It's Time To Start Blowing Bubbles
Yes, it's early January and we are already talking of teams "on the bubble."
Now is the time for teams to put that quality non-conference win on a resume that makes the NCAA selection committee take note. For mid-majors and middle-of-the-road power conference teams, a quality win now pays dividends come March.
The past week provided several matchups that helped teams upgrade or solidify their position as at-large candidates while others left themselves on that precariously thin bubble. Let's take a look at some of the winners and losers.
Winners
Dayton
After Dayton's collapse last year they have bounced back and put themselves in a position to be talked about as a serious at-large team. Beating George Mason this week was a bracket-buster type win that will go a long way with the committee in March. And looks good paired with a win at Marquette in early December.
UNLV
Coming off a big win against Arizona, the Rebels continued to highlight their resume by winning at Louisville. What's more impressive is that they beat the Cardinals without Wink Adams, who was out with an abdominal strain.
Arkansas
It was hard to determine how good this Arkansas team was going into their game with Oklahoma. They hadn't played anyone of any significance and with a loss against Missouri St. early in the season. It looked as though the Razorbacks were just more fodder for the Sooners. Alas, a stunning upset and a marquee win has put John Pelphrey's squad on the radar.
Losers
UAB
The Blazers are sitting in exactly the same place they were last year: Going into C-USA play without more than one quality win on their resume. Sure, they beat Arizona, but besides that, there's nothing else to look at.
With chances at Louisville and Butler squandered, UAB is going to have to do some damage in conference---and that means beating Memphis, something they haven't done in three years.
Cincinnati
When you're going into the meat grinder known as the Big East, it's a good idea to have more than two wins over a couple of mid-major programs. The Bearcats let a big opportunity slip away losing to Memphis. A win would have given Cincinnati a little extra breathing room. Now they must stay afloat in conference play.
UTEP
UTEP is expected to battle with UAB and Tulsa for the second spot in C-USA and a possible at-large spot. With wins over St. Mary's and Texas Tech, the Miners were looking the part until a critical loss at Santa Clara put them in bubble trouble.
Copyright (c) 2008 Bleacher Report, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
NCAA Top-25 Basketball Game Capsules
Final Score: Portland State 77, (7) Gonzaga 70
Spokane, WA (Sports Network) - Jeremiah Dominguez had 25 points, six rebounds and five assists, leading the Portland State Vikings to a shocking 77-70 upset of seventh-ranked Gonzaga. Dominic Waters and Phil Nelson both chipped in 16 points for the Vikings (9-3), who posted their first-ever win over a nationally-ranked opponent. The Vikings entered the contest 0-11 against top-25 teams since reinstating their basketball program for the 1996-97 season, and hadn't won in Spokane since 1974. Portland State made 12 three- pointers, with Dominguez connecting on seven of them. Matt Bouldin scored 18 points to pace the Bulldogs (8-3), who were coming off a heart-breaking 88-83 overtime loss to Connecticut on Saturday. Josh Heytvelt totaled 13 points and eight boards, while Austin Daye donated 12 points and nine rebounds in a losing effort. For just the third time since the McCarthey Athletic Center opened in 2004, Gonzaga was bested on its home court (55-3).
Final Score: (9) Texas 74, Wisconsin 69
Madison, WI (Sports Network) - Damion James scored 18 points and grabbed 15 rebounds while A.J. Abrams totaled 21 points as the ninth-ranked Texas Longhorns willed their way to a 74-69 win in hostile territory over a pesky Wisconsin Badgers squad at Kohl Center. Gary Johnson netted 16 and snagged eight boards for Texas (10-2), which had a six-game win streak snapped in Saturday's 67-63 setback to Michigan State. Their only other loss came by one point to Notre Dame on November 25. Trevon Hughes led the way with 18 points and Jason Bohannon added 16 for Wisconsin (9-3), which saw its perfect 6-0 mark at home fall with the loss along with a three-game win streak overall. All three of the Badgers' losses have come against ranked foes.
Final Score: (12) Georgetown 76, Florida International 38
Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Austin Freeman scored 17 points and Chris Wright donated 14, as No. 12 Georgetown doubled up Florida International, 76-38, at the Verizon Center. DaJuan Summers added 13 points and five rebounds, while Greg Monroe netted 10 points for the Hoyas, who rolled into the holiday reprieve with a six-game winning streak. Michael Dominguez scored over half of FIU's total with 20 points and Freddy Asprilla added nine. The Golden Panthers lost their fifth straight and dropped to 0-6 in true road games.
Final Score: (13) UCLA 113, Wyoming 62
Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Michael Roll ended with 25 points and four assists, as No. 13 UCLA crushed Wyoming, 113-62. Darren Collison chipped in 19 points and seven helpers for the Bruins (9-2), who have won five straight games. Malcolm Lee added 16 points and Drew Gordon had 14 points and 11 boards. Sean Ogirri tallied 14 points for the Cowboys (9-2), who saw their four-game win streak halted. Tyson Johnson logged 11 points and five assists in defeat. Mikhail Linskens and Brandon Ewing scored 10 points apiece.
Final Score: Butler 74, (14) Xavier 65
Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Matt Howard had 19 points and 14 rebounds as the Butler Bulldogs upset the 14th-ranked Xavier Musketeers, 74-65, at Cintas Center. Gordon Hayward had 19 points and 10 rebounds while Willie Veasley added 12 points for the Bulldogs (10-1), who have won two straight. Derrick Brown had 17 points and eight boards while C.J. Anderson had 15 points for the Musketeers (9-2), who have dropped their last two games.
Final Score: (20) Arizona State 90, Idaho State 55
Tempe, AZ (Sports Network) - James Harden led a balanced Arizona State attack with 18 points as the 20th-ranked Sun Devils crushed the Idaho State Bengals, 90-55, at Wells-Fargo Arena. Rihards Kuksiks had 15 points, Ty Abbott had 14 points while Jeff Pendergraph added 11 points and eight rebounds and Derek Glasser had 11 points and nine assists for the Sun Devils (10-1), who have a six-game winning streak. Arizona State went 17-for-32 from three-point range and set a new school record with 17 three-pointers in the game. Kal Bay had 12 points while Matt Stucki added 11 points and seven rebounds for the Bengals (2-9), who have dropped their past four games.
Final Score: (23) Minnesota 80, Southeastern Louisiana 71
Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - Damian Johnson ended with 13 points, four assists and four rebounds, as No. 23 Minnesota stayed perfect on the season by holding on to beat Southeastern Louisiana, 80-71, at Williams Arena. Blake Hoffarber offered 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting for the Golden Gophers (11-0), who next play High Point on Sunday. Lawernce Westbrook also chipped in 15 points in the win. Kevyn Green poured in 22 points for the Lions (6-5). Patrick Sullivan added 15 points and nine boards for Southeastern Louisiana, which will play at Auburn on New Year's Eve.
Final Score: Illinois 75, (25) Missouri 59
St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Demetri McCamey scored 18 of his 20 points in a strong first half, as Illinois topped 25th-ranked Missouri, 75-59, at the Scottrade Center. Trent Meacham picked up 23 points and Mike Davis added 13 and nine rebounds for the Illini (11-1), winners in five consecutive games. Mike Tisdale contributed 12 points and Chester Frazier dished out a game-high eight assists. Leo Lyons had 22 points for the Tigers (9-2), whose seven-game win streak came to a crashing halt. Zaire Taylor was the only other player in double figures with 11 points for Missouri, which fell just one day after cracking the top 25 for the first time in almost five years.
(c) 2008 The Sports Network. All Rights Reserved.
LOS ANGELES - It seems like eons until the NCAA men's basketball selection committee locks itself in a conference room in Indianapolis and begins formulating the bracket for March Madness.
But if the Pacific-10 and Big 12 conferences hold to form, that committee could look at Thursday, when No. 12 UCLA plays at No. 8 Texas, to determine the seeds for two of the nation's top teams.
"I think when it's all said and done, they're going to look at this game because Texas is going to be one of the top teams that is going to have a chance to have a good season, and so are we," UCLA senior point guard Darren Collison said. "If we do what we're supposed to do, then they're going to end up looking at this game as one of the biggest matchups."
It could have added importance since UCLA (4-1) is picked to win what is expected to be a weak Pac-10. UCLA, which lost to unranked Michigan, and No. 19 Arizona State, which lost to Baylor, are the only conference teams ranked.
A quality non-conference road victory would help the Bruins immensely.
"They're a team that would not surprise me at all if they were playing in Detroit (in the Final Four) in April," Bruins coach Ben Howland said. "They'll win the Big 12, in my opinion."
Texas (5-1) has an experienced starting lineup with three juniors, led by 6-foot-7 wing Damion James (14.5 ppg, 8 rpg), and two seniors, including 5-11 guard A.J. Abrams (15.8 ppg). The Longhorns also do not have a freshman playing a significant role like UCLA, which has five freshmen in its rotation.
DIFFERENT LOOK
When the Longhorns beat UCLA 63-61 last year at Pauley Pavilion, Howland said Texas played plenty of zone defense. In scouting Texas this season, Howland said they have not played zone.
"They're a much more defensive team in terms of getting pressure (on the ball), switching everything, doubling ball screens, doubling the post," Howland said. "Their defense is way different than it has been in the past. I think it's made them really difficult to try and score on because they're so athletic, so long."
Texas' opponents are shooting 34 percent from the field and averaging 55.5 points.
FASHION STATEMENT
Shipp was wearing a neoprene sleeve on his shooting elbow, but he continually deflected any questions as to what was ailing him, or if it was affecting his shooting.
"Style points," he said when asked why he was wearing the sleeve.
(c) 2008 Los Angeles Newspaper group.
Memphis reserve guard Andre Allen suspended
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Memphis senior reserve guard Andre Allen has been suspended for violating team rules, leaving him out of the Final Four.
Team spokesman Lamar Chance confirmed the suspension, first reported by television stations WMC and WREG, but declined to say what rule or rules Allen violated.
The Tigers will face UCLA on Saturday night in the semifinals in San Antonio.
"He was not on the plane. He is not here in San Antonio," Chance told The Associated Press when reached on his cell phone.
Allen played in 37 games this season, averaging 3.3 points and 14.1 minutes.
"We'll be fine," coach John Calipari told The Commercial Appeal.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Texas sharpshooter A.J. Abrams on target with 3-pointers
AUSTIN, Texas -- If A.J. Abrams were an old-time gunfighter, he'd probably be known as the fastest draw in the West.
Seeing as he's really a guard playing for Texas in the NCAA tournament, how about fastest in the South regional?
Abrams' catch-and-release can produce a 3-pointer in the blink of an eye, and when his shots are falling -- as they were in the first two rounds -- the Longhorns pile up points about that quickly.
Texas' career leader in 3-pointers with 277, Abrams connected on 12 and averaged 26 points as No. 2 seed Texas beat Austin Peay and Miami in the first two rounds. The Longhorns (30-6) play No. 3 Stanford (28-7) Friday night in Houston.
A wispy 5-foot-11 and 155 pounds, Abrams' job is to constantly be on the move, bobbing and weaving his way through defenses to find open space or cut behind screens. When he catches the ball, defenders have almost no time to recover before it's on the way to the basket.
"He's so clever, so evasive, when he starts moving ... He doesn't need much separation," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "A.J. is as smart as any player we've ever coached."
The quick release is born of necessity and long hours spent training with his father Andy, who at 6-foot-4 was a bodyguard for former Texas governors George W. Bush and Ann Richards.
Abrams needed the quick release to prevent bigger players from blocking his shot. The soft arc it takes to the basket is the result of hours of shooting over a cardboard box his father attached to a broom handle to block his view of the rim.
"I'm usually guarded by bigger guys," Abrams said.
Abrams set a Big 12 record with 120 3-pointers last season and has connected on 111 so far this season. Miami coach Frank Haith, who recruited Abrams when he was a Texas assistant, watched Abrams befuddle his Hurricanes in the second round.
"He's got a tremendous motor. He keeps coming off screens, he keeps working, and he's got a great release," Haith said. "He gets his body aligned with the rim very quickly even though he's a little guy."
Already a weapon from the outside, Abrams was determined to develop a scoring touch closer to the basket. He's tried to model his game after Allen Iverson -- like A.I., he wears the No. 3 and a sleeve on his shooting arm -- and has shown flashes of it with drives to the basket and a soft mid-range floater.
The 3-pointer remains his specialty, however, and more than half of his 208 field goals this season come from beyond the arc.
But like all pure shooters, he has games when the shots don't fall.
Abrams was stuck in a slump when he made just 14 of 51 shots over the final three games of the regular season and the first game of the Big 12 tournament. He snapped out of it with seven 3-pointers in a win over Oklahoma in the conference semifinals.
"I don't think I lose my confidence," Abrams said during the season. "My teammates do a good job of telling me to keep shooting it, and I'm not going to let them down."
Even when he wasn't making shots in bunches, he still managed to hit key baskets to help his team win. He was 1-of-13 and misfiring from everywhere before coming up with two big shots to beat Oklahoma State in the regular-season finale. The win clinched a share of the Big 12 regular season title.
Abrams hasn't missed many lately, shooting 58 percent in the Longhorns' two NCAA tournament wins.
"He likes drama," Barnes said. "We want A.J. to shoot it. That's his role he has to play."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Jayhawk, Wildcat fans will be honking at each other headed north
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Cars, trucks and vans bearing Kansas plates will be clogging the highways leading north out of the Sunflower State this week.
The question is, what will normally quarrelsome Kansas and Kansas State fans do with each other once they get to Omaha?
Will purple-clad Wildcat faithful bring themselves to root for top-seeded Kansas in its first-round NCAA game against Portland State? And what will Jayhawk followers do when the hated Wildcats take the same Qwest Center court later Thursday for their game against USC?
"I don't know," said Kansas State coach Frank Martin. "But we need them. This is a new experience for us."
No one expected Kansas and Kansas State would be assigned to the same regional and the same first-round site, and even play on the same days.
But that's what happened.
The freshman-laden Wildcats will take on USC Thursday evening, about seven hours after the Jayhawks, happy not to be relying on freshman, will meet 16th-seeded Portland State.
The Jayhawks and Wildcats played twice this year, each winning at home. If they both survive their first three NCAA games, they'll meet in Detroit the following weekend in the regional finals, with the winner going to the Final Four.
"We've competed against each other real hard twice this year," Martin said. "I know they've got great fans and we've got great fans. Nothing would make me any happier than to see the KU faithful in our corner this weekend."
He's not kidding when he calls the NCAA tournament a new experience for his 11th-seeded Wildcats. They'll take nine first-year players into the high-pressure scene in Nebraska. Kansas State saw 74 percent of its scoring during a 20-11 season come from freshmen, led by Michael Beasley, who has set single-season school records for scoring and rebounding.
All that youth might be more of a problem than some Kansas State fans want to believe.
While not addressing the Wildcats specifically, Self recalled the stinging 77-73 upset a similarly youthful Kansas squad suffered two years ago in the first round against Bradley.
"We started three freshmen and two sophomores who had never been there," Self said Monday. "They (Bradley) were starting a six-year senior, and they had a lottery pick inside. And their guards, all veterans. As soon as I watched tape on them I thought, 'Gosh, these guys are good."
Perils abound for the very young, off the court as much as on, Self said.
"When you start three freshmen and two sophomores and everybody's patting you on the back and telling you how great you are, sometimes you can start to believe what they're telling you is true," he said.
"It's their first time dealing with tickets, first time being more popular on campus. ... All of them got better-looking all of a sudden. You go through it the first time, I think it's hard no matter how much a staff tries to convince you, 'Now we can't allow this to happen, or this or that."
The Jayhawks, as a No. 1 seed, figure to have a good chance of making it to the Final Four. But it would be a mighty upset if the Wildcats overcome all their youth to advance so far.
Nevertheless, even if they do end up one-and-done, and even if the ever-so-brief Beasley era should end without a postseason win, the Wildcats will have at least broken their 12-year NCAA drought.
"Our fans have been so supportive of us in my two years here," Martin said. "To know our program's going back to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 12 years and they're going to have an opportunity to just get in the car and drive, it'll be a great thing."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Last-second shot lifts Delaware State to MEAC tourney win
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Trevor Welcher's 10-foot bank shot with 1.7 seconds remaining, his only basket of the game, gave Delaware State a 64-62 victory over North Carolina A&T in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament quarterfinals Thursday night.
Welcher grabbed a rebound off a missed 3-pointer by Roy Bright, then immediately fired the jumper off the backboard to move the fourth-seeded Hornets (14-15) into Friday's semifinals against top-seeded Morgan State (21-9).
The Aggies (15-16) trailed for most of the final 15 minutes by no more than six points and eventually went on a 7-0 run to take a 60-59 lead with 1:13 left on two free throws by Thomas Coleman, who scored 10 points.
Bright -- who scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds -- put the Hornets back up by one on an inside hoop and Kyle White made one of two free throws with 27.3 seconds remaining to give Delaware State a two-point lead.
North Carolina A&T's Jason Wills (13 points) was fouled on a drive to the basket and tied the game 62-62 with his two free throws before the final heroics by Welcher
Donald Johnson led Delaware State with 20 points off the bench.
Austin Ewing scored 15 points for North Carolina A&T. Robert Johnson added 11 points.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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