SB Nation - Auburn Tigers

Get to Know a Coaching Candidate: Tommy Tuberville

Denverjhawk — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:14:49 -0000

Well looks like the hat just got a bit heavier as another big one just threw his name in. Tommy Tuberville was interviewed by the KC Star in an article this morning expressing his interest in the Kansas Jayhawk coaching position. Tuberville discussed the attractiveness of the opening, his qualifications and how he's been staying fresh in his year away from the game.

No doubt Tuberville is the type of hire that lends instant credibility to the job. Is he however the right man for the job? Another wrench in the process I'd say. A process that is beginning to enter it's second week and hopefully one that will come to a close in the near future.

Let's get to know a little more about Tommy Tuberville though, shall we.

Tommy Tuberville was born in 1954 in the natural state, Arkansas. That makes him 55 for those scoring at home and likely the oldest candidate we've seen on the radar to date. Tuberville has strong ties to the SEC but has recently found himself out of work and in the analyst chair for the 2009 season.

In terms of his playing days and collegiate career, Tuberville started out at Southern Arkansas as a safety where he would letter with the team. From their he began his coaching career directly out of college as a high school assistant at Hermitage (Ark.) High School. Tuberville would spend two years as an assistant and two as a head coach with Hermitage. After three straight four-win seasons, Tuberville guided HHS to a 7-3 mark in 1979 before moving on to Arkansas State.

At Arkansas State Tuberville coached various segments of the Indians' defense over five seasons. Tuberville coached defensive backs, nose guards and linebackers. During his final year at ASU, the Indians advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.

At the start of the 1986 season Tuberville would take a positions assistant spot with the Miami Hurricanes.

Tuberville served as a member of the University of Miami staff for eight seasons from 1986-93, taking over as defensive coordinator in 1993.

While serving on the staffs of Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson at Miami, Tuberville was a defensive coach on teams which won three national championships, posted an 87-9 record and played in nine consecutive New Year's Day bowls. Not bad company to keep and a pretty impressive run of success.

As defensive coordinator for the Hurricanes in 1993, Tuberville directed a Miami defense which was ranked No. 3 nationally in scoring defense (12.6 ppg) and No. 5 nationally in pass defense (91.15 ypg). We like defense around here, or at least we'd like a defense around here, right?

During the 1994 season Tuberville would spend a year somewhat between jobs if you will, with the Texas A&M Aggies as their defensive coordinator. In 1994, he helped lead the Aggies to a 10-0-1 record and No. 8 final ranking by the Associated Press. Under his direction, the Aggie defense finished fourth nationally in scoring defense (13.1 ppg), fifth in total defense (265.5 ypg) and sixth in rushing defense (92.4 ypg). Again, not a bad defense and a pretty successful stint.

From A&M Tuberville would take his first head coaching position with the Ole Miss Rebels a year later.

While at Ole Miss from 1995-98, Tuberville posted a 25-20 record. Inheriting a Rebel program plagued by NCAA sanctions and probation, he guided Ole Miss to a winning record in his first season in 1995, with just 61 players on scholarship. He did not have a full compliment of scholarship players to work with in any of his four years at Ole Miss.

By the time he had three recruiting classes under his belt, Tuberville led Ole Miss to an 8-4 mark and a victory in the inaugural Motor City Bowl in 1997. His efforts earned him Associated Press SEC Coach of the Year Honors.

In 1998 Tuberville would take the head position with another SEC school in Auburn. During his tenure at Auburn, Tuberville guided the Tigers to the top of the SEC standings, leading the Tigers to an SEC Championship and the Western Division title in 2004. Under his direction, the Tigers made eight consecutive bowl appearances including five New Year's Day bowl berths.

The Auburn Tigers were a perfect 13-0 in 2004 including the SEC title and a win over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. Tuberville received Coach of the Year awards from the Associated Press, the American Football Coaches Association, the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

Overall in his time at Auburn Tuberville would post an 85-40 overall record and a 52-30 SEC Record. For his career Tuberville has won 110 games to just 60 losses.

Tommy Tuberville is probably in a mold all his own as far as the Kansas coaching search goes. He'd fit in the homerun hire category without a doubt. Tuberville would provide instant credibility to the program and bring with him a proven track record of success.

The biggest downside to Tuberville might be his age as he is 55 and a good 10 years older than some of the names that are floating around as favorites. However let's take a quick look to the west and see that 70+ year old man still roaming the sidelines with the Wildcats. Snyder has been able to do it, and when he started in Manhattan things were in worse shape and he had a far less glowing record of success. Not too mention this might be viewed by Tuberville as a final stop. If he comes to Kansas and is able to produce a 10 year run of success, this program will be in great shape when he's gone.

Is Tuberville promised success at Kansas? No he isn't, but this would be one hell of a hire and I hope Lew, as I suspect, has spoken to Coach Tuberville and I sincerely hope this is option 1b at the very least.

Round Ball Round Up Feels Like a Winner // 12.08.09

Year2 — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:00:25 -0000

by Dave Martin - AP

Auburn's Lucas Hargrove, top, celebrates with teammates after Auburn defeated Virginia 68-67. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

View full size photo »

While we've been obsessing over the end of football season, there has been basketball going on. That may come as a shock to those of you who aren't Kentucky or Vanderbilt fans, but don't worry. Here's a compilation of some of the best wins in the conference over the last two weeks. Rankings reflect the current AP poll.

LAST NIGHT

The SEC picked up a win over the ACC as Auburn edged out Virginia 68-67. DeWayne Reed led the AU attack with 18 points and seven assists, while Lucas Hargrove came within a Tiger's whisker of a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds. Brandon Knox was the surprise contributor with 11 points and six boards off the bench for Auburn, and his tip in of a missed Reed layup with 1.4 seconds to go was the winning bucket. The Tigers are 5-4 on the season.

DECEMBER 5

No. 4 Kentucky picked up a big one with a long overdue win against No. 11 North Carolina 68-66. John Wall, a Tar Heel fan while growing up in Raleigh who UNC never offered a scholarship to, scored 16 points including the decisive free throws despite battling cramps. Patrick Patterson had the best overall night as he had 19 points and seven rebounds. Wall also led the team with seven assists. UK is now a perfect 8-0 on the season.

DECEMBER 2

A.J. Ogilvy had a great night with 25 points and six rebounds as Vanderbilt knocked off Missouri 89-83. Jeffery Taylor had a double-double for the Commodores with 18 points and 11 boards, while Andre Walker led everyone with 12 rebounds. The Tigers made a furious comeback in the second half, but Vandy was able to hold them off thanks in part to a 45-24 rebounding edge. VU is 6-1 on the season and is ranked No. 24 in the Coaches' Poll.

Mark Fox and Georgia picked up a win over an occasional tournament team when the Bulldogs took care of Saint Louis 64-56. Only five UGA men scored in the game, but all reached double digits. Dustin Ware led all scorers with 17 on the night, while Travis Leslie led all rebounders with nine. Fox's crew led comfortably for most of the game, but SLU made a strong comeback late in the second half. Faced with adversity, the Bulldogs held off the Billikens to make the final score look good again. Georgia is 4-3 on the season.

South Carolina also picked up a win over a program with regular tournament appearances by shutting down Western Kentucky 74-56. Five Gamecocks made it into double figures, led by Devan Downey with 15. Two of them, Ramon Galloway and Evaldas Baniulis, had 11 each off the bench to make up all 22 points of reserve scoring. South Carolina had a 21-4 run in the first half while WKU answered with an 11-5 run in the second half, but the Hilltoppers couldn't get closer than eight the rest of the way. South Carolina is 6-2 on the season.

NOVEMBER 29

It was a shocker in Orlando as Anthony Grant's Alabama squad knocked off then-No. 15 Michigan 68-66. JaMychal Green was the star of the night for the Tide as he scored 20 points, put in the go-ahead basket with five seconds to go, and swatted away UM's layup attempt as time ran out. Mikhail Torrance had 11 points and eight assists, while Chavez Davis chipped in 12 points off the bench. Bama is 6-2 on the season.

NOVEMBER 28

Mississippi State stuck it to tournament regular Old Dominion by cruising to a 69-55 win. Dee Bost had a boffo shooting night, hitting six threes on the way to scoring 25 points. Jarvis Varnado had 15 points, six rebounds, and five blocks, but he only played nine first half minutes thanks to dislocating his pinkie. He would play 10 minutes in the second half and 21 in MSU's next game. It was not a very giving night as the two teams combined for just 26 total assists. Mississippi State is now 5-2 on the season.

NOVEMBER 27

In a win that would propel them from being unranked to the mid teens, No. 10 Florida beat No. 12 Michigan State 77-74. Chandler Parsons led UF in scoring with 14 from off the bench, Erving Walker poured in 12 second half points, and Dan Werner more or less iced the game with two late free throws. Florida's defense was big despite the high scoring from the Spartans as the Gators forced 22 turnovers. Florida is now 8-0 on the season.

RPI WATCH: 11/23/09

BracketCat — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:00:13 -0000

Well, it's officially basketball season here at BOTC, so I'm going to try and get some basketball-related stuff on here on a more consistent basis. Big 12 Outlook will return after New Year's, but in the meantime, I need to resume the Big 12 previews and shift them into overdrive a little in order to make up for lost time.

The other thing I want to do is update you on all of our opponents on a daily basis. I'll look at how they performed in yesterday's games and maybe track the RPIs a little, too. The idea is to get a general picture, on a day-to-day basis, of how strong our non-conference schedule is, because I've seen some concern from various corners of late.

For a more detailed discussion, hit the jump. But here's a short preview: We did ourselves a lot of good in Puerto Rico.

Here's how our opponents have performed to date, in order to provide a baseline comparison and bring everyone up to speed. (After all, not everyone has been paying attention to hoops like I have, given our North-contending football team and what have you.)

Kansas State RPI = 28

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Dayton

Good Wins (RPI 51-100) = Loyola

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = none

Loyola (2-1) | RPI = 64: Loss at Kansas State (92-54), Win over Canisius (89-69), Win at Holy Cross (76-73)
Western Illinois (2-2) | RPI = 112: Loss at Arizona State (87-35), Loss at Kansas State (82-50), Win over Truman State (71-59), Win at Central Arkansas (56-46)
Boston (1-4) | RPI = 141: Loss at Iona (82-73), Loss to George Washington (69-59), Loss to Kansas State (80-70), Win over Indiana (71-67), Loss to No. 21 Georgia Tech (85-67)
Ole Miss (4-1) | RPI = 76: Win over UALR (92-64), Win over Alabama State (90-53), Win over Indiana (89-71), Win over Kansas State (86-74), Loss to No. 5 Villanova (79-67)
No. 18 Dayton (2-2) | RPI = 32: Win over Creighton (90-80), Win over No. 21 Georgia Tech (63-59), Loss to No. 5 Villanova (71-65), Loss to Kansas State (83-75)
IUPUI (4-1) | RPI = 75: Win at Drake (88-82), Win at Eastern Illinois (69-66), Win over Austin Peay (77-63), Loss at Auburn (80-65), Win over Georgia State (67-56)
Fort Hays State (2-0) | RPI = N/A (D-II): Win over Friends (82-46), Win over Central Christian College (85-66)
Washington State (3-0) | RPI = 140: Win over MVSU (94-66), Win over Eastern Washington (67-61), Win over IPFW (89-70)
Xavier (3-0) | RPI = 79: Win over Youngstown State (83-57), Win over Bowling Green (101-57), Win over Sacred Heart (105-65)
UNLV (3-0) | RPI = 1: Win over Pittsburg State (91-52), Win over Nevada (88-75), Win over Southern Illinois (78-69)
Alabama (2-1) | RPI = 186: Loss to Cornell (71-67), Win over Jackson State (86-69), Win over Providence (84-75)
UAPB (0-3) | RPI = 166: Loss at Colorado (88-72), Loss at Denver (75-56), Loss at UTEP (70-52)
Cleveland State (3-1) | RPI = 260: Loss at St. Bonaventure (72-62), Win over Wilmington (99-74), Win over Florida A&M (78-64), Win over Sam Houston State (80-65)
South Dakota (2-2) | RPI = N/A (D-I transition): Loss at Texas Tech (88-49), Loss to Oregon State (62-47), Win over TAMUCC (76-73), Win over Mayville State (99-67)
Missouri (2-0) | RPI = 280: Win over UT Martin (83-68), Win over UTPA (100-64)
Texas A&M (3-0) | RPI = 135: Win over Angelo State (88-69), Win at SMU (80-68), Win over Samford (68-49)
Colorado (3-0) | RPI = 128: Win over UAPB (88-72), Win over Coppin State (82-58), Win over Texas Southern (88-77)
No. 3 Texas (2-0) | RPI = 17: Win over UC Irvine (89-42), Win over Western Carolina (73-41)
Oklahoma State (3-0) | RPI = 21: Win over Seattle (86-64), Win over Southern (93-61), Win over North Texas (82-68)
Baylor (4-0) | RPI = 60: Win over Norfolk State (86-58), Win over Hartford (71-69), Win over Southern (61-45), Win over Hardin-Simmons (106-45)
No. 1 Kansas (3-0) | RPI = 46: Win over Hofstra (101-65), Win over Memphis (57-55), Win over Central Arkansas (94-44)
Nebraska (2-1) | RPI = 134: Win over SCUU (76-49), Loss at Saint Louis (69-55), Win over TCU (90-77)
Iowa State (4-0) | RPI = 188: Win over Idaho State (88-68), Win over Chicago State (72-50), Win at Drake (90-70), Win over MVSU (96-55)
No. 17 Oklahoma (2-1) | RPI = 65: Win over Mount St. Mary's (95-71), Win over UL Monroe (72-61), Loss at VCU (82-69)
Texas Tech (5-0) | RPI = 86: Win over South Dakota (88-49), Win over TAMUCC (66-59), Win over Oregon State (64-60), Win over Northwestern State (94-75), Win over Lamar (77-54)

My plan is to update this daily with the games are played the previous day, and I'll probably start looking at RPIs some time after Thanksgiving (they're pretty meaningless before that point due to the disparity in scheduling).

Update: Got bored and added the RPIs around midnight. I'll save the analysis for tomorrow's edition.

Around the ACC: 11.23.09

MRickman84 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:43:15 -0000

First off, in non-ACC news, congrats to Tom Izzo for tying the Michigan State record for wins. The guy is a heck of a coach and his team is a buzz saw this year. The ACC had a pretty good day yesterday after a rough Saturday. This is still a really deep conference and is definitely far and above the SEC, Pac 10 and Big 12 outside of Kansas.

Georgia Tech 85, Boston Unversity 67
This game was tied at halftime, but Zach Peacock absolutely dominated, going 10-11 for 22 points. Blogger So Dear has been a fan of Peacock for awhile and we really like his athleticism. If Georgia Tech is going to have success this year, he is going to be a vital part for when Lawal gets doubled and Favors has his freshman bumps. The Yellow Jackets also got a strong performance from Mfon Udofia, who added 15. BU's leading scorer was John Holland with 23 and 5 rebounds. Favors had 14 and 10 and Gani Lawal tossed in 17 himself. Between the, Peacock, Udofia, Favors and Lawal had 68 of Tech's 85 points.

Miami 85, South Carolina 70

Miami hasn't played the cream of the crop so far, so their 5-0 start might be a bit misleading, but with wins against Tulane, UNC-W and South Carolina, the wins are at least a little significant and a good indicator of what Miami's team will be made up of. And it is safe to say that the Hurricanes will be very dangerous this year. Dwayne Collins is averaging just under 10 rebounds per game, and he looks to be a real catalyst. Collins had 17 and 15 in the win, and James Dews tossed in 22 on 8-11 shooting that included 3-3 from deep. The Gamecocks were down just 3 at the half, but Miami pulled away in the second half.

NC State 60, Auburn 58
State is going to have ups and downs this year, but close wins like this really help a team grow quickly. And this was a spectacular way to do it, as Tracy Smith hit a shot with 1.3 seconds to play to win the game. Smith was just 4 for 18, but one of those 4 was the biggest shot of the game. State was 4-0 in the Glen Wilkes Classic, with wins over Georgia State, Akron, Austin Peay as well as Auburn. Senior Dennis Horner chipped in 16 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in the victory.

NC State 60, Auburn 58

Akula Wolf — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:15:31 -0000

Four Factors	NC State	Auburn
eFG%	37.3	50.0
Turnover Rate	17.3	23.4
Off Reb Rate	43.2	31.4
FT Rate	28.6	28.3

	Pts	Poss	OFF_EFF	DEF_EFF
Auburn	58	63.8	90.9	94.0
NCSU	60	63.8	94.0	90.9

Box Score

Winning in the margins. It's nice to be on this side of things. All too often throughout the Sidney Lowe era, NC State has wasted good shooting efforts with turnovers, poor rebounding, or both. Auburn shot 58% to State's 43.9% in the second half, but the Tigers turned the ball over twice as often, failed to control the glass, and continued to miss their freebies.

The Pack finished the game with a +4 turnover margin, hit 13-18 FTs compared to Auburn's 5-15, and rebounded well at both ends...which was just enough to overcome the 37% shooting.

-- Tough night for Tracy Smith; I'm guessing his 4-18 shooting effort was the worst of his career. He was tired--a lot of attempts fell short--he was frustrated, Auburn collapsed down on every touch, and the refs were completely unforgiving. But he still came through with five enormous points in the final minute, including the game-winner. And he rebounded the hell out of the ball, grabbing seven at the offensive end and eight at the defensive end, which made him primary reason why the Pack won the rebounding battle decisively.

-- It's evident why Auburn generally forces opponents to shoot a lot of threes (though we did not). To combat their lack of size, they would double just about every entry into the post regardless of who it was with the ball.

-- Can't say enough about Dennis Horner's effort all weekend. If we needed a bucket to stop some bleeding, it seemed like he was always the guy stepping up to hit it.

-- Javi was up-and-down in all three games but I think when you compare his play to Mays' performance, there's no doubt Javi is the team's primary distributor. Javi may be more prone to a careless turnover here and there, but he attacked defenses more aggressively than Mays, looked quicker in general, and displayed a knack for real point-guard-type passes. I'm not sure how to properly describe that last bit other than to say that he put his teammates in high-percentage situations and Mays didn't. His dish to a cutting Dennis Horner for a right-down-main-street dunk in the first half of the Auburn game was the highlight of the weekend.

-- Positive signs from the defense. The Pack had one bad half defensively all weekend. In four out of the six halves, NC State held its opponent to less than 0.8 points per possession. Doesn't matter who we've played; those are encouraging results.

-- For whatever reason, none of our opponents could hit a free throw this weekend. We're currently ranked #1 nationally in opponents' free throw percentage (42.9%). Thanks for throwing us a bone, basketball gods.

-- We rank 301st in tempo with an average of 63.7 possessions per 40 minutes. In case anybody was wondering how the up-tempo thing is working out.

Previewing Auburn

Akula Wolf — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:14 -0000

2009 Scouting Report / 2009 Game Plan
2009 Stats
2010 Roster
2010 Schedule

Auburn Offense '08-'09

Four Factors	Percent	Nat'l Rank
eFG%	50.4	110
Turnover Rate	18.5	61
Off Reb Rate	31.7	217
FTA/FGA	37.6	147

Auburn's surprisingly successful '09 campaign (24-12, 10-6), coming as it did on the heels of a terrible '08 season (14-16, 4-12), made for one of the bigger turnarounds in college basketball. But they lost three key contributors to graduation during the off-season--most notably forward Korvotney Barber--and the early returns suggest they may be heading back to the drawing board in '09-'10.

The Tigers head to Daytona with a narrow win over Niagara and an 11-point loss to a bad Missouri State team (which they beat by 15 last year). So far, the offense has been a complete disaster: they're shooting below 42%, turning the ball over nearly 27% of the time, and rebounding less than 30% of their missed shots. Like Akron, Auburn likes to shoot lots of threes despite the fact that they don't make very many of them. They've hit more than half of their twos this season, but 41.4% of their attempts have come from outside, and they've hit less than 20% of those. Their 3FG% is certain to work its way back up eventually, but considering that they shot just 33.5% from three last year, I'm not sure the ceiling is particularly high. Might be a good idea for the Tigers to attack the rim a little more often.

Making matters worse offensively, the Tigers will be without juco transfer Kenny Gabriel, a "swingman with range," indefinitely. Their most prolific and effective three-point shooter, Tay Waller, is nursing a sore quad--his status for the weekend is in doubt. Backup PG Tony Neysmith has been limited by a bum ankle.

Starters:

DeWayne Reed (6-1, 175) -- So the team's leading scorer is back, but that's good and bad. He's taken 32 shots through two games this season. Problem is, the dude can't shoot. From anywhere. He hit 61.8% of his FTs, 44.6% of his twos, and 32.7% of his (numerous) threes last season. Those were not aberrations. He did a good job distributing from the point while keeping the turnovers down, and his quick hands spearheaded a vastly improved defense, but that 46.8 eFG is evidence that he bit off more than he could chew at the offensive end. I'm not sure Auburn has a choice in the matter, though.

Frankie Sullivan (6-1, 185) -- A three-point specialist; good steal percentage last year.

Earnest Ross (6-5, 215) -- A freshman who by the looks of it fits right into the team's three-firing vibe. Unfortunately he's off to a 37.5% start from the field and has hit just one of his six 3FGAs.

Lucas Hargrove (6-6, 205) -- He was a secondary option last season, but an effective and versatile one. Turnovers were a problem, but he rebounded well at the defensive end for a guy his size, and he shot the ball well both inside and out.

Brendon Knox (6-10, 220) -- Hit 66% of his twos in very limited playing time last season. He's an extremely light-usage guy, probably because he's a foul-prone turnover machine. That's too bad, because this team could really use a reliable low-post scorer.

Bench:

Three guys have been getting double digit minutes off the bench: Kenny Gabriel (out), Andre Malone (6-5, 202), and Johnnie Lett (6-8, 210). Malone is a freshman. Lett profiles similarly to Knox--less effective from the field but a better rebounder. Bench production looks like a serious problem for the Tigers.

Auburn Defense '08-'09

Four Factors	Percent	Nat'l Rank
eFG%	48.0	119
Turnover Rate	23.0	42
Off Reb Rate	30.8	92
FTA/FGA	37.0	192

Auburn's '09 rebound was made possible by its defense. As John Gasaway notes in College Basketball Prospectus, "In fact no major-conference team over the past three seasons has improved its D in league play as much as Auburn did last year." They allowed 1.14 points per possession in SEC play two years ago and somehow managed to cut that down to 0.98 last year. That's insane.

Auburn D	2008	2009
Opp 2FG%	55.4	46.5
Opp 3FG%	37.5	33.5

The really odd thing is that they were undersized both years: 241st nationally in effective height in '08, 258th in '09. Jeff Lebo did more with fewer inches in 2009 than anybody in America (call him, ladies). Could be that it was a fluke.

Regardless, Auburn's D is going to make for an interesting battle of wills. They want to keep opponents out of the paint and they've done a fine job clogging the lane and making foes look to the perimeter for scoring. In each of the last two years, over 40% of their opponents' field goal attempts came from beyond the arc. Zone defense alert.

Can we get it inside the way we want to, or will we end up settling for a lot of jumpers? If we get frustrated and start heaving, this game could be a hideous low-scoring affair.

Round Ball Round Up 11.21.09

Year2 — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:33:33 -0000

More photos » by Brennan Linsley - AP

Bruce Pearl's Vols rolled in the Paradise Jam.

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LAST NIGHT

The No. 11 Tennessee Vols continued to act like a superpower as they blasted ECU 105-66. Scotty Hopson once again led the way for the orange, putting in 25 points. Bobby Maze and Tyler Smith contributed 15 and 13 points apiece. Both teams actually shot the ball well; Tennessee hit on 58% of shots while ECU connected on 52.6% of field goals. The difference in the game came from the shots attempted differential: UT attempted 69, while ECU had just 38. How does that work? The Vols forced a stunning 34 turnovers (including 17 steals) while giving it back just 13 times. Rocky Top Talk has some quick thoughts.

Staying in the East, Florida had no trouble shutting down Troy 80-58. Kenny Boynton led the Gators with 23 points, and all five starters had at least five rebounds. Erving Walker had the most complete line of the night with 13 points, six boards, and seven assists. The Gators' defense stole the show again, holding the Trojans to just 35.5% shooting, but they also woke up from three finally, hitting 12 of 32 treys on the night.

Shifting divisions, Ole Miss pulled away in the second half to defeat Kansas State 86-74. The Rebel starters put on quite a show, as Chris Warren had 27 points, Terrico White had 25 points, Eniel Polynice had 13 points, and Murphy Holloway had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Hot shooting carried the day, as the Mississippi boys shot 56% from the field.

Alabama got a win over the Big East with their 84-75 come from behind victory against Providence. The Tide trailed by four at the half, but they pulled away in foul-to-stop-the-clock territory, going from a 76-75 lead with a little over a minute to go to the nine point final margin. Mikhail Torrance hit three critical free throws during that stretch, and he led the team with 26 points overall. Alabama's starting forwards also put up double-doubles, as JaMychal Green had 15 and 12 while Justin Knox put up 13 and 10.

Speaking of nine point wins, Arkansas needed overtime to do it but pulled out an 81-72 win over Appalachian State. Marshawn Powell had a career night, pouring in 29 points on the night. Michael Washington had a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards. The Hogs only got two bench points the whole game. Arkansas Expats took a deep breath after the game.

Back East, South Carolina pulled out a 69-66 win over South Florida to reach the finals of the Charleston Classic. The Gamecocks will play Miami tomorrow for the title. The Bulls had an early 10 point lead, but South Carolina took the lead five minutes into the second half and never gave it up (though it was close throughout). Devan Downey led the team with 17 points.

Out on the West Coast, Vanderbilt pulled out a 72-70 win over perennial tournament contender St. Mary's. Three Commodore starters made it into double digits, led by Jeffery Taylor's 19. A.J. Ogilvy didn't have a great night, contributing just two points, but he did lead the team with two blocks and tied for team high with seven rebounds. Vandy's bench also contributed 19 points.

It was another tough night for Auburn as they fell to UCF 84-74. Frankie Sullivan put up 22 points, including a perfect 10 of 10 from the free throw line, and DeWayne Reed had 15 points and a team-high five assists. The difference in the game can be seen at the line, as Auburn's 11 to 3 advantage from three was nullified by UCF's 31-11 edge in free throws made.

Early Round Ball Season Round Up

Year2 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:25:53 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

Tennessee's Scotty Hopson.

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LAST NIGHT

As we mentioned in Sprints this morning, points were raining down in Knoxville as No. 11 Tennessee set a school scoring record in its 124-49 pummeling of UNC-Asheville. Scotty Hopson led the Vols with 25 points. Rocky Top Talk has a wrap up of the romp.

Meanwhile in Baton Rouge, a Tiger set a career high as Bo Spencer's 28 points led LSU to a 71-60 win over Western Kentucky. Storm Warren also had a great night with 20 points and 11 rebounds, his third straight double-double. And the Valley Shook has game coverage and a look ahead at LSU's upcoming games in Madison Square Garden.

Staying in the SEC West, Alabama picked up the first win of the Anthony Grant era with an 86-69 laugher over Jackson State. Four Tide ballers went into double figures, with freshman Tony Mitchell setting the standard with 23 and Mikhail Torrance distributing eight assists with his 13 points.

It was not as nice a night in Athens for new coach Mark Fox as Georgia fell to 1-1 on the season with a 60-57 loss to Wofford. Trey Thompkins registered a double-double for the Bulldogs with 14 points and a manly 16 rebounds, while Travis Leslie led the team with 17 points.

It was an even rougher night in Papa John City for John Pelphrey's Arkansas squad as they were overmatched and overpowered by No. 22 Louisville, 96-66. Marshawn Powell got a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards, and Rotnei Clarke paced the Hogs with 16 points. Arkansas Expats says it was about what they expected, but the goal of finding a way into the NIT is still on the table.

MONDAY

The No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats needed a last-second jumper from freshman John Wall to pull out a 72-70 squeaker over Miami University. Wall had 19 points on the game, and both Patrick Patterson (17 and 10) and DeMarcus Cousins (10 and 10) put up double-doubles for the Cats. A Sea of Blue of course has an excellent wrap up of the night's action.

Ole Miss had no such trouble in putting away Alabama State to the tune of 90-53. Four Rebels broke into double digits in scoring. Terrico White had the most points with 19, but Eniel Polynice had the best line of the night with 17 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Polynice was one of three Ole Miss players with eight or more boards. Red Cup Rebellion had some quick thoughts about the game.

Also hitting the 90 point mark was South Carolina, as the Gamecocks blew out Georgia Southern 90-66. Dominque Archie was the man of the night for Carolina, scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while stud Devan Downey chipped in 14 points and a team-high six assists. The Gamecocks put the game away by scoring the final five points of the first half and opening the second half with a 16-0 run, a combined 21 unanswered points.

Not to be outdone, the Vanderbilt Commodores went for 95 while holding Lipscomb to just 73 in their season opener. Star center A.J. Ogilvy came off the bench for the 'Dores thanks to a concussion sustained in practice last month, but that didn't stop him from scoring 13 points and leading the team with nine boards and three blocks. Jeffery Taylor led the way with 20 points.

On the other end of the spectrum, LSU eeked out a 55-45 win over Indiana State in the first round of the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Tipoff. Despite the low scoring output, three Tigers went into double digits. And the Valley Shook was impressed by the defense, but was decidedly underwhelmed by LSU's shooting.

Still in the West, Auburn ended up with a disappointing 73-62 loss to the MVC's Missouri State. You can't blame the Tigers' Lucas Hargrove, who put up 24 points and tied for the team lead with six rebounds. Unfortunately the effort was in vain as his only teammate to break into double digits was DeWayne Reed with 12. Auburn got a paltry five points off the bench in the game.

SUNDAY

The Florida Gators got off to a rousing start with a 74-46 start over in-state foe Stetson. The 46 that the Hatters scored is the lowest point total any opponent has scored in the Billy Donovan era. The Gators nearly snapped a streak though, waiting until the final minute of the game to make a three point shot to extend the school's record of 579 games with at least one trey made. Chandler Parsons, author of the one made three, led the team with 14 points, Alex Tyus put in 12 while snaring 13 rebounds, and hyped freshman Kenny Boynton scored 12 though only on 5-11 shooting. Alligator Army hopes for a return to toughness out of the team.

Alright, so the SEC might be a mess

SFBE.NF — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:09:36 -0000

Kentucky and Tennessee aside, it could be another sad year for the SEC. A season removed from going just 1-3 in the tournament (LSU was the lone team to advance to the second round), the sort of resurgence we expected ain't really materializing here in the early going.

Not only has Mississippi State laid an egg, at home, to Rider, we witnessed a dud debut from Anthony Grant and his Crimson Tide, and Auburn looked sadly disinterested against Missouri State last night, resulting in an 11-point loss. That alone would be cause for concern, but tonight just to confirm what we all had been thinking Arkansas continues to unravel at the seams with suspensions and a 30-point loss to Louisville, along with Georgia, who loses to Wofford. Sure, they may return five starters and put a scare into Pitt last week, but its still sound-a-dog-makes Wofford.

In our conference primer, we bulleted five key non-conference games against top-caliber teams. At this point, we would just like to see South Carolina hold court against Richmond, or Vandy lay a beatdown on Depaul to ensure that this conference has some semblance of pride that extends beyond the gridiron.

The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Close Call Edition

Truzenzuzex — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:54:24 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

No need to get back after that shot, John.

Browse more photos »

I don't know about you, but I think winning on a last-second jumper qualifies as a close call.

John Wall's shot has been the talk of college basketball all day long. Here in Louisville, WHAS radio host Terry Meiners was cracking jokes about how the name "John" had become synonymous with great things. It was a great play by a great young player, but it can't erase all the questionable and downright ugly things UK did on the court last night.

John Calipari told us it would be this way, and he wasn't wrong. The question is, how soon can the 'Cats figure out how to right the ship? We'll know in a couple of days versus Sam Houston State.

Moving on to football, Kentucky is gearing up for a meeting with the Georgia Bulldogs between the hedges this weekend. This is a huge game for Kentucky, as right now, Georgia looks to be the most beatable of UK's remaining two foes. If the 'Cats can get a win against the Dawgs, it would not only remove any long-shot doubts of not getting invited to a bowl game, but it would actually put UK in a position to win second place in the SEC East if they were to beat both Georgia and Tennessee. Who would have imagined that?

Just a programming note about Saturday -- I will once again be at the racetrack, and I don't know if I will make it back by kickoff, but I should be there by halftime at the outside.

The news follows the jump.

John Wall Nails Game-Winner as UK Defeats Miami
You have to listen to the Charlie Coles (Miami Coach) during the press conference. The link is toward the bottom of the post. Absolutely terrific.
Pitino pushes forward - STLtoday.com
Pretty interesting article about how Pitino is coping with all the negative publicity of this last year.
From the road
Chris Diggs' observations.
Wall shows he can live up to hype | KentuckySports.com
Ghosts of Gardner-Webb hung heavy in Rupp Arena Monday night. Massive underdog Miami (Ohio), fresh off a loss to Towson, had ridden blistering three-point shooting to a 70-70 standoff with mighty Kentucky.

Nice rhetorical flair there by Mark Story, and a good article. Mark isn't my favorite, but I really like this piece.
Cats' goals extend beyond a bowl | KentuckySports.com
"We want to get out of Tennessee," Durham said. "We'll be happy with any bowl because any bowl is better than no bowl but, personally, we want to take care of business this week and next week and possibly go farther south."

I like your thinking, Brad.
The Big Blue Nation Report: Cousins Post Game Interview
When asked about his conversation with Calipari about his body language (Cal said if his body language didn't improve he was going to stay on the bench).... "That was the conversation." (Again showed off his personality here.) "Those two fouls (in the first half) brought me down. I was thinking about last game, which I shouldn't have done. I just didn't want to start it off with two bad games and being in foul trouble. But we got the win and that is all that matters."

Really nice work on the interview. Read the whole thing.
Calipari just won't foul late, will he? - CBSSports.com
Calipari's team was ahead by three points late, but rather than foul and send Miami (Ohio) to the line -- which is generally accepted as the proper way to handle the situation -- Calipari opted to let the players play, and the result was a Hayes 3-pointer that tied the score with six seconds remaining. It was the latest version of Chalmers for the tie ... Got it! -- the same sequence that cost Calipari the 2008 national title when Mario Chalmers hit a 3-pointer, forced overtime and helped Kansas to an eventual 75-68 victory.

There was a study done on this, even though the sample size was really small. The conclusion was that there is no real benefit to your chances of winning to make that foul. Via Walter's Wildcat World
Patterson: We were not going to lose | Vaught's Views
Editor's Note: Really an insightful story by Keith Taylor into just what makes Patrick Patterson special and one I think you will enjoy.
City Brights: Zennie Abraham : UCLA basketball shocked by CS Fullerton 68, Bruins 65 (2OT)
This one didn't go as well for the Bruins as it did for the 'Cats.
The Race to 2000 Wins
I love charts.
AUBURN BASKETBALL: Missouri State rallies past Tigers | montgomeryadvertiser.com | Montgomery Advertiser
AAARRGGGHH! That's two SEC West teams who have bitten the dust so far this year.
John Wall is Blue Jesus - Searching for Billy Edelin
Now you know, just in case you didn't already.
The Alphabetical, Week 12: Where 4th Down Is Not Sacrosanct - SB Nation
Nov 16, 2009 - A is for Average: Ho-hummery all around for Texas (47-14 over Baylor) Alabama (31-3 over Miss State), and Boise State (63-25). Heading into a drab week with appropriately drab results, the college football season in general continues to play in the key of ennui with largely expected results and a huge hunk of lopsided matchups. Frankly, if the thought of being alone wasn't so frightening, college football, we'd try something new. Cue Joe Jackson:

Ennui? Now there's a word you don't see out of a sportswriter every day, folks. Great read, as always.
Rush The Court " Blog Archive " ATB: WonderWall
Despite the loss, Winbush will remember this game for the rest of his life. He bewildered the Kentucky players, coaches, and the Rupp Arena crowd with his 3-point shooting ability, going 8 for 10 from beyond the arc, and they were of all types, folks. Fall-aways. Off the dribble. Contested. Open. It didn’t matter to Winbush. He went into halftime having hit his first SIX, and the fans in Lexington won’t forget his name anytime soon.

Talk about a talent for understatement ...
JOHN WALL: REMEMBER THE NAME " Sho'Tyme Lifestyle and Performance blog
Wall-elujah: Freshman saves UK | KentuckySports.com
"For us to win a game when they go 15-of-26 from the three-point line, I can't believe it," UK Coach John Calipari said. "We talked at halftime, if we lose, don't let it be from three."

Yet it almost was ...
Sports Illustrated ranks Louisville 17th, highlights Pitino/Calipari rivalry - Card Chronicle
SI tabs Louisville as the 17th best team in the country and highlights Edgar Sosa in its preview of the Cards. Grant Wahl also pens a feature on John Calipari coming to Kentucky and his icy relationship with "the state's other big ego," Rick Pitino.

Interesting stuff. Be sure to read the links. Here's a taste from "The Very Best of Enemies:"

"To me it was Camelot," Pitino finally told him of his time in Lexington. "I coached there for eight years, and I never had a bad day on the job."
John Calipari Ranks #25 on Highest Paid List
SEC Basketball Preview: 2009-10 | College Basketball by Collegehoops.net
How did Kentucky come back? | Vaught's Views
Wall wows in opener -- thanks to final shot - Beyond the Arc - msnbc.com
"When it hit the bottom of the net, it was a relief, a great feeling," Wall said.

That goes for every Kentucky fan. The Wildcats are a work in progress (like North Carolina and a handful of other young teams), which means this won’t be the last tight game Cal’s crew has. And they won’t all turn out like this.

Indeed. UK has to improve over this game, and quickly.
State-Journal.com - Expectations of fans, players reach new level as Kentucky football continues to progress
And for all the nit-picking about some of the coaching decisions by Brooks and his staff (by the way, has any coach anywhere coached a perfect game?) – some deserved and some not – what Brooks and staff are in the process of doing is getting to a fourth straight bowl while rebuilding the team from the Andre Woodson-Wesley Woodyard bunch that played in bowls in 2006 and 2007.
For Kentucky Football, Survive and Thrive -- NCAA Football FanHouse
While No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Alabama each play glorified scrimmages on Saturday and continue their march to the SEC Championship game next month, one of the more intriguing conference match-ups features Kentucky at Georgia. Yes, Kentucky. Football.

Nice positive piece.
" BBL: WonderWall, Tobias Harris update, Charlie Coles John Clay’s Sidelines
John Clay's Big Blue Links.
Brooks: Statistics don’t tell whole story about Georgia | Vaught's Views
Louisville/Arkansas Hall of Fame Showcase preview - Card Chronicle
Big game.
Rick Bozich | Pitino-Pelphrey matchup 20 years in the making | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
Tonight in St.Louis, Pitino begins his ninth season as the University of Louisville coach against an Arkansas team coached by Pelphrey. It has been two decades since Pitino stomped and screamed Kentucky out of the darkness that included one season without live television coverage and two without the NCAA Tournament.