Rice’s return waking up UNLV tradition

Hiring Dave Rice was representative for UNLV.  He came off the bench for Jerry Tarkanian’s national championship team in 1990 and has 18 years of experience as an assistant coach to supplement his role as a player in UNLV history.

Now, as the Runnin’ Rebels finish off the pre-Mountain West season at Hawaii on Friday night, Rice has provided a stable foundation as UNLV has proved with wins over North Carolina, Illinois, and recently, California, that the Rebels will indeed once again be a player on the national level. 

This team has bought into Rice’s mission in his first year and it is sharing the basketball with the nation’s best. five different Rebels have led UNLV in scoring this season as Vegas is sharing the basketball, playing excellent team defense, and controlling the glass in it’s 12-2 start.

“We had Brice Massamba and Quintrell Thomas with eight points, so we were two short of six in double figures,” Rice said after the 85-68 pasting of Cal, “I am extremely proud of our effort. I told the team afterward that for 35-40 minutes we were sensational.”

The Nevada-Las Vegas defense has been a major key so far as the Rebels have held opponents to 40.6% in the 13-2 start. They held the Bears to 37% from the floor while out-rebounding them by nine.  A week early in a 64-48 win at Illinois, they locked down the Illini to only 25% in dealing them their first lost.  Outrebounding physical Illinois by four was huge too as Mike Moser nailed a double-double with 17 points and 11 boards.

“We let the defense dictate where the ball goes,” Rice explained, “If they want to play our perimeter guys, like Illinois did, then our bigs  will score 19 of 31 points like they did in the first half.  If they want to play our guards, then we’ll make an extra pass and make nine threess.  When we are click our guys are playing with that kind of collaborative effort.

The first hint of this type of mentality came when UNLV held North Carolina to 30.6% in the second half as the Rebs ripped the Tar Heels 90-80 in Vegas a little over a month ago.  They out-rebounded UNC by nine as they scored 20 points off 14 offensive rebounds in pounding the glass.

“Our defensive coaching staff works with the guys every day about guarding the ball,” noted Rice of the commitment, “Then, getting to three-point shooter.  We have been disappointed with how we have guarded the three, some lately and we have done more with that.”

As Rice summarized the Dec. 22 win over Cal, one stat jumped out and that was Oscar Bellfield’s nine assists against zero turnovers at halftime as UNLV blew this one out early.  As the MWC season opens, UNLV appears to have the talent and intangibles to make a deep run into March and vie with San Diego State for the league title. Rice knows this team can score in waves and he has a distinct defensive philosophy that has taken shape.

We are trapping a little bit less than last year as we want to put individual accountability on guys,” he noted,  ”The foundation was laid last year by Coach Kruger and we are just trying to improve on that.”

- Ken Cross

 

Coast-to-coast: Monday edition

West Winds: ”What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” is no adage for UNLV’s 90-80 upset victory over North Carolina on Saturday night.  The Runnin’ Rebels served notice under first-year coach Dave Rice that their return  to prominence may not even be that far away.  The win could have been the biggest since the 1990 national championship season.

East Edict: The St. Louis Billikens served noticed with their play in the 76 Classic in Anaheim over the Thanksgiving holiday that senior Brian Conklin is becoming the catalyst for Rick Majerus.  The Billikens look like they could be a surprise in an Atlantic 10 that has basically seen Xavier as the league’s favorite for 2011-12.

Southern Swag: The Virginia Cavaliers are looking for a rebirth in the ACC basketball wars as Tony Bennett enters his third season in Charlottesville.  One major key is athleticism and play around the basket which the Cavaliers are beginning to show.

Midwestern Matters:  It could be a long season in Iowa City, especially after the Hawkeyes were smacked by Big South member Campbell, 77-61, last week.  Coach Fran McCaffery is trying to cajole his young team, but not hurt its collective psyche.

-Ken Cross

 

Coast-to-Coast: Monday Edition

Southern Hospitality - UNC Asheville is on the radar as a Big South Conference preseason favorite.  On Sunday afternoon, the Bulldogs opened the brand-new Kimmel Arena against the No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels.  The Bulldogs did themselves proud in playing a scrappy, competitive style of basketball in the 91-75 loss.

Wild, Wild West  - San Diego State lost four starters from last year’s Sweet 16 appearance and currently, the Aztecs have only eight scholarship players.  Steve Fisher’s club showed the same brand of defense as a year ago in undressing Southern Utah, 70-37, on Saturday.  Jamaal Franklin has the look of a key contributor for SDSU in the Mountain West cage wars.

The Eastern Seaboard - Yancey Gates will be a key cog in Cincinnati’s continued rise in the Big East. Coach Mick Cronin is going to look to Gates for leadership in addition to scoring and rebounding in his scheme. With early season injuries crippling the Bearcats, Gates may have to rise to an even higher level.

Midwestern Musing - Friday night, Oklahoma took a 78-74 win over Idaho State in the season opener.  Mike Baldwin of The Oklahoman says that with the Sooners having four returning starters, OU should make at least an NIT appearance in Lon Kruger’s first season.

- Ken Cross

 

Coast-to-Coast: Thursday

In the East: Well, it was a victory anyway. Ed Cooley plans to rebuild Providence into a power and bring back the glory days. The task probably will take time as evidenced by Providence’s 76-75 victory over UMASS-Lowell on Saturday. Given some of the exhibition upsets around the country, the Friars were fortunate to see a UMASS-Lowell (ranked 10th in Sporting News pre-season Division II poll)  last second three point attempt miss the mark to preserve the win. Positives for PC were 26 points from sophomore guard Bryce Cotton. Also 21 offensive boards which saw the Friars hold a huge 48-32% edge in offensive rebounding percentage.

In the South: John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats were having none of the suspense and upset possibilities in their exhibition. They raced out to a 74-13 halftime lead against Morehead College on Monday at Rupp Arena. The final saw UK post a 125-40 decision. Terrence Jones of Kentucky led six Wildcat double digit scorers with 22 points. UK held an astounding 168-51 edge in offensive efficiency (points per possession multiplied by 100). Calipari’s Wildcats will get a much stiffer early season test facing Kansas on Tuesday  at Madison Square Garden.

In the West: San Diego State has advanced to postseason play and posted 20 win seasons the past past six campaings. Coach Steve Fisher’s club  will have a decidedly different look this go round as he hopes to build on that string. The Aztecs will have a guard oriented look with the lone returning starter, junior guard  Chase Tapley, an 8.6  ppg. scorer a year ago. The Mountain West site also noted Pre-Season Newcomer of the Year, sophomore guard Xavier Thames, a transfer from Washington State, should have an immediate impact and ease the transition.

In the Heartland: The Lowes Senior Class award recognizes the achievements of student/athletes. Specifically, those talented individuals who excel inboth  the classroom and on the court. Among the 60 men and women nominated are three Mid-American Conference players. Jarrod Jones of Ball State, Justin Greene from Kent State and Western Michigan’s Demetrius Ward. Greene is the reigning MAC Player of the Year and an outstanding post player for the Golden Flashes. The 6-8 senior averaged 15.4 pointds, 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks last season, all pace setting marks for his club.

- Ray Floriani

 

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: 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

* * *

 

Aztecs prove they belong

Strangely enough before this 2011 NCAA Torunament, the 34-2 San Diego State Aztecs had won neary a game in the postseason extragavanga. Now, they are a paltry 2-0 as they make the trip up the I-5 for an encoutner with UConn tonight at Anaheim’s Honda Center.

The Aztecs haven’t won three in a row in NCAA play since 1967 when they were a Division II squad and they haven’t won five in a row in any tournament since 1941 when they won the NAIA National Championship.

At 34-2, SDSU has been guided by the steady hand of Steve Fisher, who boasts a 22-9 postseason record in 11 NCAA appearances.  The job he hasa done in the Mission Valley is even more miraculous when you consider that San Diego State is playing only it’s ninth NCAA game in only seven apperances.

“This is our fourth opportunity at San Diego State, it’s only the second time that we’ve been able to go back-to-back,” Fisher commented, “That’s significant for us, that has helped us and will continue to help us. I’m smart enough to know that it’s a privilege to do what we do, and to have an opportunity to play in the tournament, and then rarely do you continue to move on.”

The Aztecs are not detered by the fact that they are in  regional with some tradiditional NCAA participants in UConn, Duke, and Arizona.  The players say at this point, it is totally about going out and playing their game.

“To us, we’re just here to play,” said guard Billy White, who has averaged 14.2 ppg. and 9.2 rebounds per game in the Aztecs’ last six outings, “We’re just trying to build our own resume hear.  If we keep winning and playing hard, it’s going to take care of itself.”

Aztecs forward Kawhi Leonard, who has averaged a double-double at 15.6 ppg. and 10.6 rpg. this season,  has experience in playing in the Honda Center as does several of his teammates who were on the team when they lost to St. Mary’s, 69-64, in the Wooden Classic in 2008.  Leonard actually led King High School in Riverside, Ca. to a couple of championships in the building known as the home of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks.

“I have had some success int his building and it makes me a little more comfortable coming here,” Leonard said, “But this is a differernt level of competition and different players.  Now I have to come in focused and prepare to play a good UConn team.”

Guard D.J Gay said the Huskies look familiar to BYU in the chemistry and make up of the basketball team.

“If I had to choose one, it would probably be BYU with Brandon Davies,” expalined Gay, who has played in 139 games as an Aztec, 105 of those wins, “They have big guys. They have that one scorer that can go off for a lot of points, and they have a shooter, a guy that can knock down shots at will and some role players that do their jobs very well. “

For San Diego State, it doesn’t matter which of the three acclaimed teams that they play this weekend.  Fisher has them focused on themselves and how they play.  With that, what seemed like an elusive to trip to the Final Four, pre-Steve Fisher, could actually become a reailty.

“We’ve all said ‘let’s enjoy it’ and after we won the first game I told them, ‘we’re good enough’ and then when it came to the second game,” Fisher commented, “I made the comment after the game that they had a ‘pin’ for the second game, had no idea they had a pin for the second game because it’s been so long since I’ve been a part of it, and it feels good to be here.”

-Ken Cross

 

Davies’ absence will show against Florida

When the Southeast region of the NCAA Tournament reconvenes in New Orleans on Thursday night, BYU and Florida will matchup once again this season as the Cougars knocked off the Gators in last year’s first round.

 Florida is known for it’s meticulous guard play in Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton while BYU’s Jimmer Fredette actually has achieved rock star status on the Mormon-based campus.

 This time, though, Florida brings major matchup problems inside for the Cougars as Vernon Macklin and Alex Tyus join versatile Chandler Parsons to give opponents different looks inside.  At this point, suspended Brandon Davies will be come an issue.

Davies’ suspension stems from having sex with his girlfriend near the middle of the season, a violation of Mormon rules.  The loss of his athleticism will be an issue against the Gators.

 BYU will rely more on Fredette and it’s array of three-point marksmen.

 “We still have a great team,” said Fredette, “It’s tough to stop us, especially when everybody is hitting on all cylinders. Then we defend the way we did against Gonzaga.”

BYU coach Dave Rose immediately had a meeting after the Cougars lost at New Mexico, 86-77, in the first game after Davies’ suspension.  The meeting was more for reassurance than to make adjustments.

 “What I wanted to make sure is that our players understood that this is still a really good basketball team, okay?” commented Rose, “And what we need, give the coaches a little bit of time, give the players a little bit of time to adjust to the situation.”

 BYU has adjusted well enough to get to the Sweet 16. However, the lack of athleticism inside was apparent in a 72-54 loss to San Diego State in which Billy White, Kawhi Leonard and Malcolm Thomas were able to have their way around the basket. The trio combined for 21-of-38 from the floor with 55 of SDSU’s 72 points and 27 of the Aztecs’ 37 boards.

 Against Florida, that same style of athleticism will be a major issue in the paint.  It will take a staunch effort from Fredette, Noah Hartsock, and Jackson Emery from behind the arc to loosen up the Gators’ inside game that also sees freshman Patric Young contribute off the bench. 

 “They’re a great team,” said Hartsock, “They returned everyone back, got some new players. It’s going to be a great challenge. We just got to prepare for it, be focused.”

-Ken Cross

 

A Sweet 16 batch of winners and losers

For my money, the four best days of the college basketball season have just wrapped up. Coast-to-coast action, buzzer beaters and emerging stars always highlight the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament, and the three-day aftermath leading into Thursday night and the Sweet 16 makes for buzz around the office water cooler that’s hard to control. The 2011 version of The Big Dance has delivered as usual, and we offer a brief recap here of the winners and the losers who have separated themselves from the pack since Thursday’s opening tip.

WINNERS

Mike Krzyzewski – We have to take a minute to recognize Coach K’s 900th win of his sublime career on the sidelines. He joined his mentor and former coach at Army, Bob Knight, in the exclusive club thanks to a 73-71 victory over Michigan on Sunday, a win that booked the Blue Devils a place in the Sweet 16 for the 20th time under Krzyzewski. His consistent excellence and class in both victory and defeat should be enough to remind us that the college basketball world isn’t solely populated by shady AAU connections, corrupt shoe company executives and too many coaches who play fast and loose with the NCAA rulebook.

Butler – Forget about the two bizarre fouls in the closing seconds of the Bulldogs’ 71-70 squeaker against Pittsburgh. Focus instead on the fact that Butler is 7-1 in its last eight NCAA Tournament games, won its opening two games this year by a combined three points and condemned the Panthers, the Big East regular season champions, to another early exit. With all due respect to Norman Dale and Jimmy Chitwood, the Bulldogs are the real life Hoosiers. If I was an athletic director, I would hijack a Brinks truck and turn all of its contents over to Brad Stevens if he would coach my team.

Kansas – Not only were the Jayhawks impressive in winning each of their first two games, but their path to Houston just got a whole lot easier thanks to the carnage that took place in the Southwest Regional. Three double-digit seeds (No. 10 Florida State, No. 11 VCU and No. 12 Richmond) are all that stand in the way of Kansas and a trip to Reliant Stadium, and Ali Farokhmanhesh isn’t walking through that door. Book the Jayhawks a place in the Final Four if the Morris twins continue the beastly sort of performances that they threw at Illinois in the second half on Sunday.

VCU – These guys are looking like the East Coast version of Gonzaga circa 1999. Didn’t think the Rams belonged in the tournament field? All Shaka Smart’s crew has done is absolutely hammer three teams from the Big Six conferences by an average of 16.3 points per game, including Sunday’s 94-76 thumping of Purdue. And I’m not ashamed to admit that I have a basketball man crush on Joey Rodriguez. The little guy is tough as nails and quick as a cat, and I’m thinking that the Merritt Island, Fla., native is going to give the Seminoles all they can handle in the next round.

Jimmer Fredette – In a word, wow. The shooting display that my choice for the National Player of the Year put on in the second half against Gonzaga was one of the better performances that you’ll ever see in a tournament game. Fredette finished with 34 points and was 7-for-12 from three-point range as the Cougars cruised past the Bulldogs, 89-67. To think that this game was an even-money pick with the guys in Las Vegas at tipoff is pretty laughable now.

LOSERS

The Big East – This is not a recording. It’s looking like the alleged Best Conference in the Nation will be without a championship game participant yet again after only Connecticut and Marquette survived to reach the Sweet 16. The Big East’s 11 representatives have combined to go 7-7 against other leagues, including a disappointing 5-5 mark against schools that carry the Mid-Major label. Pittsburgh (against Butler), Louisville (Morehead State), St. John’s (Gonzaga), Villanova (George Mason) and Georgetown (VCU) did very little to quiet the howls that came from the little guys when the league received its ridiculous number of bids. The Huskies’ 2004 run to the title, the last time the conference had a school playing on Monday night in April, seems even longer ago right now.

Notre Dame – The Irish deserve special recognition for the stinker they threw out in what was a virtual home game in Chicago, suffocated by Florida State’s defense in a 71-57 defeat. Notre Dame went 7-for-30 from three-point range and was all but done when the Seminoles extended their lead to 23 points midway through the second half. The Irish finished at just 30.6 percent from the field overall and Mike Brey has another offseason to find an inside game for his team to turn to when its shots from the perimeter aren’t falling.

Texas – Was that five-second call on Cory Joseph a little quick? Perhaps, but the Longhorns’ freshman showed his inexperience by failing to call timeout a little sooner in the count. Texas followed that up by allowing Derrick Williams, Arizona’s best player, to shake free on the baseline and failed to either hang in and take a proper charge or deliver a hard foul that would have forced Williams, a 74.4 percent free throw shooter, to earn it from the foul line. The Longhorns’ hat trick of mistakes was completed by J’Covan Brown, who was content to walk the ball up the floor and waste most of the final 10 seconds before squeezing off a wild shot in traffic that never had a chance of going in. It was poor execution at both ends of the floor in the final 15 seconds that doomed Texas, not a referee’s whistle.

– Bill Koch

 

Firing Schroyer made no sense

Wyoming athletic director Tom Burman took a page out of the books of some of his professional sports brethren in firing Cowboys coach Heath Schroyer in the middle of the Mountain West Conference season, some three and a half years into his tenure in Laramie.  While he compiled a 49-68 record during that time, firing Schroyer in the middle of a campaign made little sense and it added even more negativity to the the 8-15 season.

Schroyer, under contact through 2013-14, was caught in the middle of a seven-game losing streak in a Mountain West Conference that boasts the fourth best RPI in the nation while placing San Diego State and Brigham Young in the Top 10 for most of the season.  The improvement of talent and level of play in the league pushed Schoyer’s exit in a quick fashion as Burman only cited “bad play” for the firing.

First off all, firing a coach in the middle of the year cannot be productive because of the transition within a program.  Sure assistant coach Fred Langley takes over for the remainder of the season, but programs hardly ever improve or moved forward to make a difference in that type of change.  Players feel like powers have given up on them and that is never good moving forward and the distraction and upheaval are hardly worth the bother.

Burman’s action is two-fold in negativity.  First, it reduces the pool of qualified and interested candidates that may look at the job after the season ends.  It indirectly tells the talent pool that throughout struggles, there is reason to be worried.  It creates a paranoia of sorts that should not be associated with a coaching job during the specified season.

Next, players who have considered Wyoming may shy away for fear that their chemistry could be ripped apart in a trying situation.  A lack of support is seen through the eyes of both players and coaches.  Many 18-year olds connect with the coach and that is why they attend a certain school.  If a player sees things go bad and a lack of support from administration during that period, then the certain player may look in another direction.

Wyoming’s lone senior of consequence, Djibril Thiam of Dakar Senegal, probably looks at the end of his Cowboys career as an admonition that he is inconsequential to the program’s needs and wants.  The 6-10 Thiam is Wyoming’s second leading scorer and rebounder.  In addition, the Wyoming roster has seven juniors on it that were recruited by Schroyer and his staff.  With that, comes lots of doubts in the investment Wyoming could have, going forward.  Burman made an indirect statement in their capabilities as well.

The state of Wyoming is not littered with college prospects who can even compete at the Mountain West level.  It is tough to recruit to a desolate area such as Laramie and Schroyer did a great job internationally as he has four international players, two from France, one from Mexico, and Senegal’s Thiam.  He had a roster that included one Wyoming native in Rob Watsabaugh of Jackson, Wyo., who is not even an entity.

If Burman is looking at improving the program, he should upgrade the arena and facilities, improve is coaches’ salaries and give his next head coach something to work with in recruiting. Selling stability may be tough since  Schroyer did not cut corners as it has been reported that Wyoming hoopsters have done better academically than under former coach Steve McClain.

-Ken Cross