January 10, 2007 - SPORTS NEWS - SPECIAL EDITION
MARCH MADNESS COLLEGE BASKETBALL SPORTS NEWS
FREE COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS, COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS, FREE NCAA BASKETBALL PICKS, NCAA
BASKETBALL PICKS.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS- (covers.com): uconn may get worse before they get better.
Two tough losses have forced Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun to shake up his backcourt
in hopes of sparking some production out of his young Huskies.
Following Saturday’s 66-49 trouncing at the hands of the LSU Tigers, Calhoun and his
coaching staff toyed with the idea of mixing up its starting guards for this Wednesday’s
game against the Marquette Golden Eagles.
"We aren`t going to make drastic changes," Calhoun told the Hartford Courant. "But there
could be changes, yeah. ... I`m giving it a lot of thought."
According to Calhoun, he is considering freshmen guards Jerome Dyson and Doug Wiggins as
his starting duo on Wednesday, with junior A.J. Price and sophomore Craig Austrie coming
off the bench.
Price, who has been the team’s starting point guard, struggled in the games against West
Virginia and LSU, going a combined 3-for-18 for 10 points, seven assists and four
turnovers.
"I have to step it up," Price told reporters after this weekend’s loss. "It doesn`t take
[Calhoun] to tell me that. I know that as a person and as a player. I shot 1-for-9. That`s
unacceptable. We`ll go from here. We have to try to get a win against Marquette."
The starting lineup probably should have been sorted out before Big East play began, but
sharp basketball bettors see no other choice for Calhoun and the Huskies. The young players
did not respond to an easy opening schedule and showed a lack of chemistry over the past
week.
“The key in this case is not so much hurting the chemistry as trying to actually develop
one,” professional handicapper David Malinsky says of Calhoun’s decision. “With so many
young faces in the lineup the Huskies really do not have an identity yet.”
Since watching last year’s starting five leave for the pros, UConn has struggled to get a
solid effort out of its new players. In its last two losses Calhoun criticized the team for
their lack of drive and heart, allowing WVU to score at will from the perimeter and the
Tigers to push the Huskies around inside.
“The first time you get stood up, knocked out, whatever, then the next fight is pretty
important,” Calhoun told reporters. “I`m making these fighting analogies, but the game was
pretty close to that. ... I hated the way we gave in and didn`t impose our will.”
Marquette poses another tough matchup for the Huskies, who have faced the perimeter play of
the Mountaineers and the interior game of the Tigers. The Golden Eagles run a four-guard
set and rely on their players to drive to the basket to create offense.
This slashing attack could prove difficult for UConn because they have not shown the
cohesiveness on defense to defend this type of team. The switch in the backcourt adds to
their inconsistency and has bettors second guessing a play on the Huskies.
“It tells us that things may get worse before they get better,” says Malinsky. “We have not
been able to do much with [the Huskies] so far because of the inexperience and chemistry
issues, and at this point will sit back and wait for them to show any kind of consistency
before we want to get involved.”
NCAA BASKETBALL PICKS: (associated press): nevada's fazekas doubtful due to injury.
Nevada star forward Nick Fazekas has a severely sprained ankle and is extremely
doubtful for Thursday`s game at San Jose State.
Oddsmakers have yet to release a line for the game.
I don`t know how bad it is, coach Mark Fox said Tuesday. He`ll be on the mend for a
while.
The coach said he hadn`t decided if Fazekas would travel to San Jose (1-13) on Thursday and
to Hawaii (9-5) for a Saturday game.
Fazekas, a 6-foot-11 senior, landed on another player`s foot and left just before halftime
of the No. 19 Wolf Pack`s 90-86 win over Boise State on Monday night.
X-rays found no broken bones, but Fox said he was concerned because this is the same left
ankle Fazekas hurt against Akron last month.
Nevada is 14-1 and 2-0 in the Western Athletic Conference.
NCAA BASKETBALL FREE PICKS- (associated press): south carolina point guard arrested.
Tre Kelley apologized to his South Carolina teammates for any embarrassment he caused
after his arrest for driving with a suspended license.
Kelley was cited for speeding early Monday by the state Highway Patrol for driving 25 miles
an hour over the speed limit on Interstate 20, according to Department of Public Safety
spokesman Sid Gaulden. A check found Kelley`s license had been suspended for failure to pay
other traffic tickets and the Gamecocks senior point guard was taken to the Lexington
County jail, where he was booked and spent about 10 hours, according to arrest records.
"I couldn`t believe I was in there with guys doing drugs," Kelley said Tuesday before
practice. "But that`s the law. I have to take care of it, and I will."
Gamecocks coach Dave Odom said "it was a traffic violation" and Kelley will play at Georgia
on Wednesday night.
Oddsmakers have the Gamecocks listed as 8 1/2-point favorites and the total for the game is
set at 131.
Kelley leads the Gamecocks (10-3) with a 16.3-point scoring average.
His arrest was first reported in The Greenville News.
Odom grew concerned Monday when Kelley, one of the most dedicated and reliable players on
the roster, did not show up for a meeting and weightlifting session.
A check throughout the morning turned up little, Odom said. "Then I knew there was a
problem, I just didn`t know what the problem was," the coach said.
Kelley was released shortly before 2 p.m. Monday on $1,022.50 bail.
Kelley and Odom said the player got a late-night call from a friend who attended South
Carolina`s 70-54 loss to Kansas earlier in the day and needed a ride home. After dropping
the friend off, Kelley was feeling tired and on the way home "put the pedal to the metal,
and that was ill-advised to say the least," Odom said.
Odom said athletic department administrators were aware of the arrest.
There is no team suspension, Odom said, because there was no violation of policy.
Kelley`s driving record from the South Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles shows three
speeding tickets, two in North Carolina and one in Cayce just a few miles over the river
from Columbia. Kelley thought he had paid all fines connected with his suspended status.
But he and Odom said the dispute is over a restoration fee necessary to get a license back
following a suspension.
Odom says he talked with authorities, following up on a conversation he had with Kelley
once he showed up to practice Monday.
Kelley knows he`s a leader and more is expected of him. "Any time you get arrested, it
doesn`t look good," he said. "For the fans to have to see it in the paper or see it in the
news, it`s bad."
Odom still believes in Kelley, but said there`s always "a sense of disappointment when your
leader is arrested at two in the morning."
Kelley has had a difficult week or so. He sprained his left knee late in a win over
Jacksonville on Dec. 29 and missed his first start in 53 games when South Carolina beat
Western Carolina on Jan. 3. The injury was serious enough that Odom considered holding
Kelley out of last Sunday`s game with Kansas.
But Kelley played, although he was far from himself. He finished with 10 points on 3-of-16
shooting in the loss.
Kelley ate dinner by himself after the defeat, thinking about South Carolina`s upcoming
Southeastern Conference opener at Georgia. After returning to his room, that`s when he got
the call to help a friend.
"He did the right thing the wrong way," Odom said. "We can kick him as much as we want to,
but I don`t think we`ll kick him as hard as he`ll kick himself."
NCAA BASKETBALL PICKS- (associated press): ucla leading scorer out.
UCLA will be without its second-leading scorer, Josh Shipp, when it plays USC on Saturday.
Bruins coach Ben Howland said Tuesday that an ultrasound test revealed Shipp has a slight
tear in his right hamstring. Shipp said he felt the muscle tighten up during UCLA's loss at
Oregon on Saturday, but played through the pain.
"He wants to play, of course," Howland was quoted as saying in the Los Angeles Times, "but
I'm very worried about this becoming something that can get worse. Hamstrings are very,
very tough injuries because you always run the risk of tearing it worse. ... I don't want
to see this turn into a thing where he's going to be out for three weeks, a month, two
months."
Shipp, a sophomore, is averaging 14.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
Howland said that Michael Roll would start in place of Shipp on Saturday and Luc Richard
Mbah a Moute and Russell Westbrook will see more playing time.
"It's definitely tough. I mean, this is our rival game. I really wanted to give it my all
and try to go out there and play, but I just can't do it," Shipp said according to the
Times.
NCAA COLLEGE BASKETBALL FREE PICKS- (espn.com): north carolina number 1 in latest coaches
poll.
Eleven straight wins is usually a good sign for the Tar Heels. This week, it's good enough
to put North Carolina (14-1) atop the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll.
Poll Positions
The top five teams in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll:
• Complete ESPN/USA Today poll
• SportsNation: What's your Top 25?
And it may mean better things down the road -- five of the last six Tar Heel teams to reel
off at least 11 straight wins at some point during the season have later advanced to the
Final Four.
North Carolina is the new top team thanks to UCLA's 68-66 loss at Oregon on Saturday. The
Bruins (14-1) dropped to No. 3 after their first loss of the season. Florida (14-2) moved
into the No. 2 spot. Wisconsin (15-1) stayed put at No. 4, and Ohio State (13-2) moved up
to No. 5.
North Carolina was also No. 1 in the Associated Press poll.
Kansas (13-2) jumped three spots to No. 6 following a 70-54 win at South Carolina on
Sunday. Pittsburgh (14-2) also climbed three spots, checking in at No. 7. Arizona (12-2)
fell one spot to No. 8 after losing at Washington State on Saturday.
Texas A&M (13-2) and Oklahoma State (15-1) rounded out the top 10.
Duke (13-2) dropped six spots to No. 11 after Virginia Tech upset the Blue Devils in Durham
on Saturday. Butler (14-1) moved up to No. 12, and Alabama (13-2) fell from No. 8 to No. 13
after an 88-61 loss at Arkansas on Saturday.
Still-unbeaten Clemson (16-0) jumped four places to No. 14, and Air Force (15-1) and Nevada
(13-1) tied for No. 15.
Oregon (14-1) remained at No. 17 despite the win over UCLA, followed by No. 18 LSU (11-3),
No. 19 Memphis (11-3), and No. 20 Tennessee (13-2).
Three teams made their way into the rankings this week -- No. 21 West Virginia (13-1), No.
23 Washington State (14-2), and No. 25 Maryland (14-2). Connecticut (12-2) plummeted to No.
22 after a 66-49 loss at LSU on Saturday, and Washington dropped to No. 24.
Marquette (13-4), Notre Dame (13-2), and Michigan State (13-4) all dropped out of the top
25.
NCAA COLLEGE BASKETBALL FREE PICKS: (espn.com): k-state freshman ruptures acl.
Bill Walker went from being a high school senior to college in the first semester. He
helped Kansas State pick up two potential key NCAA Tournament resume wins. And, he looked
like he was on the verge of leading the Wildcats and coach Bob Huggins toward a top five
finish in the Big 12.
But Walker's work is now done for the season, shelved for the next six to eight months with
a ruptured ACL in his left knee, leaving the Wildcats to fend for themselves in the league
and in a quest for a bid.
Kansas State sports information director Tom Gilbert confirmed Monday afternoon that an MRI
showed Walker's rupture and surgery would be performed some time in the next two weeks.
This is the second time Walker suffered an ACL injury, going through the surgery and rehab
in his right knee in 2003.
The injury occurred a few minutes into the Wildcats' 69-65 loss at Texas A&M Saturday in
College Station, Texas. Walker, who had started five of six games, was third on the team in
scoring at 11.3 points a game, second in rebounding at 4.5. He scored 19 points in a win
over USC in Las Vegas last month and followed that up with 13 the next night against New
Mexico.
The Wildcats host Texas Tech Monday night.
Walker was ruled ineligible prior to the school year at North College Hill High in
Cincinnati after it was determined he had already played in eight semesters of high school
basketball. Huggins had been recruiting Walker for years, starting off when he was the head
coach at Cincinnati. So, once Walker was ineligible, the Wildcats sped up the process and
Walker finished his final class he needed to graduate. He then took a standardized test,
received a qualifying score and got through the NCAA Clearinghouse in time to be admitted
as a part-time student for the final few weeks of the fall semester. He was eligible to
play at Kansas State on Dec. 17 against Kennesaw State, and despite only practicing one
day, the previous day, he scored 15 points in 22 minutes.
The 6-6 Walker was considered a lottery pick whenever he decided to declare for the NBA
draft. There were some rumblings among the summer grassroot organizers that Walker would
attempt to challenge the NBA's draft rule in 2007. Walker is 19 but he wouldn't technically
be a year out of high school (the new rule) until the fall of 2007, making him ineligible
for the '07 draft. But Kansas State's staff contended for months that Walker was committed
to playing at Kansas State for at least two seasons. Now, that seems moot with his injury
likely keeping him out of any action until next fall. He would be eligible for the 2008
draft.
Huggins considered Walker one of the top athletes in the class and rising star. He didn't
hesitate to load oodles of compliments on Walker once he was on K-State's campus.
"This is a truly a sad day for Bill and for our basketball program," said Huggins. "He was
making such significant strides with our team in practice and was ready to make an even
bigger impact in games. However, he has a great attitude in response to the injury and we
expect him to make a complete recovery in time for the 2007-08 season."
Gilbert said Walker had a great attitude about the setback. And now he'll have to bring
that same intensity to his rehab as he goes through an exhaustive recovery process.
FREE COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS- (covers.com): top ten ats teams as of 1/10/07.
1. West Virginia
2. Idaho State
3. Indiana St.
4. Buffalo
5. North Carolina
6. Davidson
7. Pepperdine
8. Manhattan
9. Penn St
10. UC Santa Barbara
FREE COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS- (associated press.com) butler to maintain horizon lead.
Sporting its highest ranking in 58 years, No. 12 Butler looks to remain perfect in the
Horizon League when it visits Illinois-Chicago on Wednesday.
Oddsmakers have Butler listed as a 5 1/2-point favorite and the total is set at 132 1/2.
Butler moved up one spot in the poll this week for its second-highest ranking in school
history. The Bulldogs (14-1, 3-0) were ranked No. 11 for three straight weeks in 1948-49.
This season`s squad is off to the best start in school history after an easy 73-42 victory
over Wright State on Saturday left the Bulldogs as the only unbeaten team in the league.
A.J. Graves scored 19 points and helped Butler play one of its most complete games of the
season. The Bulldogs limited the Raiders to 37.5 percent shooting and also had 19 assists -
their highest total since registering 20 in the Nov. 10 season opener at Tulane.
"We defended well and communicated on defense," Graves said. "Offensively, we just moved
the ball. We worked hard on that all week and it showed up today."
Butler limited Wisconsin-Milwaukee to 40 percent shooting in a 55-50 victory on Dec. 30.
Graves also extended his streak of made free throws to 52 Saturday. It`s the longest streak
for Butler since Darnell Archey set the NCAA Division I record with 85 straight four years
ago.
"I look forward to going to the free throw line, because they`re easy buckets. No one`s
guarding me," said Graves, who is shooting a Division I-leading 98.8 percent (80-of-81) at
the line.
The Bulldogs are averaging 10.2 turnovers per game, second in the country behind No. 18 Air
Force. It`s part of the reason they`ve been able to control tempo and limit opponents to
55.9 points per game - the lowest allowed by any Horizon League team.
Butler has won three straight against Illinois-Chicago (7-9, 2-1) after losing the previous
four meetings. Graves averaged 15.5 points on 63.2 percent shooting last season as the
Bulldogs swept both matchups by an average of 25.5 points.
The Flames are going through a difficult stretch because they are without longtime coach
Jimmy Collins, who has been at the helm since 1996. Collins was admitted to the hospital
last Wednesday after tests showed he had suffered an abdominal aortic aneurysm and he is on
an indefinite leave of absence for the condition.
Associate head coach Mark Coomes has guided the Flames to a 1-2 mark since Collins
announced his leave on Dec. 23.
Illinois-Chicago is led by 6-foot-5 swingman Othyus Jeffers, who averages 16.2 points per
game. Jeffers scored 19 in a 76-62 loss at Wright State on Thursday.
This is the second time since 1990 that Illinois-Chicago has hosted a ranked team. The
Flames lost their home opener two seasons ago, 60-59 to then-No. 3 Georgia Tech.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL FREE PICKS: (associated press) tennessee cant' look past vandy.
Tennessee may be on its longest winning streak in six years, but the 20th-ranked Volunteers
will need to avoid looking ahead when they visit Vanderbilt on Wednesday.
Oddsmakers have the Vols listed as 1-point faves and the total is set at 158.
The Volunteers have won nine in a row, their longest streak since opening the 2000-01
season with nine straight wins. They haven`t won 10 consecutive games since beginning the
1999-2000 season with 11 victories in a row.
Tennessee (13-2, 1-0 SEC) has already beaten two ranked teams and has another big contest
coming up when it visits No. 5 Ohio State on Saturday. The Volunteers, though, will be
careful against Vanderbilt after nearly getting upset by Mississippi State in their SEC
opener on Saturday.
The Bulldogs led by as many as five points in the second half and stayed close before
Tennessee pulled away for a 92-84 win.
"That means every SEC victory will be a precious one," Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl said.
"They have exceeded my expectations with what they did in December, but we have some real
issues we have to fix on the defensive end. I think we can.
"If we can`t do a better job of guarding in our transition defense then we`re going to
continue to get exposed. That`s going to be our focus right now."
The Volunteers play five of their next six on the road and have only two home games this
month. While they are 1-0 in true road games, this will be the fourth time they have played
in Nashville this season. Tennessee won two games as part of the NIT Season Tip-Off, then
knocked off then-No. 15 Oklahoma State 79-77 with a putback in the final seconds on Dec.
18.
While Pearl is concerned with the defense, there`s been no problems with the Tennessee
offense. The Volunteers have scored at least 90 points in four straight games and are
averaging 85.9 points, first in the SEC and sixth in the country. Guard Chris Lofton leads
the conference in scoring at 22.2 points per game.
The Commodores had won nine of their previous 10 before losing 68-65 to Auburn in their SEC
opener on Saturday. Vanderbilt (10-5, 0-1) shot only 37.9 percent, its second-lowest
percentage of the season.
"It`s hard to win games when you`re missing layups," Vanderbilt forward Shan Foster said.
"We missed a number of layups; we missed a number of free throws. It`s hard to win on the
road when you don`t take advantage of easy opportunities. That`s what happened tonight."
Vanderbilt has won six straight at home, including a 73-64 victory over then-No. 25 Georgia
Tech on Dec. 9. The Commodores have allowed only 43.5 points in their last two home games,
winning those contests by an average of 37.5 points.
"They shoot the ball extremely well," Pearl said. "They have four guys out there who can
shoot the 3-pointer. They are second in the league in 3-point shots. That lets them play
effectively inside, too. They have good balance, and they play well at home."
Tennessee has won eight of the last 12 meetings with Vanderbilt, including both matchups
last season. The Volunteers rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit to win 68-59 on the
road in the last meeting on March 4.
NCAA BASKETBALL PICKS: (associated press): kansas may be tested after easy schedule.
The schedule probably couldn`t have worked out much tougher for Kansas to open Big 12
play, but after coasting through a stretch of nonconference games, the sixth-ranked
Jayhawks appear ready for a challenge.
Kansas looks to extend its winning streak to eight games when it hosts No. 10 Oklahoma
State on Wednesday in a matchup of teams favored to win the conference title.
Oddsmakers have the Jayhawks listed as 10-point faves and the total is set at 139 for the
matchup.
The Jayhawks (13-2, 0-0) have rolled through their past seven games, winning by an average
of 20 points while stabilizing themselves following unexpected losses to Oral Roberts and
DePaul in their first eight contests.
After shooting 59 percent to beat South Carolina 70-54 on Sunday, things now get rocky for
the Jayhawks, who host Oklahoma State, visit Iowa State and host Missouri in the next six
days. Those three teams have a combined record of 36-9.
"We`ve been waiting for this for awhile, to get started (on the Big 12 schedule), an
important game like this," said Kansas guard Brandon Rush, a preseason All-American. "I
think we`ve got some great competition to start league play with Oklahoma State and then
going on the road to play Iowa State, who beat Missouri a couple of days ago."
The Jayhawks have won 15 straight conference openers and are 9-1 at Allen Fieldhouse this
season. They are 39-8 at the arena against Oklahoma State and 54-10 all-time in Lawrence
against the Cowboys, who have lost 12 straight on the road in the series.
Oklahoma State (15-1, 1-0), though, has already beaten two ranked teams and is off to its
best start since 2001-02, when it also started 15-1. That team lost to Kansas after
reaching that mark and the Cowboys have lost six of their last eight to the Jayhawks,
including two matchups last season.
However, Kansas coach Bill Self - who graduated from Oklahoma State and was an assistant
there from 1987-93 - sees a difference in this year`s Cowboys team.
"I think Oklahoma State is a lot better than they were last year even though the core
players are the same," Self said. "I don`t know if we have played to the same level
consistently this year that we played to last year."
The Cowboys rely heavily on Mario Boggan and JamesOn Curry, who are averaging a combined
40.8 points - the second-highest average in the country for a pair of teammates. Boggan had
26 points and 13 rebounds while Curry had 20 points to help Oklahoma State hold off Baylor
81-77 and win its conference opener on Saturday.
The Cowboys have yet to play a true road game, though they are 5-1 at neutral sites.
Following Wednesday`s contest, Oklahoma State has games against Nebraska, Texas and Texas
A&M - teams with a combined record of 35-8.
"There are not going to be any easy games in this league," said first-year Cowboys coach
Sean Sutton. "I really think that, from top to bottom, it is the best that we have ever had
in the Big 12. There is going to be a lot of great games all year long, but there are going
to be a lot of close games throughout.
"You never take a win for granted. When you get a win, it is good."
Kansas went 13-3 in the Big 12 last season, winning the regular season and tournament
titles. The Jayhawks shared the conference title in 2004-05 and were 37-11 in the Big 12 in
Self`s first three seasons.
"It is the second season for everybody. I think everybody sees it that way," Self said. "I
think there will be some guys flying around Wednesday night."
|
