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KNOW THY ENEMY: Texas A&M Aggies (revisited)

BracketCat — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 04:00:18 -0000

To secure a top-four finish in the Big 12, Texas A&M will need Bryan Davis to come up strong for them. (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

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This entry isn't late — it's just making a fashionable entrance.

Here's what I wrote about the Aggies back in October. Keep in mind this was right after we put 60-plus on their football team:

This week's preview probably is one of the more distasteful I will compose, perhaps only to be topped by the one for the Flaw on the Kaw. When it comes to Aggie basketball, the word "enemy" well and truly applies.

I don't know if it's because of Mark Turgeon, the Kellis Robinett of basketball coaches, or Billy Clyde Gillispie, angry drunk that he is, but something about Texas A&M actually being halfway decent in basketball just pisses me off. I don't know — maybe it's just the grudge I've been holding against the 12th Man since December 1998.

At any rate, I'm still basking in the afterglow of the absolute pwning administered to the Aggies on Saturday, so I'll strive to be as magnanimous as possible in this preview. If you're looking for more information, feel free to hop over to I Am The 12th Man, where basketball season almost certainly is under way. Anything to distract from a likely 0-3 start, right?

Otherwise, click the jump for all you need to know about Ags-ketball.

The Story So Far

Texas A&M's best wins came in the 76 Classic against then-ranked Clemson and Minnesota. Clemson eventually returned to the rankings this week, but Minnesota has yet to do so, so those wins have lost a little luster. The Aggies probably earned more respect by playing West Virginia close in a loss in that tournament.

The recent loss to New Mexico in Houston was a setback, but the Lobos are a really good team.

Otherwise, the resume consists of unremarkable wins against Angelo State, at SMU, Samford, Prairie View A&M, Akron, North Texas and The Citadel. The Aggies would be well served to net a win in Seattle tonight against Washington.

Current Texas A&M RPI: 19

The Coach

Mark Turgeon
Third Season

58-23 (17-15) at Texas A&M (as of Monday)
211-142 (103-89) overall

Bio

The Departures

Starters

Josh Carter (30.6 minutes per game | 13.8 points per game | 4.3 rebounds per game)
Chinemelu Elonu (23.8 minutes per game | 9.8 points per game | 7.3 rebounds per game)

Reserves

Denzel Bowles (5.4 minutes per game | 2.4 points per game | 1.2 rebounds per game)
Bryson Graham (2 minutes per game | 0.8 point per game | 0.3 rebound per game)

The Veterans

		#0 Bryan Davis Senior Forward 6-9 \| 250 Dallas, Texas Bio 23.2 minutes per game \| 9.1 points per game \| 6.9 rebounds per game

		#2 Derrek Lewis Junior Guard 6-5 \| 195 Tulsa, Okla. Bio 3.2 minutes per game \| 0.8 point per game \| 0 rebounds per game

		#3 Derrick Roland Senior Guard 6-4 \| 190 Dallas, Texas Bio 25.9 minutes per game \| 11.1 points per game \| 3.2 rebounds per game

		#5 Dash Harris Sophomore Guard 6-1 \| 175 Los Angeles, Calif. Bio 24.5 minutes per game \| 5.3 points per game \| 3.3 rebounds per game

		#10 David Loubeau Sophomore Forward 6-8 \| 230 Miami, Fla. Bio 21.5 minutes per game \| 5.9 points per game \| 5.9 rebounds per game

		#11 B.J. Holmes Junior Guard 5-11 \| 175 Houston, Texas Bio 21.4 minutes per game \| 9.7 points per game \| 2.3 rebounds per game

		#14 Andrew Darko Junior Guard 6-1 \| 175 Conroe, Texas Bio 2 minutes per game \| 0.3 point per game \| 0 rebounds per game

		#15 Donald Sloan Senior Guard 6-3 \| 205 Dallas, Texas Bio 30.7 minutes per game \| 17.4 points per game \| 4 rebounds per game

		#24 Shawn Schepel Junior Guard 6-3 \| 205 Dallas, Texas Bio 2 minutes per game \| 0 points per game \| 1 rebound per game

		#31 Chris Chapman Senior Guard 5-11 \| 175 Houston, Texas Bio 2 minutes per game \| 2 points per game \| 0 rebounds per game

		#33 Marshall Carrell Junior Forward 6-9 \| 230 Paris, Texas Bio 2 minutes per game \| 0 points per game \| 0 rebounds per game

		#45 Nathan Walkup Junior Forward 6-7 \| 210 Houston, Texas Bio 19.3 minutes per game \| 6.3 points per game \| 3.5 rebounds per game

The Redshirt

#12 James Blasczyk
Freshman Center
7-0 | 230
Houston, Texas

1.8 minutes per game | 0.5 point per game | 0 rebounds per game

The Newcomers

		#21 Ray Turner Freshman Forward 6-8 \| 220 Houston, Texas Bio 0 minutes per game \| 0 points per game \| 0 rebounds per game

		#22 Khris Middleton Freshman Forward 6-7 \| 215 North Charleston, S.C. Bio 14.1 minutes per game \| 4.3 points per game \| 3 rebounds per game

		#23 Naji Hibbert Freshman Guard 6-5 \| 200 Baltimore, Md. Bio 15.5 minutes per game \| 2.5 points per game \| 2.3 rebounds per game

		#25 Jeremy Adams Freshman Guard 6-5 \| 195 Madison, Miss. Bio 0 minutes per game \| 0 points per game \| 0 rebounds per game

My thanks to the Texas A&M sports information department for the photos.

The Analysis

My October analysis, which might have been prematurely glum:

As much as I dislike the Aggies, it's hard to discount them as a force in Big 12 basketball. Over the past five years, they have been to four consecutive NCAA tournaments, made five consecutive postseason appearances and finished in the top half of the conference every year. Other than Kansas and Texas, Texas A&M is the only Big 12 team to win 20+ games during that stretch.

But while Texas A&M has been a consistent winner, it hasn't yet been a serious challenger for a Big 12 championship.

The Aggies regularly have lost to powers such as Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas; own a two-game, regular-season losing streak to Kansas State, despite being favored in both games; and occasionally are upset by less-talented programs such as Baylor and Texas Tech. They even struggled with Colorado last year, before pulling away late.

I don't think anything will change in 2009-2010, either. In fact, I think it is more likely that Texas A&M will decline, rather than rise up, despite adding a recruiting class that hovered in and out of Rivals' Class of 2009 rankings, before finishing just outside the Top 25.

Although the Aggies lost only two significant players off last year's team, only Oklahoma lost two more significant starters. Josh Carter and Chinemelu Elonu by far were A&M's two best players in 2008-2009. Carter, a four-year starter and the Aggies' leading scorer last year, graduated, while Elonu, the team's leading rebounder who already had earned his bachelor's degree, tested the NBA draft waters and was selected in the second round by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Luckily for A&M, Donald Sloan and Bryan Davis did not follow Elonu's lead, and instead pulled out of the draft to return for their senior seasons. Good thing, too, or the Aggies would have lost four starters and been totally decimated.

Sloan is one of the league's better point guards and Davis should step up to fill Elonu's void as the team's leader in rebounding.

The other returning starter is Derrick Roland, who rivals Dominique Sutton and J.T. Tiller in terms of defensive intensity. He has been bothered by injuries the past few seasons, but assuming he stays healthy, he should lock up the off-guard position all year.

Projecting the other two starters is trickier. I'm pretty sure that Nathan Walkup, who played in all 32 games last season, will figure into the equation, though. At 6-7, Walkup offers nice size at the wing position, and he probably can also hold his own in the post, in a smaller lineup.

The fifth starter probably will be situational. My projections use a traditional PG-SG-SF-PF-C lineup, so I went with James Blasczyk, a 7-footer who is the tallest player left on the roster. But Blasczyk is coming off a redshirt season and hasn't yet played a game in Division I, so it's a stretch to say he will be a consistent starter.

It's more likely that the Aggies will go with a smaller lineup when the opponent's makeup presents the opportunity. In that case, Davis would shift to the 5 and Walkup to the 4, and B.J. Holmes probably would come in as a third guard.

Holmes was the Aggies' "sixth man" last season and replaced Roland as a starter whenever the latter was out with an injury.

Dash Harris (what a great name for a point guard!) was one of the conference's most impressive freshmen last year.

He is a solid backup for Sloan and will continue to play understudy to the senior, in preparation for next year when he will be counted upon to fill Sloan's considerable shoes. David Loubeau rounds out the 7-8 players I see making up the Aggies' primary player rotation. He's a solid reliever in the frontcourt with some size (6-8, 230).

Marshall Carrell as primary backup at center is a stretch. I mainly picked him there because at 6-9, he's the tallest player (other than Blasczyk and Davis) on the roster. But he is a role player who has played sparingly in years past, and that highlights one of the primary problems the Aggies face this season. Other than Davis and maybe Loubeau, there are no experienced centers on the roster. When A&M faces frontcourts such as those of Kansas, Kansas State or Texas, they are going to be challenged and they probably won't be able to measure up, due to a lack of depth. When Davis gets into foul trouble (and he does that a lot), the Aggies will lose games.

Other than Mark Turgeon, nobody knows much about Chris Chapman, Andrew Darko, Derrek Lewis or Shawn Schepel, because they have played next to no minutes. One or more could surprise, I suppose, but there's nothing there in the track record to make you think it's imminent.

Khris Middleton doesn't really stand above the other incoming freshmen, but I liked the unconventional spelling of his name, so he rounds out the projected two-deep. Jeremy Adams, Naji Hibbert and Ray Turner complete a solid, but not heralded, recruiting class. How they develop in the years to come could indicate whether Turgeon really is a great coach, or merely is coasting with players inherited from Billy Gillispie.

Projected Big 12 Starting Lineup


Donald Sloan	Derrick Roland	Dash Harris	Nathan Walkup	Bryan Davis
1	2	3	4	5

Projected Top Big 12 Reserves


B.J. Holmes	Derrek Lewis	Naji Hibbert	Khris Middleton	David Loubeau
1	2	3	4	5

The Final Verdict

OK, I was wrong about the Aggies on a few fronts.

My projections of Turgeon's 10-man rotation were off because he's not using any of his traditional centers, choosing instead to go small with a three-guard lineup. So, scrap Blascyzk and Carrell, substitute Harris into the starting lineup (he's started all 11 games so far), and move Lewis (who has played sparingly) and Hibbert into the second row.

I did call Walkup as a starter when most media outlets were projecting Loubeau, though, if I might toot my own horn for a moment.

The other thing I was wrong about was the Aggies' finish. I had them in 6th place, but that assumed Oklahoma would not suck as much as they have. It's pretty clear now that Texas A&M probably is about the fourth-best team in the conference, and most likely will collect a first-round bye in Kansas City, despite my earlier pessimism.

That said, I think the Cats are a notch better against a tougher schedule and should be able to hold them off in Bramlage, and for third place in the Big 12.

Big 12 preseason prediction: 5th

My predicted finish: 4th (was 6th)

Best-case scenario: 2nd (was 4th)

Against K-State?: Loss in Manhattan

Previously on KNOW THY ENEMY...

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Missouri (T-9th with Iowa State)
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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

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

Kenny Stills Highlight Video

ccmachine — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:02:29 -0000

Position: WR

Size: 6-2/175

40: 4.4

Vertical: 32 inches

Status: Committed

Other Offers: 17

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

Cade Davis & Tony Crocker Save The Day

ccmachine — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 07:33:48 -0000

Willie Warren was once again very ordinary and Tiny Gallon was once again in foul trouble so the Sooners, once again, needed Tony Crocker to put the team on his shoulders which he did, again. Crocker scored 24 points and grabbed 10 boards for his fourth double-double this season but you could argue that it was made possible by Cade Davis.

"Cade (Davis) played well. Cade really saved us in the first half and down the stretch. I really feel like that is probably the reason that we won. That stretch right there when they made a push, I thought Cade was really good and I thought Crock (Tony Crocker) did some really good stuff. That shot (Crocker) took late was not a smart decision, but he battled against bigger guys and still got a double-double." - Jeff Capel

After falling behind Northern Colorado 38-27 with just under three minutes left in the first half the Sooners relied on Cade Davis, who nailed six three-point shots in the first half, to draw back to within one (39-40) at the half. Davis ended the day with a game and career high 25 points but 20 of them came before halftime. The second half belonged to Crocker who put OU ahead for good at the 16:44 mark of the second half.

Both Davis and Crocker were superb on offense but gave very solid defensive performances as well. Both had two steals and Crocker had two blocked shots while Davis had another himself. They combined to make the perfect one two punch for the Sooners but they really aren't the duo we expected to see leading the Sooners.

With three McDonald's All-Americans on the team you'd think that one of them would have found a rhythm by now but it just isn't happening, for whatever reason, right now. Tiny Gallon allows himself to make silly freshman mistakes which results in foul trouble which in turn results in more time on the bench than playing on the court. The Sooners were outscored 36-20 in the paint on Saturday and much of that discrepancy came in the first half with Tiny on the bench.

Willie Warren had more turnovers (5) than he did points (4) which helped the Bears an 8-2 advantage in fast break points. Something is clearly wrong with Warren and everyone sees the frustration in it. He's hasn't been the player that this team needs him to be yet and he may be running out of time to take the leadership position that everyone expected him to. On Saturday he settled for jump shots, despite being 2-9 from the floor, and never really tried to drive, create and get fouled. He never earned a trip to the charity stripe. Even Jeff Capel seems to be fed up and is no longer participating in the, "what's wrong with Willie?" game. Capel said he was "tired of trying to figure him out," and gave no other information on the issue.

"I'm not trying to figure out anything," Capel said before walking out of his postgame news conference. "You figure it out."

Tommy Mason-Griffin is giving solid minutes and in light of Willie's slump has been more crucial to the team than either Gallon or Warren have been recently. He's certainly shown more improvement from the start of the season than the other two have.

If you take away these three guys then Saturday's win over Northern Colorado his a huge stepping stone. However, having talent like that on the team makes Saturday's win a moral defeat.

"This was a step backwards. Nothing associated with this game today was progress." - Jeff Capel

Davis and Crocker saved the day for Oklahoma with fantastic performances on Saturday but they certainly weren't the guys we thought the Sooners would be banking on to carry the team.

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

Quick Preview Of The Northern Colorado Bears

ccmachine — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:31:53 -0000

Northern Colorado comes into Norman with a respectable 9-2 record but a bit of a questionable schedule. They are 1-1 in the Big Sky conference with the loss coming to Montana State, 63-87. Their only other loss was an out of conference game at Wyoming (70-76). The Bears are used to traveling as today's game in Norman marks their seventh road trip in twelve games.

Bears Basketball Schedule

Next 5 Games

@ Oklahoma	Sat 12/19	12:00 PM CST
San Jose St.	Mon 12/21	8:35 PM CST
Denver	Mon 12/28	8:05 PM CST
@ TCU	Wed 12/30	7:00 PM CST
@ Northern Arizona	Sat 01/02	7:35 PM CST

Last 5 Games

Louisiana-Monroe	Wed 12/16	W 95 - 84
@ Wyoming	Sat 12/12	L 70 - 76
@ Montana	Sat 12/05	W 59 - 48
@ Montana St.	Fri 12/04	L 63 - 87
Colorado St.	Tue 12/01	W 70 - 63

Senior guard Will Figures leads the team in scoring with 15.6 points per game. He shoots 41.1% from the floor and 39.1% from three-point range. He also leads the team in free throw shooting at 82.7% and manages to make it to the charity stripe around 7 times a game.

Will Figures

#2 / Guard / Northern Colorado Bears

Height: 5-9

Weight: 155

Year: senior

	Pts	Reb	Ast
	15.6	2.5	2.7

Junior guard Devon Beitzel is the only other Northern Colorado player to average double figures in scoring. He makes 44.4% of his shots from the floor, 35.6% from three-point range and 81.1% from the charity stripe. He also leads the team in steals with 2.4 per game and is good for three or four rebounds.

Devon Beitzel

#32 / Guard / Northern Colorado Bears

Height: 6-1

Weight: 180

Year: junior

	Pts	Reb	Ast
	13.4	3.4	2.0

Sophomore forward Mike Proctor leads the team in rebounds with 6.1 per game and as a team the Bears average 31 boards per game. Proctor also scores 7.6 points per game and shoots 58.95% from the floor.

Mike Proctor

#41 / Forward / Northern Colorado Bears

Height: 6-8

Weight: 225

Year: sophomore

	Pts	Reb	Ast
	7.6	6.1	0.8

Rounding out the starting five are senior guard Yahosh Bonner who only scores 7.5 points per game but is 50% from three-point range and junior forward Taylor Montgomery who scores 8.5 points and grabs 4.2 boards per contest.

Once again Oklahoma needs to win this game on the boards. Neither team shoots extremely well so second chance points will be crucial. Oklahoma must also make defense a key by defending the perimeter to keep Bonner from going off. In man defense that responsibility will most likely fall on Cade Davis or Tony Crocker. The Sooners should also be looking to get transition and fast break points as the Bears turn the ball over an average of 16 times per game.

The Bears are allowing opponents to make 40% of their shots from the floor and 30% from three-point range. Tiny Gallon needs to be huge under the basket in both scoring and rebounding. He also needs to stay out of foul trouble. Opponents successfully make around 6 three-point shots per game which there are several players on Oklahoma's roster who could make the Bears pay for being lax on perimeter defense.

RPI WATCH: 12/18/09

BracketCat — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 05:45:09 -0000

Only one opponent played last night. But it's an opponent we should be rooting for to win every single game from here on out. And they won. Good for them.

Current Kansas State AP Ranking = 17

Current Kansas State Record = 9-1

Current Kansas State RPI = 1

Current Kansas State SOS = 2

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. 22* FHSU (7-1)
Washington State (8-2) | RPI = 88
Xavier (6-3) | RPI = 61
UNLV (9-1) | RPI = 27: Win over Weber State (72-63)
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

		#0 Bryan Davis Senior Forward 6-9 \| 250 Dallas, Texas Bio 23.2 minutes per game \| 9.1 points per game \| 6.9 rebounds per game

		#2 Derrek Lewis Junior Guard 6-5 \| 195 Tulsa, Okla. Bio 3.2 minutes per game \| 0.8 point per game \| 0 rebounds per game

		#3 Derrick Roland Senior Guard 6-4 \| 190 Dallas, Texas Bio 25.9 minutes per game \| 11.1 points per game \| 3.2 rebounds per game

		#5 Dash Harris Sophomore Guard 6-1 \| 175 Los Angeles, Calif. Bio 24.5 minutes per game \| 5.3 points per game \| 3.3 rebounds per game

		#10 David Loubeau Sophomore Forward 6-8 \| 230 Miami, Fla. Bio 21.5 minutes per game \| 5.9 points per game \| 5.9 rebounds per game

		#11 B.J. Holmes Junior Guard 5-11 \| 175 Houston, Texas Bio 21.4 minutes per game \| 9.7 points per game \| 2.3 rebounds per game

		#14 Andrew Darko Junior Guard 6-1 \| 175 Conroe, Texas Bio 2 minutes per game \| 0.3 point per game \| 0 rebounds per game

		#15 Donald Sloan Senior Guard 6-3 \| 205 Dallas, Texas Bio 30.7 minutes per game \| 17.4 points per game \| 4 rebounds per game

		#24 Shawn Schepel Junior Guard 6-3 \| 205 Dallas, Texas Bio 2 minutes per game \| 0 points per game \| 1 rebound per game

		#31 Chris Chapman Senior Guard 5-11 \| 175 Houston, Texas Bio 2 minutes per game \| 2 points per game \| 0 rebounds per game

		#33 Marshall Carrell Junior Forward 6-9 \| 230 Paris, Texas Bio 2 minutes per game \| 0 points per game \| 0 rebounds per game

		#45 Nathan Walkup Junior Forward 6-7 \| 210 Houston, Texas Bio 19.3 minutes per game \| 6.3 points per game \| 3.5 rebounds per game

		#21 Ray Turner Freshman Forward 6-8 \| 220 Houston, Texas Bio 0 minutes per game \| 0 points per game \| 0 rebounds per game

		#22 Khris Middleton Freshman Forward 6-7 \| 215 North Charleston, S.C. Bio 14.1 minutes per game \| 4.3 points per game \| 3 rebounds per game

		#23 Naji Hibbert Freshman Guard 6-5 \| 200 Baltimore, Md. Bio 15.5 minutes per game \| 2.5 points per game \| 2.3 rebounds per game

		#25 Jeremy Adams Freshman Guard 6-5 \| 195 Madison, Miss. Bio 0 minutes per game \| 0 points per game \| 0 rebounds per game