Coast To Coast – Friday Edition

In The Northeast: Disturbing allegations came out on Thursday involving long-time Syracuse men’s basketball assistant Bernie Fine and a former ball boy during the youth’s association with the program back in the late 1980′s.   Fine joined Jim Boeheim’s staff in 1976 and his 35-year tenure represents the longest active streak of consecutive seasons at one school among men’s basketball assistant coaches in Division I.  In 2005, the Syracuse City Police declined to pursue the matter because the statute of limitations had expired.  They have since reopened the case.

In The South: Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports wrote an interesting piece this week following Mike Krzyzewksi’s record-setting 903rd victory on Nov. 15 at Madison Square Garden.  However, the notion of bringing coaches down off pedestals and not rolling out the red carpet for them will be difficult to do with escalating salaries of coaches and ever-increasing television exposure of college athletics.  If college presidents are willing to sign the large checks for high-profile coaches and make them the faces of their institutions while demanding instant success, how reasonable is to expect coaches not be catered to by influential alums and athletic department personnel when they are allowed to wield so much power and influence?

In The Heartland: Fans in Stillwater were overjoyed when McDonald’s All-American Le’Bryan Nash pledged his commitment to Travis Ford’s program for the 2011-12 campaign.  While signing Nash was quite a coup for OSU, Ford’s current group of freshmen could also include a dynamic point guard for the foreseeable future in Cezar Guerrero.  The Bellflower, Calif., native nearly single-handedly rallied the Cowboys to a 90-85 overtime win versus Texas-San Antonio on Nov. 16 with eight three-pointers and 29 points.

Out West: While the struggles of UCLA have been well discussed and analyzed in the very early portion of the season, the Bruins could actually be doing Utah a favor by overshadowing the less than stellar start of its newest Pac-12 rival.  The Runnin’ Utes (side note: remember when UNLV of the Tarkanian era was the only team with “Runnin” in its nickname? Now it’s nearly as common as “Wildcats” or “Bulldogs”) are at more of a stroll so far in 2011-12 after squeaking past San Diego Christian College (58-55) and dropping an 80-59 decision at Boise State on Nov. 16.  Add in a one-point loss to Adams State in their exhibition and first-year head coach Larry Krystkowiak’s team is a work in progress thus far following last season’s 13-18 campaign.

 

Coast To Coast – Friday Edition

In the Northeast: It was a great to see an energized Steve Lavin back on the bench for St. John’s 78-73 come-from-behind win over Lehigh.  The Johnnies could experience some growing pains in the first half of the season with an inexperienced roster that is woefully short on bodies.  One thing to keep in mind,  however: St. John’s suffered home losses to Fordham and St. Bonavenure last season before hitting its stride after Christmas and knocking off the likes of Duke and Pittsburgh.

In the South: While you won’t see their programs listed among the Rivals top 25 recruiting classes for 2012, both Blaine Taylor and Pat Skerry are receiving strong reviews for the classes they have secured for next season.  Taylor has earned a reputation of consistently finding hidden gems during his time at Old Dominion and has often fielded some of the most athletic and versatile rosters in the CAA.  First-year Towson head coach Pat Skerry has inked a class that should be the foundation for the revitalization of the program.  Skerry’s recruiting prowess was a big reason for Rhode Island’s consistent run of success under Jim Baron.

In the Heartland: If it’s season-opening win at Mississippi State was any indication, Akron could be on the verge of big things in 2011-12.  Head coach Keith Dambrot has twice led the Zips to the NCAA Tournament in his seven seasons, including last year.  Junior center Zeke Marshall was a top-50 recruit in 2009 who had several Big 10 and Big East offers and his continued development could spell trouble for MAC rivals and the Zips’ non-conference foes in 2011-12.  Marshall blocked 92 shots a year ago and scored 10 points in the win over Mississippi State.

Out West: The play of freshman guard Jabari Brown is vital to Oregon improving upon last season’s 16-17 record and becoming a factor in what should be a wide open Pac-12 race.  Head coach Dana Altman was impressed with Brown’s effort in the Ducks’ final exhibition contest but understands the challenge of opening the season at No. 7 Vanderbilt tonight in Nashville.

 

Drexel coach first in a different poll

Arlington, Va. – Bruiser Flint, about to begin his 11^th season at Drexel, is used to being at the top of polls for the best-dressed coaches in college basketball.

But this year he is at the top of another poll and this one is not a normal occurrence.

The Dragons were pegged by coaches, public relations personnel and media members to win the Colonial Athletic Association title this year.

What makes the pre-season pick more impressive is that it was not the one of the Big 3, as Flint calls VCU, George Mason and ODU of Virginia, that was pegged to win. And Flint pointed out that Mason in 2006 and VCU in 2011 did not win the regular-season title in the CAA before a Final Four run.

“It has always been those three teams” at the top, Flint said.

Drexel returns four starters, including guard Chris Fouch and forward Samme Givens, and begins the season Nov. 15 at Rider. The Dragons were 21-10 overall and 11-7 in the CAA last year and nearly beat VCU in the league tournament in Richmond. If the Rams had lost that game there is a good chance they would not have gotten at an-large bid to the NCAA tourney.

So what did Flint think of being picked to win the CAA?

“Usually it is the kiss of death,” said a smiling Flint, sitting at a restaurant in Virginia. “We knew we would be picked pretty high. We have a lot of guys coming back.”

“I did not think we would be picked No. 1. I thought we would be picked in the top three,” Flint added.

“If anyone doesn’t pick Drexel, they are crazy,” Smart said. “They have set themselves up for a special season.”

“It is a credit to Bruiser and a credit to his staff,” said Mo Cassara, the head coach at Hofstra.

Drexel is followed by the five Virginia league schools in the top six: George Mason, VCU, Old Dominion, James Madison and William & Mary.

“This league has changed tremendously,” Flint said. “You can almost touch (a Final Four goal) since we have played those guys” at Mason and VCU.

- David Driver

Editor’s note: David Driver, a Virginia native and Maryland resident, has covered the CAA since its inception in the 1980s. He can be reached at www.davidsdriver.com

 

Coast to Coast – Friday edition

In the Northeast: Several A-10 newcomers are among CBS Sports’ Jeff Goodman’s top 25 impact transfers for 2011-12.  While not appearing on Goodman’s list, don’t be surprised if Saint Joseph’s sophomore power forward Halil Kanacevic has as much of an impact as any transfer in the country by season’s end.  His rebounding and offensive presence in the low post could be vital to the Hawks’ rise in the A-10 in 2011-12. The 6-8 Kanacevic was a CAA All-Rookie selection in 2009-10 while at Hofstra.

In the Southeast: A pair of ACC programs could use a change of fortune…and quickly.  Maryland learned this week that 7-1 freshman center Alex Len will sit out the first 10 games of the season per a NCAA ruling.   The Terps are already short-handed after highly-touted freshman guard Pe’Shon Howard recently suffered a broken foot and could miss 10-12 weeks.   Having been on the wrong end of the tournament bubble for what seems like an eternity, Virginia Tech head coach Seth Greenberg will now enter the 2011-12 campaign without the services of forward J.T. Thompson.  Thompson will miss the year after tearing the ACL in his left knee.  He also missed all of last season recovering from an ACL tear in his right knee and was expected to be a vital cog in a VT frontcourt that is short on depth and experience.

In the Heartland: Creighton is the preseason favorite in the Missouri Valley to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007.  The 2011-12 Jayhawks have experience at the point in senior Antoine Young, an explosive wing scorer in Doug McDermott – who blossomed over the summer on the U-19 USA Team – and bruising forward Greg Echenique, who became eligible for the second semester last season after arriving from Rutgers.  Head coach Greg McDermott sees better passing as a key for his team to overtake 2011 NCAA participant Indiana State and defending NIT champion Wichita State.  The Valley last earned multiple NCAA bids in 2007.

Out West: One domino that could fall should Boise State and Air Force join the Big East for football and move their Olympic sports out of the Mountain West would be Utah State joining the MWC.  The flagship men’s basketball program in the WAC for the past decade, the loss of Stew Morrill’s Aggies would be a devastating blow to the league but a huge addition to the Mountain West and a chief competitor to UNLV, New Mexico and San Diego State for conference supremacy on the hardwood.

 

Coast-to-Coast – Friday Edition

In The Northeast: Connecticut has received the majority of the media focus following the NCAA’s announcement regarding raising the APR average and postseason bans for teams that do not meet the required guidelines.  However, the Huskies are certainly not the only high profile program that could be facing a postseason ban in 2012-13 without doing some major work in the classroom.  If national bracketologists like Joe Lunardi, Jerry Palm Andy Glockner didn’t already have enough data to sort thru when predicting the Field of 68, they may also need to list APR averages along with SOS and RPI.

In The Southeast: Looks like the ACC’s quick strike to add Pitt and Syracuse last month was fast enough that divisional alignment of the new-look league wasn’t hashed out ahead of time.  One suggestion: move Miami (Fla.) in with Va. Tech, UVA, Pitt, Cuse, BC and Maryland. This allows you to keep UNC and Duke together with in-state rivals Wake and NC State, while Va. Tech and FSU remain in separate divisions in football.  No ACC school is busing to Miami anyway; it makes sense to match the Canes with the northern members rather than separate the North Carolina faction.

In The Heartland: The teams at the top of the Summit League in 2011-12 will make some noise in non-conference play.  Defending champion Oakland, league-favorite Oral Roberts and South Dakota State – led by one of the nation’s best-kept secrets in junior guard Nate Wolters – will provide the Summit with one of the more highly contested conference races in the country.  Oral Roberts announced this week it is leaving for the Southland Conference beginning in 2012-13.  Head coach Sean Sutton will now have even more of an opportunity to recruit in Texas as the Southland boasts four members from the state of Texas (Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston State, Lamar and Texas A & M Corpus-Christi).

Out West: One of the biggest winners in the conference realignment could be a conference that does not even sponsor football.  The profile of the WCC has grown tremendously in the past 10 years with the rise of Gonzaga and St. Mary’s on the national level and the improvement of programs such as San Francisco and Santa Clara, among others.  However, the addition of BYU could give the WCC three NCAA teams in 2011-12 and place the league firmly in the conversation with the A-10, C-USA and Mountain West as the best non-BCS conference.  In the continuing conference rankings series done by Jeff Goodman at CBS Sports, the WCC is rated the No. 7 league in the nation for 2011-12.

 

Coast-to-Coast: Monday

Each passing day typically consists of two things: No NBA lockout progress and increased anticipation for the upcoming college basketball season (now 15 days away).  With college football and the MLB World Series on the forefront, this is a great time to get acquainted with what to expect from the 2011-2012 college season on the hardwood. 

Secondary Break’s Coast-to-Coast continues its second week of national coverage going region-to-region around the country, every weekday morning.  Once again filling in the Monday slot is West Virginia senior, Doug Potter.

In the Heartland:  Last season, it was Brittney Griner making all the headlines on the court in Baylor country.  While she’s not going anywhere soon (only a sophomore), this season the men’s team figures to make some noise.  Ranked 12^th in the Coaches pre-season poll and picked to finish third in the Big 12, the Bears are as athletic as anyone in the country.  Perry Jones III will be a lottery pick whenever he chooses (also only a sophomore) and the addition of the JUCO player of the year, Pierre Jackson, should improve the point guard position.  Talent-wise, Baylor can compete with anyone in the country, but how they put it all together remains to be seen.

In the East:  The Big East has a lot of questions regarding members, but to me, the biggest question is if the Cincinnati Bearcats can make the jump into the upper echelon in the conference.  One thing that won’t change for Cincy is their non-conference schedule (or lack-thereof).  With their toughest games being @ Xavier and @Georgia, look for the Cats to jump out to another fast start.  The offense will be mainly centered around big man, Yancy Gates (Big East preseason second team), returning their top four scorers doesn’t hurt either.

In the Southeast:  Over the last six seasons, the order goes Duke then North Carolina for most wins from teams in the ACC.  Number three?  That’s right, the Florida State Seminoles.  Averaging 22 wins per season over that span, Leonard Hamilton has his team smelling success yet again.  The loss of Chris Singleton (NBA first round selection) and Derwin Kitchen will certainly hurt, but with the way they play defense, and emerging stars, Michael Snaer and Terrance Shannon, the Noles are staring at a fourth straight 20-plus win season.

Out West:  Gonzaga and St. Mary’s are becoming well-known programs in the WCC, but who will challenge them this season?  The Jimmer-less BYU Cougars?  Possibly, but keep your eye on Santa Clara.  The Broncos went 5-0 in their postseason tournament (CIT) and will rely heavily on the development on their big man, John McArthur.  A highly talented recruit coming out of high school (De La Salle HS in Concord, Calif.) sat down with Broncos reporter, Gabe Taylor discussing his role this season.  Get to know the potential WCC first-teamer before most others do around the country.

- Doug Potter

 

Lightning Recap: Rice, Broncos continue to build; fold Aces in CBI

Boise State head coach Leon Rice summed up the present and, potentially, a big part of the future after the Broncos dispatched a pesky group of Evansville Purple Aces, 75-69, when stating that “youth showed up tonight” and talented freshman big man Ryan Watkins “played his best game of the year”. Watkins did indeed – efficiently scoring 18 points on 6-9 shooting and grabbing eight rebounds… and this season should have Boise State fans excited for the Leon Rice led Broncos for years to come.
 
For much of the first half, the game drew comparisons to Penn State’s 36-33 sleeper over Wisconsin earlier in March. Tough defense and poor shooting had fans looking for a Purple Aces’ Texas-Hold-’Em table.
 
But the second half was different. Evansville was shooting nearly 80% from the field for the majority of the second stanza. When asked about the statistic Coach Rice simply shook his head, smiled, and said it was indicative of their year. “We find a way to win.”
 
That they did, and Bronco basketball fans have reason to be excited for the first time since Bobby Dye was roaming the sidelines and Chris Childs led Boise State to the Big Dance decades ago. Yes, the future looks like aces, as the Broncos have grown under Rice and now won 10 of 11 since February 10th, the only loss coming to WAC Champion Utah State in the conference tournament final.
 
Up next for the 22-win Broncos, the Oregon Ducks, who they’ll face on March 23rd in Eugene at 10:00 in the CBI semifinals.

- Jason Rhodes

 

Duke cuts down the nets again

On paper, today’s ACC Tournament title game between Duke and North Carolina shaped up as a classic.  Fierce rivals, No. 5 versus No 6, two hall-of-fame coaches, NBA talent.

But it never happened.  Duke dominated the game for 40 minutes, jumping to an early 8-0 lead and never letting the Tar Heels off the mat.

            Duke made 9-of-20 3-pointers, kept North Carolina from dominating the boards and got contributions from all seven of their rotation players. 

But they won the game on defense, forcing North Carolina way out of their comfort zone and keeping them there.

            Duke’s defense was superb, junkyard-dog tough.  The nation’s hottest team couldn’t run its offense, couldn’t get open looks and couldn’t convert contested shots with enough frequency to put Duke under any duress. The Tar Heels turned it over 16 times, against only eight assists, and shot 34 percent from the field.

            Nolan Smith was the ACC Player of the Year and leading scorer and he led everyone today with 20 points and 10 assists.  But Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams agreed that his greatest impact was on defense.  “He’s tough on both ends of the court,” Williams said.  “He made life tough for [Kendall] Marshall.  Their defensive was more aggressive than our offense. They made us start our offense 45 feet from the basket.”

            Krzyzewski’s thoughts? “As much as Nolan did offensively, I thought his defense made him MVP for this tournament.  His defense was key because it all starts with on-ball pressure.”

            After that 8-0 hole, the closest North Carolina got was 10-6. But a Duke 15-2 run blew the doors off.  Andre Dawkins hit a pair of 3s during the run, while Ryan Kelly scored twice.  That’s 10 points off the bench in a six-minute span.   This was a big deal for a team that has struggled to consistently find complementary scorers behind All-Americans Smith and Kyle Singler.

            It was 42-28 at the break. North Carolina overcame double-digit deficits in the second half in defeating Miami and Clemson earlier in the tournament.  Roy Williams quipped after the game that his team forgot the tip-off times once the entered the Greensboro city limits. 

Did they have another comeback? The predominantly light blue crowd at the Greensboro Coliseum was on pins and needles, just waiting for North Carolina to give them a reason to erupt.  But Duke had an answer for every question. A Harrison Barnes jumper made it 63-54 with six minutes left.  But Seth Curry and Ryan Kelly made 3-pointers and the crowd started heading for the parking lots.

Mike Krzyzewski said Duke played it best game of the season.  “We beat an outstanding team, a team that we have ultimate respect for, and I thought we played like it.  We got better this week.  The guys practiced well, and in the Maryland and Virginia Tech games we played well, and they played well against us and we got better.”

Duke’s biggest deficit during the tournament was three points and they trailed not a single second in three second-halves.  That’s dominance.

Krzyzewski’s ACC Tournament success is staggering.  Duke has now won 10 of the last 13 ACC Tournaments.   With Kyrie Irving’s return next week looking more likely than any time since his injury, Duke has the look of a team capable of playing  a long time. 

Jim Sumner

 

Duke rolls along

Credit: Duke University Sports Information

Duke and North Carolina took different routes to tomorrow’s ACC Tournament title-game but they both got there, setting up the matchup most wanted.

While North Carolina spent two days playing pressure-packed catch-up, Duke was methodically putting away Maryland and now Virginia Tech.

It would be a disservice to the Hokies’ considerable effort to call today’s 77-63 Duke victory routine.  But it wasn’t especially suspenseful, either.  Duke took the lead for good about eight minutes into the game.  Nolan Smith, who says his injured toe felt as good as new after treatment, scored 10 points for Duke in a two-minute blitz that put Duke up 26-16.  Seth Curry hit a 3 right before intermission and the Blue Devils led 39-28.

Seth Greenberg praised his team’s effort but not its effectiveness. “I thought we played really hard. I’m not sure we played as well as we’ve been playing.”

Duke had several goals going into the game and accomplished them all. Getting Smith back on track was one.  He struggled last night against Maryland even before the injury.  But he was back to his high standards, scoring 27 points and handing out six assists, both game highs.

Duke wanted to control Jeff Allen, who scored 18 points, with 15 rebounds two weeks ago in Tech’s 64-60 win over Duke two weeks ago.  Allen scored only two points tonight and turned it over four times.. Mike Krzyzewski called Duke’s defense on Allen “a difference maker for the ball game.”

Duke also outrebounded the underdogs 35-33.

Krzyzewski said that Duke wanted to turn Virginia Tech into a one-on-one team.  The Hokies shot only 37 percent from the field but more importantly notched only three assists, an astonishingly low total.  Had Malcolm Delaney not gone 10-for-10 from the foul line, it might have been ugly.  Delaney was 4-for-14 from the field and scored 19 points.

Virginia Tech got the Duke lead down to six at 41-35 early in the second half but Kyle Singler blunted the mini-run with a jumper; Singler finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

The game was a physical contest, with 42 fouls, 50 free throws, two technical fouls and enough sharp elbows for a month’s worth of games.  But Duke matched Virginia Tech’s physicality and managed the game efficiently down the stretch. Tech never got the deficit into single digits during the final 14 minutes.

So, Greenberg and his team will sweat out another Selection Sunday, a recent Blacksburg tradition.

Duke has other plans, cutting-down-the-net plans.  But an ancient rival stands in their way, a dangerous rival, maybe lucky, maybe a team of destiny that refuses to lose.   It should be a most interesting Sunday afternoon in Greensboro.

Jim Sumner

 

North Carolina wins another thriller

If you play too close to the fire, eventually you’ll get burned.

That’s a lesson every parent tries to teach.

But the ancient wisdom also says “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

It’s almost as if the North Carolina basketball team needs to fall way behind early in order to feel any urgency.  They’ve been able to get away with it all season.

Clemson certainly was willing to cooperate in the first semi-final of the ACC Tournament.  They turned a rash of Tar Heel turnovers into an early 14-1 run and controlled the first half of the contest. The Tigers led by as much as 14 at 36-22 and 38-24.

North Carolina turned it over four times in the first 4:28.  Roy Williams remains perplexed. “I have no idea why we got off to such a slow start.  If I knew what the heck it was, I already would have changed it.”

Touted freshman Harrison Barnes kept North Carolina in the game, scoring 12 of their first 16 points.  But other than Barnes, Clemson was more aggressive and more effective.

North Carolina scored the final four points of the half, cutting the score to 38-28.  Given Clemson’s dismal history against North Carolina teams in the state of North Carolina, this was an encouraging sign for the tournament’s top seed.

The second half started off ragged for both teams.  Lots of action, not much scoring.  Clemson’s Demontez Stitt and North Carolina’s John Henson exchanged three-point plays, with Clemson’s Jerai Grant picking up his third foul on the latter.

Kendall Marshall sat out a few minutes with three fouls but his team spent most of that time at the foul line. Milton Jennings and Devin Booker picked up their third fouls before the second media timeout and North Carolina was in the bonus after six minutes, the double bonus after ten. When Tyler Zeller scored inside to put North Carolina up 53-52, the Greensboro Coliseum sat back and waited for the inevitable Clemson meltdown.

But this Clemson team is made of sterner stuff than some of their predecessors, certainly sterner stuff than the Miami team that coughed up a 19-point second-half lead yesterday.  Tanner Smith hit a 3, Andre Young another, Stitt got 3 the old-fashioned way and suddenly Clemson was back on top 63-55.

What followed was compelling, high-quality basketball.  Somehow, the teams managed to go to the 3:54 mark before hitting the under-eight media timeout.  No cheap fouls, no passes airmailed out of bounds.

Carolina’s work on the offensive boards negated poor shooting and good Clemson defense.  The Tar Heels converted four put-backs in a crucial seven-minute period, two by Zeller, and two by John Henson.

They also put pressure on Clemson’s ball-handlers.  Up 73-66, the Tigers turned it over twice and followed with some tough shots at the end of the shot clock.  Smith missed a pair of baseline 3s, either of which might have sealed the deal.  Down two, North Carolina double-teamed Stitt and forced a shot-clock violation, getting the ball back with 46.6 seconds left.  Zeller tied it with a jump hook.

Clemson had three time-outs left but Brad Brownell elected to see if Stitt could win it.  He couldn’t.  He badly missed a contested shot at the buzzer.

Clemson’s Brad Brownell defended the decision.  “Do you want to draw something up?  Do you think it’s going to get better?  You get the ball to your best player, give him space, and let him make a shot.”

Clemson badly needed something good to happen at the beginning of overtime. Instead, they couldn’t grab two loose rebounds on the first possession and Barnes buried a 3.  Marshall followed a few second later and then Barnes got an and-one.

Clemson had one more run in them.  An Andre Young 3 made it 90-87, with 10.8 seconds left.  Clemson came tantalizingly close to stealing an inbounds pass but close wasn’t good enough.  Barnes sealed the 92-87 win from the line.

Barnes scored 14 points in the extra period, 40 for the game, the most ever for a freshman in an ACC Tournament; Mark Price had 33 in 1983.

Brownell said Clemson couldn’t guard Barnes, a pretty obvious point but a pretty important one.  Give the kid credit.  He hung in there, kept working and is putting it together in a big way.