What made this victory so meaningful for the Blue Raiders was Loyola Marymount's upset of then 17th ranked UCLA on Friday night. Middle Tennessee State gets a crack at UCLA themselves on Tuesday.

If you have DISH Network, on Tuesday night you can tune into Channel 411 Fox Sports Prime Ticket at 10:00 Central to watch that intersectional matchup. You may see a "not-so tall" guy wearing a suit on the Middle Tennessee State bench, prompting the question "Hey, Who is That Assistant Coach". It will be former Gator assistant Monte Towe, who recently was an assistant to Sidney Lowe at his alma mater, North Carolina State. NEXT




In a Sunday shocker, Cleveland State upset 7th ranked Vanderbilt 71 - 58 in Music City USA http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201111130615  . Does Mouse McFadden have any eligibilty left? (He was the star in 1986 who led Cleveland State to the Sweet Sixteen http://clevelandsportshall.com/mcfadden-ken-mouse/  ).

No, Mouse didn't play, but D’Aundray Brown did. The 6' 4 senior guard had 18 points, 7 of his team's 15 steals and 8 rebounds for a good day's work. John Jenkins was not sharp for the 'Dores, shooting 5 for 14 and just 2 for 8 from long range on his way to 17 points. Jeffrey Taylor also had a disappointing performance with 6 turnovers and just 9 points. NEXT




In Friday night's annual "Blogger Barry's IQ is not allowed near the building" rivalry game, Harvard defeated MIT 76 - 49 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=ap-201111110245.had.recap. The Crimson of Harvard are Ivy League Champs coached by former Duke great Tommy Amaker who already has a history of big-time upsets while at the school. THAT'S IT





Enjoy....speaking of Ivy League, I feel bad for bloggee Barbara who went to Princeton, NJ and saw her alma mater lose to Wagner 73 - 57....looks like 28 Princeton turnovers were too tough to overcome.....on Wednesday her Tigers travel to Raleigh against Mark Gottfried's 2 - 0 NC State Wolfpack.....Barbara, I am pulling for Princeton,




Barry

Gator (and Southern) Hoops Blog #6 - Season 2

My Beloved 92 Bloggees:



The Veteran's Day battle between North Carolina and Michigan State on the USS Carl Vinson was a terrific way for the sports world to honor our military. The pre-game including President Obama addressing the brave men and women who defend our country was memorable. I am a firm believer when it comes to honoring these wonderful Americans, one leaves their partisanship at the door and enjoy the experience like I did watching on TV.


Michigan State probably did not enjoy the subsequent 40 minutes losing to North Carolina 67 - 55. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201111110413  I believe I saw a couple of MSU players licking a finger and then putting it up to the wind to determine its direction...like we did when playing on the driveway. That didn't help their 31% overall shooting and just 10% from beyond the arc, 2 for 20. The outside elements did not affect the Spartans' Draymond Green who had 18 rebounds nor the Heels' top two players, Harrison Barnes (17 points) and John Henson (12 points....he is from Tampa, FL....grrrrrr). NEXT





Two future in-state Gator opponents FSU and Jacksonville, played each other on Friday night with the Seminoles coming out on top 79 - 67. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201111110213  Terrance Shannon came off the bench with his 6' 8 220 lb frame achieving a rare double double for a reserve, 15 points and 12 rebounds. Deividas Dulkys and his 16 points also contributed to the Noles' reserves outscoring JU's 42 - 6. Jacksonville still should be a force again in the Atlantic Sun....Gator fans and Samford fans (which I qualify as both) won't forget last year's home upset losses to the Dolphins.

Here is a relevant trivia question ....which two Final Four coaches have been head coach at both FSU and JU? Scroll down to the bottom for the answer. NEXT





Two future out-of-state Gator opponents tangled on Friday night with Florida's next opponent, Ohio State, smashing Wright State 73 - 42. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111110443  Not surprisingly, Jared Sullinger led the Buckeyes with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks. For you wrasslin' fans, it will be like a cage match when Patric Young of Florida goes against Sullinger on Tuesday night. NEXT





With all due respect to current Gator assistant John Pelphrey (with whom I am upset because he did not follow-up on a lead I gave him over the phone that might have helped both the Gator basketball and football programs), Arkansas fans must be ecstatic to see Mike Anderson on the sidelines. I saw the impact he made when he was UAB coach, not just winning but the entertaining way his frenetic teams won during the regular season and at the Big Dance.

Anderson's Razorbacks won their first game on Friday night against South Carolina-Upstate from the Atlantic Sun Conference 83 - 63 . As expected, Marshawn Powell was a force with 6 for 8 shooting for 19 points. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111110019

Check out the shot at Pelphrey taken by former Arkansas coach, Nolan Richardson, for whom Anderson had served as an assistant for 17 years, “It’s good to see the energy back in this place.” http://arkansasnews.com/2011/11/12/basketball-anderson-era-begins-with-arkansas-win/  Ouch, babe. NEXT



Former Gator Final Four Coach Lon Kruger had a shaky debut at the helm of the Oklahoma Sooners who barely defeated Idaho State 78 - 74 Friday night http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201111110444  Coming into the game, the Bengals had lost 24 straight against BCS opponents. With that in mind, this slim win seems to indicate that Lon has a lot of work to do in Norman. NEXT






On Friday night, Vanderbilt got off to a solid start with a 78 - 64 win at the "Nashville Dungeon". http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111110615  Sweet strokin' John Jenkins led the 'Dores with 24 points on 7 for 16 deep shots. Jeffrey Taylor had a double double for the victors, 21 points and 11 rebounds. Vanderbilt was upset on Sunday which will be discussed in the next blog. NEXT






Last year's Cinderella Final Four participant, VCU, had an opening night win against St. Francis (PA) 63 - 57. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111110613  The highlight or should I say lowlight was Shaka Smart's Rams having to overcome the 0 for 12 shooting by one of last year's March heroes, 6' 6 senior Bradford Burgess. He had consistently shot 48 % each of his previous three years for VCU.  NEXT





Look who got his first win as an ACC coach on Friday night. Former Alabama player and head coach, Mark Gottfried, and his NC State Wolfpack defeated UNC-Asheville 84 - 75. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111110411  The victors had two players with double-doubles: Richard Howell, 14 points 15 rebounds and DeShawn Pointer coming off the bench, 12 points and 12 boards. You might remember that UNC-Asheville did go dancing last year after winning the Big South Conference tourney. NEXT





Speaking of the Big South, how about a tip of the hat to bloggee Bob, the new AD at Campbell University for the Camels' opening night win over Houston Baptist http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111110096j  . Bob seems to have the golden touch, so look for Campbell hoops to begin to rise, just as its 4-year old football program has already done, going 6 - 4 so far this year. http://www.gocamels.com/sports/fball/2011-12/schedule  THAT'S IT.




Enjoy....I don't want to wear you out ...the next blog will include the rest of the action this weekend,




Barry





The trivia answer is Hugh Durham and Joe Williams.

Gator (and Southern) Hoops Blog # 5 - Season 2

My Beloved 92 Bloggees (Welcome Jerry, Mark and Bo):


Gulp! That is the way Jackson State might describe the Gator basketball team after last night's 99 - 59 thrashing by Florida.  http://www.gatorzone.com/basketball/men/boxscore.php?gameid=10277

The Gators started out to a scary 41 - 8 lead with virtually all aspects of their game clicking. They cruised the rest of the way to the 40-point victory. Jackson State is a young, inexperienced less-talented team, so it was difficult to learn much about Florida after this game except they are athletic and deep, which are both critical for Billyball's pressure defense to succeed. Also, they are entertaining the way they unselfishly make the extra pass.

The Gators might have the best backcourt in the country with 5 guards who could probably start anywhere. Most everyone knows about scorers Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton after making the Elite Eight last year. Don't forget Scottie Wilbekin might be the nation's top defender at the guard position. Then there is the freshman Bradley Beal who reminds me of Pavlov's dog because watching his all-around play makes you salivate http://www.wisegeek.com/who-was-pavlovs-dog.htm . Finally, Rutgers transfer Mike Rosario, who led the Scarlet Knights in scoring two years ago with over 16 points per game, could be the cherry at the top of the sundae as evidenced by his 19 points in 20 minutes including 5 for 8 from way downtown against Jackson State.

We will know more about the Orange and Blue when they travel to Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday night in a televised revenge bout against Ohio State and Jared Sullinger. NEXT


Gator transfer 6' 11 Kenny Kadji started for the University of Miami in his debut for new coach Jim Larranaga (from George Mason) with some mixed results in his team's 69 - 58 win over Tennessee Tech. Kadji had a "bagel" in terms of scoring with 0 - 3 from the field. He did snatch 5 rebounds in his 19 minutes. Georgia transfer guard Zach Swansey led the Golden Eagles with 19 points. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111110355  NEXT



Gator transfer Eloy Vargas grabbed 8 rebounds and scored 5 points for the number two-ranked Kentucky Wildcats on their way to a 108 - 58 victory over Marist. Kentucky outrebounded their opponent a whopping 50 - 27. Where is Rik Smits when you need him? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rik_Smits

Kentucky flexed their muscles with freshman Anthony Davis leading the way with 8 dunks among his 23 points. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist also represented the highly-touted freshman class with 15 points. Last year's super freshman, Terrence Jones, had 8 points coming off the bench after being involved in an early morning auto accident as a passenger.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111110292  Kansas is next on Tuesday. NEXT




The Southern Conference did not fare well against the SEC in three games:

Georgia defeated Wofford 62 - 49. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the 6' 4 highly-recruited freshman guard, led the Bulldogs with 15 points. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111110230

In a battle of Carolinas, South defeated Western 75 - 50 in spite of the Gamecocks point guard from last year, Bruce Elkington, busy on the gridiron as wide receiver and wildcat quarterback . http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111110525

And the "Cuonzo era" (or post-Pearl era) began in Knoxville where the Volunteers upended UNC-Greeensboro 92 - 73 for their new coach, former Purdue great, Cuonzo Martin. We might have to remember the name of Tennessee sophomore 6' 1 guard Trae Golden who averaged just 3 points a game last year. On Friday night, he scored 29 on 10 of 14 from the field including 4 of 5 from long-range. Golden also contributed 9 assists. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111110580  NEXT


Alabama is a team to be feared. All the players seem to have now bought into Anthony Grant's disciplined system and their defense reflects that. The Crimson Tide limited North Florida, the runner-up in last year's Atlantic Sun tourney, to a stifling 23 % shooting, on 13 for 56 in the Alabama 64 - 44 victory. We should get used to the following game recap......JaMychal Green (18 pts) and Tony Mitchell (17 pts) were the top scorers for the Crimson Tide. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111110006  NEXT


Auburn looks to be a more dangerous team. With Tony Barbee and his John Calipari pedigree at the helm for his second year, expect much improvement as evidenced by its 84 - 62 win over McNeese State, picked to finish 2nd in the East Division of the Southland conference. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111110028  The decisive win even came during an off-shooting night by stud Frankie Sullivan who was just 3 for 12 and 8 points. Texas transfer Veraz Ward is a terrific upgrade at point guard. He began his War Eagle career with 14 points and 5 assists in 25 minutes. NEXT


Duke barely squeezed by Belmont 77 - 76. Austin Rivers, Doc's son who decomitted from Florida, tied for the team lead with 16 points. He was only 3 for 9 from the field and had a team-leading 5 turnovers. The other scoring leader for Duke was another son of a former NBA player, Seth Curry, Dell's son. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201111110173  THAT'S IT



Enjoy.....the next blog will continue highlighting this weekend's action,



Barry

Gator (and Southern) Hoops Blog # 4 - Season 2

My Beloved 89 Bloggees (We had some attrition during the offseason...kindly help me get back to triple digits by spreading the word):




In this year's previous blogs we focused on exhibition game upsets. Last Saturday there was a near shocker. UMass Lowell missed a shot at the buzzer to barely fall to the Big East's Providence College 76 - 75  http://www.goriverhawks.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/111011aab.html . One of the problems for Providence is they play at the Dunkin Donuts Center....I prefer Krispy Kreme.  http://instantrimshot.com/

Seriously, we will give a pass to the Friars for the close call. Ed Cooley, previously the head coach at Fairfield University, is now at the helm. Gator football fans can identify with first-year growing pains when there is a new leader. NEXT



I remember watching all-SEC Ole Miss guard/forward Elston Turner a few years back (technically it was 1978 - 1981). He played in the NBA and had a fine 8-year pro career followed by 14 years as an NBA assistant coach, including his new gig this year (if there is a this year) with the Phoenix Suns. http://www.nba.com/suns/turner_staff_110714.html .


On Wednesday night, his son, also Elston Turner, scored 16 points for Texas A & M in their 81 - 59 victory over Liberty University. It was Turner's first game as an Aggie after playing two years for the Washington Huskies and then sitting out his transfer year. Elston Turner, because I remember your dad playing, for the first time this season You Make Me Feel Old. NEXT



When I was growing up in Orlando I used to go to all the Rollins College Tars basketball games with bloggee Jim . In fact their big rival was the Stetson University Hatters with their legendary coach, bloggee Dr. Glenn.

Last week Division II Rollins played a pickup game against current and former Orlando Magic players (because of the NBA lockout) and defeated the pros 101 - 92. Be sure to watch the 2-minute video report of this game at http://www.rollinssports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=92649&SPID=11254&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=19500&ATCLID=205327702  Go Tars!

By the way, former Gator walk-on, Kyle McClanahan has transferred to Rollins and will play on their hoops squad next year when he will be on scholarship. McClanahan is from the metro Orlando area. THAT'S IT



Enjoy.....Florida opens tonight at 6:00 CST against Jackson State (ranked 287 out of 345 in the Sagarin Computer Rankings) coached by Tevester Anderson, former assistant at Auburn and Georgia...the game is on Fox Sports Net Florida, Channel 634 on DirecTV, Channel 423 on Dish Network and if you live in a state that does not have an SEC school, you can view it online at http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/source/espn3/#type/livenow/  ....many other teams start their regular season schedule today and tomorrow....love this time of year,




Barry

Gator (and Southern) Hoops Blog # 3 - Season 2 (with a little bit of football)

My Beloved 89 Bloggees (Welcome Steve, David, Justin, Jeffrey, Ellen and Adam):



With college basketball's regular season not yet in full gear, let's continue from the last blog and look at some more upsets in exhibition games. I usually emphasize hoops in the South, but I will stray a bit this time.



It has not been a good week for the Nutt family. First, Houston Nutt is asked to resign from the head coaching job at Ole Miss. Then on Monday brother Dicky Nutt, the head coach at Division I Southeast Missouri State (known as SEMO in the Ohio Valley Conference), lost 68 - 63 in an exhibition game to Division II Harding University.  http://www.hardingsports.com/news/2011/11/7/MBB_1107111804.aspx


Remember in March 2008 when talented Drake University suffered a loss in the first round of March Madness on a buzzer-beater to Western Kentucky (and current South Carolina coach Darrin Horn).   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwOzyE_S5AY What a difference a few years make. Last Saturday, Drake was beaten by Division II Quincy University 84 - 74  http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20111105/SPORTS/311050062/Drake-men-s-basketball-Scant-Bulldogs-upset-by-Quincy


Florida Gator opponent on Nov. 21st, Wright State from the tough mid-major Horizon League (which includes Butler), was upset on Saturday by Division II Central State 56 - 50.  http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/wrightstatesports/entries/2011/11/06/wright_state_coach_on_loss_to.html I had originally thought Wright State could be a tough game for the Gators with their 5th place conference finish last year, but scratch that after this loss and the pre-season 8th place prediction for the Raiders.


There was another upset in an exhibition game that did not get much ink. Last Friday night West Virginia lost to Division II Northern Kentucky at the buzzer on a three-pointer 77 - 74.  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/basketball/ncaa/11/05/nku.wvu.exhibition.ap/index.htm Would you have liked to have been in the locker room after the game listening to the mild-mannered coach of West Virginia, Bob Huggins, address the team?


The University of Utah lost to Division II Adams St. 61 - 60 also last Friday night.  http://www.ksl.com/?sid=17959633&nid=635&title=utah-falls-to-div-ii-adams-state . Pac-12 teams must be salivating after seeing this score of their new league member. New Running Utes Coach, Larry Krystkowiak, has a tough gig with only 4 returning players after 8 left the team when Jim Boylen was fired earlier this year.   http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=teamreports-2011-ncaab-uae NEXT


To football,........beginning in 1973. I became an Oakland Raiders fan, primarily because most of my college buddies were from Miami (like bloggee Steve ) and the Raiders were the only team that could beat the Dolphins. I developed a love affair with the Silver and Black and some of their stars like Kenny Stabler, Anthony Davis, Fred Biletnikoff, Jim Plunkett, Ted Hendricks, Willie Brown, Cliff Branch and two of my three favorite running backs to ever play at Colgate, Marv Hubbard and Mark van Eeghan (the third being bloggee Joe). I even went to the "Marcus Allen" 1984 Super Bowl in Tampa with bloggee Charlie when they beat the Washington Redskins 38 - 9 and Allen ran for 191 yards including a 74-yard TD scamper.

So, I have been a diehard Raider fan for 38 years. This past Sunday was the first time since 1973 that I rooted against them when Denver and my fellow UF alumnus, Tim Tebow, defeated the Raiders 38 - 24. It was the POWER OF TEBOW which trumped the long-time allegiance I had for the Raiders. NEXT



Sadly, bloggee Irby passed away last week. He fought an unbelievably courageous 3-year battle against cancer. I wish you all had a chance to know this special guy. Attending Samford and UAB basketball games will never be the same. I usually end the blogs with the closing, Enjoy, but that is surely not appropriate this time. THAT'S IT




Barry

Gator (and Southern) Hoops Blog # 2 - Season 2

My Beloved 82 Bloggees (Welcome Dan, Andy, Doug, Bernard, Bobby, Ben, and Franz):



In the battle of Billy Donovans on Thursday night, Dad ended up on the winning side when Florida defeated Catholic University 114 - 57.  http://www.gatorzone.com/basketball/men/boxscore.php?gameid=10276 . Billy Donovan Jr. scored 13 points on 3 for 7 shooting in 27 minutes as a last-minute addition to the starting lineup for the Division III Cardinals.

The Gators made 20 of 40 three-point field goal attempts with their 3-guard lineup. Athletic freshman 6 '3 guard Bradley Beal is special and you will want to remember that name. He was 8 for 11 from the field including 4 for 7 from the arc for 20 points. Kenny Boynton had a super game with a double-double, 21 points and 10 assists.

Although Patric Young is a horse in the middle, rebounding will be a challenge this year for the Orange and Blue. Vernon Macklin, now with the lockout Detroit Pistons, and his physicality will be sorely missed, especially without a "thick" (the relatively new "trendy" word describing a broad-shouldered tall physical frontcourt player) replacement from the freshman class. NEXT



It is never a good sign for a Division I college basketball team when it loses an exhibition game usually against a team in a lower division. Many remember when Syracuse was upset in 2009 by Division II LeMoyne and last year when Tennessee was upset by Division II Indianapolis. The pre-season upsets have continued this year.

This past Wednesday, the Division II Northern State Wolves, from Aberdeen, South Dakota, upset the national runner-up the last two years, 31st ranked Butler University, 53 - 50 after trailing by 9 with less than 5 minutes to play. http://rapidcityjournal.com/sports/college-basketball-thomas-s-triple-helps-northern-state-upset-butler/article_4a5338e4-05d5-11e1-82dd-001cc4c002e0.html

Last week Division II Seattle Pacific upset no.16 ranked Arizona 69 -68  http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=ncb&id=7183144

I am sure practice was not pleasant for Butler and Arizona players the day after these stunning upsets. NEXT



On Thursday night, the NBDL had their annual draft. Here are some of the Southern highlights:

1. In the first round, Mustapha Farrakhan from Virginia and grandson of Nation of Islam's Louis Farrakhan, was drafted by the Bakersfield Jam.

2. In the fourth round, Donald Sims from Appalachian State, was drafted by the Reno Bighorns. Many in Birmingham remember seeing this sharpshooter play against Samford in Southern Conference action. In 2009-2010 he led the nation with an astounding free throw percentage of 95.1, on 175 out of 184.

3. In the eighth round, Justin Tubbs, from East Tennessee State after transferring from Alabama, was drafted by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. THAT'S IT



Enjoy...will be attending my first college basketball game of the year Monday when Samford hosts Berry College in an exhibition encounter....as a Samford fan, I hope I don't have to report another upset.



Barry

Gator (and Southern) Hoops Blog # 1 - Season 2

My Beloved Bloggees (Welcome Coach Murray):




It is time for a new season of hoops and blogs. I can hardly talk about the NBA lockout. The players need to realize that how great they have it and stop being so greedy. How about thinking about the out-of-work folks like arena employees because of your "not enough millions" selfishness. Be grateful and let's play. We want to see last year's all-BB (Barry's Blog) rookies like Kenneth Faried snatching rebounds for Denver and Andrew Goudelock draining threes for the Lakers. NEXT



The David vs. Goliath college exhibition games are already starting. Thursday features an interesting coach-player father-son matchup..... Gator head coach Billy Donovan vs 6' 2 sophomore Billy Donovan http://www.cuacardinals.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/bios/billy_donovan  Florida hosts Catholic University.

Last year the coach's son averaged 1.4 points in less than 4 minutes a game, but something tells me he will get much more PT at the O-Dome on Thursday. I am predicting double figures for Junior. NEXT



Throughout the year we will once again, focus on transfers. When you think back to last year's Arkansas basketball team, which player do you think would have been a great fit for Butler's squad? If you guessed sharpshooter (except when Gator Kenny Boynton was covering him) Rotnei Clarke, you are correct and he has transferred to the "perennial" national runner-up school. Clarke will sit out this year and become an integral part of the Butler Bulldogs for the 2012 - 2013 season http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2011-08-01/sharpshooter-rotnei-clarke-transfers-to-butler  . THAT'S IT




Enjoy....keeping it short...don't want you to get burned out...our thoughts are with a giant hoops fan bloggee Irby who is at home with hospice....a Samford season ticketholder in our bloc of seats, he would watch the Samford game, while listening to the UAB radio broadcast on his headphones if both teams played at the same time...also was passionate about Penn (his alma mater) and Alabama basketball....a great guy and recently voted 2011 Realtor of the Year by the. Birmingham Association of Realtors.





Barry

Blog # 74 - NBA Draft Edition

My Beloved 108 Bloggees:

 

 

Welcome back after a short hiatus this off-season. Last night was the NBA Draft http://www.nba.com/draft/2011/ which produced some results that warrant brief blog discussion.

 

Only 4 SEC schools had players chosen:

 

 

Kentucky

 

Enes Kanter (if you want to count him even though he was ineligible in his one and done year) 3rd to Utah http://www.nba.com/draft/2011/prospects/enes-kanter/

Brandon Knight  8th to Detroit http://www.nba.com/draft/2011/prospects/brandon-knight/

Josh Harrellson  45th to New York (after being traded from New Orleans) http://www.nba.com/draft/2011/prospects/josh-harrellson/

DeAndre Liggins  53rd to Orlando http://www.nba.com/draft/2011/prospects/deandre-liggins/

 

 

Georgia

 

Trey Thompkins  37th to Clippers  http://www.nba.com/draft/2011/prospects/trey-thompkins/

Travis Leslie  47th to Clippers  http://www.nba.com/draft/2011/prospects/travis-leslie/

 

 

Tennessee

 

Tobias Harris  19th to Charlotte http://www.nba.com/draft/2011/prospects/tobias-harris/

 

Undrafted Junior Scottie Hopson should return to Knoxville http://www.nba.com/draft/2011/prospects/scotty-hopson/

 

 

 

The Florida Gators had two players go in the second round:

 

Chandler Parsons 38th to Houston. http://www.nba.com/draft/2011/prospects/chandler-parsons/  Here were some of  the on-air comments by ESPN analyst, Jay Bilas, after Parsons was chosen: "He needs to be physically and mentally tougher. Parsons leaves you wanting more. He did improve this year and rebounded better. Has the skill set". 

 

Vernon Macklin http://www.nba.com/draft/2011/prospects/vernon-macklin/  52nd to Detroit. Bilas was very complimentary about Macklin such as: "He is a great kid. Improved his post move....long arms....can hit the jump hook with either hand....will run down the ball.....good rebounder and good worth ethic". Then he repeated what a great kid Macklin is.

 

In my opinion, both Parsons and Macklin should follow the footsteps of current Gator NBAers, Udonis Haslem and Matt Bonner, by playing professionally overseas to hone their skills. Parsons needs to be more consistent with his jump shot and Macklin has to improve his free throw shooting. Look for the undrafted Gator senior, Alex Tyus,  http://www.nba.com/draft/2011/prospects/alex-tyus/ to join them overseas to develop his game.  NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

Two members of last season's all-BB (Barry's Blog) team of mid-major players were drafted:

 

Kenneth Faried, http://www.nba.com/draft/2011/prospects/kenneth-faried/ the 6' 8 forward from Morehead State,  was selected by Denver as the 22nd pick. He could be the next Dennis Rodman...no need to get him the basketball, he will find it himself near the backboard. Plus, he plays super defense. This type of "lunch pail" player helps win championships. http://www.nba.com/draft/2011/prospects/kenneth-faried/

 

Andrew Goudelock, the 6' 2 guard from Bobby Cremins' College of Charleston is going to Lakerland as the 46th pick of the draft. They will love him at the Staples Center when he starts throwing in those three-point bombs. My guess is the Lakers might have the next Microwave (one of the greatest nicknames in sports for former Pistons sharpshooter, Vinnie Johnson). I can't wait to see Goudelock on the court next to Kobe. http://www.nba.com/draft/2011/prospects/andrew-goudelock/  NEXT

 

 

 

 

Two members of the all-BB team were undrafted seniors, 6' 9 275 lb. center  Frank Hassell from Old Dominion http://www.nba.com/draft/2011/prospects/frank-hassell/ and 6' 6 forward Noah Dahlman from Wofford. One of our Virginia bloggess, Charlie, watched Hassell at the Portsmouth Invitational showcase for NBA prospects and indicated, "Frank did not have much in the tank". However, he later worked out with many NBA teams and could try to latch on as a free agent. Dahlman should probably take his game overseas where he could be a star with his cerebral play around the basket.

 

The other member of the all-BB team was Tu Holloway, the returning senior at Xavier. If Tu hadn't laid an egg in a first round NCAA tourney game with 5 points against Marquette, shooting 1 for 8 from the field, he might have kept his name in the draft. Instead he has been selected to try out for the USA team in the World University Games http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110622/SPT0102/106230341/Tu-Holloway-to-watch-NBA-Draft-be-part-of-next-year-s?odyssey=tab%7Cmostpopular%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE . THAT'S IT

 

 

 

Enjoy the off season,

 

 

 

Barry

Blog # 73 - Final One of the Season After Disappointing Gator Loss

My Beloved 108 Bloggees:

 

 

The timing of my out of town trip was perfect....the day after the Gators' disappointing loss to Butler in a classic overtime Elite Eight game. At this juncture, any comment would be like reading yesterday's newspaper, so I will just congratulate the Bulldogs on being such a tough tournament team that works hard every second on the court. Brad Stevens is a marvelous coach. I would not be surprised if they win it all....as mentioned in a previous blog, they seem to have destiny on their side. 

 

The Gators gave their fans some memorable moments this year, especially in March. Billy Donovan and the team need to feel proud for making Florida basketball relevant once again, after a brief lull. NEXT

 

 

 

 

It has been a good week for Anthony Grant. He is being praised for stocking the roster of Final Four team, VCU, with winners before leaving the Richmond school two years ago. Secondly, his Crimson Tide are playing for the NIT Championship  on Thursday after squeaking by fellow number 1 seed Colorado, 62 - 61 in Tuesday's semi-final http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201103290125  .

 

A quick point guard I love, Alabama's Trevor Releford, drove the baseline and made a game-winning layup "among the trees". Colorado's stud, Alec Burks, who had already scored 20 points, missed a jumper at the buzzer that would have sent Alabama home. The men of Crimson were led by JaMychal Green who had a game-high o 22 points on 11 for 16 shooting. Alabama overcame a Vernon Macklin-like 4 for 11 from the charity stripe.

 

Wichita State stands in the way of the NIT gold after they demolished Washington State 77 - 45 when 7-footer Garrett Stutz came off the bench with a double-double, 24 points on 10 for 13 along with 11 rebounds. Klay (son of former NBAer Mychal) Thompson was way off for Wash State, shooting 1 for 10, coming up empty on all 5 three-point attempts.

 

By the way, during Bracket Buster Saturday in February, Wichita State lost to VCU  68 - 67 on two free throws with less than a second. They also lost to another Final Four team, Connecticut 83 - 79 in Novermber after leading with less than 3 minutes remaining. NEXT

 

 

 

There was a big surprise to me Monday in the first game of the best of three championship series of the CBI tournament at Creighton. They were hosting Oregon and the return of their former coach, Dana Altman, who deserted the Omaha school for the greenbacks of Nike U last April. Altman, who had 327 victories and 7 NCAA appearances at Creighton during his 16 years actually received a terrific reception when he came out of the tunnel and when his name was announced.

 

Wow! Folks in the Midwest sure have class. I am not sure that type of crowd reception would have happened in other venues across the country in a similar situation. When Lon Kruger left Florida for Illinois in 1996 just two years after taking the Gators to the Final Four, he was Benedict Kruger in my book (even though he seemed to be a great guy when I met him after UF played in a consolation game of the NIT a few years earlier.....I know, one needs help if they go to a game like that....like most consolation games in the postseason, it has been eliminated). NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

Who is the best high school hoopster ever to come out of the St. Louis area.....Bill Bradley, Jojo White, Larry Hughes, LaPhonso Ellis, David Lee or the current Gator signee, Bradley Beal? Click on this article for a discussion http://www.stltoday.com/sports/high-school/boys-basketball/article_154f01e2-5724-11e0-9d4b-00127992bc8b.html . Thanks to bloggee Sean for forwarding  the article. THAT'S IT

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy.........in a blog over the weekend, I gave you the trascript of Pat Summitt's halftime speech when her Vols were losing to Ohio State.....a video of it begins at the 25 second mark of this clip....definitely worth watching..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTavyjvvwn0 .....of course, they came back to win.....however the Lady Vols lost on Monday to Notre Dame....need to find a locker room clip of Pat from that game....I still get a kick out of her yelling at her team for its low energy level "....and it makes me sick to my stomach",

 

 

 

Barry

Blog # 72 - Tournament Games of March 25th

My Beloved 108 Bloggees:

 

 

For a fantastic insight of Billy Donovan spend a few minutes, put the feet up with a sandwich and watch his Friday press conference by clicking here http://www.gatorvision.tv/mediaPortal/player.dbml?id=762519&db_oem_id=6500 . There are two parts....go directly to the part 2. His anecdotes regarding Larry Bird, Bill Belichick, Brad Stevens and many, many more are outstanding. You do not have to be a Gator fan to enjoy hearing from a guy who loves basketball and can relate his passion the way Billy can. NEXT

 

 

 

There is a lot of excitement in Gator Nation with a chance today at 3:30 CDT on CBS to play for a trip to the Final Four. However, playing a tough, tournament-tested team like Butler is worrisome. Plus I heard an unsettling statistic....the previous 11 teams who won an NCAA game in overtime all lost their next NCAA tournament. Let me remind you that the Gators beat BYU in overtime in its previous game. Oh no!

 

For a video preview of the game with bloggee Kevin # 1, click here http://video.gatorsports.com/ . For Kevin's written preview, click on http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20110326/ARTICLES/110329567/1136?Title=Experience-has-Florida-Butler-in-Elite-Eight . NEXT

 

 

 

If VCU coach Shaka Smart were a stock, how many shares would you buy....or should I ask, how many thousands of shares would you buy? The former Florida assistant is one hot commodity. He led his Rams to the Elite Eight with an overtime (oh no) 72 - 71 win over defensive-minded FSU http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201103250213 .

 

The nation heard former NBA GM and current broadcaster, Steve Kerr, saying, "Shaka Smart can coach" numerous times, especially after drawing up the game-winning inbounds play near the end of the overtime period. That means the ADs at schools, such as the University of Tennessee and University of Missouri who have head coach openings, also most likely heard Kerr's praise of Shaka.  Schools from the power conferences are always looking for the next Billy the Kid, and Shaka Smart fits that to a tee, especially having an apprenticeship year on Billy Donovan's staff under his belt.  NEXT

 

 

 

 

Kentucky destroyed many a bracket last night when Brandon Knight's tie-breaking mid-range jumper with 5 seconds left lifted the SEC tourney champs to a 62 - 60 thriller over top-seeded Ohio State http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201103250443 . What a game!  The Buckeye's long-range shooter, Jon Diebler, had just tied the game with a three before Knight's heroics.

 

The Wildcats' "lunch bucket carrying" Josh Harrellson continued his postseason resurgence with a double-double, 17 points on 7 for 9 and 10 rebounds. The Buckeyes' freshman superstar, Jared Sullinger, collected 16 rebounds and was 7 for 14 on the way to his double-double, but William Buford's 2 for 16 shooting performance offset Sullinger's contributions. Buford also missed the potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer. William, I know the feeling, I once struck out with two outs in the last inning with the potential tying and winning runs on base in the playoffs to end my team's season, also. You never forget those disappointing moments, unfortunately. NEXT

 

 

 

It is Friday night after a long week. You are all excited to sit at home and switch back and forth between the two early Sweet Sixteen games. Those plans go awry with two clunkers... North Carolina's 81 - 63 whupping of Marquette http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201103250413 and Kansas's 77 - 57 thrashing of Richmond http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201103250287 . Both games were even bigger routs than the final scores indicate.

 

North Carolina's front line of Harrison Barnes, Todd Zeller and John Henson just missed all having double-doubles when Barnes had 9 rebounds with his 20 points. Zeller was dominating with 27 points and 12 rebounds, while Hensen also had 12 boards with his 14 points. Red-hot Kentucky looms next in what should be an epic battle between tradition-rich programs.

 

Kansas, the lone remaining one-seed,  is finding itself having an easy road to the Final Four due to early round upsets on their side of the bracket. A Sweet Sixteen with a win against 12-seed Richmond and then tomorrow, 11-seed VCU as the opposition, surely contrasts with the more difficult paths other teams have had to try to get to Houston. NEXT

 

 

 

 

Former Gator assistant Donnie Jones saw his UCF basketball team's disappointing  season mercifully come to an end when Creighton thumped them in Omaha on Wednesday night, 82 - 64 in the semi-finals of the CBI postseason tournament. Marcus      " son of "  Jordan who is averaging over 15 points a game, failed to reach double figures for the second consecutive game, scoring just 9 points on 4 for 9, and nothing to show for his 3 deep attempts  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/88734 .

 

The CBI did get a break with their best of three finals matchup between Creighton and Oregon who is coached by Dana Altman, the former Creighton coach for the previous 16 years. It is a promoter's dream for such a tournament. The first game is at Creighton next Monday and during that March Madness off night, it will be interesting to see the reception he gets.

 

 If you remember, Oregon is the second school for which Altmann left Creighton. After the 2007 season he left for Arkansas and then within 24 hours of the press conference introducing him as the Hogs' coach, he "Billy Donovan-ed" and returned to Creighton http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2824653

 

By the way, guess who won the CBI tournament last year? Shaka Smart and this year's Elite Eight VCU.  THAT'S IT

 

 

Enjoy......will be giving you a break by taking a couple of blogging days off.....did I hear a bunch of you yell "hooray"?......I just watched the halftime speech of Pat Summitt with her Tennessee team losing at halftime to Ohio State....."that team over there has more energy and more heart than we do. Does that bother you?   It makes me sick to my stomach. ....I don't know what you are going to do but you better come out of this locker room with a big-time attitude, you with me? You defend, defend, defend, and rebound, rebound, rebound.  Do you want to go home? You play like you don't want to be here, and you look like you don't want to be here.".....Wow. If that were an audition for the Tennessee men's job, she should get it.

 

 

 

Barry

Blog # 71 - Tournament Games of March 24th

My Beloved 108 Bloggees:

 

 

For Gator fans, there were two pieces of good news after the exhilirating 83 - 74 overtime victory over BYU http://stats.gatorsports.com/cbk/boxscore.asp?gamecode=201103240210 . The first was Billy Donovan will be taking the Gators to his 4th Elite Eight. The second is the Gators will never, ever have to play Jimmer Fredette again. That guy just scares you  when he has the basketball.

 

 A tip of the hat to the gutsy, defensive play of Kenny Boynton on Fredette....Boynton was like syrup on a waffle. Don't forget Kenny missed the last few minutes of the previous game and some practice this week due to an ankle injury. Scottie Wilbekin, who should be playing high school basketball because he graduated a year early, also did a phenomenal job guarding Fredette who did score 32 but it was on 11 for 29 including just 3 for 15 from deep, deep. I remember one of those threes was from "Goudelock" range (see blog # 70), while another clanged the front of the rim and the "iron was kind" (thank you Tim Brando) as it bounced into the hoop.

 

Alex Tyus didn't just have a double-double, he had a serious double-double with 19 points, on 8 for 9 shooting (including just his second three-pointer of the year) and 17 rebounds.  The Gators somehow managed to win shooting 45.5% from the charity stripe with Vernon Macklin the primary culprit...a painful 1 for 5. (Paging Samford's Emily London....are you available as the leading Division 1 free throw shooter to provide some tips to Macklin and his teammates before Saturday's crucial game against Butler?)

 

Click here to watch the post-game celebration in the locker room  http://www.http//www.utsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/2007-2008/ut0323.htmlgatorvision.tv/mediaPortal/player.dbml?id=762179&db_oem_id=6500 . As always, bloggee Kevin # 1 was there covering the game for the Gainesville Sun. Here is his written recap http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20110324/ARTICLES/110329652/1136?Title=Gators-move-on-to-Elite-Eight-after-overtime-win-over-BYU .  If you want to watch Kevin give his analysis of the Jimmer farewell game, click here http://www.gatorsports.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage?tc=ar . NEXT

 

 

 

 

Florida plays last year's finalist Butler on Saturday at 3:30 CDT in a rematch from the 2000 first round of the NCAA tournament when Mike Miller had a buzzer-beater in overtime to defeat the Bulldogs 69 - 68 (Gulp, that was 11 years ago, Mike Miller, You Make Me Feel Old) http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/college/2000/ncaa_tourney/east/news/2000/03/17/butler_florida_ap/ . Florida went on to the Final Four that year. The winner, this year, will definitely be going to the Final Four.

 

Butler's senior 6' 8 forward Matt Howard is an experienced winner as evidenced by his double-double, 20 points and 12 rebounds, in last night's 61 - 54 win over Wisconsin http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201103240657 . I remember seeing Howard three years ago in Birmingham when Butler lost in overtime to Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA tourney http://www.utsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/2007-2008/ut0323.html . He shot only 1 for 7 and fouled out in 23 minutes. He has since become wiser and has limited his fouls. Maybe Florida will challenge that and pound the ball down low to draw fouls from him and starting center 6' 11 Andrew Smith.

 

What Butler possibly has on its side is destiny. A buzzer-beater win in its first game against ODU and the miraculous second round win against number one-seed Pitt after almost giving away the game with a foul 45 feet from the basket with 1.4 seconds left and a one-point lead, makes me think Florida might have to deal with some intangible obstacles. I know it is voodoo, but tell me a fan who doesn't give stuff like that a thought. We might have to come up with another mantra similar to "Jimmer will have an off night" to contend with it. NEXT

 

 

 

I love when one-seeds who I don't pick to win in my bracket, lose like Duke did last night to Arizona 93 - 77 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201103240173 (sorry if you had Duke) .  It has been a long time since a Duke team has been dominated in a half the way Arizona did after intermission, 55 - 33. A friend of mine spent the last two months in Tucson, AZ and he warned me about the Wildcats' Derrick Williams. He was right. The 6' 8  241 lb forward had 32 points on 11 for 17 shooting, 5 for 6 from the perimeter along with 13 rebounds.

 

Williams scored 25 of his points int he first half keeping his team in the game. Then his colleagues took over and put on a dunking and rebounding exhibition giving Coach K plenty of time to give interviews during the rest of the tournament, something he refuses to do during games that he coaches. However, he did make a rare exception during the Arizona game last night http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Did-Coach-K-s-halftime-interview-jinx-Duke-in-se?urn=ncaab-wp1150 NEXT

 

 

 

Connecticut will be too tired after playing five games on consecutive days to win the Big East tourney. Do you know of a crazy blogger who wrote that?  Hasn't he heard of the great Kemba Walker?

 

Kemba was just being Kemba last night when he scored 36 in knocking out for the first time a Final Four pick of mine, San Diego State 74 - 67 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201103240498 . Because this was not the "primary" early game in my household (some other game  took place at the same time in which I was somewhat interested) I was only able to see highlights like these  http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/gametracker/recap/NCAAB_20110324_CT@SDGST/walkers-36-lead-uconn-past-sdsu-to-regional-final .

 

Freshman 6' 5 guard Jeremy Lamb (from Atlanta suburb, Norcross....nice recruiting job, Jim Calhoun) contributed 24 points on 9 for 11 from the field including perfection on his 3 long distance tosses. Now if my arithmetic is correct, there was not much scoring from the other 8 Huskies who played....just 14 other points! Can you say unbalanced?  THAT'S IT

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy.....my favorite basketball analyst, Bill Raftery, had the greatest line when after of Arizona's players blocked a shot during their explosive second half, "That's not a message, that's a novel." .... he is the best,

 

 

 

 

Barry