A Golden Year in Hattiesburg For Eagles, Eustachy

Early last February, no one mentioned the VCU Rams as a potential Final Four participant. A year later, no one is mentioning the 20-3 Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles as a Final Four participant.  The Golden Eagles won a rousing 75-72 first-place showdown over Memphis on Wednesday night as they have taken a 7-1 mark at mid-season and are currently in first place in the Conference USA wars.

Coach Larry Eustachy has had a redemption of sorts with the re-birth of and maybe even the birth of the finest hours of the USM program.  The win over Memphis allowed Eustachy to tie M.K. Turk and Lee Floyd for most 20-win seasons at four; however, beyond basketball, it is a more important redemption for the 19-year coaching veteran.

Eustachy admitted in 2004 to being an alcoholic and stayed out of basketball for a year as he received treatment.  He landed in Hattiesburg with a program that didn’t have much tradition and history as it only owns two NCAA appearances and lost both games; thus, the only pressure would come from within himself.

Southern Mississippi often goes overlooked in a league where Memphis became the behemoth under John Calipari and still has a name that carries enormous credibility.  Now, with the 20th win and an RPI of 11, this Southern Miss program could be set to sky-rocket.

The Golden Eagles are an interesting mix of veteran players as their roster features five juniors, two seniors, and three red-shirt seniors.  In addition, the chemistry has been so cohesive that seven players average between 7.0 ppg. and 13.3 ppg.

The players come from all walks of life as Eustachy has nurtured them into a winning unit.  In the mix is JUCO products Torye Pelham, Lashay Page, Neil Watson, Jonathan Mills, Rashard McGill, Ahyaro Phillips, and Keith DeWitt, Kentucky transfer Darnell Dodson, and red-shirt seniors in Maurice Bolden, USC transfer Angelo Johnson, and Pelham.

Dodson may be the most interesting story as he transferred to USM from Kentucky last January, but was dismissed from the team only two months later for a campus incident. He enrolled for his final semester in January and has played in 14 games, becoming the Golden Eagles’ leading scorer at 13.3 ppg. and the second-leading rebounder at 5.6 boards per outing.

In addition, Dodson has been the CUSA Player of the Week twice since his first game at Arizona State on Dec. 19. This week in the Memphis win, Dodson scored 23 points and had a perfect 9-of-9 free throw mark.

Dodson has increased USM’s depth immensely as LaShay Page, Angelo Johnson, and Maurice Bolden started out as a “Big Three,” of sorts, but now Dodson’s presence in that equation means that Eustachy has nine players averaging double figures in minutes.  Page shoots 37.3% from behind the arc while Bolden leads Southern Miss in rebounds (5.8 rpg.) and blocks with 29.

The Eagles win with a Eustachy trademark defense as they hold opponents to 61.9 ppg. and 41.5% from the floor while boasting a 5.5 rebounding margin.  An interesting sidebar to their stats so far is that Southern Miss is last in CUSA in field goal percentage with 42.1%, but they lead the league in scoring margin (+10 ppg.) and average 72.3 ppg., third in CUSA.

As February turns into March, Southern Miss is definitely a team to watch.  Currently, they have won 16 out of their last 17 games with that lone loss coming at Memphis by two.  Wednesday night was an exorcism of sorts  as Memphis had won 18 in a row in the series.  If the Golden Eagles are playing late in March, the 75-72 win over the Tigers may be seen as the point of the season where the Eagles began to ascend to the highest of peaks.

-Ken Cross

 

 

 

Around the nation

Most figured it would be a down year for the PAC-12, but what was once one of the nation’s mightiest three or four leagues has slipped mightily. Through games of Sunday, WarrenNolan.com had the league as the ninth-best RPI league thus far this season. According to Joe Lunardi’s Monday edition of “Bracketology,” (subscription required) just two of the league’s teams — Cal and Stanford — would get in the NCAA Tournament if the season ended today.. Part of the reason for the league’s slide is that two preseason Top 20 teams, UCLA and Arizona, have had off-years and probably wouldn’t make the tourney if the season started today. Meanwhile, Oregon State, which has big wins over Texas and Cal and looked ready to perhaps challenge for its first NCAA Tourney appearance since 1990, is now 1-5 in league play. … At least the PAC-12 can take consolation that it’s not the SWAC; that league ranks dead-last among Division I’s 33 conferences (if you group the independents as a league). The league’s 10 teams went a combined 7-96 in non-league games. … Among the teams included in Lunardi’s field of 68 is Bill Carmody’s Northwestern Wildcats, who are 24th in Nolan’s latest RPI. Northwestern is just 2-3 in Big Ten play so far, but the conference is the top-rated league thus far, and the Wildcats have scored huge wins over Michigan State and Seton Hall thus far. Northwestern has never made the NCAAs, even though it started playing basketball in 1905. … Among other teams that started the year in the Top 25 but fell out include Memphis, Pitt and Vanderbilt. Memphis is going to have to pick things up just to make the Tournament; the Tigers are 12-5, but just 1-5 against top-50 RPI opponents. Pitt has now lost seven in a row after an 11-1 start, with four defeats coming by five points or less. The Panthers remain the only winless team in the Big East. They’ve not missed the NCAA Tournament since 2001, but this might be the season. Vanderbilt, however, seems to be hitting its stride, standing 13-4 with Festus Ezeli back and in the starting lineup. VU has won seven in a row, all by double figures. The Commodores have two huge tests later this week: at Alabama on Thursday, followed by Mississippi State in Nashville on Saturday. … The three undefeated teams from last week — Baylor, Murray State and Syracuse — all remain unbeaten. Now, there are only two 1-loss teams (Kentucky, Missouri) and eight 2-loss teams. … Perhaps the most-shocking score of the season was this one from Saturday: Florida State 90, North Carolina 57, with the Seminoles getting 32 points from Deividas Dulkys, a senior who averaged 7.3 points per game last season. How out-of-the-blue (no pun intended) was that scoring outburst? Dulkys has a reputation as a practice shooter, but hadn’t scored more than six points in any of the previous nine games, and had been shut out twice in that span. This was the first really big win for FSU, which lost by 20 at 9-8 Clemson just a week before, and also fell to 8-8 Princeton on Dec. 30.

- Chris Lee, VandySports.com

 

Coast-to-Coast: Tuesday Edition

Out West: Oregon State hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1990, when Gary Payton wore the black and orange, but Craig Robinson’s squad may have a chance this year. The Beavers really disrupt teams defensively, forcing an average of just under 22 turnovers in their five games so far, with Jared Cunningham (fifth in the nation in steals last year) leading the way. The high-flying Cunningham had games of 35 points vs. Hofstra and 37 against Texas last week, and has a solid supporting cast with gritty point guard Ahmad Starks, athletic forwards Devon Collier and Eric Moreland, and 280-pound passing machine Joe Burton. OSU gave Vandy all it wanted on Monday before falling 64-62 in New Jersey on Monday.

Down South: It’s hard to get a read on Memphis right now; the Tigers looked great against a disciplined Belmont team that took Duke down to the wire last week, then both failed to contain Michigan’s guards and play smart in a 73-61 loss on Monday. Coach Josh Pastner will undoubtedly treasure more practice time for his young Tigers, who after concluding their stay in Maui will play Jackson State next week before things get a little tougher with Austin Peay and Miami (Fla.) up on the schedule in early December.

In the Heartland: Marquette’s been off to a monster start offensively, scoring at least 90 points in its first four games, which included a 99-68 throttling of Norfolk State last Monday. Last night, the two teams got a rematch, but the Golden Eagles must have been tired from the previous day’s dismantling of Ole Miss, winning the rematch just 59-57 in the Virgin Islands in the title game of the Paradise Jam. Oddly enough, it was the second time the two teams played in the tourney, with last week’s game in Milwaukee not counting towards the tourney’s final results.

To the East: Massachusetts wasn’t expected to be a factor in the Atlantic 10 race this winter, but the Minutemen are off to a 4-0 start after thrashing Boston College on the road 82-46 on Monday night. Point guard Chaz Williams, a Hofstra transfer, has been just what coach Derek Kellogg needed, leading the team with a 17.3 scoring average and passing out 32 assists to 10 turnovers thus far.

- Chris Lee, VandySports.com

 

Coast-to-Coast: Tuesday style

We are only 20 days from the start of the start of the 2011-2012 college basketball season (November 7^th- 2K Sports Classic) and the next few weeks will come with no shortage of news and headlines.  Conference realignment, player projections, predictions, and yes, bracketology (Joe Lunardi doesn’t sleep from November-April) will start to become more relevant.  Today, College Chalktalk intern, West Virginia student, and general living legend Doug Potter steps in to pinch hit in this edition of Coast-to-Coast.

In the Heartland: Conference USA has been all about the Memphis Tigers in recent years, but this year, Tulsa, UTEP, and others should have something to say about that.  All certainly will have ample opportunities to prove their mettle to the national audience with 65 nationally and regionally-televised games featuring C-USA teams this year.  From Memphis-Louisville (December 17^th) to Rice-Texas (December 31^st on the Longhorn Network), we should have some high-octane competition from this conference.  Take a look at the full C-USA television schedule.

Out West: San Diego State had a dream season last year on the back of Kawhi Leonard (drafted by the San Antonio Spurs) and now UNLV and New Mexico stand between them and another Mountain West title for the third straight season.  SDSU has won 21 straight conference games entering 2011-2012 and hope sophomore transfer (from Washington State) Xavier Thames can prolong that streak.

In the Northeast: The Big East (especially in football) has been on the ropes as far as conference members and who will be leaving/staying/ joining the 32 year old league.  It is being reported that six schools have been extended invitations to join.  Late Monday night, conference officials agreed to double the exit fee to a whopping $10 million.  The future is hazy for the conference, but a Tuesday conference call from the commissioner, John Marinatto, should provide some clarity.

In the Southeast: After a trip to the “Big Dance” last season, UNC Asheville looks to repeat as Big South champions.  Returning four starters, the coaches and media feel it’s their conference to lose.  The voters awarded Asheville 18 out of 25 first place votes and placed them at number one in the preseason Big South rankings for the first time since 2002.  See where possible Cinderellas Liberty and Coastal Carolina landed as well.

- Doug Potter

* * *

 

Blazers have opportunity to quiet skeptics

Pardon the UAB Blazers is they collectively grimace when their NCAA Tournament acumen is questioned.  They won Conference USA’s regular season outright and then it may have gone under the radar that CUSA had eight of it’s 12 teams in the top 100 in RPI.  Only two other conference actually can boast that number.

“A lot of teams will load up on home games,” Blazers coach Mike Davis said, “We won ten road games this year and our nonconference schedule to go play four-BCS schools on the road, with losing four seniors, is a challenge.”

The Blazers won 10 games against Top 100 teams and then went 6-2 on the road as well as at home in what is supposedly an improved Conference USA.

“I never would have dreamed that the Conference USA outright winners would never be invited to the NCAA Tournament,” explained Davis.

UAB plays Clemson who slid into the tournament as an inconsistent member of the weak ACC.  Blazers players seemed to take exception when questions were asked about whether they had watched Clemson on TV.  The tenor of the questions that reporters were throwing at Jamarr Sanders and Aaron Johnson had the theme of the idea that UAB did not belong on the floor with an ACC team.  The reporters once again faielled to realize that it’s about the team, not the conference as the ACC  seems overrated, top to bottom, every season.

“I’ve seen them play Duke at Duke,” commented Jamarr Sanders, who refused to embrace the aforementioned tenor of the presser, “But I wasn’t really paying attention to the game; I was just watching it because I’m a fan of basketball so I watch basketball. But I know absolutely nothing about Clemson.”

Davis has a pair of big-time talents in his senior guards.  Johnson is the 2011 CUSA Player of the Year who led the nation in assists at 7.7 per game and is UAB’s all-time assist leader with 657.  Sanders leads UAB at 17.7 ppg. and he is the Blazers leading 3-point man as he made 85 triples.

Davis wouldn’t exactly say a chip was on the shoulders of the UAB players, but his tone spoke volumes.

“If it takes a chip for someone to say something bad about you, then you’re in the wrong business,” Davis commented, “We had a chip on our shoulder back in May. Our three things we talked about was no complaining, no blaming and no excuses, because we felt like those three things could really tear up a team and the company and relationships, and we wanted to focus on the big picture again.”

The Blazers adopted Davis’ philosphy and it carried them to the CUSA crown.  The selection committee rewarded their body of work in an improving conference, so now they can prove the naysayers wrong, going forward.

“I’d rather not comment on ignorance,” explained Johnson, of those who are skeptical of the Blazers, “That’s the only thing I believe. And I’d rather not comment on that at all.”

Alabama-Birmingham finished by winning 11 of it’s last 15 games and the four losses were by a total of 16 points.

“I think we had a chip on our shoulder the whole season because we came into the season with a position that no one picked us to even come in the top 5 of our conference, and we won our conference outright,” said Sanders.

-Ken Cross

 

I Wish I Knew…

*Why a program as solid as Dayton is 27-47 in true road contests since the 2004-05 season.

*How a St. Johns’s team that thoroughly outplayed Duke in its 93-78 win on Jan. 30 lost to both Fordham and St. Bonaventure.

*Why so many media members are trying to figure out which player Jimmer Fredette will most likely resemble at the NBA level.  Can’t he just be appreciated as a great college player and let the rest play itself out?

*Why more people don’t recognize how good a coach Duquesne’s Ron Everhart is.

*Why Tom McCarthy of CBS was not listed among the television talent for next month’s NCAA Tourney.  Few (if any) announcers are more prepared or professional.

*Why Towson plays basketball in the CAA.  Leaving four hours before tip-off for a road contest 70 miles away (regardless of weather concerns) doesn’t exactly scream “big-time” program.

*What happened to UCF once league play started.  A 13-0 mark in non-conference action, followed by six losses in its first seven C-USA contests.  

*Which program has the least-accommodating travel within in its own conference, Saint Louis (A-10) or Northeastern (CAA).

*If UTEP senior guard Randy Culpepper (2,095 points, 299 three-pointers, 232 steals) isn’t the most underappreciated player in the country.

*How much the at-large profiles of both Duquesne and Richmond would genuinely benefit by a victory in this month’s BracketBusters if they were involved.

*What the Las Vegas odds are of an Elite Eight run by North Carolina.  The Heels have won nine of their last ten games and have the look of a very dangerous team come March.

*Why a large number of Charlotte fans think A-10 referees are out to get them.  Did they not get whistled for fouls during their time as a C-USA member?

 

Measuring up to Memphis

Since the departure of Louisville, Cincinnati, Charlotte, and Marquette in 2005 the Memphis Tigers have towered over Conference USA like a hawk with it’s watchful eye on it’s prey.  Although the Tigers have restocked in Josh Pastner’s second year, several other squads look like they can challenge. One of those emerging oppositions is the Central Florida Golden Knights.

UCF’s first-year coach Donnie Jones came to Orlando from conference rival Marshall and led the Knights to a 14-0 record before they were upended in Houston by the Cougars over the weekend.  The combination of sophomores in power forward Keith Clanton and shooting guard Marcus Jordan, yes, the son of NBA legend Michael Jordan, has sparked the Golden Knights in the early going.

Clanton has shot 51.7% from the floor while leading Jones with 8.8 rpg. He has been mentioned among the nation’s most talented big men with his excellent post presence and energy around the rim.

Jordan has made marked improvement since last season.  He has picked his scoring up in leading UCF at 16.3 ppg. after topping out at 8.0 last season.  He also shoots right around 50%, up from 41.3% in 2009-10.  Jordan’s most noticeable improvement has been behind the three-point line where he has streaked at a 43.1% clip, up from 27.6% a year ago.

In just his first 15 games, Jones has built a squad that is becoming well-known for sharing the basketball.  Jordan joins point guard A.J. Rompza in this category as both are products of Chicago’s Whitney Young High School and Rompza is fourth in CUSA with a 2.3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Isaac Sosa has come off the bench behind the two to spearhead depth in the backcourt for Jones.  He is third on the club in scoring and paces UCF with 25.5 mpg. in a back-up role.  He is another three-point marksman as he has a 43.5% three-point percentage for his career.

Jones also has a strong defensive unit as freshman Isaiah Sykes has become a major defensive stopper on the perimeter.  UCF’s opponents only shoot 36.6% from the field and score 58.1 ppg.

With a selfless unit and an up-tempo style with a sticky defense, Jones may have a team that can, not only challenge Memphis, but stake it’s claim as another CUSA basketball team that can get into the NCAA Tournament and create havoc.

With wins over Florida, Miami, and South Florida in the early going, the Golden Knights equaled their win total over the power conferences since they joined the NCAA’s Division 1 hoops wars in 1984.

-Ken Cross

 

Under the Radar: Joe Jackson, Memphis

Memphis freshman Joe Jackson during pre-game warmups

Joe Jackson, the freshman point guard of the Memphis Tigers could be labeled ‘under the radar’, but not for long.

The young floor-general is averaging 12.1 points and 4.3 assists per game. Jackson hit for double figures in five of Memphis’ first seven games and led or tied for the team assist lead in each contest. “He (Jackson) is very fast but will make good decisions,” said Memphis assistant coach Willis Wilson just before the Tigers took on Kansas at the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. “He was a scorer (over 3,400 points in high school) but changed his style here. The thing that’s great is he is so coachable in practice and games.”

On the evening Memphis struggled, losing 81-68, their first loss after a 7-0 start. Jackson mirrored the tribulations of his team with his toughest outing to date. The 6-foot, point guard would get in the lane and look to set up teammates inside or by kicking it out on the perimeter.  He looked to past first but too often the Tigers (37% shooting) failed to capitalize on the opportunities presented. Overall, it was just a difficult night.  Jackson’s numbers included one point, three rebounds, two assists and four turnovers in 22 minutes. We caught up with Jackson following the game.

Q: Can you evaluate  your performance tonight ?

A: “I am not happy with my play to say the least. My play really affected my team tonight. And it showed out there.”

Q: What is your main role ?

A: “I am the point guard which means my responsibility is running the team and being  leader on the floor.”

Q: Can you talk about the transition from high school ‘scorer’ to college ‘passer’ ?

A: “It really wasn’t that difficult as it seems. Getting to another level I knew what was expected and adjusted to be most effective at this level.”

A very difficult evening for Jackson, especially in coming to Madison Square Garden. Regardless, he did not leave dejected, only determined. “I can’t wait until I get back into the gym to practice,” he said. “I am using this game as motivation.”

- Ray Floriani

 

Tu But Not Two…Not Just A FB Option…And More

(Courtesy Bob Stevens)

*While junior guard Tu (don’t call me Terrell) Holloway has emerged as one of the top point guards in the country this season, the lack of production from Xavier’s “second-five” is cause for concern after seven games.  The Musketeers’ bench went scoreless and grabbed just two rebounds in 23 minutes of action in a 75-64 loss at Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 1.  Xavier’s bench has contributed three points or less in five of its seven contests and 35 points and 43 boards in 281 total minutes of action.  With Butler, Cincinnati, Florida, Georgia and Gonzaga (combined record of 23-8) still remaining on the Musketeers’ non-conference slate, the loss of top-recruit Justin Martin (academically ineligible) and sharpshooter Brad Redford (torn ACL) could present a difficult hurdle in their pursuit of a sixth consecutive NCAA berth.

 **The Big East announced this week that TCU will join the conference for all sports beginning in 2012-13, leading to speculation that UCF could be the league’s next addition if Villanova declines to elevate its football program from the FCS (formerly I-AA) level.  While the rumored addition and all of the realignment this past summer further demonstrates how football dominates the landscape of college athletics (Colorado is a “blue chip” addition while Kansas was nearly cast aside during the near-explosion of the Pac-10/Big XII), the Big East could be adding a hidden gem to its basketball membership in UCF.  The Golden Knights knocked off nationally-ranked Florida on Dec. 1 to improve to 6-0 and could conceivably begin the C-USA portion of its schedule at 11-1 or 12-0.  First-year head coach Donnie Jones is among the more underrated coaches in the country; UCF boasts a sparkling new arena and a state-of-the-art practice facility; and the program has averaged 16 victories over the past three seasons.  Would the addition of the Golden Knights cause widespread panic in Syracuse and Storrs?  Hardly. But I wouldn’t automatically pencil-in UCF for 17^th or 18^th in an ever-expanding Big East. 

***The months of November and December provide college basketball fans the opportunity to enjoy non-conference matchups and see how their favorite teams measure up with the “Big Boys” of the BCS conferences, both on and off the court.  While non-BCS programs such as Butler, Creighton, Dayton, Old Dominion, Saint Louis and Xavier (among others) enjoy playing in on-campus venues that are equal or even more impressive than many in the Big Six conferences, it is quite clear that BCS programs literally dwarf their non-BCS brethren in terms of physical size.  Forward John Henson stands out for North Carolina not only for his improved play this season, but because of his extremely slight frame.  In the ACC, he is an anomaly.  In the A-10 or WCC, there are four-to-five players on each team with a Henson-type build.  One can argue that BCS schools will always have stronger and more physically-imposing teams because they can pour more money into their weight room facilities and afford higher salaries for elite strength coaches.  However, very few underclassmen from non-BCS programs are declaring for the draft and these programs predominantly consist of fourth and fifth-year seniors.  While nearly all schools outside the BCS won’t be able to afford to charter flights for recruiting trips or build practice facilities that rival the Taj Mahal, a greater – and smarter – strategy in the weight room could pay big dividends on the court without blowing up the budget.