Ducks Own The Knight Against Dogs
Forgive me for being proud of the Oregon basketball team, but I cannot help it. After checking out Matthew Knight Arena on a recent trip back to Eugene, I definitely approved of the Ducks new home court. They played an excellent game last night against University of Washington, winning 82-57. Outshooting the Huskies 56.4%-36.4% definitely helped as Oregon moved to 17-7 on the year. More importantly, they are only one game back of Cal and Washington in the conference standings.Larry Eustachy is making most of his second chance at Southern Miss
In 2000, Larry Eustachy was named the AP National Coach of the Year for his work on the sidelines at Iowa State. Three short years later, pictures surfaced of him drinking and partying with students. Although the accusations did not go beyond this and Eustachy taking steps to enter treatment, he was terminated by the school.Murray State Now 23-1 After Tennessee State Upset
The Racers of Murray State were the last NCAA Division 1 school without a loss. Last night, they were handed their first blemish of the season courtesy of Ohio Valley Conference foe Tennessee State. Many expected Murray State to cause a possible conundrum for the NCAA Tournament selection committee if they indeed ran the table in the OVC and finished the season undefeated. This loss does little to Murray State’s tourney hopes, they still look like a lock, but it could hurt their seeding.KEVIN PANGOS Powers Gonzaga Past St. Mary’s
Add another chapter to the legend of Canadian freshman PG KEVIN PANGOS. Ever since his first big game, a 33 point scorching of Washington State, Seth Sommerfeld called for his name to be capitalized. Well, NCAA Daily obliges. After scoring 27 points to end St. Mary’s 12 game winning streak, KEVIN PANGOS deserves his props. He went 5-6 from long distance, made all of his foul shots and just added to the lore of a first year that has him leading the Bulldogs in scoring.
Cody Zeller, Indiana Best Illinois
In a clash of two of the premier pivots in the Big 10 conference, Cody Zeller’s Hoosiers bested Meyers Leonard’s Illini 84-71. The freshman Zeller outscored the sophomore Leonard 22-17 while neither were a big factor on the glass. In a game that saw both schools shoot over 50% from the field, Indiana was just that much more efficient with the ball and maintained home court advantage at Assembly Hall.Boston College Upsets #15 Florida State Behind 5’9 Freshman
One team had won 7 games in a row, the other team had lost 6 consecutively. Jordan Daniels big night gave Boston College Eagles fans something to be happy about with a career high 21 points including 4 three pointers in a 64-60 victory. The fact that he had this performance against a Florida State Seminole team that had defeated 3 top 25 teams in their last winning streak, including a victory against Duke at Cameron, was just icing on the cake.Jeff Withey’s Career Game Helps Kansas Sweep Baylor
After posting a donut in Kansas’ latest loss to Missouri, Jeff Withey knew he needed to be aggressive against Baylor. He was just that as his 17 points in the first half already surpassed his career high of 15 set one week before against Oklahoma. Overall, Withey finished with 25 points (8-10 FG, 9-11 FT) adding 5 rebounds and 3 blocks in the Jayhawks 68-54 road win against Baylor.Kris Joseph Helps Boeheim Pass Smith on Wins List
It took OT and a career performance for Kris Joseph, but Jim Boeheim notched win #880 to pass legendary North Carolina coach Dean Smith for third All-Time in career college basketball victories. Joseph dropped in what proved to be the game winner with 26 seconds left and finished with a career high 29 points in #2 Cuse’s 64-61 win over #12 Georgetown. “It’s the last game I’ll ever play against Georgetown, assuming we don’t play them in the Big East Tournament,” Joseph said. “So it was good. I feel like I came out on top in this rivalry.”
Austin Rivers Buzzer Beater Helps Duke Stun North Carolina at Home
"I don’t think it’s much of a rivalry right now because UNC’s not better than Duke, nowhere near in my opinion. Until UNC can start winning some games, I don’t think it’s much of a rivalry. They’ve got to do something first. Duke’s done their share. I don’t know about UNC." -Austin Rivers (http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Duke-signee-Austin-Rivers-takes-a-few-jabs-at-No?urn=ncaab-317050)
Kentucky Grabs #1 Spot in AP
After spending a good deal of time as the #2 team in the nation behind Syracuse, Kentucky capitalized on Cuse’s loss to Notre Dame to move up to the top spot in the latest Associated Press Poll. The Wildcats finished with 61 out of 65 votes, with two each going to Missouri and Syracuse who follow them respectively. Ohio State and Kansas round out the top 5. Baylor slid to 6th after picking up their first two losses of the season last week in games against #2 Missouri and #5 Kansas.#8 UNC Bounces Back Against Virginia Tech, Loses Dexter Strickland
After getting absolutely trounced by Florida State on Saturday, North Carolina was looking for a redeeming performance on the road against Virginia Tech. Harrison Barnes and John Henson definitely delivered, but they also lost valuable starting guard Dexter Strickland in the process. Strickland hurt his right knee while attempting a runner and is going to get X-Rays today. He is optimistic and felt better after the game, but the prognosis on when he will return is unknown.Anthony Davis Swats His Way Into UK Record Book
A short week ago, I said I believed that Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was the best freshman at the nation at the halfway mark. Since than, Kentucky’s other player in the running for the award, Anthony Davis, has already re-taken the lead. After an incredible 27 point and 14 rebound performance against Arkansas, Davis has leapt over the freshman wall with a vengeance. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist still is a fantastic freshman, but Anthony Davis has been a menace in SEC play and has rightfully moved to the top of my (and I am sure many others) rankings of the top first year guys in the nation.
Thomas Robinson Leading The NPOY Race?
After his massive showing against Baylor yesterday, it seems like Thomas Robinson has separated himself from the pack in the NCAA National Player of the Year race. Kansas lost twins Marcus and Markieff Morris to the NBA and had a number of key freshmen denied eligibility by the NCAA. Still, led by the powerful PF Robinson, they have remained one of the best teams in the nation and have gotten off to a 5-0 start to possibly win their eighth straight Big 12 title.#7 Kansas Stays King of Big 12, Hands #3 Baylor First Loss
It was a huge contest at Allen Fieldhouse on Martin Luther King Jr. Monday as two top 10 Big 12 rivals were on display. Baylor had won their first 17 contests and wanted to make a statement that they were amongst the elite by keep a perfect record with a major road victory over Kansas. Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson both had huge performances to make sure Kansas kept the inside track for an eighth straight conference title in a 92-74 beatdown.