SB Nation - Iowa St. Cyclones

Big 12 Pac-10 Hardwood Series Tally FINAL TALLY

Evan Pfaff — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:15:10 -0000

The Big XII claimed their first Big 12 Pac 10 Hardwood Series championship.

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Big XII Wins Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series!

Official Tally

Big 12 - 9

Pac 10 - 3

Game dates, times and recaps listed below the Jump

(All times Central)

Sunday, November 29

Nebraska - 51
USC - 48
Recap

Thursday's Games

Texas Tech - 99
(12) Washington - 92
OVERTIME
Recap

(2) Texas - 69
USC - 50
Recap

Baylor - 64
Arizona State - 61
Recap

Friday's Games

Oregon State - 74
Colorado - 69
Recap

Saturday's Games

Missouri - 106
Oregon - 69
Recap

Kansas St.- 86
Washington State - 69
Recap

California - 82
Iowa St. - 63
Recap

Sunday's Games

Kansas - 73
UCLA - 61
Recap

Oklahoma 79
Arizona 62
Recap

Wednesday, December 16 Games

Oklahoma St - 71
Stanford - 70
Recap

Tuesday, December 22 Games

Washington - 73
Texas A&M - 64
Recap

Iowa State Pounds North Dakota

Mark Kieffer — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:13:04 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Neibergall - AP

Browse more photos »

I wasn't able to catch the game, but it sounded like an ugly 1st half for the Cyclones, as they shot just under 35% and only scored 30 points at halftime. Gilstrap lead the way with 16 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals. There was some good bench support as Dendy finished with 13 points, while Colvin and Christopherson each scored 10.

The Cyclones also outscored their opponent in the 2nd half for what feels like the first time in eternity. Hopefully we see it happen again, against a team that is rated higher than 340th in the nation overall.

Not a whole lot to add. Glad the Cyclones got going in the 2nd half and that it was a blowout. Anything less would've been embarrassing.

The Cyclones now take a break game-wise until January 3rd where they play Houston. In the next couple of days, I will wrap up December, give an outlook for January, and we will then focus on the bowl game all of next week!

RPI WATCH: 12/22/09

BracketCat — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:00:20 -0000

Wow, the Sooners really suck. If we don't pack Lloyd Noble with purple in February, something is wrong with us.

All hell breaks loose tonight and tomorrow, so keep an eye on RPI WATCH to see how it all affects the Cats' profile.

Current Kansas State AP Ranking = 12

Current Kansas State Record = 11-1

Current Kansas State RPI = 1

Current Kansas State SOS = 2

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

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Washington State, Alabama

Bad Losses (RPI 101 or greater) = none

Loyola (8-2, 1-1) | RPI = 27
Western Illinois (4-6, 0-2) | RPI = 320
Boston (4-6) | RPI = 146
No. 20 Ole Miss (10-1) | RPI = 24
Dayton (9-2) | RPI = 32: Win over Appalachian State (65-49)
IUPUI (9-3, 2-0) | RPI = 50
No. 14* FHSU (8-1)
Washington State (9-2) | RPI = 83
Xavier (6-4) | RPI = 47
UNLV (10-1) | RPI = 34
Alabama (7-4) | RPI = 92
UAPB (0-10) | RPI = 265: Loss at No. 12 Kansas State (90-76)
Cleveland State (4-8, 0-2) | RPI = 247
South Dakota (6-5) | RPI = 208
Missouri (7-3) | RPI = 179
No. 23 Texas A&M (9-2) | RPI = 15
Colorado (6-4) | RPI = 229
No. 2 Texas (10-0) | RPI = 6
Oklahoma State (10-1) | RPI = 47: Win over La Salle (77-62)
Baylor (9-1) | RPI = 101
No. 1 Kansas (10-0) | RPI = 20
Nebraska (8-2) | RPI = 163
Iowa State (8-3) | RPI = 144
Oklahoma (8-4) | RPI = 114: Loss to UTEP (89-74)
No. 16 Texas Tech (9-1) | RPI = 33

*Division II Top 25

Why Are We Playing North Dakota?

Mark Kieffer — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:33:29 -0000

I'm not going to do the full blown stats for this preview. It's not really worth it to be honest. North Dakota is a horrible basketball team in D1. It makes sense as they have just moved up, and they play in the same powerhouse conference (Great West) as Chicago State, Houston Baptist, Texas - Pan Am, and others.

North Dakota is 1-11. They got blown out by UNI by 23 points, and lost to Drake by 9 points. They are the 340th ranked team according to Ken Pomeroy, who has them going 7-23 on the year, and losing to us by 31. Jeff Sagarin has them as the 341st team, and also has them losing to us by 30-31 points. The only positive thing I can say about this team is that they were good when they were DII, but there's a big gap between elite DII and mediocre BCS.

I don't understand why we have this team on our schedule, other than maybe there is a McDermott connection with the staff there? Still, I'd rather see us play a team with a pulse, like a TCU, or a DePaul. North Dakota seems like a team you'd want to scrimmage with.

The challenge for the Cyclones will be to not play down to North Dakota's level, and continue the intensity. I have a feeling we will see almost everyone play, and hopefully we can win by 40 points. Honestly, this is the worst team we're going to play all year.

Tipoff is at 7pm tomorrow night at Hilton. I believe the game is also on Mediacom, along with Full Court.

RPI WATCH: 12/21/09

BracketCat — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:00:27 -0000

Our opponents went 3-1 on Sunday. Pretty quiet, all things considered.

The new AP poll is out. We're not quite as high as I hoped. North Carolina staying put is a fracking joke.

But it's our highest ranking since 1973, so I ain't complainin' too much.

Current Kansas State AP Ranking = 12

Current Kansas State Record = 10-1

Current Kansas State RPI = 1

Current Kansas State SOS = 3

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

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Washington State, Alabama

Bad Losses (RPI 101 or greater) = none

Loyola (8-2, 1-1) | RPI = 27: Win at SIUE (79-61)
Western Illinois (4-6, 0-2) | RPI = 320
Boston (4-6) | RPI = 146
No. 20 Ole Miss (10-1) | RPI = 24
Dayton (8-2) | RPI = 31
IUPUI (9-3, 2-0) | RPI = 50
No. 14* FHSU (8-1)
Washington State (9-2) | RPI = 83
Xavier (6-4) | RPI = 47
UNLV (10-1) | RPI = 34
Alabama (7-4) | RPI = 92
UAPB (0-9) | RPI = 260
Cleveland State (4-8, 0-2) | RPI = 247
South Dakota (6-5) | RPI = 208: Loss at Wyoming (86-74)
Missouri (7-3) | RPI = 179
No. 23 Texas A&M (9-2) | RPI = 15
Colorado (6-4) | RPI = 229
No. 2 Texas (10-0) | RPI = 6
Oklahoma State (9-1) | RPI = 42
Baylor (9-1) | RPI = 101: Win over Texas-Arlington (94-63)
No. 1 Kansas (10-0) | RPI = 20
Nebraska (8-2) | RPI = 163
Iowa State (8-3) | RPI = 144: Win over Bradley (87-68)
Oklahoma (8-3) | RPI = 117
No. 16 Texas Tech (9-1) | RPI = 33

*Division II Top 25

Post Game Thoughts :: Texas Tech Red Raiders 83, Wichita St. Shockers 85

Seth C — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:15:43 -0000

SB Nation Box Score

The Result :: Disappointing, But Lots of Fight: I didn't get to watch the game (I think you could only watch if you lived in Kansas) but losses are going to happen, but the difference between last year's version and this year's version is being competitive each and every game. Nothing would make me happier than to see a win each and every game, but that's not likely to happen with this team. Through the first nine games last year, this team had already lost to Sam Houston St., Butler and Centenary. Granted, there's a lot to play for with Stanford and New Mexico being the next two games, but the lack of a bad loss (and I would not include a loss to Wichita St. at their place as a bad loss) thus far this year is at the very least encouraging.

Follow me after the jump for storylines, stats and some video highlights of the game.

The Storylines ::

Singletary = Turnover Machine: The one stat-line that jumped out at me was SF Mike Singletary's 9 turnovers in 37 minutes of play. To get to the nitty gritty, Singletary had a turnover rate of 56% which I think means that of every possession by Singletary, he's turning the ball over 56% of the time against Wichita St. To put it nicely, Singletary was a complete liability last night and the fact that he got 37 minutes while players like Brad Reese and Theron Jenkins each received less than 12 each. It would be one thing if Singletary was scoring at a high rate, but he only had 7 field goals for the entire game. I know that Singletary can be this team's best low-post scorer, but he can also be this team's biggest liability. As of this morning, Singletary has 25% of this team's total turnovers. At some point, PK will have to make a decision about Singletary being so careless with possessions.

The Difference: Looking at the team statistics for the game, it seems like this game should have been a win. Texas Tech out-shot WSU (47.5% to 42.6) were close on rebounds (35 to 40) and were overall close on turnovers (17 to 16). The difference in the game was the free throws, where Wichita St. got to the line 34 times and made 28 free throws (that's 82.4%). The Red Raiders on the other hand only got to the line 25 times and only made 18, good for 72.0%. Perhaps this is a situation where a key player doesn't the turn the ball over as much and the team makes one or two free throws and you're talking about a different game, perhaps even a win. Free throws and turnovers make just about every coach, player and fan go crazy.

Where's the Bench: One of the big reasons why the Red Raiders were able to upset Washington was because of the play of the bench, in particular Brad Reese, David Tairu and Theron Jenkins making impacts and receiving significant minutes. Tairu did make an impact, scoring 11 points on 5 of 8 from the floor, but it seems as if PK is relying less and less on his bench as this team gets closer to conference play. I understand PK wanting to rely on the guys that have been around the program like Roberts and Singletary, but Reese and Jenkins are significant upgrades in talent and athleticism and on Saturday night they only got 11 and 12 minutes during the game, scored a total of 5 points and had no rebounds. I think this is going to need to be a two-way street, but Reese and Jenkins must be better at the small things, like rebounding, playing good defense and not falling in love with the 3-point shot. On the other side of the street, PK must learn to trust his players and there's no reason why Singletary can have 9 turnovers in a game and still be rewarded with 37 minutes.

We're Still Okay: Despite my complaining in the previous three paragraph, I'm still pretty happy with this team. Sure there are things to fix, but that's true with just about any team. The Oklahoma St. Cowboys have lost by 20 to Tulsa; the Missouri Tigers have lost to Richmond, Vanderbilt and Oral Roberts; the Iowa St. Cyclones have lost to Northwestern, Northern Iowa and California; and the Oklahoma Sooners have lost to Virginia Commonwealth, San Diego and Houston. Those are just some examples of some of our Big 12 brethren. Obviously, teams like Texas and Kansas are the head of the class and teams like the Kansas St. Wildcats, Texas A&M Aggies and Baylor Bears are playing about as well as Texas Tech. Right now, the Red Raiders are still in the top quarter or third of the Big 12 and this isn't an exercise to make anyone feel better, but the truth of the matter is that this team is still playing good basketball, but must keep up the good work this week.

Four Factors, Player Impact and Game Flow: I love these graphs from StatSheet and I hope you do too:

College Basketball

NCAA Basketball

College Basketball

I didn't get to see the game, so this is just based on observations from the box score.

The Offensive MVP :: PG John Roberson and SG Nick Okorie: John Roberson led the team in scoring (24 points, but he had to take 16 shots to get there). He also had 5 assists and 5 turnovers. As goes Roberson, so goes the team. Also nice to see Okorie finally get on track a bit as he had 16 points and 4 rebounds in 25 minutes on 13 shots.

The Defensive MVP :: G David Tairu: Tairu has been especially solid this year and he's also shooting lights out, 59.5%, despite playing a guard position. Seems like he should get more shots. For the game, Tairu only had 11 points, but he also had 9 rebounds, which included 7 offensive rebounds, 2 assists and no turnovers.

RPI WATCH: 12/20/09

BracketCat — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:00:18 -0000

Well, the Cats did what they needed to do, and survived to fight another day as Upset Saturday claimed numerous other victims.

In a fair world, the AP Top 15 that comes out tomorrow would look something like this:

Texas (10-0)
Kansas (10-0)
Kentucky (11-0)
Purdue (10-0)
Syracuse (11-0)
West Virginia (8-0)
Duke (9-1)
Villanova (10-1)
Michigan State (9-2)
Connecticut (7-2)
Kansas State (10-1)
Georgetown (8-1)
Ohio State (9-2)
New Mexico (12-0)
Ole Miss (10-1)

It will be interesting to see what the pollsters, in all their wisdom, come up with.

P.S. Did I call that Wichita State upset or what? Booyah!

Current Kansas State AP Ranking = 17

Current Kansas State Record = 10-1

Current Kansas State RPI = 1

Current Kansas State SOS = 3

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

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Washington State, Alabama

Bad Losses (RPI 101 or greater) = none

Loyola (7-2, 1-1) | RPI = 45
Western Illinois (4-6, 0-2) | RPI = 320
Boston (4-6) | RPI = 146
No. 20 Ole Miss (10-1) | RPI = 24: Win over Centenary (108-64)
Dayton (8-2) | RPI = 31: Win over Presbyterian (71-52)
IUPUI (9-3, 2-0) | RPI = 50: Win over Duquesne (73-64)
No. 14* FHSU (8-1)
Washington State (9-2) | RPI = 83: Win over Portland State (93-69)
Xavier (6-4) | RPI = 47: Loss at No. 21 Butler (69-68)
UNLV (10-1) | RPI = 34: Win over SCUU (88-58)
Alabama (7-4) | RPI = 92: Loss to No. 17 Kansas State (87-74)
UAPB (0-9) | RPI = 260: Loss at Missouri (88-70)
Cleveland State (4-8, 0-2) | RPI = 247: Loss to No. 6 West Virginia (80-78)
South Dakota (6-4) | RPI = 139
Missouri (7-3) | RPI = 179: Win over UAPB (88-70)
No. 23 Texas A&M (9-2) | RPI = 15: Win over The Citadel (71-50)
Colorado (6-4) | RPI = 229
No. 2 Texas (10-0) | RPI = 6: Win over No. 10 North Carolina (103-90)
Oklahoma State (9-1) | RPI = 42
Baylor (8-1) | RPI = 72
No. 1 Kansas (10-0) | RPI = 20: Win over Michigan (75-64)
Nebraska (8-2) | RPI = 163: Win over Jackson State (57-41)
Iowa State (7-3) | RPI = 155
Oklahoma (8-3) | RPI = 117: Win over Northern Colorado (80-79)
No. 16 Texas Tech (9-1) | RPI = 33: Loss at Wichita State (85-83)

*Division II Top 25

KNOW THY ENEMY: Missouri Tigers

BracketCat — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:00:17 -0000

More photos » by L.G. Patterson - AP

Like Justin Safford, Missouri's tournament hopes have taken a few shots. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Browse more photos »

OK, it's time to get these started again. Admittedly, I faltered a bit due to work, but things are back under control for now. These will proceed largely as before, but with a few exceptions:

Instead of reformatting the player bios like I did before, which was majorly time-consuming and part of the reason these fell by the wayside for so long, I'm merely going to link to the appropriate page. I will add player stats to the tables, however.
Originally, these were season previews. Obviously, much of the non-conference season already has been played, so now they're more like conference season previews. Also, what I've seen of these teams has changed my predictions for the conference's outcome, so I reserve the right to alter my predicted orders of finish from what they previously were.
Instead of twice a week, these are running every day from now until New Year's Eve. Call it the Big 12 Days of Christmas Basketball, if you like.

So, hit the jump for the rundown on the defending conference tournament champion, Missouri. And for more, head over to the Unholy Alliance Auxiliary Headquarters (pending Big Ten absorption): Rock M Nation.

The Story So Far

The Tigers are 7-3, with dominating home victories over Tennessee-Martin, Texas-Pan American, Chattanooga, Oregon, Fairleigh Dickinson and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

They also collected a nice neutral-court win against Old Dominion, who just knocked off Georgetown.

But close losses to Richmond, at Vanderbilt and at Oral Roberts probably will come back to haunt the Tigers in much the same way as K-State's three-game, non-conference losing streak last December hindered the Wildcats.

Current Missouri RPI: 179

The Coach

Mike Anderson
Fourth Season

72-38 (25-23) at Missouri (as of today)
161-79 (67-43) overall

Bio

The Departures

Starters

DeMarre Carroll (28 minutes per game | 16.6 points per game | 7.2 rebounds per game)
Matt Lawrence (20.8 minutes per game | 9.2 points per game | 2.2 rebounds per game)
Leo Lyons (23.3 minutes per game | 14.6 points per game | 6.1 rebounds per game)

The Veterans

		#3 Miguel Paul Sophomore Guard 6-1 \| 172 Winter Haven, Fla. Bio 14 minutes per game \| 4.2 points per game \| 0.9 rebound per game

		#4 J.T. Tiller Senior Guard 6-3 \| 200 Marietta, Ga. Bio 23.3 minutes per game \| 9.6 points per game \| 2.3 rebounds per game

		#11 Zaire Taylor Senior Guard 6-4 \| 189 Staten Island, N.Y. Bio 27.8 minutes per game \| 9 points per game \| 3.1 rebounds per game

		#12 Marcus Denmon Sophomore Guard 6-3 \| 185 Kansas City, Mo. Bio 20.1 minutes per game \| 10.5 points per game \| 3.9 rebounds per game

		#15 Keith Ramsey Senior Forward 6-9 \| 217 Murfreesboro, Tenn. Bio 25.4 minutes per game \| 5.9 points per game \| 5.9 rebounds per game

		#21 Laurence Bowers Sophomore Forward 6-8 \| 205 Memphis, Tenn. Bio 19.8 minutes per game \| 10.2 points per game \| 5.6 rebounds per game

		#23 Justin Safford Junior Forward 6-8 \| 230 Bloomington, Ill. Bio 18.4 minutes per game \| 7.6 points per game \| 3.8 rebounds per game

		#24 Kim English Sophomore Guard 6-6 \| 200 Baltimore, Md. Bio 22.1 minutes per game \| 16.1 points per game \| 3.1 rebounds per game

		#25 Jarrett Sutton Junior Guard 6-3 \| 190 Kansas City, Mo. Bio 4 minutes per game \| 1.8 points per game \| 0.2 rebound per game

		#32 Steve Moore Sophomore Center 6-9 \| 264 Kansas City, Mo. Bio 11 minutes per game \| 1.6 points per game \| 1.4 rebounds per game

The Newcomers

		#10 Michael Dixon Jr. Freshman Guard 6-1 \| 175 Kansas City, Mo. Bio 18.1 minutes per game \| 8.2 points per game \| 1.6 rebounds per game

		#33 Tyler Stone Freshman Forward 6-7 \| 225 Memphis, Tenn. Bio 4.3 minutes per game \| 1.7 points per game \| 1.2 rebounds per game

		#35 John Underwood Freshman Forward 6-9 \| 208 Phoenix, Ariz. Bio 5.3 minutes per game \| 1.3 points per game \| 2.8 rebounds per game

My thanks to the Missouri sports information department for the photos.

The Analysis

Missouri is, of course, a tricky team to nail down because of the style they play. Mike Anderson likes to throw waves of guards at you off the bench in a constant, full-pressure style they call "The Fastest 40 Minutes," which is what they had to change the name to when it became apparent UAB owned the rights to "40 Minutes of Hell."

Thus, no Missouri player averages more than 30 minutes per game and so far, eight different players have started for the Tigers. So, rather than talk in terms of 1-5, I'll break down the guards and the forwards as two large groups.

The three most prominent and experienced players in the Missouri backcourt are returning starters J.T. Tiller, Zaire Taylor and Kim English. Not coincidentally, they're logging the most minutes.

Tiller has been bothered by injuries and missed three games, which I imagine has contributed to the Tigers' struggles this season. Taylor, who made the game-winning shot against KU last year, has seen his scoring average dip now that more guards are contributing. But English has continued his steady play from last season and even picked his game up a bit.

Miguel Paul and Marcus Denmon both played quite a bit last year as freshmen, so they're quick off the bench in the rotation and each has started several games. But the biggest surprise of the guard group is Michael Dixon Jr., who is having more of an impact than I anticipated.

Jarrett Sutton is a career backup and doesn't play very much.

If this group has a weakness, it's that there doesn't appear to be a true replacement from sharpshooter Matt Lawrence, meaning that I'm not sure they have a guy who can knock down a contested 3-pointer. when they most need it.

That said, Missouri's problems start and end in the frontcourt. The loss of DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons cannot be overstated. Together with Lawrence, the departed trio accounted for more than 50 percent of the Tigers' points and rebounds during Missouri's Elite Eight season. And to date, no one has stepped up to replace them.

Hopes were high for sophomore Laurence Bowers, but he only has started three games. He is averaging more than 10 points per game, but seems to disappear when they need him most. More disconcerting is that he only averages five rebounds per. In fact, Missouri as a whole has been out-rebounded by all but one opponent. The Tigers don't really try to dominate the boards, and I think it's really going to cost them in Big 12 play.

Keith Ramsey and Justin Safford draw the most starts in the paint, but each is collecting even fewer statistics than Bowers. Sophomore center Steve Moore, and freshmen forwards Tyler Stone and John Underwood, are giving the Tigers even less. This is a serious weakness area that will be exposed against teams such as Kansas and Texas.

Projected Big 12 Starting Lineup


J.T. Tiller	Zaire Taylor	Kim English	Keith Ramsey	Justin Safford
1	2	3	4	5

Projected Top Big 12 Reserves


Miguel Paul	Michael Dixon Jr.	Marcus Denmon	Laurence Bowers	Steve Moore
1	2	3	4	5

The Final Verdict

I've already stated Missouri's problems above, so I won't rehash them here.

Suffice it to say that the Tigers already have several ugly losses on their resume. At home, they've been nearly unbeatable for the past year and a half, but I think their deficiencies will catch up to them.

Sure, they're probably the third- or fourth-best team in the North, but when every South team looks to have a chance to make the tournament, that equates to a basement finish. Missouri reminds me of K-State last season: One more recruiting class and a few post players away from being an NCAA team. In the meantime, I smell NIT.

Big 12 preseason prediction: 7th

My predicted finish: T-9th (with Iowa State)

Best-case scenario: 7th

Against K-State?: Loss in Manhattan, toss-up in Columbia

Previously on KNOW THY ENEMY...

Iowa State Beats Bradley Up A Little Bit

Mark Kieffer — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:02:26 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Neibergall - AP

Browse more photos »

But still gets outscored in the 2nd half. The game was OK, but not great. To be honest, I was surprised with how poorly Bradley looked in this one. Part of them only scoring 19 was due to them missing some decent looks in my opinion. Either way, Brackins, Gilstrap, Christopherson, and Boozer all had nice games to help lead the Cyclones to victory.

On the plus side of things, I thought our energy in the 1st half was great. There were guys fighting for loose balls, going for steals, and actually guys moving around without the ball on offense! I KNOW! I can't believe it either!

In seriousness, I thought the group of guys who looked the best out there was the group of: Garrett, Brackins, Gilstrap, Dendy, and Christopherson. When Lucca and Hamilton were in the game, there were too many easy baskets in the post, and not as much movement on offense. I thought it was clear that those guys should be the "first team", and I'm not sure what Dendy and Christopherson have to do to start and eat up minutes. Everyone is going to have their good and bad games, but Dendy and Christopherson are less one-dimensional, and do the little things to help win games, even when they are having an off game. Lucca and Hamilton can help a team, but they play roles that seem more condusive to coming off the bench, as opposed to clocking serious minutes and starting.

On the down side of things, we got outscored in the second half. Our guys do not know how to play with a lead. It was clear that Bradley wasn't going to score 38 points in the whole game, but to give up big 2nd half points to Bradley and Iowa, a lot of which when our starters were out there, is kind of silly. Secondly, I didn't think our rebounding was that great, yet again. Bradley was able to pull in 10 offensive rebounds, and they are literally one of the worst 5 teams in the nation in offensive rebounds.

As I eluded to earlier, my players of the game were a tie between Brackins and Gilstrap. Brackins finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 steal. Gilstrap had 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 monster block.

The guys now have to play a challenging game against North Dakota. Not challenging because the team is good, but because they stink (they are 1-11). It's tough to get up for a bad opponent, so I hope our guys can bring the same kind of energy they did in this game, and win by 40-50 points.

RPI WATCH: 12/19/09

BracketCat — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 04:00:17 -0000

No Division I opponents played last night, but our Division II opponent did. And they moved up the rankings, as well.

Also, our strength of schedule moved to No. 1 last night, and our RPI remains at No. 1, too.

Kansas: Where No. 1 teams reside.

Current Kansas State AP Ranking = 17

Current Kansas State Record = 9-1

Current Kansas State RPI = 1

Current Kansas State SOS = 1

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

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = IUPUI, Washington State, Xavier

Bad Losses (RPI 101 or greater) = none

Loyola (7-2, 1-1) | RPI = 45
Western Illinois (4-6, 0-2) | RPI = 320
Boston (4-6) | RPI = 146
No. 20 Ole Miss (9-1) | RPI = 35
Dayton (7-2) | RPI = 27
IUPUI (8-3, 2-0) | RPI = 60
No. 14* FHSU (8-1): Win over Bethel College (92-37)
Washington State (8-2) | RPI = 88
Xavier (6-3) | RPI = 61
UNLV (9-1) | RPI = 27
Alabama (7-3) | RPI = 87
UAPB (0-8) | RPI = 281
Cleveland State (4-7, 0-2) | RPI = 235
South Dakota (6-4) | RPI = 139
Missouri (6-3) | RPI = 161
No. 16 Texas A&M (8-2) | RPI = 18
Colorado (6-4) | RPI = 229
No. 2 Texas (9-0) | RPI = 5
Oklahoma State (9-1) | RPI = 42
Baylor (8-1) | RPI = 72
No. 1 Kansas (9-0) | RPI = 21
Nebraska (7-2) | RPI = 151
Iowa State (7-3) | RPI = 155
Oklahoma (7-3) | RPI = 142
No. 23 Texas Tech (9-0) | RPI = 18

*Division II Top 25

		#3 Miguel Paul Sophomore Guard 6-1 \| 172 Winter Haven, Fla. Bio 14 minutes per game \| 4.2 points per game \| 0.9 rebound per game

		#4 J.T. Tiller Senior Guard 6-3 \| 200 Marietta, Ga. Bio 23.3 minutes per game \| 9.6 points per game \| 2.3 rebounds per game

		#11 Zaire Taylor Senior Guard 6-4 \| 189 Staten Island, N.Y. Bio 27.8 minutes per game \| 9 points per game \| 3.1 rebounds per game

		#12 Marcus Denmon Sophomore Guard 6-3 \| 185 Kansas City, Mo. Bio 20.1 minutes per game \| 10.5 points per game \| 3.9 rebounds per game

		#15 Keith Ramsey Senior Forward 6-9 \| 217 Murfreesboro, Tenn. Bio 25.4 minutes per game \| 5.9 points per game \| 5.9 rebounds per game

		#21 Laurence Bowers Sophomore Forward 6-8 \| 205 Memphis, Tenn. Bio 19.8 minutes per game \| 10.2 points per game \| 5.6 rebounds per game

		#23 Justin Safford Junior Forward 6-8 \| 230 Bloomington, Ill. Bio 18.4 minutes per game \| 7.6 points per game \| 3.8 rebounds per game

		#24 Kim English Sophomore Guard 6-6 \| 200 Baltimore, Md. Bio 22.1 minutes per game \| 16.1 points per game \| 3.1 rebounds per game

		#25 Jarrett Sutton Junior Guard 6-3 \| 190 Kansas City, Mo. Bio 4 minutes per game \| 1.8 points per game \| 0.2 rebound per game

		#32 Steve Moore Sophomore Center 6-9 \| 264 Kansas City, Mo. Bio 11 minutes per game \| 1.6 points per game \| 1.4 rebounds per game