SB Nation - Portland Pilots

Assigned Reading: Portland Oregon and sloe gin fizz

SFBE.NF — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:49:34 -0000

The rise and fall of the Portland Pilots has come and likely gone, and unfortunately it was shorter than Robert Loggia's arc as Feech La Manna in season five of The Sopranos.

It's too bad but if you know the Pilots, and their reliance on the trifecta, you know that the margin of error was thin, as Basketball Prospectus's John Gasaway outlines.

Bottom line: when you shoot 53 percent from long distance over a four game span, make an effort to find a new way to win before your balloon goes pop and you're just another middling team from the West Coast Conference.

"They are who we thought they were": 11/29-12/6 edition

everydayezag — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 06:48:29 -0000

More photos » by Rajah Bose - AP

Mark Few is probably wondering why the WCC decided to essentially take this week off and lose every meaningful game played.

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It was just one week ago when I was praising the improvements the WCC had made and how close this conference was to emerging on the national scene. After great performances by Gonzaga, Portland, and USD on the national stage, the national media quickly began discussing how the WCC might even be equal to the Pac 10. However, after a demoralizing week by nearly every team in this conference, we can probably stop the clamoring for this to be a two or even three bid league. Instead, Gonzaga will need to spend January and February making sure they don't lose, because the assumption that this league is Gonzaga and the 7 Dwarfs will sadly continue. Unfortunately, this is what happens when teams in mid-major leagues throw away great opportunities like Portland and USD did.

1) Gonzaga (6-2): 74-69 win vs. Washington State; 77-75 loss vs. Wake Forest

It pains me to say that this team was literally some made free throws and a couple smarter plays away from playing a top 10 match up against Duke at Madison Square Garden. As much as I don't like to assume any games will be automatic wins, I don't see anyway that this team will possibly lose games to Augustana and Davidson. However, one thing that I continue to like about this team is the toughness they play with and the physicality that they demonstrate every night. Also, as opposed to previous teams that have peaked in November and December, it's clear that the coaching staff is still trying to figure out exactly what each guy can bring to the table. This will make for a couple more head scratching performances, but should also make for one of the better teams in the country in March.

2) St. Mary's (6-1): 78-71 win @ San Jose St.; 68-63 win @ Utah St.

While Portland and San Diego struggled this week, the Gaels pulled off two very impressive wins. This group really showed some moxie in the win over San Jose St., as they came back from a 15 point deficit to earn the victory over a very underrated team. The one weakness I see with this group is depth, as they have only five guys who really make significant contributions on a nightly basis. However, these two wins over San Jose St. and Utah St. are very impressive, and lets hope the Gaels can send a big message when they travel to Oregon on Saturday.

3) Portland (5-3): 86-82 loss vs. Portland St; 68-48 loss @ Idaho

If you want to see a blueprint for how to become irrelevant in one week, just look at what the Portland Pilots have done. After finally securing a top 25 ranking for the first time in 50 years, the Pilots choked away a comfortable lead against Portland St, and then followed that up by laying an egg in Moscow. While the Idaho loss is galling because of the final score, the Portland St. loss at home is the most stunning. You just can't simply lose games like that if you want to be in the hunt for an at-large bid come March.

4) Santa Clara (4-4): 79-68 win @ UCSB; 66-63 loss vs. UNLV

Santa Clara was a couple baskets away from being the #3 team on this list. However, after jumping out to an eight point halftime lead against UNLV, the Broncos just couldn't quite hold on for the win. Unfortunately, the news became even worse when it was announced that Kevin Foster, who leads the team with 19.8 points per game, will likely be out for the season with a foot injury. With that said, the Broncos clearly played hard without him in the loss to UNLV, and hopefully some guys will take advantage of the added playing time and step up.

5) San Diego (4-5): 69-62 loss vs. San Diego St.; 58-55 loss @ UC Riverside; 69-37 loss @ Fresno St.

I'm beginning to get to the point where I worry about the mental makeup of the Toreros. After back-to-back tough losses against good competition, USD completely imploded in the loss to Fresno St. Brandon Johnson has been suspended for disciplinary issues, which has become a theme under Billy Grier. Lets hope that the hangover from those close losses doesn't extend much more, because the Toreros have a huge game against New Mexico on Wednesday night.

6) LMU (3-6): 91-72 win vs. Academy of Art; 76-70 loss @ Wyoming

After securing a fairly simple win against the Academy of Art ( I was unaware this was a school prior to this recap), the Lions threw away a huge opportunity when they blew a lead in the last three minutes against Wyoming. I know I say it every week about this team, but the talent is there for them to significantly improve and be a threat by January. However, as is the case with many young teams, there is still a long ways to go before they know how to win close games.

7) Pepperdine (3-5): 83-77 loss @ Cal Poly

Here is another case of a WCC team conceding a comfortable win. The Waves led by 10 points at the half against Cal Poly, but then allowed 52 second half points to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The one positive aspect of the loss is the fact that Pepperdine found a couple guys to compliment Keion Bell. In fact, Jonathan Dupre' led the team in scoring with 19 points, while Bell scored 18 and dished out five assists.

8) USF (2-6): 78-54 loss @ Colorado; 69-43 loss @ BYU

There really isn't much to say about USF at this point in the season. They were embarrassed in back-to-back losses on the road and continue to waste the great production of Dior Lowhorn. In fact, if you want to get a sense for why USF lost both these games, just go back and read every addition of the WCC Power Rankings I have written in the past year. Until the Dons can learn to surround a great player with decent talent, they will continue to languish at the bottom of these rankings.

Zags reap Maui benefits: ranked 16th in coaches, 17th in AP

Zach B — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:49:00 -0000

More photos » by Rajah Bose - AP

Mark Few has done an outstanding job directing this young club back into the Top 25. With a big week coming up, we don't expect that ranking to go anywhere but up. (AP Photo/Rajah Bose)

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I think we all knew that Gonzaga would be ranked this week after winning the Maui Invitational but when the polls were released just a few moments ago, I must admit the results made me look twice. The Zags came into the season unranked but it only took a few weeks for them to make a big impact on the nation. The benefits of playing three big conference opponents on the ESPN family of networks has obviously paid off as Gonzaga is now ranked 16th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and 17th in the Associated Press poll. Mark Few's club now finds itself sitting pretty heading into December with two huge games coming up in the comfy confines of the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Washington State will be the first team to get a shot at the newly ranked Zags and this will be a game that many people have their eyes on. Washington State has also made a nice showing for itself to start the season after running through the Great Alaska Shootout with relative ease. A dominant victory over San Diego gave the Cougars the crown in a pretty decimated Alaskan field. Give all the credit to WSU though as everyone had penciled them and Oklahoma in the championship game before the tourney started but the Sooners lost two stunning games to the Toreros and Houston. WSU's Klay Thompson drives the Cougar train and scored 43 points in their most recent victory over USD. He was arguably the most impressive player in all the early season tournaments and will undoubtedly be a chore for the Zags to handle.

Wake Forest will also be making their way into the Kennel this week. Wake is one of the few "BCS" non-conference opponents that have every agreed to play Gonzaga in the McCarthey Athletic Center so this is obviously a big deal in the city of Spokane. Unfortunately, the Demon Deacons were upset two days ago by William and Mary at home so the marquee match up may have lost a bit of luster. With that being said, Al-Farouq Aminu is still one of the best and most exciting young players in the game and Wake is still poised for the upset. It will be an interesting week for Dino Gaudio's club as he doesn't have much time to come back from the stunning upset. The Deacs take on Purdue tomorrow in the ACC/Big 10 challenge on ESPN.

Either way, this should be one of the most exciting weeks in the history of the program. With two major opponents making their way into the MAC, you can bet that their will be a couple of "Tent Cities" set up outside the gym.

A few other rankings of note: for their outstanding effort in Maui, Cincinnati is now ranked 22 in the AP and 24 in the Coaches. Also, Gonzaga is not the only WCC team ranked in the AP Poll. The Portland Pilots have also checked into the AP Poll at #25. Preseason non-BCS media darling Butler, now saddled with two losses, is now 23rd in the AP and 20th in the Coaches.

The Shotgun/Throwdown: Monday (11/30/09) Edition

WVUIE97 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:30:46 -0000

Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU's best place for sports links, information and entertainment. Today we're being brought to you by Peroni.

Great weekend for the Mountaineers all around. We had a Brawl victory and both men and women's BB teams won their respective tournaments. All the news, photos and videos are inside. Keep the tips, suggestions and requests coming. It all starts after the jump...

Video of Interest:

Thanks to WVIllustrated and Naughtynok for the find.

Video of (Dis)Interest:

Suicide Gallery of the Week:

It's just the name of the site they come from. Mainly, it's just hot, tattooed chicks.

via coedmagazine.files.wordpress.com

Miss Throwdown:

Today's Miss Throwdown is just another example as to why it's good that Brazil got the Olympics over Chicago. Please meet Nicole Bahls.

via www.meionorte.com

Peroni image via toronto.beforelastcall.com

WCC Power Rankings: 11/22-11/29 edition

everydayezag — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:39:47 -0000

More photos » by Eugene Tanner - AP

While everyone knows that Gonzaga will be in the top spot in the Power Rankings, the WCC actually had some other teams competing for hardware this week.

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Sometimes doing these Power Rankings can be a little bit of a grind, mostly due to the fact that it seems the same teams are always in the same spots. However, with the performance of Gonzaga, USD, and Portland, the WCC was officially fun this past week. In three separate tournaments, the WCC had one winner (Gonzaga) and two teams lose in championship games (USD and Portland). Slowly but surely, this conference is building depth and competition, and is doing a great job of building a solid national reputation with these performances. It was great hearing the national media gush over Portland the rest of the WCC. With that said, the most important thing for this conference is that there is improvement and consistency throughout the month of December. There will be some great match ups against power conference teams, and the more wins that everyone can pick up before WCC play, the better chance there will be for multiple bids in March.

1) Gonzaga (5-1): 76-72 win vs. Colorado; 74-61 win vs. Wisconsin; 61-59 win vs. Cincinnati

I really can't stress enough how impressed I was about the performance in Maui. I'm not as worried about the lack of bench production for the fact that I think that will develop throughout December and early January. However, this team better not be relaxing, because going up against Washington St. and Wake Forest this week will be incredibly difficult. If Gonzaga can get through this week unscathed, it's not unreasonable to expect to be 9-1 and facing a top 10 match up against Duke in the middle of the month.

2) Portland (5-1): 74-47 win vs. UCLA; 61-56 win vs. Minnesota; 84-66 loss vs. West Virginia

Portland put together an absolutely terrific performance in the 76 Classic. Not only did they demolish UCLA, (I'm still waiting for a formal apology from Jeff Goodman for ranking that back court ahead of the Zags back court) but the Pilots won an impressive game over Minnesota. That amounts to knocking off a highly ranked team and one of the greatest programs in NCAA history in back-to-back nights. I definitely would have liked to have seen a better performance against West Virginia, but Bob Huggins might just have a top 5 team on his hands. For all of this to matter in March, Portland must take care of business against Idaho and Nevada later this month, and also must give Washington a great game.

3) St. Mary's (4-1): 100-59 win vs. California Maritime

Not a huge week from the Gaels, but I like where this team is positioned heading into a huge group of games against San Jose St, Utah St, and Oregon. St. Mary's needs to keep developing the young bench, as it will be very important for some of these big non-conference games and of course for WCC play. However, Omar Samhan is having a terrific season, averaging 20.6 points and 11.2 rebounds, and he will be tough to handle in January and February. However, we will really know a lot more about this team in the middle of December after they complete that tough stretch of games.

4) USD (4-2): 76-64 win vs. Oklahoma; 72-65 win vs. Houston; 93-56 loss vs. Washington St.

I was totally prepared to move USD up to the third spot in the power rankings. Even though Oklahoma is a shell of the team they were last season, it was still an impressive victory. Following that up with a win against a solid Houston team had me thinking that the Toreros finally turned the corner on their inconsistent play. However, there is no way a team is moving up this list when they lose a game by 37 points. I understand Klay Thompson put on an epic scoring display, but there is no excuse to lose a game by that much. For this team to compete during WCC play, they will need a couple of guys to compliment the terrific back court of Brandon Johnson and De'Jon Jackson.

5) Pepperdine (3-4): 75-66 win vs. Hampton; 82-73 win vs. Monmouth; 86-82 loss vs. Wyoming

It probably wasn't publicized much, but Pepperdine did come away the winner of the World Vision Basketball Challenge. This was a round robin tournament hosted by the University of Wyoming, and although it didn't feature elite competition, I truly think that this is just a team that needs to learn how to win. Not surprisingly, Keion Bell came away with the MVP award in this tournament, and I will be stunned if he doesn't compete for the WCC POY. Bell is currently averaging 22.8 points and 6.8 rebounds.

6) Santa Clara (3-3): 88-72 loss vs. NAU; 74-67 win vs. Fresno St.

The one thing I like about this team is the fact that Kerry Keating is starting to give some of his younger guys more playing time. Chris Cunningham, Niyi Harrison, and Ray Cowels are all starting to see some action, and that is a nice young core of guys for Santa Clara to build around. Kevin Foster seems to be back on track academically, since he scored 25 points in the win over Fresno St. However, I still think this group is another year or two away from being competitive in this conference.

7) LMU (2-5): 79-65 loss @ Tulsa; 89-84 loss vs. UCSB

Although LMU lost games against two solid teams, I think I jumped the gun last week by moving them up the list so far. Much like Pepperdine, the Lions have the talent and depth to start competing at a high level, but they still have a long way to go before they learn how to win close games. However, with Drew Viney and a solid three guard lineup, this team has a very nice core to build around, and will certainly be a team that will scare Gonzaga, Portland, and St. Mary's by the end of January.

8) USF (2-4): 76-65 loss @ UCSB; 70-66 loss vs. Montana St; 91-75 loss @ Colorado St.

While USF was competitive in all three of these losses, it doesn't seem like this group is quite on the level of the rest of the conference. Dior Lowhorn continues to be an elite guy, but the supporting cast still hasn't caught up with him and Kwame Vaughn. However, keep an eye on Rashad Green. The sophomore guard scored a season-high 21 points against Colorado St, and is doing a nice job with the extra minutes he has been seeing recently. He is exactly the type of guy that the Dons need to emerge throughout the season.

Moving on to chapter two of the 2009-10 season

Zach B — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:29:47 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Portland guard T.J. Campbell has improved greatly since last season. Pretty remarkable when you consider T.J. was the WCC newcomer of the year in 2008-09. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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It's hard to believe that for as long as we've been waiting for the season to get here, it now feels like the first six games have passed in the blink of an eye. As you know, the Zags have begun the year with a bang. A 5-1 record is something Gonzaga fans have taken for granted over the years as Mark Few has always prepared his teams to begin the season well. When you think about everything this team lost from a year ago, it's hard to find another season where Coach Few did a better job coaching up a team. I immediately think of the 2006-07 season when the Zags lost Adam Morrison and J.P. Batista but I'd still give the nod to our current group of Bulldogs.

Depending on what kind of team we have, each year seems to take on a different attitude. Last year, the goals were different because we were picked by many to be a final four team, had a roster with four NBA hopefuls, and played in a conference where it was basically a two-horse race with everyone else lust meddling around. As we look at this year and after our fast start, I think that this team has got to feel like they're sitting on top of the world. I belive that it is very important for Mark Few to bring them back to reality and turn the pages on their fast start and get them ready for the next phase of their season which is the real meat of the schedule. If I had to title this chapter of the season it would have to be "Sustain". If we learned anything from last year, it is to take a college basketball season in stride. Gonzaga got off to a ridiculously quick start and won the Old Spice Classic but got taken to the woodshed in mid-to-late December by the likes of Arizona, Connecticut, Portland State, and Utah. With each of these losses happening in their own special and gut-wrenching ways, I think it is important as fans to realize that these issues can arise with even the most talented of teams.

With that being said, it's important to take a look back on the start of the season and understand just how difficult the rest of the 2009-10 season will be.

Mark Few makes a living off of fast starts

Just looking at the past five seasons in Mark Few's tenure and it is hard not to be impressed with the way his teams start the season. In that span, Mark Few has only lost games to Washington, Connecticut, Butler, Texas Tech, and Michigan State. During the same time he has defeated programs like Michigan State, Maryland (twice), Tennessee, North Carolina, Cincinnati, and Wisconsin. These lists are qualified within the first six games of the season but you get the idea that Mark Few knows what he is doing when he begins a season. Five losses in the past five years' first six games (convoluted, I know) is extremely impressive. When you look across the program and see highly ranked teams consistently lay eggs in early season play, it's easy to understand why this is such an amazing feat. So many times, we see bubble teams in the NCAA Tournament make or break their bid with how they did in their early season nonconference games. In college basketball, it's pretty easy to get buried in the public eye before conference play begins. If you look at a team like Oklahoma that went to Alaska and played back-to-back terrible games in losing efforts to San Diego and Houston, they have their work cut out for them to impress the country because those are two very bad losses when March rolls around.

Our schedule is behaving very oddly

Typically around this time of the year, we write a post or talk about just how horrendous our December schedule is and how awful the West Coast Conference is. This year, the December slate is beginning to look extremely appetizing and seems to get simpler by the day. Next month, Gonzaga will only be making one legitimate road trip to New York City to play the Duke Blue Devils. The great thing is that, during the month, the Zags will be getting Washington State, Wake Forest, and Davidson, and Oklahoma all in the state of Washington. With all due respect to those teams on the schedule that we get in the state, I have no reason to believe why we can't defeat them all judging by the way they have begun the season. Wake Forest is the only one that I really haven't seen play yet but that will all change on December 1st when the play Purdue and then four days later when they visit Spokane. Washington State has been winning but rather ugly and is one of those teams where if you stop one guy (Klay Thompson), you stop WSU. Davidson is obviously down this season after losing Stephen Curry but played well earlier when they took Butler deep into the game. Oklahoma, as I've already mentioned, is REALLY struggling but they could get it together come late December. Their is too much talent on that team to not make a run. Duke is obviously the remaining crown jewel of this schedule. Defeat them, and Gonzaga has their signature win and it'll prove that this team can sustain.

The other side of the coin: the WCC

We all know about the Pac-10's state this season. There are really only two teams worth mentioning this season. Cal is one of them but has been really banged up to start the season. The other one, sadly, is the University of Washington. Other than that, the conference is either really young (the Arizonas and Oregon State) or really bad (the SoCal schools). The WCC has taken advantage of both aspects of this conference and has given this conference some fun early season wins. Portland defeated in-state rival Oregon and then treated UCLA like a D-2 school and beat them 74-47. They've gone on to also beat Minnesota and now have the chance to really stun the country as they match up with West Virginia this evening. As impressive as Gonzaga has been, Portland has the chance to put together an even better start to the year. They've already beaten two Pac-10 teams and a Big-10 team (better than Wisconsin). If they can upset the Mountaineers, they may have a better top 25 argument than our beloved Zags. Saint Mary's has also had a nice start to the year with a dominating win over tourney hopeful San Diego State and a down to the wire loss to Vanderbilt. They have Oregon coming up on the schedule. San Diego defeated a dismal Stanford team in the opening game of their season and is now about to play in the championship game of the Great Alaska Shootout after beating Oklahoma and Houston. Brandon Johnson is back and has instantly been reinstated as the most exciting player to watch in the conference along with Keion Bell. The bottom half of the WCC is still a pretty serious work in progress but that didn't stop Loyola Marymount from upsetting USC. That might be the most stunning of all the upsets so far in the conference. I know USC is in turmoil but LMU has defined turmoil the past calendar year. For them to upset a school that has unfathomable resources like USC is just shocking on many levels.

Do we need to worry about the almighty NBA?

This is now a very real and present danger for this Gonzaga team. Elias Harris should be a household name in college basketball fans house after the month of December and Robert Sacre has shown tremendous growth in his post game. When you think about Rob's combination of size and post improvement, you have to wonder if he'll be lured by the professional ranks. He's only a redshirt sophomore so we could have two more years with Rob after this one but I think he'll leave early; not this season, but next. He's still a bit raw on the boards and on defense to make that jump and he has plenty of time for the NBA. Elias Harris is an interesting story. He's already got the size, the versatility, and the energy to make many scouts take a long look at him. Harris has said that attending college in the states has always been a dream of his but I'm sure he also looked at the exposure college basketball gets here and liked that as he considered his future. For the life of me, I have no clue how this kid was buried in the German pro leagues but he has definitely burst on the scene stateside. I don't think he'll be a one and done. Rob and Elias have to know that what they have is remarkable and that next year they could take Gonzaga further than they have every gone before. At least this is my hope.

At Least We Have Better Cheerleaders Postgame Thread

Ryan Rosenblatt — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:16:15 -0000

More photos » by Danny Moloshok - AP

Two thumbs down would be a better description of your and your team's performance to this point this season. "Adjustments? We don't need no adjustments!" Ummm, yeah Coach, you do.

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I'm going to cling to our cheerleaders because at this point, that's all we have. Outworked? Check. Outplayed? Double-check. Outcoached? Triple-check. ND is making a run at worst string of performances by a UCLA player ever and I'm more than aware of the Lavin era. That's how bad it has gotten. JA took a major step back and he wasn't that far forward to begin with. ML's revamped jumper looked awful and defensively, we were torn apart by a great shooting Portland team. The Pilots are no joke and when a good team plays well against a bad team playing poorly, you get 74-47. Here's the box score.

The most depressing part of the game is that the players looked fantastic compared to the coaching job of CBH and his staff. CBH has done a remarkable job with the UCLA program and the guy has a looooooong leash for everything he has accomplished. That doesn't mean that he can't do a pitiful job in spurts though and calling the job he is doing right now pitiful is being charitable.

It's been said for a while that CBH's biggest weakness is how stubborn he is. That has bitten him in games before, but never for a stretch of games like it has this season. CBH is running his same system and making no adjustments, despite having a team unlike anything he's ever had and skill sets unlike anything he's ever had. Coach Wooden was most revered from a basketball standpoint for his ability to play 15 different styles to fit 15 uniquely different teams. CBH is showing none of the flexibility as he continues to attempt to fit square pegs into round holes.

That doesn't even begin to get into the minute allocation issues. I'll leave that to you guys in your comments below and fanposts if you have more extensive thoughts. For now, I'm too upset to go any more in depth. I'll leave that for tomorrow. At least we have our cheerleaders...

UCLA Beats Up Pepperdine 71-52, Takes Another Step Forward

Nestor — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:25:02 -0000

More photos » by Gus Ruelas - AP

Pepperdine's Taylor Darby getting a little taste of Ben Ball

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So the Ben Ball warriors did exactly what they needed to get done tonight against Pepperdine Waves. Coming into this game they need to play a game in which they got off to a decent start in the first half, played solid defense for the entire game, hit their FTs, and be selective with their shots in a classic Ben Ball game. Well they did just that against an inspired Wave bunch (who must have been reading press thinking our guys are vulnerable) by putting together their most improved performance of the season to date.

Bruins win by a final score of 71-52. Here is the box score. The player of the game tonight was MR, who had his best game as a senior with 17 pts, 5 assists, 2 rebounts, 1 block and 1 steal. Hopefully this is just the beginning for MR in what was his most fluid performance of the season. In addition to MR, Coach Howland got another solid effort from DG who led all scorers with 18 points, 9 boards and 3 blocks. I wrote in the comment thread how DG has been bringing it with his sheer tenacity and hustle every game (emerging as early candidate to claim himself to be the heart and soul of the team). ML also looked good today as he contributed with 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals and an assist.

The Bruins throttled Pepperdine to 19 of 46 shooting (41.3%) giving us glimpses of the Ben Ball warriors we have seen in previous years. Our on ball defense looked a little better and our rotation has certainly improved from our previous outings. We also shot better making 54.3% of our shots (25 of 46) as we did a decent job of with our shot selection and also benefitd from some great interior passing (MR gets a lot of credit for that). Oh and we were solid from the FT line today making 13 out of our 15 freebies. So can't really complain there. Of course as always, we have to keep this performance in perspective. More on that after the jump.

We after all just beat Pepperdine who haven't done much this season that's worth noting. We will have a better idea of our team when they take on Portland Pilots, a team that has started the season 3-0 which includes a victory over Oregon Ducks. We will have to wait to get updates on JA who went out with cramps and wasn't able to return in the game. Replacing JA, Abdul Hamid did all right, scoring 10 points (4 of 6 shooting including 2-4 from the 3), 3 assists and 2 TOs. However, I don't think he is the long term answer when we take on tougher competition. I really hope Coach Howland thinks about using more of MM, who I thought looked comfortable out there, even though he is still a raw freshman.

Bruins also have to do a better job of rebounding. The final stat sheet showed a tie in the rebounding department (26 a piece). I don't think that's good enough given the size we have in our front court. We also need to cut down on sloppy possessions. JK had two really bad possessions on back to back occasions turning the ball over with lazy passing. We can't afford that kind of plays from our senior starter. As a team though we turned the ball over 11 times, which wasn't too shabby.

Still I would consider tonight's game a positive step forward. It will give our guys something more to build on after getting encouraging results against Bakersfield the game before. Now if we can get JA fully healthy and come back out on Thursday and show the same hustle and intensity on both ends of the court to get us another victory, we will be in decent shape given where we were at to star the season. This is all part of the growing process with this young team. Lot of us are enjoying it because we knew it was going to be a long journey. If you don't want to be on our trip right now, don't try to jump back on the bandwagon when the engine starts clicking on all cylinders.

With that ... I will turn this court back to you. Fire away.

GO BRUINS.

MBB Game 4 Recap: Oregon 81, Portland, 88

dvieira — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:00:15 -0000

While most of us were busy trying to will the Oregon Ducks football team to a victory in the desert against the Arizona Wildcats, the men's basketball team spent the evening doing battle with the Portland Pilots at the Chiles Center.

Incoming Rant: Who was in charge of scheduling this game? With the football team looking to grab a shot at the Rose Bowl, why was the men's game not moved to a later time? Those watching the football contest had no shot of getting to the game in Portland. There was plenty of time to get the game moved, even by an hour or two.

I'm not thrilled by any loss but I can accept this one, if for no other reason than because of the talent level of Portland. This isn't a bottom feeder team where we just didn't perform. The Pilots are a team looking to challenge Gonzaga for the West Coast Conference title and make their way into the NCAA Tournament.

Oregon went into halftime with an 8 point lead but the Pilots went on a 15-1 run to start the second half. Last year, that would have been all she wrote for the team but the Ducks battled back, mostly on the hustle and shooting of Malcolm Armstead, who hit two 3 point baskets and a layup off a stolen inbounds play. Oregon was up 72-70 with about 5 minutes to go when Portland went on an 11-2 run to seal the game.

Individual Notes

Malcolm Armstead had a great game, scoring 21 points on 9 of 15 shooting including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc and no turnovers. His 8 point burst in the second half kept the Ducks from being blown out and gave the Ducks a chance to win in the closing minutes of the game before Portland pulled away. Not bad for a guy off the bench.

Tajuan Porter went missing in the second half after scoring 13 points in the first half. TP is still hot and cold. If he's going to step up and be that go to guy beyond the arc, the time is now. We need his points and his ability.

Michael Dunigan didn't play in the game due to his hip injury

Jamil Wilson had 3 points and 3 rebounds after starting the game but played limited minutes while spliting time with Jeremy Jacob and EJ Singler.

We had a Drew Wiley sighting who had enough time to play exactly 1 minute of action and drain a 3.

Josh Crittle didn't register any time in the game. For a guy that was one of the brighter spots for the team last year, I can't believe how little playing time he's getting. Is he in the doghouse? Out of shape? Or is it just that the other guys on the team are playing better.

Final Thoughts

I'm about as ok with this loss as I'm going to be. We were in the game, had a good lead and even came back after facing a tough stretch. The team is starting to learn to play together and have that scrappy attitude needed to do well. Playing competitive ball against Portland is a good indication of where this team is. We need to do a much better job defending the 3 point line and Dunigan has become a key component of our defense down low. If he is out for an extended period of time, we'll need someone to step up to fill that role.

Next game: Monday, November 23rd against the Montana Grizzlies from Mac Court in Eugene

WCC Power Rankings: 11/15-11/22 edition

everydayezag — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:39:50 -0000

More photos » by Rajah Bose - AP

Consistent play from Matt Bouldin and the rest of the Zags will keep Gonzaga at the top of the WCC Power Rankings.

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Although it has been in a rather quiet manner, the WCC is off to a very solid start this season. Currently, six of the eight teams in the conference are above 500., with the other two teams showing some very nice signs of life. Saturday night would certainly have to be considered a banner night for the conference, as the WCC recorded two wins against Pac 10 competition. While many Gonzaga fans probably expected Portland to take care of business against Oregon, the fact that LMU was able to travel to USC and earn a big road victory came as a pleasant surprise. Even with the fine performance by Portland, I will continue to keep Gonzaga at the top of the rankings until one of these other teams proves they are a true contender for this conference.

1) Gonzaga (2-1): 75-71 loss @ Michigan St.; 90-55 win vs. IPFW

As anyone who has read this blog for the past year would know, I am not the kind of guy that believes in "moral victories". However, the toughness and grit that this team displayed against a hostile environment in East Lansing has made me believe that we could have a pretty darn special team on our hands this season. After appearing to sleepwalk through the first half against IPFW, the Zags turned up their game and completely dominated an inferior opponent. The biggest challenge for Mark Few this season will be his ability to keep this young team focused and hungry for every game on the schedule. If these guys can stay on task and take care of business when they should, it will be a very bright season.

2) Portland (3-0): 98-81 win vs. Portland; 88-81 vs. Oregon

I will admit that I was a little worried about the expectations that I had for the Pilots after their opener against EWU. Although they won the game, Portland just didn't seem to play with as much execution as I had expected. This past week, Portland showed that they are certainly deserving of all the preseason hype, with two very nice wins. Nik Raivio continues to play like a potential WCC POY candidate, as he is averaging 19 points and 9 boards. The Pilots have a very nice trio in Raivio, T.J. Campbell, and Robin Smeulders. In the impressive win over Oregon, the trio accounted for 57 of the teams 88 points. With so much experience and talent on this team, the WCC has a great chance at two NCAA bids.

3) St. Mary's (2-1): 80-58 win vs. San Diego St.; 72-70 loss vs. Vandy

It's pretty darn clear that this St. Mary's program will not fade back to irrelevance with the loss of Patty Mills. In fact, St.Mary's came very close to making this an absolute banner week for the conference. After turning the most impressive performance of the 24 hour marathon on ESPN, with their 80-58 domination of San Diego St., the Gaels had an excellent opportunity to stun Vanderbilt. Even with 25 points and 18 boards for Omar Samhan, St. Mary's could not overcome the early double digit deficit and ended up losing by two points. However, with Samhan and Matthew Dellavedova, this team has a very formidable duo that will keep them in a lot of games.

4) San Diego (2-1): 56-55 loss @ Pacific; 84-65 win vs. Point Loma

The reason I rank San Diego in the top half of the conference is because they would be undefeated if not for an injury to Brandon Johnson against Pacific. In the one point loss to Pacific, Johnson played only 20 minutes because of a hurt hamstring, and he was out for most of the second half. Once Johnson is fully healthy, USD will have a terrific back court, with De'Jon Jackson playing at a very high level. Jackson is averaging 17.7 points and 5.0 rebounds for the Toreros. Even more important for this team is the continued solid play of Roberto Mafra. When Mafra plays well, he gives USD a legitimate post threat, which is huge because of how talented of a back court they have.

5) LMU (2-3): 84-78 loss vs. UC Irvine; 67-59 win @ USC

Ignore the win-loss record and the fact that this is the same program that took nearly two months to win a game last season. With the talent that this program has from transfers and recruiting, I can assure that LMU will be one team that nobody in this conference wants to face in January and February. This is a very balanced and talented team, with Oregon transfer Drew Viney leading the way for the Lions. Viney is averaging 17.2 points and 5.2 boards, and he is one of the more talented scorers in this conference. Once Viney and Larry Davis fully mesh with Vernon Teel and Jarred DuBois, this will be a very formidable team.

6) Santa Clara (2-1): 79-55 win vs. Menlo College; 86-53 loss @ San Diego St.

Consistency has just absolutely haunted the Santa Clara program over the past couple of years. After opening the season with a nice 2-1 start, the Broncos traveled to San Diego St. and got absolutely destroyed. Normally I wouldn't make too much out of a loss to a quality opponent, but this is the same San Diego St. team that didn't even belong on the same court as St. Mary's. The only reason I am willing to forgive this performance is because Santa Clara was missing Kevin Foster. Hopefully Foster can get his academic obligations in check, as his 20 points per game is a huge boost to this team.

7) San Francisco (2-1): 92-66 win vs. Dominican; 104-65 loss @ Arizona St.

I'm sorry USF, but getting destroyed against a mediocre Arizona St. opponent is no way to work your way up these power rankings. Don't be fooled by the fact that Arizona St. made the NCAA tournament last season, because this is a very average team, that just happens to be extraordinarily well coached by Herb Sendek. Both Dior Lowhorn and Kwame Harris have started the season very strong, with each averaging 18.7 points per game. However, there is no support for these two from the rest of the team. In order for the Dons to be competitive in conference, at least one more guy needs to step up and be productive.

8) Pepperdine (1-2): 67-58 loss vs. Long Beach St.; 72-70 win vs. Cal State-San Bernandino

In Keion Bell, Pepperdine has arguably the most explosive player in the conference. Bell is averaging 21 points and 7.7 rebounds for the Waves, and he literally keeps this team in most games. The huge problem that Pepperdine is facing is the fact that they have no one to compliment Bell. In fact, Bell is the only guy on the team averaging double-digit points per game. If no one is able to step up on a regular basis to help Bell, this team will remain in the cellar throughout the season.

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