SB Nation - Harvard Crimson

Headlines: Harvard 74, Boston College 67

Brian @ BCI — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:45:22 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

Tommy Amaker was 0-1 against BC while head coach at Michigan. At Harvard, he is 2-0. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Brian: Last year left you scratching your head. This year? I'm pretty much speechless. Harvard took down Boston College 74-67 for their second win in as many years against the Eagles. The Eagles led at half but were outscored by 9 in the second half to fall to 6-3 on the season. From what I could gather watching the Gamecast, BC's defense was abysmal as they allowed the Crimson to shoot better than 50% from the field in the second half. Jeremy Lin again led the way, scoring 25 points in the victory. BC, on the other hand, finished the game shooting 37.5 percent. The team was actually shooting 46 percent at halftime, so that puts their field goal percentage in the second half probably in the 20s.

If BC hadn’t already lost to Saint Joseph’s and Northern Iowa in the Virgin Islands, we might be able to forgive this loss. However, the Eagles are now a pedestrian 6-3 on the early season, and suddenly games against Massachusetts and South Carolina look like virtual must-wins. So where do the Eagles go from here? Fan interest in this year’s basketball season will certainly suffer as a result of 3 early losses to mid-majors, right?

Jeff: Last year left you scratching your head. This year there's an excuse. Actually two excuses. I would say first that the loss last year clearly had a residual effect on the team this year. Once again the team was coming off of a televised ACC win and was looking ahead to another televised game coming up. Once things starting turning Harvards way in the second half, the Eagles probably got nervous that the same embarrassing loss would happen again as happened last year. Sure enough, it did.

The bigger excuse the Eagles have this year is that they are missing a key starter in Rakim Sanders. Sanders might even be the Eagles best player so while I am bummed about the loss, I am actually not overly concerned. Last year the Harvard game was a huge trap game after beating No. 1 ranked North Carolina and this year the injured Rakim Sanders and the game falling once again after an ACC game at least gives the team some good excuses. BC had already drastically hurt their non-conference resume by what happened in the Virgin Islands and you couldn't have expected them to win out between that debacle and our next conference game. The team will get right back to trying to win the next game in front of them and then trying to finish top 4 in the ACC so they can get a bye in the ACC Tournament. Fans, however, will jump off the deep end after this loss for unknown reasons. This is college basketball, not college football. Teams can rack up some early season losses, especially in untelevised games, and still recover to make the tournament. Just look at the 2008-09 Eagles.

Brian: I am much less forgiving that you are. I just don’t buy into these excuses. Ok, maybe last year’s loss had an effect on this year’s squad in some sort of a bizarro vicious cycle where BC lost the lead in the second half and then psyched themselves into the pain and embarrassment that is losing to Harvard for the second straight season. Maybe.

Not having Rakim Sanders on the floor, however, is not an excuse. The Eagles had Rakim Sanders (and Tyrese Rice) last year and they couldn’t beat Harvard. This year, BC was coming off an impressive three game winning streak without Sanders where they beat teams straight-up better than Harvard in more hostile environments. I get that games like this against Boston-area programs are like the NCAA Title Game for a program like Harvard, but still don’t think this is an excuse for dropping to Harvard two years running.

I would be more forgiving of this loss and be pleading for fan patience like you if this was an isolated incident. But this seems to be a chronic condition for the Eagles. Over the last nine seasons, BC has dropped early non-conference games to Harvard (x2), Robert Morris, Vermont, Duquesne, Kent State and Northeastern at an alarming clip of about 1 a season. I realize we are seeing major conference programs get snake-bitten more and more in the early season (Wisconsin Green Bay just took down Wisconsin in OT last night), but among the more successful major conference teams, you don’t expect this to happen. If you do, you certainly don’t expect this to happen at the rate of once a season.

I’m not asking for a trip to the Sweet 16 every season, but I don’t think it is unrealistic for fans to expect this program to take care of the little guys in the early season on a consistent basis. Especially locally area teams where bragging rights are at stake. BC plays in the best college basketball conference in the country and has every resource at their disposal. I, for one, don’t blame fans for jumping off the deep end after losses like this.

Jeff: I think the point that I wanted to make about excuses is that this team has more and better excuses this year than last year. Knowing that this same group of players plays best against the best (defeating North Carolina and Duke last year) and worst against teams not even sniffing the top 25, why are we surprised?

Boston College should be able to take care of the little guys, which has been the M.O. of Clemson the past few years. Start the season 20-0 and eventually not make the NCAA Tournament or lose in the first round. However, this group of players is clearly not that type. For better or worse the Eagles play better in big games. Period. Which would you rather have - the Eagles defeating every team with an RPI of 50+ and beat no top 20 teams? Or lose to some RPI 100+ teams but also beat some top ten teams? This team is not good enough to win them all.

Brian: Again, personally as a fan, I don't think it is unrealistic to expect BC to achieve a little of A) and a little of B) - beating every team with an RPI 100+ and throwing in a few Top 25 upsets here and there. However, answering your question with the best interest of the BC basketball program in mind, I'm not sure the answer is as cut and dry. Certainly knocking off North Carolina and Duke helps put butts in seats and establishes more school interest in the program. But it may very well be the case that the negative effect on fan interest after losing to programs like Harvard and Northeastern is greater than the positive effect created when BC beats a Top 25 program later in the season.

12/9 Game Links

SFBE.NF — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:14:49 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

Browse more photos »

Is Harvard the tops in the Hub? Crimson down BC for second straight season

'Nova prevails in the Palestra

Badgers are tough at home, mere mortals elsewhere

Oral Roberts slips past Mizzou

Utah tops Meeeeechigan, Wolverines off to terrible start

Defend That, Digger! Week 1 (and a non-conference update)

BoilerTMill — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 02:55:49 -0000

More photos » by Keith Srakocic - AP

Big East basketball fever: Where offensive ineptitude happens. The 22 combined points were the fewest in a first half of a Division I game since the shot clock era began in 1985, when there was a 45-second clock, rather than the 35-second clock adopted in 1993. The teams broke the previous record held by Mississippi (15 points) and South Carolina (13 points), which combined for 28 points on Jan. 8, 2003. South Carolina ended up winning that game 55-49, but Pittsburgh won this one, 47-32. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Browse more photos »

As promised, it is the premier of what will hopefully be a pretty regular weekly feature. Defend That, Digger is meant to make fun of our Big East and ACC brethren, showing them that defense is not a bad thing and that they aren't exactly the greatest teams in the country because the Worldwide Leader in Hyperbole says they are. Here is this week's exhibit A:

Pittsburgh 47, New Hampshire 32 - I thought the Big East was all about offense? Don't they have so much talent they can score 100 on anyone in the country? Pittsburgh was a #1 seed in last season's tournament (one of three from the all-powerful Big East). Now they are struggling against the Wildcats of New Hampshire. New Hampshire is one of the oldest teams in college basketball, yet they have never made an NCAA or NIT Tournament. In this game they scored just seven points in the first half, yet trailed by eight.

That's right, the halftime score was 15-7.

No, this was not football.

I know Pittsburgh is racked with injuries, but 15-7? From a former number one seed? Defend That, Digger!

Exhibit B:

Connecticut - The Huskies get called not for one game, but four. They have struggled with the NCAA powers Harvard (79-73) Hofstra (76-67), and William & Mary (75-66) this year. That is sure going to prepare them for the grueling Big East schedule. They are also currently ranked 13^th, though something tells me when they play real teams that won't last long. Defend That, Digger!

Exhibit C:

William & Mary 78, Wake Forest 68 - This is the second appearance by the Tribe on here, so they might be a legitimately good team. Still, there is absolutely no excuse for Wake Forest, who was #1 at one point last season, to trail by double digits for most of a game at home against William & Mary. Wake is a legitimately good team. I have seen them in person now. But there is no defense for this. Defend That, Digger!

Exhibit D:

Illinois 76, Clemson 74 - A prime example here. Illinois used, imagine this, solid second half defense to overcome a 23 point deficit and give the Big Ten the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Oh, and they did it on the road in an imposing ACC gym. There is no excuse for ever blowing a 23 point second half lead at home. Ever. Clemson, you are a pretend ACC program. You always will be. Defend That, Digger!

Exhibit E:

UNC-Charlotte 87, Louisville 65 - The Big East's third number one seed from last season lost by 22 at home. This isn't UNC. This is UNC-Charlotte, a State-City school that while decent, should never beat a #16 team on its home floor by 22 points. Maybe Rick Pitino should watch some game film of the 49ers instead of boinking Louisville-area waitresses. At least he gets a slight discount at Applebee's. Defend That, Digger!

Exhibit F:

Notre Dame - Because playing a "National Schedule" of North Florida, St. Francis (PA), Long Beach State, Liberty, Kennesaw State, Idaho State, and Central Florida is much better than developing "tradition" and "natural rivalries." I though the Irish valued tradition. Defend That, Digger!

The comments are now open for Big East and ACC bashing

Enough laughing at the greatest conferences in the world. Let's see what our own non-conference opponents are doing to help our resumes.

Cal State Northridge (4-4) - The Matadors have played quite a vagabond schedule as a low-major. They have played just twice in their home gym so far, but are a respectable 4-4. Among their wins is a 95-93 win over Idaho. The Vandals responded by crushing Portland by 20 (the same Portland that made a big run in the '76 classic over UCLA and Minnesota). Northridge's most recent game was a respectable 8-point loss at Washington.

South Dakota State (3-5, 1-1 Summit) - The Jackrabbits have already begun conference play with a 1-1 record. The beat Western Illinois, but lost by 22 at conference leader IUPUI. The Western Illinois win was their first since before heading to the Virgin Islands.

St. Joseph's (3-4) - Since starting the year 3-0 and upsetting Boston College in the Paradise Jam the Hawks haven't done much. They followed up their loss to us with a loss to DePaul. They then dropped consecutive road contests to Rider and Cornell by a combined 20 points. They could do us a big favor in their next game by upsetting #3 Villanova Wednesday night.

Tennessee (6-1) - The Volunteers are maintaining their ranking, but they haven't played anyone. College of Charleston and East Tennessee State are their latest victims, but us and maybe DePaul remain their only true competition.

Central Michigan (3-5) - The Chips had a dominant 78-40 win at home against Chicago State, but lost 75-62 at Illinois State this weekend. Expect the losses to pile up. They don't play at home against until January 13^th against Ball State.

Wake Forest (5-2) - I thought the losses would pile up a bit after the underwhelming performance against William & Mary, but Wake followed up their loss to us with a very nice 77-75 win at Gonzaga. Going cross-country like that is not an easy trip. Beating the Bulldogs in their house is even tougher. They have interesting non-conference games coming up against Xavier and a tough Richmond squad.

Buffalo (3-3) - We all know what happened in their last game. They get a regional rivalry this week against a tough low-major in Niagara. Sadly, that may be the best team they have left on the schedule.

Valparaiso (3-5, 0-1 Horizon) - Valparaiso may have played the toughest schedule in the country lately. We're the fourth preseason top 10 team they will play. Their only Division 1 win was over Georgia Southern, but they played North Carolina to an 11 point game. They also lost to Michigan State by 30 and Butler by 17. Watch out for Kokomo Wildkat Brandon Wood, who averages 22 per game and had 30 against North Carolina.

Alabama (6-2) - This is shaping up to be an interesting game. The Crimson Tide dropped its opener to Cornell (who also beat St. Joseph's). They also lost a neutral site game to a decent Florida State team. Their best win? 68-66 over Michigan. Stay tuned for more this week on them and Valpo with appropriate previews this week.

Ball State (2-3) - The Cardinals haven't played in a week, but have lost three straight to Butler, UC Davis, and Temple. They do have wins over common opponents Valparaiso and SIU-Edwardsville.

Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (2-6) - The Cougars have played the vagabond schedule of an independent, but they won two in a row over Drake and Texas-Arlington after an 0-6 start. This is easily the weakest team on our schedule. They opened the year with a 96-69 loss at Illinois.

West Virginia (5-0) - The Mountaineers are ranked just behind us in the AP poll. They won the '76 Classic against an impressive field (though Texas A&M was their toughest game). Like us, they open conference play with a home game (Marquette) before our New Year's Day game. A very interesting trip to a dangerous Cleveland State on December 19^th could stand between them and an unbeaten record when they face us.

RPI WATCH: 11/30/09

BracketCat — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:00:14 -0000

by Charlie Riedel - AP

Frank's ready to tear the Pac-10 a new one, but first we must get past mighty Fort Hays State. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

View full size photo »

So, is anyone actually reading these?

Just wondering, because I haven't had any comments on them recently. But don't worry — I'll keep doing them regardless.

Anyhow, you can see how our opponents fared Sunday after the jump. Two future opponents even played each other. The Old Spice Classic has been very useful in evaluating future opponents versus each other, in fact.

Also, the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series kicked off in Los Angeles. Or should I say, the Big 12/Pac-10 Beatdown, since the latter conference looks to be just woeful this season?

If for some reason you absolutely need to know up-to-date numbers, I get them here.

Current Kansas State RPI = 15

Current Kansas State SOS = 24

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Loyola, Dayton

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = IUPUI

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = none

Loyola (4-1) | RPI = 27
Western Illinois (3-3) | RPI = 207
Boston (2-5) | RPI = 142: Loss to Harvard (78-70)
Ole Miss (5-1) | RPI = 49: Win over TAMUCC (73-58)
Dayton (3-2) | RPI = 42
IUPUI (5-2) | RPI = 84
Fort Hays State (3-0)
Washington State (6-0) | RPI = 146
Xavier (4-2) | RPI = 114: Loss to Baylor (69-64)
UNLV (5-0) | RPI = 8
Alabama (4-2) | RPI = 109: Win over No. 15 Michigan (68-66)
UAPB (0-4) | RPI = 249
Cleveland State (3-4) | RPI = 191
South Dakota (4-3) | RPI = 95: Win over Midland Lutheran (104-71)
Missouri (4-1) | RPI = 96
Texas A&M (5-1) | RPI = 21: Win over No. 22 Minnesota (66-65)
Colorado (4-2) | RPI = 127
No. 3 Texas (5-0) | RPI = 3: Win at Rice (77-59)
Oklahoma State (5-0) | RPI = 16
Baylor (6-1) | RPI = 160: Win over Xavier (69-64)
No. 1 Kansas (5-0) | RPI = 52
Nebraska (4-1) | RPI = 178: Win at USC (51-48)
Iowa State (6-1) | RPI = 161
No. 25 Oklahoma (3-3) | RPI = 214
Texas Tech (7-0) | RPI = 48

Baylor vs. Alabama Liveblog

big12hoops — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:21:47 -0000

Senior guard Tweety Carter will make his season debut tonight in Baylor's biggest test of the year against Alabama. Carter was suspended for the first four games of the season for an undisclosed team violation.

View full size photo »

Baylor vs. Alabama liveblog online.
Begins at 5:30pm CST tonight.

Next Game

Alabama Crimson Tide
@ Baylor Bears

Thursday, Nov 26, 2009, 5:30 PM CST
Old Spice Classic - Disney`s Sports Complex, Orlando, FL

Continue For liveblog and full game preview>

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=21ca8bdd5e" mce_href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=21ca8bdd5e">Baylor vs. Alabama</a>

Baylor Bears Basketball News

Alabama (2-1) vs. Baylor (4-0)
(Sports Network) about 8 hours ago.

Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball News

Alabama (2-1) vs. Baylor (4-0)
(Sports Network) about 8 hours ago.
Recap: Alabama vs. Providence
(Sports Network) 5 days ago.
Providence (3-0) at Alabama (1-1)
(Sports Network) 6 days ago.
Recap: Alabama vs. Cornell
(Sports Network) 12 days ago.
Cornell (0-0) at Alabama (0-0)
(Sports Network) 12 days ago.

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
BAYLOR	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
LaceDarius Dunn	4	29.3	8.5	17.8	47.9	4.8	10.3	46.3	3.5	3.8	93.3	0.8	2.0	2.8	2.0	1.0	1.3	0.0	1.5	25.3
Ekpe Udoh	4	29.3	6.8	9.3	73.0	0.3	0.5	50.0	2.0	4.5	44.4	3.0	5.8	8.8	1.5	1.5	0.5	3.0	1.0	15.8
Quincy Acy	4	21.0	3.0	4.5	66.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.3	2.3	55.6	2.5	3.3	5.8	0.3	0.8	0.3	0.8	1.8	7.3
A.J. Walton	4	32.8	2.8	4.8	57.9	0.8	1.0	75.0	0.5	1.8	28.6	1.0	4.0	5.0	5.0	3.0	3.0	0.0	2.5	6.8
Josh Lomers	4	15.5	2.3	3.5	64.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.3	1.8	71.4	1.5	1.8	3.3	0.5	0.5	0.5	1.3	2.5	5.8
Anthony Jones	4	25.0	2.3	6.8	33.3	0.0	1.3	0.0	0.5	1.8	28.6	2.0	3.8	5.8	3.3	1.0	0.3	0.8	0.3	5.0
Cory Jefferson	3	11.0	1.7	3.7	45.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.3	2.0	66.7	1.7	1.7	3.3	0.0	0.7	0.7	0.3	0.7	4.7
Nolan Dennis	4	14.5	1.3	3.8	33.3	0.3	1.5	16.7	1.5	3.3	46.2	0.3	0.8	1.0	1.3	2.0	0.8	0.3	1.8	4.3
Dragan Sekelja	3	7.3	1.3	2.0	66.7	0.3	0.3	100.0	0.7	1.3	50.0	0.3	1.7	2.0	0.3	1.0	0.0	1.0	1.3	3.7
Fred Ellis	4	10.0	0.8	1.3	60.0	0.5	0.8	66.7	0.8	1.0	75.0	1.3	1.5	2.8	0.8	1.3	0.5	0.0	1.8	2.8
Givon Crump	3	7.3	0.3	2.7	12.5	0.3	2.3	14.3	0.3	0.7	50.0	0.3	3.0	3.3	0.3	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.3
Oscar Griffin	3	4.7	0.3	0.7	50.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.7	0.7	100.0	0.0	0.3	0.3	1.0	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.3	1.3

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
ALABAMA	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Mikhail Torrance	3	30.7	6.0	11.7	51.4	1.0	2.7	37.5	5.3	6.0	88.9	1.3	3.3	4.7	5.0	1.7	1.0	1.0	1.0	18.3
JaMychal Green	3	26.7	5.0	11.0	45.5	0.0	0.3	0.0	5.0	7.0	71.4	2.7	6.0	8.7	0.7	1.3	1.0	3.3	3.3	15.0
Anthony Brock	1	34.0	5.0	8.0	62.5	3.0	4.0	75.0	2.0	2.0	100.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	0.0	3.0	0.0	2.0	15.0
Tony Mitchell	3	19.3	5.3	8.3	64.0	0.0	1.3	0.0	2.3	4.3	53.8	2.0	1.7	3.7	0.7	0.0	1.0	0.3	2.3	13.0
Charvez Davis	3	18.3	2.7	6.3	42.1	2.0	5.0	40.0	0.3	0.7	50.0	0.3	1.3	1.7	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	7.7
Senario Hillman	3	31.7	2.7	8.7	30.8	0.3	2.3	14.3	0.3	1.0	33.3	0.7	1.0	1.7	4.3	3.0	1.3	0.0	3.0	6.0
Justin Knox	3	16.3	0.7	3.7	18.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.3	5.3	81.3	3.0	2.0	5.0	0.7	1.7	0.3	0.0	2.3	5.7
Andrew Steele	3	18.0	1.7	3.0	55.6	0.3	0.7	50.0	1.0	2.7	37.5	2.0	2.0	4.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	2.0	4.7
Chris Hines	3	16.3	1.0	1.7	60.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.3	2.3	0.3	1.0	0.7	1.3	3.3	2.0
Ben Eblen	3	11.3	0.3	1.3	25.0	0.0	0.7	0.0	1.0	2.0	50.0	0.0	0.7	0.7	1.3	0.7	0.3	0.0	0.7	1.7

Bears Basketball Schedule

Next 5 Games

Alabama	Thu 11/26	5:30 PM CST
@ Arizona St.	Thu 12/03	9:30 PM CST
Jackson St.	Tue 12/15	7:00 PM CST
Texas-Arlington	Sun 12/20	2:00 PM CST
@ Arkansas	Wed 12/30	8:00 PM CST

Last 5 Games

Hardin-Simmons	Sun 11/22	W 106 - 45
Southern U.	Mon 11/16	W 61 - 45
Hartford	Sun 11/15	W 71 - 69
Norfolk St.	Fri 11/13	W 86 - 58

Crimson Tide Basketball Schedule

Next 5 Games

@ Baylor	Thu 11/26	5:30 PM CST
North Florida	Wed 12/02	7:00 PM CST
Louisiana-Monroe	Sat 12/05	12:00 PM CST
Purdue	Sat 12/12	8:00 PM CST
Samford	Wed 12/16	7:00 PM CST

Last 5 Games

Providence	Fri 11/20	W 84 - 75
Jackson St.	Tue 11/17	W 86 - 69
Cornell	Sat 11/14	L 67 - 71

KNOW THY ENEMY: Colorado Buffaloes

BracketCat — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:00:33 -0000

Okey dokey, Cats, get ready for a swift blitz of info leading into the long-anticipated start of basketball season. Each week during the month of November, you'll get two KNOW THY ENEMY previews for the price of one. And this week, there even will be a super-duper extra-special bonus preview before the Cats' exhibition opener on Sunday.

So, hit the jump for everything you need to know about the enemy Buffaloes, as I catch up on a preview that should have ran last week, and if you need to know more for some reason, you always can head to The Ralphie Report.

The Coach

Jeff Bzdelik
Third Season
21-42 (3-28) at Colorado
96-89 (26-38) overall

Although his second year at the helm was not a successful one based on victories, Bzdelik and his staff continued onward and upward in numerous and positive steps toward a successful season, despite a 9-22 campaign. With one senior and one junior, and a core of underclassmen, the Buffaloes' youth of freshmen and sophomores attributed for 72.3 percent of the team's scoring, marking the highest of any Buffs team since the Big 12 began play in 1996-97.

CU's competitive spirit on a nightly basis saw the Buffs fall short in conference play eight times by single digits (an average of 5.3 ppg) and in 11 games overall (an average of 4.6 ppg). Four of those single-digit setbacks came against 2008-09 NCAA Tournament opponents: Texas (in overtime), at Kansas, at Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

The Departures

Starter

Jermyl Jackson-Wilson (20.5 minutes per game, 5.4 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game)

Reserves

Matt Favaro (2 minutes per game, 2 points per game, 0 rebounds per game)
Ryan Kelley (5.5 minutes per game, 2.6 points per game, 0.5 rebound per game)
Toby Veal (6.9 minutes per game, 1.8 points per game, 1.6 rebounds per game)
Andrew Zehnder (5.1 minutes per game, 0.8 point per game, 0.2 rebound per game)

The Veterans

		#1 Nate Tomlinson Sophomore Guard 6-3 \| 185 Sydney, Australia Tomlinson started all 28 games in which he participated. He missed three games due to injuries; averaged 7.4 points, 3 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 33.6 minutes per game; finished in 16th place on CU's freshman points list with 206; became the first freshman since Chauncey Billups to lead the team in assists and finished seventh on the school's all-time freshman assists list; shared scoring honors with 18 points at Stanford on 8-of-12 shooting; and led CU in assists 14 times. Tomlinson had five games with five or more assists and 18 games with at least three; a season-best seven assists against Texas A&M; six rebounds vs. Iowa State; four steals at Texas Tech; an assist in 27 of 28 games; and nine games with 10+ points. He finished seventh overall in the Big 12 in minutes played; played 35+ minutes 13 times; grabbed four or more rebounds nine times; made two free throws with 6.6 seconds remaining, clinching CU's 65-62 win over Louisiana-Monroe; and was the first freshman point guard since 2002-03 to start a season opener.

		#3 Rick Higgins Senior Guard 6-1 \| 175 Danville, Calif. Higgins transferred to Colorado from Cal Poly to play with his brother, Cory. He sat out of the 2008-09 season due to transfer rules and lost a year of eligibility because he already had redshirted at Cal Poly, where he played in 43 games, with two starts in two years, and averaged 1.2 points per game.

		#11 Cory Higgins Junior Guard 6-5 \| 190 Danville, Calif. Third Team All-Big 12 (2009) Big 12 Player of the Week (12/08/09) Higgins was one of 13 nationally ranked players who were first or second on their team in the five major statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks) and the only sophomore nationally on that list. He was first statistically on the team in points, rebounds, steals, defensive and total rebounds, free throws and attempts, free-throw percentage, field goals made and attempted, and minutes played; second in assists and blocks; third in 3-point field goals made; and among CU players with a minimum of 200 shots taken was second on the team in shooting percentage Higgins tallied three nationally ranked categories: 64th in steals, 77th in free-throw percentage and 93rd in points per game. He scored 538 points, finishing 13th all-time at CU for most points scored in a single season. Those 538 points rank third all-time among CU sophomores and seventh all-time among CU guards for a season. Higgins led the team in scoring 18 times, steals 16 times, rebounding 15 times, assists 10 times and blocks 8 times; scored double digits in 28 of 31 games, 20+ points 12 times and 30+ twice; owned the team's top two scoring games with 34 points vs. Texas and 33 points vs. Colorado State; made 11 field goals in a single game twice, also a team best; achieved a perfect 12 of 12 at the free-throw line twice; had two double-doubles; was second both in CU seasonal minutes and conference minutes played; was named to the Rainbow Classic All-Tourney team, leading the Buffs in scoring every game; scored a CU 13-year conference high with a personal-best 34 points against Texas; also performed the same feat against Texas A&M with 27 points; was the first player at CU to lead the team in rebounding and assists the first two games of any season since the 1973-74 season; played 35+ minutes 24 times; had six games over 40 minutes; posted six or more rebounds 15 times; grabbed three or more steals 13 times; dished out four or more assists eight times; had 13 games with at least six or more made field goals; and tallied five CU Athlete of the Week awards.

		#12 Dwight Thorne II Senior Guard 6-3 \| 185 Arlington, Texas Thorne was selected as one of 10 NCAA Division I student-athletes to participate on an Athletes In Action team for a one-week, competitive international tour against teams in Poland and Berlin, Germany. He is a three-year captain who started every game; was the team leader with 45 made 3-pointers; was second in team scoring, steals, made field goals and made free throws; was third in assists with 52, minutes played and fourth in rebounds; finished the season ranked in three Big 12-only categories; played 1,035 minutes and made 128 field goals, surpassing his previous two-year total of 53; made a 3-pointer in 23 of 31 games and had 12 games with at least two treys; scored in double digits 22 times, netted 20+ three times and scored a career-best 30 points vs. Kansas State on 8-of-12 shooting, with a personal-best five 3-pointers, nine free throws made and 11 attempts; scored a trio of 20+ point efforts; led the team in scoring eight times; recorded five or more rebounds nine times; made three or more 3-pointers five times; logged 35+ minutes 16 times; and played 30+ minutes 24 times. Thorne is a cousin of Acie Law IV, the former Texas A&M star who plays for the Atlanta Hawks.

		#14 Javon Coney Junior Guard 6-3 \| 210 Chicago, Ill. Coney played in 23 games, with one start; averaged 8.8 minutes, one point and 1.3 rebounds per game; started his first career game against Oklahoma State; had a career-best six rebounds, one blocked shot and 27 minutes played against the Cowboys; played a career-best 27 minutes against Kansas State, with four points and four rebounds; grabbed five defensive rebounds at Nebraska; tallied a season-best five points with five rebounds against Missouri; recorded 20+ minutes four times and multiple rebounds eight times; and is a non-scholarship student-athlete.

		#24 Levi Knutson Junior Guard 6-4 \| 200 Littleton, Colo. Knutson played 30 games, with one start, and averaged 3.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and one assist per game. His lone start came at Baylor, with seven points, three rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes. He led the team in scoring with a career-high 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, and a team-high four assists and two steals, against Oklahoma State; grabbed a career-best six rebounds at home against Nebraska; shared team-high honors with six rebounds against Nebraska and Texas in Oklahoma City; went 3 of 3 from the field in a home win against Iowa State; had a career-best two steals at Texas Tech and Oklahoma State; played nine games of 20+ minutes and netted three games in scoring double digits; and has played 62 career games, with two starts.

		#33 Austin Dufault Sophomore Forward 6-9 \| 230 Killdeer, N.D. Dufault was named one of three CU Sports Performer of the Year finalists in the Male Freshman Athlete of the Year Award category; started all 31 games, averaging 30.7 minutes, 8.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and one assist per game; scored 254 points, ranking 11th among CU freshmen, and his 115 rebounds ranked 12th among all CU freshmen; was third in team scoring, rebounding and defensive rebounding, and fourth overall in minutes; He was one of three on the team to have started all 31 games; was fifth among all conference freshmen in scoring and rebounding; led CU in scoring twice, with a season-best 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting vs. Louisiana-Monroe. His 15 points and five rebounds against Missouri led CU in both categories for the first time. Dufault had a season-best seven rebounds at Iowa State and at SMU, as well as a Big 12-best 13 points at Oklahoma; played a season-high 42 minutes against Texas; recorded 12 games in double digits and 12 games shooting 50 percent or better from the field; led the team in rebounding six times, had five or more rebounds 13 times and played 35+ minutes seven times; logged 30+ minutes 20 times; adds size and versatility to the roster; and brings a high basketball IQ with a great shooting touch from long range.

		#34 Casey Crawford Junior Forward 6-9 \| 245 Overland Park, Kan. Crawford played in 25 games, with four starts; averaged 5.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 14.2 minutes per game; was fourth on the team in 3-pointers made, and fifth in steals and points per game. During the last five games of the season, the transfer from Wake Forest averaged 8.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, and led CU with eight 3-pointers. He had a career-best 18 points with four treys in a win over Harvard. The 18 points were the most points off the bench to lead the team in scoring since Javon Coney scored 15 points in a reserve role at Nebraska. Crawford scored a Big 12 season-high 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting against Texas A&M, and also played a season-high 30 minutes; and came off the bench to score 14 points, tying a career-best four 3-pointers against Oklahoma State. Eight times he had three or more rebounds in a game, and had five games with five or more field goals made. He netted 14 points in his CU debut, tying Jermyl Jackson-Wilson’s debut of 14 back in 2006-07. The 14 points is a CU high by a transfer or freshman in a debut over the last four years. Crawford scored in double digits six times, led the team in scoring twice and played 20+ minutes six times.

		#55 Trey Eckloff Sophomore Forward 6-10 \| 235 Englewood, Colo. Eckloff played in 26 games, averaging 10.1 minutes, 2.2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game; logged a season-high 25 minutes with six rebounds against Kansas; also had 23 minutes and four rebounds at Stanford; had a season-best two steals against the Cardinal; scored a season-best seven points on 3-of-4 shooting at Oklahoma; grabbed five rebounds at Missouri; played 15+ minutes in six games; scored four or more points seven times; recorded multiple rebounds 13 times; and was the second-youngest scholarship player in the Big 12 (teammate Ryan Kelley was the youngest).

The Redshirt

#44 Trent Beckley
Junior Forward
6-10 | 250
Vail, Colo.

Beckley missed the entire 2008-09 season with a stress fracture in his lumbar spine, but will have two more years of eligibility remaining after redshirting.

The non-scholarship student-athlete played in 10 games in the 2007-08 season, spanning 44 minutes. He logged a career-high 10 minutes at Mizzou, with three defensive rebounds; went 2 for 2 from the field, scoring four points with two rebounds and one steal at Kansas State; scored two points with one defensive rebound in four minutes at home against Missouri; and blocked one shot against Grambling State.

The Newcomers

		#2 Shannon Sharpe Freshman Guard 6-1 \| 200 Corona, Calif. Sharpe will miss the 2009-10 season after having season-ending knee surgery, Bzdelik announced Oct. 28. As a senior at Corona Centennial High School, Sharpe averaged 17.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 3.2 steals per game; helped the Huskies to a 27-5 record during his senior season; tallied four top-five Mountain View League finishes in points, assists, steals and rebounds; recorded five triple-doubles during his senior season; and was named Mountain View League and Triple Crown Tournament most valuable player, and also named to the Inland Empire and Corona all-tournament team. Sharpe was on the Division 2 All-California Interscholastic Federation and All-Riverside County first team his senior year, and was a member of 2007 All-California Interscholastic Federation championship team. He helped Corona to the 2007 and 2008 Mountain View League Championships. In 2008, his AAU team was ranked No. 3 nationally.

		#5 Marcus Relphorde Junior Forward 6-7 \| 220 Chicago, Ill. Relphorde averaged 10.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Indian Hills Community College, helping the Warriors finish with a 30-3 record. He was an All-Region honorable mention; shot .487 from the floor and .722 from the free-throw line; averaged 14 points per game; and scored in double figures in 12 of the team's last 13 games. Relphorde originally signed with Saint Louis under then-head coach Brad Soderberg. As a freshman with the Billikens and under head coach Rick Majerus, he averaged 4.3 minutes in 21 games; scored 22 points with 10 rebounds; and made 5 of 7 shots against Houston Baptist en route to 14 points and a team-high seven boards.

		#10 Alec Burks Freshman Guard 6-6 \| 185 Grandview, Mo. Burks was the 2009 Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Missouri. During his senior year at Grandview High School, he averaged 23 points per game, in addition to 6.8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He also was named The Kansas City Star and Metro Sports Player of the Year during his senior year. Burks helped his team to a 29-2 record during his senior season; scored a season-high 38 points; and received first-team all-Suburban Mix Six League honors as a junior after averaging 19.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Rivals.com listed Burks the No. 31 point guard in the Class of 2009. He was the career leader, in points scored, in school history and participated on the Mo-Kan All-Star game.

		#13 Shane Harris-Tunks Freshman Forward 6-11 \| 225 Liverpool, Australia Harris-Tunks was a member of Team Australia, which placed fourth at the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship; played in eight games, averaging 2.5 ppg; represented Australian U/19 at the Albert-Schweitzer Tournament in Germany and a third-place finish, and also was named captain; and was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship recipient.

		#35 Keegan Hornbuckle Freshman Forward 6-7 \| 205 Westlake Village, Calif. As a senior at Campbell Hall High School, Hornbuckle averaged 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game, helping his team to 19-9 record. He was a three-time first-team All-Olympic League selection and a three-time All-California Interscholastic Federation second-team selection. Hornbuckle was rated as the No. 34 small forward/shooting guard by Scout.com; helped Campbell Hall to a 31-5 record as a junior and a No. 39 national ranking by Rivals.com in 2007-08; was a member of a pair of state championship-winning teams in his sophomore and junior years; had a four-year prep record of 101-29; and was a member of the Valley All-Star and academic all-American All-Star team.

My thanks to the Colorado sports information department for the photos and most of the information for the bios.

The Analysis

There's no sugar-coating the fact that Colorado sucked ass last season. I mean, seriously, they went 1-15 in Big 12 play.

But as crazy as it sounds, there are a few reasons for optimism in 2009-10 for a program mired in mediocrity and dragged down by an athletic department that at times seems strangely uncommitted to developing athletic programs.

Foremost among those reasons is the return of super-stud Cory Higgins. The do-everything junior is one of the better returning players in the North and is skillful enough to help propel Colorado to a few more conference wins this season.

Colorado also returns its two other guards, Nate Tomlinson and Dwight Thorne II. K-State fans might remember Thorne from the game last year when he set his career high in points against us. Tomlinson played well for a true freshman, and should continue to mature into one of the better point guards in the league.

The fourth and final returning starter is Austin Dufault. Like Tomlinson, Dufault started every game last season as a true freshman. Colorado took its lumps, but all that experience should start to pay off this season as teams such as Missouri and Nebraska enter critical rebuilding phases.

But Dufault will need to help. Colorado was notoriously weak and undersized in the post last year, and coach Jeff Bzdelik set out to address some of those crucial needs in offseason recruiting.

Enter Marcus Relphorde and Shane Harris-Tunks. Relphorde is a juco transfer who began his college career at St. Louis under Rick Majerus. I look for him to have an impact similar to Marquis Gilstrap at Iowa State.

At 6-11, Harris-Tunks is the tallest player on the Buffs' roster. Like Tomlinson, he is a native Australian, and we've all seen how good they can be in college, even as true freshmen (Patrick Mills, Aaron Bruce and Andrew Bogut all are names that come to mind). At a minimum, he should provide solid depth in the paint.

Javon Coney and Levi Knutson should provide quality depth for the guard spots. Each started a game last season and played in several. Casey Crawford, an Overland Park native who transferred to Boulder from Wake Forest by way of a juco, is another nice player who should figure into the eight-man rotation.

After that, the pickings are slimmer and the new recruiting class is harder to figure out. Alec Burks was a pretty highly touted recruit out of Missouri, but not as highly touted as some of the guys the power programs in the Big 12 are adding to their rosters. Shannon Sharpe might have made an impact, but it was announced last week that he will have to redshirt after having microfracture surgery on his knee. Keegan Hornbuckle probably will get a few minutes out of necessity, but I don't think he will contribute much more than that.

Rick Higgins transferred from Cal Poly to play with his little brother, and like Jeffrey Fitzgerald, he burned a year of eligibility to do it because he already had redshirted at his previous school. I admire his C.J. Henry-ish desire to play with bro, but nothing in Rick's background suggests he will be anything more than a bench-warmer, even at Colorado.

Trey Eckloff played a lot last year, but didn't do much statistically when he was in. Still, you can't coach 6-10, so he probably will see increased minutes. The other 6-10 guy is Trent Beckley, who is likely to be rusty after sitting out last year due to major back problems.

That's pretty much it. There's some talent and some potential on this roster, but it's still frighteningly thin on talent and size for a team that has to play Kansas, Kansas State and Craig Brackins two times each.

Projected Starting Lineup


Nate Tomlinson	Dwight Thorne II	Cory Higgins	Marcus Relphorde	Austin Dufault
1	2	3	4	5

Projected Top Reserves


Javon Coney	Levi Knutson	Alec Burks	Casey Crawford	Shane Harris-Tunks
1	2	3	4	5

The Final Verdict

I think Colorado will be improved because Bzdelik is a hell of a coach, but it probably won't be reflected in the record. There's just too damn many other good teams in the North and in the Big 12 as a whole for them to move up very much.

That said, even a two- or three-win season in conference play would represent massive improvement over last year's post-Richard Roby 1-15 debacle, wouldn't it?

The best news for Colorado is this: The Buffs get to play Nebraska twice. Wait'll you see my breakdown on that train wreck.

No matter how bad Colorado is, I think they finally might get out of the basement.

Predicted finish: 11th

Best-case scenario: 9th

Previously on KNOW THY ENEMY...

???
???
???
???
???
Texas A&M
???
???
Iowa State
Texas Tech
???
???

BtB 2009-10 Ivy League Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:00:19 -0000

It was a relatively quiet offseason in the Ivy League, the lone Division I conference that forgoes a postseason tournament and sends its regular season winner to the NCAA Tournament. Cornell begins this season in great position to cement itself as the league's new dynasty. (Well, as cemented as any team with five senior starters can be.) The Big Red have their third straight league crown firmly in their sights, and a non-conference schedule that could help them win their first tournament contest in that span.

Meanwhile, former league bullies Penn and Princeton look to be in position to challenge. The Tigers return all five of their starters from a team that finished last season in a second place tie with Yale. The Bulldogs' eternal rivals, Tommy Amaker-led Harvard, are looking for a breakthrough. Meanwhile, Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, and the aforementioned Elis appear to be in various stages of rebuilding.

I'll go into more specifics for each Ivy team after the jump.

Let's first take a look at last season's Ivy League standings.

Ivy League Standings

(updated 3.11.2009 at 4:11 AM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Cornell Big Red	11	3	21	9
Princeton Tigers	8	6	13	14
Yale Bulldogs	8	6	13	15
Columbia Lions	7	7	12	16
Dartmouth Big Green	7	7	9	19
Harvard Crimson	6	8	14	14
Penn Quakers	6	8	10	18
Brown Bears	3	11	9	19

Now, here are my picks for the 2009-10 Ivy League season, presented in reverse order.

Dartmouth (last NCAA: 1959) The Big Green have to begin life without Alex Barnett, last year's ivy League Player of the Year, who averaged almost 20 points per game. With him, Dartmouth only managed a .500 mark in the league and won only two games outside of the league. Without him, the team could struggle mightily. While Jerry Dunn returns a boatload of players, led by PG Jabari Trotter, offense and rebounding are issues. Trotter is the leading returning scorer, and he only averaged 7 points per contest.

Brown (last NCAA: 1986) The Bears return three double-figure scorers from the team that earned the Ivy League's Wooden Spoon last season, senior F Matt Mullery (16.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg), junior F Peter Sullivan (14.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg), and junior G Adrian Williams (11 ppg). Despite this, the Bears offense was more inept than you'd expect a team with three double-digit scorers to be last season, averaging 57.5 ppg in Ivy League contests. That's probably because Jesse Agel's team lacked an established point guard, a situation that hasn't been addressed.

Columbia (last NCAA: 1968) The Lions get two transfers to replace the graduated Jason Miller and Joe Bova in froutcourt, 7-foot C Max Craig from Loyola Marymount and 6-7 F Brian Grimes from LaSalle. Grimes actually would have been eligible last season, but a knee injury cost him the year. who sat out last year with a knee injury. Columbia's backcourt has plenty of experience, as Patrick Foley (10.9 ppg, 2.5 apg), who battled injuries last year, Kevin Bulger (5.3 ppg, 2.1 apg), and Noruwa Agho (9.1 ppg) all return. If the new frontcourt can pack a punch, expect to see the Lions higher in the standings.

Yale (last NCAA: 1962) The Bulldogs will be hard-pressed to repeat their first division finish this season, as they lost three starters: Ross Morin, who averaged 13-plus points and nearly 6 boards a contest, Travis Pinick (10.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg), and PG Chris Andrews (3.1 ppg, 2.8 apg). The good news for the Elis is that SG Alex Zampier and his 13.2 ppg is back. The Bulldogs have a good stable of frontcourt players, including Jordan Gibson, Greg Mangano, Paul Nelson, and Michael Sands. However, none of them averaged more than 4.1 ppg in 2008-09. The Bulldogs could face UConn in the second round of the North Region of the NIT, but they'd have to get by Hofstra in round one first.

Pennsylvania (last NCAA: 2006) Being relatively close to Philly, I made the trip to the Palestra to see a couple of Penn games last season, and I can tell you that Quaker fans weren't happy with Glen Miller in the middle of the season. They can't be any happier after Penn finished with its first losing Ivy record since 1990-91. If the Quakers can stay healthy, they should be improved this season. Miller has a solid backcourt featuring sophomore PG Zack Rosen and junior SG Tyler Bernardini, that should be even better with the return of senior as SG Darren Smith from a knee injury. However, the Quakers biggest health issues last year were in the frontcourt Jack Eggleston (9.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg) should receive significant support from Swede Andreas Schreiber (2 ppg, 1 rpg in 08-09, 5.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg in 07-08), who missed all but two games last year with a shoulder injury, along with Larry Loughery (who featured in only seven contests), and Justin Reilly (who played in 11).

Harvard (last NCAA: 1946) Tommy Amaker's team seems to be good for one good non-league win a season (Michigan in '07-'08 and Boston College in '08-'09); however, translating those wins into consistent Ivy success is a different story, as the 6 wins recorded last year will attest. Guard Jeremy Lin (17.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg) can do a little bit of everything, and the Crimson will need him to after losing Drew Housman (9.6 ppg, 2.8 apg) and Andrew Pusar (6.4 ppg) from backcourt. Lin should get valuable help from sophomore guard Oliver McNally, who averaged 5.9 points a contest last year and looks to be ready to take on a bigger role this time around. Harvard's frontcourt could be a difference maker as 6-7 Pat Magnarelli and 6-10 Andrew Van Nest return after injuries. They'll join two players who performed admirably last season in their absence, 6-8 Keith Wright (8 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and 6-7 Doug Miller (6.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 70.4% from the field).

Princeton (last NCAA: 2004) The Tigers finished second last year (even if it was three games behind Cornell) and look to be back after some lean years. Head coach Sydney Johnson loses no starters from last year's squad. The Tigers will trot out a backcourt featuring the Ivy's highest scoring freshman, Douglas Davis (12.3 ppg), three-point sharpshooter Dan Mavraides (10.3 ppg, 42.6 from outside), and reliable PG Marcus Schroeder (4.9 ppg, 3 rpg, 3 apg). The Princeton frontcourt, meanwhile, returns starting center Pawel Buczak (7.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and forward Kareem Maddox (5 ppg, 3.5 rpg), along with two key reserves, 6-9 C Zach Finley (4.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and swingman Pat Saunders (5.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg)

Cornell (last NCAA: 2009) Like the team that should be their closest rivals, Steve Donahue's Big Red also features five returning starters, all seniors. Ryan Wittman (18.5 ppg, 2.8 apg) and Louis Dale (13 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.6 apg) form a truly formidable starting backcourt, made even moreso by the presence of Chris Wroblewski who average 6.7 ppg off bench, while shooting 44.1% from beyond the arc. The frontcourt is equally strong, as seven-footer Jeff Foote (11.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg), F Alex Tyler (6.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg), G/F Geoff Reeves (9 ppg) are all back. Donahue even has newly eligible transfers Mark Coury, a F/C who started at Kentucky, and G Max Groebe (from Massachusetts) at his disposal. The Big Red will need the help in the non-conference part of the schedule, which features road trips to Syracuse, Massachusetts, and Kansas and a home game against Seton Hall.

So, heading into the season, I am picking the Big Red to take their third straight Ivy League crown. You'll see them in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket on November 9. Now, to wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-Ivy League team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-Ivy League Team

Player of the Year: Ryan Wittman, 6-6 F, Sr. (Cornell)

Remainder of the Team
Louis Dale, 5-11 G, Sr. (Cornell)
Jeff Foote, 7-0 C, Sr. (Cornell)
Jeremy Lin, 6-3 G, Sr. (Harvard)
Matt Mullery, 6-8 F, Sr. (Brown)

Poll

Which team do you pick to win the Ivy League this season?

Brown

3 votes

Columbia

1 votes

Cornell

10 votes

Dartmouth

0 votes

Harvard

2 votes

Penn

2 votes

Princeton

31 votes

Yale

0 votes

49 votes | Poll has closed

Alex Ovechkin And The Beanpot

J.P. — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:06:23 -0000

As Pension Plan Puppets reminds us, tonight is the first night of The Beanpot (Stanley Cup of Chowder offers a nice preview, as well).

Tonight's games feature Boston University facing Harvard, followed by Boston College against Northeastern, and given that Northeastern is the third-ranked team in the nation, B.C. may have to call upon an interested visitor to one of the team's recent practices for help:

[Alex] Ovechkin, who had an NHL-best 31 goals entering Thursday, wanted to know how he could play in the Beanpot.
"We figured he still has four years of college eligibility, so I’ll let him throw on my jersey if he wants," [BC senior forward Brock] Bradford said.

The thought of AO in college - an instant nightmare for ~~fathers of collegiate co-eds~~ NCAA netminders everywhere.

UNC 108, College of Charleston 70

T.H. — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:50:38 -0000

So it turns out College of Charleston is still called "College of Charleston" and not "Charleston." And they're 38 points worse than UNC, who it turns, out is not entering a death spiral spelling the doom of the program, but is instead providing its loyal fans free biscuits. Who'd a thunk it?

UNC played their typical game, dominating the boards and getting plenty of steals, and actually had a decent percentage from the perimeter, shooting seven of fifteen to break 40% for the first time since UNC-Asheville.

Sure, it's a largely meaningless the Heels were supposed to win, but those were hard to come by in the ACC tonight, as Maryland lost to Morgan State and Boston College followed up their UNC upset by falling to... Harvard. Don't expect to see either of those opponents come March - the Crimson are 8-6, and Morgan State is 6-8 (And based out of Baltimore, if you're curious, a fact that none of my party knew, despite them all being residents of the state of Maryland.)

The loss to Harvard I find fascinating. There was an uncanny trend in 2007 for the teams that played UNC to lose their following game, no matter how they played against the Heels. This trend held up right through the postseason, where Duke went out in the opening round of the ACCs after last playing UNC, and Georgetown stumbled against Ohio State after ending Carolina's season. If the trend holds for this year, look to call a lot of bizarre upsets by going against Carolina's victims.

Basketball Preview: Colorado Buffaloes at Stanford Cardinal

irish1611 — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 22:00:07 -0000

	VS.
Colorado Buffaloes		Stanford Cardinal

Who: Colorado Buffaloes at Stanford Cardinal
Where: Maples Pavilion (Stanford, CA)
When: 8:30 pm MT
Line: Stanford by 15

The young Buffs will be on the road for the first time this season after going 3 - 1 in the first four. The Buffs have been exactly what we thought they would be: young and small inside. Colorado has been out-rebounded by a lengthy margin this year, especially on the offensive side end. The Buffs have been holding the oppositions to lower shooting percentages but due to the lack of rebounding, teams have been able to get extra chances against the Buffs. With freshman Toby Veal not ready for collegiate play, according to Jeff Bzdelik, the Buffs don't have a big answer in the middle. The 6'5" guard, Cory Higgins has 6.0 rebounds a game which is tied for the lead. That is a problem especially when the Buffs start Big 12 play.

Their have been a few bright spots this year and it starts on the offensive end of the court. CU has shot 50% from the field against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Harvard and Lafayette. Buffs guard Cory Higgins leads the team in what seems like every major statistical category. Last game, Higgins had a team high and personal career high 24 points but three other players had double digits as well so there is some balance on this team. Back to Higgins, look at the improvement from his freshman year. He has definitely led this team to the record that they currently have. Higgins, the 6'5" guard from Florida, is a sophomore which is considered a veteran on this team. Look for him to continue to get better and better as the Buffs youth grows around him.

Season Averages - Cory Higgins
SEASON	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	TO	A/T	STL	BLK	PF	FG%	FT%	3P%	PPS
2007-2008	33.6	8.3	4.3	2.3	2.1	1.11	1.1	.3	2.1	.459	.680	.333	1.29
2008-2009	36.8	17.8	6.0	3.8	2.8	1.36	2.3	.0	2.0	.528	.732	.231	1.97

Another few positives to this year already in each of the four games the Buffs have played this year, they have had four players in double digits and overall, Colorado is shooting over 50% from the field on the year. For a young team, offense doesn't seem to be the problem. The fans would like to see more on the defensive end nad boards.

The Buffs will get a taste of higher level collegiate basketball tonight as the Stanford was a sweet 16 team last year. Stanford is currently on the "Colorado Tour" as they there last game was against Air Force (W - 76 - 57), Colorado Saturday night and then @ Colorado State in 15 days.

The Cardinal are 3-0 on the season with a pair of home against CSU-Northridge (103-85) and Air Force (76-57), played on Wednesday. Stanford opened the season with a 75-67 winner at Yale. The Cardinal returns seven players and three starters from last year's 28-8 Sweet 16 team. Sounds like a dangerous team right? Well, the two players who are missing are 7-foot twins, Brook and Robin Lopez, both of whom are in the NBA. That has caused first year coach, Johnny Dawkins a long time Duke assistant, to go relatively small this year. The good thing for the Cardinal is that they are led by three seniors, something the Buffs will have to wait a long time to say. Forward Lawrence Hill, who was great as a sophomore then struggled last season, will need to have a big season for the Cardinal to be successful in the PAC 10. Currently, Hill is second on the team in scoring, averaging 18.0 points and 7.0 rebounds a game. The leading scorer is point guard Mitch Johnson, who is the team leader, is averaging an impressive 21.3 points a game. Scoring has not been a problem so far for the Cardinal, averaging 85 a game. This team wants to play on the perimeter. Against Air Force, Stanford hit on 12 of 25 shots from three-point range.

The Buffs are going to have their hands full defending the high flying offense of the Cardinal but the good news for the Buffs is the Lopez twins are gone and Stanford will not be overpowering inside. For the Buffs to be successful tonight, rebounding will be key.

Other Notes:

Colorado is an early 15 point underdog. I would expect that to possibly go up even though this Cardinal team should not be expected to make a lot of noise in the PAC 10 this year
Tonight's tip off is at 8:30 MT
The game will be on Fox Sports Network. The first televised game this year for the Buffs.
For more on tonight's game, check out the rivals yahoo preview of Stanford.

Quick Stat Comparison
	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	STK
COLO	3-1	75.3	64.3	3-1	0-0	W2
STAN	3-0	84.7	69.7	2-0	1-0	W3
Team Stat Leaders
	COLORADO			STANFORD
Points	C. Higgins 17.8			A. Goods 21.3
Rebounds	C. Higgins 6.0			L. Hill 7.0
Assists	C. Higgins 3.8			M. Johnson 6.0
Steals	C. Higgins 2.3			A. Goods 2.0
Blocks	J. Jackson-Wilson 1.3			L. Fields 1.0

		#1 Nate Tomlinson Sophomore Guard 6-3 \| 185 Sydney, Australia Tomlinson started all 28 games in which he participated. He missed three games due to injuries; averaged 7.4 points, 3 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 33.6 minutes per game; finished in 16th place on CU's freshman points list with 206; became the first freshman since Chauncey Billups to lead the team in assists and finished seventh on the school's all-time freshman assists list; shared scoring honors with 18 points at Stanford on 8-of-12 shooting; and led CU in assists 14 times. Tomlinson had five games with five or more assists and 18 games with at least three; a season-best seven assists against Texas A&M; six rebounds vs. Iowa State; four steals at Texas Tech; an assist in 27 of 28 games; and nine games with 10+ points. He finished seventh overall in the Big 12 in minutes played; played 35+ minutes 13 times; grabbed four or more rebounds nine times; made two free throws with 6.6 seconds remaining, clinching CU's 65-62 win over Louisiana-Monroe; and was the first freshman point guard since 2002-03 to start a season opener.

		#3 Rick Higgins Senior Guard 6-1 \| 175 Danville, Calif. Higgins transferred to Colorado from Cal Poly to play with his brother, Cory. He sat out of the 2008-09 season due to transfer rules and lost a year of eligibility because he already had redshirted at Cal Poly, where he played in 43 games, with two starts in two years, and averaged 1.2 points per game.

		#11 Cory Higgins Junior Guard 6-5 \| 190 Danville, Calif. Third Team All-Big 12 (2009) Big 12 Player of the Week (12/08/09) Higgins was one of 13 nationally ranked players who were first or second on their team in the five major statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks) and the only sophomore nationally on that list. He was first statistically on the team in points, rebounds, steals, defensive and total rebounds, free throws and attempts, free-throw percentage, field goals made and attempted, and minutes played; second in assists and blocks; third in 3-point field goals made; and among CU players with a minimum of 200 shots taken was second on the team in shooting percentage Higgins tallied three nationally ranked categories: 64th in steals, 77th in free-throw percentage and 93rd in points per game. He scored 538 points, finishing 13th all-time at CU for most points scored in a single season. Those 538 points rank third all-time among CU sophomores and seventh all-time among CU guards for a season. Higgins led the team in scoring 18 times, steals 16 times, rebounding 15 times, assists 10 times and blocks 8 times; scored double digits in 28 of 31 games, 20+ points 12 times and 30+ twice; owned the team's top two scoring games with 34 points vs. Texas and 33 points vs. Colorado State; made 11 field goals in a single game twice, also a team best; achieved a perfect 12 of 12 at the free-throw line twice; had two double-doubles; was second both in CU seasonal minutes and conference minutes played; was named to the Rainbow Classic All-Tourney team, leading the Buffs in scoring every game; scored a CU 13-year conference high with a personal-best 34 points against Texas; also performed the same feat against Texas A&M with 27 points; was the first player at CU to lead the team in rebounding and assists the first two games of any season since the 1973-74 season; played 35+ minutes 24 times; had six games over 40 minutes; posted six or more rebounds 15 times; grabbed three or more steals 13 times; dished out four or more assists eight times; had 13 games with at least six or more made field goals; and tallied five CU Athlete of the Week awards.

		#12 Dwight Thorne II Senior Guard 6-3 \| 185 Arlington, Texas Thorne was selected as one of 10 NCAA Division I student-athletes to participate on an Athletes In Action team for a one-week, competitive international tour against teams in Poland and Berlin, Germany. He is a three-year captain who started every game; was the team leader with 45 made 3-pointers; was second in team scoring, steals, made field goals and made free throws; was third in assists with 52, minutes played and fourth in rebounds; finished the season ranked in three Big 12-only categories; played 1,035 minutes and made 128 field goals, surpassing his previous two-year total of 53; made a 3-pointer in 23 of 31 games and had 12 games with at least two treys; scored in double digits 22 times, netted 20+ three times and scored a career-best 30 points vs. Kansas State on 8-of-12 shooting, with a personal-best five 3-pointers, nine free throws made and 11 attempts; scored a trio of 20+ point efforts; led the team in scoring eight times; recorded five or more rebounds nine times; made three or more 3-pointers five times; logged 35+ minutes 16 times; and played 30+ minutes 24 times. Thorne is a cousin of Acie Law IV, the former Texas A&M star who plays for the Atlanta Hawks.

		#14 Javon Coney Junior Guard 6-3 \| 210 Chicago, Ill. Coney played in 23 games, with one start; averaged 8.8 minutes, one point and 1.3 rebounds per game; started his first career game against Oklahoma State; had a career-best six rebounds, one blocked shot and 27 minutes played against the Cowboys; played a career-best 27 minutes against Kansas State, with four points and four rebounds; grabbed five defensive rebounds at Nebraska; tallied a season-best five points with five rebounds against Missouri; recorded 20+ minutes four times and multiple rebounds eight times; and is a non-scholarship student-athlete.

		#24 Levi Knutson Junior Guard 6-4 \| 200 Littleton, Colo. Knutson played 30 games, with one start, and averaged 3.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and one assist per game. His lone start came at Baylor, with seven points, three rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes. He led the team in scoring with a career-high 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, and a team-high four assists and two steals, against Oklahoma State; grabbed a career-best six rebounds at home against Nebraska; shared team-high honors with six rebounds against Nebraska and Texas in Oklahoma City; went 3 of 3 from the field in a home win against Iowa State; had a career-best two steals at Texas Tech and Oklahoma State; played nine games of 20+ minutes and netted three games in scoring double digits; and has played 62 career games, with two starts.

		#33 Austin Dufault Sophomore Forward 6-9 \| 230 Killdeer, N.D. Dufault was named one of three CU Sports Performer of the Year finalists in the Male Freshman Athlete of the Year Award category; started all 31 games, averaging 30.7 minutes, 8.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and one assist per game; scored 254 points, ranking 11th among CU freshmen, and his 115 rebounds ranked 12th among all CU freshmen; was third in team scoring, rebounding and defensive rebounding, and fourth overall in minutes; He was one of three on the team to have started all 31 games; was fifth among all conference freshmen in scoring and rebounding; led CU in scoring twice, with a season-best 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting vs. Louisiana-Monroe. His 15 points and five rebounds against Missouri led CU in both categories for the first time. Dufault had a season-best seven rebounds at Iowa State and at SMU, as well as a Big 12-best 13 points at Oklahoma; played a season-high 42 minutes against Texas; recorded 12 games in double digits and 12 games shooting 50 percent or better from the field; led the team in rebounding six times, had five or more rebounds 13 times and played 35+ minutes seven times; logged 30+ minutes 20 times; adds size and versatility to the roster; and brings a high basketball IQ with a great shooting touch from long range.

		#34 Casey Crawford Junior Forward 6-9 \| 245 Overland Park, Kan. Crawford played in 25 games, with four starts; averaged 5.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 14.2 minutes per game; was fourth on the team in 3-pointers made, and fifth in steals and points per game. During the last five games of the season, the transfer from Wake Forest averaged 8.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, and led CU with eight 3-pointers. He had a career-best 18 points with four treys in a win over Harvard. The 18 points were the most points off the bench to lead the team in scoring since Javon Coney scored 15 points in a reserve role at Nebraska. Crawford scored a Big 12 season-high 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting against Texas A&M, and also played a season-high 30 minutes; and came off the bench to score 14 points, tying a career-best four 3-pointers against Oklahoma State. Eight times he had three or more rebounds in a game, and had five games with five or more field goals made. He netted 14 points in his CU debut, tying Jermyl Jackson-Wilson’s debut of 14 back in 2006-07. The 14 points is a CU high by a transfer or freshman in a debut over the last four years. Crawford scored in double digits six times, led the team in scoring twice and played 20+ minutes six times.

		#55 Trey Eckloff Sophomore Forward 6-10 \| 235 Englewood, Colo. Eckloff played in 26 games, averaging 10.1 minutes, 2.2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game; logged a season-high 25 minutes with six rebounds against Kansas; also had 23 minutes and four rebounds at Stanford; had a season-best two steals against the Cardinal; scored a season-best seven points on 3-of-4 shooting at Oklahoma; grabbed five rebounds at Missouri; played 15+ minutes in six games; scored four or more points seven times; recorded multiple rebounds 13 times; and was the second-youngest scholarship player in the Big 12 (teammate Ryan Kelley was the youngest).

		#2 Shannon Sharpe Freshman Guard 6-1 \| 200 Corona, Calif. Sharpe will miss the 2009-10 season after having season-ending knee surgery, Bzdelik announced Oct. 28. As a senior at Corona Centennial High School, Sharpe averaged 17.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 3.2 steals per game; helped the Huskies to a 27-5 record during his senior season; tallied four top-five Mountain View League finishes in points, assists, steals and rebounds; recorded five triple-doubles during his senior season; and was named Mountain View League and Triple Crown Tournament most valuable player, and also named to the Inland Empire and Corona all-tournament team. Sharpe was on the Division 2 All-California Interscholastic Federation and All-Riverside County first team his senior year, and was a member of 2007 All-California Interscholastic Federation championship team. He helped Corona to the 2007 and 2008 Mountain View League Championships. In 2008, his AAU team was ranked No. 3 nationally.

		#5 Marcus Relphorde Junior Forward 6-7 \| 220 Chicago, Ill. Relphorde averaged 10.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Indian Hills Community College, helping the Warriors finish with a 30-3 record. He was an All-Region honorable mention; shot .487 from the floor and .722 from the free-throw line; averaged 14 points per game; and scored in double figures in 12 of the team's last 13 games. Relphorde originally signed with Saint Louis under then-head coach Brad Soderberg. As a freshman with the Billikens and under head coach Rick Majerus, he averaged 4.3 minutes in 21 games; scored 22 points with 10 rebounds; and made 5 of 7 shots against Houston Baptist en route to 14 points and a team-high seven boards.

		#10 Alec Burks Freshman Guard 6-6 \| 185 Grandview, Mo. Burks was the 2009 Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Missouri. During his senior year at Grandview High School, he averaged 23 points per game, in addition to 6.8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He also was named The Kansas City Star and Metro Sports Player of the Year during his senior year. Burks helped his team to a 29-2 record during his senior season; scored a season-high 38 points; and received first-team all-Suburban Mix Six League honors as a junior after averaging 19.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Rivals.com listed Burks the No. 31 point guard in the Class of 2009. He was the career leader, in points scored, in school history and participated on the Mo-Kan All-Star game.

		#13 Shane Harris-Tunks Freshman Forward 6-11 \| 225 Liverpool, Australia Harris-Tunks was a member of Team Australia, which placed fourth at the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship; played in eight games, averaging 2.5 ppg; represented Australian U/19 at the Albert-Schweitzer Tournament in Germany and a third-place finish, and also was named captain; and was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship recipient.

		#35 Keegan Hornbuckle Freshman Forward 6-7 \| 205 Westlake Village, Calif. As a senior at Campbell Hall High School, Hornbuckle averaged 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game, helping his team to 19-9 record. He was a three-time first-team All-Olympic League selection and a three-time All-California Interscholastic Federation second-team selection. Hornbuckle was rated as the No. 34 small forward/shooting guard by Scout.com; helped Campbell Hall to a 31-5 record as a junior and a No. 39 national ranking by Rivals.com in 2007-08; was a member of a pair of state championship-winning teams in his sophomore and junior years; had a four-year prep record of 101-29; and was a member of the Valley All-Star and academic all-American All-Star team.

SB Nation - Harvard Crimson

Headlines: Harvard 74, Boston College 67

12/9 Game Links

Is Harvard the tops in the Hub? Crimson down BC for second straight season

'Nova prevails in the Palestra

Badgers are tough at home, mere mortals elsewhere

Oral Roberts slips past Mizzou

Utah tops Meeeeechigan, Wolverines off to terrible start

Defend That, Digger! Week 1 (and a non-conference update)

RPI WATCH: 11/30/09

Baylor vs. Alabama Liveblog

Next Game

Baylor Bears Basketball News

Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball News

Bears Basketball Schedule

Next 5 Games

Last 5 Games

Crimson Tide Basketball Schedule

Next 5 Games

Last 5 Games

KNOW THY ENEMY: Colorado Buffaloes

The Coach

The Departures

The Veterans

The Redshirt

The Newcomers

The Analysis

Projected Starting Lineup

Projected Top Reserves

The Final Verdict

Previously on KNOW THY ENEMY...

BtB 2009-10 Ivy League Preview

Ivy League Standings

Preseason All-Ivy League Team

Which team do you pick to win the Ivy League this season?

Brown

Columbia

Cornell

Dartmouth

Harvard

Penn

Princeton

Yale

Alex Ovechkin And The Beanpot

UNC 108, College of Charleston 70

Basketball Preview: Colorado Buffaloes at Stanford Cardinal

VS.

Colorado Buffaloes

Stanford Cardinal