2011-2012 NCAA Basketball Season

[Jimmy Chitwood]

i doubt many of you have seen Nate Wolters play for South Dakota State, but he is a bad ass do-everything point guard for the Jack Rabbits. he's literally carrying his team this year. i encourage you to watch him if you get the chance.

check out this stat:

South Dakota State’s Nate Wolters attempted 27 shots and handed out six assists in the Jackrabbits’ loss. It’s the third time this season Wolters has taken at least 25 shots and handed out five assists in the same game; all other players in the country have combined to do it the same number of times.

to put it bluntly, if Wolters has an off night shooting the ball, the Jack Rabbits lose. if he has an off night setting up his teammates, the Jack Rabbits lose. fortunately for the Jack Rabbits, Nate doesn't have many off nights. SDSU is currently 19-7 on the year and 11-3 in conference play.

in the above-mentioned contest, Wolters scored 27 (but was only 10-27 from the floor), snagged 6 rebounds, handed out 6 assists, and added 1 steal with just 1 turnover in 36 minutes. but it wasn't enough to get the win on a cold shooting night.

Wolters, a 6-4 junior point guard, currently ranks #8 in the nation in scoring (21.5 ppg) and #14 in assists (6.2 apg) while only committing 2.2 turnovers-per-game, for a 2.8-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. he also leads the Jack Rabbits in minutes (35.7), points (21.5), assists (6.2), and steals (1.6), and is second in rebounds (4.9).

his all-around game has made South Dakota State basketball relevant for the first time that i can recall. and what may be the most shocking aspect of Wolters game for any DWFs out there, he's not a spot-up shooter (he's hitting a shade under 26% from 3-point range). he gets the lion's share of his points off of penetration, where he gets either a lay-up, hits a teardrop floater, or is fouled and goes to the charity stripe. the kid can play.

i believe someone posted this highlight against Washington earlier in the thread, but i thought it was worthy of a re-post. enjoy.

[video=youtube;8XYRK61RfHo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XYRK61RfHo[/video]

 

[Jack Lambert]

Jimmy, I've mentioned Nate's name a few times on here, although I'm sure not very many posters really payed attention to a guy from SDSU. Thanks for the write-up on him. I've also posted his stats a few times in this thread. Living a little ways south of Brookings, where SDSU is, I've been able to go to a few of his games this year. He's a treat to watch, that's for sure. I also did a small write-up on SDSU on page 2 or 3 of this thread, I believe. Wolters and SDSU will be on ESPN3 tommorow, I believe.

 

[Jack Lambert]

Jack Cooley with a phenominal game against a feisty DePaul team. 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 blocks!

Gonzaga true frosh guard Kevin Pangos destroyed St. Mary's on Thursday night with 27 points! I think he's the real deal, and he has a bright future for Gonzaga.

 

[Jack Lambert]

Tyler Zeller had another great game today against Virginia. He finished with 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 steals.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Duke's big three had a nice game today against Maryland. in only 17 minutes, Ryan Kelly had 7 rebounds, 6 points, and 3 blocks. the Plumlee brothers each had a double-double, Mason with 16 points and 10 rebounds and Miles with 13 points and a monstrous 22 rebounds! they als0 each had 1 blocked shot.

Miles' 22 boards was the most in a game by any player EVER under Coach K (that's a 37-year career folks!). the Plumlee's 32 combined rebounds were one fewer than the entire Maryland team.

Mason with the air time

Miles with authority

Maryand's Alex Len was limited to 15 minutes due to foul trouble, but he still collected 7 rebounds, 4 points (on 2 of 3 shots), and 1 block.

Jeff Withey had a BIG double-double for Kansas, as well. going up against an under-manned Oklahoma State, the athletic big man went off for 18 points, a career-best 20 rebounds, and 7 blocks! he also only had 1 turnover in 32 minutes.

Withey finds a shot attempt offensive

OSU's Keiton Page had 19 points and a game-high 3 steals in the loss.

it's not a double-double, but Arkansas freshman Hunter Mickelson played very well in limited game action. he amassed 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots in just 14 minutes.

Clemson guard Tanner Smith also stuffed the stat sheet in the Tigers' win over Wake Forest, compiling 15 points (going a near-perfect 8-for-9 from the floor), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals with just 1 turnover in 32 minutes. he's a heck of a player.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Tyler Zeller had another great game today against Virginia. He finished with 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 steals.

Zeller should win the ACC Player of the Year. he's that good.

 

[The Hock]

Duke's big three had a nice game today against Maryland. in only 17 minutes, Ryan Kelly had 7 rebounds, 6 points, and 3 blocks. the Plumlee brothers each had a double-double, Mason with 16 points and 10 rebounds and Miles with 13 points and a monstrous 22 rebounds! they als0 each had 1 blocked shot.

Miles' 22 boards was the most in a game by any player EVER under Coach K (that's a 37-year career folks!). the Plumlee's 32 combined rebounds were one fewer than the entire Maryland team.

Mason with the air timeoffensive

Very Chambersesque shot of Mason...

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Deadlift and Jack Lambert,

i really appreciate the enthusiasm and knowledge you guys bring to the basketball discussion. i wish we could have even more frequent, in-depth dialogue, but i guess i'm absent from the boards too often for that to be possible. i'm glad to see you guys staying on top of things, though. keep up the good work!

if only GreatLakeState could post more often, as well. he is another guy who really knows the game. but with basketball season in full swing, he's probably busy as hell with his own team(s) and doesn't have much time to spare.

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a name that we don't give NEARLY enough attention to is John Shurna. the 6-9 do-everything senior forward has put Northwestern on his back and has carried them back into conference relevance in the Big 10. currently ranked #14 in the nation in scoring (19.9 points per game), Shurna has piled up enough numbers to drive a statistician crazy: 48.1% from the floor, 43.6% from 3-point range while hitting 2.7 triples per game, 5.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 blocked shots, and 1.2 steals. he ranks among the Big Ten's elite in most of those categories.

most recently (yesterday), Shurna scored 25 points (of his 30) in the second half, but the Wildcats still came up short against Purdue. he just doesn't get enough consistent help from his supporting cast ... if they get it together, the Wildcats could be dangerous.

with his play, Shurna has "unexpectedly" thrust himself into contention for Big Ten PoY. more importantly to him, he has given Northwestern a chance at making a run to the NCAA Tournament, and perhaps an outside shot at a Big Ten title.

another name that i've not seen mentioned very often, and a guy i've only seen briefly, is Evansville's Colt Ryan, a 6-5 junior wing, who, even after a couple of poor shooting nights, is still #13 in the nation in scoring at 20.0 points-per-game. he's also a superb defender, averaging 1.8 steals. if anyone has more information on this kid's game, i'd like to hear about him.

 

[Jack Lambert]

Thank you for the kind words Jimmy!

Jeff Withey is having another good game against K-State. Right now, he has 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 blocks! He's had a couple of nice slams in this game too! Bob Knight seems to like Withey a lot too. He just mentioned that "it's a waste of time trying to take the ball into the paint on Withey for Kansas State."

On the other side, Will Spradling is having a decent game for the Wildcats.

 

[Jack Lambert]

Jeff Withey put on a show against K-State tonight on National TV again! He had 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 blocks! One short of a triple-double! Withey is turning into an absolute stud right now.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

not too many of our guys were in action tonight, but those that were played pretty well.

Florida's Erik Murphy went 5-11 from the floor for 14 points, had 4 steals, 5 rebounds, 1 blocked shot, and 1 assist to just 1 turnover in the Gators win over Bama.

Tanner Smith was the best player on the floor in Clemson's upset win over #22 Virginia. the unheralded Smith tallied team-highs with 13 points on 5-9 shooting, 4 assists, and 4 steals. he also added 2 rebounds with just 2 turnovers in 34 minutes.

Creighton's Doug McDermott barely saw the floor in the first half due to two quick fouls and only hit 1 shot, but he came back with a vengeance in the second half. he finished the game with a game-high 18 points on a perfect 7-7 from the floor (including 1-1 from 3-point range). he also chipped in 4 boards, an assist, and a steal.

fellow sophomore Blue Jay, Ethan Wragge filled in impressively during McDermott's absence, going 5-6 from 3-point range and finishing with 15 points in the game. he also had 4 rebounds.

the performance of the night, though, goes to Indiana State's Jake Odum. the flashy, slashing sophomore point guard carried the Sycamores to an overtime win against Illinois State with a phenomenal game. Odum scored a career-high 34 points on 8-12 shooting (and 17-21 from the free throw line), snagged 7 rebounds, and dished out 7 assists with just 1 turnover in 37 minutes. he also had a blocked shot. for anyone who hasn't seen him play, try and correct that. he is fun to watch!

you can catch a replay of the ISU-ISU (ha! how cool is that?!?) game on ESPN3 online.

 

[Jack Lambert]

It's been really fun to watch Jack Cooley transform into Notre Dame's go to guy this year. He's been playing some great defense, and has been demanding the ball more on offense this year. He turns in yet another great performance tonight against Rutgers. Cooley finished with 22 points and 18 rebounds, his 3rd straight double double! Cooley was an absolute monster inside, and the Scarlet Knights had no answer for him.

 

[Deadlift]

In Wichita State's win over Missouri State (last night), Garrett Stutz had 21 points and 10 rebounds!

 

[Jack Lambert]

South Dakota State's Nate Wolters went off again last night, against rival North Dakota State. He scored 30 points in 30 minutes (The Jackrabbits took him out because they were blowing them out.) He went 14-18 from the field and 1-1 from the charity stripe. Forward Jordan Dykstra added 15 points and 5 rebounds. If other players on the team can step up their game and help Wolters out, SDSU should be in the NCAA tournament this year.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

South Dakota State's Nate Wolters went off again last night, against rival North Dakota State. He scored 30 points in 30 minutes (The Jackrabbits took him out because they were blowing them out.) He went 14-18 from the field and 1-1 from the charity stripe. Forward Jordan Dykstra added 15 points and 5 rebounds. If other players on the team can step up their game and help Wolters out, SDSU should be in the NCAA tournament this year.

Jack, you beat me to the keyboard.

Wolters is a terrific talent, and he played a near-flawless game against NDSU. he only missed 4 of 18 shots, had 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals ... and he didn't commit a single turnover. wow! additionally, his defense was especially stifling.

after the game, his coach said if Nate can stay healthy, he will finish his career as the best-ever player in school history.

currently, Wolters is one of only two players in NCAA Division I to meet the benchmark of a complete guard: 15 points-per-game, 5 rebounds-per-game, and 5 assists-per-game. the other is Penn State's Tim Frazier. Wolters, though, gets his numbers much more efficiently.

Indiana State's Jake Odum is just off the pace, scoring 11.6 points-per.

here are the stat lines of these three players, who are each carrying their team this season from the point guard spot:

Wolters: 21.8 ppg, 45.6% shooting, 78.1% free throws, 5.0 rpg, 6.0 apg, 2.8 assists-to-turnover ratio, 1.6 steals
Frazier: 18.5 ppg, 41.2% shooting, 77.1% free throws, 5.0 rpg, 6.4 apg, 1.6 assists-to-turnover ratio, 2.2 steals
Odum: 11.6 ppg, 43.9% shooting, 73.1% free throws, 5.8 rpg, 5.3 apg, 1.7 assists-to-turnover ratio, 1.9 steals

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Duke has run into a buzzsaw tonight against NC State. with 8 minutes left in the 1st half, the Wolfpack are up 15 on the Blue Devils. ouch.

on a related note, i'd not seen nor heard of him before, but NC State has a terrific, sharp-shooting small forward in junior Scott Wood. Wood has a chance to be the all-time best 3-point shooter in NC State history, and he is currently the team's leading scorer at over 13 points-per-game.

Duke certainly respects him, as they're doing everything they can to keep him from even touching the ball.

and as i type that, Wood hits his first shot attempt: a 3-pointer. NC State is up 17.

edited to add: the announcers just commented that Coach K said before the game that Wood is by far the best shooter in the ACC, and he certainly has a good looking shot. he hits 95% of his free throws and 44% from 3-point range. if i understood the announcers correctly, both marks lead the conference.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

what a tenacious comeback by Duke!

the Blue Devils were down 17 with 5 minutes left in the game (and 20 points in the second half), but their defense finally showed up (along with debilitating foul trouble for NC State) to get them back in the game.

the Dukies pull out an agonizing victory, certainly for Wolfpack fans at any rate, and squeak out with a 5-point win. still, the struggles of Duke's backcourt, and consequent struggle to get the ball to their trio of big men, almost cost them.

 

[Freethinker]

BYU is quietly having another good year as they were all but written off without Jimmer. After last night's close win, they are 22-6 and 10-3 in the WCC. Unfortunately, the only quality win is against Gonzaga and maybe Oregon. Noah Hartsock is having a great year and leading the team in scoring but the guy I wanted to bring up is Matt Carlino.
The 6'-2" guard is a RS freshman transfer from UCLA. In their last win, Matt had a career high 30 points. He shot 13-19 with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. On the season, he now averages 13.3 PPG. Stellar numbers for a first year starter. Will he become the next Jimmer?

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

for college basketball fans, today is a fun day to catch some good games. there are a LOT of lower-profile, but high-quality, teams on the ESPN networks throughout the day.

today's opening game features a very fun matchup of up-tempo teams: Davidson versus Wichita State.

Wichita State starts one White player, senior center Garrett Stutz. now that he's in really good shape, he has become a terrific below-the-rim player. always a skilled shooter, he's now able to contribute defensively and on the glass. he leads Wichita State in both rebounding, scoring, and blocked shots.

Davidson really gets up and down the floor, always trying to force the tempo. they also start 4 White players (all of whom average double figures in scoring), and have 7 White men in their 8-player rotation. perhaps even more impressive for this 20-win team, none of the players in their rotation are seniors. i'd not seen them play this year, except for highlights of their win over Kansas, but these guys are fun to watch.

Davidson's most versatile player is junior 6-10 inside-outside forward Jake Cohen (who is of jewish descent). he started this game off RED HOT, scoring Davidson's first 12 points (on a perfect 5-5 shooting) before picking up two cheap fouls and going to the bench. Cohen is second on the team in scoring and rebounding and leads them in blocks with 37 on the year. he's got a shot to break the school record for blocks. sharp-shooting Nick Cochran runs the show for the Wildcats from the point guard spot.

and speaking of point guards ... South Dakota State, and their terrific point guard Nate Wolters, is currently playing on ESPNU.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

i just got back in from watching some small college basketball, and i see there were some blowouts today, but a LOT of close games ...

here are some updates so far:

Kyle Kuric scored 25 (9-17 from the floor and 5-10 from 3-point range) and added 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in Louisville's tough win over DePaul.

Wichita State's Garrett Stutz had a quiet night offensively (8 points on 4-8 shooting) but he had 3 blocks as the Shockers' physical presence on the glass allowed them to pull away from Davidson. the loss spoiled a sharp shooting night from Davidson's Jake Cohen (25 points on 10-14 shots in just 19 minutes; he was in constant foul trouble), Nick Cochran (16 points, 2-3 from long range, and 6-7 from the charity stripe), and Chris Czerapowicz (17 points on 7-15 from the floor).

LSU's Justin Hamilton scored 18 on just 8 shot attempts in the Tigers' win.

Erik Murphy had a solid 13 points and 4 boards for Florida over Arkansas. meanwhile, the Razorb(L)acks continue to freeze out Hunter Mickelson ... he only had 3 shot attempts. he did have 2 blocks, however.

Kyle Wiltjer had an efficient night off the bench for Kentucky. in 19 minutes, he scored 13 points on 5-6 shooting.

Tyler Zeller finished with 14 points on 6-9 shooting, with 7 rebounds, a steal, and a blocked shot.

Nate Wolters had another BIG game for South Dakota State in their win over Buffalo. he finished with 22 points (8-18 shooting), 6 rebounds, and 8 assists with just 2 turnovers in 39 minutes. Wolters is the only player in NCAA Division I averaging 20+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 6+ assists. he's a terrific talent, and his midrange game off the dribble is peerless in college basketball today.

Nevada's Olek Czyz had a big outing for the Wolfpack in a loss. he finished with 28 points (9-16 shooting), 7 rebounds, and 2 steals.

the scoring performance of the weekend thus far goes to Oklahoma State's Keiton Page ... the sharp-shooting short two guard lit up Texas for 40 points, including a perfect 20-20 from the free throw line! he went 8-14 from the floor. in 36 minutes, he not only scored 40, but he also didn't commit a single turnover. a VERY impressive performance.

 

[Jack Lambert]

I've been busy all day, but I've been checking up on scores. It was great to see Wolters having another huge game for SDSU. Only two TOs in 39 minutes is incredible. He's starting to play great at the right time. I really hope the JackRabbits get into the Big Dance.


Griffan Callahan really stepped up for SDSU today too, with 21 points. As I said, guys like Callahan and Dykstra stepping up for SDSU is huge for the Jack Rabbits. If they get other options besides Wolters, that will make the Jack Rabbits that more dangerous.

Notre Dame came back from a 16 point halftime deficet to beat Villanova 74-70 in OT! Pat Connaughton impressed me again tonight, scoring 21 points going an impressive 7-12 from three point land, and he snagged 9 rebounds. Connaughton is developing into a pretty good player already as a freshman. Jack Cooley has another double double to his name, scoring 18 points and grabbing 13 boards. This win ties Notre Dame's longest Big East winning streak at 8.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

great points, Jack.

Notre Dame was down 20 at one point and still managed to fight back and get the win. their defense really stepped up in the second half and overtime. in fact, the Irish allowed Villanova only 7 made field goals after halftime! that includes overtime. TERRIFIC defense in the second half. and like Jack said, Connaughton was especially deadly.

Jeff Withey had 4 more blocks for Kansas, but he only managed 2 shot attempts for the game. wow. :dodgy: he still finished with 9 points, as he was 7-10 from the free throw line.

in other news, Michigan (and their 4 White players) knocked off #6 Ohio State. it was a very nice win for Belien's bunch. he's made Michigan into a contender again, and not surprisingly he has the Whitest roster the Wolverines' basketball team has seen in decades.

Noah Hartsock had 21 points and 5 boards as BYU took care of business against a bad Santa Clara team. Freshman point guard Matt Carlino only scored 2 points, but he had 7 assists with just 2 turnovers. and speaking of Santa Clara, i remember only a few years ago they had a very competitive, fun to watch team with an all-White roster. now, they've gone all black (i think 1 White kid gets to play real minutes) and suck something fierce. "weird," huh?

finally, the performance of the day probably has to go to Creighton's Doug McDermott. the sophomore Player of the Year candidate scored 36 (on 14-20 from the floor) for the Bluejays in a VERY entertaining game against Long Beach State for the final Bracket Buster contest of the night. he also pulled down 11 rebounds. Creighton ended up winning by 2, 81-79.

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there are at least 3 games today that feature several of our talented athletes. Duke (with the Plumlees and Ryan Kelly), Indiana (with a whole roster of Whiteness led by the youngest Zeller brother) faces Iowa (i really like Matt Gatens), and Wisconsin (these White Badgers have bite!) all play on national television this afternoon/evening.

 

[Jack Lambert]

Thanks for mentioning Michigan, Jimmy. I really like Jon Belien as a coach, and how's he's whitened Michigan's roster up like he has. Next year, 2 of his three committs are white, stud recruit Mitch McGary and 4 star two-guard Nick Stauskas. I don't know how many CFers know this, but Belien was the coach at West Virginia back when they were playing nearly all white players like Kevin Pittsnogle, Joe Alexander, and Alex Ruoff. So Belien is one of the few coaches that will play white players fairly.

Northwestern has kept their NCAA Tournament hopes alive with a huge win over Minnesota yesterday. John Shurna became the all-time leading scorer in the Wildcat's history yesterday, scoring 18 points, and adding 5 assists and rebounds in Northwestern's 64-53 win. True frosh point guard Dave Sobolewski was the high scorer of the game for both teams, with 22 points (6-10 shooting, 4-5 from 3, and 6-8 on the line) with only 1 TO in 35 minutes. I really hope this is the year Northwestern breaks through to the Tournament.

I agree with you about Doug McDermott, Jimmy. His performance yesterday was amazing. He made several great plays down the stretch for the Blue Jays, helping to put them in a position to win. Creighton needed this game badly to snap a 3 game losing skid.

To add to Jimmy's list, another game to watch on CBS today at 1:00 PM Eastern is Robbie Hummel and Purdue taking on Michigan State. Purdue plays Hummel, Ryne Smith, Travis Carrol, and Sandi Marcius. DJ Byrd got suspended, so he won't be suitng up today. Michigan State plays one white, Austin Thornton. Russell Byrd and Alex Gauna may get 1 or 2 minutes for Michigan State.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

i completely forgot about Northwestern's BIG win, Jack. nice call on pointing it out. and you are absolutley correct about Belien. since he's left West Virginia, they've gone coal black *pun!* in the coal mining country. what a "surprise" with negrophile head coach Bob (T)Huggins. they're also not nearly as good. go figure.

Jon Shurna is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay under-rated. he's the total package on offense, but the knock is that he can't play defense ... go figure. :dodgy: his 3 blocks and 4 steals in yesterday's game are just the latest evidence that he's a solid, athletic defender. of course, facts really don't matter in the Caste System.

i'd not ever noticed true frosh Dave Sobolewski until yesterday's game (i DVRed it! haha!). he's really come on of late, and is actually putting up better numbers in conference play in the Big 10 than he did in the non-conference portion of the season. he's just one of many talented young point guards around the country.

one guy for Northwestern who's never really taken advantage of his physical talents is Davide Curletti. at 6-9, he's a high flyer with good agility and quickness. with his hops and length and mobility, he should've become a big-time player. but for whatever reason, he's never put it together.

 

[Deadlift]

In victory over Indiana, Matt Gatens had 30 points (7-10 from long range) and 3 steals! Iowa has 4-straight home wins against Indiana now.

Cody Zeller had 15 points and 13 rebounds for Indiana.