SB Nation - A.J. Slaughter

Periscope: Sun Belt Classic - #24 Vanderbilt vs W. Kentucky

KingJamesIV — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:18:47 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

There is little doubt that Vanderbilt will be the more talented team on the court. As you will see below, Vandy easily holds the advantage in all the tempo-free statistics. Vandy will also be the most efficient team offensively and defensively that the Hilltoppers have faced all season. Will it matter?

As Vandy fans are all too aware this season, talent will only take you so far. I haven't seen Western Kentucky play yet this season, but I would be willing to guarantee that they will play with the grit, determination, and intensity that it takes to win. Will Vandy come close to matching them in those categories tonight?

The Commodore Faithful are living and dying with every shot, every pass, every rebound and every steal. Our lone wish at this juncture in the season is that the players begin to as well. We know they are capable of it--we've seen the flashes of brilliance. It's about time for their light to shine. I want them to play like this game is their last.

Here is the breakdown of all these numbers (all taken from Ken Pomeroy):

Statistical Breakdown:

The only key to the game should be that they play for each other. That's all that's missing.

Gameday Links

VU and WKU to meet at Sun Belt Classic - VANDERBILT OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky will face off in the nightcap of the 2009 Sun Belt Classic at the Nashville Arena this Friday night at 8:30 p.m. The game will follow the Tennessee-Middle Tennessee State game, which begins at 6 p.m. The game will be televised on CSS, and the action can also be heard live on the Vanderbilt-ISP Radio Network and vucommodores.com, with Joe Fisher and Tim Thompson courtside calling all of the action.

Toppers Take on #24 Vanderbilt at Site of Last Year's Biggest Win - Western Kentucky University Official Athletics Site

Friday's game is the first match-up between the two programs since 2001, and just the fifth in the last 43 years. While WKU is seeking to snap a 10-game losing streak to Vanderbilt (dating back to 1946), three of the last four meetings have been decided by five points or less.

VSL Gets You Ready: Vanderbilt Plays Western Kentucky in the Sun Belt Classic | Vanderbilt Sports Line

Certainly, Vanderbilt needs to play better defense and do a better job on the boards, but I think a better showing on offense would make a lot of fans (myself included) feel a lot better.

Vanderbilt-Western Kentucky Preview | VandyMania.com (Scout - Premium)

Preview: Vanderbilt - Western Kentucky | Dore Posts

Stallings rips team for lacking defensive effort at Vanderbilt | Tennessean.com

When asked if those situations were a matter of guys not recovering on their man after helping off, Stallings offered this answer: "It was a matter of some guys just not trying hard enough, unfortunately," he said. "There is no recovery for ... there is no help-side for lack of effort. "We just had a serious lack of effort in some spots. Not in every spot. We had some guys tried really hard. We just had some guys who didn't." That's sounding the alarm for the Western Kentucky game at 8:30 p.m. Friday at Sommet Center, the second half of a doubleheader in the Sun Belt Classic. Tennessee and MTSU play at 6. WKU, a Sweet 16 team in 2008 and a second-round tournament team last spring, is off to a bit of a sluggish start despite a 4-3 record. But it's a group Stallings holds in high regard. "Athletic. Good. Really good rebounding team," he said of WKU. "Well-coached. Play hard. Good defensively. The makings of a team that got into the tournament last year and made noise and won games and beat high-ranked opponents. They are a talented team."

VU guard won't take injury news sitting down | Nashville City Paper

It’s a bit of a challenge for John Jenkins to run and jump right now. Even so, don’t expect him to sit."It’s bothering me pretty bad, but I knew I had to fight for my team the other night," Jenkins said. "I couldn’t show any weakness or pain so I went out there and played pretty hard on it. It’s pretty sore, but I’m going to keep fighting through it." "He practiced (Wednesday) and practiced well," coach Kevin Stallings said Thursday afternoon. "I think he’s still less than 100 percent, but he’s actually showing some grit and toughness. "I don’t know that I want to call it inspiring, but it’s been pleasing for sure."

Vols, Commodores plan 3-point assault | The Tennessean

Senior guard A.J. Slaughter leads a Western Kentucky team that has struggled from the field (.413), the 3-point line (.290) and the foul line (.633) in the early going. But the Hilltoppers have a way of getting things in order by March. The last two seasons they have more NCAA Tournament wins (three) than Tennessee and Vanderbilt combined.

Previewing Vanderbilt vs. Western Kentucky | VandySports.com (Rivals - Premium)

As always, post your predictions below and make sure to head over to Stat-King to vote on who you think will be the best performing Commodore against the Hilltoppers. Also, stop by our open game thread which opens an hour before tipoff.

Poll

Will Vandy play with toughness and intensity tonight versus Western Kentucky?

Yes

1 votes

No

6 votes

7 votes | Poll has closed

Western Kentucky at South Carolina: A Quick Recap

Gamecock Man — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:43:11 -0000

Well, maybe we can play basketball without two of our best players in the lineup, after all: after losing Dominique Archie, struggling against Jacksonville in his absence, and then losing Mike Holmes, the Gamecocks turned in a solid performance tonight against Western Kentucky, winning 74-56. Devan Downey led Carolina with 15 points, while A. J. Slaughter led the Hilltoppers with 12. Darrin Horn got the satisfaction of not losing to his old team.

Here are my thoughts on the game:

Defense. After giving up 93 points, .500 shooting, and 27 FTAs to Jacksonville, I thought we might be lost defensively without Archie in the lineup. Tonight, though, we buckled down a bit, holding the Toppers to 56, .34 from the field, and an abysmal .17 from beyond the arc. The Toppers don't appear to be a good shooting team, but the fact still stands that you did something right anytime you hold an opponent to those numbers. Two of the big names here are Sam Muldrow with a whopping six blocks and Devan Downey with his standard three steals.
Getting the young guys involved. Lakeem Jackson had a full stat line with nine points, ten rebounds, four assists, and two steals, while Ramon Galloway had eleven points. Jhondre Jefferson was less prominent on the box score but did lend a hand on the boards. It's important for these guys to contribute like this with the two starters out. That's particularly true for Jackson, who is going to be required to fill multiple roles.
Everyone contributing. We had eight players who played at least 13 minutes. WKU, on the other hand, had seven players that played at least 14 minutes, and all of their starters played at least 30, with leading scorer Slaughter playing almost the entire game. As you can see, our improved depth is paying off for us even with two of our stars out. We had five players in double figures scoring; that's again important with two double-figure scorers out and with teams continuing to try to limit Downey's effectiveness by running zones to keep him out of the lane.
The Toppers aren't as good as they were the past two years. Before you go getting excited about beating a team that has advanced two straight years in the NCAAs, you should know that WKU has already lost to both LSU (who is rebuilding this year) and Indiana State. The Toppers have four of five starters back, but the one they lost is a doozy: Sun Belt POY Orlando Mendez-Valdes. Apparently they're missing him. I have no doubt the Toppers will do well in the Sun Belt, where they usually only get consistent competition from a couple of programs. (One is my South Alabama Jaguars, who whopped Arkansas the other day.) However, so far, this year's WKU doesn't look like a mid-major power, so don't expect this to be one of those elusive "quality OOC wins" come tourney time.

That's a wrap on this win, folks. While WKU may be struggling, I'll take this win. In fact, I'll take just about any win we can get with Archie and Holmes out and then hope we can make our run when they return. We can hopefully make our run at the NCAAs when they come back by storming the SEC. Now, it's on to the Upstate this weekend. Can we hang with the Tigers? It looks doubtful, but anything's possible.

College Hoops Go-Round: November 17

Chris Dobbertean — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:55:30 -0000

by Ed Reinke - AP

about 1 month ago: Kentucky's John Wall goes between Miami of Ohio's Julian Mavunga (4) and Nick Winbush (20) for a basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Lexington, Ky., Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. Wall had 19 points in Kentucky's 72-70 win. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

View full size photo »

Since I already previewed today's action here, this post will only recap Monday night's games, with the first few contests from the early morning hours on this enjoyable gimmick of a day thrown in for good measure.

The big story of the day was John Wall's debut at Kentucky, and he bailed the Wildcats out against Miami (Ohio), which ended up 72-70 UK. You can see his game winning shot here.

The other big attraction of the night was regional play in the NIT Season Tip-Off.

In the North region, Stanley Robinson and Kemba Walker led UConn to a win over Colgate. The Huskies will next face Hofstra, 68-63 winners over Yale.
The South region final will feature Western Kentucky and LSU in Baton Rouge. The Hilltoppers got 30 from A.J. Slaughter to beat Milwaukee, 69-65, while the Bayou Bengals had little problem with Indiana State, winning 56 to 45.
Duke will meet Charlotte in the East final in Durham. Kyle Singler had a double double (23 points, 11 boards) to lead the Blue Devils to a 25-point win over Coastal Carolina. The 49ers beat Elon in game two, 75 to 61.
Out West, TCU, 83-65 winners over Cal State-Northridge, will face homestanding Arizona State, who beat Texas State 84 to 62.

After the jump, I'll have some of the other action from today, including the scores of the first few games of the round the clock marathon.

The 24-hour marathon got started with a double OT thriller, as Cal State Fullerton defeated UCLA for the first time, 68-65. The Titan win snapped the Bruins' string of 37 straight wins over unranked non-conference foes.
St. Mary's had a suprisingly easy time with San Diego State in the 2 a.m. Eastern game, winning 60-58.
At 4 a.m., Northern Colorado used a 19-0 run to get ahead of host Hawai'i, whose comeback attempt fell short in the end.
St. Peter's blew out Monmouth in the first ever Division I basketball game to start at 6 a.m. local time.
Auburn fell to Missouri State, 73 to 62, becoming the second SEC school to fall to the Bears at the JQH Center in as many years, as Arkansas lost there last season.
Florida State knocked off Atlantic Sun favorite Jacksonville by 26.
Washington State struggled with Eastern Washington, finally prevailing 67 to 61.
Indiana also had a closer game than expected, as they beat South Carolina Upstate by 8.
Cincinnati also had a rough go of it last night, beating Prairie View 69-62. Lance Stephenson only had 7 on the night.
Rider didn't slip up after their upset of Mississippi State. They defeated Lehigh 86-71.
In a battle of two teams picked to finish near the bottom of their respective leagues, South Florida ran all over Tony Bennett's Virginia, 66-49. Dominique Jones had 22 to pace the Bulls.

If I didn't list your team's score, check the rundown on the right of any of the recap pages I've linked to find the result.

Know your March Madness Spoilers

SFBE.NF — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:34:26 -0000

Joe Lunardi resurfaced today on ESPN.com, and he wasn't kind to the little guy. This year, according to the original Bracketologist, only Xavier will qualify as a non-BCS, at-large tournament team. It's sad to think, but maybe true. I say we blame the economy!

Despite this sobering news, below are 10 players we reccommend you at least take heed of, so you're not Googling them when Greg Gumbel is singing their praises after an incredible first round upset in March.

Luke Babbitt; Sophomore, Nevada - So you're a McDonalds All-American and receive offers from nearly every Pac 10 school, Ohio State and Gonzaga...what do you do? Well, if you're Luke Babbitt, you stay close to home and go to Nevada. After initially committing to play for Thad Matta, Babbitt got cold feet and decided he wanted to remain near his parents. He's a pro prospect, but playing in a lesser conference seems to put more pressure on the sophomore, who will be expected to be great for the entire season, turn his "Freshman of the Year" award into "Player of the Year" and build upon his 17/7.3/1.3 stat line.

Marqus Blakely; Senior, Vermont - OK let's get this out of the way...America East is one of the least basketball-centric conferences in the country, so when a player catches our eye, he must be impressive. Blakely is a two-time American East player of the year and is going to have quite a burden on his shoulders, as the Catamounts graduated 35 percent of their scoring and it's all time assists leader Miki Trimboli. But at 6'5" 235, Blakely is an explosive scoring threat, and a feared shot blocker who probably will lead his team in all major categories.

Osiris Eldridge; Senior, Illinois State - Finishing a close third to Siena's Just-in'love Smith and Cal's Bak Bak, Eldridge holds claim to one of the baddest names in the college game. Last season ended on a sour note for Eldridge, as he missed a three pointer that would have forced a second overtime against Northern Iowa in the Missouri Valley Tourney Final. Expect the Redbirds to be matched-up against the Panthers once again when the precious NCAA Tournament berth is on the line. Also please take note of his nicely maintained Euro-hawk.

Kenneth Faried; Junior, Morehead State - Quick, who was second in the NCAA last season in double-doubles? No idiot, it wasn't Eric Devendorf, this title belongs to Faried, a New Jersey native who migrated to eastern Kentucky to serve as one of the most imposing players in Ohio Valley Conference. This guy probably plays harder, meaner and faster than any of his opponents, and just may be the country's most prolific rebounder by the end of this season.

Paul George; Sophomore, Fresno State - Come March, George's time as 'just a nice mid-major player' will likely be long gone. After a surprise freshman season (averaging 14 and 6) George often executes foolish dunks, strokes at a 45 percent clip from behind the arc, and is a legit NBA prospect drawing comparisons to Rudy Gay. Yeah, many BCS-schools are kicking themselves for missing this one.

Anthony Johnson; Senior, Montana - In his first season playing DI basketball as a JuCo transfer, Johnson lit up the Big Sky last year putting up scoring numbers not seen by the conference since Rodney Stuckey was killin it at Eastern Washington. Johnson is the reigning conference POY and as a 6'3" wing player, is very efficient . He shoots at 50 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from long range.

Johnathan Jones; Senior, Oakland - Last season's NCAA leader in assists, Jones dropped double-digit dimes (now there's some alliteration) in nine of the Grizzlies last 12 games. Starting every game since he's been on campus, and the only player to ever chalk up 1000 points and 500 assists in a career, Jones has already earned the title as the program's most decorated player. And with that darling Ben Woodside of North Dakota State moving on, Oakland is the favorite to win the Summit league as Jones will enjoy dishing out to three other returning starters all season long.

Larry Sanders; Junior, Virginia Commonwealth - No Eric Maynor, no Anthony Grant, no problem! The 6'10" junior who shares the same name as Gary Shandling's hit HBO show is still here! Sanders has a freakish 91 inch wingspan, and was 11^th in the country last season in blocks. While it's quite rare in college basketball, Sanders will be a triple-double threat this season if CAA players repeatedly try and shoot over this guy. NBA scouts like him, but will love him if he develops are more consistent offensive game this season. Nonetheless, first year coach Shaka Smith has a real asset in his frontcourt.

A.J. Slaughter; Senior, Western Kentucky - He's still eligible? That's right, after two years of playing along side Courtney Lee, Tyrone Brazelton and Orlando Mendez-Valdez, Slaughter is still kicking around and arguably the top player in the Sun Belt. Along with Steffphon Pettigrew, Slaughter will lead a team that returns four starters and itching to get back to the dance after being on the wrong side of one of last season's plays of the year.

Edwin Ubiles; Senior, Siena - For what it's worth, Edwin Ubiles has won more NCAA Tournament games than recent college basketball notables Nick Calathes, Eric Gordon, and Greg Monroe combined. After a dramatic victory over Ohio State last season, Siena comes in this season as the trendy mid-major looking to be a Top 25 mainstay this season- and Ubiles will be the man to lead them. Georgia Tech aside, the Saints schedule is pretty benign, so the selection committee will leave little wiggle room for this program to be an at-large bid candidate. Ubiles' athleticism is on par with the top players in the country, and if he develops any sort of outside game he could be an NBA draft pick.

BtB 2009-10 Sun Belt Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:00:21 -0000

Undoubtedly, the story of the Sun Belt's offseason was Isiah Thomas' arrival in Miami, where the former Detroit Pistons point guard and New York Knicks head coach takes over a struggling Florida International program. In just about his first act as coach, Thomas threatened to pull the Golden Panthers out of the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament, after the tournament's organizer, the Gazelle Group, scheduled FIU to play North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Thomas wanted his team to play at Ohio State instead. Things were eventually smoothed out, which means that FIU will remain host of the "subregional" round, featuring four of the non-major participants in the tournament.

Outside of the circus in South Florida, the other big story to watch in the league this year is whether anyone will seriously challenge Western Kentucky for the league crown. Demetri Goodson took a second straight Sweet 16 from right under the Hilltoppers' noses, and Ken McDonald's 2009-10 outfit, featuring most of those performers, will still be a prohibitive favorite, even if they are a bit thinner this season. An earlier indicator of the 'Toppers chances will be the NIT Season Tip-Off. WKU has been placed in the South region in Baton Rouge. If they can get by Horizon contender Milwaukee, they could face an LSU side that's significantly weaker than last year's tournament squad. The winner of that contest books their ticket to New York. Even if the Hilltoppers don't make the semifinals, as the fifth seeded team in the competition, they'll host one of the consolation rounds in Bowling Green.

Additionally, for the second straight year, the conference has put itself in the early season showcase business. Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky will host the second ever Sun Belt Classic in Nashville. The Blue Raiders will take on Tennessee there, while the Hilltoppers will face Vanderbilt.

More on the rest of the conference after the jump.

Let's first take a look at last season's Sun Belt standings.

Sun Belt Conference Standings

(updated 3.22.2009 at 12:14 AM EDT)

East	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers	15	3	25	9
Troy Trojans	14	4	19	13
South Alabama Jaguars	10	8	20	13
Middle Tenn. St. Blue Raiders	10	8	18	14
Fla. International Golden Panthers	7	11	13	20
Florida Atlantic Owls	2	16	6	26

West	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Ark.-Little Rock Trojans	15	3	23	8
North Texas Eagles	11	7	20	12
Denver Pioneers	9	9	15	16
Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns	7	11	10	20
New Orleans Privateers	6	12	11	19
Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks	6	12	10	20
Arkansas St. Red Wolves	5	13	13	17

Now, here are my picks for 2009-10, presented in reverse order, starting with the West Division.

West Division

New Orleans (last NCAA: 1996) The Privateers are one of the many teams in this conference who struggle away from home, as they went winless in conference road games last season. They managed to win six at home; however, UNO will struggle to improve that their three returning starters aren't scorers. 6-10 Czech center Jaroslav Tyrna, is the leading returning scorer, and he only averaged 6.5 points per contest. Joe Pasternack will have to find someone to replace swingman Kendall Dykes (17.3 ppg) and forward T.J. Worley (16 ppg), along with point guard Darrian McKinstry, who was kicked off team after being suspended three times last season. Pasternack may have to lean heavily on 3-star recruit Jacolby Pittman, a 6-10 F/C, and fellow freshman Devin McDonald, a 6-1 guard, along with 6-3 Georgia transfer Billy Humphrey.

Arkansas State (last NCAA: 1999) John Brady's team struggled at the end of last season, as they dropped 10 in a row. They also only won once in the Sun Belt away from Jonesboro, and that was against Denver. The Red Wolves had enough defense and rebounding, but struggled to score. These are all things that may not change this time around. Brady obtains the service of Oklahoma State transfer Martavius Adams, a 6-8 forward, and he'll be called on to replace F Eric McKinney, a stout defender who averaged 8.6 points and 6.1 points a game. Brady also welcomes back 6-5 G Donald Boone, the team's leading returning scorer, averaging 13.6 a contest, and 6-7 F JeJuan Brown (7.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg). 6-2 guard Trey Finn will come off a redshirt year to join Boone in backcourt, while Daniel Bryant, a 5-10 sophomore who averaged nearly 7 points and a little more than 2 assists a game, could be drafted to play point.

Louisiana-Monroe (last NCAA: 1996) The good news for Orlando Early is that he gets all five starters back from last season. The bad news is that those starters only managed to win 10 times in 2008-09, six times in the Sun Belt, and twice in league away games. However, the Warhawks could improve significantly, as Early also gets guard Tony Hooper back. He was granted a fifth year of eligibility after he missed the bulk of last season because of injury. That means five Warhawks averaged in double-figures last time they played: 6-6 G/F Malcolm Thomas (12.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg), 6-7 F Lawrence Gilbert (10.9 ppg), 6-8 F Rudy Turner (10.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg), 6-2 reserve guard Dynile Forbes (11 ppg), and Hooper (15.1 ppg in 07-08). 5-8 PG Kenneth Averette (6.1 ppg, 3.2 apg) should join Hooper in the backcourt to run ULM's offense.

Louisiana-Lafayette (last NCAA: 2005) The Ragin' Cajuns were yet another bad Sun Belt road team last year, winning only once on their travels (at Troy!). They managed this with five returning starters. This time around, Robert Lee has four returning starters, with only center Jeremy Barr gone (5.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg). Next year, Louisiana-Lafayette will be probably be down to three returning starters, as two seniors feature this time around, 5-10 guard Randell Daigle (11.3 ppg) and 6-8 forward Tyren Johnson (7.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg). The two returning juniors are the Cajuns leading scorers, 6-7 guards Chris Gradnigo (13.3 ppg) and Travis Bureau (12.4 ppg. 4.3 rpg) Lee gets another 6-7 player back, forward LaRyan Gary (6.9 ppg. 4 rpg) who is coming off knee injury. In the backcourt, Ryan McCoy (7.3 ppg, 2.1 apg) is a key performer off the bench.

Arkansas-Little Rock (last NCAA: 1990) Steve Shields' squad won the West Division and won 20 games for the second year in a row, but the Trojans could have done so much more. Unfortunately, the team fell apart after point guard Steven Moore was dismissed in late February, culminating in a loss to South Alabama in the Sun Belt semis, a game where UALR had a bit of a homecourt advantage. The two players who fell immediately behind Moore on the team's scoring chart, F Shane Edwards (11.8 ppg) and G John Fowler (10.5)--also a key defensive player, are also gone, as is 6-6 G Brandon Patterson (6 ppg, 4 rpg). Arkansas native and South Florida transfer Soloman Bozeman, a 6-foot guard, will be Moore's full-time replacement. Matt Mouzy, who averaged more than 10 points per contest last year, will have to increase his scoring output, but he is another good defender for Shields. The Trojans need 6-7 Mike Smith (7.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg) to develop into more of a frontcourt force, as last year's lone returning frontcourt starter, 6-8 Wayne Burton (3.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg) is offensively limited.

Denver (last NCAA: None) The only team in the Sun Belt to have never made the NCAA Basketball Tournament could rid itself of that title this season. (Now, for hockey, it's a completely different story.) Joe Scott's Princeton offense is really taking root in the Mile High City, and the Pioneers seem to have put their road woes behind them. DU won two straight road games at the end of the regular season, ending a drought that began after a February 11, 2006 win at Middle Tennessee. Scott's team features all five starters from a year ago, led by 6-5 G/F Nate Rohnert (15.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.7 apg), a serious threat for SBC Player of the Year, 6-7 F Rob Lewis (12.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg), 6-3 G Brian Stafford (11.4 ppg). Plus, 6-9 forward Andrew Hooper actually led the Sun Belt three-point percentage, nailing 46.6 percent of his attempts as he averaged a little more than 9 points per contest. The Pioneers were as solid on both offense (47.9 team FG percentage) and defense (top 25 in the nation in scoring defense), as you'd expect a Princeton-style team to be.

North Texas (last NCAA: 2007) The Pioneers' main stumbling block to the West Division crown is a team based in Denton, Texas that also returns all five starters. The Mean Green seek a return to the NCAAs after a two year absence, while picking up their fourth straight 20-win season. Four of Johnny Jones' returning starters averaged in double figures last time around. 6-7 F Eric Tramiel (12 ppg, 6.6 rpg) is another serious contender for Sun Belt POY. 6-5 guard Tristan Thompson, 5-10 point guard Dominique Johnson (3.8 apg), and 5-10 guard Josh White all averaged more than 11 a contest, with White being nearly automatic from the foul line (90.6 FT%), Inside, 6-8 George Odufwa is a monster on the boards, grabbing nearly 7 a game, to go along with 6-plus point. The Mean Green also get back 6-4 guard Collin Mangrum, who has struggled with injuries over the past two years. The two senior starters, Tramiel and Johnson want to go out on top, and they may have the supporting cast to do it.

East Division

Florida International (last NCAA: 1995) Isiah Thomas should be in for some rough sledding in his first year at the helm of the Golden Panthers. FIU's leading scorers of a year ago, forward Alex Galindo (14.4 ppg) and center Freddy Asprilla (13.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg) are both gone. Guards Michael Dominguez and Josue Soto, who also averaged around 10 points a contest are also gone. That means 6-9 forward Nikola Gacesa is the lone remaining starter for FIU. As you'd expect of a team hit by sudden departures, Thomas' first recruiting class heavy on JC transfers, but he does gain the services of 6-2 Temple transfer Martavis Kee.

Florida Atlantic (last NCAA: 2002) Mike Jarvis begins his second season in Boca Raton completely overshadowed by Isiah Thomas' arrival at archrival FIU. The Owls were terrible last season without Xavier Perkins (academics) and Carlos Monroe, who did manage to average 11.4 points and 6.6 rebounds a game despite dealing with foot and eligibility problems. And they may not be much better this season, as they only return two starters, 6-8 forward Brett Royster (7.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and 5-11 point guard Alex Tucker (6.1 ppg, 4.8 apg). Jarvis will be expecting big things out of 6-2 sophomore Shavar Richardson, who averaged almost 12 points and four boards a game from the bench. He has a great chance to fill the void left by Paul Graham III's (18.5 ppg) graduation. Jarvis' team will be young, as he brought in seven freshmen and only one JC transfer this offseason.

Middle Tennessee (last NCAA: 1989) Kermit Davis was forced to start four guards last year after 6-10 center Theryn Hudson injured his foot. Hudson is back, but three of the guards are gone, with the graduation of MT's all-time assist leader, Kevin Kanaskie (3.8 apg), being the most painful. Last year's SBC Preseason Player of the Year, Desmond Yates, is the key returnee. He should move back to his natural position, power forward, thanks to Hudson's return. Yates averaged over 17 points and 4.5 boards a contest last time around. Davis will expect JC transfers Rod Emmanuel (6-2) and James Washington (6-0) to fill the holes in the backcourt. 6-4 guard Calvin O'Neil should also see more action this season, as he averaged 5.6 ppg and 3.7 rpg in '08-09.

South Alabama (last NCAA: 2008) Ronnie Arrow's team won 20 games last year, and made it to the Sun Belt championship game, but the season had to feel like a disappointment for Jaguars fans. USA may struggle to win 20 again, as Arrow returns only one starter, 6-5 guard LaShun Watson, who only averaged 7 points a contest. However, 6-0 point guard Bryan Sherrer did take on a starting role late in the season (5.3 ppg, 1.6 apg overall). 6-7 G/F Gary Redus joins the Jaguars from Centenary, where he averaged 12 points and 3.4 boards a game last year. (He's eligible immediately as the Gents' announced their move to D-III this offseason. Otherwise, Arrow will again lean on JC transfers, including Allyn Cooks, Raymond Sims, Bacari Moulton, Tim Williams (Moulton and Williams both averaged over 21 a game last year), Brandon Noble, and Adrian Sims to fill the void left by the graduation of Domonic Tilford, Brandon Davis, and DeAndre Coleman.

Troy (last NCAA: 2003) The Trojans will be a serious threat to Western Kentucky's reign atop the East Division, as they bring back four starters from team that won 14 league games and earned a CBI home game last year The only starter gone is 7-foot center Tom Jervis (6.7 ppg. 6.5 rpg), but 6-9 Alabama transfer Yamene Coleman will step in to replace him. The four returning starters for Don Maestri are all seniors, led by All-Sun Belt selection Brandon Hazzard, a pure scorer who averaged 16.2 ppg, while finishing as the nation's seventh best 3-point shooter, converting nearly 45 percent of his attempts. Richard Delk, who started his career at Mississippi State is another dangerous scorer, averaging nearly 14 points a contest. Point guard Michael Vogler is responsible for getting them the ball, and he did a great job last season, averaging nearly 6 assists a game and over 10 points. 6-6 Antywan Jones averaged 4.5 points and almost 3 boards a game in the frontcourt, which will be bolstered by the return of 6-8 junior Trayce Macon who returns after a year off (7.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg in '07-08).

Western Kentucky (last NCAA: 2009) Ken McDonald very nearly got the Hilltoppers where Darrin Horn led them before his departure for South Carolina, but a last second loss to Gonzaga kept WKU from traveling to Memphis for the South Regional. The 'Toppers will miss Sun Belt Player of the Year Orlando Mendez-Valdez (14.2 ppg, 4.1 apg), but the other four starters return, including 6-3 senior A.J. Slaughter (16 ppg, 3.6 apg), 6-5 junior swingmen Sergio Kerusch (11.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and Steffphon Pettigrew (12.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg), and 6-9 F Jeremy Evans (8.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg) McDonald won't have the deepest team; however, especially with recruits Terrence Boyd, who would've provided substantial backcourt support, and David Laury dismissed from the team.

Despite their depth issues, I'm picking Western Kentucky to win yet another Sun Belt title, so they'll take the league's auto bid in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket, which I will release on November 9. To wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-SBC team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-Sun Belt Team

Player of the Year: A.J. Slaughter, 6-3 G, Sr. (Western Kentucky)

Remainder of the Team
Brandon Hazzard, 6-2 G, Sr. (Troy)
Nate Rohnert, 6-5 G/F, Sr. (Denver)
Eric Tramiel, 6-7 F, Sr. (North Texas)
Desmond Yates, 6-7 F, Sr. (Middle Tennesee)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the Sun Belt this season?

Arkansas-Little Rock

1 votes

Arkansas State

0 votes

Denver

1 votes

Florida Atlantic

1 votes

Florida International

2 votes

Louisiana-Lafayette

1 votes

Louisiana-Monroe

0 votes

Middle Tennessee State

1 votes

New Orleans

0 votes

North Texas

2 votes

South Alabama

0 votes

Troy

3 votes

Western Kentucky

5 votes

17 votes | Poll has closed

Observations from Day Two in Portland: Gonzaga/UNC is going to be really fun (and other stuff)

Nuss — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 21:25:19 -0000

On my way back home after staying the night in Portland last night. And to answer SW WA Coug's question, yes, that was fun. Both games were highly entertaining, and you can't ask for anything more than that WKU/Gonzaga finish. Spectacular.

So as not to bury the open tournament thread, click on the link for some of my thoughts from each game.

UW/Purdue

The first thing that needs to be said is that that was a completely different Purdue team than the one that was generally going through the motions on Thursday against Northern Iowa. The Boilers looked inspired on the both ends of the floor, and sometimes that happens when a team gets to the second round. (Isn't that right, Memphis and Villanova?)
I honestly did not anticipate how tough of a matchup Purdue would be for Washington. The Boilers have a lot of length, and that caused problems for the Huskies all day -- not on defense, but on offense, where Purdue could get their shots off whenever they wanted to. And when you're shooting as well as they were in the first half yesterday, you can put a lot of space between you and your opponent pretty quickly. Because of this, I given them a puncher's chance against UConn -- it's not much, but it's more of a chance than I would have given Washington.
Can't say enough about Jon Brockman. That's guy's heart and desire almost singlehandedly kept UW in that game, and I can't help but wonder what's going to happen to them with him gone. Matthew Bryan-Amaning played an absolutely terrible, boneheaded game, and Darnell Gant spends most of his time 15 feet from the basket. They're full of long and talented guys, but the toughness and intelligence most certainly have a long way to go.
Once again, Justin Dentmon was a total non-factor. I can't believe how many shots that guy passed up in those two games. Do you know that in the final nine games of the year, he only shot over 50 percent once -- against Seattle U? And that his percentage of shots also dropped over those final nine games? The book was out -- don't leave him open, stay in his face and make him put the ball on the floor. The Huskies will not miss him next year, as they're better with Elston Turner, a guy who doesn't need to be asked twice to shoot, in the lineup.
All the talk today is about Venoy Overton's four fouls, but that's ignoring the giant pink elephant in the middle of the room: He was having an absolutely horrific defensive day besides that, as his man beat him for penetration repeatedly. The fouls were just making it worse. And thank goodness for referees who finally had the stones to call his fouls. They're not hard fouls, but they're fouls nonetheless. I think Overton believes his own myth and has forgotten that his first priority needs to be staying in front of people, something he didn't do very well yesterday.
I honestly felt kind of bad for about a half-second for Isaiah Thomas when he blew that layup, because he was the other reason the Huskies were able to come back. That kid is a stone-cold scorer without a conscience, and as a hoops fan I could appreciate the way he took over that game. It would have been fitting for him to tie it like that. But then I remembered I don't like Washington. And I didn't feel bad anymore.
I know Lorenzo Romar was coach of the year in the Pac-10, but I think he made a big blunder yesterday. Sometimes coaches get married to routine, and I think Romar was guilty of that to a degree yesterday. He just went with his normal substitution patterns early in the second half, sending Thomas to the bench just as the Huskies were really coming back. Thomas was the only one giving any offense, and I think they needed to ride that horse as long as possible. Also, he continued to stick with Dentmon, despite his passivity, and Bryan-Amaning, despite his repeated brain farts. I just don't think Romar did everything he could to put his team in the best position to win yesterday.

Gonzaga/WKU

Yes, it was as entertaining in person as it was on TV -- probably even more so. You probably could hear it on the broadcast, but lots of "oooohs" and "aaaaahs" whenever Mendez-Valdez and Slaughter hit another ridiculous shot. And the pace was just insane. Pomeroy's got it at 71 possesssions, but boy did it seem like more than that. (Probably because it wasn't inflated by any last-minute fouling.) Both teams were running at every opportunity, and were not afraid to take the first quasi-decent shot that presented itself. Too fun.
Grady sent me a text last night about Gonzaga's 3-point defense and noted a similar thing on the blog last night. Honestly, it sure looked to me like many of those shots were contested and that WKU was just shooting at an unreal clip. But maybe that's just the way it seemed from the top of the arena. Plus, WKU shot 61.3 eFG% -- Gonzaga's highest allowed this year, but only the Toppers' fourth highest of the year. I think you just kind of have to give credit where credit is due on that one.
In that same vein, Gonzaga's defense looked much better last night than it did on Thursday. Part of it probably was Western Kentucky settling for a lot of outside shots, but the Bulldogs just seemed a little more inspired on that end of the floor. My guess? They knew that a good defensive possession was likely going to result in an opportunity to run the other direction, and nothing motivates running teams like that carrot.
The end of that game is one of the many reasons why I hate coaches being allowed to call timeouts. They're not on the floor (or at least shouldn't be) and are already too much a part of the college game with all of their incessant micromanaging. Plus, you run the risk of an official in a very loud arena not hearing or seeing them, and you get stuck with people talking just a little bit less about what a great game it was because the coach was trying to call timeout.
Matt Bouldin is playing really, really well right now. He always seemed to me to have a tendency to disappear in big games. But for my money he was the unsung hero on Thursday, and of course came up big last night. I haven't watched Gonzaga enough to say this with 100 percent certainty, but he's the one guy on that team who really seems to understand the game and who actually tries to play some defense.
Last thing. I absolutely cannot wait for the Gonzaga/UNC matchup this week. Neither team even really attempts to play much defense, and both are going to run at every possible opportunity. Look for that game to be close to 80 possessions, first one to 90 points wins. Should be an incredibly entertaining game.

Goodson Lifts Zags to Sweet Sixteen

Zach B — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 18:22:08 -0000

Tournament collapses from years past flashed through the eyes of every Gonzaga fan when Matt Bouldin went down at half court and turned the ball over to put the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers within two points in the last minute of last night's thrilling round of 32 game. When the tip-in went in for the Hilltoppers to tie the game with nine seconds went in, I was sure that history was bound to repeat itself.

Luckily, for Gonzaga, Demetri Goodson probably has no clue about Gonzaga's tournament issues and has never heard of the Gonzaga tournament games against UCLA, or Davidson, or even Indiana. Meech just knows how to win and while he may have been an unlikely hero, Gonzaga fans had to be confident in the youngster as he drove down the court to hit the winning shot with less than a second left. Goodson's shot last night immediately put him in the Gonzaga hall of fame and while I am sure that he is going to have an outstanding career at Gonzaga, I don't think he can re-create a moment as perfect as the one he capitalized on last night.

continue reading this post after the jump...

The majority of the game was extremely frustrating for Gonzaga fans. The first half was very similar to the first half of the Akron game which saw Gonzaga let the opposing team hang around. We knew about the outstanding back court of the Hilltoppers before the game but the duo of A.J. Slaughter and Orlando Mendez-Valdez were truly sensational. The two guards are basically the only two major mainstays from the tournament team of a season ago and they torched Gonzaga all night. Mendez-Valdez set the early tone as he hit six of the first seven WKU shots. Five of those shots were three-point baskets and the 'Toppers had a five point lead in the first ten minutes of the game. Slaughter quickly joined the party and the two guards combined to shoot over 50% from the field. This is nothing new for Gonzaga as they have continually been burnt by hot shooters not just this season, but in years past. Watching the fantastic Purdue game beforehand, it is pretty clear that the Zags are still lacking defensively. A number of times, Josh Heytvelt and Austin Daye were standing four feet away from WKU's guards after a screen and refused to show out and contest the shot. Purdue did an outstanding job and showing out on screens and making sure the three-point shot did not dictate the game. Heytvelt and Daye have got to get more active on defense and cut the leash that makes them incapable of traveling outside the three-point line on defense.

The second half started out hot for Gonzaga. The lead for the Bulldogs was six within the first two minutes and it felt like they were one shot from pulling away from the Hilltoppers. It wasn't that easy however, as Western Kentucky proved to be extremely pesky and the continued to answer Gonzaga time and time again. Both teams had very nice balance in the second half. WKU got some big shots from Sergio Kerusch and Pettigrew and Micah Downs and Josh Heytvelt made their impact felt for the Zags. The game belonged to the guards however. Matt Bouldin and Jeremy Pargo were phenomenal for Gonzaga. Bouldin was the jack-of-all trades and finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Pargo connected on seven of his 11 shots and finished with 18 points. They both controlled the game very well and were shooting the ball with plenty of confidence. Jeremy's shot has never looked better in his career at Gonzaga. From the WCC Tournament on, he has looked more like a three-point specialist than a driving guard. Bouldin continued to do what he does best, a little bit of everything. He made some sensational passes and pulled down eight rebounds to get the break started fast.

Even though Goodson drove the dagger into the Hilltoppers, they certainly did not help themselves with their free throw shooting. Western Kentucky shot 35% from the charity stripe and their shots were never really even that close. The Zags were very good from the free throw line, going 14-for-19 and hitting some in the clutch. Every other stat is very appealing to the eye as each team put on an offensive display. The Zags and 'Toppers both shot 50% or above from the line and both were over 40% from beyond the arc. It wasn't a game that will help the defensive field goal percentage of Gonzaga but I'm sure Mark Few won't mind too much.

Next up for Gonzaga is the vaunted North Carolina Tarheels on Friday. The Heels will be at full strength when the Zags come calling as Ty Lawson scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half against LSU yesterday. The guard has been battling a toe injury but there is no doubt that he will be good to go in Memphis.

Zags vs. Hilltoppers: A trip to the Sweet 16

everydayezag — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 19:31:35 -0000

After the past couple of NCAA Tournament performances, I'm sure many Gonzaga fans were elated with simply advancing beyond the first round of the NCAA Tournament. While the win over Akron wasn't easy on the eyes, all that matters is that the Zags survived to play another day. Their opponent tonight will be another mid-major that has developed quite the reputation for pulling off monumental upsets. The Hilltoppers are looking to advance to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season, although this year is a much different cast. After losing head coach Darrin Horn to South Carolina, and Courtney Lee and Tyrone Brazelton to graduation, many people assumed this season would be a huge step back. However, Ken McDonald has done a tremendous job in his first season as a head coach, and has relied on the strong guard play of A.J. Slaughter and Orlando Mendez-Valdez to have WKU dancing again.

I'm not sure any WKU fan could have predicted that the Hilltoppers would be in this position after blowout losses to Murray St., Evansville, and Mississippi St. at the start of the season. However, after back-to-back losses to Mississippi St. and Florida International in early January, WKU really found their stride. The Hilltoppers have won 17 of 19, and have an athletic and quick starting lineup that uses pressure defense to create turnovers.

WKU is led by the terrific A.J. Slaughter, who is one of the few returning contributors from last season. Slaughter was the leading scorer for the Hilltoppers this season, as he averaged 15.8 points and 3.6 assists. Slaughter is not a terrific shooter, but uses his great quickness to attack the rim and create opportunities for his fellow guards. He shares the backcourt with Orlando Mendez-Valdez, who is a tremendous shooter from beyond the arc. Mendez hits over 40% of his three point shots, including 3 threes against Illinois on Thursday.

One area where the Hilltoppers struggle is in the paint. The leading post threat for WKU is Sergio Kerusch, who leads the team with 7.5 rebounds per game, despite only being 6'5. The other post threat for WKU is Jeremy Evans, who is a super athletic 6'9 forward. Evans averages 8.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, but has an offensive game that is strictly limited to dunks and put backs.

While WKU has put together a truly special season, it's important to remember that they played an over-seeded Illinois team in the 1st round, who was missing their starting PG. Gonzaga has the length and athleticism on the frontline to totally dominate WKU on the boards and in the paint. I believe that we will see the Gonzaga team from the final 10 minutes of the Akron game for a full 40 minutes. If Gonzaga comes out and plays to their potential from the start, this will not be a close game. Behind dominate performances from Josh Heytvelt and Austin Daye, Gonzaga will advance to the Sweet 16 with the 86-64 victory.

Western Kentucky, the trendy pick for your 5-12 upset

Joe Kutsunis — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:10:45 -0000

When it comes to filling out a tournament bracket, there are certain strategies that have been repeated over and over until they become a law. Never pick a 16 over a 1, never pick all of the 8 seeds to win their first game, never pick all #1s to make the final four,(at least it used to be) and always pick at least one #5 #12 upet. These sort of rules for brackets have made for several knee jerk reactions to the initial bracketing. Specifically which 9's will beat 8's, and which 12 will take down a 5. As soon as Illinois popped up on the board Seth Davis and Jay Bilas both exclaimed that they had their 5/12 upset. Afterall Western Kentucky had beaten almighty Louisville, the 1 of 1's. Surely the Hilltoppers could then take down the Illini that have posted losses with scores in the 30's.

Knee-jerk reactions aside, lets have a look at the WKU resume to date.

First off, get familiar with the Hilltoppers with Searching for Billy Edelin's "we're dancing" feature.

The big plus on the resume of WKU is of course the win over Louisville, surprising the Cardinals by outscoring them in the paint and giving talented freshman forward Samardo Samuels fits all game. Overall though WKU is a small team that relies on outside shooting, and of course the 3 ball to beat their opponents intoo submission.

If there is a problem though with WKU it is defense, something that becomes clear when looking at the scores of its very bad losses this season. The Hilltoppers gave up 95 to the oft hapless Mississippi State, 89 to non-bid Murray State, and 87 to Troy. Its other bad loss, to Evansville, was a 32 point pasting, where the Hilltoppers had only 26% shooting. As often as Illinois is criticized for not scoring in droves, but still keeping the game close with defense, I would like to see some criticism of teams that while they score in bunches also often don't bother to play defense. I know Big Ten basketball isn't sexy, but it is a formula for winning this year.

And as far as the credit WKU gets for beating Louisville, lets also look at Minnesota and UNLV, the other two non-conference losses the Cardinals have on their schedule. If what Bilas and Davis and Winn all agree that WKU will beat Illinois, because they beat UL, they should also be taking the Gophers over Texas (a 10 over a 7) and should be screaming about why the Rebels are left out of the tournament. Both of these teams have other good wins in their out of conference and conference seasons to go along with their UL win. WKU's next best win...Georgia, yeah Georgia.

So I hope that this does provide some context for the Hilltoppers who have been at points this year a very good team, but at others very bad. As for your 5/12 upset, I would be more comfortable with Wisconsin over Florida State (another team WKU lost to.)

There will be coverage all week of the Illini WKU matchup, so come back everyday for another take on the Illini's first round opponent.

UK Basketball, Scotty Hopson, and the Hilltoppers

Ken Howlett — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:43:00 -0000

DeAndre Liggins certainly knows how to redeem himself. After Liggins' now infamous Friday night "no mas" to coach Gillispie, I thought Saturday night he played his best basketball in the second half of the West Virginia game. His game stats aren't awe-inspiring -- Four points, three assists, two rebounds and four turnovers -- but the team operated as smoothly as they have all season. Part of the credit goes to Patrick Patterson who seemed to be a bit more authoritative in gaining offensive position; he's beginning to present himself to the passer as he did last year. But the bulk of the accolades should go to Liggins, in my eyes.

As far as Liggins' 'failure to launch' Friday night versus Kansas State; I'll leave that one to Gillispie. He has handled what few disciplinary issues he's had with aplomb, and I trust his judgment in the handling of Liggins. But I have to say, I was shocked when I first heard that Liggins refused to enter the game. In my mind there isn't too much worse that a teammate can do.

I think that with his play Saturday, though, he demonstrated that he wants to be apart of this team, and his teammates demonstrated that they want him to be apart of the team. If that's true, that's all that really matters.

I love Josh Harrellson's game. He may not be as quick as every opponent he plays, but I'll bet Tru's pink slip that he has a higher basketball IQ than most of his opponents.

He reminds me of a quicker, more offensively polished Jared Prickett, with a cupful of Erik Daniels thrown in for good measure. He is blessed with having a nose for the ball; some call it 'court savvy,' whatever it's name, he has it in spades.

Harrellson is also very fundamentally sound, especially when it comes to rebounding. He knows how to seal his man off by putting his behind in the guys midsection. He also rebounds with two hands, and unlike some others, he immediately looks up the floor. He also leads the 'Cats in the most rebounds per minute played category (he averages 4.7 boards in 14.2 minutes played).

Saturday against West Virginia, Harrellson's line was very impressive: 4-6 field goals, 4-5 free throws, 12 points, and 10 rebounds (he led the team with four offensive boards).

I expect Mr. Harrellson will be seeing a lot of playing time this year. Now we know why Western Illinois hesitated to release him from his scholarship.

On the year, UK is shooting 50.3%, while holding their opponents to only 37.3%. UK is also outrebounding their opponents by 8.8 rebounds per game. Kentucky also holds a big edge in the assist department -- 93-56. On the negative side, UK has committed 138 turnovers to their opponents 99, and UK's opponents have 12 more offensive rebounds than do the 'Cats. That's 51 more possessions UK's opponents have had, in only six games.

Jodie Meeks is shooting 44.2% on 104 shots taken. Patrick Patterson is shooting 70.9% on 55 shots taken. Although Jodie is making 37.8% of his three-point shots, I would still like to see, in any given game, Patterson get at least as many shots as Meeks.

UK's three primary ball-handlers, Meeks, Liggins, and Michael Porter have combined to turn the ball over 70 times, while dishing out only 44 assists. Not a winning combination. This team isn't good enough to overcome an avalanche of turnovers, and we really haven't seen any improvement (23 versus WVU) ... that worries me.

UK has blocked 41 shots to their opponents 13 blocks. Harrellson and Perry Stevenson, along with Patrick Patterson, lead UK with seven, 14, and 12 blocks respectively. Harrellson blocked his shots while averaging only 14.2 minutes per game, while Stevenson averages 26.2 minutes per game.

UK held West Virginia to only 26.3% field goal shooting in the second half, while UK shot an even 50.0%. UK also out-rebounded WVU by 10 boards. Fresher legs?

After watching Tennessee's Scotty Hopson play Sunday against Gonzaga, I almost wish Billy Gillispie would have went after Hopson a bit more passionately. The kid can play, and he most certainly can shoot the ball (although his shot makes Richard Madison's look flat). On the year he's averaging 9.8 points per game (in only 20.5 minutes per game), while making 50.0% of his three-point attempts.

He had a stellar line against Gonzaga: 6-12 field goals, 3-6 three-point tries, 16 points, 3 assists and only one turnover. Too bad the Vols couldn't weather the 'Zags ... well, not really. Tennessee did crush Gonzaga on the boards with a +23 (they had 19 more offensive rebounds than the 'Zags), but UT couldn't defend (what's new?), and Gonzaga torched 'em from all over the floor, shooting 51.9%overall, while making 55% (11-20) of their three-pointers.

Finally, a BIG TIME congratulations to Ken McDonald and his Western Kentucky Hilltoppers for disposing of the Louisville Cardinals in a most clear and decisive manner. Hilltopper guard A.J. Slaughter and Steffphon Pettigrew did the Commonwealth proud -- Slaughter had 25 points, while Pettigrew posted 17 points and 12 rebounds, and he helped shut down UofL's McDonald's All-America c/f Samardo Samuels (Samuels has at least 4-5 inches on Pettigrew).

Slaughter also had a little 'Ramel Bradley moment:' After the game, Slaughter mentioned that he thought some of the UofL players were disrespecting the Toppers by being lackadaisical in warm-ups. He said he also noted several 'we're better than you' smirks (that was his interpretation, anyway).

It reminded me of last year: UK versus UT in Rupp. Bradley was not happy with some of the Vols wearing their earrings during warm-ups. He took that as a sign of disrespect ... and proceeded to lead UK to a huge upset of the Vols, 72-66.

I guess It doesn't matter whether you're from Brooklyn (Bradley), or Shelbyville (Slaughter) ... don't disrespect the underdog.

Congrats Tops!!

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats!