STF Gives Thanks to Hoops

Now that was a great way to kick off six days of fantastic basketball coverage. You had the near upset (Michigan State choked one away vs. UCLA), a real upset (Saint Mary's handles Oregon, Patty Mills is a new STF hero) more superhero freshmen (30 from IU's Gordon) and almost another A-Sun stunner (Purdue slips by Lipscomb 66-62). In terms of basketball watching, Thanksgiving week is about three or four on my list favorite weeks of the season, behind every week in March.

But since we have like families and all, STF will be taking a short break for the holidays. There may be a quick update on Saturday, but I'm not promising anything. As long as I find some time between food, Blackout Wednesday (just as important as Thanksgiving if you are over 21 and without children), and playing Guitar Hero with my cousins, you'll get a Thanksgiving update.

Just refer to the Holiday Hoop Guide to lead you through the great hoops weekend, because will be plenty of games to go around.

Also, STF will be having our first Hoops Summit at the Palestra on Friday. Stop by if you want to see how weird bloggers really are in person.

Hoopholiday Tournament Guide

It is what it says it is. Why I got to write stuff in italics all the time? Damn.

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Maui Invitational:

The Field: Chaminade, Marquette, LSU, Oklahoma State, Princeton, Duke, Arizona State, Illinois (teams in italics are in the consolation bracket, with games played on ESPNU)

#10 Duke "at" Illinois - 9:30pm Tuesday, ESPN

#13 Marquette "at" Oklahoma State - 7pm Tuesday, ESPN

Championship Game: Duke 77 - Marquette 73

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O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic:

The Field: Began at regional sites, championship round is UCLA, Maryland, Missouri, Michigan State

Championship Game: #1 UCLA 68 - #11 Michigan State 63

Consolation Game: Missouri 84 - Maryland 70

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Great Alaska Shootout:

The Field: Michigan, Butler, Eastern Washington, Virginia Tech, Texas Tech, Alaska-Anchorage, Western Kentucky, Gonzaga

The Favorites: Butler, Gonzaga

Could Surprise: Texas Tech, Michigan

Michigan "at" #23 Butler - 11:30pm Wednesday, ESPN2 - Butler 79 - Michigan 65

Eastern Washington "at" Virginia Tech - 9:45pm Wednesday (no TV) - Tech 69 - EWU 52

Texas Tech at Alaska Anchorage - 5pm Thursday, ESPN360

Western Kentucky "at" #14 Gonzaga - 7:30pm Thursday, ESPNU

Championship Game airs at 8:30pm Saturday on ESPN2 - no current plans to televise middle rounds.

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NIT Season Tip-Off:

The Field: Winnowed at regional sites last week. Final Four is Texas A&M vs. Washington and Ohio State vs. Syracuse.

Washington "at" #15 Texas A&M - 7pm Wednesday, ESPN2 - A&M 77 - UW 63

#21 Syracuse "at" Ohio State - 9pm Wednesday, ESPN2 - Result: OSU 79 - Syracuse 65

Championship Game: 7pm Friday, ESPN2 - #15 Texas A&M vs. Ohio State

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Old Spice Classic:

The Field: South Carolina, Penn State, NC State, Rider, Villanova, UCF, George Mason, K-State

South Carolina "at" Penn State - 12pm Thursday, ESPN2 - South Carolina 74 - PSU 67

NCState "at" Rider - 2pm Thursday, ESPN2 - NC State 72 - Rider 63

#19 Villanova "at" UCF - 7pm, ESPN2 - Nova 76 - UCF 68

George Mason "at" #20 Kansas State - 9pm, ESPN2

Semis 12:30 & 5:00 on Friday, Championship at 6:30pm on Sunday - all on ESPN2.

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Legends Classic:

New Mexico State "at" #16 Texas - 7pm Friday, Versus

West Virginia "at" #7 Tennessee - 9pm Friday, Versus

Championship Game: 7pm Saturday, Versus

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Anaheim Classic:

The Field: Mississippi State, Cal-Irvine, Southern Illinois, UT-Chattanooga, Miami (OH!), South Alabama, San Diego, USC

Mississippi State "at" Cal-Irvine - 2pm Thursday, ESPNU - MSU 68 - Irvine 53

Southern Illinois "at" UT-Chattanooga - 4pm Thursday, ESPNU - So Ill 63 - Rider 41

Miami-o "at" South Alabama - 9:30pm Thursday, ESPNU

San Diego "at" USC - Midnight Thursday, ESPN2

Semis: 3pm & Midnight Friday, ESPN2

Championship Game: 11pm Sunday, ESPN2

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Philly Classic:

The Field: Loyola College, Howard University, Drexel, Robert Morris University, Seton Hall, Navy, Penn, Virginia

The Favorites: Virginia, Drexel

Could Surprise: Seton Hall

OK, so it's not on TV. Two reasons you should attend this event, even if you don't care for any of the teams: 1) It's at the Palestra. 2) Marco and I will be there. We'll be the least professional-looking journalists there - come and say hello.

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The STF Top 25 - 11/20/2007

Here is our top 25 for the week ending 11/18/2007.

Bracket is submitted to March to Madness for the College Basketball Blogpoll

1. Memphis
2. UCLA
3. UNC
4. Kansas
5. Georgetown
6. Indiana
7. Louisville
8. Tennessee
9. Washington State
10. Duke
11. Oregon
12. Gonzaga
13. Texas
14. Southern Illinois
15. Marquette
16. Syracuse
17. Kansas State
18. Texas A&M
19. Clemson
20. Miami
21. Villanova
22. Michigan State
23. Davidson
24. Butler
25. Arkansas

What's Up With Chris Lofton?

Lost among the numerous outstanding performances from this year's freshmen class is the early season struggles from a preseason All-American. Tennessee guard Chris Lofton, preseason All-American and owner of the sweetest shot in college basketball, hasn't even been close to himself in the first three games of the season.

In his first three games, Lofton is only averaging 9.7 ppg, shooting 21% from the field and only has three treys for the entire season. And it's not like the Vols have been playing some outstanding teams out of the gate either, with two wins coming against Prairie View A&M and Arkansas-Monticello.

As for reasons for the shooting some slump, some are speculating that it's due to the loss of Dane Bradshaw, a key Lofton assist man from last season, while others are blaming the new black seats at Thompson-Boling Arena, if you buy that.

Luckily, the Smiths (Tyler, JaJuan and Ramar) have picked up the slack, each averaging at least 12 ppg. Lofton is actually 5th on his team in scoring right now, behind the Smiths and Wayne Chism. If Lofton doesn't regain his form quickly, look for the Vols to get upset by either West Virgina or Texas at the Legends Classic in Newark this weekend

Morning Recap 11/20: Tournament Fun

Game of the Night

Michigan State 86 Missouri 83

So is this game just another one of MSU's early season struggles or validation that Mizzou can be a contender? Hell if I should know at this point, but Michigan State pulls out a much needed victory in CBE Classic in Kansas City behind Drew Neitzel's 21 points and clutch shooting down the stretch. The Spartans still sucked against the press. They move on to play UCLA. Win there and we'll forget about Grand Valley State.


Also Intriguing


UCLA 71 Maryland 59

The Terps actually played better than I expected against the Bruins, as this was a game throughout out and the Terps actually outplayed the Bruins in the second half. The Bruins couldn't hit a shot all night, but rode Kevin Love' 18 points and 16 boards to the win.


Illinois 77 Arizona State 54 (Maui)

I'm going to go ahead and guess that the Sun Devils spend too much time at the beach today, as they started the game in a 20-0 hole to the Illini. They didn't play much better after that either.


Baylor 62 Winthrop 54

Congrats to the Baylor Bears, perennially one of the least successful programs in all of the BCS conference, on it's Paradise Jam championship last night. With the Big 12 in a down year, the Bears just might even be able to sneak into the Tournament for the first time since 1878.


Mid-Major Game of the Evening

Belmont 85 Alabama 83

The A-Sun strikes again! Belmont gets it's second win over a major school, taking down the Steele-less Crimson Tide. In the apparently loaded A-Sun, Belmont looks like it's once again the team to beat.


Other Scores of Note

(Maui)

Duke 83 Princeton 61

Marquette 74 Chaminade 63

Oklahoma State 83 LSU 77

Georgia Tech 70 Notre Dame 69

Hoopnight 11/20/2007

Hoopnight is your daily preview of televised college basketball.


Don't Miss

#1 UCLA "at" Maryland - 7pm ESPN2 (CBE Classic)
People all over the world, join in, board the Love Train.


Watch it if You Like to Offend People Who Get Offended by Mascots

Arizona State "at" Illinois - 11:30pm ESPN2 (Maui)
Pendergraph at Arizona State is a Wooden candidate, but I've never seen him play. Illinois is usually strong. This could be a good game, and it is ASU's first of the season.


Tivo it and Watch Some of the Last Scripted Programs of the Year

#11 Michigan State "at" Missouri - 7:30pm, ESPNU (Maui)
I really don't like Mizzou, but I'm intrigued by the style they play. Michigan State seems shaky, and I'd like to see if they can right the ship.

Padgett Out For Season

Looks like some bad news out of Louisville, as it looks like David Padgett is going to miss the remainder of the season with a very painful sounding fractured kneecap. The injury is especially sad for Padgett as he was a 5th-year senior, whose career with the Cards is most likely over. The loss hurts the Cards because Padgett was the seasoned vet and team leader, but they have enough depth that Padgett's loss shouldn't be a season-killer. But you still have to feel bad for the kid.

In Defense of the Nosebleeds

Typically, when going to a live sporting event, a sports fan tries to get the closest seats at the
most advantageous angle. For pure adrenaline thrill, nothing can beat being on the 50, sitting on the first-base line, or being courtside. But those seats are expensive and finite. Even in college, a huge time commitment must be made in the form of camping out for front-row student-section tickets. Most of us have to settle for the nosebleeds.

But the cheap seats aren't all that bad. The photo I included here is from the 2005 CAA championship game, which my friend Steve and I attended on a last-minute whim when it became clear that ODU/VCU would be the matchup. We sat near the top center of Richmond Coliseum, which you can see from the photo.

And it was cool to be up there, honestly. We sat with rabid college basketball fans supporting both teams, and had some great laughs during the timeouts. But best of all was the view. Sitting up high and in the middle, the tactical nature of the game was as clear as a bell. When ODU had the ball, we could clearly see the amoeba-like zone defense of the Rams swing into effect - it was fascinating from up there. It looked like a living thing. And when Alex Loughton curled off of a screen to take a go-ahead shot, we could see it develop beautifully.

This is not to ignore the drawbacks, however. There was an earlier play in which, from our vantage, a VCU player had bodily taken down an ODU player under the basket. My section was convinced, absolutely convinced, that it was a VCU foul, but the referee on the scene called one on the ODU player instead. When I got home and watched the highlights on television, it was clear from the close-up that the ODU player fell down due to the forces of gravity putting an end to his own out-of-control play. Admittedly, that viewpoint is not served by sitting in the cheap seats.

But they're not bad. Next time you're looking for seats to a game, try to focus on the basket-to-basket viewpoint, and don't worry so much about the proximity. You might see the game in a whole new way.

STF's Monday Madness - The Debut

This is the debut column for Monday Madness. It will be posted happen at noon every Monday, recapping the week and weekend that was in college basketball. Since this is first edition, feel free to send some feedback as to what you like, don’t like, or would like to see in the future.


Super Awesome Team of the Week




Miami (4-0)

If you’ve seen the recent play of the Dolphins, Heat and Hurricanes football team, you know that the Miami sporting scene needs this. The Hurricanes made may ACC sleeper pick look good by going to Puerto Rico and pulling off a string of impressive victories. The Canes routed Marist in their opener, then defeated likely tourney teams in VCU and Providence, to win the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico tip-off. The win over Providence was particularly impressive, as the Canes shot poorly, with their best scorer Jack McClinton missing most of the game with foul trouble. But thanks to fifth-year senior Anthony King (block machine with passing skills) the Canes were able to prevail. McClinton has the sweetest shot outside of Knoxville and King is a beast in the middle, so don’t view this tournament championship as a fluke. The Canes can be a tournament team.

Close: Clemson (Big wins of Miss State, Old Dominion), Memphis (2K Sports title), Louisville (on pace to win by an average of 74 points this season), Rhode Island (5-0 start, big wins in Daytona), Baylor (In Paradise over Notre Dame and Wichita State)



Bad, Bad Week

UAB (2-3)

Many pundits had Mike Davis’s Blazer as trendy Sweet 16 pick in the preseason. The Blazers responded to that praise by dropping three consecutive games at something called the Glenn Wilkes Classic in Daytona, including an embarrassing loss to CAA cellar dweller Georgia Southern. Robert Vaden has done his part for the Blazers, but is getting little help from the supporting cast thus far. Biggest loser in the Blazer’s craptasic start (outside of UAB of course)? Memphis, who were banking on UAB to at least provide some kind of competition in the CUSA.

Close: Penn (0-3, lost to Howard at home) Georgia Tech (followed up loss to UNC-Greensboro with loss to Winthrop), Richmond (lost to MD-Baltimore County and Norfolk State), VCU (failed to make a statement with two losses in Puerto Rico), Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils (Awesome nickname aside, lost three games by a total of 123 points this week)


Upset of the Week

Siena 79 Stanford 67

Many people are comparing this to Siena's upset of Stanford in the 1989 NCAA tournament, but since I was five when that took place and have no recollection, it never really happened. This one is extra surprising because of the way that Stanford had been throttling teams to start the season despite the loss of Brook Lopez Martin. But the Saints came away with a surprisingly easy victory over the Cardinal. With the win over Stanford and close call at Syracuse, the Saints are making their claim as the top team in the MAAC.

Close: New Orleans 65 - NC State 63, North Texas 73 - Oklahoma State 72


Mid-Major Spotlight

New Orleans Privateers

Much has been made of the slow rebuild of New Orleans, but how about the rebuild of the Privateers? This low-budget school almost had to rebuild from scratch following Katrina, and had to deal with other schools basically stealing their players (and coaches). But after TJ Worley’s bank three pointer at the buzzer gave the Privateers the upset at NC State, UNO is rising high. With stud Bo McCalebb leading the way, the Privateers just might be the top team in the Sun Belt.


Coach Who May Be Burned at The Stake By His Fanbase

John Jay, Oregon State

General rule of thumb: when playing in these destination tournaments (Maui, Alaska), it's never a good to drop one to the host Divsion II school. The Beavers did just that, falling to the Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks (great name) 62-60 on Saturday night. There is a reason that Chaminade's upset over Virginia in the 1980s is considered the greatest upset off all-time. With the Beavers continuing to be one of the irrelevant programs in college basketball, not making the tournament since 1990, you have to wonder how long the Beavers are going to hang on to Jay.

Close: Kevin O'Neil, Arizona (that late game strategy vs. Virginia will have fans begging for Lute’s return) , Gary Williams, Maryland (one point win over Northeastern. Have fun with UCLA)



Player I'd Like To Party With

Each week, I’ll pick a player that I think it would be fun to party with. As part of the gimmick, I’ll also ask them to be friends on Facebook. And maybe someday, I will actually get to party with them.

Chase Budinger, Arizona



This decision mostly comes from the above picture of Chase rocking the Larry Bird jersey while partying in Tuscon. Outside the fact that I would give my left pinky finger to go back to a college party in Arizona (I spent a weekend at ASU and proceeded to miss my flight home because I didn’t want to leave), Chase seems like a pretty fun guy (I bet he would dominate in Beirut) and it’s not like it was his fault that the Cats lost to UVA (15 points).


The Jonny Flynn Campus Legend of the Week

Jonny Flynn, Syracuse

Since this is being named after him, the award has to go to Jonny in the first week. A 28 point debut and game winner on consecutive nights will get your name on an award. But it's not like we've had a shortage of other candidates early in the season (Gordon, Beasley). At this rate, there may be 13 freshmen with statues by the end of the season.

Student Section of the Week



Davidson

I have to give major props to the students of Davidson. For a school with under 2,000 students to pack that many fans in the student section in Charlotte means that basically every able-bodied student was in attendance. Just think about that for a moment. That is some school pride. The Davidson crowd was even loud enough able to neutralize the large UNC crowd, nearly propelling the Wildcats to the victory.


Ivory Update

Your weekly update on The Big Man


Looks like STF aren’t the only ones coming up with Ivory nicknames. The Bowie State website now refers to Ivory as “The Big Show”, which is amazing. For the season, The Big Show is now averaging 7 ppg and 3.5 rpg for the 2-0 Bulldogs. And his new picture is better reflection on Big Ant’s true size.





Freshmen of the Week

Michael Beasley, Kansas State


Wow, can I pick 12? Seriously, this has to be the best collection of freshmen talent in NCAA history. I went with Beasley because he is averaging something along the lines of 35 points, 32 rebounds this season. In reality, it's 31 points, 20 rebounds, which is still nuts. I could have placed Eric Gordon, Jonny Flynn, Donte Green, Derrick Rose, Jerryd Bayless, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin here and no one would have complained.


Any ideas or stories for Monday Madness? Send them to stormingthefloor@gmail.com

Checking Out - the Miami Hurricanes

Each week I have a choice to make - do I Check In with one of last year's tournament teams and see how the new season is treating them, or do I Check Out a team that has surprised? Today, we check out the champions of Puerto Rico, the Miami Hurricanes.

Team: Miami Hurricanes

Conference: ACC

Last season recap: The Hurricanes went 12-20 and won just four games in the ACC. They did not advance to the postseason.

This season: Miami is 4-0 and won the Puerto Rico Tip-off tournament. Along the way they beat Marist, Virginia Commonwealth, and Providence to take the crown. They got points from several sources, being led by a different player each game. Current RPI is 7.

Players to Watch: Junior guard Jack McClinton, averaging 14 points per game, Sophomore guard James Dews, who led the Hurricanes with 17 points in the championship game against Providence, and Senior center Anthony King (pictured), who is averaging 11 ppg and nearly 10 rpg.

Why they might be Tournament Bound: They seem to be playing defense this year. VCU scored just 63 points against the team from Coral Gables, and no other team has matched that total. The team is experienced, with just two Freshmen on the roster. New guy Eddie Rios dished out eight assists in limited minutes vs. Marist.

Why they might not: Sing it along with me now, class - they play in the ACC. The Hurricanes avoid the worst of it, only playing UNC once, but there are still two games vs. Duke, two against Clemson, and one at NC State. The good news is that UNC, Virginia, and Maryland are home games this season. Coach Frank Haith, who has been at Miami since 2004, has scheduled some good non-conference tests as well - at Mississippi State on December 13th, and vs. Winthrop on a neutral court Dec. 29th.

The Outlook: Given what we've seen so far, I can see Miami heading into the brutal ACC conference season at 13-1. If they can pull off 8-8 in conference by taking care of business at home, and then win a couple in the ACC tournament, they're back to the Big Dance for the first time since 2002, when they were a rare first-round victim of the Missouri Tigers.

If this doesn't happen, they'll still make the postseason, because we now have three frakkin' tournaments.