Win$day (Hopefully) Hoops

[billiam2005]

Nice lil rebound night last night at 4-2. Needed that after what I have been going through. Still not outta the water yet. Wish me luck.

Tonight...

Xavier -16
Duke -3
Dayton -3
Fairfield -1.5
Pittsburgh -12

Best of luck to all of you.

 

[billiam2005]

Adding two more....

Oklahoma -3


Don't remember the last time I had all favorites so gotta throw a dog in here.

Delaware +12

Once again best of luck.

 

[billiam2005]

25) Dayton (19-5) at Rhode Island (15-9)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Thomas F. Ryan Center (7,571) -- Kingston, Rhode Island. Television: Local. Home Record: Dayton 13-1, Rhode Island 9-3. Away Record: Dayton 6-4, Rhode Island 6-6. Neutral Record: Dayton 0-0, Rhode Island 0-0. Conference Record: Dayton 11-2, Rhode Island 7-6. Series Record: Dayton leads, 9-3.

GAME NOTES: The 25th-ranked Dayton Flyers try to rebound from a recent setback as they battle the slumping Rhode Island Rams in an Atlantic 10 showdown from the Ryan Center in Kingston tonight. The Flyers had their three-game winning streak and unbeaten home record snapped on Saturday, with a heart breaking 73-72 loss against then 14th-ranked Xavier. It was just Dayton's second loss in 13 A-10 contests this season and dropped them to a half game behind Xavier in the West Division of the A-10 standings. While the Flyers have gone an impressive 13-1 at home this season, they have had some troubles on the road, with a record of 6-4. The Rams were one of the pleasant surprises in the A-10 this season, but after a strong start, they have dropped three straight contests. Their 70-69 overtime loss to Richmond on Saturday, left them at 7-6 in the A-10 and just 6-6 on the road this year. Dayton has a 9-3 series advantage on the Rams all-time, while the teams have split the four meetings from Rhode Island in the series.

Keith Waleskowski scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds in a losing effort for the Flyers over the weekend. Sean Finn added 17 points, six boards, and four blocks, while Ramod Marshall knocked in 12 points and dished out five assists in a losing effort. Dayton was able to shoot 46.2 percent from the field and hold Xavier to 45.6 percent shooting on its field goal attempts, it couldn't overcome a rebounding disadvantage of 38-30 and 31.6 percent shooting from three-point land. Brooks Hall is one of three Flyers in double digit scoring this season, with 13.0 ppg on 40.3 percent shooting from three-point land. Hall is also pulling in 7.0 rpg, while Waleskowski is leading the team on the boards with 8.4 rpg and knocking in 12.9 ppg on 55.1 percent shooting from the floor. Marshall is contributing 11.6 ppg on 36.5 percent shooting from behind the arc and has helped get his teammates involved with a team-best 4.4 apg.

Dayton is chopping at the bit to get back on the court tonight and erase the memory of their recent loss to Xavier. The Rams will also be trying to get back on track, but the Flyers' balanced scoring attack and impressive defensive pressure will be too much for Rhode Island.

 

[billiam2005]

(8) Pittsburgh (19-4) at Virginia Tech (10-15)

Television: Fox Sports Net. Home Record: Pittsburgh 14-0, Va. Tech 7-5. Away Record: Pittsburgh 5-4, Va. Tech 1-9. Neutral Record: Pittsburgh 0-0, Va. Tech 2-1. Conference Record: Pittsburgh 9-3, Va. Tech 3-9. Series Record: Virginia Tech leads, 3-2.

GAME NOTES: The eighth-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers invade Cassell Coliseum tonight to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies in a Big East contest. With wins in back-to-back games, Pittsburgh has improved to 19-4 on the season and 9-3 in the league, good for a first-place tie with Syracuse in the West Division.

On Saturday, the Panthers put forth their best offensive effort since December in an 86-65 romp over Rutgers. They have been tremendous at the defensive end all season, as only two of their 23 opponents have reached 70 points. While Pittsburgh owns a dazzling 14-0 home record, it enters tonight's tilt with a shaky 5-4 mark on the road. As for Virginia Tech, it has suffered four consecutive defeats to plummet to 3-9 in conference play, tying the squad for the worst record in the Big East with both Miami and Rutgers. On Saturday, the Hokies were embarrassed by a score of 98-76 at No. 12 Notre Dame. On a positive note, seven of their 12 games in Blacksburg have resulted in victory.

Although Va Tech holds a 3-2 edge in the all-time series between these two teams, Pittsburgh recorded a 70-51 victory in the most recent meeting two seasons ago.

Pittsburgh's Brandin Knight entered this season as a major candidate for Big East and National Player of the Years honors. Neither of those awards figure to still be possible for the talented point guard, as he is scoring only 10.1 ppg on 34 percent shooting from the floor. Knight has done a solid job of distributing the ball, however, as he has racked up 148 assists against 74 turnovers. Julius Page (11.9 ppg), Chevon Troutman (11.7 ppg), and Donatas Zavackas (10.4 ppg) provide a great deal of balance for the Panthers at the offensive end. The Panthers were led by a pair a role players in the victory over Rutgers last time out, as Ontario Lett scored 13 points and Jaron Brown added 12 points. Page and Carl Krauser chipped in 11 points apiece and Troutman tallied 10 points. Knight scored only six points on 2-of-8 shooting from the floor, but he did post seven rebounds and five assists. Pittsburgh shot 51 percent from the floor in the tilt, a major factor in the blowout win.

The fact that Pittsburgh is enjoying such a tremendous season despite Knight's struggles is astonishing. Few teams in the nation play as unselfishly as the Panthers, and a convincing victory over the Hokies on the road tonight is likely.

 

[billiam2005]

(3) Oklahoma (19-4) at Missouri (16-7)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Hearnes Center (13,545) -- Columbia, Missouri.

Television: ESPN Plus. Home Record: Oklahoma 14-0, Missouri 13-0. Away Record: Oklahoma 4-2, Missouri 2-6. Neutral Record: Oklahoma 1-2, Missouri 1-1.

Conference Record: Oklahoma 10-2, Missouri 7-5. Series Record: Oklahoma leads, 108-88.

GAME NOTES: Winners of three straight and nine of their last 10 games overall, and tied for the top spot in the Big 12 standings, the third-ranked Oklahoma Sooners hope to continue their winning ways when they pull into Columbia for tonight's pivotal conference clash with the Missouri Tigers. Kelvin Sampson's Sooners are playing some inspired basketball these days, and are coming off one of their biggest wins of the season as they outlasted No. 6 Kansas in Norman on Sunday, 77-70. The win moved the team's national-best home winning streak to 36 games, and its 2002-03 Big 12 ledger to 10-2. As well as the Sooners have performed at home not only this season, but over the last two- plus campaigns, the team is just 5-4 outside of Norman this year, although its 4-2 in true road games. As for Missouri, it is looking for the recipe for success right now after splitting its last six games. The Tigers were last in action on Saturday, and were soundly trounced by an underrated Colorado squad in Boulder, 89-68. As a result, coach Quin Snyder's squad fell to 7-5 in the conference and currently sits in fifth place. Like Oklahoma, Mizzou has been outstanding at home this season, winning all 13 games it has played at the Hearnes Center. The Sooners, who own a 108-88 lead in the all-time series with Missouri, have dominated the Tigers in recent years, winning the last nine meetings, including the last two in Columbia.

The Oklahoma backcourt was up to its old tricks, as Hollis Price and Quannas White each scored 19 points in leading the Sooners to a 77-70 triumph over visiting Kansas on Sunday. OU also got solid contributions from a slew of other sources, as De'Angelo Alexander came off the bench to net 12 points and Ebi Ere tallied 11. Jozsef Szendrei, playing because of an injury to center Jabahri Brown and foul trouble to starter Johnnie Gilbert, grabbed a career- high 11 rebounds. Overall, the Sooners nailed 9-of-16 three-pointers in the contest, and dropped 48.1 percent of their total shots. They did, however, struggle from the foul line, converting a meager 56.3 percent in being outscored from the stripe 23-18. Price and White have really turned up the heat of late, averaging a combined 35.3 points in the Sooners' last six games.

Price is the team's leading scorer this season with 19.3 ppg on the strength of 42.9 percent shooting from three-point land. Ere is next with 14.6 ppg, while freshman forward Kevin Bookout adds 9.7 ppg to go with a team-high 6.0 rpg. White chips in 8.8 ppg and is the squad's top playmaker with 84 assists.

Overall, Oklahoma is netting 72.9 ppg to rank seventh in the Big 12, while its allowance of just 60.0 ppg is the league's top mark.

Oklahoma has finally caught Kansas atop the Big 12 standings, and the Sooners could certainly get used to the view from up there. With Clemons out of the lineup, the Tigers have lost a potent piece of their talented three-headed monster and will be hard-pressed to make up for the lack of production his absence provides. OU will win this game, and should do so rather comfortably, putting an end to Mizzou's perfect season at home.

 

[billiam2005]

Fairfield (15-10) at St. Peter's (9-16)
Wednesday, February 26, 2003

Latest Line: Fairfield -1.5 O/U: NL


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FACTS & STATS: Site: Yanitelli Center (3,200) -- Jersey City, New Jersey.

Television: Local. Home Record: Fairfield 8-6, St. Peter's 6-5. Away Record: Fairfield 7-4, St. Peter's 3-8. Neutral Record: Fairfield 0-0, St. Peter's 0-3. Conference Record: Fairfield 11-5, St. Peter's 6-10. Series Record: St.

Peter's leads, 45-34.

GAME NOTES: Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference foes clash at the Yanitelli Center in Jersey City, New Jersey tonight, when the Fairfield Stags take on the St. Peter's Peacocks. Fairfield is coming off an 83-79 setback to Niagara on Saturday, which was its second consecutive loss. With the two setbacks, the Stags have fallen into second place in the MAAC at 11-5, only one game ahead of three other teams. Fairfield is 15-10 on the season and will play all its remaining games on the road, where it is a respectable 7-4 thus far. As for St. Peter's, it snapped a brief two-game slide with a 79-60 triumph over Canisius on Sunday. The Peacocks are now 9-16 on the season and 6-10 in the MAC, which puts them in eight place. St. Peter's leads the all-time series with Fairfield, 45-34, but was defeated earlier this season by the Stags, 79-57.

Fairfield had five players score double-digit points, but it was not enough as it fell to Niagara, 83-79. Oscar Garcia led all Stag scorers with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, while Terrence Todd added 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds. The Stags received other strong efforts from DeWitt Maxwell, Kudjo Sogadzi and Deng Gai who each turned in 10 points. Both teams shot well in the game, with Fairfield knocking in 50.9 percent from the field and Niagara an even better 54.4 percent. The Stags also converted 17-of-21 from the free-throw line, while Niagara connected on 15-of-17. On the season, Fairfield is led by Garcia who is netting 13.2 ppg on a solid 53.0 percent shooting effort from the field. Gai provides an ominous presence in the paint with his 6.3 rpg and 73 blocks, and is also contributing 12.9 ppg. As a team, the Stags are scoring an average of 71.5 ppg on a mediocre 44.9 percent shooting effort from the floor.

Keydren Clark is the second-leading scorer in the MAAC with 24.3 ppg to go along with 4.1 apg. Clark is knocking in just 40.5 percent of his total shots, but a solid 39.4 percent from long range, and is the only player on the team who is averaging double digits in the scoring column. Despite only one double- digit scorer, the Peacocks manage to produce 74.2 ppg on 42.8 percent shooting from the field. In the team's last contest, St. Peter's forced 21 turnovers which it turned into 27 points, in a 79-60 victory over Canisius. The Peacocks shot 50.8 percent from the floor in the game, while holding the Golden Griffins to just 41.2 percent. St. Peter's held a 36-28 rebounding advantage, in addition to a 32-22 edge in points in the paint. Clark once again led the Peacocks with 22 points and eight assists, while Devin Thompson recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Corien John added 12 points and Rafael Martinez ripped down 10 boards in the winning effort.

Fairfield lost two games last week, which probably will cost it any shot at winning the MAAC's regular season title. St. Peter's has been near the bottom of the league all season long, but with a couple of late wins could pull to the middle of the pack. The Stags know they can't afford a loss and that will give them the motivation they need to defeat an inconsistent Peacocks squad tonight.

Predicted Outcome: Fairfield 76, St. Peter's 70

 

[billiam2005]

Duke @ Georgia Tech

Duke looks to ride its defense to its seventh-straight 20-win season as it faces Georgia Tech at Alexander Memorial Coliseum on Wednesday.

The sixth-ranked Blue Devils (19-4, 9-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) come in off Saturday's 79-68 win over North Carolina State -- their third straight victory and fifth in six games.

Duke, which has won 20 games a total of 37 times in school history, forced 24 turnovers -- a season-high for the Wolfpack -- for 31 points.

"We felt that they're a team that no one has really pressured to the point where they're not able to run their offense," said Chris Duhon, who had two of Duke's 13 steals. "We just wanted to speed them up a little bit, get in passing lanes to where they couldn't make sure passes and try to create offense from our defense."

The Blue Devils allowed the Wolfpack to shoot 56.5 percent (26-of-46) from the field, but held them to just 1-of-10 shooting from behind the 3-point line.

"We hoped to force some steals to produce baskets, but we also felt that it would take away their 3-point shooting," said coach Mike Krzyzewski. "Although they shot a good percentage, it was two-point baskets.

"For us, we've always looked at field goal percentages as not exactly the percentage you see on the stat sheet, but if you add 24 turnovers, that's 24 missed shots."

Dahntay Jones, the Blue Devils' leading scorer with 17.1 points per game, had a team-high 19 points. Daniel Ewing had 18 points off the bench and Duhon added 12 for Duke, which is tied with Maryland for second-place in the ACC, a half-game behind Wake Forest.

A win would make Duke the fourth school to earn its 1,700th win. The Blue Devils trail only Kentucky (1,839), North Carolina (1,803) and Kansas (1,791) in all-time victories.

"We've just completed a 10-day stretch were we played four really difficult games starting with Wake Forest and Virginia away, then Maryland and N.C. State at home," said Krzyzewski. "I thought our kids really competed hard in all those games and we got better. We also got worn out doing that, so we gave them Sunday off.

"Now we have to get going for two games on the road this week and the game tomorrow night will be very difficult."

The Yellow Jackets (12-11, 5-7) come in off Thursday's 75-67 loss to Wake Forest -- their third straight setback and fourth in five games.

The loss was the first at home for Georgia Tech, which got 19 points from freshman Jarrett Jack, 15 from Marvin Lewis, 14 from B.J. Elder, who leads the Yellow Jackets with 15.8 points per game, and 13 from Chris Bosh.

"We came out and played hard -- we just came out on the short end of the stick," Yellow Jackets coach Paul Hewitt said. "Regardless of where we play, we have to go out and play hard mentally and come out and play hard physically."

Duke leads the all-time series 50-20 and has won the last 13 matchups.

 

[billiam2005]

David West looks to become the third player in Xavier history to reach the 2,000-point plateau as the 13th-ranked Musketeers shoot for their 12th straight win in Wednesday's matchup with Atlantic 10 rival Duquesne.

A leading candidate for National Player of the Year honors, West is 25 points shy of joining Tyrone Hill and Byron Larkin as the only Musketeers to score 2,000 career points.

West would also join Hill as the only Xavier players to reach that mark and grab 1,000 career rebounds. In five seasons prior to this one, the lone player to achieve that feat was former Kansas All-American Raef LaFrentz.

West's dominance is the biggest reason why the Musketeers (19-5, 11-2 A-10) have won 11 in a row, one shy of matching the second-longest winning streak in the program's history.

West is third in the conference with 20.3 points per contest and ranks third nationally with 12.2 rebounds per game.

The 6-foot-9 forward showed off his range on Saturday. With the opposition trying to keep him away from the basket, West made all three of his 3-point attempts and went 8-of-8 from the foul line, finishing with 27 points in a 73-72 win over Dayton.

"He is playing great basketball right now," Xavier coach Thad Matta said. "He took what they gave him. He stepped up and took the 3. I thought he had a tremendous all-around game."

Xavier, which has gone 6-0 in A-10 games away from home, is one of only seven teams in Division I with a perfect road record in conference play.

Duquesne (9-17, 3-10) has won just two of its six conference games at home.

The Dukes had dropped eight in a row overall before winning back-to-back games against Fordham and George Washington, but returned to their losing ways Sunday with a 70-55 setback at Massachusetts.

Kevin Forney leads the Dukes with 13.5 points per game.

Xavier has won six in a row against Duquesne, including a 93-58 victory on Jan. 21. The Musketeers have won 12 of the 14 meetings since these teams became A-10 rivals in 1995-96.

 

[Senor Capper]

Not a puppy in sight

Not a puppy in sight

Kinda looks like a animal shelter at the end of the month !!


G/L

SC

 

[billiam2005]

Dayum, maybe I shouldn't pick any dogs anymore, those favorites are looking pretty good right now.

 

[billiam2005]

I gotta feed my dog's some puppy chow, had Delaware at +12 and they lost by 14. Some puppy chow would have given them the 2 extra points to at least give me a push.