Sunday Hoops

[billiam2005]

5-5 Yesterday, guess I shouldn't try to cap so many games. Oh well, maybe better luck today.

Today....

Kentucky -1.5
Maryland -3.5
Wisconsin +2
Pittsburgh -7.5 (Haven't lost at the field house yet, let's keep it up)


Best of luck to all of you today.

 

[billiam2005]

Connecticut (18-6) at (8) Pittsburgh (20-4)

DATE & TIME: Sunday, March 2nd, 4:00 p.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: Petersen Events Center (12,500) -- Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. Television: CBS. Home Record: UConn 14-1, Pittsburgh 14-0. Away
Record: UConn 4-5, Pittsburgh 6-4. Neutral Record: UConn 0-0, Pittsburgh 0-0.
Conference Record: UConn 9-4, Pittsburgh 10-3. Series Record: Connecticut
leads, 25-19.

GAME NOTES: The new Petersen Events Center has been extremely kind to the
Pittsburgh Panthers this season, helping to carry the home team to 14 straight
victories in the building. Now the eighth-ranked Panthers try to extend that
streak to one more game as they welcome the Connecticut Huskies to Steel Town
for a Big East tussle this afternoon. On Wednesday night, Pittsburgh was down
south in Virginia taking on the Hokies and registered a 75-62 victory over
Virginia Tech, the team's fourth straight win. The Panthers came into the
weekend at 10-3 in Big East play and tied atop the West Division with No. 15
Syracuse. As for the Huskies, who sit atop the East Division at 9-4, they
picked up their third win in a row last Monday night with an 87-79 triumph
over ninth-ranked Notre Dame at the Joyce Center. Although the Panthers are
the higher-ranking team this time around, UConn is the school that holds the
advantage in the all-time series between the schools, 25-19. Just a few years
ago, the squad's were all tied up, but that was before the Huskies ran off six
straight wins, culminating with a 74-65 double-overtime victory in the most
recent meeting a season ago.

With coach Jim Calhoun back on the sidelines there was nothing holding the
Huskies back from their upset of nationally-ranked Notre Dame on Monday night,
an eight-point win for UConn that put an end to a 15-game home win streak for
the Fighting Irish. Ben Gordon tallied a team-high 25 points and handed out a
team-high eight assists in the win for the Huskies, while Emeka Okafor added a
double-double consisting of 19 points and 10 rebounds in the victory as well.
Okafor also registered six of the team's nine blocked shots while Marcus White
came off the bench to tally a game-high 14 boards in just 24 minutes of action
for UConn, which won the battle of the boards, 51-42. Gordon has pushed his
scoring average to 20.4 ppg and is also recording nearly five assists per
contest, while Okafor is averaging a double-double with 15.5 points and 10.9
rebounds, not to mention 4.8 blocked shots per game which currently leads the
nation. The only downside to his game is his inability to hit shots at the
foul line, making a meager 58.9 percent of his chances, which is only
percentage points better than what he is shooting from the field (.572) this
year.

Brandin Knight tied a personal high with six three-pointers on Wednesday night
and scored a season-best 25 points in guiding the Panthers to a 13-point win
over the Virginia Tech Hokies in Blacksburg. The team as a whole finished the
contest hitting 11-of-25 from behind the three-point line and shot 52.9
percent from the field overall. Also scoring in double figures for Pittsburgh
were Julius Page and Jaron Brown, who each dropped in 11 points in the
victory. Defensively, the Panthers held VaTech to just 39.6 percent shooting
from the field and 4-of-13 from beyond the arc in the contest. Although most
of them are barely making it over the line, the Panthers sport a rarity in
college basketball with six different players averaging in double figures at
the moment. Page is the high man with 11.9 ppg, but he's not that far from
being overtaken by the sixth man on the list, Ontario Lett at 10.0 ppg. Knight
has been struggling this year with his shot, making only 35.5 percent of his
attempts from the field and 30.1 percent behind the three-point line, but he's
still dropping in 10.8 ppg and is one of the most productive playmakers in the
Big East with 6.3 apg.

The Panthers spread the wealth as much as they can, but knowing that Knight is
the key to their success will provide UConn with a focus for its attack.
Expect Pittsburgh to have trouble with the inside play of Okafor and the rest
of the active big men in the paint for the Huskies as they gun for the upset
win.

 

[billiam2005]

(14) Maryland (18-7) at North Carolina State (15-9)

DATE & TIME: Sunday, March 2nd, 8:00 p.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: RBC Center (19,722) -- Raleigh, North Carolina.
Television: Fox Sports Net. Home Record: Maryland 14-2, NC State 13-1. Away
Record: Maryland 3-3, NC State 2-7. Neutral Record: Maryland 1-2, NC State
0-1. Conference Record: Maryland 10-4, NC State 8-5. Series Record: North
Carolina State leads, 68-64.

GAME NOTES: The 14th-ranked Maryland Terrapins continue their push for
Atlantic Coast Conference supremacy as they take on the North Carolina State
Wolfpack in Raleigh tonight. Maryland has won back-to-back games and four of
its last five overall, including a 91-52 blowout of Clemson on Tuesday. The
39-point rout of the Tigers followed a 40-point win over North Carolina to
combine for the program's most lopsided consecutive ACC wins in history. Of
the 25 games that the Terrapins have played this season, only six have taken
place on the road. As for NC State, its 8-5 league mark is good for fourth
place in the ACC standings. The Wolfpack has won two of its last three games,
including a 75-67 overtime decision over North Carolina on Tuesday. The team
owns a tremendous 14-1 record at home so far this season, as the only defeat
in Raleigh came against Big East foe Boston College in mid-January. The
Terrapins have taken the last six regular season meetings with the Wolfpack,
but NC State still owns a 68-64 lead in the all-time series.

The Terrapins seemingly could do no wrong at the offensive end in its romp
over Clemson, as they shot a season-best 63 percent from the floor. Ryan
Randle led four double-digit scorers for the Terrapins with 18 points on the
strength of 8-of-8 shooting from the foul line. Steve Blake added 14 points
and seven assists, Drew Nicholas tallied 13 points, and Jamar Smith finished
with 13 points in going 6-of-7 from the field. Maryland was sensational from
three-point range, as it drained 12-of-20 attempts from behind the arc. The
squad finished with a staggering total of 29 assists and outscored Clemson
25-8 in fast-break points. Overall this season, Nicholas is averaging a team-
high 17.3 ppg on 41 percent shooting from three-point range. Randle is
contributing 13.5 ppg and a team-high 7.6 rpg, and Steve Blake is netting 12.5
ppg on 44.7 percent from downtown. Blake has also dished out 175 assists, the
most of any ACC player. Nicholas, Randle and Blake have combined to start
every game for Maryland thus far, a major reason that the squad has enjoyed
the success it has.

Solid rebounding and clutch shooting from the foul line proved to be the two
biggest factors in NC State's victory over North Carolina last time out. The
Wolfpack connected on all 22 of their attempts from the charity stripe and
held a 43-28 rebounding advantage, allowing them to overcome a high total of
19 turnovers. Although they missed three of their four shots from the floor in
the overtime session, a 10-of-10 effort from the line clinched the victory.
Scooter Sherrill played 41 minutes in the victory and finished with 22 points
on 6-of-12 shooting from the field, including a 4-of-8 effort from three-point
range. Julius Hodge was impressive as well, as he tallied 21 points and pulled
down seven boards. Josh Powell rounded out the double-digit scorers for the
Wolfpack with 15 points. Hodge provides a great deal of leadership to the NC
State lineup, and he is averaging a team-high 18.3 ppg to go with 6.0 rpg.
Marcus Melvin is also pulling down 6.0 rpg, and he adds 12.6 ppg at the
offensive end. As for Powell, a 55.9 percent shooter from the floor, he is
netting 11.3 ppg.

A win tonight by Maryland would give head coach Gary Williams his 500th career
victory. Blake is the only player in ACC history to accumulate more than 1,000
points, 800 assists, 400 rebounds and 200 steals, and he will likely guide the
Terps to a critical road win.

 

[billiam2005]

Wisconsin (20-6) at Minnesota (16-8)


DATE & TIME: Sunday, March 2nd, 2:00 p.m. (et).


FACTS & STATS: Site: Williams Arena (14,625) -- Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Television: CBS. Home Record: Wisconsin 15-1, Minnesota 14-2. Away Record:
Wisconsin 5-5, Minnesota 2-6. Neutral Record: Wisconsin 0-0, Minnesota 0-0.
Conference Record: Wisconsin 10-4, Minnesota 8-5. Series Record: Minnesota
leads, 96-79.

GAME NOTES: The Wisconsin Badgers try to keep pace in the race for the Big Ten
regular season title as they invade the Twin Cities to battle the Minnesota
Golden Gophers. The Badgers come into the game as winners of two straight
games and five of their last six overall, including a 73-42 thrashing of
Michigan on Wednesday. While Wisconsin has gone an impressive 15-1 in Madison
this season, it has split its 10 games on the road. The Golden Gophers are
sitting in fourth place in the Big Ten, with a record of 8-5. Minnesota had
its four-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday, as it suffered a 71-61
defeat at the hands of Michigan State. Today marks the 176th meeting all-time
between these two storied programs, with the Gophers holding a 96-79
advantage. While Minnesota has the series edge, the Badgers have won seven of
the last eight meetings, including a 66-50 victory in Madison earlier this
year.

Kirk Penney has been one of the main reasons for the Badgers' success this
season, leading the team with 16.5 ppg on 36.1 percent shooting from behind
the arc. Penney is also collecting 6.0 rpg and is dishing out a team-high 3.2
apg. Devin Harris is turning in 13.0 ppg and 4.5 rpg, while Alando Tucker is
averaging 12.3 ppg and 6.0 rpg. Freddie Owens is the fourth Badgers in double
figures, scoring 11.0 ppg on 46.7 percent shooting from the floor. Mike
Wilkinson finished with 16 points to lead the Badgers in their recent victory
against Michigan. Penney had 15 points, while Tucker turned in a double-
double consisting of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Owens chipped in 10 points,
helping UW shoot a solid 52.8 percent from the floor and 50 percent from
downtown. The Badgers' defensive effort was superb as it has been all season
long, holding Michigan to only 31.4 percent shooting from the floor and a
paltry 1-of-14 from three-point land.

Rick Rickert is leading the Minnesota scoring attack this year, averaging 15.8
ppg on 39.4 percent shooting from long range. Rickert is also pulling down a
team-high 6.3 rpg and ranks second on the team with 27 blocks. Maurice Hargrow
is knocking in 14.0 ppg on 43.3 percent shooting from behind the arc, while
Michael Bauer is averaging 12.0 ppg and 5.0 rpg. Jerry Holman is on the cusp
of scoring in double digits, as he is contributing 9.7 ppg on 59 percent
shooting from the field to go along with 5.5 rpg. Hargrow finished with 17
points and five boards to pace the Golden Gophers in their recent setback
against Michigan State. Rickert added 13 points and seven rebounds, while
Steve Esselink came off the bench to chip in 11 points and grab six caroms.
Minnesota had one of its worst shooting nights of the season, as it converted
only 33.9 percent of its field goal attempts and 23.5 percent of its shots
from three-point territory.

Wisconsin has dominated the Gophers of late and its pressure defense will
likely force Minnesota into several costly turnovers. Penney and company
should be able to get open shots in the game, helping the Badgers stay atop
the Big Ten standings.

 

[billiam2005]

Kentucky at Georgia


After a week of bad news, things could get worse for No. 21 Georgia when it plays second-ranked Kentucky at Stegeman Coliseum on Sunday.

Georgia assistant coach Jim Harrick Jr. was suspended from the team Friday after former player Tony Cole accused him of paying his expenses and committing academic fraud.

Harrick, son of head coach Jim Harrick, is barred from participating in practices and games, though he will be permitted to use Georgia's basketball office facilities.

"In light of the seriousness of the allegations, we feel that it is appropriate to suspend Jim Harrick Jr. with pay, until such time as these allegations are investigated to our satisfaction," Georgia athletic director Vince Dooley said.

Making matters worse, Cole came out with some new allegations Friday, claiming he had used the credit card of Harrick Sr. to purchase a television set. He also said Georgia booster Mike Young gave him as much as $900 in the past few years, including a $300 shopping spree at a mall.

Cole claimed that other Georgia basketball players currently on the team have received improper benefits from Young and others.

Claude Felton, the school's associate athletic director, had not heard about the latest revelations when he was reached at home late Saturday night.

"Any allegations that are made will be thoroughly investigated by the University of Georgia, in cooperation with the SEC and the NCAA," Felton said.

Cole, who was suspended after 16 games last season when he faced sexual assault charges, said Harrick Jr. paid $300 for a phone bill that Cole ran up while staying with the mother of a friend during the summer of 2001. He also said Harrick Jr. arranged for him to get passing grades in two correspondence courses from Lincoln Trail College and a coaching class at Georgia, even though the player never attended the classes.

The elder Harrick briefly addressed reporters before practice Friday but didn't take any questions.

"Despite the many issues we've had in the past with Tony Cole, we take these things seriously," he said. "To attack our program is something that I really take very seriously.

"I'm very, very confident that we'll come to a swift and positive answer to all of these questions."

Cole's accusations overshadowed a recent hot streak by the Bulldogs (17-7, 9-4 Southeastern Conference), who come in with four straight wins, including an 89-82 victory over Mississippi on Wednesday. Georgia's Jarvis Hayes hit six 3-pointers and scored a season-high 32 points.

Hayes, who was bothered by a hip flexor in January, scored 23 against Alabama and 26 against South Carolina in his previous two games.

"We're exactly where we want to be right now," Hayes said. "We're playing good. I'm healthy again and playing good and we've got the two biggest home games of the year coming up."

Georgia will need to maintain its focus against Kentucky, which comes in riding the nation's longest winning streak at 17 games. The Wildcats (23-3, 13-0) are coming off an 80-68 win over Tennessee on Wednesday, overcoming a sluggish first half to stay perfect in conference play.

With a win on Sunday, the Wildcats will secure the SEC's regular-season title.

Kentucky allowed Tennessee to shoot 59 percent in the first half before holding the Volunteers to just 12 baskets over the final 20 minutes. Wildcats coach Tubby Smith berated his team at halftime.

"The second half, we know what we've got to do," Kentucky guard Cliff Hawkins said. "It was a whole lot of Coach Smith. He told us we weren't challenging shots. We just kind of settled in and started doing what we do best."

Kentucky, which has won by double digits in 11 of its last 12 games, enjoyed a balanced attack that saw five players score in double figures. Senior guard Keith Bogans led the way with 15 points as the Wildcats tied their longest winning streak under Smith.

"We don't have just one guy. We all want to go out and play," Bogans said.

 

[billiam2005]

Adding...

Massachusetts +8


Can't spell Massacusetts, had to look it up.