SB Nation - Mississippi St. Bulldogs

Bulldogs Destroy Bruins As Ben Howland And His Players Embarrass UCLA In Front Of Coach John Wooden

Nestor — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 23:34:34 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

Bulldogs cruise by a listless, poorly prepared and coached basketball team playing with no passion and intensity (pretending to be UCLA)

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Coach John Wooden is 99 years old. He took time out to watch his former program today by making the trip out to Anaheim to watch what is likely to be one of the last UCLA games he will see in person. Well Ben Howland and his basketball players in UCLA uniform rewarded the Bruin living legend by putting on the most embarrassing display of ugly basketball we have seen in Westwood in years.

Ben Howland, his staff, players, and everyone associated with his program should be ashamed of themselves today for embarrassing the four letters infront of Coach John Wooden. They went down in one of the most humiliating defeats in Bruin basketball history by getting blown out by Mississippi State Bulldogs. The final score was 72-54 (boxscore) thanks to a meaningless second half run by the Bruins which made the score respectable (if you want to call it respectable). Yet, that doesn't matter much because for most the game Ben Howland's players look like bunch of quitters, who played without any sense of purpose or passion, going through the motion like we used to see happen all too often under coaches such Steve Lavin and Karl Dorrell.

The responsibility for today's debacle really falls on Ben Howland who had his team poor prepared and failed to make any kind of adjustments during the game, when Bruins fell behind early on. We just have to look at how he stuck with Nikola Dragovic in his rotation for most of the game, even though Draogic was ineffective and worthless in every aspect of the game. Despite taking ill advised shots, not making much of an effort to play defense or rebound, Howland rewarded him with huge mins (and started him in the second half), sending the wrong signals to his entire team.

What happened today was few steps backwards for a young team effectively negating all the encouraging signs from previous loss against Kansas. Same deal took place against Long Beach State after an "encouraging" performance in a close loss against Butler. The only hope for this season is that we will have something else to think about besides Bruin basketball, thanks to Navy's win over Army this afternoon in Philadelphia. Oh yeah, congrats to our football team for making a bowl game in Washington DC. Back to hoops after the jump.

There are serious problems with our program right now I am not confident whether Howland has the answer. I have always been a huge supporter of what he has done in this program and I will continue to support him for now. However, he has some serious explaining to do about why he continues to stunt the long term future of this program by wasting mins on upperclassmen such as Dragovic and Keefe who do not have the athletic talent, and frankly haven't shown poise and effort necessary to get mins on the court.

Howland also needs to show he is capable of making adjustments to his offensive and defensive schemes to fit the talent he has available to him on the bench. Instead of going with experience, he needs to develop a new core around young players such Nelson, Lane, and Reeves. If he doesn't do it before its too late he will lose his team who will lost motivation to compete and to give 100 percent effort only to see all of their mins going to guys such as Dragovic.

Anyway, as mentioned above thanks to the Midshipmen for pulling out a big win (congrats to Army for giving a great effort). At least we have something to look forward to in our bowl game. The way it's looking for our basketball program, not sure if they will be able get to 10 wins during this regular season.

Again, truly a shameful effort by Howland, his coaches and his players. Everyone associated with UCLA basketball should be disgusted tonight.

GO BRUINS.

Ben Ball Gameday Round: Tough Matchup Against Mississippi State

Nestor — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:12:19 -0000

More photos » by Damian Dovarganes - AP

4 days ago: Shown left to right, Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury, Georgetown's John Thompson III, Washington's Lorenzo Romar, and UCLA's Ben Howland arrive at a news conference for the annual John R. Wooden Classic at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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We have got a busy Saturday here on BN. The Army-Navy game kicks off around 11:30 am PST. Right after that game is over we will shift our attention over to Anaheim where the Bruins are going to take on kind of a red hot Mississippi State team in the 2009 John Wooden Classic. The tipoff for that game is scheduled for 1:40 pm PST. While the Bulldogs seemed to be the favorite heading into this game, their coach is showing nothing but respect for the Bruins, who are still working to get healthy after a week off for finals.

Here is the game day setup from ClarionLedger.com:

The Bulldogs have destroyed the last two teams they've faced, beating St. Bonaventure by 52 points and then easily handling DePaul 76-45 on Thursday in the SEC/Big East Challenge.

State had a brutal travel schedule after that game, leaving immediately by plane from Tampa, Fla., and not arriving in California until what would have been 5 a.m. Central time.

"We've got a quick turnaround and face a UCLA team that's getting better every time they play," MSU coach Rick Stansbury said in a released statement. "We'll have our work cut out for us on very short rest."

Stansbury is being gracious because it willl be the Bruins who might have serious matchup issues heading into this game. From the LA Times:

Mississippi State's Jarvis Varnado, a 6-9 forward, leads the nation with 5.3 blocks a game.

But Howland said his team will face other problems when it comes to the Bulldogs' defense.

"They are long and athletic," he said. "They can get out and pressure you, get after you. They get after the ball."

Mississippi State has held opponents to 38.7% shooting this season.

Varnado is an imposing figure in the paint. Watching him on Thursday night though, I got the sense he is more of a defensive menace. On the offensive side he was picking up garbage points with offensive rebounds. It was in the defensive side he was dominant. It is going to be difficult for Nelson, Morgan on the offensive end this afternoon unless they decide to go right after Varnado. That will not be an easy task. More after the jump.

Complicating the matchup issues for Bruins, the Bulldogs' guards are uhm shooting lights out in last couple of games. They are red hot right now. As Patroclus noted, they are in the top-10 among all D-1 teams in reliance on 3-point shots (27% is the current D-1 average). With the same starting 5, MSU got 1/3 of its scoring off of 3’s. So throwing zone defense at them will not solve our defensive issues in the backcourt this afternoon. We will need JA, ML, MR and TH to bear down and work on putting on ball pressure on Bulldogs guards so that they can't get in any kind of rhtyhm early on. Honestly not sure if they are capable of doing it.

On the injury front, apparently there was a little "scare" around TH as he felt pain in his right leg where he experiened stress reaction few weeks. But he will be ready to go:

"We actually had a little scare," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "We thought maybe we were going to lose him again. He had a little pain in the same shin where he had the stress reaction."

The MRI exam turned out to be negative, and Honeycutt responded to the results by having a solid outing at practice on Friday. He will be back in the lineup for Saturday’s game against Mississippi State in the Wooden Classic at the Honda Center.

And Nelson is feeling good:

"I feel good," Nelson said. "It was sore the last couple of days but it feels good."

Hopefully, Nelson and Honeycutt will be able to build on the encouraging effort from last Sunday. I think it is going to be an uphill battle for them this afternoon. However, if they can establish themselves on the defensive end early on and use that intensity to generate offense via some turnovers and get the crowd behind them, I think we will have a good shot. Hope we can really start turning it around today and celebrate a real victory instead of meaingless moral ones.

GO BRUINS.

SEC Splits Invitational with Big East

Year2 — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:00:08 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

Mississippi State's Romero Osby dunks over the DePaul defense during the second half. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

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LAST NIGHT

Mississippi State thumped DePaul 76-45 in the first of two SEC/Big East Invitational games in Tampa. Five different Bulldogs went into double digits, led by Ravern Johnson's 14. Jarvis Varnado had 12 points, 14 boards, and a pair of blocks for the Starkville contingent. MSU held DePaul to a miserable 28% shooting night, including just 18% in the first half. It was a nice and easy win and all, but DePaul did go winless in Big East play last year.

In the second half of the double header, No. 11 Florida made a nice effort of it but fell to No. 6 Syracuse 85-73. Kenny Boynton had 20 points and seven assists to lead the Gators, and Chandler Parsons had 19 off the bench. The Gators' defense, which has otherwise been great this year, could not come through as the Orange scored easily the most of anyone against UF this season and shot 52.5% from the field. Syracuse led comfortably for most of the game, but Florida did make a run to take the lead with about 10 minutes to go. From there though, the Orange pulled away.

That means the SEC/Big East Invitational ended with a 2-2 tie. The conferences split the match ups of ranked teams, with Kentucky knocking off UConn and Syracuse beating Florida. The mismatches went as expected, with St. Johns taking care of Georgia and Mississippi State blowing out DePaul.

College Hoops Go-Round: December 11

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

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

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

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

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

In other Thursday night action

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More photos » by Rogelio V. Solis - AP

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

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

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

GO BRUINS.

Mississippi State: Adding To Our Bulldogs Game File

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

More photos » by Rogelio V. Solis - AP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more on the Bulldogs lets jump over the flip.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GO BRUINS.

Ben Ball Roundup: Update On Nelson/Honeycutt, Howland's Thoughts On Bulldogs & Other Notes

Nestor — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:53:13 -0000

So just two more days to go till the Finals weeks come to and end. Bruins will get back to practices tonight to prepare for Saturday's game against Mississippi State Bulldogs. I believe they are heading out to Anaheim on Friday. Hopefully the focus on finals and taking couple of days off from practices will allow freshmen such as RN more time to heal up and TH to get stronger as he works his way back to the rotation. Coach Howland gave updates on the status of his two key freshmen and his impressions on the Bulldogs yesterday.

Howland is optimistic that Nelson will be able to play on Saturday:

Nelson hasn’t missed any practice time because it’s finals week at UCLA and the Bruins didn’t practice on Monday or Tuesday. The Bruins are optimistic that he’ll be able to play Saturday against Mississippi State at the Wooden Classic in Anaheim.

"The main thing is there’s no significant damage to the eye," Howland said. "It could have been a lot of potential for bad things in a situation like that but everything seems pretty good."

Given how tough this kid has proven to be in early going, I will be surprised if he is not available on Saturday. Speaking of being available, Howland is hoping to get more mins for TH on Saturday. TH had a rough start on offense (shooting 1 for 6) in his first regular season game as a Bruin, however, he showed glimpses of his athleticism grabbing 6 boards in just 19 mins. From the LA Times:

Howland chalked up some of the rough play to jitters and said that he would have to use Honeycutt judiciously until the underclassman worked himself back into top shape.

But the Bruins need another body in the rotation, someone to take the load off Michael Roll, Malcolm Lee and Jerime Anderson, so Honeycutt may have to push himself in Anaheim this weekend.

"We're hoping he will be able to get more playing time," Howland said.

TH himself is focusing on getting back into the flow of the game:

"I felt like I did pretty good," he said. "I've just got to get back into the flow of the game."

It's not just TH. The entire team still has a lot of work to do in terms of having a flow and rhythm in offense. More on that and other notes after the jump.

Coach Howland talked about the need for the team to eliminate taking rush/hurried shots:

Of the 61 field goals that UCLA attempted in the 73-61 loss to Kansas, Howland counted 14 that were ill-advised. That might explain why the Bruins rank last in the Pac-10 in field-goal percentage.The Bruins have connected on 42.5 percent of their field-goal attempts - that includes a 27.1 clip on 3-point shots - through seven games."We got way too anxious on a number of occasions, even in the first half, and early in the second half were we took bad shots," Howland said. "I think we’re going to have to really understand that we have to be more patient."When we can get Michael Roll and Nikola (Dragovic) and Malcolm (Lee) open for wide-open shots, they’re going to make them. But when they’re rushed and they’re hurried, it’s going to be much the same."

It is going to be interesting to see just how long Howland can remain patient with Dragovic. He had two airballs last game in addition to all the instances when he just seemed to forget the need for boxing out on the defensive side of the court. I am hoping somehow Honeycutt will find his scoring rhythm in the coming weeks. If that happens and Dragovic is still shooting less than 20 percent from behind the arc, I would have to think Howland will have no choice but to reduce his mins during the conference games.

Coach Howland also offered the following thoughts on Bulldogs:

On Mississippi State's offense:
"They have a very good point guard, Dee Bost, he's a smart player. Shoots almost 53 percent from threes thus far. They're a pretty good shooting team. They have another kid (Ravern Johnson), he's long athletic and a starting three-man, really a good athlete."

On Mississippi State's defense:
"They pressure you and try to get after you defensively. They can really get out and get after the ball. They're athletic. They're a very good rebounding team and obviously they block shots with the big guy inside."

It sounds like we can't expect much zone defense from the Bruins this weekend in Anaheim:

"You know what? Old Dominion, who's a really good team this year, tried to zone them and actually it didn't work. They do a lot more zoning that we do. We'll look at it but they're a good shooting team. It's a thing where we'll have to see how we do as the game progresses. At some point, we're going to use it. It's not going to be...I feel like our young guys, like Reeves Nelson and Tyler, they need to learn how to play man-to-man. We have to keep working on getting them better."

Given how good of the shooting team the Bulldogs are it makes sense. I think the key for our guys is going to be putting pressure with our on ball defense and then hustling around the rim to make sure we are not getting out-rebounded. This means our frontcourt (cough*Nikola*cough) can't take time off from boxing out and giving up easy rebounds to Jarvis Varnado.

I think we will have a good shot in winning the game if we can win the turnover margin, hold our own on the rebounding numbers, and play a smart and patient offense. It sounds so easy but has proven to be incredibily difficult with our team in the early going. Hopefully a somewhat healed up Nelson, healthier Honeycutt and a rested team will be difference for our guys on Saturday.

GO BRUINS.

Round Ball Round Up Feels Like a Winner // 12.08.09

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

by Dave Martin - AP

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

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

LAST NIGHT

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

DECEMBER 5

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

DECEMBER 2

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

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

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

NOVEMBER 29

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

NOVEMBER 28

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

NOVEMBER 27

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

Ben Ball Roundup: Nelson Impressions, Zone Defense, & Mississippi State Notes

Nestor — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:25:43 -0000

More photos » by Jason Redmond - AP

RN held preseason All American Aldrich to 7 points, despite giving up 3 inches

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Thank God for finals week. Not sure if I have ever typed that before. Given the injuries, drama our basketball team has gone through during this non-conference season, another week off from game action couldn't come at a more opportune time for the program. Bruins don't have a game till Saturday against Mississippi State Bulldogs due to their finals. This will allow them not only to fully focus on their finals, but more importantly continue to heal from the injuries suffered early in the season or in Reeves Nelson's case in last Saturday's game against Kansas.

As Jon Gold noted the UCLA medical staff is "optimistic" that Nelson will be ready to go on Saturday. Nelson in his first start not only reaffirmed our early impressions of him here on BN, he also impressed his opponent:

"He's going to be a good player," said Aldrich, who at 6feet 11 is 3 inches taller than Nelson. "He's real scrappy. You have to keep hitting him on the boards. He's one of those guys you love playing against, but you also hate it at the same time. You love guys who go after the ball really hard, but it's like, `Man, I have to keep boxing him out?"'

That's of course preseason All-American center Cole Aldrich of Kansas, who Nelson held to just 7 points on Saturday. Nelson brought the same energy and passion on defense, we got to used to by watching AA, RW, LRMAM, LMR and PAA. We have to keep our fingers crossed that he is feeling ok by Saturday and ready to go full speed against the Bulldogs.

Meanwhile, one issue we didn't discuss in our game wrap up thoughts was after all the chatter about playing zone, we didn't see any against Kansas. Per LAT's David Wharton Bruins stayed with the trademark man-to-man defense for couple of reasons:

First, Kansas is big but not as quick on the perimeter as teams such as Portland that have consistently beaten UCLA off the dribble.

Second, Kansas shoots with greater accuracy from outside.

"We watched film on them against zone, and they really attack it well," Howland said, adding: "It's harder to block out in zone coverage than it is in man coverage."

Even so, the Jayhawks penetrated enough to create problems and outscore UCLA 36-28 in the paint, which left Howland musing that maybe the zone "is something we should have looked at."

The Bruins still have concerns about being athletic enough -- at this point, at least -- to stay in front of the ball. Howland said they will continue to learn the zone in practice this week.

"There will be other teams where maybe it will be something to think about based on their personnel," he said.

That leads to the question whether we will see that zone against the Bulldogs on Saturday. Some early thoughts on those guys after the jump.

The Bulldogs (5-2) on paper are supposed to be a solid team. They surprised a lot of folks by getting hot in March and winning their conference tourney. All of their 5 starters returned this season. They were hoping that they would have the "services" of freshman Renardo Sidney this season. However, not to anyone's surprise Sidney and his family are still working with NCAA to clear up issues concerning financial statements around rental property.

The Bulldogs just like the Bruins have struggled a little early on even with a cupcake schedule. They lost by 14 points to Rider at home (!) to start the season. They then went on to lose against against Richmond (by 1 point) in the first game of the South Padre Island Invitational. Still they are coming into this game with a 2 game winning streak, the last one being a blowout win over St. Bonaventure at home.

Going back to the question of zone defense, it will be interesting to see whether we will see Bruins go to that against the Bulldogs. Looking through their KenPom scouting report, here are the Four Factors on Bulldogs:

Effective FG%:     55.2 [23]     44.1 [59]     48.7
Turnover %:     19.6 [105]     16.2 [335]     21.2
Off. Reb. %:     34.1 [142]     24.8 [8]     33.2
FTA/FGA:     33.4 [246]     21.5 [3]     37.7

So, on paper they appear to be a solid shooting team with an effctive FG % of 55.2 (23). They are also one of the better 3 pt shooting team in the country. However, the stat that jumps out though is the one regarding TOs. They seemed to be a turnover prone team, which leads me to think whether Howland will stick with his man-to-man defense hoping our guards can show the same tenacity on defense, they exhibited early on against Kansas (when Lee started for Anderson at pg).

The player to watch from the Bulldogs per CBS Sportsline.com:

C Jarvis Varnado looks like an early contender for Player of the Year honors in the SEC. Through the first six games he was averaging 14.5 points and 10.0 rebounds, while blocking 5.5 shots per game.

That means Reeves Nelson and co. will have their hands full again on Saturday.

I will try to gather more notes on the Bulldogs before Saturday. I'd like to hear from you guys if you have seen these guys play this season. They will have one more game in couple of days against DePaul. I am assuming it might be televised since it is part of the "SEC-Big East Invitational." We should probably check that game out to get a sense of that team. If any of you have already seen them this season, would love to hear your takes on what we can expect on Saturday.

GO BRUINS.

Round Ball Round Up 11.25.09

Year2 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:58:41 -0000

More photos » by Eugene Tanner - AP

21 days ago: Chaminade guard Steven Bennett (5) attempts a shot while being defended by Vanderbilt forward Andre Walker (24) and A.J. Ogilvy during the first half Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009 at the Maui Invitational NCAA college basketball game in Lahaina, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Eugene Tanner)

Browse more photos »

LAST NIGHT

No. 5 Kentucky waltzed past one of last year's tournament darlings in defeating Cleveland State 73-49. The game was played in a ballroom in Cancun, Mexico, and the Cats certainly weren't taxed on their vacation. Only John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins made it into double figures for UK, with 15 and 14 respectively, but ten different Wildcats scored. Patrick Patterson sustained a slight ankle sprain and missed much of the second half. A Sea of Blue has full coverage.

In a different slice of paradise, No. 24 Vanderbilt picked up an easy win in the Maui Invitational, beating Chaminade 68-41. As with UK, only two Vanderbilt players made it into double figures: John Jenkins with 14 and Jermaine Beal with 10. The Commodores one upped the Wildcats though by having eleven players score. It was close for a while, but Vandy put the game away with a 24-0 second half run.

The SEC picked up a win over the ACC with Florida's 68-52 win over FSU. A trio of Gators—Kenny Boynton, Alex Tyus, and Erving Walker—scored 13 apiece, and four more had at least six points to comprise the scoring effort. Tyus and Chandler Parsons tied for the team lead in rebounds with eight. Florida's defense was the story of the night, shutting down FSU for about 30 of the 40 minutes in the game. The Seminoles made a run to begin the second half, but Florida pulled away late to seal it.

Over in the West, Mississippi State cruised to a 75-50 win over Texas Pan-Am. Jarvis Varnado continued his reign of terror with 12 points, 15 rebounds, and eight blocks, while three other Bulldogs made it into double digits. MSU's defense held the—let's see here, the Broncs, not the Broncos—to under 30% shooting on the night. Big runs to start each half largely carried the day in Starkville.

Another team getting a comfortable win was Georgia, who routed UNC-Asheville 79-58. Ricky McPhee led the way with 20 points for the red and black Bulldogs, who had four scorers in double figures while holding the blue and white Bulldogs to just 37% shooting. Four different UGA men also had at least five rebounds, and both McPhee and Dustin Ware led the team with four assists apiece. A hot start propelled the Athens folk, as they busted out of the gates to a 16-2 lead.

It was not so kind a night for Arkansas as the Razorbacks fell to Morgan State 97-94. Rotnei Clarke's 26 and Michael Washington's 21 led the way for the Hogs, but they allowed Bear guard Reggie Holmes to go for 34. Jemal Farmer contributed eight rebounds for Arkansas, while Julysses Nobles chipped in six assists. Clarke missed a three at the buzzer that would have tied it. The Razorbacks led 53-47 at the half, but they couldn't make it stick. Arkansas Expats has a few thoughts here.

MONDAY

Then-No. 9 Tennessee lost a heartbreaker 73-72 to No. 6 Purdue in the final game of the Paradise Jam. Wayne Chism paced the Vols with 24 points, but he missed a shot with two seconds to go that sealed the team's fate on that night. Chism also led UT with six boards and two blocks. Bobby Maze put in 13, and Tyler Smith score 10 for the orange. Rocky Top Talk is gracious in the loss but notes that officiating was overbearing on both ends.

Vanderbilt also had a bad evening, dropping one to the Big East's Cincinnati 67-58. Four Commodores made it into double figures, led by Jermain Beal's 16, but the rest of the squad managed just seven points among them. Neither team shot well, with Cincinnati making just 39.7% of field goals and Vandy managing just 27.5% shooting. The Bearcats went on a stunning 18-2 first half run, and VU wasn't able to make up all of the difference the rest of the way.