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December 11 , 2006 - SPORTS NEWS - SPECIAL EDITION MARCH MADNESS COLLEGE BASKETBALL SPORTS NEWS FREE COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS, COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS, FREE NCAA BASKETBALL PICKS AND NCAA COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS FREE COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS- (covers.com) michigan state depleted due to injuries. Winning sometimes comes with a price. Just ask Michigan State. In a 76-61 victory over BYU Saturday, the No. 25 Spartans lost starting guard Maurice Joseph for at least three weeks with a stress reaction in his right foot. The sophomore, who is averaging 8.3 points per game this season, had been filling in for freshman Raymar Morgan in the starting rotation. Morgan, who is likely out another two weeks due to a stress reaction in his right shin, is the Spartans’ second-leading scorer at 11.7 points per game. Losing Morgan for such a stretch will be tough. Michigan State is 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS when Morgan plays more than 20 minutes. "I feel bad for Maurice," Spartans coach Tom Izzo told the Detroit Free Press. "He had been playing better and was ready to take on a larger role with Raymar out of action." MSU hosts Chicago State on Saturday, with freshman Isaiah Dahlman likely to start in Joseph’s place. FREE COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS- (associated press) washington looking at lack of defense. Maybe Washington got what it deserved. No, not the 20-point loss at Gonzaga late Saturday night, in which the young, previously undefeated Huskies never led and were simply not quick enough or intense enough to keep up with the rampaging Bulldogs. No, maybe they deserved the five-hour bus ride back across the state even later Saturday night. That thankless trip, which probably felt like 15 hours after a 97-77 loss, was scheduled to get the Huskies (7-1) back to campus after 3 a.m. "That was a reality check right there," team captain Jon Brockman said. He meant the surprisingly noncompetitive defeat inside the rollicking McCarthey Athletic Center, not the bus ride away from it. "We`ve got to wake up," he said. Washington took the 45-minute flight to Spokane Friday and had the normal, pregame routine of a morning shoot-around, meetings and meal Saturday. But the final game of the annual series between the two rivals started after 8 p.m. So after the two-hour game, the team couldn`t get to the airport before the day`s last commercial flight departed for Seattle. So, in the interest of getting home as soon as possible so the players could begin preparing for final exams -- not in the interest of easily putting the brutal loss behind them -- the Huskies trudged home along a lonely interstate through ice and fog. The team of eight freshmen and sophomores had plenty to think about. "That happens when you are on the road. This is a young team on its first road trip, against a veteran team like that," Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. "(Saturday`s) game got our attention." For Romar, the most obvious realization from Gonzaga`s highest-scoring game of the season, which included the Zags` season-high of 56 points in the first half, was the need for better defense. "We got beat soundly," Romar said at least twice after Washington`s first nonconference loss in 25 games, dating to the last time the Huskies played at Gonzaga in 2004. "We weren`t quite ready for this yet." But the Huskies need to get more ready -- soon. They have just one get-the-kinks-out game, at home this Saturday against Portland State, before current No. 11 and last season`s Final Four entrant LSU comes to Hec Edmundson Pavilion on Dec. 20. Oddsmakers have not yet released a line for this matchup. Then it`s one more breather, against Weber State, before the rugged Pac-10 season begins Dec. 28 and 31 with a Los Angeles trip that ends at No. 1 UCLA. Yes, the nights of learning against Nicholls State, Idaho and Southern Utah are long gone. "We wanted to know where we were against a good team on the road and we found out," Romar said. "We are going to go to work and be a better team coming up." The Bulldogs (9-2), ranked 18th but coming off a dismal, 10-point loss at Washington State, relentlessly pushed the ball past the Huskies from the opening tip-off. Derek Raivio was particularly unstoppable. He scored 17 points in the first half and 25 total while frenetically running all over the front court without the ball to get open. Freshman guard Quincy Pondexter, listed as three inches taller than Raivio but probably more, initially couldn`t corral Raivio. Neither could Ryan Appleby. Raivio was so much quicker to spots than both, he rarely needed screens to get open. Inside, the Huskies chose to often play in front of Gonzaga`s big men. That led to some easy baskets early from second-leading scorer Josh Heytvelt. The first two of his 14 points were an omen: an easy, emphatic dunk off a wide-open alley-oop pass from Jeremy Pargo on the game`s first possession. Then, there was Gonzaga freshman Matt Bouldin. No one seemed to be guarding him while he scored a season-high 21 points on 9-for-12 shooting in his first collegiate start. "Some of it was GU`s offense," Romar said. "But in general, they cut us up." The Pac-10 was watching. So the Huskies had better be ready for teams to run, run and run some more at them into the new year. But as Romar said a week ago, a loss in Saturday`s last showdown with Gonzaga for a while doesn`t mean this season is going to be a failure. "We came here two years ago with a veteran team that went to the Sweet 16," Romar said of a 29-6 squad led by seniors Nate Robinson and Will Conroy. "And we got beaten soundly that day, too." COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS- (associated press) fordham may test texas a&m. Texas A&M looks to rebound from a pair of tough losses to 2006 Final Four teams when it takes on Fordham on Tuesday at Reed Arena. Oddsmakers have the Aggies listed as 16 1/2-point favorites. The total is set at 123 1/2. The No. 13 Aggies (7-2) lost to top-ranked UCLA 65-62 in the John R. Wooden Classic on Saturday, four days after losing 64-52 to LSU. Acie Law scored 21 points for Texas A&M in Saturday`s game, and cut the Bruins` lead to three with 41 seconds left, but that was as close as the Aggies could get. They stepped it up a little bit and they made plays and we didn`t, said Law, who bounced back from a season-low four points against LSU. The last five minutes we were in position to win, but we didn`t. Law has scored 21 points or more four times in nine games, and his 14.4 points per game lead the team despite the poor night against LSU. Junior forward Joseph Jones is averaging 14.3 points, and had 11 against UCLA along with 13 rebounds in his first double-double of the season. Texas A&M outrebounded the Bruins 34-23, but the Aggies committed a season-high 20 turnovers, which UCLA converted into 22 points. Texas A&M`s defense came into the game holding opponents to just 32.2 percent shooting from the field - best in the nation - but their last three opponents have all shot better than that mark. The Bruins shot 49.0 percent (25-for-51). The Aggies had the exact same success rate from the field as the Bruins, although it fell below their season shooting percentage of 51.6 - ranked 10th in the nation. They have won 12 straight home games and 29 consecutive regular season non-conference contests at Reed Arena. This is their first meeting against Fordham (5-3). The Rams have lost twice to ranked opponents this season, a 78-71 defeat to Tennessee on Nov. 13 and a 79-59 rout by Maryland last Wednesday. However, Fordham is coming off a 77-60 win over Penn on Saturday. Junior forward Bryant Dunston scored a game-high 21 points while grabbing eight rebounds, and junior guard Marcus Stout added 17 points and seven assists. The Rams were 12-for-21 beyond the 3-point line, with Stout going 5-for-10. A lot of teams have been playing zone against us, Fordham coach Dereck Whittenburg said, and tonight we were able to hit the 3-pointers over the zone, which opened up the middle for Dunston. We know we have guys capable of hitting the threes, and tonight we saw that. Stout and Dunston are the team`s leading scorers, averaging 14.3 and 13.6 points, respectively. The Rams have dropped their last eight games against ranked opponents since a 68-67 win over then-No. 24 St. John`s on Dec. 9, 2000. COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS - (associated press): alabama center withdraws from classes. Alabama center Jermareo Davidson, who endured the death of his girlfriend in a car accident in November, has withdrawn from classes for the fall semester. Coach Mark Gottfried said he believes Davidson will be fully reinstated in the next few days by the Southeastern Conference and NCAA due to the difficult circumstances that caused him to miss class time. Davidson did not play in the fifth-ranked Crimson Tide`s 92-58 win against Alabama State on Saturday night. Jermareo obviously has had a very difficult four weeks, Gottfried said in a statement. Alabama is in final exams next week, meaning Davidson could be eligible by next Saturday`s game at Southern Mississippi. Davidson and Brandy Nicole Murphy, a student trainer, were involved in the accident in Atlanta in November. Murphy died the following morning. Davidson is averaging 14.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.1 blocked shots. Alabama is a +4000 favorite to win the NCAA National championship this season according to sportsbook.com. COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS- (associated press)- mississippi state buries miami. Freshman reserve guard Barry Stewart scored a career-high 22 points Monday night to lead Mississippi State to a 70-52 upset victory over Miami. Stewart hit five of Mississippi State`s 10 3-pointers as the Bulldogs (6-2) won on the road for the first time this season. Richard Delk added 14 points for Mississippi State and Jamont Gordon had 12 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Jack McClinton had 16 points for Miami (6-4) to end his streak of 20-point games at seven. Dwayne Collins had 14 points, six rebounds and five blocks for the Hurricanes. Mississippi State never trailed in the game and led 39-22 at halftime. Miami trimmed its deficit to six points with 13 minutes left but Mississippi State went on a 12-2 run. The loss was Miami`s largest at home since March 1997, when they were beaten 82-54 by West Virginia. COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS- (espn.com): minnesota interm coach fires assistant.
Interim Minnesota head coach Jim Molinari said a new coach firing an assistant coach
isn't a story. Over the past three days, though, ESPN.com spoke to a few in coaching
circles and at least one close friend of now former Gophers assistant coach Bill Walker who
couldn't disagree more.
You judge for yourself.
Molinari fired Walker, Dan Monson's close friend and top assistant since Monson arrived in
Minneapolis in 1999, on Dec. 8, just a week after Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi
forced Monson out.
The perception is clear: Walker looks like he was insubordinate, and was singled out and
tossed aside. Why else wouldn't Walker have been fired with Monson? Why was he sent home a
few weeks before the holidays, making it a "story" that had a separate headline? And the
worst part of this story is this: Walker's father-in-law has terminal pancreatic cancer,
discovered less than a month ago.
Molinari and Minnesota sports information director Kyle Coughlin were quick to point out
that Walker will be paid through June and will receive benefits.
"We were aware of that," Molinari said of Walker's father-in-law's illness. "And it is my
understanding that he is getting paid with full benefits. Bill will land on his feet. This
gives him the opportunity to allow [his wife] to go [be with her father] while he watches
the kids."
Walker said, though, that he wanted to continue to work. He added that being with his
family at this trying time was important, but losing his job wasn't going to make it easier
for him. He didn't want to resign and simply didn't want to be fired. Apparently, no one
even offered him the option of a leave of absence. Walker also said that the firing was
done by phone and that he and Molinari haven't spoken face-to-face since then.
Molinari's explanation is pretty simple.
"If someone takes over a program then what they usually do, whether it's for three months
or for however long I'm here, they get people who are philosophically on the same page,"
Molinari said. "I have nothing against Bill, but we're miles apart philosophically."
When Bob Knight was fired at Indiana, Mike Davis and John Treloar were named co-head
coaches but Treloar made the decision to push Davis forward and take a step back. There
were no staff changes when that occurred outside of Pat Knight naturally leaving with his
father.
Coughlin said Maturi empowered Molinari. He said that Maturi, who according to Coughlin
wouldn't talk to ESPN.com for this story, said Molinari "is in charge of the basketball
program and he did what he thought was right. He supports his decision."
Molinari was brought in by Monson three years ago to be the staff's defensive specialist.
He was going through a difficult personal stretch at the time and those close to Monson
said that he was a "great boss" for Molinari. Molinari said he had other offers, like going
to UNLV with Lon Kruger or to Florida with Billy Donovan. Molinari was working as an NBA
scout at the time.
Still, Walker was the insider for Monson. He was the main recruiter for top Gophers like
Rick Rickert and Vincent Grier. He naturally was hurt when Molinari was chosen to be the
interim coach over him. Molinari was a head coach at Bradley and at Northern Illinois,
though, so on the surface it made sense.
Once Molinari was chosen, Walker went on a recruiting trip to Texas. He missed the South
Dakota State game. Walker said the trip was approved by Maturi. He said he didn't ask
Molinari to approve the trip. He said Maturi told him to continue to recruit. He said he
has missed at least three games for recruiting purposes during the season, which is not
uncommon for assistant coaches.
"He had that trip scheduled before and he didn't talk to me about it," Molinari said. "He
just did it."
Molinari said he was told by Maturi that he could be a candidate for the opening. Molinari
said that he didn't move into Monson's office right away, but "later, I did. Yes."
On the school's Web site, the initial perception is that Molinari is the team's permanent
head coach. His picture appears on a promotional ad for the "Jim Molinari Show." Once you
click on the bio page, that's where you'll see the interim tag. Walker's name, like
Monson's, now has been removed from the Web site.
Molinari said he wants to be a head coach again somewhere. He's 2-2 since he took over the
Gophers, beating Arizona State and South Dakota State while losing at UAB and at home to
Arkansas-Little Rock. The Gophers (4-7) were set to host undefeated Central Florida Tuesday
night.
"I'm going to build on what Dan [was] going to do and bring them along in areas where he
was challenging them to become better rebounders and take care of the ball," Molinari said.
Walker's friends in the coaching business community, though, are furious. They look at his
dismissal as a cold move, especially at this time of the year, made worse by his
father-in-law's illness.
Monson landed with a million-dollar plus buyout. Walker, who probably would have been out
anyway in June, has his check and benefits, but also now carries a perception that he did
something wrong to get fired after Monson was canned.
You can decide for yourself if this is just part of the business or a harsh fallout for an
assistant who doesn't have much of a voice, let alone a golden parachute.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS- (espn.com) utah coach reprimanded after comments about officials. Utah coach Ray Giacoletti was reprimanded by the Mountain West Conference for criticizing the officials after Saturday's overtime loss to Rhode Island. Giacoletti was upset that a foul was not called on Rhode Island players when Utah's Luke Nevill was trying to put back an offensive rebound at the last second of Utah's 85-84 loss. Giacoletti called out the three officials by name, according to the Deseret Morning News, saying it was the "most gutless" non-call he had seen in 21 years of coaching. The conference's sportsmanship policy precludes public criticism of game officials. The announcement of Giacoletti's reprimand was made at the time he was conducting practice Monday afternoon. When reached by the Morning News later in the day, he had yet to be informed of the league's discipline but said his opinion of the no-call remained unchanged. "That's fine with me," Giacoletti said. "I understand what the league needs |