2011-2012 NCAA Basketball Season

[Deadlift]

Indiana is currently hosting Michigan State.. At the half, Indiana is up 41-27.

I would really like to see Draymond and Derrick Nix lose this game.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Nikita Mescheriakov is all that's keeping Wake Forest in the game against Duke tonight. on senior night, he's got 13 in the first half ... he's playing terrific.

for Duke, the Big Three are playing very well, but as usual they aren't getting many shot opportunities. what few they are getting, they're knocking down though. Kelly has 9 and Mason Plumlee has 4 from the free throw line (4-4, actually, which is BIG for him) albeit with only 1 field goal attempt thus far.

both Plumlees already have blocked some shots, as well.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Indiana is currently hosting Michigan State.. At the half, Indiana is up 41-27.

I would really like to see Draymond and Derrick Nix lose this game.

you got your wish, Deadlift. :thumb:

i didn't get to see the game, but according to the recap and boxscore the Hoosiers played terrific defense and got another nice game from (likely Big 10 Freshman of the Year) Cody Zeller. he finished with 18 on 7-12 shooting, 4 boards, 2 steals, a block, and an assist with only 1 turnover in 32 minutes.

also, it's nice to see Will Sheehy getting a lot of minutes. if he gets back to 100%, Indiana will be really tough to beat. he's so athletic, can shoot, and guard multiple positions, that he creates very difficult matchups. also, Jordan Hulls has been playing good basketball of late, and his stat line indicates he had another solid all-around performance. his defense is also very under-rated. case in point, he had 3 steals tonight against a highly touted MSU backcourt.

Draymond Green had a big night for the Spartans, though. he finished with a game-high 29, but he also had 6 turnovers. ouch.

 

[Jack Lambert]

you got your wish, Deadlift. :thumb:

i didn't get to see the game, but according to the recap and boxscore the Hoosiers played terrific defense and got another nice game from (likely Big 10 Freshman of the Year) Cody Zeller. he finished with 18 on 7-12 shooting, 4 boards, 2 steals, a block, and an assist with only 1 turnover in 32 minutes.

also, it's nice to see Will Sheehy getting a lot of minutes. if he gets back to 100%, Indiana will be really tough to beat. he's so athletic, can shoot, and guard multiple positions, that he creates very difficult matchups. also, Jordan Hulls has been playing good basketball of late, and his stat line indicates he had another solid all-around performance. his defense is also very under-rated. case in point, he had 3 steals tonight against a highly touted MSU backcourt.

Draymond Green had a big night for the Spartans, though. he finished with a game-high 29, but he also had 6 turnovers. ouch.

I watched the game, and you're right Jimmy, the Hoosiers played terrific defense all night. Draymond Green was the only Spartan who did much of anything against Indiana. He finished with 29 points to 23 for the rest of the team. Meanwhile, Indiana played nice team basketball, and five players for Indiana finished in double figures. Cody Zeller (as Jimmy mentioned) was the high scorer for Indiana with 18. Jordan Hulls was the other white player in double digits with 10 points. Will Sheehey did a good job against Draymond Green defensivly while I was watching the game. Green got a lot of his points when Christian Watford (black) was guarding him, even the announcers mentioned they needed to get Sheehey or somebody besides Watford on Green.

On a side note, Ryan Kelly is having a great game for Duke, he has 23 points and 8 rebounds as the 2nd half winds down in Winston-Salem against Wake Forest. Miles Plumlee's pulled down 11 rebounds, with 3 points, and Mason Plumlee has 12 points and 7 rebounds.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Tyler Zeller was simply unguardable tonight against Maryland. all the Terps could do was foul him ... and hope he missed the free throws. so they fouled him a lot, but he didn't miss many. on senior night, the senior Tarheel went out with a bang, knocking down 20 of 23 free throws, just one off the ACC record for makes in a game.

Zeller finished his final home game by stuffing the box score with 30 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocked shots as UNC cruised.

**************************

also earlier tonight, Purdue's Robbie Hummel was completely dominant in all phases of the game, and not surprisingly the Boilermakers breezed through Penn State. Hummel had game-highs with 26 points (on 8 of 16 shooting), 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 block ... while committing 0 turnovers 37 minutes. awesome. he also had a steal for good measure.

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currently Matt Gatens is getting hot for Iowa in the second half, as the Hawkeyes are pulling away from Nebraska.

 

[Jack Lambert]

What a heartbreaking loss for Northwestern tonight against Ohio State. After being down by as many as 13, Northwestern fought back, tieing the game at 73 with 8 seconds left on a 3 by Alex Marcotulio. Ohio State scored with 3 seconds left, and Shurna's desparation heave was just short from three. Drew Crawford(black) and John Shurna led the Wildcats on their comeback attempt through the 2nd half, finishing with 23 and 22 points, respectivley. Northwestern had huge problems defending in the paint tonight, with Sullinger of OSU finishing with 22 points and 18 rebounds. Aaron Craft was especially killing to Northwestern, hitting four huge 3s when Northwestern was getting closer in the 2nd half. Craft finished with 14 points.


I still think Northwestern will be in the tournament, but they'll have to win at Iowa, and I think a game or two in the conference tournament for them to be safe.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Creighton sophomore Doug McDermott has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Larry Bird Player of the Year.

McDermott, averaging 23.1 points-per-game (currently 3rd in the nation) and 8.1 rebounds-per-game (2nd in the conference) while shooting a phenomenal 60.7% from the floor and 47.9% from 3-point range (2nd in the conference), is the first sophomore in league history to win the conference's top honor.

McDermott has helped Creighton to a 25-5 overall record (14-2 in league play) and a top-25 national ranking.

last year, McDermott was the first freshman since 1952 to be named to the MVC all-Conference 1st Team, as well as being named Conference Freshman of the Year. he is also just the second player in MVC history to be named both MVC Freshman of the Year and MVC Player of the Year. the only sophomores in league history with more points in a season are Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird.

he is joined on the MVC first-team by 7-footer Garrett Stutz (Wichita State) and the high-scoring wing Colt Ryan (Evansville).

 

[Deadlift]

More Good News

NC STATE defeated Thug U in a thriller! Tied at 69, Scott Wood hit a crucial 3-pointer.. and STATE never looked back, winning 77-73.

Scott Wood finished with 15 points (5-10 from 3-point range).

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Jack Cooley had a monster game tonight, carrying Notre Dame over Providence. he finished with game-highs of 27 points (on 10-15 shooting), 17 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots. it was a DOMINANT showing by the big forward.

Scott Martin contributed his normal solid game: 11 points (on 5-11 shooting), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal with 0 turnovers in 33 minutes.

black guards Grant and Atkins once again struggled with their shots (combining for just 6 of 19), but they did pass the ball well (combining for 15 assists with just 5 turnovers).

surprisingly, freshman Pat Connaughton was ineffective. sophomore guard Alex Dragicevich picked up the slack off the bench, however. he finished with 12 points (3 of 5 shooting) and 5 rebounds.

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Creighton had an unexpectedly tough night against a game Drake, but Doug McDermott's quiet excellence was enough to outlast the Bulldogs. the MVC PoY went for a game-high 26points (on 9 of 15 from the floor) and added a team-high 10 rebounds. it was enough to pull out the victory against the balanced Bulldogs who saw 4 of their starters score between 11-15 points (and the 5th scored 8).

Creighton needs more from Grant Gibbs and Ethan Wragge who were both non-factors. neither scored in the contest. and Gibbs not only fouled out, he also finished without a single assist, an almost unheard of stat for the best passer on the team.

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we don't talk about the Ivy League very much, but i have mentioned talented power forward Greg Mangano of Yale. he had another big game tonight for the Bulldogs, finishing with game-highs of 20 points and 14 rebounds. he also had 2 blocks. but it was all for naught, as Princeton won the game.

a player i didn't know about before was a HUGE reason for the Tigers victory ...

Ian Hummer is a 6-7 junior with a lot of bounce (as you'll see in a moment) and skill. he had a game-high 4 blocks, to go along with team-highs of 18 points (on 7 of 11 shooting) and 5 rebounds. he also had 3 steals.

for the year, Hummer (or should i say,"Hammer?") is doing a terrific job of filling the box score. he's averaging a shade over 16 ppg (while shooting a scorching 65.4% from the floor), 7 rpg, 3 apg, 1 bpg, and 1 spg. for an unheralded (at least out of conference) player, those certainly are some pretty impressive numbers. additionally, basketball fans have been missing out on highlights like these.

i'll post a photo-series below of the dunk-and-foul. it's a thing of beauty.

Ian Hummer prepares for lift-off

tower, we have lift-off

please ensure that your seats are in an upright and fully-locked position, as we will be experiencing turbulence ... via a hard foul.

facial!

we hope you've enjoyed the flight. see you on the internet. :thumb:

 

[white lightning]

I guess it's true that white men can't jump. Yeah right. What a poster dunk on that brother. Haha. I love it. The look on the defenders face and teammates was priceless. Great updates guys.

 

[Deadlift]

Tar Heel Pride! That fire that Jimmy mentioned, became an inferno..

They dismantled Curry and Rivers, who combined for 8-25 from the field.. I will never ever support a "team" with A-Riv on it, and where the MSM cameras' show Doc's mug in the crowd at almost every Duke game. No one should be naive to what's going on here, and I'm not even really alluding to his mom being "White."

A Riv is such a wuss that he could not stick with his "long-term commitment" to the Florida Gators, and we have to hear how Billy Donavan's "heart broke" when A Riv decomitted.. wow, just wow. I hope Coack K enjoys "his phenom" who is famous, or infamous, for horribly clanking his free-throws (only 65% from the charity stripe).
____________________________________

Scott Christopherson had 23 points and 6 assists in Iowa State's upset of Baylor.

When one looks at some of yesterday's Big East scores, it confirms how great Notre Dame has been in conference play. In crucial games, Seton Hall lost to DePaul.. South Florida, at home, lost to West Virginia.. Louisville has been on a big slide. However, it would have been nice if Notre Dame had defeated St. Johns - extending their conference streak of wins - before finally losing to Georgetown on the road (an acceptable loss).

 

[Jack Lambert]

I too was glad to see Duke's guards get exposed badly against North Carolina. Tyler Zeller played great again against the Dukies, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds. All 5 Tar Heels starters finished in double figures. I really like Kendall Marshall at Point Guard for UNC; he really distributes the basketball well, getting the ball to Zeller and the other UNC big men. He's pretty much the opposite of Curry and Rivers, which is one of the reasons why UNC dismantled Duke.

Northwestern picked up a huge win over Iowa yesterday too. It was a team effort for the Wildcats, as John Shurna only had 9 points for the game. Drew Crawford was the Wildcat's leading scorer at 18. Matt Gatens had 17 points in the Hawkeye's loss. High flying freshman Aaron White had 14 for the Hawkeyes as well. I think the Hawkeyes will be a very good team next year, and they'll be doing it with a LOT of white players.

I'm guessing most of you have never heard of Valparaiso's team this year. They are the favorites in the Horizon League Championship game on Tuesday. The Crusaders regulary start four white players. They dismantled the Butler Bulldogs yesterday 65-46, led by Australian forward Ryan Broekhoff, who led the Crusaders in scoring with 19 points, and pulled down 16 rebounds. Dutchman Kevin Van Wijk is Valpo's best big man, and he finished with 11 point and 7 rebounds. Valpo plays some great team basketball from what I've seen of them this year. I hope Valpo beats the misnamed Cleveland State Vikings Tuesday.

Gonzaga true frosh guard Kevin Pangos is the REAL deal. He poured in 30 points against BYU last night. The Zags have a white superstar again, but I wish more white players got consistent minutes for them. They should next year when Sacre and (hopefully) Harris leave.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Deadlift is correct. Duke's guards played TERRIBLE basketball.

conversely, the two Plumlee brothers were absolutely dominant on the offensive end. the (justifiably) vaunted frontline of North Carolina simply couldn't stop them ... but their own teammates could. Rivers and Curry refused to share the ball. instead, they were busy tossing up one bad shot after the next.

in all actuality, the 3 most unstoppable players on the floor were the Plumlee brothers and Tyler Zeller. none could be stopped whenever they got the ball. sadly, Ryan Kelly did not have a good game. he was the only White player to see the floor who wasn't excellent.

Miles Plumlee finished with 16 points (on 7 of 9 shooting) and a game-high 11 rebounds, before fouling out. Mason finished with 17 points (7 of 12 shooting), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocked shots.

Tyler Zeller finished with 19 points (on 9 of 11 shooting) and 10 rebounds. he should win the ACC Player of the Year.

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in the West Coast Conference, their Player of the Year continued to carry his team. Saint Mary's point guard Matthew Dellavedova was quiet most of the night, content to share the ball and play good defense. when his team needed him down the stretch, though, the impressive junior was clutch. he hit all 10 of his free throws, sealing a hard-fought win in the WCC Tourney semi-finals over San Francisco, who played very well. Dellavedova finished the game with 17 points (3 of 6 shooting, and 10-10 from the charity stripe), 6 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals with just 1 turnover in 40 minutes. it was just another quietly dominant night for the best player in the WCC.

Dellavedova is also one of the elite point guards in the nation, despite getting very little publicity on ESPN. in addition to his terrific on-court performance which led to his being named WCC PoY, he is also a First-team Academic All-American. Dellavedova leads the West Coast Conference in assists per game with 6.6, while ranking third in scoring at 16.4 points per contest during WCC play. he led this year's Gaels to a 14-2 regular-season WCC record and a regular-season conference title this season, one game ahead of Gonzaga.

in the loss, San Francisco got a very strong game from their sophomore point guard Cody Doolin (a player i've never seen mentioned on the boards). Doolin finished the contest with a game-high 28 points (on 10 of 16 shooting), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal with only 1 turnover in 39 minutes. he's a young player to watch.

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and speaking of youngsters to watch, the three best freshman guards in the WCC faced off in the other conference semi-final. Gonzaga's freshman point guard Kevin Pangos (the WCC Newcomer of the Year and all-freshman team member) and two-guard Gary Bell, Jr. (the only black guard on the all-freshman team) squared off against BYU's explosive frosh point man Matt Carlino (all-freshman team).

this game, though, was all about Pangos, arguably the best freshman point guard in the nation. he was simply the best player on the floor on this night. finishing with a game-high 30 points (on 10 of 17 shooting), 4 assists, and 3 rebounds with only 1 turnover, Pangos ignited the Gonzaga blowout. the leading scorer and assist man for the Zags during the season, Pangos appears poised to lead the Bulldogs on a deep NCAA Tourney run.

for BYU's Carlino, however, the last two games were rough. the talented, but mercurial, lead guard had 13 turnovers in the two games. ouch. hopefully, he will learn from the experience and allow his decision making to catch up to his talent level.

Gonzaga faces Saint Mary's on Monday night in the WCC Tourney championship game.

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Doug McDermott had a quiet 14 points (on just 3-4 shooting) and 9 rebounds, as Creighton advanced past Evansville to the MVC Tournament finals. it was a terrific team effort by the Bluejays, as 5 players scored in double figures. also, i'd mentioned Grant Gibbs and Ethan Wragge playing poorly in their last outing. well, both men played much better in the blowout of Evansville. Gibbs was especially effective, playing terrific defense and helping hold the high-scoring Colt Ryan to just 3-for-12 from the floor.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Jack mentioned Valparaiso as a team to watch, and i'm glad he did as i haven't seen or heard anything about them this year. i recall several years ago when they had a nearly all-White roster and made a run in the NCAA Tourney, but they went nearly all-black after that and reverted back to irrelevance.

another team flying under the radar this season is Belmont from the Atlantic Sun Conference. returning the majority of a roster that won 30 games a year ago and won both the regular-season and tournament conference crowns, the Bruins blitzed their conference again this year. they went 16-2 in conference play and have amassed a 27-7 overall record. they will once again be a team to reckon with in the NCAA Tourney.

what makes Belmont unique is their overall balance. they don't have any individual superstars, but rather they feature a team-oriented approach where any of 5 players are likely to be the leading scorer on a given night. 9 men (5 of whom are White) average double-figure minutes, and 5 players average 10-or-more points. senior guard Drew Hanlen is one of the nation's elite 3-point shooters, and their best post player is senior Mick Hedgepeth. black point guard Kerron Johnson is likely their best overall player.

it will be interesting to see how they perform on the big stage.

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in related news, Belmont knocked off Florida Gulf Coast to win their conference tournament. a young player to keep an eye on was on the losing side of the game, but he is still a very good young lead guard and played his butt off to keep FGCU in it.

freshman Brett Comer had game-highs with 20 points and 7 assists.

 

[Jack Lambert]

Thanks for the mention of Belmont, Jimmy, I didn't know they were having another good year. Best of luck to the Bruins in the Tournament.

Doug McDermott and Creighton are on CBS right now in the MVC Championship game against Illinois State. McDermott is lighting up Illinois State right now, he already has 10 points in the first 8 minutes of the game, and Grant Gibbs is playing well too; he has 4 points and 4 rebounds. The Red Birds only play one white guy to my knowledge. Creighton's used 5 different white players so far, McDermott, Gibbs, Artino, Wragge, and Dingman.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

The Red Birds only play one white guy to my knowledge. Creighton's used 5 different white players so far, McDermott, Gibbs, Artino, Wragge, and Dingman.

Jack, unless i'm mistaken i think you're referring to Jon Ekey. he's a high-flying 6-7 sophomore who set the school record for blocked shots by a freshman last year.

he's a talented kid. it's just a shame he's stuck on such a dark squad.

 

[Jack Lambert]

Thank you Jimmy! That's who I was talking about. Ekey has hit some big shots to keep the otherwise all-black Red Birds in the game.

Doug McDermott is taking over the game against Illinois State, scoring the Blue Jay's last 4 points to tie the game up. McDermott is up to 22 points. Grant Gibbs has 8 points and 7 rebounds now, but he's missed a couple of easy bunnies so far, other than that, he's played pretty well.

For Michigan today, Evan Smotrycz had 17 points today, which I like to see, since he's been struggling with foul trouble this year. Zack Novak added 11, and Douglass had 9 in the 71-65 win over Penn State.

 

[Jack Lambert]

Doug McDermott has scored Creighton's last 12 points to give the Blue Jays a 2 point lead, 53-51. He's been on fire!

 

[Jack Lambert]

Who ever hasn't been watching the MVC Championship game, you've been missing a show by McDermott and Grant Gibbs. These two players have been carrying Creighton the whole game, which is in OT right now with Creighton up 75-68. McDermott has 33 points and 6 rebounds, and Gibbs is 2nd on the team with 20 points and 7 rebounds, and they are the only Blue Jays in double figures. Both of these guys have hit huge shots for Creighton. I've liked how Gibbs fights for the offensive boards, and he's been hitting his 3's today too.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Who ever hasn't been watching the MVC Championship game, you've been missing a show by McDermott and Grant Gibbs. These two players have been carrying Creighton the whole game, which is in OT right now with Creighton up 75-68. McDermott has 33 points and 6 rebounds, and Gibbs is 2nd on the team with 20 points and 7 rebounds, and they are the only Blue Jays in double figures. Both of these guys have hit huge shots for Creighton. I've liked how Gibbs fights for the offensive boards, and he's been hitting his 3's today too.

how right you are, Jack! i've just started watching it online (and damn my horrible connection!), and McDermott and Gibbs are playing lights out.

you have to give credit to Illionis State, too, as they are playing a very unselfish, physical game.

 

[white lightning]

What a game by McDermott. It's only the 2nd time I have had the pleasure to watch him play. He is a very talented player. He reminds me a little bit of Chandler Parsons but he is even a better shooter. The future is bright for Crieghton. I hope they can make a deep run into the tournament.

 

[northwinds]

In a nice caste matchup today Wisconsin beat coal black Illinois. Wisconsin started and played three European Americans and are highly ranked....:rockon:

 

[Liverlips]

Is Illinois really coal black? I've seen them a few times this year (including today) and they usually have 2 whites on the floor.

 

[northwinds]

Is Illinois really coal black? I've seen them a few times this year (including today) and they usually have 2 whites on the floor.

I did not watch the whole game.....but during the portions I watched Illinois had five blacks on the court. You are probably right....but I think Wisconsin is the better team to root for with their three white starters and high ranking.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Illinois' best player is the super-athletic 7-foot sophomore Meyers Leonard.

their best line-up features Leonard playing alongside rugged role player Tyler Griffey, another big White man who can run the floor, and point guard Sam Maniscalco, a grad student transfer. you'll notice i said "their best lineup," meaning the one that plays the best together and gives Illinois the best chance of winning. early in the year, when the "Fighting" Illini were ranked and playing good basketball, these three White men were in the starting lineup. due to injuries and "chemistry issues" (you should read that as a lot of complaining from the blacks on the team), the lineup was "tweaked." Illinois has been in free fall ever since. their self-destruction as they've gone to a blacker lineup should be one of the biggest stories of the basketball season, yet they've pretty much been washed down the Caste System memory hole since it doesn't fit the script.

compare them to Wisconsin, who starts 3 White players and routinely has 4 White athletes on the court for long periods of time. in fact, the Badgers have 6 players who average more than 22 minutes per game, and 4 of them are White. Wisconsin is very unselfish and are one of the elite defensive teams in the nation.

black point guard Jordan Taylor is the team's leader and leading scorer, but they share the ball very well and any of 6 players could be the top scorer on a given night. White forward Jared Berggren is the team's best athlete, Josh Gasser is perhaps their best defender as well as their top outside shooter (he may be Wisconsin's most complete player as a sophomore), forward Mike Bruesewitz provides the muscle, and guard Ben Brust is a capable scorer.

Wisconsin is certainly a team to pull for in the NCAA Tournament.