SB Nation - Levance Fields

Orlando Magic's 2009 Pro Summer League Proves Fruitless, as Top Performers Sign Elsewhere

Ben Q Rock — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 18:00:12 -0000

More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP

Point guard Levance Fields is among the Orlando Magic's summer-league players who have signed elsewhere, leaving the Magic empty-handed.

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It's high time we take a quick look around the world to see where the Orlando Magic's summer-leaguers have wound up. If you recall, Ryan Anderson was the only player on the team with an NBA contract, and the Magic's bevy of open roster spots meant that their summer-league invitees stood a great chance of receiving an invite to training camp. Here's how I assessed each individual performance.

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear as though any of the standouts will return to Orlando, as they've received jobs elsewhere.

Small forward Kasib Powell, who earned second-team all-league honors that week, reached an agreement with a Greek team, per this Greek link.
Big man Richard Hendrix signed with a Spanish team.
Russell Robinson spurned the Magic, who offered him a spot in their training camp, for the opportunity to play with Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron James, and former Kansas teammate Darnell Jackson in the Cleveland Cavaliers' camp instead.

Jeremy Richardson, the only other NBA-caliber player from the Magic's team, said he expects to sign with the Magic. That was a month ago. Still no word on his chances of reprising his 15th-man role once again, as Orlando is more concerned with filling its third-string point guard vacancy.

And in much less surprising news, Levance Fields, who did not have an exceptional week, signed with Spartak St. Petersburg after not receiving an offer from the Magic.

Indeed, based on these recent signings, it appears as the Magic accomplished two things in summer-league: they provided assistant coach Patrick Ewing with some head-coaching experience, and they served as a showcase for Anderson, who was arguably the best player in the entire camp. Unfortunately for him, the Magic signed power forward Brandon Bass on the last day of camp, a move which appears to have squeezed the 21-year-old Anderson out of the immediate rotation.

Reviewing Orlando Magic Players' Performance in the 2009 Orlando Pro Summer League

Ben Q Rock — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:00:18 -0000

Another Orlando Pro Summer League is in the books, and the host Orlando Magic finished the week with a 2-3 record. The Magic have several roster spots to fill on the big-league team, and must fill those spots with a limited budget. Undrafted rookies, free-agents, and veterans of international ball--in other words, players who fit the Magic's said limited budget--made their cases for inclusion on the opening-night roster.

After the jump, 3QC breaks down the chances each player has of earning an invitation to training camp.

First, a look at each player's per-game statistics. They're sorted in descending order by total minutes played, in order to show which players got the longest looks from the team.

Pos.	Name	Mins	Pts	Rebs	Asts	Stls	Blks	FG%	3FG%	FT%
PF	Ryan Anderson	31	21.4	9.4	2.0	1.0	1.0	49.3%	41.4%	92.0%
SF	Kasib Powell	34	14.8	5.8	2.0	1.0	0.8	46.0%	52.9%	44.4%
PG	Russell Robinson	22	6.6	1.4	3.6	1.0	0.2	38.5%	28.6%	91.7%
SG	Maurice Ager	19	8.0	1.4	1.4	0.6	0.2	37.5%	28.6%	60.9%
PF/C	Richard Hendrix	23	9.8	7.3	0.8	0.3	1.8	56.0%	100.0%	66.7%
PG	Brian Chase	26	12.7	4.0	2.7	0.3	0.0	55.6%	75.0%	66.7%
SF	Jeremy Richardson	26	12.0	5.7	0.3	1.0	0.0	35.1%	15.4%	88.9%
PF/C	Darian Townes	15	3.6	3.6	0.0	0.0	0.2	34.8%		40.0%
SG	Courtney Fells	18	2.7	2.7	0.7	1.0	0.3	14.3%	22.2%
C	Lance Allred	10	1.4	2.8	0.8	0.0	0.0	27.3%		50.0%
PG	Jeremy Pargo	18	4.0	1.5	1.5	1.5	0.0	33.3%	0.0%
PG	Levance Fields	13	4.5	1.0	2.5	0.5	0.0	36.5%	25.0%	0.0%
C	Stevan Milosevic	8	2.0	1.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	66.7%
PF	C.J. Giles	5	2.0	3.0	0.0	2.0	0.0	50.0%

It's pretty easy to stratify the players from there.

The Sure Thing

Ryan Anderson will make the final roster, and would have regardless of how well he played in camp, because he's the only player here with a guaranteed contract. Orlando wouldn't surrender Courtney Lee to the New Jersey Nets as part of the deal for Vince Carter were Anderson not included. But even if all that weren't the case--if he were scrapping just like everyone else--he would have assured a roster spot with his play this week. He was the best player on the floor most of the time, and displayed some admirable versatility. Catch-and-shoot, pick-and-pop? Sure, that's what he did in New Jersey. But he added some strong drives to the basket, and did some work on the offensive glass. In the regular season, he'll revert to catch-and-shoot/pick-and-pop action, but he's developing an all-around game for the long haul. At 21, he could be in Orlando for quite some time.

The Likely Camp Invitees

Kasib Powell, too, looked like an all-around player. He struggles to finish near the basket, but he's a solid jump-shooter, with a better handle than at least one small forward on Orlando's roster. At 28, he has limited upside, but he's a smart player who works hard. There might be a spot at the end of Orlando's bench for him. Given his play this week, and given his familiarity with the organization--he went to training camp with the Magic in 2006--there's a darn good chance he'll go camping with them again this year.
Russell Robinson's shooting and scoring stats won't impress you, but his ability to run a team might. He turned the ball over 6 times in 109 minutes, coordinated the offense, and made smart plays. Defensively, he pressures the ball well. Coach Stan Van Gundy went out of the way to compliment Robinson after camp, and it appears as though the Magic will use their remaining free-agency dollars to address needs at small forward and at center. Maybe they'll take a flier on Robinson, hoping the 23-year-old can fill-in as their third point guard this year, and maybe develop into a backup down the line.
Richard Hendrix is neither tall nor athletic. That did not stop him from fairly quietly posting impressive numbers at both power positions or Orlando this week. He's not much of a shot creator or jump-shooter--regardless of the made three-pointer, at the end of a quarter, off a designed play-- but as a garbageman, he's efficient. Defensively, he holds his own, and has good-but-not-great instincts as a shot-blocker. The Magic could do worse than to fill their 6th big-man spot with Hendrix.
Jeremy Richardson's week ended due to a sore right foot, so his minutes played and per-game stats skew unfavorably. I thought he played better than his 35.1% shooting would suggest. Don't get hung up on his poor three-point shooting; if there's one thing he's proven in his brief NBA career, it's that he can hit the three-ball, with a career 38.5% mark from beyond the arc. His woeful percentage inside it has held him back, so to see him make almost half of his two-pointers? It's progress. He expects to sign soon, and I'm inclined to take his word for it.

The Possible Camp Invitees

Maurice Ager might have been the most vocal Magic player, in terms of yelling in either exuberance or frustration. He plays hard, and we can't fault him for that. But in 78 NBA games over 3 seasons, he's been just awful. He's a scoring specialist who doesn't score efficiently. So why might he make the Magic's camp roster? It's only someone else's hunch: one media member at RDV this week said Ager and his agent wouldn't have chosen to join Orlando's summer-league team without some sort of "wink/nod" agreement with GM Otis Smith.
Brian Chase elevated himself from "Everyone Else" to "Possible Camp Invitee" status with his play on Friday. On the court for the final 31 minutes after Robinson started, he put on a clinic against the Pacers. 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, with 1-of-1 from downtown. He's quick, he can finish, and he has a nice handle. What he isn't, however, is a playmaker. But sure, he can make a professional career out of being a scoring guard. Professionally in Europe, in all likelihood.

The Wildcard

Milovan Rakovic didn't play a single minute this week, apparently due to a paperwork/clearance issue. The Magic might want to see how their 2006 second-rounder performs in their own camp, if that paperwork is resolved. The more likely result is that Rakovic will spend another year with Spartak Saint Petersburg, and Orlando will take another look at him next summer.

Everyone Else

Lance Allred was a step slower than his contemporaries all week, didn't rebound or defend especially well, and didn't do much besides hit some elbow jumpers. On the plus side, he's the only published author on the Magic's summer roster.
Courtney Fells did not meet a shot attempt he didn't like. 3-of-21 shooting, 2-of-9 from three-point range, no free throw attempts, and as many turnovers as points (8). He sure can jump, though.
Levance Fields played reasonably well in limited minutes--if we're honest, he's a cut above the other players in this section--but Robinson and Chase outperformed him. He'll catch on somewhere overseas and might get another opportunity in the NBA next season.
C.J. Giles appeared in one game, for 5 minutes. Not to be too glib, but that's about all you need to know about his chances of making the team.
Stevan Milosevic is a big guy, and that might be the extent of his positives, in terms of NBA potential. He was involved in arguably the two most embarrassing plays of camp: the Celtics' J.R. Giddens threw down a vicious tomahawk dunk on him on Wednesday. Later in the week, he made an impressive spin around Pacers center Scott Vander Meer, had a wide-open look to the basket... and airballed the layup. He threw the ball straight up in the air. One of the more spectacular misses in summer-league history. I hate to rip the guy, because he tried his best, but his best isn't going to get it done in the NBA.
Jeremy Pargo hardly played this week, and in limited minutes, did not do much to distinguish himself as a better shoot-first point guard prospect than Chase did.
Darian Townes started at center in 3 of the 5 games, but usually gave way to Hendrix in crunch-time situations. Defenders block his shot all too easily, even at the rim, which helps to explain his 34.8% shooting despite hardly taking any jumpers, that I can recall. There's room for a few offensive zeroes in the NBA--think Chuck Hayes--but they have to be able to do something else extremely well. Hayes, for instance, is one of the league's best post defenders despite standing only 6'06". Townes didn't distinguish himself as a rebounder, defender, or shot-blocker.

Okay, that's out of the way.

So, 3QCers, who would you like to see invited to Orlando's training camp in the fall?

Orlando Pro Summer League: Utah Jazz 92, Orlando Magic 84 (OT)

Ben Q Rock — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:39:09 -0000

A day after mounting a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat the Boston Celtics, it was the Orlando Magic's turn to be on the business end of an opponent's rally, falling to the Utah Jazz, 92-84, in overtime. Orlando increased its lead in each of the first three periods, entering the fourth with a decisive 72-51 lead. Then Utah, led by Charlotte Bobcats draft pick Derrick Brown, closed the fourth quarter on a 33-12 run to force overtime. Orlando had no chance in the final period, as Utah scored the extra frame's only 8 points. It was, frankly, astonishing to watch a Magic team that had looked so crisp in the last two days of play suddenly fall apart, especially to the Jazz, who have struggled.

There were some bright spots, however. Ryan Anderson led everyone with 26 points while throwing in 9 boards for good measure. Kasib Powell continued to make his case for inclusion on the Magic's roster with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Waterbug point guard Russell Robinson scored 17 points, handed out 4 assists, and committed only 1 turnover. Other than that, it was a rough day for the host team.

After the jump, some quick highlights of the players in whom most 3QC readers have shown interest.

Ryan Anderson's productive day (26 points, 9-of-18 from the field, 5-of-11 from long range, 9 boards, 4 blocks) belies the ways in which he harmed the Magic. Not to dis' the guy or anything, but his 8 personal fouls helped the Jazz with some free points. In summer league, there is no fouling out. However, for every foul after his 6th a player commits, the other team receives 2 free throws and the ball. Anderson's 7th and 8th fouls came late in the fourth quarter and in overtime, boosting the Jazz's improbable rally.

With that said, he showed a few new things yesterday. Banging down low? Blocking shots? We knew he wasn't "soft," but to see him so aggressive in defending the paint? Wow. He also displayed an ability to create shots for others: On the left wing, he works a dribble-handoff with Robinson... only he fakes the handoff to him, instead spinning toward the baseline and driving past two defenders (his and Robinson's). His drive forces the Jazz's next two closest defenders to collapse into the lane, and Anderson reads their movement and fires the ball out to Kasib Powell in the right corner for a wide-open three. It misses, but the play itself was impressive. Ryan Anderson: Playmaker? It could happen, however infrequently, as the dribble-handoff is one of the features of the Magic's offense.

Lethal on the pick-and-pop he is, too. Defenses need to account for this guy.
Levance Fields had his best day of camp. He hadn't done much to distinguish himself until today, when it appeared as though Jameer Nelson might have been running the show while wearing a Fields costume. The way he patiently reads defenses, the way he aggressively drives around screens, the way he can absorb contact to finish at the rim... it's Nelson-like. And although there's virtually no chance he'll make the final roster, he might be a guy the Magic keep on their radar as he heads overseas. With more seasoning, he could be a legit 13th man in the NBA.
Richard Hendrix continues to be my personal favorite of the Magic's big-man invitees, playing 26 minutes off the bench yesterday. But it was really a day to forget. Against the Jazz's bigger, stronger centers and power forwards, Hendrix struggled offensively. He was, in effect, only a way for Magic players who picked up their dribble to regain it, simply by throwing the ball in to him and waiting for the immediate kickout. On the day: 2 points (0-of-4 from the field), 8 rebounds, 7 fouls, 4 turnovers, and a block. Maybe I'm reading too deeply into this, but he--and not starting center Darian Townes--was on the floor when the Magic tried (unsuccessfully) to stave off Utah's rally. Is playing him in crunch-time a signal that the Magic are very interested? And is one bad day enough to cross him off the Magic's list of potential training-camp invitees? I hope the answers to those questions are "yes" and "no," respectively, but he certainly did not make a very strong case for himself yesterday.
Kasib Powell kept on the charm today, showcasing his array of skills with 13 points, 10 boards, 5 assists, and 1 steal. Now he shot only 4-of-12, and missed 5 of his 7 two-point attempts, so it wasn't all sunshine and happiness. But the guy is heady, a veteran, and could fill a spot near the end of Orlando's bench this season. Then again, you can look at his age (28), his limited NBA experience (12 games two seasons ago), and how he sometimes struggles to stay in front of quicker players in this camp, and conclude that his NBA window has shut.
Russell Robinson came to life offensively. The energetic point guard scored a personal best 17 points yesterday, with 5-of-9 from the field overall, 1-of-2 from long range, and 6-of-6 from the foul line. Two days ago, ESPN analyst and IMG Academy coach David Thorpe told my colleague, Eddy, that Robinson's inability to get his own shot might hurt his chances as an NBA point guard. If today is any indication, there's little to worry about on that front. He also ran the team's offense capably, pushed the ball up the floor in transition, and pressured the ball aggressively on defense. I'm going to keep beating this drum until someone gives me a good reason to stop: Russell Robinson has earned an invitation to the Orlando Magic's training camp. This is a young guy who knows what he's doing out there, and for the odd 3-to-5 minute stretch in some games next season, he could be effective.

The Magic will close out the summer league today when they take on the undefeated Indiana Pacers. Tip's at 3.

Orlando Magic Announce Summer-League Roster; Ryan Anderson, Jeremy Richardson, and Milovan Rakovic Among Team Invitees

Ben Q Rock — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:12:19 -0000

The Orlando Magic just passed along the roster for their summer-league team. Newly acquired power forward Ryan Anderson headlines the group, as does former 60th overall draft selection Milovan Rakovic. Jeremy Richardson, who saw limited action as the Magic's 15th man last year, will also appear for them in summer league.

The complete roster follows the jump:

UPDATE: Spoiler alert - Kasib Powell, is on the Magic's summer team, and wrote a post for 3QC sister-site Ridiculous Upside about his preparing to join the Magic. Scott, who runs the site, told me via Twitter that he believes Powell will make the Magic's final roster.

No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Last Team/College
6	Maurice Ager	G	6-2	220	New Jersey Nets/Michigan State
41	Lance Allred	C	6-11	260	NBDL Idaho Stampede/Weber State
33	Ryan Anderson	F	6-10	240	New Jersey Nets/California
3	Brian Chase	G	5-10	170	Dynamo Moscow/Virginia Tech
21	Ronald Dupree	F	6-7	209	NBDL Utah Flash/Louisiana State
10	Courtney Fells	G	6-6	210	North Carolina State
2	Levance Fields	G	5-10	190	Pittsburgh
23	C.J. Giles	F	6-11	240	Smart Gilas Pilipinas (Philippines)/Oregon State
35	Richard Hendrix	F	6-9	255	NBDL Dakota Wizards/Alabama
16	Stevan Milosevic	C	7-0	260	Koeln 99ers (Germany)
1	Jeremy Pargo	G	6-2	220	Gonzaga
22	Kasib Powell	F	6-7	215	NBDL Sioux Falls Skyforce/Texas Tech
19	Milovan Rakovic	F	6-10	280	Spartak Saint Petersburg (Russia)
32	Jeremy Richardson	F	6-7	195	Orlando Magic/Delta State
24	Russell Robinson	G	6-1	190	NBDL Reno Bighorns/Kansas
5	Darian Townes	F	6-10	250	NBDL Erie BayHawks/Arkansas

At a glance, the roster is heavy with big-man prospects. The most appealing to me is Richard Hendrix, a rebounding machine whom the Warriors selected in the 2nd round of the 2008 draft, only to cut him when Monta Ellis returned from his suspension for injuring himself on a mo-ped. He has yet to play in the NBA, but tore up the D-League. In my estimation, he has mid-rotation potential for the Magic, who are light on rebounders behind Dwight Howard.

Jeremy Pargo, an undrafted point guard, also interests me, for reasons I specified last week.

Curious to see that Rakovic will indeed make the trip to Orlando. The Magic acquired his draft rights from Dallas in exchange for Reyshawn Terry's rights in 2007. Not sure if he stands a chance of making the final cut, especially when the Magic will probably try to address their big-man needs via free agency. Still, Rakovic made it here quicker than did 2005 lottery selection Fran Vazquez. No idea what his status is, by the way.

As far as I know, Spanish point guard Carlos Cabezas is the only player to turn the Magic down for a camp invite. This post from TalkBasket.net, dated June 16th, said the Magic invited Cabezas, who said, "they've been interested in me for a couple of years," but he would consider proposals from other teams in Europe.

All-in-all, this year's summer league team holds more promise than those of years past. Add that to the fact that the Magic have at least 5 spots to fill on the big-league team, and a fairly limited budget with which to do it, and we have an even more intriguing week ahead of us.

Indeed, summer league starts next Monday, July 6th. The Orlando Magic emphasized in the roster announcement that games are not open to the public. Luckily, 3QC has it covered. Eddy and I will be there all week. Good times.

Workouts, Workouts, Workouts Press Clippings

Zach B — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:07:24 -0000

The NBA Draft workouts have seemingly slowed to an absolute crawl. I can't imagine how Josh, Jeremy and the rest of the guys feel; I'm tired of it and I haven't even been working out! Today is a pretty busy day for the draft prospects. Here is the look at today's Gonzaga news...

Hoops Addict " Exclusive Interview With Austin Daye

Yesterday Austin worked out with the Toronto Raptors and while any news about the workout is hard to come across we were able to find this video interview. Much like me, he seems to be getting tired of the workout process and the interviews. He talks about his father's influence once again, having a good support base around him, and what he thinks he can bring to the Toronto Raptors. He also discusses whether or not he reads the mock drafts and all that stuff put out by us silly bloggers. Toronto is one of the teams that really likes Austin and has the need for a wing like him. They've got the eighth selection but they could easily trade back into the middle of the first to grab him.

Guards Lawson, McKee to work out for Wizards -- baltimoresun.com

It's a busy day for the rest of the Gonzaga draft hopefuls as the other three will be working out along the Eastern seaboard hoping to impress the scouts. In Washington, Jeremy Pargo and Josh Heytvelt will workout together for the Wizards. The Wiz have the fifth and 32nd pick in the upcoming NBA Draft so unless their are a ton of injuries in the next few weeks, I wouldn't expect either of these Zags to land in Washington. Participating with Josh and Jeremy are Ty Lawson, Coppin State's Tywain McKee, USC's Taj Gibson, and Patrick Beverly of Arkansas fame.

ZAGSBLOG " Levance to Work out for Knicks

Their aren't many draft prospects hotter right now than Gonzaga's Micah Downs. Every report that we have come across regarding the former Gonzaga wing has been sensational. Previously thought to be undrafted, Micah has caused some stirs on draft boards and could squeeze his way into the second round. He looks to impress Mike D'Antoni today as he takes part in the New York Knicks workout. Working out along with Micah is a bunch of potential second round to undrafted prospects. Headlining the field is Pitt's Levance Fields, Texas' Connor Atchley, Georgia Tech's Alade Aminu (who is a likely second rounder), and Talladega's Jeral Davis.

Four Bulldogs Selected In Major League Baseball Draft - GONZAGA OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Three links of draft workouts is about all I can handle for one day anymore. Gonzaga had a busy day yesterday in the Major League Baseball drat as four Zags were selected. Heading the class was junior catcher Tyson Van Winkle, who was selected 10th by Diamondbacks. He was followed soon after by senior pitcher Steven Ames in 17th by the Los Angeles Dodgers, then Matt Fields in 22nd by the Toronto Blue Jays and lastly senior slugger Ryan Wiegand in 25th by the Tampa Bay Rays. Hopefully all four get signed on and get a chance at making it all the way to the bigs

Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting - Whispers: USC program crumbling

Nick Johnson, one of the top combo guards in the Class of 2011, has picked up offers from Arizona, Georgia, Oregon State and Washington to go along with his previous offer from Arizona State.

We had a fan post a couple days ago asking about the status of Nick Johnson, a shooting guard from Arizona and I think I'm ready to call Gonzaga's courtship of him over. While Johnson is a tremendous prospect and will be one of the top players in the 2011 class, Mark Few and the staff have plenty of kids to pick and choose from in their own backyard. Brett Kingma and Gary Bell are both fantastic guard options from the Western side of the state and Portland's Kyle Wiltjer would be a fantastic get at power forward. Like EDZ said in the fanpost, don't expect Nick to get out of Arizona and the farthest North I expect him to get would be UCLA.

I For One Welcome Our Boring, Boring Big East Overlords

T.H. — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 04:16:00 -0000

It was a pretty poor pair of games CBS gave the Washington D.C. area last night. Not that it was the network's fault. I got the two I wanted to see, they just didn't live up to expectations.

In the first game, Pittsburgh continued its apparent quest to be the first one seed to head home, only to be foiled once again by their opponent. Xavier had an eight point halftime lead that evaporated in 6:14 scoring drought once play resumed. The Musketeers only managed 18 points in the entire second half, and it wasn't due to Pitt's defensive prowess. Both teams played ugly, ugly basketball, but Levance Fields' last minute of play, with an arcing three that had no business going in and a late steal to seal the game gives us another twenty minutes of this thing Yinzers call basketball. Lucky us.

As for Duke-Villanova, the Blue Devils met a team that could outrun their odd, all three-point shooting team, and they handled it very poorly. Facing a more athletic team, Duke responded with stupid fouls, poor shooting and frustrated play. Gerald Henderson stood listlessly more than I've seen all season, when he wasn't banished to the bench with foul trouble. Kyle Singler's missed threes left no one underneath to rebound, Nolan Smith and Lance Thomas contributed little but petulant fouls, and Brian Zoubek was left to be a bright point in Duke's game.

Brian Zoubek should never be a bright point.

And for all the praise Krzyzewski (and Paulus) gets for benching Paulus, he reverts to his senior guard quite a lot, such as the first half of the second UNC game. Sure enough, with the game slipping away early in the second half and Duke down 12, Paulus was given the reins, and promptly through the ball away, turned it over, and then fouled the guy who just picked his pocket. Thus endeth the Paulus era at Duke.

However, if SIngler puts half the effort into improving his game as he does debating the refs, they could be a good team next year. As it stands, UNC is now the ACC's lone hope, again.

2009 NCAA Bracket Breakdown: East Region

WakeJake — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 02:03:14 -0000

Predicted Winning Teams in Bold

First Round

(1) Pittsburgh vs (16) East Tennessee State - In this matchup between teams rated 6 and 113 in the Pomeroy ratings, the Panthers should dominate from the opening tip. We all know that a 16 has never beaten a 1 and that's not going to be the case here either.

(8) Oklahoma State vs. (9) Tennessee - Honestly, Tennessee is just not a good basketball team. They are 103rd in FG percentage offense and 223rd in FG percentage defense. Oklahoma State is a bad defensive team, but they make up for it by being solid on offense. The Cowboys are also 25th in the nation in three point percentage and Tennessee does not appear to guard anyone outside the arc.

(5) Florida State vs. (12) Wisconsin - This looks like a promising upset pick here because of the big name in the 12 slot and the yearly occurrence of this upset taking place, but I'm not falling for it. This game may end up with a final score of 28-24 because FSU emphasizes defense and Wisconsin plays at one of the slowest paces in the nation. Bob Ryan is a great coach and this game will come down to the wire, but I think the height of Florida State and the senior leadership of Toney Douglas will lead the Seminoles to victory.

(4) Xavier vs. (13) Portland State - Xavier is a top 50 team on both ends of the floor according to KenPom while Portland State is 200th in defense. I'm all chalk so far and this is not going to be an upset either.

(6) UCLA vs. (11) VCU - VCU is paced by PG Eric Maynor who led the Rams to a tournament win over Duke two years ago. On the other hand, UCLA has been to the Final Four three straight years and still has the leadership of Collison and Shipp from those teams. UCLA is a very solid six seed that I'm sure VCU was disappointed to draw after earning an 11 seed. This may be a popular upset pick too, but I do not think Collison will allow UCLA to get bounced that early.

(3) Villanova vs. (14) American - Not much to see here. I'm proud to be an American, but not that proud.

(7) Texas vs. (10) Minnesota - The emergence of Texas center Dexter Pittman could be a big story in this region. The big fella had a couple huge games in the Big 12 tournament and will look to help A.J. Abrams and Damien James make a run in the NCAA tournament. Tubby Smith did a good job getting the Gophers back to the tournament, but their turnover woes and youth in the paint may stop them from getting a win in the first round.

(2) Duke vs.(15) Binghamton - Tony Kornhesier's alma mater will look to shock the world here, but this disciplined Duke team will not let that happen.

Second Round

(1) Pittsburgh vs. (8) Oklahoma State - If Oklahoma State is hitting their three point shots, they could make this one interesting. However, the beastliness of DeJuan Blair and the vastly underrated Sam Young will carry the Panthers to the Sweet 16.

(5) Florida St. vs. (4) Xavier - As an ACC homer, I think the Noles are hungry and take this one. This is a matchup of the tallest team in the nation and the 21st tallest team in the nation. I do not think Xavier is used to playing this kind of talented height in the Atlantic 10 and All-ACC point guard Toney Douglas will be looking to end his career with a bang.

(6) UCLA vs. (3) Villanova - This is without a doubt one of the premier potential matchups in the second round. UCLA is 3rd in the nation in offensive efficiency and, as I explained earlier, has major tournament experience even though a few of their key players are freshmen. VIllanova has some dynamite guards as always in Reynolds, Stokes and Fisher to go along with Dante Cunningham in the paint. I just have the feeling that Ben Howland will outduel Jay Wright and the Bruins will march to the Sweet 16.

(7) Texas vs. (2) Duke - If you would have told me this was a second round tournament game in November, I would have thought Duke really dropped off. Instead, Texas is the one that had a disappointing season behind an inconsistent A.J. Abrams. This game will likely come down to three point shooting, as Duke loves the outside shot and Abrams is never shy. However, if Texas is disciplined they should be able to take advantage of Duke's inferior height. Pittman, James, Johnson and Atchley have the length and muscle to bother the Blue Devils inside. In the end, I see Abrams' eyes lighting up as the nation pulls for him against Duke and Texas advances. It was about time for me to go out on a limb anyway, right?

Sweet Sixteen

(1) Pittsburgh vs. (5) FSU - Again, this would be a grind-it-out defensive matchup. While the Seminoles would likely make a game of it, they just do not have enough offensive weapons to keep up with Pitt. Blair would have more trouble with Alibi, Reid, Gibson and Singleton than in previous rounds, but Young and Fields pick up the slack and advance.

(6) UCLA vs. (7) Texas - As I have discussed earlier, KenPom loves the Bruins and I love their experience. On the other hand, Texas has the ability to be really good and is still trying to adjust to the loss of D.J. Augustin, as evidenced by their results on the season. I keep telling myself that Texas is a bad pick, but I just cannot resist. Connor Atchely blocks a Collison shot at the buzzer and the Longhorns shock the nation as they play to their potential and advance to the Elite Eight.

Elite Eight

(1) Pittsburgh vs. (7) Texas - The run ends here for Rick Barnes' club. Pitt is too well-balanced and talented for the Longhorns. Levance Fields is a big game player and leads this tough Pitt team to the Final Four.

Final Four Pick - Pittsburgh

Stay tuned for Blogger So Dear's breakdown of the West and Midwest on Wednesday!

Pitt over UCONN redux

SFBE.MP — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 19:22:05 -0000

As good as the Big East is, there's only so many #1 seeds to go around --- both in the conference tourney and big dance. So while we will see both these teams playing late into the tourney Pitt is probably feeling pretty thick right now

The Zoo was rocking from the start, with the largest recorded crowd in the short history of the Peterson Center. Pitt led for the majority of the game, and the closest UCONN got was 52-50 with just over eight to play. Panthers win, and finish the season undefeated at home.

Jim Calhoun is having visions of pudgy, can't-do-no-wrong point guards, only now he's coaching against them, as Levance Fields toyed with the Husky defenders dishing out 12 assists.

The Huskies just seemed one shooting guard short of a win (oh wait that's right, Jerome Dyson is donezo) as Pitt now temporarly roots for West Virginia. A win by the Mountaineers tonight over The 'Ville means they capture the regular season crown.

Over-rated. Over-rated (c'mon everyone!)

SHammonds — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:52:06 -0000

I wanted to take a quick minute to point out ~~one of~~ my least favorite players and the slim impact he's had on the college basketball landscape.

Take a look. The number one rated PG in his class.

via vmedia.rivals.com

He's putting up 5.6 ppg and has seen his minutes dip from 32.3 and 32.4 his first two years to 27.7 last year and 18.3 this year. His supporters cite "leadership," but if thats the case where are his minutes? Career high in assists: 5.2 his freshman year...dropped to 1.7 this year...1.76 A/T is poor as well. Three guards on his team are getting more minutes...whats the deal?

Senior PG's I'd rather have:
Darren Collison
Tyrese Rice
Levance Fields (my personal favorite)
Dominic James
Jack McClinton

To name a few...please submit more. If you disagree, I'd love to hear why!

Danny Green posterizes Dook's Paulus (via carolinagirl69642)

Two more fun Paulus videos after the jump!

dook's (duke's) Greg Paulus flops (better quality) (via TerpBE)

DERON WASHINGTON JUMPS OVER GREG PAULUS TWICE!!! (via kennethspence92)

Louisville/Pitt preview

Mike Rutherford — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:51:27 -0000

PITTSBURGH PANTHERS

Record: 16-0 (4-0)

National Rank: 1

Game Time: 6 p.m.

Site: Freedom Hall: Louisville, Ky.

Officials: Pat Driscoll, Ed Hightower, Brian O'Connell

Television: ESPN

Announcers: Sean McDonough/Bill Raftery/Fran Fraschilla

All-Time Series: Pittsburgh leads 4-3

Last Meeting: Pittsburgh won 76-69 (OT) in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Big East Tournament

Starting Lineup

G Levance Fields (10.3 ppg)
G Jermaine Dixon (7.8 ppg)
C Dejuan Blair (14.7 ppg)
F Tyrell Biggs (8.5 ppg)
F Sam Young (18.7 ppg)

Five Best Wins

Pittsburgh 82, Miami (OH) 53 (11/17)
Pittsburgh 80, Texas Tech 67 (11/28)
Pittsburgh 79, Siena 66 (12/17)
Pittsburgh 56, Florida State 48 (12/21)
Pittsburgh 70, Georgetown 54 (1/3)

Worst Loss

Nope

Six Points of Emphasis

The Panthers are another one of those teams with a backcourt featuring one or two exceptional guards and then not much coming off the bench . But while one would think that Louisville's quartet of ball-hawkers would be able to wear down Levance Fields, "The General" has dished out 24 assists to just seven turnovers in six career games against Louisville. Eliminate his freshman season, and the assist-to-turnover ratio against the Cards becomes an even more impressive 22-to-3.

While not having Ronald Ramon for the first time might make Fields more susceptible to fatigue against the Cards, U of L has to assume that the senior is going to take good care of the ball and attack the likes of Jermaine Dixon, Brad Wanamaker and Travon Woodall that much harder. Those takeaways have to come from somewhere for Louisville to have a shot, even if the Panthers do rank third in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio.

In both meetings last year, Louisville failed to defend the perimeter adequately, but was bailed out by poor shooting performances by every Panther this side of Ramon. Of course preventing the three out of a zone is easier said than done against a team like Pitt. Staying on outside shooters is hard enough when you're also trying to handle a big man as talented as Dejuan Blair, but when you throw in a forward like Sam Young who can tear up the middle of a zone then it's damn-near impossible.

If the Cards are going to try and keep Blair and Young from combining for 50 points, then they're simply going to have to hope that Fields, Dixon, Wanamaker and company have off-shooting nights, because those guys are going to get their looks. The fact that they hit 10-of-18 from deep against South Florida doesn't exactly ring in confidence.

Pitt was the one team that gave David Padgett fits during his senior season, but the Panthers were also on the receiving end of three of the better performances of Derrick Caracter's tumultuous Cardinal career.

Padgett would get so caught up in the physicality of tilts with the Panthers that he was constantly out of position, which made his relative lack of athleticism grossly apparent. Caracter, a more balanced mixture of size and agility, was able to play the physical game he always played regardless of the opponent, and was still able to finish plays on the offensive end. It didn't work against squads like Dayton or in any game where the officials weren't going to let you get away with blatant, two-handed shoves, but it worked against Pitt.

Not that anyone should expect him to get the better of Blair, but it must be noted that Samardo Samuels' game falls far more in line with that of Caracter's than Padgett's. So while his stat line might not end up being Blair-esque, don't be surprised if Samuels gives more of a complete performance than most are expecting. Monday night taught us that he's certainly not going to come in intimidated.

Though not in the modern sense of having a rowdy student section right on top of the action, Freedom Hall can still be a highly intimidating place to play, especially for a highly regarded foe. Somewhere around 20,000 people are going to be doing everything possible to will their guys to a win over the No. 1 team in the country, and that will absolutely have an effect on the game.

The Panthers have made a living against U of L on second chance opportunities since the Cards made the jump to the Big East. Tomorrow should be no different, as Pitt comes in leading the Big East and ranked second in the country in rebounding margin at +10.7 per game. This can't be a game where Samuels stands around and hopes to see Earl Clark or Terrence Williams skying for a rebound. He doesn't have to put up big numbers on the glass, but he does have to keep Blair - the nation's leading offensive rebounder - from doing so. Find the big man, put a body on him, and then if the ball doesn't bounce your way, have faith that Clark or T-Will are going to do their job.

Clark and Williams don't both have to be Superman (in the words of Rick Pitino), but one does. The other one can settle for being like Flash Gordon, or something. If either is Mighty Mouse then we're done.

Notable and Quotable

Louisville is 9-0 this season when it makes more than seven three-pointers in a game.

Pitt had been ranked No. 2 on 16 different occasions, but is currently the No. 1 team in the country for the first time in program history. Louisville has never been ranked No. 1.

Earl Clark will celebrate his 21st birthday on Saturday.

The Cardinals have won their last two regular season meetings with No. 1 ranked teams, and are 3-5 in regular season titlts with top-ranked squads all-time.

U of L has won five of its last six overtime games, the lone loss coming at the hands of Pittsburgh in last year's Big East Tournament.

Louisville is unbeaten when shooting better from the field than its opponent, outscoring its opponent’s bench, leading at halftime and leading with five minutes to go.

Pitt is one of the nation’s top offensive rebounding teams. The Panthers are averaging 16.3 offensive rebounds per game and have surpassed the 20-offensive rebound mark five times this year (22-Akron, 22-Duquesne, 24-Vermont, 20- Georgetown, 20-St. John’s). In its four Big East games, Pitt is averaging 16.8 offensive rebounds per game.

DeJuan Blair is the nation’s No. 1 offensive rebounder. He has pulled down 94 offensive rebounds already (6.3 per game). Tyrell Biggs averages 2.4 offensive boards per game and Sam Young is bringing down 2.2 orpg.

Pittsburgh is 19-20 against ranked teams under Jamie Dixon.

"I don't know if it brings more pressure on us. It brings a sense of awareness to our players. We will be ready to play. We've talked about our ranking as two things: it could be a distraction or serve as motivation. It's motivation to prove to some people that don't think we're No. 1. We've got to prove it to ourselves." --Jamie Dixon

"When you go into a game against a team like Louisville, you just know that any slippage and you can be blown out. Obviously, it's natural to get up more for a game like that. It's on ESPN. Guys love to play on TV and once again to prove to the country and ourselves how good we are." --Levance Fields

"To be honest, some of us got snubbed, if you really want to look at it that way, from being those kind of recruits. We're a bunch of guys who won, who are hard-nosed, and I think we are a great example that you don't always need the McDonald's All-American on your team. You just need a group of guys who are willing to work and want to win." --Levance Fields

"The Panthers will lose, more than once even, in the Big East. They may even lose Saturday. Louisville’s a quick, athletic team with a load of talent. If they do, here’s a prediction that the student body will flood the Freedom Hall floor." --Eric Hall (via Tom Heiser)

"It's not going to be a Notre Dame type game where you're going to be wowed on every play. This doesn't happen when you play Pitt. This is going to be a blue-collar, lunch-pail game where both teams play good defense." --Rick Pitino