SB Nation - San Diego Toreros

The Shotgun/Throwdown: Monday (12/21/09) Edition

WVUIE97 — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:02:47 -0000

Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU's best place for sports links, information and some daily distractions. Today we're being brought to you by Adnams Spindrift, in honor of today's Miss Throwdown.

It's Christmas week and most of us are recovering from the weekend snow. Football practice started up again and both basketball teams won over the weekend. The women did it in convincing fashion and the men blew a 17 point lead to win with an improbably easy layup with a second to spare. Your tips, suggestions and requests are always helpful. See you after the jump...

What You May Have Missed:

WVU Edges Vikings - MSNsportsNET.Com
80-78

West Virginia Defeats Fresno State - MSNsportsNET.Com
The women take care of business 72-52, after being delayed overnight by the snow.

Gold and Blue Report for Monday - WVMETRONEWS.COM

Video of Interest:

Here's an interview with Coach Beatty, courtesy of WVIllustrated.

Random Link of Hilarity:

These are awesome!

The top 10 unintentionally worst company URLs - Independent Sources

Christmas Gallery of the Day:

via www.gunaxin.com

Miss Throwdown:

Today's Miss Throwdown is one of the tabloid stars in the UK. Say hello to the lovely Michelle Marsh. God bless the UK. The gallery is just....wow.

via girls.gunaxin.com

And because it's the Christmas season, and I like to give, here are two more with Michelle frolicking around with pal and fellow Miss Throwdown, Lucy Pinder.

Adnams Spindrift image via www.thepublican.com

"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.

Browse more photos »

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.

Aztecs take City Championship in overtime, 69-62.

Sam (sdsuaztec4) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:12:14 -0000

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

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Point guard DJ Gay lead the Aztecs with 22 points over the USD Torreros Wednesday night in a packed Jenny Craig Pavilion. The Torerros started slowly in each period, but managed to come back in each except for OT. The Aztecs started the first half on an 8-0 run, the second half on a 13-0 runs, and OT on a 7-0 run that intimately lead the Aztecs to the 7 point win. 3 point shooting kept USD in the game; they were 9-20 in regulation but they also had a total of ZERO points in the paint in regulation. This probably makes sense since the Aztecs are much bigger than the Torerros; their ability to hit the 3 from anywhere on the court kept them dangerous and in the game at all times.

The Torreros took a 1 point lead into the half, and after a 13-0 run by the Aztecs, they spent the majority of the second half chipping away at that lead. Eventually, the Aztecs had the ball with a 52-52 tie with a chance to shoot for the win by Billy White lost the ball and SDSU was unable to get a shot off from out of bounds. Once OT started, it was all SDSU; the Torerros inability to make points inside killed them late and the Aztecs were able to put away the game.

Final - 12.2.2009	1	2	Total
San Diego St. Aztecs	24	28	69
San Diego Toreros	28	24	62

Complete Coverage >

SDSU was lead by DJ Gay who had a game high 22 points although he didn't really do anything else that a point guard is supposed to do. He had no steals and only one assist. He is going to have to work on those stats if the Aztecs want to compete against bigger more talented teams. The only other player in double figures was Tyronne Shelley with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks. Malcom Thomas led the team with 10 rebounds and added 8 points. Team leaded in rebounds freshman Kawhi Leonard had 7 rebounds to go with 8 points 2 assists and 2 steals. He seemed to be less apprehensive shooting the ball today, but his main roll seems to be getting rebounds. Billy White had 9 rebounds and 8 points as well and added 2 blocks. The Aztecs actually finished 51% from the floor although this was a very low scoring game. They continued to struggle at the charity stripe with 66.7%

The Torerros were of course led by their top-scorer Brandon Johnson, who seemingly cannot miss a 3 from wherever he shoots from. Johnson finished with 21 points. The other double-digit scorers for USD were Matt Dorr with 13 and De'Jon Jackson with 10 and added 5 assists and 4 steals. The Torerros were out rebounded by the Aztecs 38-33. This is actually pretty good for USD who was absolutely dominated on the boards early. Clinton Houston led the Torerros with a game high 11 boards but nobody else on USD hit double figures in that category. Like I said, the Torerros are a small team that lives and dies by the 3. They had zero points in the paint in regulation and 2 in overtime when the Aztecs simply let them put in a layup to run down the clock. USD ended up shooting 44% from 3 land but only 34.4% from the field.

San Diego City Championship: San Diego State at San Diego

Sam (sdsuaztec4) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:08:04 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dinneen - AP

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The San Diego State Aztecs (4-2) will travel across the Interstate 8 freeway 9.2 miles to Jenny Craig Pavilion (NOT USD Sports Center) tonight to take on the San Diego Torreros in the San Diego City Championship. The Aztecs have won 3 straight and 6 out of 7 in this match-up but tonight's game looks to be a tough, intense match-up that is important for both teams. The Aztecs feature a big, long talented but young team against the Torreros small, quick, and experienced team that still features players from their NCCA tournament win over UCONN.

While the Aztecs have beaten up on weaker teams this year, they have not fared well against more talented teams. The Torreros on the other hand already have huge wins over AQ conference schools Stanford and No. 25 Oklahoma and made it to the Great Alaska Shootout Final (an event the Aztecs won last season) in a disappointing loss to Washington State. Both teams lost to common opponent Pacific, USD by 1 and SDSU by 8.

For those in San Diego the game is on TV on Channel 4, everyone else can tune in to the live radio broadcast at AM600 KOGO.

Click the break for more.

[Disclaimer: This story might not be as good because my first one got wiped out -Ed.]

Next Game

San Diego St. Aztecs
@ San Diego Toreros

Wednesday, Dec 2, 2009, 7:00 PM PST
USD Sports Center

Radio: AM600 KOGO

TV: Local San Diego Channel 4

Complete Coverage >

The Aztecs have been nothing if not inconsistent. Combined with the loss of 4 senior and a rash of early injuries and illnesses, SDSU has yet to really come together as a team yet this season. The Aztecs are have the height and talent but not the experience. The are able to beat up on the weaker teams but have trouble putting it together against better teams. The Aztecs continue to be road warriors as they play the third out of their last four on the road and will travel back up to NorCal after this game. During their last win, a blowout against Northern Arizona at home, the Aztecs put together season highs in assists and rebounds. Hopefully this means they are starting to mesh as a team and will be better prepared to take on better opponents. After starting only one guard in the previous games, coach Steve Fisher started freshman Chase Tapley at guard along with Junior DJ Gay in that game. Coach Fisher will continue to tinker with the lineup until he gets it right and will probably adjust it for each opponent.

The Aztecs continue to struggle with free throws but Junior Billy White and Freshman Kawhi Leonard (who also is the team's leading rebounder) have stabilized the team on that front. Transfers Malcom Thomas and Tyronne Shelley, who have been leading the team in scoring, will be especially excited for this game. During their time at Pepperdine in the WCC, they were beaten up by the Torreros and look forward to some payback. DJ Gay is improving as a point guard as he had a season high is assists last game. The Aztecs are deep in forwards but do not have very many guards so DJ's play tonight will be key. USD will likely play a lot of zone so the outside shooters are going to have to step up their game.

The Torreros game out of the gate hot but got cooled off a bit by a blowout loss to Washington State in the Great Alaska Shootout Championship game. A team that is really the opposite of the Aztecs, they are a small team deep in guards who are quick and athletic. They are really built like recent SDSU teams which is characteristic of smaller schools. Since SDSU had a huge recruit class and have much bigger talented forwards, this should be an interesting match-up. The Torreros rely heavily on their experience seniors. Seniors Brandon Johnson (15.6 ppg), De'Jon Jackson (12.8 ppg), Chris Lewis (8.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg) and Roberto Mafra (7.7 ppg) do most of their scoring.

Since USD is small, quick, and athletic, they will likely play a zone against SDSU and force them to shoot it from outside. SDSU has a huge height advantage and would dominate in the paint if they played man to man. The Aztecs have struggled shooting field goals so look for the Torreros to come out in zone and see what happens. Coach Bill Grier already has two big wins this season and has a penchant for winning big games against more talented teams so this should be a real barn burner. SDSU has won 4 straight at JCP (including an NIT win over Kansas State last year when the NCAAs were at ~~Cox~~ Viejas Arena) but this is always a big game that USD looks forward to beating their older brother. Be sure to tune in.

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.

RPI WATCH: 11/29/09

BracketCat — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:00:14 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

Kansas State's Jacob Pullen (0) puts up a shot under pressure from IUPUI's Jon Avery, behind, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009, in Kansas City, Mo. Pullen scored 25 points, leading Kansas State to a 70-57 win. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Browse more photos »

A quick note about yesterday's game:

We've been a notoriously slow-starting team so far this season, but I was surprised to learn that our 40 first-half points Saturday were the most we have scored in the initial period all year. Considering how poor our offense looked at times against IUPUI's matchup zone, we must have done a few things right.

Also, these numbers were striking:

	Points	Minutes
Jacob Pullen	25	34
Dominique Sutton	14	34
Denis Clemente	12	35
Curtis Kelly	11	33
everyone else	8	11*

*average per player

We clearly missed Jamar Samuels yesterday. I have to think he would have contributed at least 10 points and probably would have helped us top IUPUI on the boards. Furthermore, we really missed his energy and ability to create on offense, as well as the matchup difficulties he presents on defense.

But the bottom line is some other players on this team need to step it up. Our five best players can't do it all, and there's simply no excuse for no other player on the team scoring more than two points. That won't cut it against teams such Xavier and UNLV.

Anyhow, you can see how our other opponents fared yesterday after the jump. I'll even give you a hint: One of them suffered a pretty nasty spider bite... (chortle) ... And another one picked up a huge quality win.

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

Current Kansas State RPI = 15

Current Kansas State SOS = 24

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

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = IUPUI

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = none

Quick discussion: Our numbers have not been this high in November in a long, long time. As long as we win three of the next five, and at least nine in conference play, there is very little doubt in my mind we will be in the Big Dance. The difference between last year's schedule and this year's needs to be measured in units of astronomical distance.

Loyola (4-1) | RPI = 27: Win over St. Ambrose (81-42)
Western Illinois (3-3) | RPI = 207: Win over Greenville (84-46)
Boston (1-4) | RPI = 141
Ole Miss (4-1) | RPI = 76
Dayton (3-2) | RPI = 42: Win over Towson (74-69)
IUPUI (5-2) | RPI = 84: Loss to Kansas State (70-57)
Fort Hays State (3-0)
Washington State (6-0) | RPI = 146: Win over San Diego (93-56)
Xavier (4-1) | RPI = 106
UNLV (5-0) | RPI = 8: Win over No. 16 Louisville (76-71)
Alabama (3-2) | RPI = 91
UAPB (0-4) | RPI = 249
Cleveland State (3-4) | RPI = 191: Loss to Wichita State (69-54)
South Dakota (3-3) | RPI = 95: Win over Dana (100-65)
Missouri (4-1) | RPI = 96: Loss to Richmond (59-52)
Texas A&M (4-1) | RPI = 25
Colorado (4-2) | RPI = 127
No. 3 Texas (4-0) | RPI = 71
Oklahoma State (5-0) | RPI = 16
Baylor (5-1) | RPI = 113
No. 1 Kansas (5-0) | RPI = 52
Nebraska (3-1) | RPI = 126
Iowa State (6-1) | RPI = 161: Loss to Northwestern (67-65)
No. 25 Oklahoma (3-3) | RPI = 214: Win over Nicholls State (81-60)
Texas Tech (7-0) | RPI = 48: Win over Samford (74-53)

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.

The G.A.S. is getting crazy

Grady. — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 07:42:32 -0000

Between eating, spending time with family, and more eating, I haven't been religiously following college basketball today (crazy, I know).

Then I turn on my computer and see this:

San Diego 76
Oklahoma 64

Alaska-Anchorage 72
Nicholls State 58

Houston 100
Oklahoma 93

Now, the Cougars got a ridiculously easy draw in this tournament to begin with. Pool A is UAA, Nicholls State, and WSU. Pool B is Houston, Oklahoma and San Diego. Wow. Still, we expected a tough championship game with Oklahoma, assuming our Cougars took care of business in the first two games. Now Oklahoma is done, and Houston and San Diego are the possible opponents for a finale in Anchorage.

Nicholls State is horrible. If we don't beat them, we sure as heck don't deserve to play for a Great Alaska Shootout title. They are ranked 313th by kenpom, sit at 0-6 on the year, and in all four games against Top 150 opponents have lost by 23 points or more. Of course this also means you should feel better about our seemingly lackluster win over Alaska-Anchorage, since they easily took care of Nicholls State and are a better team than a lot of Cougar fans were expecting.

On the other side of the bracket, danger lurks, even if it isn't a big name like Oklahoma. San Diego (stay classy) is 3-1 with only a one-point loss to Pacific. They beat Stanford in their season opener by 13, and are ranked 66th by kenpom. They are a great defensive team under Bill Grier, but have failed to shoot the three very well to start the season (28.8%). Really bad news? They are 44th in offensive rebounding percentage so far. That could be a serious issue against a team like WSU that is struggling on the boards.

Houston - the other Cougars - are #76 by kenpom but have only played three games. They are 2-1 with a 112-99 loss to Nevada on the slate (The other win, oddly enough, is over Nicholls State). They are the second fastest team in the nation, so far, in terms of tempo. That makes them a great matchup for the Cougs, who have been thriving in uptempo stretches of games this season. They have also been flat out horrible at defending shooters so far this season, and cannot offensive rebound. Their saving grace so far has been good three-point shooting and a rather incredible ability to protect the ball even though they keep run run running.

Now - it's early, so you have to take small sample size into account when discussing these other teams' strengths and weaknesses. But, for now: Go Houston. That matchup gives us the greatest likelihood of going home with a GAS title.

RPI WATCH: 11/26/09

BracketCat — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:00:13 -0000

One of our conference opponents laid a big egg to a mid-major Wednesday. Find out who after the jump.

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

Current Kansas State RPI = 28

Current Kansas State SOS = 45

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Dayton

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Loyola

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = none

Loyola (3-1) | RPI = 54
Western Illinois (2-3) | RPI = 125
Boston (1-4) | RPI = 141
Ole Miss (4-1) | RPI = 76
No. 18 Dayton (2-2) | RPI = 32
IUPUI (5-1) | RPI = 56: Win over Indiana-East (98-67)
Fort Hays State (3-0)
Washington State (4-0) | RPI = 164: Win over Alaska-Anchorage (87-68)
Xavier (3-0) | RPI = 79
UNLV (4-0) | RPI = 3: Win over Holy Cross (80-59)
Alabama (2-1) | RPI = 186
UAPB (0-3) | RPI = 166
Cleveland State (3-3) | RPI = 201: Loss to Virginia (76-65)
South Dakota (2-3)
Missouri (3-0) | RPI = 283
Texas A&M (3-0) | RPI = 135
Colorado (4-2) | RPI = 127: Win at Chaminade (73-58)
No. 3 Texas (4-0) | RPI = 71
Oklahoma State (4-0) | RPI = 22
Baylor (4-0) | RPI = 60
No. 1 Kansas (4-0) | RPI = 50: Win over Oakland (89-59)
Nebraska (3-1) | RPI = 126
Iowa State (5-0) | RPI = 187
No. 25 Oklahoma (2-2) | RPI = 146: Loss to San Diego (76-64)
Texas Tech (6-0) | RPI = 94

Houston Cougars Up Next For Sooners In Alaska

ccmachine — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 02:17:50 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dinneen - AP

Willie's 30 points were pretty much all of the offensive highlights for the Sooners against San Diego. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen)

Browse more photos »

Oklahoma struggled last night (early this morning) in a 76-64 loss at the Great Alaska Shootout. Tonight the Sooners will face the Houston Cougars in their second game and the competition should be a bit stiffer than what they experienced against San Diego. The Cougars enter the game with a 1-1 record having beaten Nicholls State at home and lost to Nevada on the road.

2009 Great Alaska Shootout

Wednesday, November 25
Game 1 - Washington State 87, Alaska Anchorage 68 (Pool A) - 7:30 p.m.
Game 2 - Oklahoma 64, San Diego 76 (Pool B) - 9:45 p.m.

Thursday, November 26
Game 3 - Nicholls State vs. Alaska Anchorage (Pool A) - 5 p.m.
Game 4 - Houston vs. Oklahoma (Pool B) - 7:30 p.m.

Friday, November 27
Game 5 - Nicholls State vs. Washington State (Pool A) - 5 p.m.
Game 6 - Houston vs. San Diego (Pool B) - 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 28
Game 7 - 5th Place Game (Pool B #3 vs. Pool A #3) - 2 p.m.
Game 8 - 3rd Place Game (Pool B #2 vs. Pool A #2) - 4:30 p.m.
Game 9 - Championship Game (Pool B #1 vs. Pool A #1) 7 p.m.

Oklahoma will once again have a size advantage as the Sooner bigs literally have more weight to throw around under the basket. However, this game could quickly take on the shape of a run and gun type game because, like Oklahoma, Houston runs a three guard offense and when I say run that's literally what I mean. Houston's top four scorers are all guards and are led by Aubrey Coleman's 32.5 points per game. Behind him Adam Brown averages 15.5, Kelvin Lewis 13 and Desmond Wade 12.5. All three of these guys are also hitting over 50% of their shots from three-point range led by 68.8%. OU won't be able to afford to get lost or fall asleep on defense tonight.

There isn't a lot that the Cougars are doing wrong right now which means that OU must shoot the ball well and crash the boards hard. Houston hits 73.6% of their free throws and turns the ball over less than 9 times a game to nearly 14 assists. The way OU played last night they'll get run out of the gym tonight. If they shoot the ball (32% last night), protect the basketball (13 turnovers last night) and work the ball to the bigs then they stand a fighting chance.

Tip off is set for 10:30 CST and the game will be aired by Cox Cable as well as DirecTV and Dish Network. The game thread will be up about an hour before tip.

SB Nation - San Diego Toreros

The Shotgun/Throwdown: Monday (12/21/09) Edition

What You May Have Missed:

News of Note (FB):

News of Note (BB):

Recruiting:

Around the League (and Beyond):

Chris Henry:

Video of Interest:

Random Link of Hilarity:

Christmas Gallery of the Day:

Miss Throwdown:

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

Aztecs take City Championship in overtime, 69-62.

San Diego City Championship: San Diego State at San Diego

Next Game

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

RPI WATCH: 11/29/09

Moving on to chapter two of the 2009-10 season

The G.A.S. is getting crazy

RPI WATCH: 11/26/09

Houston Cougars Up Next For Sooners In Alaska

2009 Great Alaska Shootout