Grant Secures First Big Win Against Kentucky

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

Down 20-points on the road against the Alabama Crimson Tide (11-7, 3-1 SEC) wasn't something John Calipari and his twelfth ranked Kentucky Wildcats (14-4, 2-2 SEC) envision.

One game removed from losing to Arkansas 70-65, and shooting 2-of-10 (20%) from deep, Alabama picked up its first marquee win on the season.

Alabama deserved this win after taking the lead with 11:01 left in the first half and not allowing Kentucky to get back into the game.

JaMychal Green paced Alabama with 18-points, and 11 rebounds on 7-of-15 (46%) shooting. "I just knew i had to come out here and give it my all and that's what I did," said Green following his magnificent performance.

"I wanted to win badly and my teammates did a great job on offense and defense."

Sophomore Tony Mitchell provided his contributions to the upset loss of Kentucky. Mitchell scored 15 points, and grabbed seven rebounds, despite picking up his fourth personal foul with 10-minutes left to play.

"I just helped my team as much as possible," said Mitchell. "I tried to do whatever I can to contribute to my team."

This loss places Alabama at (3-1) and in the driver seat of the SEC conference. With a solid core of players in Green, Mitchell, and freshmen Trevor Releford, Alabama could be looking at its first SEC divisional championship since '05.

For Kentucky, the Wildcats drops to (2-2) and is now tied for third place in the SEC East.

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Hoosiers Get First Big Ten Win, Beat Tough Michigan 80-61

Posted by CoHoops Josh Dhani

Verdell Jones III helped lead the Indiana Hoosiers to their first Big Ten win of the season with a 80-61 victory over the Michigan Wolverines in a tough battle as Indiana improves to 10-8 for the year now.

Jones fueled IU with his 24 points. Indiana played solid defense and amazing offense in the game, as they held Michigan to under 35-percent shooting. Indiana shot over 67-percent from the field. Jones was nine-of-ten overall.

Indiana played probably one of their best defenses of the decade. They held the Wolverines to under 24-percent shooting in the first half while limiting them to 15 points. That is the least amount of points IU held a team to in a half since they did to the Purdue Boilermakers in 2002. IU also rebounded well, having the first eight boards of the game. They were attacking the glass from all aspects of the court.

"Our players understood that it began with what our defensive transition was going to be like because of how well they push the ball up the court and get it up the court," said IU Coach Tom Crean. "They did an excellent job with that."

The Hoosiers basically did the same thing in the second half. Christian Watford got the crowd going louder with his three-pointer to put IU, 39-19. IU was creating excitement in Assembly Hall! However, with 8:33 to go, Michigan went on a late run of 12-2 to come within an eleven-point deficit, 46-35. But that is the closest they got, because every time they came within eleven points, Jordan Hulls would hit a triple.

"We were very, very solid in the half court," said Crean. "There were a couple of stretches where they got on some runs, but a lot of the things that we wanted to accomplish, things that we were keeping track of, our guys really bought into and they followed the gameplan."

This was simply a solid game by IU as they won their first big competitive game of the season. IU out-rebounded the Wolverines, 37-19, while also outscoring them on the bench, 16-6.

Christian Watford finished with 17 points and ten rebounds while Hulls had 13. Jeremiah Rivers had eight points.

Let's hope they carry this same effort following into the Wisconsin Badgers' game on Thursday.

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Penn State Ready to Build On Recent Success

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

The Penn State Nittany Lions (10-6) know history can be repeated. Their latest two game stretch will go down in the history books thanks to some great contributions.

Last season, both the Illinois Fighting Illini (13-4) and the Michigan State Spartans (11-5) swept the season series against Penn State. This year, the tables have turned, somewhat. The Nittany Lions have defeated Illinois and Michigan State for the first time since '08-09.

This also marked the first time Penn State defeated two ranked opponents consecutively since 1954, when the Nitty Lions reached their only Final Four.

Mind you, this is the same Penn State team that dropped to the Maine Black Bears (8-7) on their home court by 10.

But that loss only fueled the team if you ask sophomore guard Talor Battle.

"Whenever we win, someone always mentions how we lost to Maine," said Battle. "Maybe that's what sparked the fire. I think the last couple of games we've really been playing well together."

Penn State held both Michigan State, and Illinois well under their scoring average, as well as, limiting Michigan State to the second-lowest point total on the season, while limiting Illinois to 50-points for the second time.

"We kept them from getting comfortable," said Battle following their 57-55 win against Illinois. "We kept it a low scoring game; right where we had a chance to win and we came out with a win."

Penn State will not believe in the hype, and looks forward to its next few games on the road. "What we've been doing in practice is practicing like we lost the night before," said Battle. "We're going to do that when we come back Thursday to practice and get ready for a really good Ohio State team.

Whoever wins this game isn't going to be granted the Big Ten championship, but it will sure send a message to other teams.

Penn State coach Ed DeChellis says the hard work at practice leading up to both games and the dividends it paid is just "a confidence builder for us" and insists that his Nittany Lions have a long way to go.

"This is a very unforgiving league, so you can't get too excited about winning two games," coach DeChellis said. "It gives the guys some confidence going into the Ohio State game."

Penn State has been a good rebounding, and defensive team in their last two games but some credence should be given to senior Andrew Jones.

Jones dunked-in the game winner, and helped Penn State hang on to defeat Michigan State after a huge put back, and free-throw that put the Nittany Lions up 63-61 with 1:03 left to play.

Before the past two games, Jones hadn't scored in double figures since scoring 10-points in the season-finale last year.

"[Andrew] Jones is playing well," said coach DeChellis. "I haven't done anything different, just trying to get him to play harder and shoot a little better. He's playing with confidence now, and it's amazing how well that can work."

Jones isn't alone, leading scorer Battle has played a very crucial role for Penn State. His jumper with 20 seconds left on the clock against the Spartans ultimately put the game out of reach, as well as, nailing crucial three against Illinois to keep Penn State in the game.

Sitting at (3-2) in the Big 10 conference, with wins against then-No.19 Michigan State, and No. 16 Illinois on their resume, Penn State has another chance to add to their success against Ohio State.

"It's a good feeling," Jones said following his buzzer beater against Illinois. "It's a good win and we just got to keep on going and like T [Talor Battle] said, beat a really good Ohio State team.

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2010-11 College Basketball Week 9 Review and Week 10 Preview

By Marc Daley

Normally I take a look back at the week that was. Specifically, I take a look at who screwed up and who came to play, but considering the tragic events that took place in Tucson on Saturday I think we need a healthy dose of perspective instead.

Politics and sports have always been rife with debate but since the Internet and the abundance of talk radio we have gotten away from civilized discourse into full-blown rage that isn't backed up with verified information. We have potential Presidential candidates marking states with gun sights just because they don't agree with her position on health care reform. We have journalists getting killed in hotel rooms. We have sportswriters answering their phones to the sounds of vitriol because they dared to go against the grain in voting on a poll. We have fans taking up a cause of a star player's eligibility with the fervor that used to be reserved for political prisoners who were unjustifiably jailed for their beliefs.

The bottom line is that we need to relax. Health care and economic policies aren't worth getting death threats over. An ineligible player doesn't mean your team's season is in the tank. And guess what? If some player makes a game-winning shot does that mean you're going to get a raise? Your sick relative will make a miracle recovery? Your kids will feel safer in school or ace a critical test? And if that player misses does that mean you're going to lose your house or you won't be able to feed your family? Unless you're the person who was foolish enough to bet your paycheck on the outcome of a game then the answer should be pretty obvious.

I'm not saying we should all join hands and rise in a chorus of "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore". Disagreement – healthy disagreement – founded this country and has provided a lot of advancements in critical areas of life. Name-calling and overzealousness have brought about little progress and usually leave a wake of damage after it's all over including the shouting. So when Florida meets up with Tennessee and if the Vols lose on Tuesday, accept it for what it is. Bruce Pearl isn't the Antichrist and Scotty Hopson isn't an overrated malcontent who should be drawn and quartered. If North Carolina misses the Tournament Roy Williams isn't a blatant choke artist whose kids are probably meth-heads.

The bottom line is if those things happen those teams just weren't good enough. And that happens sometimes.

Here's this week's Top 25. Duke is still number 1. And last I checked Mike Krzyzewski wasn't turning water into wine. He's just a really good coach.

1. Duke
   
2. Ohio State
   
3. Kansas
   
4. Villanova
   
5. Pittsburgh
   
6. Syracuse
   
7. Purdue
   
8. San Diego State
   
9. Texas A&M
   
10. Missouri
    
11. Connecticut
    
12. Kentucky
    
13. Brigham Young
    
14. Kansas State
    
15. Florida
    
16. Memphis
    
17. Texas
    
18. Louisville
    
19. Notre Dame
    
20. Michigan State
    
21. Minnesota
    
22. Illinois
    
23. Georgetown
    
24. UCF
    
25. Washington
    

 

 

Burks Blossoming into Elite Player

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

Alec Burks hasn't had a problem proving doubters wrong. After only receiving six scholarship offers, most of which that came very late, Burks has taken advantage of his time at Colorado University.

After his first season at Colorado, Burks was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, winning the honor over soon-lottery pick Xavier Henry, after scoring 17.1 points, and grabbing five rebounds per game.

This season, Burks has emerged as one of the best shooting guards in the country.

Burks has certainly grew as a player after his first season. He makes better decisions, and is still as efficient as ever.

Standing at 6-foot-6, Burks is very quick off his feet, explosive, and has a NBA-ready jumper.

He has the ability to take the opposition off the dribble, step back and finish around the rim.

Burks ability to rebound the ball adds another dimension to his already polished game but his bright spot comes on the defensive end. He hasn't utilized his long frame on the defensive end, and could become a great defender with help.

Burks takes an average of 13 shots per game, and nails an outstanding (51%) of his shots. His proficient offense helps him score 20.1 a game, that includes his recent 36-point scoring outrage against the Missouri Tigers.

This season, compared to last, Burks has come out very aggressively attacking the opposition with his unique scoring ability.

"I try to start out every game aggressive," said Burks following his 36-point performance against Missouri. "Every time I step on the court, I want to be aggressive. It wasn't anything new. It's the same game every game."

He has improved his free-throw percentage shooting (82%) from the charity stripe, while nailing (35%) of his three balls.

"The thing I like about Alec [Burks] and probably the most proud of Alec, given our preseason, he is so talented offensively." said coach Tad Boyle. "He feels like he can make a play every time he has the ball."

His performances this season, and last, has many scouts labeling Burks as a definite lottery pick. He has the physical tools to excel at the next level, and the ceiling is sky high for the 6-foot-6 sophomore.

"I thought he [Alec Burks] played well," said Missouri's coach Mike Anderson. "He's a good player, looked like he was an all-league performer today."

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