SB Nation - DePaul Blue Demons

In a Perfect World (Conference Realignment)

Evan Pfaff — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:30:13 -0000

by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Could a University of Houston QB be soon hoisting the Big 12 Championship trophy? (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Today the Big Ten conference issued a statement that they are exploring the possibility of expanding.

Every few years we hear the same rumblings and every few years there are articles published about what realignment would look like. But not since Penn State was admitted into the Big Ten has anything official been released. With that, below is the definitive article on the topic.

And even though this is a basketball blog, I will focus on the BCS aspect of realignment to argue my points. I will discuss basketball, though, and all points held for football can loosely translate over to hoops as well.

Currently there are six BCS conferences and those 6 all get automatic BCS-bowl bids. Those conferences are Big East, SEC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-10, ACC. Of those six, three of the conferences have enough football teams to have a conference championship game (the Big East would have enough if more of their charter schools had D1 football programs).

Part of the BCS issue is that you have some conferences without 12 schools, who don't currently have conference championship games. Adding conference championship games will ultimately help the BCS by crowing, on a field, a true conference champ. This will help with BCS bowl bids, and especially the BCS championship game. (Think of a rule where you have to at least win your division to get a BCS bid.

The other BCS issue is of the non-BCS schools and where they should lie. My realignment program take that into account.

Without further ado, after The Jump is the Big12Hoops.com Realignment plan.

MIZZOU MOVES TO THE BIG 10.

Why is this good for the Big 10? By admitting Mizzou into the Big 10, the Big 10 would secure a coveted TV market, namely St Louis. They would also get a share of the Kansas City TV market. By expanding westward, revenues from the Big 10 Network and apparel sales would grow. The Big 10 would also secure a 12^th team and legitimize a conference championship game. The divisions would be as follow:

Big 10 East: Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue, Penn State

Big 10 West: Mizzou, Illinois, Northwestern, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa

Under this scenario all regional rivalries remain in tact

Why is this good for Mizzou? The Big 12 seems to forget about schools not named Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas (basketball). There is no television network, so Mizzou's games are generally only regionally shown. There is Big Monday for basketball, but that is mainly reserved for Texas and KU. Under this, Mizzou's football games could be carried on the Big 10 Network and basketball games will be tied into the Big 10 ESPN deal. All this leads to a major recruiting advantage in both revenue generating sports.

Mizzou also has a rival in Illinois that would heat up instantly and the heated rivalry with Kansas will replace the Illinois basketball and football games on the schedules. Instead of St Louis, though, the KU games will be played at the Sprint Center and Arrowhead in KC.

But what about... Iowa State? The Cyclones seem to also be a natural fit and could easily add fuel to the rivalry with in-state foe Iowa Hawkeyes. The problem is that the Big 10 gains little from that arrangement. They are already pretty entrenched in the Hawkeye State and the addition of ISU wouldn't help their regional or national reputation.

THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON JOINS THE BIG XII

Why is this good for the Big 12? The University of Houston is a large campus, in a region of Texas that is currently underdeveloped with college sports. Houston is the 4^th largest city in the country, and by planting a team there, the Big 12 will get even more Texas viewership.

The big question would be on alignment, since there will now be 5 Texas schools. My proposal is for

Big 12 "North": Nebraska, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State

Big 12 "South": Texas, Houston, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Baylor, Colorado

The division names will have to be rebranded, but adding Colorado to the South is acceptable because Coloradoans joke that there are more Texans in the state than natives.

Why is this good for Houston? Historically, the Cougars have had a good football team, and have won a basketball national championship. Having a Big XII logo on their court will increase their recruiting presence in the city and state and potentially turn them into powerhouse.

But what about... TCU? TCU would be a good choice, if they were bigger. Their 8000 student just wouldn't cut it if the conference wishes to remain the BIG 12. Houston's enrollment is approximately 30,000 students. Commuter school or not, Houston would help retain the "Big" in Big 12.

BYU AND UTAH GO TO THE PAC-10

Why is this good for the Pac-10? By including Utah and BYU into the Pac-10, the conference will have the 12 schools needed for an automatic conference championship games. Both programs have historically legitimate football and basketball programs, and they will bring their rivalry with them. Geographically, they are far enough West to warrant admission into the conference.

The division would be as follows

Pac-10 North: Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, BYU, Utah

Pac-10 South: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Stanford, UCLA, USC

Why is this good for BYU and Utah? Both recruit well from the West, and inclusion into the conference will aid that. And by coming over as a pair (and as rivals) they bring legitimacy to the expansion eastward.

But what about... geography? The state of Utah doesn't border any states of current Pac-10 members, and that may cause some issues, but distance isn't really something the conference has ever regarded. Consider that Tucson, AZ to Seattle, WA is 1100 miles, or 400 miles farther than Tucson to Provo, UT.

ADD MORE TEAMS TO THE MOUNTAIN WEST

Why is this good for the Mountain West? As it stands under this scenario, the Mountain West is down to 7 members (the current 9, minus BYU and Utah). To get up with the big boys, the MWC needs to add 5 schools. The 5 that should move to the MWC should be: Boise State, Nevada, New Mexico State, Rice, SMU.

There is already talk of Boise coming over to the MWC, so that is a no brainer. The others are coming over as "rivals" to existing MWC schools. Nevada will face UNLV, New Mexico State will pair with New Mexico, Rice and SMU will pit against TCU is a three-way battle for Texas.

Having 12 schools will allow the conference to host a championship game, matching the winners of each division, which would be as follows:

MWC North: UNLV, Nevada, Air Force, Wyoming, Colorado State, Boise State

MWC South: San Diego State, New Mexico, New Mexico State, TCU, Rice, SMU

Why is this good for the 5 programs? The shift from either the C-USA or WAC will legitimize the programs (see the next point). All will also enter the new MWC with a foe. Everyone wins.

But what about... the MWC still remaining relatively minute as compared to their BCS brethren? Why would these schools shift from one conference to another, just for shits and giggles? See next point.

ADMIT THE MOUNTAIN WEST INTO THE BCS

Why is this good for the BCS? Controversy will mainly be avoided. By admitting the redesigned MWC into the BCS you are accepting the current BCS gate crashers. You are bringing in the current at-large schools causing heartache and giving yourself another conference champion that the country can latch onto.

Why is this good for the MWC? Why isn't it good for the MWC?

But what about... the C-USA and WAC? These two conferences are now in shambles. What to do? See next item.

MERGE THE C-USA AND WAC

Why is this good for the two conferences? Because of the success of some of their schools, and regional ability to move, the Conference USA and WAC are currently left in shambles (under this proposal). Essentially afterthoughts as they are, now they are left with 15 schools between them. They could either split them up 8 and 7 or combine forces and form a 15 league mega conference. In terms of basketball, as we have seen with the Big East, and their 16 school hoops conference, too many schools doesn't water down the pool.

But what about... regionality? The C-USA is currently a conglomerate of throw-ins from around the country. Under this plan, that would just increase to a truly national conference. The members of it would be: Fresno St, Hawaii, Idaho, La Tech, San Jose St, Utah St, UTEP, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, Cent Florida, ECU, Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss

Using the scenario outlined above, 18 schools will change conferences. This sounds like a lot, but as you can see many will be moving as groups and either with or to a rival.

But what about the Big East? Well, the Big East is the one conference I am leaving alone. In their football world, they are lacking the 12 members to create a championship game. But when you include their basketball members, they are a 16-team powerhouse.

One final thought. I reserve the right to claim this entire scenario null and void if Notre Dame ever decides to join the Big 10. If that were to happen, I would still endorse some shifting, but nothing to the extent of this proposal. More on that if a Notre Dame to the Big 10 rumor starts getting some legitimate traction.

College Hoops Go-Round: December 11

Chris Dobbertean — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:14:52 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

Syracuse's Rick Jackson (00) celebrates with teammate Wes Johnson (4) were the stars of the Orange's 85-73 win over Florida Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009, in Tampa. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

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Night two of the SEC/Big East Invitational was the main action on a quiet Thursday night. The two leagues split the doubleheader in Tampa, which means there are no bragging rights this year, thanks to a 2-2 overall series mark.

DePaul was no match for Mississippi State in game one, falling 76-45. As I mentioned at SB Nation, it was one of the quietest crowds I've ever seen for a neutral site game.
The crowd was no issue in game two, as plenty of Orange and Gator fans filled the lower tier of the building formerly known as the Ice Palace. They got to see No. 10 Florida give No. 7 Syracuse a fight before falling, 85-73. Rick Jackson and Wes Johnson both had double-doubles for the Orange, while Kenny Boynton had 20 points and 7 assists for the Gators, with Chandler Parsons adding 19.

In other Thursday night action

No. 12 Michigan State blasted Oakland, 88-57, thanks to 19 points and 12 boards from Draymond Green.
No. 19 Cincinnati held off local rivals Miami, 63-59.
Rhode Island knocked off Northeastern, 79-76.
Western Carolina won again, as they knocked off Campbell, 66-59.
Colorado was pounded by Colorado State in Fort Collins, 77-62.
Montana came back to win on the road at Loyola Marymount, 82-73.

Friday is a good night to do your holiday shopping (like I will) as there isn't much available to a national audience.

The only game available nationally via Full Court is Iowa at Iowa State (8 p.m. ET). The Hawkeyes and Cyclones are playing for second (at best) in the Hawkeye State, as both have already lost to UNI.

The big event of the night is the Sun Belt Invitational in Nashville, where two Sun Belt teams face SEC opponents. Unfortunately, this showcase is only on regional television in parts of the Southeast.

No. 9 Tennessee vs. Middle Tennessee (CSS, 7)
Vanderbilt vs. Western Kentucky (CSS, 9:30)

For a full list of televised games, including contests that are only going to be televised regionally (including Old Dominion at Dayton), visit Matt Sarz' College Sports on TV site.

Center Court: Ben Ball (Mississippi State) Scouting Open Thread

Nestor — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:37:03 -0000

More photos » by Rogelio V. Solis - AP

Mississippi State basketball coach Rick Stansbury on the Deuce right now.

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Well even though no on really called out for an open thread around the Bulldogs game tonight. The game just tipped off minutes ago on ESPN2. You can track it on WWL here. I think we might as well use the occasion to check out Jarvis Varnado and his Bulldogs team-mates take on DePaul Blue Demons before they make their way to Anaheim on Sat.

As of right now you can find our current notes on Bulldogs to date over here. If you are watching the game tonight, please use this thread to share your observations and quick commentary. Fire away.

GO BRUINS.

Mississippi State: Adding To Our Bulldogs Game File

Nestor — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:04:43 -0000

More photos » by Rogelio V. Solis - AP

Mississippi State forward Kodi Augustus had complained about PT earlier in the season.

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Let's continue to add to our notes in the Bulldogs game file we have been putting together this week. For those who are interested you can check out Mississippi State tonight on ESPN 2 (6:30 pm EST) when they take on DePaul Blue Demons (who we beat in last year's Wooden Classic) in 2009 Big-East/SEC invitational. The more I read about these Bulldogs, the more I get the sense that we might have a fairly even matchup on Saturday.

As noted in the information below, it sounds like the Bulldogs have also been dealing with off court distractions and injuries at early point of this season. They are trying to battle through it just like us under the leadership of a pretty solid coach in Rick Stansbury. If can pull out a win, could potentially set us up for a decent finish in what has been a brutal out of conference season. Not going to be an easy task, as these Bulldogs themselves are feeling solid after their recent blowout win and looking to use that to jump start their road trip starting tonight against Blue Demons in a neutral court game in Tampa, and then flying across the country to Anahem.

So speaking of the Bulldogs, I was looking through the Blue Demons official website this am to get their scouting report on our next opponent. Here is the capsule on MSU which not surprisingly is toplined by Jarvis Varnado:

Opponent No. 8 - Mississippi State Bulldogs: Mississippi State enters Thursday's action at 5-2 following a 105-53 win over St. Bonaventure on Saturday... the Bulldogs have also posted wins over Southeast Louisiana, Bethune-Cookman, Texas-Pan American and Old Dominion... the two defeats have come at the hands of Rider and Richmond... Jarvis Varnado leads five players averaging in double-figures with 14.4 points per game... he also leads the club with 9.7 rebounds per outing and 37 blocked shots... Dee Bost adds 13.4 points per game while Ravern Johnson holds a scoring average of 12.4... the duo combines for 39 three-pointers this season as Mississippi State averages 10.1 three's per game... head coach Rick Stansbury is in his 12th season at Mississippi State and holds a 236-130 record with the Bulldogs.

Watching tonight's game could be interesting because DePaul's strategery heading into this game might not be too far off from what Coach Howland has in mind for Saturday:

DePaul (5-2) would like to keep any running Thursday to a minimum with its low-possession, low-turnover style of play. A more deliberate pace combined with solid team defense has the Blue Demons holding opponents to 56.6 points per game---No. 13 in the nation through the first week of December.

"A low-possession game magnifies the importance of free throws," Wainwright said. "It nauseates me to keep talking about it, but missed free throws are the same thing as turnovers. In seven games, we've missed 68 free throws (Mississippi State has missed 38)."

For more on the Bulldogs lets jump over the flip.

As for the matchup against UCLA, here is a perspective from the Magnolia state:

Both Mississippi State and UCLA have gotten off to bad starts, losing to mid-majors Rider and Portland, respectively. In addition, off-the-court distractions have caused some damage on the court and in reputation. The NCAA is scrutinizing State freshman Renardo Sidney's finances for the last two years, and UCLA's Drew Gordon has been dismissed for behavior detrimental to the team. Both were expected to be featured players. (Why State has gotten involved in the Sidney fiasco puzzles me, but that will have to be a subject for another day.)

Neither team, though, has begun conference play. Once UCLA adjusts to life after Gordon and the Sidney case is resolved for State, you could see both teams ascend in their weaker conferences. Beating UCLA, the holder of a record 11 national championships, will always help in putting a season back on track. For UCLA, ending a four-game losing streak is the first step.

As with last season, State has struggled to score points. Their base set is four guards around front court "presence" Justin Varnado. "Swat" Varnado is often successful in patrolling the front court (9.7 rebounds per game) alone and is more than adequate on the offensive end (67.3 field goal percentage). Sophomore combo guard Dee Bost distributes the ball well and has gained weight. Forward Ravern Johnson is the outside shooting threat. This year, coach Rick Stansbury hopes he can lead his team beyond the second round of the NCAA tournament. But Bost has stepped forward and told Sporting News that State "can win a national championship."

That was from John Yargo in the Jackson Free Press. Now Yargo referred to how the Bulldogs have also been navigating through some off the court distractions this season. Kyle Veazey from ClarionLedger.com expanded more on those off court distractions for the Bulldogs, which apparently reached a boiling point at very early point of the current season:

It reached a quick boiling point, at least when it comes to perception. Kodi Augustus spouted off about a lack of playing time after the Rider loss, prompting players to say there wasn't a rift in the locker room and Stansbury to suspend Augustus for two games.

Injuries have impacted the team the most, killing its depth. Though State has benefited from the return of guard Riley Benock (foot), it has suffered as forward Elgin Bailey (ankle) has hardly been healthy enough to play.

State is already dealing with the loss of backup guard Twany Beckham (hip) for the season and has yet to see any time from freshman guard Shaun Smith (hip).

Some of State's name players, too, have been hurting. Stewart has nursed a sprained right wrist. Dee Bost has hurt both his groin and ankle. And Jarvis Varnado, the team's shot-blocking sensation, is recovering from dislocated fingers.

The two players State signed to much fanfare back in the spring - 7-foot-1 center John Riek and 6-10 forward Renardo Sidney - haven't played. Riek was suspended nine games after an NCAA amateurism inquiry and will be available for State's game next Wednesday against Wright State.

Sidney has not been cleared on his amateurism inquiry. It's been a saga that has dragged on since shortly after he signed on April 30, and few close to the case this week predicted a quick outcome.

Like I said above, it sounds like it might be a very evenly matched game on Saturday, even though the Bulldogs are the more experienced team returning most of their starters from last season. It will be very interesting to see how they handle the Blue Demons tonight.

I am sure Coach Howland, his staff and our players (if they are done with finals) will probably be playing close attention to the Bulldogs tonight. I will try to look in. If you are around and are watching the game, let us know of your takes. I might put up an open game thread for it. If you guys want one, let me know in the comment thread.

GO BRUINS.

Postgame: Vanderbilt 67, DePaul 54

KingJamesIV — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:11:24 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

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Ugly win. DePaul held Vandy to around 62 possessions, which is around 5 or so higher than was their season average entering the game. The 67 points allowed by DePaul was easily the most they've allowed in a non-overtime game this season.

What still remains so interesting about Vandy thus far is that despite the perception that the offense has not been clicking, the team is quite efficient. Points per possession have been above 1.00 in all games but St. Mary's and obviously Cincinnati. Anything above 1.00 is generally considered to be very good. Against DePaul, Vandy was 1.08. DePaul was 0.86.

And that's really what is so encouraging about the team. 3FG% was 23.1%. FT% was only 66.7%. ATO Ratio was 0.83. Vanderbilt teams in the past probably wouldn't have been able to overcome those numbers. This team has done so consistently so far, and they aren't close to clicking on all cylinders.

Elmer's Glue Guy Of The Game

Andre Walker (6 pts, 7 rebs, 1 asts, 2 stls, 0 tovs)

Relevant Links:

Game Page /// TSN Recap /// Box Score /// Official Vanderbilt Recap

Game Stories:

Vanderbilt's John Jenkins hurt in win over DePaul | The Tennessean

Said Coach Kevin Stallings: "I don’t think it’s very serious according to what our trainers said. His foot got stepped on. I think it kind of got twisted. I know he was in some pain, and that’s why they gave him some crutches. But after it happened, he went back into the game twice and played."

Ogilvy goes to the line to get Vanderbilt past DePaul | Nashville City Paper

The Commodores attempted to push the pace early but did not shoot the ball well enough, particularly 3-pointers (3-for-13) to maintain any real offensive momentum. Thus, the contest eventually settled into a half-court matchup of man-to-man defenses and one-on-one battles.

VUcommodores.com Blog: Post-DePaul news and notes

DePaul head coach Jerry Wainwright went out of the way to praise Vanderbilt forward Jeffery Taylor. Wainwright talked in length about how he enjoyed watching Taylor on film prior to the game, and thought the super sophomore was the difference in the game. "We haven’t really seen a forward like him," said Wainwright, whose team also faced Tennessee this year. "He’s really skilled and has great flow. Jeff has the kind of movement that he can guard Will Walker. So I thought he was really key."

Vanderbilt Commodores 67-Depaul Blue Demons 54 | Bleacher Report

Video Highlights

What was Impressive

A.J. Ogilvy's Free Throw Shooting - Through the first five games, AJ was making about 55% of his free throws. Stallings made a very minor adjustment to his shot process. Since then, AJ is 24-27 for 88.9%. What a luxury to have a center that draws fouls and makes them.
Jeffery Taylor - He makes it look so easy. What a smooth cat. Why doesn't he have a badass nickname yet? One-handed tomahawk? Yes, please.
Rebounding - Another solid positive rebounding margin. OffReb% was 40%, which is a good number.
Turnovers - Turnover Percentage was 19.3%, which was the second lowest of the season. Still too high for this team, but much better than the 29.4% versus Missouri.

Areas of Concern

Poor Shot Selection - Stallings mentioned in his postgame radio interview that he thought maybe a few guys were "looking to get theirs" in the first half. 3 for 13 from three is beneath the shooters on this team. Better shot selection will yield better 3FG%.
John Jenkins Injury - Nobody in the gym knew about it until after the game. Early in the second half John's foot was stepped on, bothering his knee and foot. Of course, he didn't let the coaches know about it until after he came out. He ended up playing through the pain, going back in the game twice. He left the game on crutches with ice on both his knee and his ankle. His condition is day to day at this point. Here's to hoping nothing is serious and that he will be close to 100% when the Dores take on Illinois at Assembly Hall.

Plus/Minus Through the DePaul Game:

Plus/Minus PER 40

Post your thoughts below.

Periscope: Vanderbilt vs. DePaul

KingJamesIV — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 03:57:01 -0000

More photos » by Brennan Linsley - AP

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Considering the dreadful season DePaul had last year, the Blue Demons have begun their 2010 season in a much better fashion at 5-1. Seeing that DePaul won 9 games all last season and none during Big East conference play, College Basketball experts took notice when DePaul went toe-to-toe with Tennessee in a 57-53 Paradise Jam semi-finals loss.

Unfortunately for DePaul, a left foot injury to junior big man Mac Koshwal (6'11", 255lbs, 15ppg, 13rpg) leaves him sidelined for a few weeks, leaving DePaul noticeably thin in the middle. This wasn't too much of an issue in their last game, a victory over Alabama State, but it should figure much more glaringly against AJ Ogilvy and Vanderbilt.

TSN Preview

DePaul has won its last three games to move to 5-1 overall, and the most recent triumph came over Alabama State on Wednesday by a 58-50 final. The fact that no opponent has scored more than 57 points against the Blue Demons in a regulation game this season speaks to the strength of the club's defense. The lone loss came against Tennessee back on November 22nd by four points.

Interesting Note: Three days after defeating Missouri - "The Fastest 40 Minutes In Basketball" - Vanderbilt faces the second slowest-paced team (58.3 possessions/game [adjusted] - 346 of 347 teams) in DePaul. Where Missouri wants to push the tempo, wear down an opponent, and cause turnovers, DePaul makes up for it's deficiencies by slowing things down and eliminating opportunities to score. With such a slow pace, it's no wonder DePaul limits teams to 55 ppg, good enough for 6th overall.

Statistical Breakdown:

Keep in mind that Mac Koshwal has starter-type numbers and is being grouped with the bench players in that analysis. So what does that graph tell us? Vandy is much more efficient with the ball offensively (when adjusted for the contrasting tempos) and is slightly more efficient defensively.

You don't really need to look at statistics to see that Vandy is a pretty heavy favorite in this game. Vegas lines opened with Vanderbilt as a 17 point home favorite.

Commodore Keys

Offensive Movement - The slower paced Blue Demons will give the Dores an opportunity to really work the half-court offense. In the first few games, after the opposing team would stop the Vanderbilt primary and secondary breaks, the offense felt stagnant. Players away from the ball didn't seem to be helping out the ball-handler by getting into position for an uncontested pass. I'm sure a large part of this was due to Missouri's pressure defense. I think it's about time this team began to assert its will offensively.
3 Point Shooting - In the season opener against Lipscomb, Stallings mentioned that he thought 41% was a subpar evening. On paper, that's definitely the case. Jermaine Beal, Brad Tinsley, and John Jenkins are all outstanding outside shooters. However, in games the team is only hitting on 34% of their outside shots (37 of 109). I have to attribute this to the stagnancy in the offense. Move the ball effectively in the half-court sets and shots are bound to start falling with the success rate that Vandy fans have been expecting.
Eliminate Turnovers - You cannot turn the ball over when you know that is the #1 action item on your opponents game plan. When Vanderbilt took care of the ball, Missouri had trouble stopping the offense and creating offensive opportunities on the other end. Halve the turnovers and Vandy wins that game by 20.

It sure will be nice to watch this team begin to play to their potential. It's just a matter of time until they begin to realize how good they can truly be. I see no reason why that can't happen against DePaul.

Gameday Links:

Stallings wants 'Dores to learn to hold a lead | Nashville City Paper

"For us to stay steady, stay composed and everybody keep our calm – it was important for us (Wednesday) night," senior guard Jermaine Beal said. "I guess you could say everybody on our team is more mature. Last year, a game like that our team probably would have folded or lost. Who knows?"

MBB Welcomes DePaul To Memorial Gym | VANDERBILT OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Preview: Vanderbilt - DePaul | Dore Posts

DePaul Travels to Vanderbilt for Saturday Matinee | DePaul Athletics

I'll update this post with any other game stories I find that are published tomorrow morning.

Updated Gameday Links:

DePaul's Coming to Memorial: VSL Gets You Ready | Vanderbilt Sports Line

Previewing DePaul at Vanderbilt | VandySports.com (Rivals - Premium)

Demons Begone! Vanderbilt vs. DePaul Preview | VandyMania (Scout)

Vanderbilt men trying to work out kinks | tennessean.com | The Tennessean

"If you look at their scores, they're playing games in the 50s," Stallings said. "They're going to try to get you to be impatient and get you to play defense for a long period of time. And then hopefully when you get the ball on offense, you lose your patience and then you give it back to them quickly.

Basketball bites heading into the DePaul game at Vanderbilt | The Tennessean

Another 2004 flash back: Matt Freiji is a Commodore and goes for back-to-back games with a double-double. Maybe it doesn't seem all that big a feat, but no other Vander bilt pla yer pos ted a double-double stat line in consecutive games until sophomore forward Jeffery Taylor did it Wednesday with 18 points and 11 boards. He went for 13 and 10 against Arizona.

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 Blue Demons.

Poll

What will the winning margin be?

Vanderbilt by more than 10

5 votes

Vanderbilt by 10 or less

2 votes

DePaul by 10 or less

1 votes

DePaul by more than 10

1 votes

9 votes | Poll has closed

Blitzing through the Paradise Jam: A review/preview thing

BoilerTMill — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:24:42 -0000

More photos » by Brennan Linsley - AP

about 1 month ago: Purdue's E'twuan Moore takes a shot against Saint Joseph's during a Paradise Jam basketball tournament game in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009. Purdue won 85-60. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

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Let's face it, it was a busy weekend. With the basketball team playing three games in four days and our annual defense of the Bucket now complete it has been hard to find time to elaborate on things. Fortunately, all has gone well. The Boilers averted disaster in a tougher-than-expected contest against South Dakota State, then dominated the second half against a solid St. Joseph's team. Admittedly, we might have dodged a bullet by missing Boston College in round two, but we can only play who the schedule says. Before looking at tonight's game against #11 Tennessee, here is a look back at the previous two games.

South Dakota State W 74-63

This effort was a bit sluggish to say the least. Most Summit League teams aren't deep enough to challenge top 10 teams, but I will give the Jackrabbits credit. They had a solid gameplan and never truly went away. It would have been nice to follow this game, but even ESPN denied live stats. We were left to Larry Clisby's dulcet tones over the radio for our only description of this game.

Ultimately, this was a Milton Berle game. We were challenged a little, but took out enough to win in the end. Our depth and physicality won out in the end as SDSU ran out of gas late. E'Twaun put the team on his back to get through this with 22 points. I mentioned in the returning players preview how E'Twaun had that ability, so it was nice to see it. He can take over a game with his ability and, if you believe in trends, it is his turn for a breakout year after Robbie as a freshman and JJ last year. Speaking of Robbie and JJ, they had 14 and 13, respectively, without shooting well.

Free throws were an issue in this one, as was 3-point shooting. We're going to have to shoot better than 57% from the line and 14% from long range. We can get away with that against the South Dakota State's of the world, but not against teams like Tennessee and Wake Forest.

St. Joseph's W 85-60

We're not going to get 16 points from Ryne Smith and 10 from Mark Wohlford in every game. Wohlford had four points in his career before last night. What I like about it, though, is that we showed we have more weapons than E'Twaun, JJ, and Robbie. With Smith and Wohlford notching career highs we now have eight players who have scored in double figures this season. That is what keeps teams guessing on defense because they have no idea who is going to score. Teams now don't get a break from long range when Smith comes in to spell E'Twaun or Keaton Grant. They now have to commit a man to Mark Wohlford when he plays because he can hurt them. That only frees up the floor for others.

Chris Kramer sounded like his normal annoying self in this one. I was also very pleased with the way E'Twaun's defense created transition baskets. Once things got rolling for us we couldn't be stopped. We played like we were capable of playing against a good opponent and blew them out. JJ had 18 and 10 in the middle with several thunderdunks. That is the sign of a team that is playing well. They shook off another cold start to simply dominate an opponent. It made the second half very fun to listen to.

As a team we caused 23 turnovers and committed just nine. Free throw shooting was much better at 85% with Ryne Smith splashing all seven of his attempts. I am very pleased with this game because we didn't need monster games from our starters. That allowed them to rest for tonight's game against Tennessee.

Tennessee preview

Record: 4-0

2008-09 Record: 21-13 (lost to Oklahoma State in NCAA First Round 77-75)

Blog Representation: Rocky Top Talk

Series with Purdue: Tied 1-1 (first meeting since 1981)

Our defense will be tested. DePaul held Tennessee to its lowest scoring output of the season in its 57-53 semifinal loss. Other than that, The Volunteers have scored 83, 124, and 105 in their first three games this season. That is impressive, but DePaul is really their first major opponent. East Carolina is losing to SDSU in the 7^th place game as I write this. Austin Peay and UNC-Asheville will not be confused with the 1996 Chicago Bulls any time soon, either. As a result, it is hard to judge just how good the Volunteers are. This is especially true with DePaul, as the Blue Demons were awful last year and picked to finished 14^th in the Big East.

The high scoring games naturally lead to some pretty good statistics. Bruce pearl's squad ahs four players averaging in double figures. The team is also averaging 22.5 assists as a team per game. They are getting everyone involved and playing total team offense. 6'7" sophomore guard Scotty Hopson is leading the team with 17.5 points in 24 minutes a night. DePaul held him in check, however, with just four points on 2 of 10 shooting. Tyler Smith and Cameron Tatum are each averaging 12.5 per game. Smith is a talented 6'7" senior forward that also averages 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Tatum is a 6'6" sophomore that can play both guard and forward. This is a big team in the backcourt, but I think we have the size and quickness to match them.

Wayne Chism is the final double figures scorer. The 6'9" senior forward's scoring is down a bit from last year at 10.5ppg, but it is still early. He is also the team's top rebounder at 6.8 per game. Tennessee does not employ a true center like we do with JaJuan Johnson, but they are plenty good in the paint anyway.

Tennessee is also a very deep team, but again, playing three straight blowouts have a lot to do with that. Ten players are averaging 10 minutes per game and have played in all four games so far. This includes Bobby Maze and Melvin Goins who each average 7.8 points per game. Maze was held scoreless by the Blue Demons though.

Based mostly on the DePaul game, Chism and Smith are the big guns. Smith had 14 points against DePaul while Chism had 13. They are not players that play much on the perimeter. As a team, Tennessee is not a strong 3-point shooting team like our last two opponents. Hopson and Tatum are the biggest three point threats, with Hopson averaging over three 3-pointers per game. Skylar McBee can be a dangerous 3-point threat off the bench, as he is 5 of 15 on the season. Tennessee is shooting just under 50% from long range, but that was severely limited against DePaul.

Tennessee wants to use its size to dominate games. The Vols are grabbing almost 40 rebounds per game, so we must limit them from getting second chance points, especially with their big guards crashing the glass. What we might be able to do is force turnovers. Tennessee also tends to run more than Purdue, which will be a big factor. J.P. Prince and Maze are solid distributors that are excellent at creating points in transition.

Not that this really has much bearing on a game being played thousands of miles from each campus, but I really want to win t is game because of the level of jackassery caused by Tennessee fans on Purdue's GBI forum. All you need to do is take a look and see what I am talking about. Fortunately, their real fans have been much more respectful. Rocky Top Talk is one of the finest blogs out there as well, so we'll be in good hands tonight on the SBNation side of things.

Keys to the Game for Purdue

Make them play our style
Force turnovers with E'Twaun and Kramer
Deny on the perimeter and don't allow easy transition baskets
hassle their guards and slow each possession
Rebound like our lives depend on it.
Continue hot shooting from outside (second half edition last night)

Prediction: Purdue 69, Tennessee 65

Paradise Jam: Tennessee 57 DePaul 53, Vols play for title Monday

Will — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:43:04 -0000

More photos » by Brennan Linsley - AP

Since Brian Williams finished 0-3, I'm gonna say this shot didn't go in.

Browse more photos »

Everything we'd seen in Tennessee's first three games of the season was absent in the Paradise Jam semifinals tonight. The Vols scored 83 against Austin Peay, a school record 124 against UNC-Asheville, and 105 against East Carolina. And the Vols won those three games by 29, 75, and 39 points. DePaul was 0-18 in the Big East last year and though they upset Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals, most expected this game to be another cupcake tuneup.

But credit the Blue Demons not only for slowing Tennessee down, but giving the Vols a run for their money into the game's final minute. Everytime it looked like Tennessee was going to run away, including a 12 point lead early in the second half, DePaul worked the lead back down. The Blue Demons even went in front with seven minutes to play, though the Vols instantly took the lead back. DePaul closed Tennessee's lead from six to two in the final minute, but a ticky-tack foul with just four on the shot clock sent Tyler Smith to the line, and the senior knocked down both free throws to give the Vols a four point lead with thirteen seconds left, leading to the 57-53 final.

Tennessee advances to play the winner of #7 Purdue vs. St. Joseph's in the Paradise Jam finals, Monday night at 8:30 PM EST. If Purdue advances as expected, the Vols will find out very quickly if tonight's game was an aberration or a real cause for concern.

As several noted in our live game thread, this performance felt a lot like last season: the Vols relied heavily on their two best players in the post, with Tyler Smith getting 14 points and 8 rebounds, and Wayne Chism leading the charge earlier in the second half to finish with 13 points and 7 rebounds. Other than that, Tennessee really had nothing of merit offensively.

Skylar McBee did have an eight point burst at the end of the first half, but Scotty Hopson went 2 for 11, 0 for 5 from 3, and after picking up two dunks in the game's first five minutes, didn't score again. The Vols shot 37% from the floor and just 3 of 12 from beyond the arc. Thankfully, DePaul wasn't any better, at 35% from the floor and 4 of 17 from three.

Tennessee hasn't won a tournament of any kind since the 2000 Rainbow Classic, and if it's Purdue, it'll be a top ten showdown and a great test for where this team truly is. Hopefully, the Vols' shooting touch will return, because Tennessee is going to need more than just Tyler & Wayne to get it done tomorrow night.

Paradise Jam: Vols beat ECU 105-66

Will — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:31:31 -0000

Based on what we could gather from the audio only - because none of us wanted to pay eight dollars for the opening round of the Paradise Jam Tournament, Fox Broadband - the Vols kept right on rolling in their third game of the season, beating Conference USA's East Carolina 105-66.

The Vols were sloppy in the first eight minutes, watching ECU jump out to a 19-13 lead. But from there, the Vols went on a 22-3 run and never looked back. It was a big day for Tennessee's guards: Cameron Tatum stayed hot from beyond the arc and finished with 17 points, Bobby Maze had a big day and got 15. And the news continues to be great about Scotty Hopson's maturation process, which looks more and more like the real deal every game: Hopson puts in 25 points before coming out with eight minutes left in the game, shooting 10-of-15 and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Hopson has been the best player on the floor in all three games thus far.

When you combine the great offensive guard play with a swarming defense that forced 35 turnovers and a balanced attack that got 48 points in the paint and 48 points off turnovers, it's all good news for the Vols. Tyler Smith is still around with 13 points, and the Vols utilized an 11 man rotation, including Renaldo Woolridge who had 8 points, to wear ECU out. The Vols shot 13-of-26 from three as a team, and even better, 12-of-14 at the free throw line. All good.

The Vols will now face DePaul in the tournament semifinals Sunday night at 6:00 PM EST (a game we believe will be seen on Fox Sports South or SportSouth). The Blue Demons upset defending Missouri Valley tournament champions Northern Iowa 60-52, a big win for a team that went 0-18 in the Big East last year. The Vols will play Monday evening at some point, depending on the outcome of Sunday's game, with #7 Purdue as well as Boston College, St. Joseph's and South Dakota State lurking in the other half of the bracket.

Big Ten Hoops: The Starting Five

Bama Hawkeye — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:45:09 -0000

Monday night, the 2009-2010 Big Ten basketball season got under way with a crushing performance by Ohio State. Yes, they only beat Alcorn State. The important thing is that the season is underway. By this weekend, every team will have tipped off. In an attempt to ~~provide great insight~~ ~~troll for hits~~ stop thinking about Ricky Stanzi's ankle, I am starting a new recurring (i.e. it will happen as often as I want it to) feature at The Rivalry, Esq.: The Starting Five. In it, we'll discuss five things about our hoops teams.

Since you probably think that we know nothing about basketball, we felt that it was important to look for an outsider's insight into the state of the conference. Chris from Blogging the Bracket, an outstanding SBNation college basketball blog, was kind enough to answer our initial Starting Five questions about the Big Ten.

1) Let's start with your predictions. Winning the league, you have MIch-----HOLD ON! WAIT A MINUUTE!!! You have Northwestern making the Field of 65. The Wildcats are, of course, the one BCS conference school that has never made it to the Big Dance. Ever. Ever. Ever. Ever. Defend your projection.

This is not making me hate Northwestern less.

They were so close last season, and even though they lost Craig Moore, just about everyone else--led by Kevin Coble and Michael Thompson--is back. However, a lot of the supporting cast needs to step up. Wins in East Lansing and West Lafayette last season show they can win big games, but they have stop dropping games at inopportune moments. I feel they're due, especially as the two teams closest to them in the league, Penn State and Wisconsin, lost more experience after last season.

If Lighty stays healthy, Ohio State will make some noise.

2) At the top, it sure looks like it's Michigan State, Purdue, and then everyone else. If a third team was to rise up and win the league crown, who would it be?

Ohio State. Getting David Lighty back from injury will help them out a lot, and Evan Turner could be an even more dangerous player at the point, especially since managed the second triple-double in school history in his first game starting at that position on Monday night. Sure, the opener was against Alcorn State, but the Buckeyes looked like a well-oiled machine out there, especially when compared to the other BCS level teams in that played that night. If they can keep that up, it will be a three team race.

3) In your Pre-Season bracket projection, you have 7 Big Ten teams making the Field of 65. Is it safe to say that after a down couple of years, the Big Ten is back?

The Big Ten is definitely back. The league is frighteningly close to having every single team be competitive night in and night out, but I'll talk more about that when I get to your questions on Indiana and Iowa, as they're the current problem children. If the Hoosiers and Hawkeyes can get back to respectablility in a year or two, and Northwestern and Penn State, the two weakest programs traditionally, can keep their current level of competitiveness, the conference could be the most balanced in the nation.

4) How far away is Indiana from a) competing for an NCAA Bid; and 2) winning a Big Ten title?

It'll be when, not if.

I think they're a year away from getting an NCAA bid, thanks to the youth of the roster. Eleven underclassmen is a staggering total, so you have give them, especially the six freshmen, a year to get acclimated to the league and to each other. In terms of contending for the league title, I'd say it's going to take Tom Crean at least another two or years or so of recruiting to get them in a position where they can make a run.

5) Is this the year that the Big Ten finally wins the ACC/Big Ten Challenge?

The Big Ten has an excellent shot, as the ACC should only dominate in three contests--Maryland-Indiana, Virginia Tech-Iowa, and Duke-Wisconsin, and those are all in the Midwest. In the other games, I'd say the Big Ten team has at least a slight advantage, except for Michigan State-UNC, which is a push.

6) I was very surprised when I saw that you have Iowa pegged for a strong 11th Place finish. Then I saw that it was 11th in the Big Ten, not the nation. How would you rank Iowa versus the other last place teams in the 6 BCS conferences?

The Hawkeyes could very well be the worst team in the Big Six conferences, though Providence and DePaul in the Big East will push them. Like Indiana, they're young, but Todd Lickliter's recruits aren't as heralded as Tom Crean's are. Jake Kelly's transfer to Indiana State is painful because he really came into his own last year, and Jeff Peterson heading to Arkansas means Lickliter has to find another point guard. Cully Payne could be a good one, but he is one of those freshmen, so there will be an adjustment period. But it's not like the cupboard is completely bare, as Matt Gatens, Anthony Tucker, and Jarryd Cole (if he stays healthy) are all capable players.

You hear that? Iowa has "capable players." That's high praise!

The Rivalry, Esq. thanks Chris for answering The Starting Five Questions about Big Ten basketball. Here's to a great Big Ten season.