SB Nation - Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks

Florida State Seminoles Move to 11-2 with 95 - 68 Victory Over UT-Martin

TrueCubbie — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:58:21 -0000

More photos » by Steve Cannon - AP

1 day ago: Tennessee-Martin's Reuben Clayton has his shot blocked by Florida State's Jordan DeMercy during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009, in Tallahassee, Fla.(AP Photo/Steve Cannon)

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Scoring over 90 points for the first time since 2007, the Seminoles won their 5th game in a row in decisive fashion over Leonard Hamilton's alma mater UT-Martin. The Seminoles could have easily been sluggish, unfocused or not motivated, especially after the big win Sunday evening in Atlanta. That was not the case. Leonard Hamilton's squad came out at full speed and made it clear there would be no let downs tonight.

The Seminoles didn't allow the Skyhawks for the first six minutes of the game, going on a 23-2 run in the fist 8 minutes of the game. Allowing only 28 points in the firs half, FSU held UT-Martin to 36.8% shooting on the night. The Skyhawks only made 25 shots on the night, 12 of which were from behind the arc. Down by 23 at the half, the Skyhawks started shooting three pointers at every opportunity, hoisting up 15 shots behind the arc in the second half. In fact, the Seminoles only outscored the Skyhawks by 4 points in the second half.

The game started out at a frenetic pace as the Seminoles pushed the ball up court after each Skyhakw miss, making the most of every opportunity. The benefit of the large lead in the first few minutes of the game was the significant minutes that the likes of Terrance Shannon and Michael Snaer were able to play. Both players had very productive nights. Snaer played 22 minutes, went 6-11 from the floor finishing with a team high 18 points. He also had two rebounds and two assists with three turnovers. Shannon played 17 minutes, went 5-6 scoring 11 points and pulling down 6 rebounds. He also had two blocks. The Noles had 6 players in double digits. Ryan Reid did not play tonight as he is recovering from an illness. It should also be noted that Luke Loucks had seven assists and only one turnover.

The star for UT-Martin was Marquis Weddle who scored 27 points off the bench. He went 11-21 from the floor, going 5-10 from behind the arc. Benzor Simmons contributed with 15 and Reuben Clayton had 17 (15 of which came off three point shots).

This was the 11th game this year that the Seminoles held their opponent to a FG% of 40 or less. The only two teams to shoot better than that were Florida and Ohio State. Tonight was also the most turnovers that the Seminoles had forced all year: 21.

Putting the margin of victory aside, this was a good win for the Seminoles in that it allowed Terrance Shannon and Michael Snaer get significant minutes. This will only help the Seminoles as they prepare for conference play. The Seminoles go on break until December 31st when Alabama A&M enters the Tucker Center.

KNOW THY ENEMY: Missouri Tigers

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

More photos » by L.G. Patterson - AP

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

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

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

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

The Story So Far

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

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

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

Current Missouri RPI: 179

The Coach

Mike Anderson
Fourth Season

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

Bio

The Departures

Starters

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

The Veterans

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Newcomers

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

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

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

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

The Analysis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Projected Big 12 Starting Lineup


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

Projected Top Big 12 Reserves


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

The Final Verdict

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

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

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

Big 12 preseason prediction: 7th

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

Best-case scenario: 7th

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

Previously on KNOW THY ENEMY...

RPI WATCH: 11/23/09

BracketCat — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:00:13 -0000

Well, it's officially basketball season here at BOTC, so I'm going to try and get some basketball-related stuff on here on a more consistent basis. Big 12 Outlook will return after New Year's, but in the meantime, I need to resume the Big 12 previews and shift them into overdrive a little in order to make up for lost time.

The other thing I want to do is update you on all of our opponents on a daily basis. I'll look at how they performed in yesterday's games and maybe track the RPIs a little, too. The idea is to get a general picture, on a day-to-day basis, of how strong our non-conference schedule is, because I've seen some concern from various corners of late.

For a more detailed discussion, hit the jump. But here's a short preview: We did ourselves a lot of good in Puerto Rico.

Here's how our opponents have performed to date, in order to provide a baseline comparison and bring everyone up to speed. (After all, not everyone has been paying attention to hoops like I have, given our North-contending football team and what have you.)

Kansas State RPI = 28

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Dayton

Good Wins (RPI 51-100) = Loyola

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = none

Loyola (2-1) | RPI = 64: Loss at Kansas State (92-54), Win over Canisius (89-69), Win at Holy Cross (76-73)
Western Illinois (2-2) | RPI = 112: Loss at Arizona State (87-35), Loss at Kansas State (82-50), Win over Truman State (71-59), Win at Central Arkansas (56-46)
Boston (1-4) | RPI = 141: Loss at Iona (82-73), Loss to George Washington (69-59), Loss to Kansas State (80-70), Win over Indiana (71-67), Loss to No. 21 Georgia Tech (85-67)
Ole Miss (4-1) | RPI = 76: Win over UALR (92-64), Win over Alabama State (90-53), Win over Indiana (89-71), Win over Kansas State (86-74), Loss to No. 5 Villanova (79-67)
No. 18 Dayton (2-2) | RPI = 32: Win over Creighton (90-80), Win over No. 21 Georgia Tech (63-59), Loss to No. 5 Villanova (71-65), Loss to Kansas State (83-75)
IUPUI (4-1) | RPI = 75: Win at Drake (88-82), Win at Eastern Illinois (69-66), Win over Austin Peay (77-63), Loss at Auburn (80-65), Win over Georgia State (67-56)
Fort Hays State (2-0) | RPI = N/A (D-II): Win over Friends (82-46), Win over Central Christian College (85-66)
Washington State (3-0) | RPI = 140: Win over MVSU (94-66), Win over Eastern Washington (67-61), Win over IPFW (89-70)
Xavier (3-0) | RPI = 79: Win over Youngstown State (83-57), Win over Bowling Green (101-57), Win over Sacred Heart (105-65)
UNLV (3-0) | RPI = 1: Win over Pittsburg State (91-52), Win over Nevada (88-75), Win over Southern Illinois (78-69)
Alabama (2-1) | RPI = 186: Loss to Cornell (71-67), Win over Jackson State (86-69), Win over Providence (84-75)
UAPB (0-3) | RPI = 166: Loss at Colorado (88-72), Loss at Denver (75-56), Loss at UTEP (70-52)
Cleveland State (3-1) | RPI = 260: Loss at St. Bonaventure (72-62), Win over Wilmington (99-74), Win over Florida A&M (78-64), Win over Sam Houston State (80-65)
South Dakota (2-2) | RPI = N/A (D-I transition): Loss at Texas Tech (88-49), Loss to Oregon State (62-47), Win over TAMUCC (76-73), Win over Mayville State (99-67)
Missouri (2-0) | RPI = 280: Win over UT Martin (83-68), Win over UTPA (100-64)
Texas A&M (3-0) | RPI = 135: Win over Angelo State (88-69), Win at SMU (80-68), Win over Samford (68-49)
Colorado (3-0) | RPI = 128: Win over UAPB (88-72), Win over Coppin State (82-58), Win over Texas Southern (88-77)
No. 3 Texas (2-0) | RPI = 17: Win over UC Irvine (89-42), Win over Western Carolina (73-41)
Oklahoma State (3-0) | RPI = 21: Win over Seattle (86-64), Win over Southern (93-61), Win over North Texas (82-68)
Baylor (4-0) | RPI = 60: Win over Norfolk State (86-58), Win over Hartford (71-69), Win over Southern (61-45), Win over Hardin-Simmons (106-45)
No. 1 Kansas (3-0) | RPI = 46: Win over Hofstra (101-65), Win over Memphis (57-55), Win over Central Arkansas (94-44)
Nebraska (2-1) | RPI = 134: Win over SCUU (76-49), Loss at Saint Louis (69-55), Win over TCU (90-77)
Iowa State (4-0) | RPI = 188: Win over Idaho State (88-68), Win over Chicago State (72-50), Win at Drake (90-70), Win over MVSU (96-55)
No. 17 Oklahoma (2-1) | RPI = 65: Win over Mount St. Mary's (95-71), Win over UL Monroe (72-61), Loss at VCU (82-69)
Texas Tech (5-0) | RPI = 86: Win over South Dakota (88-49), Win over TAMUCC (66-59), Win over Oregon State (64-60), Win over Northwestern State (94-75), Win over Lamar (77-54)

My plan is to update this daily with the games are played the previous day, and I'll probably start looking at RPIs some time after Thanksgiving (they're pretty meaningless before that point due to the disparity in scheduling).

Update: Got bored and added the RPIs around midnight. I'll save the analysis for tomorrow's edition.

BtB 2009-10 Ohio Valley Conference Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:53:25 -0000

Murray State was the last team to claim the Ohio Valley's automatic bid in consecutive seasons, and that was back in 1998 (under Mark Gottfried) and 1999 (under Tevester Anderson). Since then, the Racers, Austin Peay, and Eastern Kentucky have basically played musical chairs with the conference's auto bid, with Southeast Missouri and Eastern Illinois making cameos at the turn of the century. Last year, when it already looked like that Tennessee-Martin was going to break this particular triad, the Skyhawks tumbled in the OVC semis. The team that kept Lester Hudson off the national stage was another interloper, Morehead State. The Eagles knocked off Peay in the final to clinch their tournament bid in a quarter century.

Now, the target is on their back. Morehead will have to defend their title without the graduated Leon Buchanan, though rebounding machine Kenneth Faried, who's only a junior, leads the Eagles' four returning starters. Austin Peay brings back three starters themselves, but that group doesn't include Drake Reed, who averaged just under 22 points a game last year. The Skyhawks are in rebuilding mode, as they lost two starters other than Hudson. The Murray State Racers, who finished in second last year (and a game ahead of Morehead in the standings) looks like the best option to challenge their in-state rivals, as they return three starters, three double figure scorers, and some key bench components.

The real proof will come when the conference season starts in December. OVC teams play a grinding 18-game double-round robin schedule, which can lead to some surprising results during the regular season. However, given how the league has been dominated by three schools over the past decade, expect some sort of order to be restored in the tournament. The key question is whether last year's champs are now part of that order or simply an anomaly. Given how tight this league can get, f you have the chance to see an OVC game live or on TV (even if it is televised against some major conference showdown) this year, do it.

Southern Illinois-Edwardsville will become the conference's 11th member next season, so the double-round robin may very well end. This year, the Cougars will play a varied schedule, including several future league opponents. More on the ten teams in this year's edition of the OVC after the jump.

Let's start with a look at last season's final OVC standings.

Ohio Valley Conference Standings

(updated 3.20.2009 at 11:51 PM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks	14	4	22	10
Murray St. Racers	13	5	19	12
Austin Peay Governors	13	5	19	14
Morehead St. Eagles	12	6	20	16
Eastern Kentucky Colonels	10	8	18	13
Tennessee St. Tigers	9	9	12	18
Eastern Illinois Panthers	8	10	12	18
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles	6	12	12	18
Jacksonville St. Gamecocks	5	13	11	17
SE Missouri St. Indians	0	18	3	27

Now here are my picks for the 2009-10 season, presented in reverse order.

Southeast Missouri (last NCAA: 2000) Former Arkansas State coach Dickie Nutt, brother of Ole Miss football coach Houston, takes over in Cape Girardeau, and he has quite a mess to clean up. Former head coach Scott Edgar was fired right before the New Year for a variety of infractions just appealed the three-year "show cause" penalty the NCAA tagged him with. On the court, things don't look promising, as the Redhawks three leading scorers of a year ago are all gone, taking an average of 52 points and 14 boards with them. Considering SEMO hasn't won an OVC game since January 29, 2008, the new regime will have to be patient. The out-of-conference schedule is manageable, however, as road trips to St. Louis and Memphis, and a round-robin tournament at Illinois State are the most challenging outings.

Tennessee State (last NCAA: 1994) Much like SE Missouri, the Tigers will have a new bench boss this season. Former Auburn assistant John Cooper takes over for Cy Alexander, who was relieved of his duties back on February 9, when the Tigers stood at 4-9 in the league. They rallied to six in a row, five OVC games and a BracketBuster with Detroit, to finish with a .500 league mark. They closed the season with a loss to Murray State in the OVC tournament. Tennessee State's won't have much momentum heading into this year though, as four of the starters off last year's team are now gone, with only guard Jeremiah Crutcher returning. Cooper will need big contributions from his four JC transfers and five freshmen to avoid the basement. The Tigers welcome Siena to Nashville and participate in the low-major bracket in the Chicago Invitational, after taking probable road beatings at the hands of Iowa State and Northwestern.

Tennessee-Martin (last NCAA: None) The Skyhawks will attempt to replicate the greatest season in their history without superstar Lester "Done Ruthless" Hudson, a newly minted Boston Celtic, and head coach Bret Campbell. His replacement, former assistant Jason Jones, is young (my age in fact...oy), and it may be a rough first year for him. The Skyhawks return only two starters, guards Marquis Waddle (13.8 ppg) and Delrico Lane (5.1 ppg, 4.9 apg), and feature an inexperienced frontcourt.

Jacksonville State (last NCAA: None) The Gamecocks won 9 Division I games in their first year under James Green, an improvement over the five they won the year before. However, JSU lost their final six contests of last season. Three starters were due to return, until 6-5 F Geddes Robinson (8.2 ppg. 4.9 rpg) transferred to Western Nebraska CC in August. Leading scorer Jeremy Bynum (12.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg) is back for his junior year; however, Green has to replace DeAndre Bray, who averaged nearly 5 assists per game at the point. JC transfer B.J. Miller and freshman Samir Rolley are possibilities. Meanwhile, much is expected of 6-5 swingman Trenton Marshall, another JC transfer.

Tennessee Tech (last NCAA: 1963) The Golden Eagles bring back four starters off a team that won only 6 league games last year. Unfortunately, leading scorer and rebounder Daniel Northern (12.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg) isn't among them. 6-8 freshman Terrell Barnes is expected to fill the void left by Northern's departure. The returnees are led by sharpshooter Frank Davis (10 ppg, while shooting 42.9% from 3), point guard Will Barnes--no relation to Terrell (9.8 ppg, 2.8 apg, and 6-6 forward Kevin Murphy (9.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg). The Golden Eagles travel to Memphis, Kansas, and Minnesota this season, while Summit League favorite Oakland visits.

Eastern Illinois (last NCAA: 2001) With a little bit of consistency, the Panthers should be able to improve on their 8-10 league record of a season ago. Mike Miller's squad returns four of five starters from a year ago, senior guard Romain Martin (15.4 ppg), junior All-Name team selection Tyler Laser (11.4 ppg, 3.1 apg), point guard T.J. Marion (9 ppg, 3.5 apg), and 6-8 senior center Ousmane Cisse (8 ppg, 7.5 rpg). The fifth starter could very well be freshman Shaun Pratl, a football and basketball standout in Chicago.

Eastern Kentucky (last NCAA: 2007) The Colonels have a leg up on most of the league, as they return four starters. They'll have a hard time improving on last year's 5th place finish, however, when you consider that 20 point a game/does everything well-man MIke Rose is the missing starter. Senior forward Josh Taylor (10.9 ppg, 3 rpg) and junior swingman Justin Stommes (10.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg) are the only two returnees who averaged in double figures last season. Making matters worse for head coach Jeff Neubauer, sophomore Jorge Camacho, a 6-7 forward who averaged 6.3 points and 3 boards a contest, left the program during the offseason, giving EKU one less option. The Colonels will host one of the low-/mid-major "subregionals" in the CBE Classic, after they visit Pitt for their first game in the event.

Austin Peay (last NCAA: 2008) The Governors nearly made it two NCAA trips in a row last season, but they had to settle for the CollegeInsider tournament after dropping a double OT thriller to Morehead State. Dave Loos' squad should compete for the crown again, though like EKU, they'll have to do so without their Mr. Everything. Drake Reed, who averaged almost 22 points a game, while grabbing 7.5 boards a contest is gone. However, his key backcourt-mate, Wes Channels (16.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg) is back. If Loos can get some of the other returnees and even freshmen Eric Mosley and Chris Reaves to contribute some more points, APSU should challenge their Kentucky rivals for the crown. The Govs will travel to Daytona Beach to take on IUPUI, NC State, and Niagara in the Glenn Wilkes Classic, after traveling to Akron for the same event.

Murray State (last NCAA: 2006) While the Racers lost two starters from the team that finished a game behind Tennessee-Martin in last year's OVC race, Billy Kennedy still has a roster that can challenge for the top spot. In the backcourt, two double figure scorers are back, Danero Thomas (12.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and Isacc Miles (10.6 ppg, 3 rpg), and Jewaun Long (4.3 ppg in '07-08) returns from a knee injury to provide some bench support. The frontcourt is in good shape as well, thanks to the presence of 6-6 Jeffery McClain (6.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg), 6-7 Ivan Aska (10.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg), and 6-9 center Tony Easley (6.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg). The Racers participate in the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament, where they'll visit California, then travel to Miami to take part in the Florida International-hosted "subregional."

Morehead State (last NCAA: 2009) Leading scorer Leon Buchanan (15.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg) may be gone, but just about everyone else is back from the team that returned Morehead to the tournament for the first time in 25 years. First among these is 6-8 F/C Kenneth Faried, who averaged almost 14 points and an amazing 13 boards a game. Maze Stallworth, who averaged a little more than 12 points and 4 rebounds a contest, also returns, as does guard Demonte Harper (10.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.4 apg). Besides Buchanan, the other major loss for head coach Donnie Tyndall is 8 point a game performer Robert Murry, who transferred. Outside of a visit to Rupp Arena, the Eagles biggest challenge of the non-conference season is a trip to Logan, Utah, where they'll face three other teams who could win their leagues--Cal State-Fullerton, Weber State, and hosts Utah State.

I'm picking the Eagles to repeat in the OVC, so they'll have the league's auto bid in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket, which I will release on November 9. However, given how hard it is to repeat in this conference, Morehead's name won't be carved in stone. Now, to wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-OVC team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-OVC Team

Player of the Year: Kenneth Faried, 6-8 F/C, Jr. (Morehead State)

Remainder of the Team
Wes Channels, 6-3 G, Sr. (Austin Peay)
Romain Martin, 6-3 G, Sr. (Eastern Illinois)
Maze Stallworth, 6-4 F, Sr. (Morehead State)
Danero Thomas, 6-4 G, Sr. (Murray State)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the OVC this season?

Austin Peay

4 votes

Eastern Illinois

0 votes

Eastern Kentucky

1 votes

Jacksonville State

0 votes

Morehead State

4 votes

Murray State

3 votes

Souheast Missouri

0 votes

Tennessee-Martin

0 votes

Tennessee State

0 votes

Tennessee Tech

0 votes

12 votes | Poll has closed

The 2009-10 Coaching Carousel Recap

Chris Dobbertean — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:00:23 -0000

More photos » by Dusty Compton - AP

(Yes, it's a column about coaching changes that doesn't feature a picture of either John Calipari, Josh Pastner, or Sean Miller.) Former Florida assistant Anthony Grant left VCU during this offseason to return to the SEC, taking over at Alabama. (AP Photo/Tuscaloosa News, Dusty Compton)

Browse more photos »

As I posted last Monday, everyone knows that John Calipari is Billy Gillispie's replacement at Kentucky, and that Josh Pastner now has to try to keep Memphis at the top of Conference USA. It's also no secret that Sean Miller left Xavier to become Lute Olson's permanent replacement at Arizona, and that the Musketeers promoted assistant Chris Mack to the head job.

But there were 24 other coaching changes in Division I after the 2008-09 season. Some of these were the result of the domino effect that happens when a school in a power conference hires someone who was successful at a lower level, a decision that often leads to multiple jobs opening up. Others were cases where athletic directors felt that they needed to make changes, but stayed within the current staff.

This year's coaching carousel was a pretty lengthy one. Proving that the pressure is getting a bit ridiculous, even at lower levels of Division I, John Cooper (No, not THAT John Cooper.) replaces Cy Alexander at Tennessee State, which is a noteworthy story because Alexander was fired back on Feburary 9. Cooper was previously Jeff Lebo's associate head coach at Auburn. The final change of the offseason (I say that now like it's a certainty.) was finalized late Thursday when Cornell assistant Zach Spiker was hired at Army to replace Jim Crews.

While that's a start, it's certainly not everything that happened in the world of coaching during the spring and summer. After the jump, I'll run through the rest of the coaching changes made this offseason.

At one point, Kevin O'Neill was the interim coach in Tucson and the replacement in waiting for Lute Olson. That obviously didn't happen, so now the former Northwestern and Tennessee head coach has replaced Tim Floyd at USC.

Alabama hired Anthony Grant to replace Mark Gottfried. VCU then followed its own playbook by replacing Grant with another Florida assistant, Shaka Smart.

Georgia hired Mark Fox to do what Dennis Felton failed to do, rebuild the program. Nevada promoted assistant David Carter to replace Fox with the hopes he'll have the Wolf Pack ready to challenge Utah State and Idaho at the top of the league this year.

Tony Bennett left Washington State to replace Dave Leitao at Virginia. Former Portland State coach Ken Bone heads to the Palouse to replace him, with Vikings assistant Tyler Geving taking over the head job there.

Buzz Peterson left his job as Director of Player Personnel with the Charlotte Bobcats to return to Appalachian State. He left the Mountaineers to take the Tulsa job in 2000, leaving there for an average four seasons at Tennessee. After being forced out in Knoxville, Peterson coached Coastal Carolina for two years before heading to Charlotte. Elon will also have a new coach. Ernie Nestor was fired, and the school looked to tap into a winning formula in hiring his replacement. The Phoenix will now be led by former Davidson assistant Matt Matheny.

Isiah Thomas will now attempt to not ruin Florida International's program like he ruined the CBA and the New York Knicks. He's off to a great start at earning friends and influencing people.

Holy Cross hired Notre Dame assistant Sean Kearney to replace Ralph Willard, who left to be an assistant for Rick Pitino at Louisville.

Ritchie McKay left Liberty to be one of Bennett's assistants. Another former Colorado State head man, Marquette assistant Dale Layer is his replacement. Former South Carolina assistant Scott Cherry is the other new hire in the Big South, he replaces the fired Bart Lundy at High Point.

Dennis Wolff couldn't bring America East glory to Boston University, so he was fired and replaced with Villanova assistant Patrick Chambers.

Tom Green (not the "funny" Canadian) had significant success at Fairleigh Dickinson, just not over the past couple of years. He was fired and the Knights will be led by his former assistant, Greg Vetrone, at least on an interim basis.

Washington assistant Cameron Dollar, a star player on UCLA's 1995 National Championship team will lead Seattle through their Division I transition period, replacing Joe Callero, who took the job at Cal Poly in the Big West. North Carolina Central is the other Independent with a new coach for 2009-10. Henry Dickerson wasn't rehired, and he will be replaced by one of his assistants, LeVelle Morton.

Kevin Nickelberry resigned at Hampton, where Edward Joyner, Jr., one of Nickelberry's assistants will lead the team on at least an interim basis.

At Grambling, a tragic incident led to the end of Rick Duckett's tenure. Henry White, a transfer from Hill (Tex.) Junior College, died after an offseason workout on a 104 degree day at the Louisiana school. The school says Duckett resigned, but the coach says he was fired via a letter from the school. Assistant Robert Washington, Jr. will be the interim coach.

Tom Schuberth was fired at Texas-Pan American, where winning will always be tough because of the slim chance at making the NCAAs (something that won't change with Great West membership). St. Edward's coach Ryan Marks is the new head man in Edinboro.

There were two other changes in the Ohio Valley this offseason besides the Tennessee State switch I mentioned before the jump. Former Arkansas State head man Dickie Nutt is back in the business, taking over a Southeast Missouri State program that spent most of last season in turmoil after the Scot Edgar regime. Bret Campbell resigned at Tennessee-Martin. His replacement is former assistant Jason James.

At the end of the season, I'll come back and look at how each of these coaches did in filling their new jobs. On Tuesday, however, I turn my attention back to the players with my first ever preseason All-America teams.

Lucky Bracket 13 - 7 March 2009

Chris Dobbertean — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 14:08:41 -0000

As I mentioned in the comments yesterday evening, we're at the point of the season where things are going to move very quickly.

Here's a rundown of last night's action and how it impacts today's bracket. (All game info from the always valuable Basketball State.)

Tennessee-Martin, the top seed in the Ohio Valley, lost to Morehead State, 63-55. That means the Skyhawks, featuring Lester "Done Ruthless" Hudson, are bound for the NIT. The Eagles meet up with #2 seed (and the auto bid holder for this bracket) Austin Peay in tonight's final.
The top two seeds in the Atlantic Sun, Jacksonville and East Tennessee State, will meet tonight to determine that league's auto bid.
Creighton very nearly found themselves out, as it appeared that Wichita State had beaten them. However, the refs added 1.9 seconds to the clock. That was just enough time for Valley POY Booker Woodfox to hit a jumper to give the Jays the win, 63-62. The Shockers won the rebounding battle by 20!
And the Cornell Big Red are the first team in, after they beat Penn 83-59 and Princeton lost to Columbia by 14. Like all teams who win their conference's auto bid, they'll appear in bold in the bracket from here on out.

In terms of the bracket as a whole (seed list, trends), there's been a little bit of shuffling among the protected seeds since my last update on Monday. Connecticut, Pittsburgh, and North Carolina are still hanging around on the top line. Oklahoma falls down to the two line, however, after dropping three of their last four. Memphis, nearing another perfect Conference USA run, replaces the Sooners.

Joining OU on the two line are three teams who are regulars: Duke, Louisville, and Michigan State. Of these four, the Sooners and Cardinals probably have the best shot at stealing a #1 seed, but the Blue Devils can't be counted out, especially with a game in Chapel Hill Sunday and the ACC tournament to come.

Kansas, Missouri, and Wake Forest stay on the three line, but Clemson drops down to the 4 line. Villanova replaces them, as the Wildcats recovered from a disappointing loss to Georgetown last Saturday by closing out their Big East slate with two 17-point wins over former contender Notre Dame and current bubble team Providence.

Joining the Tigers on the 4 line are Marquette, Washington, and Xavier. The Golden Eagles may not stay here for long, as they've yet to show they can win without Dominic James. The Musketeers, meanwhile, replace Purdue. The Boilermakers fall down to the 5 line after their home loss to suddenly alive Northwestern on Wednesday night.

For lines 5 on down, here are your jumps and declines for the week, presented in their seed line order:

Jumps: Florida State, UCLA, Syracuse, West Virginia, UNLV, Texas A&M, Minnesota, Binghamton, Morgan State

Declines: Purdue, LSU, Illinois, Utah, Wisconsin, Boston College, South Carolina, Creighton, Dayton, Cornell, Jacksonville

At the bottom of the at-large pool, there are quite a few changes. Arizona is out after they lost their fourth in a row Thursday night. Kentucky is also gone after they lost to hapless Georgia at Rupp Wednesday night. Maryland and Virginia Tech both drop out after they lost key midweek games.

Replacing them are four teams who are actually attempting to play, not back, their way in. Penn State is in after their thrilling victory over Illinois on Thursday night, a far different one than their infamous 38-33 win in Champaign a few weeks ago. Oklahoma State has won six straight and is 8-4 in their last 12. The four losses include three on the road and three to probable tournament teams (and the fourth is to Texas A&M, who is also on the bubble.) The Cowboys own a win over Rhode Island, another newcomer. The Rams have also won six straight, but they're 10-2 in their last 12. New Mexico is the last team in. The Lobos are 9-3 in their last 12 and have split with all of their competition in the Mountain West. That's a big reason why they're 4-5 against the RPI Top 50. Depending on what happens today, they can still claim a regular season conference title, which would definitely boost their case.

I'm headed off to Richmond for the CAA quarterfinals. I'll be tweeting during my time there, so be sure to follow along. My next bracket will be out on Tuesday instead of the normal Monday, as real life permitting, I'll be at the CAA championship game.

Happy Hoops Viewing!

Note: To keep with the theme I've developed over the past couple of years, I use Roadgeek fonts extensively in my files. You can download them for free from Mike the Actuary's Musings.

Assorted college basketball musings

Mike Rutherford — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:00:14 -0000

Fo' yo' Wednesday mo'...rning.

1. You're lying to yourself if you don't think North Carolina is still the runaway favorite to win the national championship. You may not want them to be, but they are.

Statistics show that offense - and yes, a touch of defense - wins championships in the modern era, and the Tar Heels are easily the best team in the country when it comes to putting the ball in the basket. I'm aware that the same could have probably been said 12 months ago, but they're better than they were a year ago, and I just don't see a squad out there with the weapons to accomplish what Kansas was able to do in San Antonio last April.

They're going to get bored and lose at least one more time before Selection Sunday, but in the end I wouldn't be surprised to see a Florida '07-esque unchallenged run through the field of 65.

2. Folks like you and I are going to adore this year's NCAA Tournament because of the parity that will exist between seeds 2-12, but expect to hear a lot of bitching from the casual fan about the absence of compelling storylines due to the lack of mid and low major talent. There simply aren't the "unknown" teams with "unknown" talent capable of winning a game or two in the dance like there were last year.

I still think Siena is the best bet because, like Davidson a season ago, they played - and lost to - some of the best teams in the country early in the season, have gotten progressively better as the year has worn on, and are in the process of dominating an ordinarily competitive conference. Also, the Saints boast four of the same starters who helped trounce Vanderbilt in the first round of last year's tourney.

Though I haven't seen them play and they're yet to knock off anyone legit, Utah State (a mid-major team by name, but maybe not by conference) is apparently capable of at least hanging with a mid-level team from a major conference, a statement that also applies to whichever team wins the MAC, Missouri Valley and - assuming it's VCU, George Mason or Northeastern - Colonial conference tournaments.

And then there's Butler and Davidson.

Brad Stevens should probably be the front-runner for national coach of the year, but the Bulldogs aren't as experienced or talented as they've been in years where they've been successful in the dance, and they don't have the athletes to compete if they're pitted against a high-major foe in the first round. If anyone is good enough to single-handedly lead his team to victory in a game it has no business winning, it's Stephen Curry, but the Wildcats aren't the squad that rolled through the SoCon and came within a shot of knocking off the eventual national champions and crashing the Final Four. If they lose to Butler on Saturday and get knocked off in the conference tournament, Bob McKillop's club will be the topic of much conversation in the days leading up to Selection Sunday.

Upsets and Cinderellas are what makes March Madness so sexy to outsiders, but in a season where conference superiority has been debated so hotly, first round matchups like Syracuse/Miami or Texas/Florida will serve as college basketball porn for people like us.

3. I decided last night that if I were a gargantuan shot-blocker (I'm not, by the way), I'd opt against the time-tested post-swat shouts of "get out" or "gimme that" in favor of things that make absolutely no sense.

If you had your shot blocked by a foot-taller Mike Rutherford, you'd be serenaded by screams of, "BUTTON IT UUUPPPP!!!" or "BILLINGS MONTAAANNNAAA!!!!."

Obviously, this is a dream I can never make a reality, but if you are a large man proficient in the art of the blocked shot who plays major college or professional basketball and you're reading along right now, well, I think this is a possible addition to your game that you should consider very seriously.

4. I always cringe when I hear war terms applied to sporting events, but Monday night's Pittsburgh/Connecticut tussle made the faux-pas as close to appropriate as possible.

The Panthers won by eight and Dejuan Blair thoroughly dominated Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien, but you turned off the television thinking that the Huskies could win by the same margin and Blair could be completely shut down when the two meet again at the Peterson Events Center on March 7.

Being able to watch two No. 1 seeds go at it in mid-February was a treat.

5. The Big East Tournament is going to be incredible, but the race for the regular season title might have it topped in terms of intrigue.

You have the favorite, Connecticut, which probably has the hardest remaining schedule of the four teams currently locked in a virtual tie. Then Pittsburgh, which knocked off the favorite but still has to play them again on the last day of the regular season. Louisville, which has already beaten Pitt, lost to Connecticut and appears to have a relatively easy last six games, but does have the unenviable task of dealing with a handful of squads desperate for a big-time win to boost their at-large resumes. And then Marquette, the ordained long-shot which has to play the other three teams in a back-to-back-to-back stretch from Feb. 25 - March 4.

I don't think anyone would have predicted in December that the '09 Big East champ would have to finish the regular season with a record at least equal to that of the '08 king, but it certainly looks like anything short of 15-3 is not going to be enough.

The crown will likely be decided by the head-to-head tilts between the contenders, and that's the way it should be.

6. You can't question their credentials as a No. 1, but I think it's safe to say that every potential two or three seed is going to be hoping they see their name pop up in Oklahoma's region when the bracket is unveiled in a month.

7. Did Louisville play Oklahoma in last year's tournament?

8. Computer rankings still frighten and confuse me. So does The Mentalist.

9. When Sean McDonough said Monday night that, "often this season, Big East officials have had far too much of an impact on the way the games have been played," I wanted to give him a hug.

Just be consistent and try to remember that nobody came to see you. Don't give me that look, Hightower.

10. The Bilas/Raftery/McDonough trio should make the first afternoon of the Big East Tournament (9/16 and 12/13 games) must-see material. The guys are always golden at MSG, but a heavily diminished level of play will undoubtedly provide even more of an opportunity to shine.

11. Was Mike Patrick really this bad in the '90s? If he was, how did we not notice?

12. I'll admit it: I have absolutely no idea how good any of the teams in the Pac-10 are.

13. This one is down on the list because I've had to work my way up to it...Jodie Meeks deserves even more pub than he's getting. If the man had been healthy and had 3/4 of the season Stephen Curry did in '08, then he'd be an unquestionable first team All-American and serious contender for national POY. Remarkably, Meeks is putting up Curry-like numbers on a daily basis on a team that gives him a bit more support than Davidson does Steph, and against competition better than Curry sees in the SoCon (insert SEC joke here).

I don't care if the team is down, I don't care if the league is down, when you average just under 26 points per game for Kentucky and have dropped 54 and 45 in SEC road games, you're having a season that demands over-the-top national attention.

Jodie Meeks is the real deal.

14. The lack of runaway conference leaders in the mid-major ranks may be bad for the NCAA Tournament, but it should make for some immensely entertaining conference tournaments.

The jumbled standings in the Mountain West, Atlantic 10, MAC, Missouri Valley, Big West, Colonial, Southland and Big South all point to three or four rounds of intense games where every possession could be the difference between the end of the season and an NCAA Tournament bid.

The college sports package: a necessity that trumps warm water.

15. When it comes to picking out All-Americans, there are three givens and then a handful of guys fighting for the fourth and fifth spots on the first team. Where it gets really interesting is when you try to pick the next ten guys to fill out the second and third teams.

Here are my efforts:

First Team

Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
Stephen Curry, Davidson
Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
Jodie Meeks, Kentucky
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame

Second Team

James Harden, Arizona State
Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut
Dejuan Blair, Pittsburgh
Ty Lawson, North Carolina
Jeff Teague, Wake Forest

Third Team

Sam Young, Pittsburgh
Jerel McNeal, Marquette
Tyrese Rice, Boston College
Lester Hudson, Tennessee-Martin
Nick Calathes, Florida

16. I really, really, really want UT-Martin to win the OVC tourney so Lester Hudson gets to play in the dance.

17. Things are about to get very fun.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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