SAN ANTONIO -- Well, with five minutes to go, we did have a game -- for a little while.

But in the end, it was Kansas who was too strong for North Carolina as the Jayhawks move on to Monday night's national championship game with a 84-66 victory.

While Wayne Ellington keyed a big second-half comeback for UNC, the sophomore shooting guard and the rest of his teammates weren't able to keep it up down the stretch.

"I thought at halftime we had a chance to come back and win the game," North Carolina coach Roy Williams confessed. "I did have a lot of confidence that our kids would come back. We just didn't get over the hump."

Ellington led the Tar Heels with 18 points on 8-of-21 shooting to go along with six rebounds and three steals, while Tyler Hansbrough finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and two steals. Danny Green was the third double-digit scorer for UNC with 15 but did commit a team-high five turnovers. Point guard Ty Lawson, meanwhile, scored just nine points and dished out only two assists in his 28 minutes of floor time.

"They were just real aggressive, and then we had open shots that we couldn't knock down," Lawson said. "Other than that, we just didn't play very well."

The ACC champions end their season at 36-3 and have nothing to be ashamed about, although Williams and his players will certainly be disappointed with the outcome of tonight's game.

"I think we're all lucky," Williams remarked. "This is a really special team. We had no issues. It was just a fun group to coach, and in some ways, that makes it hurt even more."

After all, a big 28-point deficit in the first half and a shooting slump late in the game killed the Tar Heels' chances of winning and playing for a national title, but Williams will still be proud of the way his team fought back to cut Kansas' lead to five midway through the second half.

"They just came out from the gate and played real well," Hansbrough said. "They played real good D."

"This is the first time this North Carolina team panicked," Marcus Ginyard explained. "It got to the point where they were just up big. We did a great job all year long of stepping up to the challenge. Tonight Kansas threw the biggest challenge at us we have seen and it took too long for us to respond."

Three-point shooting was one area that the UNC coach will probably point to, as his team shot just 5-for-24 (20.8 percent) from beyond the arc with an overall 35.8-percent (24-for-67) mark for the game.

"We did a lot of great things this year," Ellington said. "We just fell short."

On the boards, Kansas was surprisingly dominate, grabbing a 42-33 advantage behind Darrell Arthur, Brandon Rush and Cole Aldrich, who could have been the game's biggest surprise with eight points, seven rebounds and a strong defensive performance against the All-American Hansbrough.

And for Jayhawk fans, this could just be the long-awaited revenge that they had hoped to earn on Williams, who left Lawrence, Kan., back in 2003 after 15 years of coaching to return to his alma mater and his home state.

"That's life," Williams offered. "It's not roses all the time."

So with a win over the No. 1 overall seed in this year's NCAA Tournament and an opportunity for Bill Self to accomplish what Williams was never able to do at KU, the excitement surrounding Monday night's national championship matchup with Memphis has just gotten started.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 11:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- At the four-minute media timeout, North Carolina has letup a little bit with its comeback and now trails by 12 with Kansas up, 73-61.

Darnell Jackson just threw down a dunk off an alley-oop pass and then cleaned up the mess with a layup to put the Jayhawks back in control and give the KU faithful plenty to cheer about with 3:40 remaining.

It's really now or never for North Carolina, who had its best success with Wayne Ellington and Danny Green shooting the ball. Ty Lawson, meanwhile, hasn't played much of a factor on the offensive end after missing all three of his field goal attempts and tallying just two points in the first half.

Right now it's Ellington leading the way with 18 points and Hansbrough just behind with 17. Danny Green has 15 and nearly had more after a three-point attempt of his went around the world before rimming out.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- Well folks, we got ourselves a ball game now.

North Carolina has made a stunning second-half comeback on the shoulders of Wayne Ellington and Danny Green, who have both found their rhythm from three-point range, and now just trail by five, 58-53, with 7:53 remaining in the game.

The Tar Heels have also got it done on the defensive end, creating turnovers to fuel its transition offense and get easier looks at the rim.

But some of this turn of events has been attributed to a letdown by Kansas, which is certainly looking more fatigued and hasn't had its shots go in nearly as much as they did during the first 20 minutes of action.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- North Carolina's 28-point deficit in the first half was hard to believe, but the tables have certainly turned and the Tar Heels have sophomore shooting guard Wayne Ellington to thank for it.

Ellington hit a three and then stole the ball on the following possession down the floor before making another pull-up jumper.

At the 12-minute mark, UNC is down by just eight now, 54-46, and it's the Rock Chalk Jayhawk faithful who has suddenly become quiet in this gargantuan arena -- except when a foul is called on KU.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- In what may have been North Carolina's worst half of basketball this season, the Tar Heels find themselves down by 15 at halftime, 44-27, to Kansas.

In fact, not much went right for Roy Williams' team in the first 20 minutes of play, as the Tar Heels shot just 29 percent (9-for-31) from the field and a dismal 22.2 percent (2-for-9) from three-point range.

Not to mention, Carolina was out-rebounded, 23-15, by the Jayhawks with just three offensive rebounds and that's always surprising when you have Tyler Hansbrough out on the floor. The All-American forward does have 10 points and five boards for his team, but UNC will need to be much more efficient in its offensive sets in the second half if it hopes to make things close with KU down the stretch.

Danny Green was one of the bright spots toward the end of the half for the Tar Heels, canning a couple of threes from the right wing to crack Kansas' 20-point margin, which the Jayhawks held for much of the first half. Both teams are showing that speed that we thought before the game would have this game in the 80s and 90s, and with that has some turnovers from both sides as well.

North Carolina, though, will need to cut down on its turnovers after halftime (10 in the first half) and force a few more if it hopes to have any chance of reaching Monday night's national championship game against Memphis.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- North Carolina and Kansas are going back and forth in the early going of our second national semifinal and there hasn't been much defense from the Tar Heels so far.

Kansas has got good looks at the offensive end and is looking to push the tempo against a team that also likes to run.

As far as attendance goes, Kansas looks like it has twice the amount of fans that North Carolina has, and the Rock Chalk Jayhawk faithful are really getting behind their team with KU up, 11-6, with 15:43 remaining in the first half.

The Carolina cheering section, meanwhile, has been mum to this point.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- With one national semifinal in the books and Memphis headed to Monday night's national championship game after cruising past UCLA, our attention turns to the court for North Carolina and Kansas, who are out on the floor shooting around and getting loose.

In what seemed to be a run-when-there game between UCLA and Memphis, our second game should be more of a track meet between two high-powered offenses. But discount either of these team's defenses, which have given opponents fits all year and helped fuel transition baskets at the other end.

For North Carolina, that defense starts in the middle with First Team All-American Tyler Hansbrough, who will be making his first appearance in the Final Four after missing out his first two years in Chapel Hill. And if the junior forward can have his usual type of game, you can bet that the Tar Heels will have a good chance of winning this one. Of course, Hansbrough won't be the only one that will need to play well for North Carolina. Diminutive point man and floor leader Ty Lawson is really the key for UNC's success at the offensive end, and if the sophomore can get his teammates involved and also manage to do a bit of his own scoring, the Tar Heels will be in good shape in facing North Carolina coach Roy Williams' former team.

Kansas, though, has a lot of weapons on the offensive end, and Williams understands that just as well as anybody. After all, the five-year coach said earlier this week that North Carolina has not played any team as balanced as the Jayhawks, and that's something that Bill Self's team possesses when it comes to its offensive game. UNC sophomore Wayne Ellington will not only need to shoot the ball well from the perimeter, but he'll also have a tough defensive assignment in slowing down Brandon Rush, who returned this year to Lawrence, Kan., after a stellar sophomore campaign. Darrell Arthur, similarly, will need to do his best to keep Hansbrough in check, and that's something that not many -- if any -- opposing big men have been able to do this season. That's certainly why Hansbrough is considered to be a heavy favorite, along with Kansas State's Michael Beasley, to win several Player of the Year awards.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - A look at some of the pertinent final stats from Game 1:

Texas won the board battle, 41-30

Texas shot 43 percent for the game (25 of 58 and 8 of 24 in the second half)
Miami shot 40 percent for the game (22 of 55 and 11 of 24 in the second half)

AJ Abrams finsihed with a game-high 26 points. Damion James had 16 points and 16 rebounds.

Jack McClinton had 18 points to lead Miami, Hurdle had 11 and Raymond Hicks had 10 points including 2 of 3 from 3-point land, with both makes coming in the final seconds. McClinton was 5 of 14 from the field and 4 of 10 from 3-point land.

DJ Augustin had 12 points and 8 assists and 3 steals.

Texas shot 12 of 21 from the free throw line and Miami was 19 of 22.

. . . Officials for the next game are Reginald Greenwood, Ted Hillary and Frank Scagliotta. Our tip will be at 4 p.m. local team.

We're going to (Austin) Peay (can't get enough of the sub-regional-themed joke) and we'll be back for the nightcap.

Posted by David Scott at 04:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Miami made a spirited, late comeback but Texas had built too big of a lead in the game's first 36 minutes for the 'Canes to be able to come all the way back. Texas holds on and advances with a well-earned 75-72 win. Miami's Raymond Hicks hit two monster 3-pointers in the final 12 seconds that cut the lead to two, but after a monitor review of time left, the 'Canes were left with 1.8 seconds to try and foul Texas, pray for misses at the line and then score. DJ Augustin airballed the first, hit the second and a baseball pass from Hicks found no receiver as Texas hung on.

Some nice hugs and handshakes as the teams exited the court - lots of commonality and overlap between the two staffs and players.

Free throw shooting down the stretch almost cost the 'Horns the win, but two big ones from AJ Abrams with 9.5 seconds remaining helped to seal the deal.

. . . We'll be back in a bit with final stats and a look ahead to the second game of our doubleheader here at Alltel.

Posted by David Scott at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - The 'Canes have cut the Texas lead to six with 1:37 left in the game and the crowd, which had fallen asleep, is suddenly behind Miami in a big way.

Texas leads 68-62 with 1:34 left in the game.

McClinton has come on late and now has 18 points.

. . . Texas will need to make free throws and they'll survive.

Posted by David Scott at 04:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - The rebounding edge tells you all you need to know about this one as Texas has a plus-18 edge on the boards (40-22). Texas leads the game 66-52 with 3:30 left in the game. The 'Horns are in cruise control to Houston where they will meet Stanford next Friday night in the round of 16.

The game was tied 8-8 with 16:33 left in the first half and since then it has been all Texas.

. . . James Dews has been one of the lone bright spot for Miami. The sophomore has 8points

. . . McClinton's first field goal of the second half came on a jumper with 5:12 left in the game. He now has 8 points and is one of three 'Canes with 8. Texas has four players in double figures scoring, led by Abrams' 20.

. . . Damion James has 14 rebounds and 15 points for Texas.

. . . Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury got some cheers from the Bulldog faithful as he approached press row to do his pre-game radio show. Most coaches pre-record such things in the bowels of the building, so the sight is a bit odd.

Posted by David Scott at 04:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - AJ Abrams now has 20 points and is 6 of 9 from 3-point land. His latest trey gave the 'Horns a 58-43 lead with 11:52 left. Defending the 3-ball must've been overlooked in Frank Haith's gameplan.

Abrams also had six treys against Austin Peay in the opener.

. . . McClinton continues to struggle from the field and is now 2 of 9 and 2 of 6 from 3-point land.

Posted by David Scott at 03:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Our string of mediocre games here in Little Rock continues with this one as Texas leads 49-36 and Miami doesn't appear ready to mount any kind of real comeback. We have 15:33 left in the game.

A 3-pointer by James with just over 16:00 left gave Texas its biggest lead of the game at 16.

. .. Rick Barnes has now put AJ Abrams on McClinton. It's probably part of a rotation, but Mason should still get most of the checking assignments on the Miami scorer.

. . . The first chaps-clad routine of our favorite dancers was a rousing success. Tough to say if it's the white frilly vests that get us or the brown chaps or a combination of both. Hook 'em horns, indeed.

Posted by David Scott at 03:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - This one is going according to script for the Longhorns who are getting production from all their key contributors. Some key lines:

AJ Abrams - 14 points, 5 of 8 form the field, 4 of 7 from 3-point land
Damion James - 9 rebounds, 7 points
DJ Augustin - 5 points, 5 assists and 3 steals

Texas has dominated the boards, 22-15.

Miami shot 11 of 31 from the field (36 percent) and 3 of 11 from 3-point land (27 percent)

Texas shot 17 of 34 from the field and 9 of 16 from 3-point land (56 percent)

Texas has 12 assists on its 17 field goals, Miami has 4 on its 11

. . . Gary Johnson, coming back from an injury for the Longhorns, logged four minutes and picked up two fouls. Big fella Dexter Pittman, who had a great first game, played four minutes for Texas and had two points and three rebounds.

. . . Anthony King was 4 of 5 from the field for his 8 Miami points. McClinton was 2 of 7 from the field.

. . . As expected, hoped for and embraced, the Texas dance teams has chnged into their chaps.

Posted by David Scott at 03:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - With remarkable proficiency from the 3-point land, Texas has built an 11-point lead at the half, 43-32. The Longhorns are 9 of 16 from beyond the arc and 17 of 33 form the field. They have effectively contained Miami's Jack McClinton, who has six points in the first half. of course, McClinton also had half a dozen in the first half on Friday against St. Mary's and then exploded for 32 in the second. That's not a realistic expectation today, but it is worth keeping in mind.

Abrams has 14 to lead Texas and King has eight for Miami.

. . . The arena is just about all filled up as most of the second game's fans have made their way off of Main Street in N. Little Rock and into their seats.

. . . It appears the Texas dancers have gone in for a wardrobe change. We're giddy in anticipation.

Posted by David Scott at 03:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Miami has mounted a bit of a comeback and they too are using the three-ball to do it. With 6:38 left in the half, Texas leads 35-26, as Miami has cut into a 14-point deficit.

McClinton's first hoop came on a trey with just under 10 minutes to go in the half. A minute later he hit another to cut the 'Horns lead to eight. he is now 2 of 4 from beyond the arc. A s ateam, texas is 7 of 13 from international waters.

. . . Your daily Texas dance team outfit update: The ladies have started off in a orange sequin halter tops (I think they're halters - they show a lot of belly whatever they are) and black velour, form-fitting pants. We eagrely await the wardrobe change into chaps.

Posted by David Scott at 02:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Texas is out to a blazing start and they have used the 3-pointer to take a 19-8 lead with 13:51 left in the half.

Texas is 5 of 8 from 3-point land and four different Longhorns have hit three balls (James, Atchley, Augustin and Abrams). McClinton is 0 of 3 form the field this far as King leads Miami in scoring with six points.

. . . Texas's best defender, Justin Mason is guarding McClinton. Barnes mentioned yesterday that the No. 24 would now be reserved for players who exhibit the grit and tenacity of Mason and his predecessor in the number, Royal Ivey.

. . . Our sneaker battle is between two Nike schools.

. . . Looks like the Memphis and State fans in the house are 'Cane fans for this one.

. . . If forced to chose between burnt orange and bright orange, I will take the burnt orange. This is true mainly because I got a burnt orange fleece from my sister for my birthday. So, really, it's Karen that prefers burnt orange.

Posted by David Scott at 02:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Happy Easter and welcome back to the Alltel Arena for today's second round games. Our first game, tipping at 1:15 local time, features Texas and Miami. the follow-up will be a mid-south battle with Memphis and Mississippi State.

Things were buzzing in the North Little rock area surrounding the arena as fans pre-lubed for the day of basketball. Tickets are fairly tough to come by because of the local interest with Memphis, State and Texas (which always travels well).

. . . Officials for today's game will be Mike Kitts, Joe Lindsay and Patrick Adams.

. . . Probable starting line-ups look like this:

No. 2 seed Texas (29-6)
AJ Abrams
Damion James
DJ Augustin
Justin Mason
Connor Atchley

No. 7 seed Miami (23-10)
Lance Hurdle
Jack McClinton
James Dews
Dwayne Collins
Anthony King

The feature players to watch are, of course, McClinton who is coming off his 38 point effort on Friday and DJ Augustin. But the interesting thing to us will be the post play, especially that of 'Cane big man Jimmy Graham and King. If they can do damage in the paint, Miami will be able to open up the outside game a bit and be able to stay in it.

Still, despite both teams employing similar tactics from the Rick Barnes/Frank Haith coaching tree, the Longhorns are likely to advance to Houston next weekend and they should do it easily.

Posted by David Scott at 01:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Here are some West Virginia quotes:

Continue reading "WVU Postgame Reaction" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 04:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Washington -- We're waiting for West Virginia Coach Bob Huggins and a few Mountaineers to come out to the dais, and we're also waiting for stats, but here is my question: What was Duke doing on offense?

Continue reading "Offensive Offense" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 04:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- A strong second half performance which saw the Mountaineers outscore Duke by 11 gives West Virginia a big upset over the second-seeded Duke Blue Devils. Joe Alexander scored a game-high 22, Alex Ruoff added 17, and Joe Mazzulla had an amazing 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Back with more shortly.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 04:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- With Joe Mazzulla (the undisputed player of the game) at the line to put the Mountaineers up 12 with less than a minute left, the WVU players got on their feet and started raising the roof. They seem to sense that the upset is imminent. Each team has one timeout remaining as there are now 55 seconds left and a 10-point game.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 04:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Duke has missed three of its last four free throws after not missing in the first half. They're fortunate to be getting to the line; they can't keep missing.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 04:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- On a broken play, Joe Mazzulla, trapped in the paint, somehow muscled a pass through three Duke defenders to little-used Cam Thoroughman who kissed in a layup to put WVU up 11.

Continue reading "Sweet Dime by Mazzulla" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 04:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- With play stopped to correct a timing error, Duke fans started their customary Let's-Go-Duke cheer. Quickly, West Virginia's John Flowers got up off the bench and started waving to the Mountaineer fans to get a Let's-Gooo-Mountaineers rendition started.

Continue reading "Battle of the Fans" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 03:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Joe Mazzulla is quietly putting together one of the most well-rounded performances we've seen in D.C.

Continue reading "Joe Mazzulla Wants it More" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- There's only nine minutes gone by in the second half, but already both teams are dealing with foul trouble.

Continue reading "Foul Trouble Intrigue" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 03:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Joe Alexander is taking over this game.

Continue reading "The Joe Alexander Show" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 03:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Until Kyle Singler missed the second of his two free throws moments ago, both teams were perfect from the line. The Blue Devils made their first 13 freebies, while West Virginia is 3-for-3.

Continue reading "Today, They Really Are Free" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 03:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- The Mountaineers shot uncharacteristically poorly in the first half but trail by just five.

Continue reading "Halftime: WVU Can't Buy a Bucket" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 02:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Shortly before this game started, Brendan Haywood meandered down the hallway near the media work room heading towards the workout room here at Verizon Center. A member of the arena security personnel, who evidently doesn't watch a whole lot of Wizards basketball, tried to direct him to either the Duke or WVU locker room before he flashed his ID.

Continue reading "Brendan Haywood Doesn't Play for Either Team" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 02:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - We're on our in-between day here in Le Petite Roche and Miami players and coach Frank Haith are starting their press room/locker room interviews. They will be followed by Texas at 2:15 local time; then Mississippi State at 3:10 and finally Memphis at 3:50.

All practices are closed today at the arena.

We'll plan on filing a column over at the Hang Time blog late this afternoon. if any news breaks here, we'll also be on top of that. In the meantime, enjoy the live-blogging here as half the Sweet 16 is filled out today. We'd also encourage you to check out Jerry Palm's Hang Time re-cap of his off-day game watching. The Palmist captured a wild day form the perspective a bar-sitter and he did it quite well.

Enjoy the action.

Posted by David Scott at 02:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- The refs didn't forget to pack their whistles for Washington, D.C.

Continue reading "Meet Ed Hightower" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 02:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Greg Paulus, who finished 2-of-7 from three against Belmont, made his first two threes, one off a screen, one off the dribble, and Duke leads 10-4. After Paulus' second three, WVU Coach Bob Huggins tried to get a 30-second timeout, didn't get it, and at the next stoppage of play, was hit with a technical.

Continue reading "Paulus is Hot, Huggins is Angry" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 01:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Welcome back to the nation's capital where Duke and West Virginia will tip at 2:10 to officially get the second round underway. The Mountaineers will be looking to build on the Big East's early round success and to garner their 26th win of the season. The Blue Devils are trying to get back to the Sweet 16, somewhere they've been 23 times ... but not since 2006, which is like an eternity in Durham.

Continue reading "Duke, WVU Will Shoot for Sweet 16" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 01:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Call it Tampandemonium.
After all of Thursday's games yielded just one upset that wasn't an 8-9 game, Tampa gave us four in a row on Friday.
If you're religious, today was Good Friday. If you're a hoops fan, it was great.

Continue reading "Tampa doesn't disappoint" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 01:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- If you like upsets, this is the place for you. Tampa was Upset City on Friday, and Villanova capped it off with a 75-69 win against fifth-seed Clemson.
After trailing by as many as 18 in the first half, the Cats stormed back and took the lead for good with 11:00 remaining.

Continue reading "Cats complete Upset Day with comeback win" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 11:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Scottie Reynolds has made play after play to fuel Villanova's comeback, and now his efforts are building a lead.
Reynolds has ceased to be the shooter and become the dealer. His latest assist came from his knees while recovering a loose ball. He scooped it to Antonio Pena for an and-1 layup.
Clemson has gone stagnant on offense, and they need some kind of a spark to reclaim the lead.
As of now, the Cats are running away.
It's 63-55 VU with 5:28 on those cool, flatpanel clocks here at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Posted by Mike McCall at 11:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Corey Fisher hit a 3 as the shot clock hit zero to break a 52-all deadlock. (It's a good day to shoot 3's if you're a Fisher).
Then he drove and drew a foul on the next possession that sent Trevor Booker back to the Clemson bench with four fouls.
He slipped up on the ensuing Tigers drive by fouling Terrence Oglesby (who is actually white) on a 3-point attempt. Oglesby hit all three shots.
Dante Cunningham answered with a driving layin to make the Nova lead 3, Clemson threw away a fast break and that's where we stand, 58-55 Villanova with 6:53 to play.

Posted by Mike McCall at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- We've got some solid competition here now.
Reynolds banked in a 3 on his way back to the ground after getting fouled to give Nova the lead, 50-49 with 11:56 left.
A quick recap of the last few minutes:
Reynolds hit an unbelievable double clutch layup to bring Nova within 1 at 44-43.
The Cats then got the ball back and had momentum, but a traveling call sent it back the other way.
VU center Dante Cunningham picked up his fourth foul. He only has 4 points, but it's good to have a big body inside anyway, especially the way Clemson likes to attack the basket.
Stitt hit a 3 for Clemson, and Antonio Pena responded with a layin on the other end.
Pena hurt his leg a few plays later. He was limping and wincing for the next minute or so and Jay Wright subbed him out.
Then, Dwayne Anderson got hurt after getting fouled on his way to the basket. Another leg injury and two Nova big men are sitting.

Posted by Mike McCall at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Nova keeps cutting Clemson's lead to 5 or so, but the Tigers always answer.
Scottie Reynolds is heating up from 3-land. He has hit two in the second half to give him 13 points on the day.
The crowd is really getting into it now, and the back-and-forth scoring is starting to create quite an atmosphere.
This game doesn't have that underdog edge to it, but there's nothing like a shootout.
44-39 Clemson with 15:55 to go.

Posted by Mike McCall at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Here come the Cats.
Nova came out of the gate and scored 5 quick points to cut Clemson's lead to 7, 39-32.
Scottie Reynolds just hit a 3 with 18:59 left, and we've got a ballgame.
A dart to the staff member who made the stomach-painted Nova girls who were standing behind press row go back to their seats.

Posted by Mike McCall at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Clemson's up 12 at the half.
The Tigers have taken 17 3's now and hit seven. They are led by Demontez Stitt with 9 points.
This one is far from over, it has just been pretty boring. There were a few big plays, but not a whole lot of competition.
Villanova almost converted a full-court alley-oop at the halftime buzzer.

The Table Leaper award goes to the Tigers' James Mays:
Chasing a loose ball, Mays leaped onto the first table on press row, jumped to the second and then jumped on each of the first three rows of seats (empty of course). It was the most impressive thing I've seen yet in this game, which is quickly becoming a snorer.

Posted by Mike McCall at 10:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- I'm gonna switch to autopilot for a little while. It's late, I'm emotionally drained and this game isn't living up to the others. Clemson leads 29-16 with 7:36 left.
They're more energetic, making shots and just generally better than Villanova right now.
Raymond Sykes had a big follow-up jam a second ago. There was noone even remotely close to blocking him out.

Posted by Mike McCall at 10:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Clemson has more fans here than Nova, but it remains to be seen which side the casual viewers will take. In the Drake-Western Kentucky game, fans basically rooted for overtime and then whoever was behind.Clemson is clearly enamored with 3-point shooting, but that's no surprise. The Tigers have hoisted 3's like they're going out of style all season. Right now, they're 4-8 and hold a 22-12 lead with 11:31 remaining.

Posted by Mike McCall at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- I feel like I'm in basketball's Disneyworld.
Three upsets in three games, and this game is supposed to be the exciting one.
Clemson leads Villanova 12-7 with 14:58 to go in the half.
The Tigers have already taken six 3's (they made two) but are 3-3 from the rest of the field.
Let's see if this can live up to the other games. At this pace, Nova should be considered a heavy favorite.

Posted by Mike McCall at 09:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Verizon Center is still reeling from the game of the tournament. How did Belmont play Duke so close? How did Gerald Henderson get such an easy layup at the end of the game? What on earth was Alex Renfroe thinking passing the ball right to Duke with four seconds left? All questions that are still lingering.

Continue reading "Whew! Duke-Belmont Aftermath" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 09:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- After DeMarcus Nelson missed the front end of a one-and-one that could have given Duke some insurance, Belmont missed a 40 footer that would have won the game as time expired. Belmont is getting a loud, resounding standing ovation from the Verizon Center crowd. What a game. Back with more shortly.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 09:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Duke took the lead on a coast-to-coast layup by Gerald Genderson after forcing Belmont into a bad shot with 10 seconds left. Now, after missing a contested runner but getting the ball on the arrow, Belmont has four seconds to win it.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 09:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Verizon Center is full now, and about 85 percent of it is rooting on Belmont as the Bruins look for an historic upset. With the clock stopped at 1:03, Belmont up one and playing defense, this place is electric. I'll try to post as much as I can in the final minute. Duke has to be the more nervous team, right?

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 09:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- With 1:40 left, Belmont's Justin Hare just knocked down two free throws and the Bruins got Duke to miss at the other end. They lead by one and have the ball with 100 seconds remaining.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Wicke just nailed a three from the corner, 10 feet away from me tops, to pull within one. And now, Belmont has the ball. What a shooter he is. And what a game. Amazing.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 09:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Two minutes 44 seconds remain at Verizon Center, and 15-seed Belmont is still very much in this one. They'll be going to the line down three when we come out of the break.

Continue reading "At the Final Media Timeout, Still a Game" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 08:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Unfortunately, some technical issues prevented me from updating in the last couple minutes, but we've got an exciting one here at Verizon Center. Forget the seeds, forget the history, this one could go down to the wire.

Continue reading "Duke Leads Belmont by One" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 08:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Dribbling aimlessly at the top of the key and defended by 7-foot-1 Brian Zoubek, Jon House glanced over at his coach, Rick Byrd, and saw him waving frantically towards the hoop and yelling "drive."

Continue reading "Belmont Still in This One" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 08:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Thanks to 10 points from Jon Scheyer, a 19-14 rebounding advantage and an 8-0 edge in fast-break points, Duke leads those pesky Belmont Bruins by 7 at half.

Continue reading "Duke By Seven at the Break" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 08:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Two years ago, in this very building, Georgetown used backdoor cuts to take advantage of Duke's aggressive man-to-man defense and upset the No. 1 Blue Devils, who had been 19-0. Tonight, Belmont seems to have a similar strategy.

Continue reading "How to Beat Duke" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 07:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Jordan Campbell stands just 6-foot-5. He's a freshman and he's listed as a guard forward. He blocked a grand total of nine shots all season. But just now, he rejected 7-foot-1 Brian Zoubek with authority, bringing fans to their feet.

Continue reading "Big Block by Belmont" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 07:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Some fine offensive basketball is on display this evening at the Verizon Center.

Continue reading "Offense on Display" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 07:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Trisha Yearwood's alma mater is keeping it close early. Matthew Dotson, a 6-foot-8 gunner, has a three and a put-back two to pace the Bruins.

Continue reading "Belmont Competitive Early" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 07:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- With Duke set to lineup across from Belmont, you can expect an up-tempo shootout to take place.

Continue reading "Forecast: Raining Threes in D.C." »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 06:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The third time wasn't the charm for Clemson. After losing narrowly twice to North Carolina in the regular season, the Tigers were hoping to get their revenge by winning the schools' first ACC Tournament title. Instead, it was the the Tar Heels who came away with the 86-81 win for their record 17th tourney title and their second in a row.

Continue reading "ACC: UNC Back-To-Back Champs" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 05:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Hansbrough just got called for a charge, but Clemson couldn't convert at the other end, so UNC has a chance to add to tis five-point lead with 3:45 to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - So much for that Carolina lead. Clemson is back within seven and had cut it to five a moment ago. More bad news for the Tar Heels: Danny Green just committed his fifth foul.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Well, if six seemed like a big lead a few minutes ago, North Carolina's current 13-point advantage must feel downright huge. First Ty Lawson drove for a bucket to give this game its first double-digit lead for either side, and then after a Clemson charge call, Danny Green came down and spun in a three to make it 72-59 with less than eight minutes to go. If Clemson can't recover fast, the Tar Heels might just go into put-away mode.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The tempo is so quick right now, it's amazing the public-address announced has time to catch his breath between baskets. And that's not too much hyperbole there. UNC leads 63-55 as the teams just run up and down like mad.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - This game hasn't had much in the way of separation, what with seven ties and eight lead changes in the first half, so North Carolina's six point lead -- courtesy of a rebound and putback by Danny Green -- is fairly significant. That's not to say we won't be tied again in a couple of minutes, but the current Tar Heel run forced Oliver Purnell to call timeout and get his team settled.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The North Carolina fans on the baseline are really letting the refs have it over the calls (or lack thereof) for Tyler Hansbrough. UNC's big man was clearly fouled but there was no whistle. Then Hansbrough got the rebound laid it up and got fouled -- this time with a call. One fan shouted, "I know Clemson's a football school, but this is basketball!" Another yelled, "Thanks for making Tyler mad!" Thanks to that free throw by Hansbrough, the Heels lead 47-46 four minutes into the second half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Clemson's 3-point shooting and their highly effective full-court pressure and trapping were crucial to the Tigers' success in the first half. For the Tar Heels, it was Wayne Ellington who was big, coming up with 14 first-half points. Clemson has done a good job taking Tyler Hansbrough out of the equation after his two early baskets, and leads 39-38 at the half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - There is a definite intensity to this game, not just because it's the tourney final. Both teams seem sort of frantic, though not necessarily in a bad way. It's more about how they're going after rebounds and loose balls, as if every basket could be the one that decides the game. With the score 32-31 UNC with four minutes to go in the first, they might be right.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Clemson has gotten a steal with full-court pressure on Carolina's last two inbounds, resulting in back-to-back threes. And that's with Ty Lawson in the game. The Tigers have a 25-21 lead.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - First it was UNC's Wayne Ellington. Then two in a row from Clemson's Terrence Oglesby. Then another from Carolina's Danny Green. And after the last four baskets -- all 3-pointers -- it's 16-16.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Tyler Hansbrough picked up right where he left off yesterday, getting his first point by knocking down a jumper. Then he got a steal and layup. The pace is fast, and Carolina has an 8-6 lead three minutes in.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Clemson Tigers will be looking for revenge in today's ACC title game, which will tip off in two minutes. North Carolina beat them twice this season -- once in OT and once in double OT -- and the Tigers seemed to have the top-ranked Tar Heels dead to rights both times. Will the third time be the charm, or will Carolina come out strong knowing just how tough Clemson can be?

Posted by Evan Markfield at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - After his team beat Duke for the first time since 1997 -- a span of 22 games -- Clemson senior Sam Perry was anything but at a loss for words.

"We've seen on SportsCenter, Bob Knight and Dick Vitale, we've seen them talk about the Duke-North Carolina rematch. They haven't even mentioned our name," Perry said. "I tell you what, they have to mention our name now. We looked at USA Today or whatever paper it was, we were on the 12th page. Didn't even say nothing about us. I think we'll be on the first page tomorrow. We ain't done yet. They're talking about the Duke-North Carolina rematch, and I think they forgot all about us, but it's all right. Rematch with North Carolina and Clemson now."

Continue reading "ACC: Don't forget the Tigers" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 06:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - After 22 losses in a row at the hands of the Blue Devils, Clemson picked a perfect time to win. The Tigers grabbed a 78-74 semifinal victory and advance to take on North Carolina in the title game. More to come...

Posted by Evan Markfield at 06:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Clemson went up six on a James Mays and-one, and forced a Duke miss before calling timeout with 4:15 to go. Everyone's banged up: Gerald Henderson is noticeably limping, and Clemson's Sam Perry looks like he rolled his ankle on the last rebound.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 05:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - We're tied at 66, and Clemson just got a big stop, after which Oliver Purnell called timeout. As the Tigers headed to the huddle, Purnell sprung out of his seat yelling, "Let's go!" in a bid to fire up his team. They could really use a bucket here with six minutes to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 05:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Both teams are employing a full-court press now, but there's still 11 minutes to go. We could really see a pair of tired teams when this game gets to the final minutes, which could be a factor if this game stays as close as it is. The Tigers are up 49-46 at the moment, though they were up seven only moments ago. Duke has the ability to go on a tear quickly, so perhaps the pressure is part of Oliver Purnell's strategy to avoid that.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 05:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Duke's inside play has been a concern all season, since their big men are more perimeter guys. Right now, the Clemson forwards are certainly taking advantage. Back to back baskets, including a nasty dunk, by Trevor Booker put Clemson up eight points. Duke has since gotten a pair of free throws from Gerald Henderson, but the Tigers have lots of confidence early in the second half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 05:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Clemson missed a three at the buzzer, so they go to the locker room trailing the Blue Devils 31-30. But at this point it looks like we might be on the way to yet another great semifinal finish.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Clemson's Cliff Hammonds just hit a three and Brian Zoubek traveled at the other end, getting the orange-clad Clemson fans in the house something to cheer about. Before that, all they had was complaints about the officiating in this 20-19 Duke-led game.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Greg Paulus' first points of the day came on a 3-pointer that put the Blue Devils up 14-12 against Clemson, though Paulus' next three ball was way off the mark. Clemson hasn't beaten Duke since 1997, so the Tigers will want to stay close to have a chance to snap that streak.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Virginia Tech had a chance to win but J.T. Thompson missed a jumper and Hansbrough got the rebound. After a timeout, UNC won 68-66 on a Hansbrough jumper with 0.8 seconds remaining.

It was a nice change of pace for this tournament, which only saw one of the first eight games decided by single digits.

Continue reading "ACC: Hansbrough jumper wins it" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Deron Washington fouled out when he got Wayne Ellington's arm on a 3-point attempt with 1:28 to go and the game tied at 64. Ellington hit two of three for a two point lead. But A.D. Vassallo drew a foul at the other end and hit both to tie it again at the 1:10 mark.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Wayne Ellington hit a three to tie the game at 59, and then the Tar Heels tied up Jeff Allen to get the ball back. Washington then fouled Ellington at the other end, but Ellington bumped Washington and got called for a technical. It's going to be a wild finish.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Carolina has had its chances to tie this game. But whenever they get a crack at a shot that would turn this place into a crazyhouse, they can't seem to knock it down. We're under four minutes now and Tech is up three with the ball.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Wow. Deron Washington just threw down a sick one-hander on the receiving end of an inbounds alley-oop from the sideline. That put Virginia Tech up 59-52.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Virginia Tech opened up another eight point lead here in the second half before UNC answered back with six consecutive points to reinvigorate the crowd here. The celebration was short-lived, though, as Deron Washington got a layup and one at the other end.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Dorenzo Hudson just hit a three for the Hokies to give them a 48-42 lead. And one interesting note: This was the first halftime tie for either team this season. Hey, better late than never.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Great halftime note: Apparently, near the end of the half, after A.D. Vassallo was called for a foul against UNC point guard Ty Lawson, Vassallo went over to press row and wrote on one reporter's note pad, "AD not foul." I don't know what's funnier, that he bothered to do such a ridiculous thing or the grammar issues involved.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - It looks like neither of these teams is all that interested in playing defense. That probably makes the coaches very angry, but it's a heck of a lot of fun for anyone watching. Both teams are shooting better than 40 percent right now, and the game is tied at 38. Since only one of the eight games preceding this one in the ACC Tournament was decided by a single-digit margin, all of this bodes well for some second-half fun.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - There probably aren't many crowds more upset than this one right now. The Tar Heels did cut the Hokies' lead to two, but the many, many UNC fans here feel, um, upset with the officiating at the moment and are being pretty vociferous about that displeasure. But a Hansbrough basket and a Tech foul against Hansbrough on the next possession has changed their tune a bit. After the timeout, Hansbrough can tie the game by making both.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Virginia Tech sure doesn't look like a team that lost by 39 to UNC earlier this year. Malcolm Delaney has nine points and a hot hand, while Deron Washington just rolled in a 3-pointer that put the Hokies up 29-21 on the No. 1 Tar Heels.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Virginia Tech sure doesn't look like a team that lost by 39 to UNC earlier this year. Malcolm Delaney has nine points and a hot hand, while Deron Washington just rolled in a 3-pointer that put the Hokies up 29-21 on the No. 1 Tar Heels.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Game after game, Roy Williams stresses getting the ball inside to Tyler Hansbrough. The Heels are doing that, but not very deep inside. Hansbrough has six points so far, but it's all on jump shots. Speaking of jumpers, A.D. Vassallo nailed a three for Tech and Danny Green answered at the other end with a layup and foul. He'll shoot a freebie after the TV timeout, but right now it's 16-15 Hokies.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Game after game, Roy Williams stresses getting the ball inside to Tyler Hansbrough. The Heels are doing that, but not very deep inside. Hansbrough has six points so far, but it's all on jump shots. Speaking of jumpers, A.D. Vassallo nailed a three for Tech and Danny Green answered at the other end with a layup and foul. He'll shoot a freebie after the TV timeout, but right now it's 16-15 Hokies.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - There have already been a lot of whistles at the start of this one, but when the teams are actually playing, UNC and Va. Tech have been trading baskets and are tied at seven. It's clearly a pro-Carolina crowd in the building, but the Hokies aren't letting that affect them so far.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - We're almost ready to tip off the first ACC semifinal, between top seed North Carolina and No. 4 Virginia Tech. Today marks the first time since 2002 that the top four seeds have advanced to the semifinals.

When these two teams last met on Feb. 16, the Tar Heels brought one of their best defensive efforts of the year. It was a 39-point win for Carolina and a game the Hokies -- who trailed by as many as 47 -- would probably rather forget. And since UNC will have Ty Lawson this time around, who knows how ugly it could get?

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The ACC Tournament hasn't exactly been what you would call "competitive" for the most part so far, so Clemson's dismantling of Boston College seemed to be a perfectly appropriate ending two the quarterfinal round.

The only way 11th-seeded Boston College was close to third-seeded Clemson was alphabetically, as the Tigers ho-hummed their way through the second half on the way to a 82-48 victory and a date with Duke in the semifinal round.

Continue reading "ACC: Good night and good ... well, nothing else was good" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 11:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Man, the Bobcats Arena is a ghost town right now. Even the ghosts probably decided, "Well, this game has been over for about the last hour; let's go grab a beer!" Because ghosts love beer. Either that, or I'm delirious after four games, the last of which is dragging on excruciatingly. That's why anyone with any sense has long since bolted (except loyal Clemson fans, who get a pass for sticking around). There are still nine minutes to go somehow, and the Tigers are up 65-42 on Boston College. Unless a brawl breaks out, nothing of interest is going to happen here. Promise.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 11:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Clemson fans are giving themselves a round of applause after executing a back-and-forth "Clemson" ... "Tigers" chat just now. Seriously, that's all there is to say. Clemson is up 58-35, and were it not for the fact that time has gone off the clock, I could swear it was 15 minutes ago. Ooh, hey, the Eagle mascot is doing a sweet Riverdance while the band plays. See? Updates galore over here.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 11:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - If you were expecting that Al Skinner had a great halftime speech planned for Boston College, forget it. The Eagles have picked up right where they left off, giving up the first eight points of the second half to fall behind 50-25. Yuck.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - This game is an absolute rip job right now. Clemson is up 42-25 at the half, and Boston College even scored the last seven points of the half. I realize it's a No. 3 vs. No. 11 matchup seed-wise, but come on. You wonder how BC even got into the quarterfinals (until of course you remember that yesterday all they had to do was beat collapse-arific Maryland to advance).

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Boston College Tyler Roche might want to check his luggage to make sure he brought his brain on this road trip south. For reasons that would surely boggle the mind, Roche decided to wrap up Sam Perry in the air on the way to the basket after Perry picked off a pass. So instead of a layup, or two free throws, or -- worst case -- an and-one, Clemson got the free throws plus the ball (which resulted in Jerai Grant going to the line). Just an example of why BC is down 27-13.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Back to back buckets by Raymond Sykes, including a thunderous jam, have Boston College on its heels a bit. The Clemson defense is pressuring hard and is a big reason for the 14-6 lead. The last two possessions, BC hasn't made the midcourt line, turning it over on a steal and a charge.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - It's an intense start to the day's final game here. Not necessarily the best shooting display by either side, but lots of scrapping for loose balls, etc. So far, it's working out for Clemson, which has a 10-6 lead over Boston College.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - A familiar sight for anyone who has seen Duke win big this year: The Blue Devils are already spending the better part of each possession passing it around the far outside, just eating clock until finally attacking in the final seconds (often with success). They're up 13 right now, and with less than four to go, it likely won't get a whole lot closer than that.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - So much for Georgia Tech's comeback bid. Yes, there are still eight minutes left. But when Duke first got itself some breathing room back, that sucked the life right out of the Jackets, it appeared, and now Duke is up 66-56.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Lewis Clinch just hit a jump shot that pulled Georgia Tech within two points of Duke, 52-50. And man did this place get loud. Granted, a lot of those cheers were coming from North Carolina fans as opposed to Tech fans, but either way, the arena was (and still is) lively.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Georgia Tech is mounting a run here, and it's largely thanks to getting into the paint and driving at the basket. That also opened up some outside shots, since Duke now has to respect the drive. Maurice Miller just hit a three to cut Duke's lead to 10 and Gani Lawal followed with a hook shot to make it 52-44.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - It really is amazing that Tech is only down 15 at the half to Duke. I know, "only" doesn't seem appropriate when you're behind that far, but consider what the Devils did in the first half (or what Tech didn't do, depending on your perspective) and it all makes sense.

GT shot 37 percent, while Duke hit 57 percent of its shots. Duke even made twice as many 3-pointers (six) as it missed (three). The Blue Devils also have triple the points in the paint of the Yellow Jackets and more than double the boards. Bottom line: There is nothing Tech is doing better than Duke.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Maybe Georgia Tech hasn't given up hope just yet. After trailing by as many as 20 points, the Jackets have a hit a few shots and actually done some defending on Duke to pull back within 12 points.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Man, Duke can turn a game into a laugher in a hurry. One minute the Yellow Jackets had cut the Blue Devil lead to eight, and the next minute -- on a run capped by a Gerald Henderson 3-pointer -- Duke is up 33-16. If it keeps going this way (i.e. Duke shooting well, Tech forgetting to rebound anything), this game will be over before halftime.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Apparently missing Kyle Singler because of those early fouls didn't do much to alter Duke's game plan. Eight minutes into the game, the Blue Devils are already up a dozen on Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are allowing Duke entirely too many second-chance opportunities to win. On one early possession, Greg Paulus managed to get three 3-point attempts up in quick succession (the last went in). Duke is too good a team to give extra chances to if GT hopes to win.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Duke freshman Kyle Singler picked up two fouls in the first 31 seconds of play, so Coach K has already had to dip into his bench and send 7-footer Brian Zoubek onto the floor.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - No. 2-seed Duke and No.7-seed Georgia Tech only met once during the regular season, and not surprisingly, Duke won. Why "not surprisingly?" Well, the Blue Devils have won 22 of the last 24 against the Yellow Jackets, so Tech fans might not want to get their hopes up. But, hey, that's why they play the games. This one tips off in three minutes.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - When the Hokies needed to turn it on, they did. Fourth-seeded Virginia Tech turned a close game into a 63-49 win against No. 5-seed Miami in the second ACC quarterfinal of the day.

Miami, which looked lackluster a day earlier in beating an atrocious N.C. State team, didn't bring much down the stretch in this one. Star guard Jack McClinton finished with 16 points but was virtually invisible the entire game.

Continue reading "ACC: Va. Tech blows away Canes" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - When the Hokies needed to turn it on, they did. Fourth-seeded Virginia Tech turned a close game into a 63-49 win against No. 5-seed Miami in the second ACC quarterfinal of the day.

Miami, which looked lackluster a day earlier in beating an atrocious N.C. State team, didn't bring much down the stretch in this one. Star guard Jack McClinton finished with 16 points but was virtually invisible the entire game.

Continue reading "" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Hokies are taking control now, it appears, knocking down shots and playing far better defense. Their last stop was a vicious shot block out of bounds and into the lens of a TV camera. Looks like the guy whose face was attached to the back end of the camera is okay, though, and the Hokies are up 55-44 with 3 1/2 to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Miami just isn't being tough enough right now on the glass in comparison to Virginia Tech. The Hokies just got somewhere in the neighborhood of 8,000 offensive rebounds on one possession to (eventually) set up a 3-pointer by Malcom Delaney that put VT up 44-42. In a game this close, it's those efforts that are going to be the difference. Frankly, Tech looks like it wants this win more at the moment.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Hey, we've got a Jack McClinton sighting. Apparently he had actually been on the court the whole time, just not doing much. But he just knocked in an Ivory-pure 3-pointer to tie the game at 33. Miami needs more of that from its star.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Neither team is really overwhelmingly great at this point in the game, but Virginia Tech seems to be playing with a little more of an edge, and A.D. Vassallo was the best player out there in the first half. He has really come into his own as complement to Deron Washington and has 11 points at the half as the Hokies lead 27-23 at the break.

Tech shot 36.7 percent and Miami 33.3 -- as well as a combined 18 turnovers -- so both teams could stand to come out with a better showing in the second half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - After a rebounded air ball, Miami guard James Dews got a pass about 30 feet from the basket with the shot clock at two. So what did he do? Line up, hoist it ... and swish it through. Pretty impressive.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - With all the bubble teams crashing and burning yesterday, Miami must feel pretty confident that it's in the NCAA Tournament. But Virginia Tech knows it needs at least one good win to have a shot at cracking the field, and right now the Hokies are working hard against the Canes. They're up 12-11 right now, but maybe they are too aggressive, as evidenced by a Deron Washington charge a moment ago.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - As it was in the other two games between these teams this season, Florida State's Jason Rich was the top scorer (with 23 points) but it wasn't enough to help the Seminoles against the nation's No. 1 team. North Carolina got big games from Tyler Hansbrough (22 points) and Wayne Ellington (19) and didn't have much of a problem getting itself a 82-67 win.

The Tar Heels did a great job of taking care of the basketball in the second half, and without any mistakes to take advantage of, the Seminoles simply couldn't keep up with UNC's talent.

Up next is Virginia Tech against Miami in the 4/5 game.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - As it was in the other two games between these teams this season, Florida State's Jason Rich was the top scorer (with 23 points) but it wasn't enough to help the Seminoles against the nation's No. 1 team. North Carolina got big games from Tyler Hansbrough (22 points) and Wayne Ellington (19) and didn't have much of a problem getting itself a 82-70 win.

The Tar Heels did a great job of taking care of the basketball in the second half, and without any mistakes to take advantage of, the Seminoles simply couldn't keep up with UNC's talent.

Up next is Virginia Tech against Miami in the 4/5 game.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - It's starting to look like Carolina is wearing down Florida State. The Seminoles were so focused on getting Tyler Hansbrough to miss a minute ago that nobody boxed out shooting guard Wayne Ellington, who got the tip-in. That basket put UNC up by 12, though FSU hasn't yet thrown in the towel -- every time Carolina scores, the Noles seem to answer and put the lead back under double digits.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - That's not booing you here at Bobcats Arena. It's the many Carolina fans joining in on a chorus of "Q" -- in honor of senior point guard Quentin Thomas, who just dropped in a left-handed finger roll to put the Tar Heels up by 10, 48-38, with 13 minutes to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - North Carolina didn't get a field goal in the second half until Tyler Hansbrough got himself an and-one call at the 16:08 mark (a call that could have gone either way, honestly). But FSU isn't lighting it up either, and the Heels have a 41-32 edge at the moment. I'm still predicting that things get chippy inside at some point. Hansbrough and Ryan Reid are two large men intent on throwing their bodies into one another forcefully, and a the officials are letting a lot of it go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Roy Williams took his jacket off (translation: "I'm dadgum angry!") and had quite a long discussion with the officials in the last TV timeout but appears to have calmed down now. He is still rocking it Phil Collins style (i.e. No Jacket Required) and the Tar Heels have a 35-28 lead at halftime. Jason Rich, who seems to always play well against UNC, leads all scorers with 11 points, but Wayne Ellington and Tyler Hansbrough have eight apiece for Carolina.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Marcus Ginyard isn't known as much of a shooter from outside, but when he does let one go, it often finds the mark. Mainly that's because he is extremely selective with his three balls, hitting 42 percent for the year. He just nailed one that broke a 20-20 tie that seemed to be lasting forever.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - This game is probably a lot closer than most of the blue-clad folks in the building would like right now. Florida State was up by as many as six points before Carolina came back to take a slim lead. It's 18-16 right now with 11:32 remaining in the first half. And it is pretty physical as well. The refs are blowing the whistle plenty, but they're also letting lots of stuff go. If the game stays this close, it would not be a surprise to see tempers flare at some point.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Florida State has an early 7-6 lead, and UNC coach Roy Williams has plenty of complaints aimed at the officials. Williams is mad that Tyler Hansbrough is getting fouled under the basket and no calls are being made because Hansbrough still scores. While he definitely had some legit gripes, you'd think he would be used to it by now, since this has happened to Psycho T for, oh, about the last three years.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - We're minutes from tipoff here at Bobcats Arena, which is notably partisan this afternoon because top-seeded North Carolina is facing No. 9-seed Florida State. The Heels swept the Seminoles in the regular season and the crowd here is obviously hoping for more of the same. Except for one thing: Ty Lawson and injuries. Lawson sprained his ankle in the first FSU matchup (keeping him out several weeks) and got a hip pointer in the rematch at Chapel Hill.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - It took five minutes for Boston College to look like a team with no chance to win. The Eagles spent the next 35 becoming a team that could.

No. 11-seed BC overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half to pull off a 71-68 upset of sixth-seeded Maryland, which saw its NCAA at-large hopes all but vanish.

Continue reading "ACC: Eagles complete comeback to advance" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 11:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - After a terrible stretch when nothing went right, Maryland got layups on two straight possessions to take a one-point lead over the Eagles. But then Rakim Sanders answered with a 3-pointer for BC to put his team up 52-50 with 6:42 to go. Every time I say this it doesn't happen, but here goes: this one could come down to the last shot.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 11:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Tyrese Rice has nine points so far this half, but he's not alone in getting things done for Boston College. The Eagles have cut Maryland's lead to one with 13:19 to go, and the Terps can't buy a bucket. As demoralized as BC looked earlier, that's how the Terrapins look now.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - If Boston College is upset at the numbers on the scoreboard at halftime, it should be glad things aren't even worse. The Eagles shot 30percent in the first half and turned the ball over nine times.

Maryland on the other hand shot 52 percent -- and that was after cooling off. Yet somehow, the Eagles only trailed by six, 31-25, at the break. All things considered, the Eagles aren't in nearly as bad shape as they could be.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Maryland started out 9 of first 13 but followed that with 1 of next 7 -- and still had a double-figure lead. That was until Boston College got its act together on offense. Biko Paris nailed a three that cut the lead to six with five minutes to go in the first half and prompted a timeout. BC just got another bucket, and it's 24-20 now.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Maryland hasn't scored in a while, but they still hold an 11-point lead, and James Gist just added to his personal highlight reel with a ridiculous block that presumably went through the chest of someone in the third row, ripping out their still beating heart and knocking it into a box of popcorn. Well, I said "presumably." Either way, it was nasty to quite nasty.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - James Gist has eight points in the last two minutes, and that Maryland lead has grown even more. Now they're up 20-5.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - It's interesting to watch Maryland's Greivis Vasquez guard Tyrese Rice, Boston College's best (and arguably only, at times) offensive threat. Vasquez is using his size to prevent Rice from getting off shots while staying with him around the perimeter.

And as the Eagles attempt to pass it around to other guys, the Terrapins are jumping out in passing lanes, getting steals and easy buckets -- like James Gist's thunderous dunk a minute ago. Maryland is enjoying a 15-5 lead here at the 14:43 mark thanks to hitting 7 of its first 10 shots.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - We're ready to go with the final game of the day here at the ACC Tournament, with No. 6-seed Maryland taking on 11th-seeded Boston College. In fact, the ball just went up, and players are already on the floor. Hopefully this last one will be a fun, scrappy one.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - When you're shooting better than 50 percent from 3-point range, you know things are going well.

Georgia Tech did just that -- as well as an overall shooting clip of 60 percent -- to turn a close game against Virginia into a 94-76 blowout.

Continue reading "ACC: Jackets turn close game into rout" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Georgia Tech's Lewis Clinch is getting hot, and the Virginia players can't seem to get anything to fall. Sean Singletary is driving to open up teammates, but every UVa. shot seems to rattle out. And what was a mostly one- or two-point game is now a seven-point edge for the Jackets with 10 minutes to go. Virginia is dangerously close to letting this game get away.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - It looks like Virginia didn't need to read this blog to know it needed to play some better defense in the second half. (Though if they were reading in the locker room, who would blame them? Yay, blogs!) The Cavaliers are making it much tougher on Georgia Tech and now have a two-point lead four minutes into the second half. Virginia's Mike Scott (not the former Houston Astros' pitcher) is attacking the rim ferociously here in the opening minutes of the half, and has gotten himself a big dunk and some free throws.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - You can't help but wonder what would be happening in this game if Virginia was playing better defense. As it stands, the Cavaliers trail 44-42 at the half, but that is with the Yellow Jackets shooting 57 percent. The Tech starters are 14-for-21 shooting, while no one besides Mamadi Diane has more than two field goals for Virginia.

Tech is getting good shots -- which is to say, shots inside -- thanks to crisp passing and finding the open man. They're also getting out on the break and hold a 10-point edge in transition. But if Virginia plays some defense in the second half, this one should be interesting.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - I wish Jarrett Jack still played for Georgia Tech, because then I could channel John Cougar Mellencamp and tell you all about Jack and Diane. As it stands, there is no Jack, so I'll have to stick with Diane. But not like you're thinking. This one is Mamadi Diane (and it's pronounced Dee-AHN-ee), and he is absolutely killing it right now for Virginia with his jump shot. In fact, his 14 points are a huge reason why the Cavaliers are only down four, 39-35, to the Yellow Jackets right now. Hey, "Jackets" -- that'll work: A little ditty about Jackets vs. Diane. Oh well, maybe not.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - This game continues to be a tight affair, and the good news for Virginia is that it's been that way despite a lack of scoring from do-it-all guard Sean Singletary. The first-team All-ACC selection only has three of the Cavaliers' 25 points right now, but the rest of the Wahoos are picking up the slack. Considering part of Virginia's problem all year is that their offense is a one-man show, this is a great sign for them.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Well, it's good to be covering this game between No. 7-seed Georgia Tech and No. 10-seed Virginia, if for no other reason than it means I'm no longer watching the last game of the first session, between Miami and N.C. State. Not to harp on that one too much, but one long-time columnist called it "the worst game I've ever seen." And the man has seen a lot of games.

This game is off to a bit more of a rollicking start. We've already had numerous made baskets and even had a guy smack his head into the floor, albeit not on purpose. It's back and forth here in the opening minutes, with Tech currently up one.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Miami didn't exactly look impressive in its win against N.C. State, but the 63-50 victory will nonetheless advance the Canes into the quarterfinals to face Virginia Tech tomorrow.

The Wolfpack trailed by as many as 17 but kept gunning until the end and pulled within 11 in the final minute. Needless to say, that was not nearly enough to make up for 39 minutes worth of absolutely dismal offense. State's starting five combined for the same point total (13) as turnover total (13).

Continue reading "ACC: Hurricanes move on" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ATLANTA, Ga. - Auburn clearly isn't intimidated by A.J. Ogilvy's presence in the paint for Vanderbilt.

Continue reading "Going Right At Him" »

Posted by Josh Cooper at 04:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Wolfpack looked like they just might be making a game of it after cutting Miami's lead to 10 a few minutes ago on a 3-pointer. But Miami guard Jack McClinton scores, well, whenever he wants to. At least that's what it looks like. Back-to-back buckets by McClinton -- the second a gorgeous floater -- have the Canes up by 14 with less than four minutes to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Nothing like some good old mock applause. We just got some courtesy of the N.C. State fans in the house after a tip-in brought the Wolfpack to a whopping 27 points. If you're keeping score at home, that means the Pack has scored 10 points this half. Wait, there goes another one in, thanks to a goaltending call.

Miami is still up 15 though, with under eight minutes to go, and you get the sense that if they can get a few stops and buckets, they'll break the Wolfpack's spirit for good.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - I'm sitting next to an N.C. State beat writer, who posed this interesting question to me as we watched the Wolfpack on offense: How many different adjectives are there that mean "terrible?" It's a good question, and one that might come into play as this game goes on.

Seriously, Miami should be up at least 20 right now. But it's not, so give the Pack credit for that, I guess. Right now, the Canes are up 36-23.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Some statistical history was made here today, but not in the box score -- it was the box score itself.

Remember that little internet outage from earlier. Well apparently just about everything crashed, including the stat program. ACC director of media relations Brian Morrison mentioned to me during halftime that it's the first time they've ever had to do a tourney box score off of the backup stat keepers' hand-written log.

And while Wake might have lost to FSU, the school can be proud that a retired math professor, who happens to be that backup stat keeper, nailed it dead on. When the computers were back up and running, his box matched perfectly to the computer box.

Why am I telling you all this? To spare you from the horror known as N.C. State's offense.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - To call this first half between Miami and N.C. State underwhelming would be, well, an understatement. The Hurricanes go to the locker room up 24-17, and frighteningly, that's only the second-lowest halftime total I've witnessed the Wolfpack put up this season (the low being 13 against UNC, a half in which State shot 17 percent).

Clearly, the Pack has some problems on offense. In the second half, Miami should be able to take advantage and pull away. If State shoots 22 percent again like it did in the first half, Miami might not have to do much of anything.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - As if suddenly awakened by N.C. State's mid-half comeback, Miami has turned the heat up, going on a 9-0 run, capped by a Lance Hurdle 3-pointer. The Canes lead by eight with under four to go in the first half, and the Pack just keeps missing shots, even inside.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Well, the Wolfpack made short work of that early Miami lead. After barely doing anything on offense for the first eight minutes, N.C. State finally started scoring while also shutting the Hurricanes down. With 7:32 to go in the half, NCSU trails by just one and will have a chance to take the lead on free throws after this TV timeout.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Miami is playing to solidify its NCAA Tournament resume with a first-round win, and the Canes are making it tough on N.C. State at the start. We're eight minutes in, and the Pack only now just got to four points, courtesy of a pair of J.J. Hickson free throws.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Fifth-seed Miami will be looking to avenge a narrow loss earlier this season, which No. 12-seed N.C. State won on a stolen pass and layup by Gavin Grant. But Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe has his lucky red sportcoat on, and last year that helped State advance all the way to the tourney final.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Apparently, fancy new Bobcats Arena hasn't experienced Internet traffic like this before. There was a mild panic in the press room and along press row as the hundreds of writers here lost internet connection for a while. Even the stat computer went down, preventing anyone from getting a post-game box score after No. 9-seed Florida State topped No. 8-seed Wake Forest 70-60 to open the day's action at the ACC Tournament.

Continue reading "Florida State hangs on to advance" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - There was a brief wireless outage here on press row, and in that non-posting time, Florida State took control of the game, maintaining a big enough lead that the clock finally started to run out on Wake Forest, which was forced to start fouling. Now it's desperation 3-point time for Wake, but that's not going to get it done down 10 with less than a minute to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Every time Wake makes a run, Florida State has an answer. But the Seminoles can't seem to shake the Demon Deacons. After Wake pulled within one point (again) earlier, FSU rattled off six points in a row to get themselves some breathing room again. So what happened after that? Of course, the Demon Deacons answered back to pull within three, 41-38, which is where it stands now. Barring some big run that turns this into a double-digit game one way or the other, you get the feeling this back-and-forth stuff is going to continue right to the horn.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Wake Forest is looking a lot better on defense at the start of the second half. The Demon Deacons cut Florida State's lead to one, though the Seminoles now hold a 33-30 lead with 15:43 to go in the game. The Wake Forest fans here are certainly louder and more abundant than the FSU contingent, and their enthusiasm is growing with each Seminole turnover or miss. The Deacs look like they're starting to feed off that energy.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - After being down by double figures with a little more than a minute to go in the half, Wake Forest put together a mini-run, capped by a Gary Clark 3-pointer, to pull within five, 31-26 at halftime.

The Demon Deacons are only shooting 35.5 percent, so they're lucky to be as close as they are. Florida State is showing off a balanced attack and taking care of the basketball but could stand to do a better job on the glass in the second half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Florida State is getting hot from outside. Back-to-back 3-pointers have pushed the Seminoles' lead to 28-15 and forced Dino Gaudio to take a timeout to settle down his Demon Deacons.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - One Wake Forest fan a few rows behind the media seating just expressed her opinion that one of the officials on the floor is "the worst ref ever!" Not only is that probably a bit of hyperbole, but the Demon Deacons also have bigger problems than which calls they are or aren't getting.

Florida State looks fairly smooth and efficient on offense, while Wake can't by a bucket. After an illegal screen call -- and some more yelling from the lady behind us -- some of the Deacs were bickering at each other on the way down the court. Not a good sign. That said, they're only down six to the Noles, 21-15 with 8 1/2 minutes to go in the first half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - There hasn't been too much in the way of pretty basketball here yet, but that's often par for the course on day one of the ACC Tournament when there is little crowd energy to feed off of. Today is no exception, with sparse attendance (wait until tomorrow when Duke and Carolina play, and things pick up considerably) and largely disinterested spectators, save for the pockets of Wake and FSU fans.

Right now Florida State leads 15-11, but neither team is shooting well. Wake Forest beat the Seminoles twice this season already, so we'll see if FSU has figured the Deacs out at all. The Noles are showing a bit more offensive efficiency at this point than Wake, so that could bode well for them.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - We're about five minutes away from the start of the 55th ACC Tournament. Wake Forest takes on Florida State to kick off a day of four games, and I'll be here for every one of them. Stay tuned...

Posted by Evan Markfield at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- This time there was no blood and no last-second mayhem. But there was also no Ty Lawson for North Carolina. That was certainly a factor in No. 2 Duke stealing a game on their arch-rival's floor, beating No. 3 North Carolina 89-78 on Wednesday night at the Smith Center.

Still, North Carolina's coach and his players didn't blame their loss on missing Lawson.

They blamed it on giving way to many open looks to the Blue Devils, who took full advantage, knocking down shots all night and getting six scorers in double figures.

Duke's offense is successful when players can drive and kick out for open looks, and they did it all night against UNC, which couldn't seem to stop dribble penetration. When the help came, that left somebody open.

In more than a few instances that somebody was point guard Greg Paulus, who scored all of his 18 points from beyond the arc, where he was 6 for 8.

The Blue Devils hit 13 threes in all, hitting at almost a 45-percent rate.

"We did a poor job of defending the ball," UNC forward Marcus Ginyard said. "Obviously, they're a great shooting team, so the lack of ability to guard the ball really hurt us."

That ability to put the ball in the basket helped the Blue Devils (20-1, 8-0 in the ACC) offset another huge game by UNC forward Tyler Hansbrough, who finished with 28 points and 18 rebounds.

But every time Carolina looked like it was going to make a move, the Blue Devils -- who led for the entire second half -- answered with either a stop or a big bucket.

"This is a game where there are so many points where the game can go the other way," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "It just seemed like when it was going to turn, one of our guys made a play."

While the media picked UNC to win the league in the preseason, Duke is now in the driver's seat in the ACC race now that it's two up on the Heels in the loss column.

"It's a good win for us," Paulus said. "It's a big ACC win, and it's an even bigger win doing it on someone else's home court. It's a good sign for us, and hopefully we can keep it going. We don't want to stop there. We want to keep building on it and keep getting better."

Of course, the season-ending matchup in Durham should be an exciting one, assuming Lawson is healthy and the Tar Heels are back to their top offensive speed.

"They ran their stuff a little differently," Duke's Gerald Henderson said. "Their transition wasn't as fast because of him. He's a real jet, so it's unfortunate that he's hurt. (But) we still had to go out there and execute our game plan and not worry about him not being in the game."

The Blue Devils did just that. And in the process they showed that right now they're the team to beat in the ACC.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 12:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Maybe those students were right, sort of. Carolina certainly made it interesting by pressuring Duke in the backcourt. A Danny Green three after a Duke turnover cut the lead to five with 54 seconds to go. But that's as close as the Tar Heels would get, as Duke hung on for an 89-78 win.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 11:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The Tar Heels still can't buy a bucket. Wayne Ellington had a three go just about all the way down before jumping back out of the basket. Hansbrough is missing free throws. And Duke is in full stall mode. Things are certainly looking good for the Blue Devils, up nine with two minutes to play.

In typical Carolina fashion, a good portion of the crowd is starting to filter out, prompting the student section to start a chant of "Game's not over."

But it sure looks like it is.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Greg Paulus has had an unbelievable shooting night for the Blue Devils.

After UNC cut the Duke lead to six and starting feeling a little momentum, Paulus bagged a fall-away three-pointer in front of his own bench to push the lead back to nine. It wasn't the first fall-away he has hit from beyond the arc tonight, where he has been nearly perfect.

With an eight-point lead, Duke is now content to slow things down and milk some clock. If UNC has any tricks up its sleeve, now is the time to use them.

UPDATE: Deon Thompson just fouled out of the game with 4:26 to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- When the Tar Heels are passing it to Hansbrough, they look a heck of a lot better on offense. Duke can't seem to stop him -- but in the Devils' defense, not many teams have -- and Carolina has gotten the big man the ball on the last two possessions.

The result?

Two baskets. It's still a five-point Duke lead, but those scores were enough to prompt Coach K to call a timeout and discuss with his team how to slow down UNC's big man.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The Tar Heels are getting Duke to miss, but they're not taking advantage.

Instead, turnovers and missed shots are all Carolina is getting at the offensive end, allowing Duke to hang on to a seven-point lead. This is where not having Lawson really hurts UNC. Ginyard just can't do the things that Lawson can do, and neither can Thomas, though the Heels seem to fare better when the senior is in.

That said, Thomas just committed a turnover and foul, and the Blue Devils don't look like they're going to give up this lead no matter how many shots they miss.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Bad news for the Tar Heels: Deon Thompson, who combined with Tyler Hansbrough to go 13-of-18 in the first half (mostly Psycho T, though), picked up a pair of cheap fouls within 30 seconds. The second of the two was his fourth of the game, which could hurt UNC's inside advantage.

North Carolina trails, 55-51, at the moment and absolutely must get it to Hansbrough, who had 18 points at the half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The crowd here, which hit a HUGE lull when Duke opened up a decent lead, woke up a bit as the Tar Heels did some work in the final two minutes of the half. Thanks to a pair of Ginyard free throws and consecutive buckets by Tyler Hansbrough, the Tar Heels pulled within three, 42-39 at the half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Some fans here at the Smith Center have begun holding up VCU shirts -- the Rams knocked Duke out of last year's NCAA tourney -- when the Blue Devils shoot free throws. But other than that little bit of enjoyment, it hasn't been great fun for the Carolina fans, as their team went down by nine.

The Blue Devils are trying to get to Marcus Ginyard with a full-court press, and it seems to have had at least some affect on the fill-in point guard (normally a forward). Ginyard did hit a big three, though, to keep things from getting too bad. But as it stands, Duke is up by 10 -- the first double-digit lead of the game.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Duke broke the tie with back-to-back threes and then added another after a Quentin Thomas layup, and suddenly the Blue Devils had a seven-point lead.

While Duke is killing it from outside, Roy Williams is starting to show a little frustration with a few of Thomas' passing decisions. But UNC has been tough on defense inside the arc and are going to the line -- after a timeout -- to try to cut into Duke's 27-22 lead.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Duke briefly took a one-point lead on a three-pointer from Nolan Smith after a UNC turnover, but Deon Thompson answered back quickly with a jump shot to put UNC back on top.

Thompson and Hansbrough scored 16 of Carolina's first 18 points, proving that even with Lawson out, the focus will be to get the ball inside. But Jon Scheyer hit a three that just tied the game at 18 and quieted this crowd a bit.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The fans here are booing just about everything that Gerald Henderson does (except when he missed a jumper on Duke's second possession). But hostilities aside, this is already shaping up to be quite a game.

While the Carolina offense hasn't looked perfect, and the Heels really haven't gotten out in transition, Thomas appears to be handling himself fine. And UNC's big men are having their way underneath against the smaller Blue Devils.

Duke, though, is doing its usual good job from the outside. Thanks to a pair of threes, they trail the Tar Heels by just two, 12-10 five minutes in.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- With just 15 minutes to go before tipoff, we just got an update: UNC sophomore point guard Ty Lawson will not play. That means Quentin Thomas will get the start against a Duke defense that leads the league in steals.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The Duke-North Carolina rivalry is always guaranteed to be a big game, and it's even bigger with the Blue Devils ranked second in the country and the Tar Heels checking in at No. 3. But for all the things we know about this rivalry, there is one lingering question tonight here at the Smith Center: Will UNC point guard Ty Lawson play?

Carolina coach Roy Williams has said Lawson won't go unless he's at least 90 percent, but it's hard to keep a kid out of this rivalry game if he really wants to play. If Lawson doesn't go, it will be senior Quentin Thomas, who played 36 minutes in relief of Lawson in a win against Florida State the other day.

The good news for the Tar Heels (21-1, 6-1 in the ACC) is that Thomas' cumulative stats against the Blue Devils (19-1, 7-0) in the last two years are: 29 minutes, eight assists and one turnover. But there's a huge difference between spot duty and 40 minutes of handling Duke's pressure.

The other big question coming in to tonight's game is what kind of reception Gerald Henderson will receive (Hint: It won't be a warm one). After Henderson's flying elbow broke Tyler Hansbrough's nose last season, unleashing a torrent of blood onto the floor of the Dean Dome, you can bet the Tar Heel faithful will be targeting him from the get-go.

Other than that, what is there to say with a little more than an hour to go before tipoff? Carolina has won three straight games in this rivalry, but once the ball tips, all bets are off.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- In the first half, it was Ty Lawson. In the second half, it was Tyler Hansbrough. And in the end, it was North Carolina getting back to its winning ways.

Hansbrough had a season-high 35 points, the second-highest total of his career, and scored 27 of those in the second half to lead fifth-ranked UNC to a 98-82 win against Miami.

Continue reading "Hansbrough, Lawson Lead UNC To win" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- Tyler Hansbrough absolutely dominated the second half and finished with 35 points as No. 5 North Carolina left BankUnited Center with a 98-82 win against the Hurricanes, who didn't have an answer inside for the UNC forward.

More coming up after the post-game interviews...

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- As if Miami wasn't having enough problems inside with Hansbrough, some of the Tar Heels' more unlikely scoring options are coming through in the clutch. With the shot clock about to expire, Marcus Ginyard bagged a desperation three-pointer to put Carolina up, 81-65, with less than six minutes to go. Even when things are going right on defense for the Canes, they're going wrong.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- It's not good to be Ray Natili right now. The referee is definitely on the BankUnited Center crowd's you-know-what list after a late whistle that sent Hansbrough to the line and an out-of-bounds call that also went to the Tar Heels. After the merciless yelling and heckling, though, the officials did get a mock round of applause for a foul call against UNC.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- UNC forward Tyler Hansbrough wasn't a huge factor in the first half, but he already has 11 of North Carolina's 19 second-half points. And when Hansbrough's not doing the damage, it's point guard Ty Lawson, who just drove baseline for a layup to put the Tar Heels up, 66-54, with 11 minutes to go here in the game.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- Shocking stat of the first half: Miami's Jack McClinton had just three points on 1-for-6 shooting. While that's a credit to the defense being played by UNC's Marcus Ginyard, McClinton is going to have to find a way to score in the second half. He already hit one good leaner three minutes in, but right now, if shots don't fall for the Canes, the Heels might start running and open up what is right now a 59-50 lead.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- After Miami missed on what it thought was the last possession of the half, Ty Lawson raced down court, flipped up a circus shot that went in and drew the foul. After Lawson bagged the free throw, the Tar Heels went into the locker room leading, 47-40.

Lawson was a big reason the Tar Heels led at the half. The sophomore guard had 15 points, three rebounds and three assists (with no turnovers) at the break. Raymond Hicks is leading Miami with 14 points.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- North Carolina isn't hitting all of its shots or looking so hot on offense, but the Heels are hitting the glass. Right now, they're enjoying a four-point lead, 36-32 with three and a half to go in the first, and lately it's because of their work on the offensive boards. On one possession, the Tar Heels grabbed four offensive rebounds -- leading to cries of frustration from the fans -- leading (finally) to a pair of Ty Lawson free throws.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- Right after Miami got done with its cold streak, it was North Carolina's turn. The Tar Heels went nearly five minutes without a bucket, allowing the Canes to go on a 10-0 run.

And now that North Carolina has broken its shooting slump, we're back to trading baskets again. The student section -- right next to press row -- is starting to get rowdy as the Tar Heels lead 29-27 with six minutes to go in the half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- The Hurricanes went nearly four minutes without a field goal, but North Carolina hasn't taken advantage of it very well. The Tar Heels' half-court offense looks anything but sharp, so despite a 7-0 run during the Miami scoreless streak, a three-pointer from Miami's Brian Asbury made the score 18-13 UNC with 11:25 to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- There's been a little bit for everybody to cheer for here early. That's because while the Miami fans are certainly vociferous (especially in one instance when they disliked the officiating), there are a decent number of UNC fans here as well at BankUnited Center.

And both teams are trading baskets at this point, with no one playing what could be called stifling defense. Miami is down 13-10 right now, but since Jack McClinton hasn't even gotten into the scoring act yet, things are looking pretty good for the home team so far.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- Both Miami and North Carolina are looking to bounce back tonight, the Hurricanes after losing two straight on the road, and the Tar Heels after losing at home to Maryland and slipping from the top spot in the polls.

The bugaboo for North Carolina all season has been effort on defense, which coach Roy Williams said finally caught up with his team against the Terps. So perhaps its to the Heels' advantage that they have a decided focal point tonight in Jack McClinton, who has scored in double figures nine games in a row and is the Hurricanes' go-to guy.

It will be just as hard (or harder) for the Canes to contain UNC's main threat, forward Tyler Hansbrough. The junior leads the ACC in scoring and rebounding, and even when teams deny him the ball, he still tends to end up at the free-throw line a bunch just because of his willingness to throw his body around inside.

Miami is certainly better than expected this year, but it's hard to imagine they come off their last loss, to N.C. State, with the same fervor that Carolina does from its home loss to Maryland. If the Heels play D and get running, it could end up as a three-game ACC losing streak for Miami.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke's 87-65 win tonight over ACC rival Virginia at Cameron Indoor Stadium was never in doubt with the Blue Devils taking a 12-point lead into halftime. With the win, Duke improves to 13-1 overall and 1-0 in the ACC. Virginia, on the other hand, falls to 10-4 and 0-1.

DeMarcus Nelson led all scorers with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor and 3-of-4 from three-point range, as three other Blue Devils scored in double figures. Gerald Henderson was one of those players, hitting seven of his 12 shots (1-for-3 from three) for 18 points, and Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer finished with 13 and 12, respectively.

Singler and David McClure led the Duke effort on the glass, as both tallied six rebounds to help the Blue Devils claim a 35-34 edge on the boards. The Blue Devils also held the advantage shooting the ball, hitting 50.7 percent (34-of-67) of its field goals while UVA made 42.4 percent (25-of-59) and 28.4 from long range.

For the Cavaliers, senior guard Sean Singletary was the team's high scorer with 18 points after going 6-for-12 from the field and 2-for-4 from three. Backcourt mate Calvin Baker, meanwhile, dropped in 13 before going down late in the game on a drive to the basket, and Mamadi Diane bolstered Virginia's frontcourt play with 11 points and six rebounds in 32 minutes of action. Senior forward Adrian Joseph led the Cavalier effort on the glass, posting nine rebounds in 30 minutes, but never got a chance to get loose on the offensive end in contributing only three points.

As we wrap things up here in Posting Up, make sure to check out a more in-depth look at this game in Hang Time, so until then, we say goodnight from Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- The Cameron Crazies are singing goodbye to Virginia and telling the Cavaliers to "drive home safely" after Jon Scheyer just knocked down a three with one second left on the shot clock to put the Blue Devils up, 85-64, with one minute remaining.

Duke will leave here tonight with a 1-0 mark in ACC play and a 13-1 record overall as the buzzer sounds with a final score of Duke 87, Virginia 65.

We'll be back with some notes along with a column in Hang Time after the press conferences.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Virginia forward Ryan Pettinella just air-balled what looked to be one of the ugliest free throws that Posting Up has ever seen in its history of watching organized basketball, and the Cameron Crazies are certainly letting him know about it now.

In the meantime, it's Duke still holding onto a 20-point lead with 4:30 remaining, and the Blue Devils are milking the clock and not allowing Virginia to make any sort of a late comeback.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Kyle Singler just threw down a jam on a Duke fast-break and the Blue Devils are now up 20 on Virginia at 7:37 in the second half, leaving the Cavaliers with little hope of a comeback in this one.

The Cameron Crazies are dancing during this timeout as the Blue Devil mascot runs back and forth in front of the Posting Up perch and his cape has swiped by our screen more than a few times tonight.

On the court, the Blue Devils have managed to stay out of foul trouble with Lance Thomas as Duke's high man with three fouls to this point, while Singletary has also acquired three of his own at the seven-minute mark.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Nolan Smith's reverse layup has Duke back out in front by 16 with the score at 67-51 with 10:17 left to play, and the Cameron Crazies are giving a small group of Virginia fans behind Duke's basket a hard time, razzing them with waving hands as we come out of a timeout.

DeMarcus Nelson has just knocked down another three from the right corner for his 17th point of the night, and Duke has its biggest lead at 19.

Sean Singletary is still sitting on 18 points and Calvin Baker is the other UVA player in double digits so far with 13.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Sean Singletary is doing all he can to keep Virginia in this game, as Duke continues to lead big, 62-48, with less than 12 minutes remaining.

The Blue Devils are getting it done with some strong play by senior guard DeMarcus Nelson who has hit shots from all over the floor tonight and managed to power his way to the basket on several drives.

Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson both have 11 for Duke, and Singletary, in the meantime, has 18 for Virginia.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke is starting to pull away from Virginia in its ACC opener here at Cameron Indoor Stadium, as the Blue Devils continue to shoot lights out from three with a 58-41 lead at 15:03 in the second half.

Taylor King just hit a three from the top of the key off a nice drive and kick from senior DeMarcus Nelson and Nolan Smith also hit a smooth jumper six feet out in transition on the previous possession.

The Cavaliers are going to need to respond now if they hope to have any chance of getting back in this game, and it's going to need to start with senior leader Sean Singletary.

Speaking of Smith, the freshman from Marlboro, Md., just went down after knocking his head along with scorer's table and Charles Thomas has replaced him for the time being.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke has come out strong in the second half, playing with a lot of energy as Virginia continues to struggle against the Blue Devils' pressing defense with scoreboard reading 51-38 in favor of the home team.

Mike Krzyzewski has to be pleased with the way his team has come out with the intensity that it has shown through the first 25 minutes of this ballgame, and unless the Cavaliers start turning things around in a hurry, they'll be leaving Durham with an 0-1 mark to start ACC play.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- With two minutes remaining here at Cameron Crazie Court -- my own new name for this "holy place" -- it's Duke still leading by double digits with Jon Scheyer taking it inside on Virginia for an easy score around the goal.

Sean Singletary, at the other end of the floor, just missed a fall-away jumper but Duke was unable to capitalize on the final possession, as Taylor King missed from deep, leaving the Blue Devils up by 12 at halftime with the scoreboard reading 43-31.

I'll be back with halftime stats in a few minutes once they get printed and handed out.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Sean Singletary is playing his final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and he's hoping to make it a memorable one after hitting a pair of free throws to pull Virginia to within 11 at 32-21 at 4:30 in the first half.

Greg Paulus has just knocked down a three from the left wing to extend the lead back to 14, and the Cavaliers don't seem to be able to get a stop after a basket.

Calvin Baker, the 6-foot-2 transfer from William & Mary, has managed to keep the Cavs somewhat close, getting a layup in traffic and then finding Ryan Pettinella down the lane for another one to trim the lead back down to 10 at 35-25 with 3:17 left before halftime.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Nolan Smith has hit a 15-foot jumper on a curl off an in-bound pass along with a pair of free throws to put Duke up, 27-15, over Virginia with seven minutes remaining in the first half.

After a Jon Scheyer breakaway layup and a three-pointer from DeMarcus Nelson, the margin has grown to 15 with six minutes remaining and Virginia is going to need to turn defense into offense in order to get back into this one before halftime.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke is enjoying a comfortable 21-11 lead at 11:47 in the first half, and it's been largely due to Coach Mike Krzyzewski's pressing defense, which has forced Virginia into a few bad decisions already.

Freshman forward Kyle Singler just got a cut on his face and will have to leave the game for a moment, and Lance Thomas has come into the game to replace the Medford, Ore., native.

DeMarcus Nelson has tallied seven points so far to lead Duke, and Calvin Baker has just hit a smooth fadeaway to cut the Blue Devils' margin to eight.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke has gained control of the game early on with some sweet three-point shooting from DeMarcus Nelson and Gerald Henderson, who has five points in the first six minutes of play.

The Blue Devils currently lead by nine after turning the ball over, and Sean Singletary is struggling from the perimeter right now. Credit Duke's defense and particularly Nolan Smith, who is making sure it's tough for the senior from Philadelphia to get a good look at the rim.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke has got off to a fast start with David McClure assisting DeMarcus Nelson on an outlet pass for an easy layin to put the Blue Devils up, 12-4, but Sean Singletary answered right back for Virginia to cut the early margin to 12-6 with 16:15 remaining in the game.

Virginia has had some good looks at the basket early on yet hasn't got the easy ones underneath the hole to drop.

DeMarcus Nelson, in the meantime, leads all scorers with four points.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Greetings from Cameron Indoor Stadium, where tonight we'll see No. 9 Duke and ACC foe Virginia open up conference play with a packed house on crowd for this Sunday night hoops game.

The Blue Devils are coming in with only one loss in non-conference, a one-point defeat to Pittsburgh in the Aeropostale Classic at Madison Square Garden, but longtime coach Mike Krzyzewski won't have 7-foot-1 center Brian Zoubek after the sophomore reinjured his foot this week in practice. At only 11 minutes a game, though, the Blue Devils will be relying on DeMarcus Nelson and Kyle Singler to pick up the slack on the glass against a feisty UVA squad.

Virginia (10-3), meanwhile, begins ACC play after getting blown out by 38 points, 108-70, at Xavier's Cintas Center. The Cavaliers, who have a dynamic scorer in senior guard Sean Singletary and have won four of their last five games, are hoping to steal a win tonight in the toughest place to play in America, and with this being my first appearance in Cameron, it's certainly louder than any place I've ever been in. Virginia will be looking to win its second straight ACC opener after defeating N.C. State last season, and the Cavaliers have proved to get it done against tough opponents with Virginia having won four consecutive games against AP ranked opponents. Last season, the Cavs were pretty good against Top 10 competition, winning two out of their three contests (No. 10 Arizona and No. 8 Duke), and this season, Dave Leitao's team has already knocked off Arizona back on Nov. 17.

One last stat to note: Virginia leads the nation in rebounding margin at 12.4+ per game

The action's about to start, so let's get ready for the tip.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Coming off its final non-conference game Wednesday against UNC-Asheville, No. 1 North Carolina had no problem demolishing in-state rival N.C. State Saturday afternoon, as the Tar Heels surged out to a 30-point lead at halftime and finished with a dominating 93-62 victory at the Dean Dome.

It's UNC's biggest win over the Wolfpack since a 104-58 victory on Feb. 6, 1993, and the 13 points given up by UNC in the first half is the fewest allowed in a half since Virginia scored 12 in the second half on Feb. 11, 1998.

The Tar Heels, in the meantime, are 17-0 for the first time since 1997-98, as Roy Williams improves to 14-1 (9-1 at home) against N.C. State as a head coach.

Deon Thompson tallied a career-high 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field, and Danny Green had one of his best games of the season with 13 points, 14 rebounds (a career-high), six assists and four blocks.

Tyler Hansbrough passed four players -- Duke's Art Heyman and Grant Hill and UNC's Phil Ford and Sam Perkins -- in ACC history for free throws made (7-for-8 today and 564-for-736 for his career) as the junior power guard posted his ninth double-double of the season and 25th of his career with 13 points and 13 rebounds. To this point, Hansbrough has tallied 1,647 points and ranks 17th all-time in school history after moving past Kenny Smith (1,636) this afternoon.

In the backcourt, Ty Lawson set a career-high with four three-pointers and finished the game with 16 points, five assists, two steals and no turnovers, while Wayne Ellington, who was the hero in the Tar Heels' last-second win at Clemson last Sunday, dropped in 13 on 4-of-9 shooting to go along with two rebounds, two assists and three steals.

For N.C. State, junior guard Courtney Fells led the way in making seven of his 14 shots for 16 points and added three assists and two steals to his stat line. Freshman forward J.J. Hickson was the only other Wolfpack player to tally double-digit points, recording 14 on only 5-of-16 shooting in addition to eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Now that I've given a run-down of the numbers, I'll have a more in-depth look at the game and both teams in Hang Time, so make sure to look for that column over there. And of course, we'll be back tomorrow night from Cameron Indoor Stadium as we watch No. 9 Duke open up ACC play against Virginia, so make sure to stop back here for all your in-game commentary and analysis.

Until then, have a pleasant afternoon and evening everyone.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- With one minute and change left, the reserves have just entered the game for North Carolina as Tyler Hansbrough and the rest of the UNC starters get a standing ovation from the Tar Heel faithful.

Right now, it's North Carolina reserves 3, N.C. State 0, as J.B. Tanner hit a three from the left wing that got the crowd roaring as time winds down here at the Dean Dome.

With the buzzer sounding, it's No. 1 North Carolina with a 93-62 win.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- With about four minutes remaining in this one, North Carolina fans are heading for the exits with their team extending its lead to 33 over N.C. State at 86-53.

The Tar Heel mascot, in the meantime, is crowd surfing in the student section near the floor, and the band continues to play the UNC fight song.

Roy Williams has yet to take out his starters, but you can bet that they'll be coming out shortly with the Wolfpack standing no chance against a deeper and more talented team.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- We're at the eight-minute mark in the second half here at the Dean Dome, and it's North Carolina still holding on to its 30-point margin over N.C. State at 73-43.

While you can add another one to the win column for the Tar Heels, which will improve to 17-0, the only thing that's left to see is how many baskets the Wolfpack can make before the final buzzer sounds.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Courtney Fells knocked a three from the right corner to cut the lead to 63-35, but Ty Lawson came right back down the floor and answered with a three of his own.

J.J. Hickson, meanwhile, just air-balled a jumper, but the Wolfpack have started to get things together with a layup and dunk on back-to-back possessions.

Maybe I spoke too soon, as Wayne Ellington just hit a wide-open three in the corner to put Carolina back up by 30.

So much for the nail-biter that at least some of us were expecting today...

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- N.C. State just matched its entire first-half output at 16:16 in the second half, as No. 1 North Carolina leads, 55-26.

The Wolfpack have started to make some shots early on, and that should bode well for Sidney Lowe's team, which, to borrow an old NBA Jam saying, couldn't buy a bucket in the first half.

And if they keep it up, they just might be able to reach the 43 points that UNC put up on them in the first half.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- We're at halftime here at the Dean Dome and inside the media room you can overhear the banter going back and forth between us reporters about the pathetic first-half shooting from N.C. State, which trails No. 1 North Carolina, 43-13.

As I mentioned before in my previous post, the Wolfpack couldn't get anything to fall, going on a 11 1/2 minute-drought as North Carolina rattled off 23 unanswered points.

Looking at the scoring sheet that was just handed out, it's sophomore forward Deon Thompson who is leading all scorers with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting. Tyler Hansbrough has tallied nine to go along with a game-high 10 rebounds, and we'll probably see the junior from Poplar Bluff, Mo., getting his usual double-double.

In the backcourt, Wayne Ellington has dropped in eight points, with four of them coming from the charity stripe, and Danny Green has tallied seven in addition to eight boards.

Ty Lawson surprisingly has been held scoreless despite taking four shots from the field and getting to the basket at will, as North Carolina holds a 31-17 rebounding edge.

For N.C. State, freshman stud J.J. Hickson is leading the way with a meager five points on a dismal 2-of-9 shooting, and it wasn't much better for the entire Wolfpack team, which shot 17.6 percent (6-of-34) in the first half. UNC, on the other side, knocked down 42.9 percent of its shots -- hence, the 30-point lead at the break.

But enough with the numbers as we get ready for half No. 2, and we sure hope that N.C. State can at least make this one somewhat respectable.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 12:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- You can all but chalk up a win for No. 1 North Carolina with three minutes to go in the first half as the Tar Heels lead, 39-11, over N.C. State at the Dean Dome.

One of my colleagues sitting next to me just mentioned that it's been 23 unanswered points (at the moment) for North Carolina, as N.C. State has not scored a point since J.J. Hickson's jumper from the left wing at 11:33.

The Wolfpack finally just scored at 1:10 left on a basket from Courtney Fells, and the Tar Heel faithful cheered almost as loud as they do for a UNC basket.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- N.C. State has really struggled shooting the ball from the perimeter in this first half at the Dean Dome, and the Wolfpack currently trail No. 1 North Carolina, 23-11, with 7:42 left in the first 20 minutes of play.

Here's a little trivia that they just threw up on the scoreboard for the fans:

Who did Carolina defeat to earn Dean Smith's record-breaking 877th career win?

a. Duke
b. Colorado
c. Kentucky
d. Michigan State

My gut wanted to tell me that it was Kentucky, but after a little research (thank you Google), I found out it was Big 12 foe Colorado.

On the court, N.C. State continues to have its problems taking care of the ball, while North Carolina has remained persistent in attacking the rim and getting easy looks inside for Tyler Hansbrough and Deon Thompson.

After a pair of Wayne Ellington free throws at the 6:14-mark, it's North Carolina in control, 29-11.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina has put a little distance between itself and N.C. State with 12 minutes left to go in the first half, as the Tar Heels lead, 16-9.

In looking around the stadium, it's hard to find an open seat, as this one is certainly sold-out. In fact, while walking up to the Dean Dome, I took notice of all the scalpers hoping to sell a ticket for God knows how much. There were, however, plenty of UNC fans standing outside the arena looking for tickets, as we all know that down in the Tar Heel State, there's nothing more exciting than a little rivalry game between two premiere college basketball programs.

But back to the game, where Danny Green just picked up a loose ball at the other end and hit Marcus Ginyard in transition for a layup and foul. Ginyard hit the free throw and the Tar Heels lead, 21-11, with 10 minutes remaining.

Timeout N.C. State.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Both teams have really gotten after it in the early going of this ACC matchup, as the score is knotted at 5-5 with 17 minutes remaining in the first half.

Preseason Player of the Year favorite Tyler Hansbrough has struggled early from the floor, missing one of his two free throws and missing a jumper from the left wing.

N.C. State, in the meantime, hasn't been able to finish around the rim, but neither has Hansbrough, who's going up against a quality big man in freshman J.J. Hickson.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- We welcome you from the Dean Dome, where today No. 1 North Carolina takes on in-state rival N.C. State in an ACC showdown.

The Tar Heels are coming off a 93-81 victory over UNC-Asheville Wednesday night and are looking to go 2-0 in conference play after surviving against Clemson last Sunday on a last-second three by Wayne Ellington. With a win today, UNC can tie the 17-0 start that the 1998 team had. The perfect 15-0 mark in non-conference play, meanwhile, is only the fifth time in the last 50 years at North Carolina that a Tar Heel squad has run through its preseason slate undefeated.

Roy Williams has said that his team has been fortunate to win all of its recent games, and UNC will certainly need to play well against the Wolfpack, who is still learning to cope with the loss of starting point guard Farnold Degand. The sophomore was averaging 6.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 28.6 minutes for Sidney Lowe's squad until tearing his ACL and that will leave Javier Gonzalez and Marques Johnson to share the point spot today against the Heels.

The Wolfpack have won their last seven games after a 75-69 loss to Conference USA bottom-dweller East Carolina on Dec. 8 and the 54-29 thrashing over N.C. Central Wednesday night should have Lowe and his players feeling a little more confident coming into such a hostile environment.

As they always say, it's never easy playing on the road in college basketball, but especially in the ACC. Anyway, here's the tip...

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- All off-season, Wayne Ellington had to remember the shot he missed against Georgetown in North Carolina's NCAA Regional loss last year. Now he's got a new memory to replace it with.

This one was a last-second three-pointer that gave his No. 1 Tar Heels a 90-88 overtime win against No. 19 Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Continue reading "Ellington Saves Day For No. 1 UNC" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Wayne Ellington hit a three-pointer with four-tenths of a second left to give No. 1 North Carolina a 90-88 overtime victory against Clemson. UNC's Ty Lawson hit a pair of free throws with 49 seconds remaining, and then Clemson's Demontez Stitt matched him with 13.9 seconds to go to give Clemson an 88-87 lead in overtime. Roy Williams called timeout with 5.4 seconds left to set up a play, and Wayne Ellington buried the three.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Clemson is up by one here in overtime, but North Carolina has the ball after a loose-ball scramble that resulted in Ty Lawson calling a timeout while Wayne Ellington had the ball. This one looks like it could come down to the last shot, though two minutes is still a long ways to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- We're headed to overtime. After yet another Clemson missed free throw, Danny Green came down and buried a three-pointer to pull UNC within one, 81-80 with 1:37 to go. With a minute to go, Tyler Hansbrough went to the line and missed one before hitting the second to tie the game at 81. At the other end, Hansbrough drew a charge and suddenly the Tar Heels controlled their own destiny with 47 seconds to go. But Wayne Ellington missed and at the other end, a flurry of putback attempts rolled off the rim.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- You can taste the upset in the air now. Clemson leads, 76-70, with 3:41 to play and James Mays headed to the free-throw line after the TV timeout. Roy Williams looks flustered and frustrated with his North Carolina team, and the crowd here isn't doing the Tar Heels any favors.

UNC's offense can't get going inside -- Tyler Hansbrough has just nine points -- and there are no fast-break points to be had right now. This place is less than four minutes from breaking out in madness.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Missed free throws are killing Clemson right now. The Tigers have missed nine in the game, including three of five here in the second half, yet they still lead North Carolina, 70-67. K.C. Rivers is hot right now, having just bagged another three-pointer, but if UNC gets its break going in the final seven minutes, those misses at the line might come back to haunt Clemson.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- This game continues to get more and more physical, which about two weeks ago, might have favored the Tar Heels and their extensive depth. But with Alex Stepheson in California with an ill family member and Bobby Frasor lost for the season, UNC's depth has been depleted. That means Roy Williams' team will have to suck it up in a hostile environment if they hope to overcome Clemson's four-point lead midway through the second half and stay undefeated.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- These teams seem to love starting off halves at breakneck pace. Clemson came out with a big dunk by Trevor Booker before UNC rattled off six quick points in less than a minute. Carolina guard Wayne Ellington already has scored seven points in the opening four minutes of the second half, but the Tigers have been relentless and now own a 54-49 lead.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- The orange-clad crowd sporting the shirts that say O.P.P. -- Oliver Purnell's Posse -- are extremely excited at the half, and with good reason. K.C. Rivers scored the last basket of the half, and Clemson went into the locker room leading the No. 1 Tar Heels, 41-38.

Neither team is shooting great, but Carolina was also unable to capitalize on any of Clemson's misses for its usual fast-break offense. Despite the Tigers shooting 37.5 percent, the Tar Heels had just six fast-break points. Meanwhile, Clemson was able to score 15 points off of nine UNC turnovers. Clemson could really be in control of this game had it not missed six of 14 free-throw attempts in the first half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- At one point, Clemson led, 22-18, but since then the Tar Heels have gone on an 11-1 run and now lead by six. That forced Oliver Purnell to take a timeout to try to rally his troops. One thing North Carolina will have to watch out for, though, is foul trouble. Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green each have a pair of fouls so far.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- The good news for North Carolina is that Quentin Thomas is back after a two-game absence with an ankle sprain. The bad news is he isn't handling Clemson's press as well as Ty Lawson did since entering the game. But the Tar Heels have gotten their big men some touches and now have a narrow lead, 16-15, here at Littlejohn.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- The start to this game has been ridiculously fast. Ridiculously. With Clemson trying to press in the backcourt and UNC point guard Ty Lawson breaking the press almost single-handedly, the teams have been trading layups for the first four minutes, with the exception of a K.C. Rivers' three-pointer that has the Tigers up, 13-10, at the first TV timeout.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Last season, Clemson started out 17-0 before fading in conference play and falling short of the NCAA Tournament. In 2007-08, the No. 19 Tigers are 12-1 and have a perfect opportunity to make a statement in conference play. But it won't be easy since that statement will have to be made at the expense of top-ranked North Carolina.

Continue reading "Clemson Looks To Prove Itself vs. UNC" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- Posting Up will be courtside for Saturday's ACC-Big 12 match-up pitting host Boston College (10-2) vs. No. 3 Kansas (13-0). The contest tips off at Noon (EST).

With our new live-blogging software, the Live Blog experience becomes even more interactive for you the user, so be sure to join us in the 11 a.m. hour when we kick things off with some pre-game Polls and sights and sounds from Conte Forum.

In the meantime, here are Kansas Game Notes.

Here are Boston College Game Notes.

You can also follow along with all the action at CSTV.com's GameTracker.

Posted by David Scott at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg wanted his team to forget about its heartbreaking loss to Wake Forest last week in its ACC opener.

And the Hokies seemed to do that Saturday afternoon in an ugly 54-48 victory over Big East foe St. John's to claim this year's Aeropostale Holiday Festival championship.

"It is a Big East win," Greenberg said matter-of-factly afterward. "It is a big win. I think what you saw was two young basketball teams trying to develop an identity.

The Blacksburg, Va., school got it done with its two veterans over the course of 40 minutes, as A.D. Vassallo paced Virginia Tech with 16 points in addition to seven rebounds and Deron Washington added 10 points and eight boards of his own.

"If we play the way we're capable of, we can play in the big games," Washington told me outside the Virginia Tech locker room. "We learned a lot from our loss to Wake Forest last week and tried to bring our intensity today."

Whatever the Hokies brought, it seemed to work well enough to squeak out a victory over the Johnnies, who shot a miserable 28.3 percent from the floor for the game in addition to 26.7-percent shooting from behind the three-point line.

"They beat us in a hard game," St. John's coach Norm Roberts confessed. "Both teams played ugly. Both teams had 20 turnovers. It was a hard fought game. We didn't make shots. [But] I am not discouraged at all. They tried hard. I am not going to get down this team. We had a chance to win it all of the way through it."

For as poorly as the Red Storm played at times, St. John's was in the game until the bitter end. In fact, the Johnnies were down by just three after Larry Wright drained a three-pointer with 34 seconds left.

But it was Malcolm Delaney who sunk a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession, and with the lead back up to five, there was little hope of St. John's leaving its home court with a Holiday Festival title, something that certainly was the goal for Roberts when he scheduled his team to play in the holiday tournament way before the 2007-08 season started.

"This was a good game for us to get prepared for the Big East," Roberts added. "Let's not forget, Virginia Tech is a good team. There are going to be a lot of games that are going to be like this in the Big East."

Anthony Mason, Jr. led St. John's in scoring for the second straight night, dropping in 12 points to go along with four assists and two steals. Eugene Lawrence was the other Red Storm player to score in double figures with 10, and the senior guard from Brooklyn also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

"We have to get the next one," Mason said, looking rather disinterested in talking to the media following a tight loss in front of a hometown crowd. "You can't get frustrated. You get frustrated, then you start making mistakes.

We have to get back in the gym, get prepared and get ready for Syracuse [next week]."

"Every loss hurts the same," added Justin Burrell, who finished with six points, six rebounds and three blocks in 33 minutes. "They all feel the same."

For Roberts and St. John's, they're just hoping that feeling doesn't run its course through the rest of the season.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- We're winding down to the final minute of action here at MSG, and it looks like Virginia Tech is going to leave the Big Apple with a championship trophy as the only team outside the state of New York to play in this year's Aeropostale Holiday Festival.

That's something that Hokies coach Seth Greenberg can be happy about with ACC play starting up very soon, and it looks like Deron Washington and A.D. Vassallo will be the two guys he'll be counting on to lead VT through the ever-competitive conference.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 05:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- There haven't been a lot of nice plays in today's slugfest, or slopfest (whichever you prefer), but Virginia Tech's A.D. Vassallo has the Hokies back in front by seven, 43-36, with four minutes remaining.

The junior took a rebound and pushed it down the floor to find Marcus Travis open in the corner for a three, which he buried right in front of his own bench, forcing Norm Roberts to take a timeout right after. It looks like the Johnnies will have to play a different brand of basketball in these final four minutes if they hope to come away with a win.

We'll be back with more in a minute.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 05:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- St. John's closed the gap on Virginia Tech, getting within two points of the Hokies with eight minutes remaining in this one, but A.D. Vassallo just answered with two straight baskets on consecutive trips down the floor.

Though Anthony Mason, Jr. and Eugene Lawrence have both shown at times that they can make big shots for the Johnnies, they haven't so far. Instead, it's been Vassallo and his scoring partner Deron Washington that have got it done for Seth Greenberg's ball club.

With 5:40 remaining, it's Virginia Tech 38, St. John's 36.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 05:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- The hometown faithful here at Madison Square Garden is getting a little restless with St. John's losing ground on Virginia Tech in tonight's Holiday Festival championship game.

It looks like Larry Wright is OK, however, dispelling my earlier speculation of a serious knee injury suffered at the beginning of this half.

St. John's just got a big block from Justin Burrell, as the freshman just swatted the ball into the near-empty stands, and Wright has just hit two free throws, bringing the Red Storm to within six with the score 32-26 in favor of Virginia Tech.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 05:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- We're about five minutes into the second half of our , and Virginia Tech has started to take control with a nice little run that has the Hokies up, 30-24.

The Johnnies have started the half looking rather lackadaisical and Larry Wright just went down a few minutes ago with what looked like a knee injury. From the way he was grimacing, it reminded me of Pittsburgh Mike Cook's torn ACL here last week against Duke. Wright had to be carried off, so it's possible that another knee tear unfortunately is in store for the sophomore guard.

And if that's the case, this court could quickly go from being famous to infamous for Big East teams.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 04:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Deron Washington got fouled on a three-pointer 25 feet away from the basket but could only hit two out of three free throws, as St. John's leads Virginia Tech, 22-21, at halftime in the Aeropostale Holiday Festival championship game.

Finally got myself some halftime stats from the MSG crew, and it's St. John's Anthony Mason, Jr. that's leading all scorers with eight points. The Johnnies, in the meantime, are shooting 37 percent (10-for-27) from the floor, and Virginia Tech hasn't been much better at 37.5 (otherwise, the Hokies would probably be leading this game).

For VT, Dorenzo Hudson has tallied a team-high six points in the first 20 minutes of action, and A.D. Vassallo has dropped in five. But with the margin just one at halftime, winning tonight's contest is really going to come down to whichever team can make big shots in crunch time.

Back with more as we get set for the second half...

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 04:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- We got another barn burner...yawn...with a high school-sized crowd on hand here at the Garden, as St. John's and Virginia have combined for 31 points in the first 17 minutes of play.

Right now the scoreboard reads St. John's 16, VT 15, and Anthony Mason, Jr. is leading all scorers with six points. Deron Washington has grabbed four rebounds for the Hokies, but there's not much else to report right now with neither team putting the ball in the basket.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 04:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Through 10 minutes of play in our championship game, it's St. John's holding a slight 12-11 advantage over Virginia Tech.

Neither team has looked impressive shooting the ball from the perimeter and turnovers are certainly playing a factor in the efficiency of both offenses.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 04:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- We're all set for this afternoon's Holiday Festival championship game, and we're hoping it will be a good one with Virginia Tech and St. John's battling back and forth.

After last night's close win over Marist, St. John's coach Norm Roberts is hoping that Eugene Lawrence can step up once again in crunch time and lead the Johnnies past the Hokies today.

It won't be an easy task, however, for the Red Storm, which had three double-digit scorers last night in Anthony Mason, Jr., Tomas Jasiulionis and Justin Burrell. The Hokies, after all, have two go-to players in senior Deron Washington and junior A.D. Vassallo, both of whom tallied 17 points last night in a 30-point win over an Antoine Agudio-less Hofstra team (the one we just saw fall to Marist, 73-69, in the Holiday Festival consolation game earlier this afternoon).

And while neither of the teams are expected to make the NCAA Tournament come March, it still should be interesting to see how much last night's games will affect either team. Logic would give the advantage to the Hokies with their blowout win while St. John's struggled to get past Marist, but if the Johnnies are hungry and motivated, then they'll want to win this game in front of the hometown faithful.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 03:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- If there's one thing we know after the first game of tonight's Aeropostale Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden, it's that Hofstra won't be repeating as championships.

That's because behind veterans Deron Washington and A.D. Vassallo, Virginia Tech dominated an Antoine Agudio-less Hofstra team that really could have used those 26.8 points that the senior had been averaging for the season.

But the nation's second leading scorer never even got to step onto the floor against the Hokies after injuring his ankle in practice on Wednesday.

"I was taking a jump shot and I just came down on my ankle the wrong way," the 6-foot-3 senior guard explained after the game. "It feels better but I am taking it day-to-day."

That was certainly a big surprise to me, who saw Agudio as one of the few reasons to go to the two-day holiday tournament just up the street from my desk at CSTV.

"It is a little different when you don't play against Antoine Agudio," Virginia Tech Seth Greenberg said in his post-game press conference. "He is such a good scorer. I thought we played good and played hard. Whoever we play tomorrow, we have to do better."

"Obviously without [him] we are a different team and we struggled to score," Hofstra coach Tom Pecora. "If we are going to play without Antoine for awhile, and we are not sure if that is the case and we will know tomorrow, we need to figure out a way to turn a negative to a positive."

For the way things looked tonight, that might be hard to do.

The game, in fact, never seemed to be in doubt for Virginia Tech, which led by as many as 30 points before leaving the building with an 84-59 victory.

"When you make shots, you look smart," Greenberg remarked on the game as a whole. "When you take the same shots and miss them, you are not that cerebral. We have lost five games and we could have easily won four or four [of them]. We are good enough to play anyone and also not good enough to lose to anyone."

That's because Greenberg has six freshman on his roster, and it's not like they're riding the pine. That's what college basketball, though, has come to these days, where teams are often starting two and sometimes three freshmen.

For Pecora, it's a similar scenario, as a young Hofstra team can only hope to get wiser and better quickly with Agudio sidelined.

"This is a learning experience for us," Pecora asserted. "They are a great bunch. They work very hard as a team in practice. I truly believe that at the end of the year we will be a good basketball team that nobody will want to play. I have to play the freshmen to get them seasoned by February to have a chance to win the conference."

And if the Pride was able to do that, it would certainly be quite a testament to Pecora, his coaching staff and ultimately his players.

Post-game Notes:

* Charles Jenkins led Hofstra with 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field to go along with four assists and four rebounds. Darren Townes was the other scorer in double figures for Tom Pecora's ball club, tallying 12 after making six of his 10 attempts from the floor.

* Virginia Tech finished the game shooting 56.3 percent from the field and 37.5 from three-point range. Hofstra, meanwhile, couldn't buy a bucket from downtown, missing all five of its attempts in the second half and going just 1-for-10 on the night. The Pride registered a 34.3 shooting percentage from the floor.

* Hofstra surprisingly did outrebound the Hokies by a 43-37 margin, which included 21 offensive rebounds, something that Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg wasn't happy about.

"Twenty-one offensive rebounds is probably a good place to start," he said. "That is probably the biggest flaw [from tonight's game]. We didn't guard the ball in the second half. We were reaching and slapping. We have to get better. In our conference, you have to play better to win. It is hard to win games now."

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Nothing really new here to report, but Virginia Tech has a 76-49 lead over Hofstra with less than five minutes remaining in the game. The Pride's short supply of fans are already hitting the exits here at Madison Square Garden, and our second game of the evening, which pits MAAC foe Marist against St. John's, should be coming up shortly.

Until then, A.D. Vassallo continues to make perimeter shots for Seth Greenberg's Hokies, and the lead has now grown to 30 at 79-49.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Well, our head hasn't hit the desk yet, but it soon could if Hofstra doesn't start making its shots. The Pride are still trailing by more than 20 points with roughly 10 minutes left in the second half, and it doesn't look like Tom Pecora's club is interested in making it hard on Virginia Tech tonight.

Hokies coach Seth Greenberg, at least, should be pleased with the way his team has dominated the glass and the paint so far in this game, and with the physical presence that VT displays down on the block, it continues to pose all sorts of problems for The Pride.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- In what's not much of a game already, Virginia Tech is maintaining a sizable lead on Hofstra with the scoreboard reading 56-32 at the 14-minute mark in the second half.

Hofstra hasn't put up much of a fight in these first few minutes after halftime, and the Hokies just continue to pour it on The Pride, who can't buy a bucket from the perimeter tonight. Antoine Agudio, in similar fashion, has not touched the floor tonight. The nation's second leading scorer, in fact, hasn't even moved from the bench, and I'm starting to wonder why. Hopefully we'll get an update from Pecora after the game, as I'm sure it will be one of the first questions that the Hofstra coach will be asked to address by the infamous NYC media that's gathered here tonight.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- We're at halftime in our first game of the annual Aeropostale Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden, and it's been all Virginia Tech so far with the Hokies leading, 45-23, at the break.

Just got my hands on a stat sheet (the MSG staff that handles PR isn't exactly speedy when it comes to these kind of things for some reason), and the Hokies' Jeff Allen leads all scorers with 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field. The 6-foot-7 freshman, in the meantime, also leads all players with seven rebounds with VT holding a 18-11 rebounding edge over Hofstra.

For the Pride, Arminas Urbutis was the team's high scorer in the first half, dropping in seven after knocking down three of his five attempts from the floor. Aside from Urbutis, there wasn't anyone else who looked impressive for Tom Pecora's ball club, which shot only 31.3 percent compared to Virginia Tech's astounding 61.5 mark (16-for-26). Throw in 10 turnovers into the mix, too, and you get a 22-point halftime deficit. That's what the Pride will try to dig themselves out of in the second half, so with that tall order on their plate, I bid them good luck with the start of the second half.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- We're three minutes and change away from halftime in our first game of the Aeropostale Holiday Festival here at Madison Square Garden, and it's Virginia Tech who holds a commanding 34-21 lead on CAA foe Hofstra.

For the Pride, though, this could be a good test in playing a team from the ACC, the conference that's been widely regarded as the best in the country for a long time.

On the court, Jeff Allen continues to be a presence for Seth Greenberg's team down low, and Hofstra coach Tom Pecora hasn't seemed to find an answer for stopping the 6-foot-7 freshman from Washington, D.C., who currently has 10 points to lead all scorers.

Malcolm Delaney, meanwhile, just stole the ball at mid court and took it in for an easy two that has the Hokies up, 38-21, with a little less than two minutes remaining. Make that nine points for Delaney.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Virginia Tech continues to roll here at Madison Square Garden in the first game of the Aeropostale Holiday Festival. Hofstra has hit a couple more shots from the perimeter, but the Hokies are continuing to prove to be too big inside for the Pride.

Malcolm Delaney is pacing VT right now at the seven-minute mark with -- by no coincidence -- seven points and it's the Hokies who have built a 15 and now 17-point lead with easy transition layups time after time down the floor.

To say Hostra plays any defense at all would be a complete lie. And my mother always told me that I was a bad liar. She's right, so I won't try...back to the game in a couple minutes.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Greetings once again from Madison Square Garden, my second home these days with the college football season winding down and the college basketball season in full swing as conference play begins next week, where we get to watch two games for the price of one (not really actually).

But tonight we do have the honor of watching two mediocre games -- and yes, I know I've been spoiled lately with games like Texas-UCLA, Memphis-USC and Pitt-Duke -- in the annual Aeropostale Holiday Festival. I'm not complaining, though, because basketball is still basketball, and if there's a game to watch, I'm going to watch it.

Anyway, our first game of the night features ACC rep Virginia Tech, who reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year, taking on Hofstra for a chance to advance to tomorrow night's championship game.

The Hokies are coming off a heartbreaking 77-75 loss to Wake Forest last Sunday night in Winston-Salem, N.C. A.D. Vassallo, however, was one of the brighter spots for Seth Greenberg's team, tallying his first double-double of the season with 19 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Deron Washington also recorded a double-double -- his second of the season -- in the loss with 13 points and 14 boards. And though Virginia Tech had to travel the furthest of any of the other teams (Marist vs. hometown favorite St. John's follows in our second game tonight) in the two-day tournament, the Hokies have plenty of experience playing under this roof. Last season, VT defeated Seton Hall, 80-61, in the Aeropostale Classic and also split a pair of games in Big East competition. And if there's one team I'm putting my money on (not that I bet anyway), it would be the Hokies.

Hofstra, on the other hand, is looking to defend its 2006 Holiday Festival championship after upending Saint Joseph's and St. John's on back-to-back nights last year. That's what the Pride will have to do again here if it hopes to defend its title, and fortunately for them, they have one of the country's best scorers in Antoine Agudio to do it with. The senior guard, in fact, is averaging 26.8 points per game, which only trails Niagara's Charron Fisher at 27.3 ppg. Agudio, though, does lead the country in minutes (39.8 mpg) and has 305 career three-pointers, so we could be seeing a lot of shots get launched from beyond the arc tonight. And if he starts slow, don't be surprised. Agudio, after all, averages 17.2 points in the second halves of games this season, almost as much as what VCU's Eric Mayor, the second leading scorer in the CAA, tallies per game (18.3). Don't forget about freshman guard Charles Jenkins, too, who has registered double-digit points in seven straight games after dropping in 14 against Rhode Island last Saturday. One other thing to note: The Pride are 9-2 in their last 11 games at The World's Famous Arena, including 7-1 all-time in the annual Holiday Festival.

Let's get ready for the tip.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. -- In a matter of mere seconds, Gavin Grant managed to have not one but two flashbacks to games earlier in N.C. State's season.

First, he drew a foul with four seconds to go and calmly banged home a pair of free throws to give the Wolfpack a 66-65 lead. It was an instant reminder of when he nailed two of three free throws with four-tenths of a second left to give State a one-point win over Villanova on Nov. 25.

But the next flashback was a little scarier. As Stephen Curry's halfcourt shot arced toward the basket at the buzzer, Grant couldn't help but think of the banked 3-pointer by New Orleans' T.J. Worley that sunk the Wolfpack in their second game of the season.

"It would have been a heartbreaker for us if that had gone in," Grant said.

But it clanged harmlessly -- albeit dramatically -- off the rim, and N.C. State survived with a 66-65 victory at the RBC Center.

Continue reading "N.C. State Win Is Double Flashback For Grant" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. -- With 1:08 to go -- and right off a timeout -- N.C. State's Brandon Costner lost the ball out of bounds with his team holding a two-point lead. And then Stephen Curry rediscovered his shooting stroke.

Curry buried a three-pointer to give the Wildcats a 65-64 lead with half a minute to play. But at the other end, after a couple of offensive rebounds, Gavin Grant drew a foul on Davidson's Thomas Sander (his fifth) with 3.9 seconds remaining. Grant rattled the first one home and then did the same with the second to put the Pack back on top.

A halfcourt bid at the buzzer from Curry just barely missed and State hung on for a 66-65 win.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. -- If Stephen Curry could hit any shots right now, N.C. State would be in big, big trouble. But while Curry has failed to find his stroke, his teammates are getting it done with tough defense and now trail the Wolfpack, 64-62, with two minutes remaining.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The building is pretty wild right now. Davidson just got a traveling call on the possession immediately following a breakaway two-handed windmill dunk by Courtney Fells that pushed the N.C. State lead to 59-52. Each team is finding weapons off the bench, with Ben McCauley (a starter last year) doing work around the basket for NCSU and Bryant Barr hitting a couple of big threes for Davidson.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Remember how we said turnovers have been killing N.C. State all year? Well, that doesn't appear to have changed tonight. After racking up eight in the first half, the Wolfpack has given the ball away numerous times already in the second half, in the process squandering opportunities to send Davidson rocking back on its heels.

Instead, the Wildcats have taken advantage of a few miscues, including one that translated to a Stephen Curry three-pointer to make it 47-42 State with 13 minutes to go. But Courtney Fells answered with a three of his own to push the lead back to eight with 12:11 to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. -- A pair of big baskets near the start of the second half finally had the crowd here at the RBC Center showing some life. First Brandon Costner had a big one-handed slam, then Gavin Grant drew a foul while scoring on a layup to give the Wolfpack a 35-29 lead. Of course, true to the nature of this game, it didn't last very long: Davidson came down the floor and bagged a three-pointer to erase Grant's old-fashioned three.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Usually steady Davidson point guard Jason Richards seemed to lose track of the clock at the end of the first half, holding onto the ball too long before finally dishing to Stephen Curry too late. Curry couldn't beat the shot clock, which came just seven-tenths of a second before halftime, and the Wildcats went to the locker room trailing 30-26.

Considering the Wildcats shot just 38.5 percent in the first, they should probably feel lucky to be that close. And 15 of those points came from Curry, who shot 5-for-9 and hit three three-pointers. The Wolfpack shot almost 43 percent, which leads us to the most amazing stat so far tonight: Despite 28 missed shots between the two teams, there is only one -- that's right one -- offensive rebound in the stat sheet, and that belongs to N.C. State's J.J. Hickson.

Neither team has been dazzling so far, which is the story of their respective seasons, so it's appropriate. If someone can get on the offensive glass in the second half, it might mean the difference between a win and a loss.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Each time it looks like N.C. State is about to put a little more distance between itself and Davidson on the scoreboard, the Wildcats respond with a stop and a bucket. Davidson has been unable to hit a whole lot of shots but is playing good defense, forcing the Pack to fight for baskets. Slowing the pace of the game down has paid off so far for Davidson, which trails by three with 3:55 to go in the first.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH -- After the last update, it took nearly five minutes for either team to get another basket, and that team was N.C. State. That allowed the Wolfpack a bit of breathing room, though no one is lighting up the scoreboard too much right now. But Davidson has gone forever without a bucket, and a State score to make it 22-15 forced Davidson to call timeout with 8:42 to go in the first.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. -- While N.C. State has done a bit of scoring from the outside -- including a three-pointer from Brandon Costner while half out of his shoe -- the Wolfpack has to keep an eye on Davidson sharpshooter Stephen Curry to make sure he doesn't start getting too hot. Curry has already hit a pair of threes in the first five and a half minutes as the Wildcats lead, 13-11, and the sophomore seems to have never met a shot he didn't like.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Talk about a pair of disappointing starts to a season. Both N.C. State and Davidson were considered Top 25-caliber teams when the year started, yet the schools have already combined for eight losses before Christmas.

Continue reading "Wolfpack, Wildcats looking for jump start" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 06:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- In what was one of the best finishes we've seen this season, Brooklyn native Levance Fields topped off quite a homecoming by hitting a go-ahead three-pointer with five seconds remaining to lift No. 11 Pittsburgh to a 65-64 overtime over sixth-ranked Duke in the Aeropostale Classic at Madison Square Garden.

Jon Scheyer's heave on the ensuing play with two seconds left clanked off the back iron and the Panthers escaped Madison Square Garden with a victory that no one could have predicted after the sluggish start that Pitt displayed in the first half, one that saw the Panthers shoot just 36 percent from the floor and commit 11 turnovers.

On the stat sheet, Fields finished as the game's high scorer with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, including 3-of-7 from three-point land, to go along with four assists and two steals, but the inside play for Pitt was just as big. In particular, the Panthers got a big boost from junior Sam Young, who finished 17 points and seven rebounds, but freshman DeJuan Blair proved to be just as crucial, tallying 15 points (despite shooting just 7-for-15 from the free throw line) and grabbing a game-high 20 rebounds.

For Duke, Gerald Henderson and freshman Kyle Singler, who looked rather bruised and battered after banging down low with Blair for much of the game, both finished with 17 points, while DeMarcus Nelson added 14 points in addition to six assists and five rebounds. But what really did the Blue Devils in was their struggles on the glass, getting pushed around by a bigger and more muscular Pitt team before losing the rebounding battle by a 53-39 margin. Couple that with some poor perimeter shooting, including a 1-for-9 mark from three after halftime, and it's not a surprise, at least to this reporter, that Coach K and his kids are headed back to Durham with its first loss of the season.

In any case, I will have much more on this game in the next couple of hours in Hang Time, so tune in there to hear remarks from both coaches on tonight's game.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- It's back and forth here in overtime at Madison Square Garden with No. 6 Duke back in front by one, 63-62, on a three-point play by DeMarcus Nelson.

No. 11 Pittsburgh has now lost DeJuan Blair with the freshman forward-center committing his fifth foul on Nelson, and the Panthers are going to need someone to step in the final minute if they hope to leave the Big Apple with a huge victory over the Blue Devils.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- After Gerald Henderson failed to convert on his drive to the basket with five seconds left in regulation, we're headed to overtime for another five minutes of basketball between No. 6 Duke and No. 11 Pittsburgh.

And in the first 30 seconds, things are still as physical as ever with senior Mike Cook going down right in front of us on a drive to the basket.

From the way he's cringing in pain, it looks like the guard-forward from Philadelphia won't be coming back to the game after what looked like a knee tweak (or maybe, even worse, a tear). As the trainers carried him off, you couldn't help but feel for Cook and hope that his recovery, however long it might be, is speedy and successful.

He'll be happy to know, however, that his team currently leads by three.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- With 16.6 seconds left, we're all tied at 58-58 after Sam Young's baseline jumper with 1:10 left was answered by Gerald Henderson at the other end 10 seconds later.

Duke has ball on what could be the final possession, and we'll see if this one is headed to overtime.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Despite trailing by as many as 12 points earlier in the night, No. 11 Pittsburgh has really hung tough over the course of the first 35 minutes, and it's the Panthers who now who have a 50-49 lead after a pair of free throws from Sam Young.

Duke, in the meantime, has been flustered by Pitt's physical defense, and it's starting to show. Kyle Singler, for example, has had a hell of time trying to bang down low with all 265 pounds of freshman DeJuan Blair and is playing with four fouls as we go under three minutes.

But there could be some nerves for the Blue Devils, too, especially with the numbers that actually showed up tonight at the Garden. In fact, in all the games that I've covered in the last four weeks here at MSG, this game, by far, has had the biggest turnout of them all. Don't expect it to be that way next week when we return Friday and Saturday for the annual Holiday Festival, which features local schools St. John's and Hofstra along with the Poughkeepsie-based Marist and ACC rep Virginia Tech.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- We got quite a game going here with No. 11 Pittsburgh cutting No. 6 Duke's lead to just three at the 8:26-mark in the second half. The Blue Devils have led by double digits for much of the game, but Jamie Dixon's kids continue to fight and it's paying off now.

That's largely because Duke has not been able to hit its perimeter shots much like it had in the first half, and without a consistent and reliable big man, Mike Krzyzewski is going to have to find other ways to get easy looks for his team if they hope to continue with its undefeated season here tonight.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- The Panthers have finally started to make a run at No. 6 Duke with less than 12 minutes left in this one, and the Pitt faithful is starting to get behind it's team with it down by just seven after a free throw from DeJuan Blair.

The Blue Devils haven't found that hot hand yet in the second half and after a floater in the lane from Keith Benjamin at the other end of the floor, Jamie Dixon's team now trails by just five at 43-38.

Blair, however, just picked up a flagrant foul, his second personal, on Kyle Singler, and the Blue Devils are back up by eight with less than 10 minutes to go.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- We're underway in the second half of the Aeropostale Classic at Madison Square Garden, and it's No. 6 Duke who is still holding onto a double-digit lead over No. 11 Pittsburgh at the 16-minute mark.

The Blue Devils, however, are already in the one-and-one with seven team fouls, and it will be free throws the rest of the way for the Pitt.

Meanwhile, the sloppiness continues for both teams after Taylor King just threw the ball away on a trip down the floor. And with the turnovers piling up, It should be interesting to hear what both coaches have to say about their teams' carelessness tonight, though it might have just as much to do with the defenses that both the Blue Dievls and Panthers have employed so far.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- We're at halftime here at Madison Square Garden, and it's No. 6 Duke who is out to a considerable 34-22 lead on No. 11 Pittsburgh in the Aeropostale Classic.

The Blue Devils have got it done from the perimeter so far, knocking down 46.4 percent of their shots against the No. 11-ranked Panthers, who couldn't seem to find any of their own offensive rhythm in the first 20 minutes of play with a 36.0-percent shooting clip from the floor. Junior point guard Levance Fields and freshman big man DeJuan Blair have been the two Pitt players who have been able to penetrate a tenacious Duke defense and get their shots off. Fields is currently leading all scorers with nine points on 4-fo-5 shooting from the field to go along with two assists and two rebounds. Blair, meanwhile, has tallied five points but has been a monster on the glass, grabbing a game-high nine rebounds.

For No. 6 Duke, Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson have both recorded eight points, and senior guard DeMarcus Nelson has dropped in seven points to go along with an impressive six assists in 17 minutes of action. On the defensive end, Jon Scheyer is leading the Blue Devils with four rebounds, something that Mike Krzyzewski couldn't probably have pictured after the solid game that sophomore center Brian Zoubek had on Monday against Albany. But Zoubek hasn't seen much action so far, registering only four minutes in the first half, and we'll see if he'll get more a chance to contribute when we pick things up after halftime.

Speaking of that, we're about ready to start the second half, so let's get back to the action.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

NEW YORK -- No. 6 Duke has started to pull away in the final 10 minutes of the first half here at Madison Square Garden as the Blue Devils lead 22-13 with less than eight minutes remaining before halftime.

Greg Paulus hit a three from the top of the key and Pittsburgh has continued to turn the ball over before a shot even gets thrown at the basket.

If you're Pitt coach Jamie Dixon, you have to be concerned with the way your offense is struggling right now, but credit Duke's defense, which has made it hard for the Panthers to get any good looks at the basket in the first 15 minutes of play.

With less than four minutes left before halftime now, it's Duke 31 and Pittsburgh 15 after Taylor King just stroke another three from the right corner.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- With 11:35 remaining in the first half, it's sixth-ranked Duke up by three with the scoreboard reading 14-11. Both teams are really getting after it, and DeMarcus Nelson's three from the right wing is the difference in the ballgame right now.

Pittsburgh has switched between Levance Fields and Ronald Ramon as its points guard, and Sam Young and Gilbert Brown are showing some energy in the frontcourt for Jamie Dixon's team. Speaking of Dixon, I'm down here along the baseline next to the Pitt bench, getting to watch the former Ben Howland assistant work. While this game has had a couple of nice moments so far, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has surprisingly remained rather quiet at the other end of the court, standing up only a few times to bark orders at his team. Dixon, on the other hand, has been off his seat nearly the entire first 10 minutes, and from the way he's talking to his players, you can see just how badly he'd like to win this game over a Top 10, under the bright New York City lights and with conference play getting underway in less than two weeks. That should certainly prove to be some good preparation for the Panthers' conference opener Jan. 6 at Villanova.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Both defenses have held their own in the early going of tonight's Aeropostale Classic at Madison Square Garden, and it's No. 6 Duke who holds a slight 7-5 lead over No. 11 Pittsburgh in the first five minutes of play.

The Panthers have missed out on a couple easy opportunities with DeJaun Blair missing two wide-open dunks, and the latter attempt was particularly embarrassing with the ball flying off the back of the rim and into the stands.

Kyle Singler has provided a spark early for the Blue Devils with a couple buckets down low, but it's been turnovers and offensive fouls that have plagued both teams in the early going of this one.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Greetings from The World's Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden, where tonight we have the pleasure of watching two undefeated teams go to-toe-toe in the Aeropostale All-America Classic.

No. 6 Duke has started the year at 10-0 for the third time in the last four seasons after claiming its third straight Maui Invitational championship last month and scoring wins over Davidson, Michigan and Albany in the month of December. Senior guard DeMarcus Nelson was the high scorer in Monday night's win over Albany, posting a season-high 23 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, including 4-of-5 from three-point range, to go along with with six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Junior point man Greg Paulus also had a solid effort against the Great Danes, knocking down three trifectas to finish with 11 points. And with sophomore Jon Scheyer and freshman Taylor King knocking down six of their 12 attempts from long range, we could be seeing a lot of shots being put up from downtown tonight. That depends largely on how well Brian Zoubek can play for Mike Krzyzewski and company, and the sophomore center showed in his first start earlier this week that he can get it done down low with 13 points and seven rebounds. But that was against Albany, a team that doesn't exhibit anywhere near the kind of athleticism and talent that a No. 7-ranked Pitt team has.

Speaking of Pittsburgh, the Panthers are out to quite a start themselves, as Jamie Dixon's team comes into tonight's contest with an identical 10-0 record after a nailbiter in Seattle over Pac-10 foe Washington on Dec. 8 and a convincing 85-68 victory over Oklahoma State last Saturday. But starting strong is nothing new to Pitt. The Panthers have enjoyed outstanding starts that include a 18-0 record in 2003-04, a 15-0 record in 2005-06 and a 10-0 record in both 2004-05 and 2006-07. The Panthers have managed to outscore its opponents by a plus-23.5 margin and outrebound them by a plus-10.8 margin while averaging 82.1 points per game. Much of that production has to do with freshman forward-center combo DeJuan Blair, who registered his fourth double-double of the season last weekend against the Cowboys with 20 points and 10 rebounds in addition to five blocks.

But anyway, the layup lines are in motion and the tip is just a couple minutes away, so let's get ready for a great game.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Roy Williams wasn't interested in staying long after to speak with the media about tonight's convincing 93-71 victory over an overmatched Rutgers team with a sold-out crowd of 8,312 at the RAC, but the North Carolina coach is happy to be headed back home with a 9-0 record and seven straight road victories.

"We feel very fortunate," he said to the handful of reporters that stuck around after Rutgers coach Fred Hill's press conference. "We got them to turn the ball over, and [we] turned it into points at the other end that got us such a working margin that made it hard for them to come back from."

But Williams was also quick to credit a Rutgers team that held the Tar Heels to 42.5 percent from the field for the game.

"I loved Fred's kids," he continued. "They never stopped trying to play, and they competed the whole time."

Sophomore Ty Lawson certainly competed during the 30 minutes of floor time that he saw tonight, dropping in a game-high 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting (2-of-5 from three-point range) in addition to six rebounds, five assists and four steals.

"In the first half, he was aggressive and did a great job defensively," Williams said of his standout point guard. "He's having a heck of a year for us. When he attacks the basket, he helps us get some easy baskets, and he also has the ability defensively to really bother the other teams' [point] guard and stop dribble penetration, so he's really having a good year for us."

Preseason Player of the Year favorite Tyler Hansborough came in behind Lawson on the scoring sheet with 20 points and 11 rebounds (and yes, I did predict that he would finish with that mark in my halftime post) but left the game with five minutes left after suffering a mild concussion when he fell to the floor and hit his head on a photographer's knee underneath Rutgers' basket.

"It's the first time in college basketball that a guy has got a concussion with no foul called, " Williams said with a few chuckles from his audience, "and that better be all I say."

The junior forward, however, looked to be relatively fine as he packed up his belongings in the North Carolina locker room and shared his thoughts on the Tar Heels' long stretch away from home.

"It just shows some toughness on our part," Hansbrough said about the seven straight road games. "This is a tough atmosphere, and Coach really pushed us to play hard. I think we worked off of that."

Going up against the 6-foot-9 UNC big man was Hamady Ndiaye, who finished with a game-high four blocks, which ups his season total to 91, to go along with seven rebounds and three points.

In the backcourt, freshman Corey Chandler was the biggest bright spot for Rutgers, finishing with a team-high 23 points and eight rebounds despite committing six turnovers.

"Corey is an extremely talented, athletic and quick kid," Rutgers coach Fred Hill offered about his 6-foot-2 point guard. "He's a scorer and has a scorer's mentality. Certainly you can see he has great ability and great talent. When he figures everything out he's going to be an outstanding player and scorer for us."

Anthony Farmer was Rutgers' other double-digit scorer with 17 points, but between the Tar Heels' defensive physicality and offensive efficiency, the Scarlet Knights never had much of a chance to test UNC's poise in a hostile and rowdy environment.

"There is a reason why they are ranked No. 1 in the country," Hill said of the Tar Heels. "That's an extremely talented ball club. They have great players at every position and great depth. They're a really hard team to slow down. The game plan was to control tempo, but that's a very difficult thing to do. We did it to the best of our ability, but that's a very deep and talented team."

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.C. -- Rutgers is trying to make this one a ball game with less than three minutes to play and the Scarlet Knights still trailing by double digits at 84-69. The Tar Heels, after all, will up its record to 9-0 when the final buzzer sounds in two minutes, and Roy Williams and company will be able to leave central New Jersey feeling pretty good about its upcoming home games against Nicholls State, UC Santa Barbara, Nevada, Valparaiso and Kent State.

Rutgers, in the meantime, will look to rebound with a couple of home games next week against Rider and Manhattan before the Scarlet Knights beginning Big East play at USF on Jan. 2. And from the way Fred Hill's team played tonight, there's plenty of work to be done. But that's just my own take on the way things unfolded.

The final horn just sounded, and No. 1 North Carolina has captured a 93-71 victory. I'll be back with some post-game thoughts, notes and quotes after we hear both coaches and players talk.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- North Carolina fans who are in attendance here at the RAC are starting to make their voices heard with the Tar Heels holding a dominating 73-47 lead with under eight minutes remaining in the contest.

As I was mentioning earlier, the RAC has started to clear out with the Scarlet Knights not putting up much of a fight against the No. 1 team in the country, and it's something that I certainly expected in making the drive down from the Big Apple.

Out of a timeout, Rutgers managed to turn the ball over again, something they did on 10 occassions in the first half, and Wayne Ellington finished at the other end to push the Tar Heels' lead up to 75-47.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Danny Green was pretty quiet in the first half after playing only seven minutes, but the junior guard-forward combo has just hit back-to-back threes on consecutive possessions down the floor, and the Tar Heels are cruising here at a very quiet and slowly emptying RAC.

JR Inman has managed to pick it up for Rutgers, getting a layup underneath and then draining a three from beyond the arc to up his point total to seven for the game, but the junior forward is going to do a lot more of that the rest of the way for Rutgers to even slice a 25-point lead in half.

With the way the Scarlet Knights keep missing layups in transition, though, that's even unlikely to happen. With 11 minutes remaining, UNC is way up, 69-42.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- At the 16:19 mark after halftime, No. 1 North Carolina has come out with the same firepower in the second half as it did in the first half, and the Tar Heels have upped their lead to 55-30.

Fred Hill's team knew how much a challenge it was going to be to stay with Roy Williams' club for all 40 minutes, but the Scarlet Knights didn't even make it 10 minutes before UNC had a double-digit lead on them. Maybe that's asking too much from a team that doesn't start a senior, but JR Inman has seemed to be non-existent so far for Fred Hill, registering just two points (1-of-4 from the field), two assists, one block and no rebounds in the first half.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- We're at halftime here at the RAC, and it right now it's No. 1 North Carolina with a commanding 47-26 lead over Rutgers before the second half starts in 15 minutes or so.

The Tar Heels ended the first half on a strong note, stringing baskets together on consecutive possessions to push its lead past 20, while the Scarlet Knights struggled to gain confidence in its offensive sets, often settling for tough shots from the perimeter.

And Fred Hill's team has caught a few bad breaks here and there, too, after a basket after the buzzer was called off by the officials.

I finally got my hands on a stat sheet from Rutgers media relations, and it's North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson leading all players with a dazzling 19 points. The sophomore Clinton, Md., native has also collected five rebounds and dished out two dimes. Wayne Ellington is the other Tar Heel to hit double-digit points in the first half, as the 6-foot-4 sophomore has 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field. Tyler Hansbrough surprisingly only has eight points, but don't be surprised when the junior power forward collects his regular 20 and 10 by the end of the night. Half of those eight points came at the free throw line for Hansbrough, who also grabbed five rebounds in his first 18 minutes of action.

For Rutgers, freshman guard Corey Chandler is pacing the Scarlet Knights with 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting in addition to five rebounds, and Anthony Farmer has tallied six points in his 17 minutes on the floor.

With both teams back in their layup lines, we get ready for the second half.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- With just over three minutes to go before halftime, No. 1 North Carolina leads Big East foe Rutgers, 34-23, at the RAC, and it's been some gritty play by the Tar Heels that has got it done in the first 17 minutes of action here.

Rutgers, however, is shooting itself in the foot with a handful of missed free throws, and between that and its struggles matching up with UNC's frontcourt on the glass, it could be a rather long second half for the Scarlet Knights.

Ty Lawson has just made his third steal at midcourt and laid up an easy two in addition to a foul. The sophomore point knocked down the free throw, and it's 39-23 with 2:24 remaining before recess.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Since I was telling you about my earlier encounters back in Southern California with North Carolina forward Deon Thompson, the 6-foot-8 sophomore has since blocked back-to-back shots for the Tar Heels and is showing his physicality and strength against a smaller Rutgers team.

Jaron Griffin, however, got the ball back on the left wing and was able to can a three to cut North Carolina's lead to 10. Seconds later, it's Ty Lawson again with a steal in the backcourt and an easy layup.

With 5:16 remaining, it's No. 1 North Carolina leading, 32-20.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Rutgers is really try to hang with No. 1 North Carolina in the early going of this nonconference matchup at the ever-vocal RAC in central New Jersey.

Ty Lawson now has the Tar Heels holding onto a double-digit lead after stealing the ball at midcourt and laying up an easy one. Deon Thompson, the Torrance, Calif., native who I actually got to cover during his high school days in Southern California, tipped back a shot on the previous possession, and it's been UNC who has controlled the glass early. Rebounding is something that Rutgers coach Fred Hill will want to discuss with his team at halftime, but when you're going up against the strong and powerful bodies of Hansbrough and Thompson, it's never an easy night on the glass.

With about eight minutes remaining, it's North Carolina 25-16.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- No. 1 North Carolina has pushed its lead out to 18-9 with 12:03 remaining in the first half, and it's been the other guys on UNC besides Tyler Hansbrough that have gotten it done early. Alex Stephen just hit a smooth-looking jump hook off the glass from the right block before Rutgers coach Fred Hill called a timeout to take about some things over with his team. Rutgers had some looks at the basket, but a missed dunk on the possession before Stephenson's basket hurt the Scarlet Knights' chances of cutting into the Tar Heels' early lead.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Both teams started slow in its first few possessions down the floor but are starting to find a little more rhythm from the perimeter.

Sophomore point Ty Lawson just stroked a three from the right wing to give North Carolina a 5-2 lead, and Marcus Ginyard has added a pair of free throws to have the Tar Heels out in front by five with 16:21 left.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Hello everybody from the RAC, where tonight we see the Rutgers Scarlet Knights welcome the No. 1 team in the country in North Carolina on a cold and windy Sunday night in central New Jersey. It's certainly cold for this Los Angeles native, as I'm making my first visit to the RAC, a place that I've been told a lot about since I moved to the New York area a little over a year ago.

And though it hosts a better women's program than it does a men's, the RAC is still an intimidating place for any visitor to play in. Luckily for North Carolina, this will mark the sixth straight game that the Tar Heels have played away from the Smith Center. UNC, in fact, has only played two games at home so far this season in wins over Iona and South Carolina State in the opening rounds of the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational, so the Tar Heels definitely know how to win when they're not in Chapel Hill, N.C.

The Scarlet Knights, in the meantime, have started the season at 7-3 and are coming off a 65-55 victory over NJIT just up Highway I-95 at the Prudential Center (or the Rock as it's often referred to as) in Newark. Corey Chandler was the big scorer for Rutgers on that night, as the 6-foot-2 freshman guard tallied 15 points on 9-of-9 shooting from the free throw line. Junior forward JR Inman notched his seventh double-double of the season with 14 points and team-best 13 rebounds, and sophomore center Hamady Ndiaye, the Big East leader in blocked shots (seventh in the nation), issued four rejections against the Highlanders.

The Tar Heels, on the other hand, have yet to lose this season at 8-0 and have claimed the No. 1 ranking in the AP pol for every week this season. Roy Williams' ball club is off to its best start since the 1998-99 season, when it also began the year at 8-0. The last team to start the year better was the previous year, when North Carolina reached the Final Four. And with the way Tyler Hansbrough has been leading the way with 21.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, the Tar Heels could just top that mark with a win here tonight against Fred Hill's Scarlet Knights. But UNC hasn't played a game since Dec. 4, when the Tar Heels stomped on Penn, 106-71, in the City of Brotherly Love, so for all of you watching this game on the Worldwide Leader right now, don't be surprised if North Carolina has to shake off a little rust before blowing it open on Rutgers.

But enough with all the babbling. The tip is here, so let's watch some good old-fashioned roundball.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEBANON, Ind. - Sorry this is late. They shut down the internet at Conseco Fieldhouse before I could write an update.

You may have noticed that my dateline has changed. Icy roads forced me to abandon my trip home, so I am now in Lebanon, Ind., which is about halfway between Indianapolis and Lafayette. It's also the home town of Purdue's all-time leading scorer, Rick Mount. It's a good thing Purdue played the first game or they wouldn't have made it home tonight.

But, I digress.

First, a correction on the stats reported earlier. Florida State had 19 turnovers, not 23. Still, it was about a half a dozen too many.

Florida St shot 46.6 percent from the floor (27-for-58), but only 5-for-17 from three-point range. Take that out, and that's 54 percent from two-point distance. FSU killed Butler on the boards, 35-25, including 12 offensive rebounds, but the Bulldogs outscored the Seminoles from the free throw line, 20-9.

A.J. Graves' seven three-pointers is a Wooden Tradition record.

After the game, Butler coach Brad Stevens talked a lot about how his team dealt with losing to Wright State last time out and how they dealt with final exams. Stevens, who doesn't look a day older than his players, said that he expected a good effort from his team because "when final exams are over, there is such a relief, that the players come out with a high energy level."

He also talked about how it was nice to play near home for a change, although he referred incorrectly to this game as a neutral site game. Stevens said that his team traveled a total of 43 hours for its first 10 games, "so it was nice to travel 15 minutes each way, or 20 in the snow."

Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton was effusive in his praise for Graves. He said that the 'Noles game plan for defending Graves was to go over the top of the screens and not let him get good looks, but that Graves was too "clever" for them. Hamilton said that Graves "is the best I've ever seen at using ball screens to get open."

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Butler was able to force a few more turnovers and hit its free throws to put away Florida State, 79-68. A.J. Graves had a huge game with 25 points on 7-of-16 shooting from three-point range. Jason Rich had 17 and Ralph Mims had 16 to lead the Seminoles.

The key stat of the game was Florida State's 23 turnovers. The 'Noles shot reasonably well at 48 percent, but that's giving up a lot of opportunities.

I'll be back with more shortly, assuming I can get back downstairs through the mob.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- This has been a pretty ugly game, especially from the Florida State perspective, but the 'Noles are still hanging around. It's 63-56 at the last timeout. The teams have combined for 28 turnovers, and FSU has 17 of them, but when the teams hold on to the ball, they do reasonably well. Butler is still shooting 50 percent and FSU is at 46 percent. If the 'Noles can manage to get through the rest of this game without turning the ball over, they have a chance.

I spent a little time chatting with David Booth, a scout for the Memphis Grizzlies and former DePaul star. He's sitting next to me on the press row. As I said in an earlier post, he's not seeing much in terms of NBA prospects here, with the possible exception of Graves, who just buried another three.

With 2:20 left, it's Butler by four.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Right after the last timeout, Florida State went on a 7-0 run to cut Butler's lead to five. Jason Rich got another dunk, followed by Isaiah Swann's first points of the game and then a Toney Douglas three. Both teams have gotten a little sloppy with their passing. Florida State stole a bad pass and was rushing down on the break, but Douglas threw it right back to Butler.

At the 10:17 mark, it's Butler 51-46.

Tonight's attendance was 17,170. The building seats 18,100. It's about half full now.

I'm sitting next to a scout for the Memphis Grizzlies. I don't think he's seeing a lot to report back.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Florida State's offense has gone stagnant and Butler is starting to pull away again. The Bulldogs now lead by 12 at the first TV timeout. FSU only has four points this half so far, both on Solomon Alabi layups.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Florida State is going to have to make some defensive adjustments at halftime if they hope to have any chance of getting back into this game. Butler is breaking them down too easily and getting too many good looks. As much as anything, that's why the Bulldogs are up 38-30 at the half and explains their 50 percent shooting percentage.

The odd thing about Butler's shooting percentage is that they are only 6-for-17 from three-point range, but 8-for-11 from inside the arc. A.J. Graves leads the Bulldogs with 14 points.

Florida State isn't shooting badly (48 percent) but isn't as productive on the long ball (1-for-6). Jason Rich has 11 points to pace FSU, and Butler is having trouble containing him right now.

The crowd has thinned out a bit with many of the Louisville fans in particular heading home. Butler has a good contingent here, but I have only seen a handful of FSU fans. We were told in the post-game press conference that despite the bad weather, the attendance will be a near-sellout.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Florida State is on a 6-0 run thanks to a Ralph Mims put back and two Jason Rich dunks. FSU is picking up its pressure on defense and got a couple of turnovers to help key this little run. When Butler has had time to set up in the half court, they have been able to break the Seminoles down and get good shots, but the Bulldogs have been sloppy with the ball at times.

Butler's lead is now down to 27-23 at the four-minute timeout.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 06:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Butler leads at the eight-minute timeout by a score of 25-17 thanks to 55 percent shooting from the floor. Graves and Mike Green are both 3-for-5 from the floor, with Graves hitting all threes and Green all twos.

Nobody is really standing out for Florida State so far. Toney Douglas, Ralph Mims and Jason Rich have four points each. The 'Noles leading scorer, Isaiah Swan, has yet to score in part because he's sitting with two fouls.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 06:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Sorry for the delay. The post-game press conferences took awhile. In particular, there's a guy who covers Purdue that likes to hear himself talk, which sort of drags things on.

Butler is up, 22-14, on Florida State at the second timeout thanks in part to two A.J. Graves three-pointers.

Butler is 18th ranked in the AP poll but coming off a loss to Wright State in conference play. Butler is without the services of Pete Campbell again today. Campbell is the team's second leading scorer at 14.1 points per game.

Florida State is team schizophrenia so far this year. They have losses to Big East bottom-feeder USF and Horizon league bottom-feeder Cleveland State. But the Seminoles have also beaten Minnesota, Florida and UAB and have won six straight overall. The 'Noles have not played in the state of Indiana since 1998. They played Butler at Hinkle that season.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 06:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- The Friars saved themselves a lot of aggravation by re-awakening in the latter part of regulation and overtime and go on to win, 98-89.

Efejuku led the Friars with 21 points and Xavier had 20. Tyrese Rice led all scorers with 25 points and Boston College got 24 from Raji. Efejuku was named the MVP of the game, joining Jeremy Pargo from Game 1.

Providence College winds up winning the board battle, 31-28.

. . . Tyrelle Blair fouled out with 1:38 left in OT and finished the night with six points and four rebounds in 31 minutes. Teammate Rakim Sanders fouled out with 40.1 seconds left in the OT. He had seven points, four rebounds and two assists and was hampered by his foul trouble form early on (playing just 23 minutes).

. . . Important to remember that PC is without guard Sharaud Curry, who sustained a leg injury in October. When he returns, the Friars become that much more dangerous.

. . . BC continues to press and foul, trailing by nine with 30 seconds left in the game.

. . . Two excellent games in an old-fashioned double-header at the Gahden and we were happy to be able to bring you some of the action and sights and sounds.

. . . We'll work post-game interviews and then go feed our growling stomach on our way to the much-ballyhooed 10:15 ferry. For more highlights and some grade reports from this game and the entire week of college hoops, be sure to check in at Hang Time for another edition of Office Hours on Monday. The Professor expects you there!

Posted by David Scott at 08:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- Providence is rejuvenated in the overtime period as Jeff Zavier hit a three-pointer from the deep corner to give PC an 81-76 lead about a minute into the extra session. Another Efejuku three as the shot clock espired (top of the key) gave the Friars an 87-78 lead with just over 2:00 left in the game.

The Friars now lead 89-78 with 1:57 left and seem to have finally put away a game they should have won 20 minutes ago.

Four Friars are in double figures, led by Efejuku (19), Xavier (18) and Kale and Peterson with 12 each. BC is led by Raji's 24 and Rice with 19.

Posted by David Scott at 08:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- A three-pointer from Efejujku with 22 seconds left tied the score at 76-76.

Al Skinner chose not to call a timeout and Tyrese Rice missed a deep three-pointer that would have won it.

. . . So much for the 8:45 ferry. But overtime suits us just fine.

Posted by David Scott at 08:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- A three-pointer from Friar Jeff Xavier with 1:04 left has brought PC within three at 73-70.

Providence missed four straight free throws under the 2:00 mark that would have tied the game (Peterson and Efejuku, two each).

. . . The game's refs have been Mike Kitts, Bryan Kersey and Earl Walton. They have blown a combined 41 whistles.

Posted by David Scott at 08:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- Boston College tied the game on two Spears free throws with 2:50 left in the game and then took the lead, 72-70, on two Rice free throws. An Efejuku turnover on the next Friar possession led to a Rice lay-up and an improbable four-point lead for the Eagles with 2:07 left in the game.

. . . Brian McKenzie fouled out for the Friars with 2:58 left in the game. He had nine points, two rebounds and an assist.

Posted by David Scott at 08:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- Providence had stemmed the tide a bit but a fast-break three-pointer from Tyrese Rice cut the lead to 70-68 with 3:24 left in the game.

The Eagles are now out-rebounding the Friars, 24-22, meaning they hold a 17-8 edge on the boards in the second half.

Raji has 24 points for BC to account for all but five of the Eagles' bench points.

. . . Sanders picked up his fourth foul with 6:22 left and was replaced by Biko Paris.

. . . PC's Geoff McDermott fouled out with 4:53 left in the game, finishing with eight points, 10 assists and three rebounds in 31 minutes. It was one shy of McDermott's career-high in assists.

Posted by David Scott at 07:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- Ever since the Providence College band started with its "Let's Go Hokies" chant, Boston College has been on a ridiculous 17-1 run. Not sure if the two occurrences are related, but it sure has shut up the band and energized the Eagles. PC now leads 63-57 with 7:15 left in the game.

. . . Attendance for the doubleheader was 18,007, despite the fact that many upper bowl seats are empty and have been all day.

Posted by David Scott at 07:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- Boston College is on a 13-0 run and has cut the Providence lead to 62-51 with 9:42 left in the game. The rebounding edge for PC is now just two at 19-17.

. . . This spirited comeback could be the death knell for my 8:45 ferry. Haters.

Posted by David Scott at 07:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- This one was starting to look like the Celtics-Knickk blowout of earlier this week on this same floor. The difference is the BC kids won't quit the way the Knicks' punks did. PC leads, 62-46, with 11:44 left. Kale leads PC with 12 points and Raji has 18 for BC.

BC has gone on a bit of a run to cut the lead down -- and they are rebounding with more urgency -- but the Friars are still in comfortable control.

. . . A chant of "Let's Go Hokies" emanated from the Providence band with 13:49 left and the Friars holding a 24-point edge. That's cruel. And funny. (BC football lost 30-16 to the Hokies in the ACC Title game earlier today.)

. . . Great interior passing by the Friars, especially from the big men.

Posted by David Scott at 07:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- Our new goal with the score of this game at 57-38 in favor of the Friars, is to make the 8:45 ferry instead of having to wait for the 10:15 ferry. (Yes, we took a ferry to the game and yes, we like to brag about that.)

BC is simply abysmal tonight as they continue to be out-rebounded 18-8 and are being dominated in the pain 30-20 by the Friars.

Three Eagle players have three or more fouls (Roche, Blair and Sanders) and even flashy point guard Tyrese Rice looks very human against the high-energy Friars.

. . . Rakim Sanders picked up his third personal foul less than 30 seconds into the second half and Al Skinner had no choice but to leave the freshman in with a double-digit deficit.

. . . Tyler Roche for BC picked up his fourth personal foul in the 16:00-area

Posted by David Scott at 07:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- Providence dominated the boards (14-7) and the game and heads into the half with a 49-34 halftime lead over Boston College. Both Brian McKenzie and Jonathan Kale have nine points each for the Friars and Raji has 15 points, already a career-high, for BC.

Both teams shot the ball extremely well in the first half as PC was 18-of-28 for 64 percent and BC was 13-of-24 for 54 percent. BC made just 3-of-11 from beyond the arc, while PC connected on 5-of-10 from international waters.

. . . The BC rebounding situation got so bad that Al Skinner was forced to re-insert Shamari Spears with his his two fouls.

Posted by David Scott at 07:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- The Friars have extended to a 38-28 lead, aided by 4-of-8 shooting from three-point land and an impressive 11-4 rebounding edge over the undersized Eagles.

Corey Raji leads all scorers with 11 points for BC while PC has had eight different scorers so far.

Posted by David Scott at 06:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- Tyrese Rice hit a shot-clock buzzer beating 3-pointer from New Hampshire with under 8:00 to go to trim the Friar lead to 27-21, which is where we now stand with 7:10 left in the half.

. . . The Celtics dancers are back and have multiplied. We can't question how things like this happen, but we can thank the powers-that-be for such instances.

. . . Despite being a virtual home game for BC, the building is a LOT flatter than it was for the first game when UConn fans brought great energy to the game. Perhaps the Eagle fans are still crying in their beer over the football's loss to Va. Tech in the ACC title game?

But that should be no excuse as the building is definitely a pro-PC crowd. (Providence is only about an hour away.)

. . . Celtics President Rich Gotham just walked by the Posting Up perch and paused to say hello. He is the team's second president ever after red Auerbach. Talk about tough shoes to fill.

Posted by David Scott at 06:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- We got a bit hung up in the Gonzaga locker room with the talkative and quotable Jeremy Pargo and Micah Downs. Our apologies.

Providence is out to a 16-12 lead with 10:30 left in the half and BC has foul trouble from the get-go with both Shamari Spears and Rakim Sanders forced to the bench with two fouls each. Freshman Corey Raji has come off the BC bench to drop in six points and help the Eagles' cause.

Posted by David Scott at 06:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Usually when Tyler Hansbrough has a big game, it bodes well for North Carolina. But against Kentucky, it seems like the worse Hansbrough's numbers look the better they fare against the Wildcats.

Hansbrough was just 2-of-8 from the floor -- though he did hit 10-of-12 free-throw attempts -- but Danny Green came to the rescue with 20 points off the bench to help the top-ranked Tar Heels to a 86-77 win at Rupp Arena.

Continue reading "Green Leads UNC To Win Off Bench" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 05:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The Wildcats got as close as nine points in the final five seconds, but honestly it wasn't that close a game. As the last two minutes ticked off the clock, there wasn't much to do but listen to the woman sitting behind us complain rather loudly and try to figure out whether or not she was related to Kentucky's Patrick Patterson (she seemed to have a vested interest in him being in the game or not, being called for fouls, etc.).

Anyway, when it was all said and done, the Tar Heels stayed perfect on the season with a 86-77 win.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Carolina's lead is still comfortably in double digits, but Roy Williams is not happy with some of what he's seeing. And the crowd here is certainly not happy with the calls that keep going against the Wildcats.

Bobby Frasor appears to have his shooting touch back after an 0-for-5 night in UNC's last outing. He just hit another three to make it 75-56 before UK responded with a quick bucket of its own.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The crowd here got fired up when freshman Alex Legion was announced into the game. Then they booed heartily when he got yanked less than a minute later. Again, cheers when he returned seconds after that. Maybe Billy Gillispie is just bored and messing with the home fans.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- In the first post of the day for this game, I said how my cab driver thought this would be a blowout in favor of the Tar Heels. He's looking smarter by the moment. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Bobby Frasor capped a 13-0 UNC run and the Heels now lead 57-40.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- As predicted, those four fouls in the first half would come back to haunt Perry Stevenson. He just checked into the game and promptly fouled Tyler Hansbrough, so he is gone with 15:56 remaining in the game. That's one less body to keep UNC's big man in check, so we'll see how that changes the game.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- North Carolina's starters shot just 5-of-24 in the first half -- making Danny Green's 12 points off the bench all the more important -- but they seem to be getting it together at the start of the second half. Deon Thompson and Wayne Ellington already each have a pair of buckets, Tyler Hansbrough hit a jumper and Ty Lawson just had a steal and layup to make it 50-39 Tar Heels three and a half minutes into the second.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lexington, Ky. -- Kentucky's Joe Crawford hit a 3-pointer a moment ago that made him the latest UK player to hit 1,000 career points. And the even better news for 'Cats fans is that they pulled within three points with less than two minutes to go in the half before Danny Green (who else?) got a rebound and bucket to push the UNC lead back to five. But Green couldn't bag a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, so the Tar Heels lead 37-32 at the break.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- After a couple of Kentucky three-pointers got the crowd reinvigorated, UNC reserve Danny Green quickly quieted them back down. Green hit back-to-back three-pointers and has scored eight straight for the Tar Heels, who lead 35-27 with 2:40 left in the half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Hopefully Billy Gillispie didn't have big second-half plans for forward Perry Stevenson. The big man fouled Tyler Hansbrough at the 8:05 mark of the first half for...drum roll...his fourth foul of the game.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- With all that physical play, Carolina has drawn its fair share of fouls already in this one. Or unfair share if you believe the 23,000 fans here at Rupp Arena. The crowd has been enthusiastically making their feelings known to the referees -- especially since the Wildcats have eight fouls at the 11:40 mark and trail 13-9.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- If Tyler Hansbrough is going to have a good showing against Kentucky, the Wildcats certainly aren't going to make it easy on him. In the first four minutes, Hansbrough has already been knocked to the floor twice and taken a shot to the face on an inbounds play. The good news for UNC is that he's already drawn three fouls in the process (none that resulted in any points for him, though). We're tied 7-7 right now.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- My cab driver this morning didn't seem to think Kentucky had much of a chance this afternoon with No. 1-ranked North Carolina visiting, but since driving me to my hotel doesn't qualify him as an expert, we'll just go ahead and assume that this matchup of the two winningest programs in NCAA history will be a good one.

Continue reading "Tar Heels Take No. 1 Ranking To Rupp Arena" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Though the final minutes have yet to tick away, many of the alumni faithful have already begun their mass exit after a tough defeat to the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Buckeyes fell 66-55 despite generating a 32-29 halftime lead, but in the end it was a streak of 17-straight misses from the floor that doomed them in the non-conference loss.

"We just had that 10-minute stretch in the second half where we couldn't score points." Ohio State's John Diebler said. "Against a team like that, you just can't do that."

Continue reading "No. 1 UNC Avoids Upset, Knocks Off Ohio State, 66-55" »

Posted by Matt Gottfried at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- You know how I said the Buckeye faithful desperately needed something to cheer about? Well, they found it, and it was in the form of Diebler. Diebler and Lighty connected on back-to-back three-pointers to draw within eight points, then Diebler proceeded to take a breakaway all the way down the court and throw an emaphatic one-handed dunk to send the crowd into a frenzy. After the two traded buckets to draw a timeout, it's the Tar Heels 59, OSU 53 with just under four minutes left.

Posted by Matt Gottfried at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Bad just doesn't explain the Buckeye's shooting woes this second half. Much like in their game against Texas A&M, they can't buy a basket. Ohio State has missed it's last 17 shots from the floor this half. Yes, I said 17. Ouch.

Posted by Matt Gottfried at 10:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Midway through the second half, it appears to be all UNC. The Tar Heels have come out of the half shooting the ball extremely well, while the Buckeyes have struggled to drain even the simplest of layups. With 11:31 left in the contest, UNC has a 49-40 lead.

Continue reading "Tar Heels Starting To Take Over" »

Posted by Matt Gottfried at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Before I could get a chance to update my last post on Jon Diebler, he went and did it again. And then again. Ohio's leading scorer in high school drained two more treys to close out the first half, including a bank shot at the buzzer to hand the Buckeyes a 32-29 halftime lead.

Continue reading "At Halftime, It's Diebler Time: OSU 32, UNC 29" »

Posted by Matt Gottfried at 09:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- After miss firing on 31 of his first 35 shots from the floor this season, Ohio State freshman John Diebler couldn't have picked a better time to snap out of his slump. After nailing a trey to pull within one at 21-20, Diebler proceeded to fire off yet another basket on the Buckeyes' next possession, this time another deep trey on a fast break started by a Butler rebound. Instead of driving to the hoop for an easy layup, Diebler pulled up from 5-feet beyond the arc to hand Ohio State a 23-21 lead. The crowd at this arena is absolutely deafening, I've never heard it this loud before. Ever.

Posted by Matt Gottfried at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- What was expected to be an offensive display has been anything but in the early going of this contest. This is largely due to the fact that neither team has shot well from the floor, but especially the Buckeyes. Ohio State is shooting just 20-percent from the floor at the mid-point of the opening half.

Continue reading "Buckeyes Struggling Offensivley" »

Posted by Matt Gottfried at 09:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In front of the largest crowd all season, the Buckeyes have stormed out of the opening moments of the game with great defense and solid play from sophomore David Lighty, on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

Continue reading "Packed Arena Spurs Early OSU Lead" »

Posted by Matt Gottfried at 09:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Now the game is over.

Michigan State walks away with a 81-58 beat down that was never really even that close.

Here are my game awards.

Continue reading "Michigan State-N.C. State Post-game Recap" »

Posted by Kevin Wright at 09:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EAST LANSING, Mich. - There's a minute left, and the fans are filing out of the Breslin Center.

All of the starters are now out of the game for Michigan State, and the Spartans have picked up a convincing win at home in ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Well, I guess it isn't technically over yet...

Posted by Kevin Wright at 09:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Suton just got a little too excited.

After forcing a steal on the defensive end, Suton got the ball on the wing. He rose for the dunk, but forgot to dribble before he took two quick steps to the basket.

Pretty much the only thing Suton's done wrong this game.

Posted by Kevin Wright at 09:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Izzo might be the only person in the Breslin Center still taking this game seriously.

He just called a timeout looking disgusted after N.C. State's Dennis Horner hit a wide open three pointer in the corner.

And he added another timeout with just under six minutes left after the Wolfpack just converted on a rare fastbreak after Neitzel went an even rarer 0-for-2 from the line.

It's 71-49, but that's too close for Izzo.

Posted by Kevin Wright at 08:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Tar Heels' Ty Lawson will not be in the starting lineup tonight, replaced by junior Bobby Frasor. Frasor has averaged 3.8 points this season in UNC's five wins.

Posted by Matt Gottfried at 08:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State has to go and put it back out of reach.

Spartan freshman guard Chris Allen just hit a three pointer to stem the short and sweet N.C. State run. The Wolfpack had cut the 28 when Allen hit a three as the shot clock expired to extend the Michigan State lead to 31 with just more than eight minutes left.

Really, it's hard to find interesting aspects of this game at this point. N.C. State may not be as good as its 4-1 record indicates, while Michigan State may be the team to beat in the Big Ten.

Continue reading "Just when you think it's a game again" »

Posted by Kevin Wright at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Any chance the Wolfpack had at getting some momentum after the break is officially over.

N.C. State is trailing 66-35, which pretty much puts this game out of reach for the visitors from the ACC.

Still, there is 11:43 left on the clock, and Lowe's squad needs to find some cohesiveness while the Spartans tear through them even with Neitzel getting some rest on the bench.

Posted by Kevin Wright at 08:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EAST LANSING, Mich. - This is exactly the kind of game the Spartans needed from Drew Neitzel.

The star point guard isn't lighting it up on the scoreboard - he does have 13 points - but he's being the captain of the team.

He's made all of the right passes. He's pushed the ball up court and sliced the N.C. State defense in transition. And when he needs to, he'll show the flashes of the scorer he is, like when he hit a beautiful baseline floater a minute ago.

Posted by Kevin Wright at 08:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Sidney Lowe is probably trying to find some kind of positive to motivate his team at the first media timeout of the second half.

He can try this one out if he can't think of any.

Continue reading "Time to rethink this one" »

Posted by Kevin Wright at 08:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Suton is pretty much doing it all for the Spartans.

After he airballed a jumper from the top of the key, he hustled and threw the ball off an N.C. State defender. Michigan State converted on the hustle play with a Neitzel three pointer, and Sidney Lowe had to take a timeout.

The Wolfpack are down 53-26 with 16:04 left in the game. This isn't going to get any better for N.C. State.

Posted by Kevin Wright at 08:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- It's been a brutal first half if you're a N.C. State fan.

Sidney Lowe's squad has 19 points at the break, seven of which came in the last four minutes. The Wolfpack trail 41-19 and were simply rattled by the speed of Michigan State and raucious environment in the Breslin Center for most of the first 20 minutes, and they allowed the Spartans to dictate the pace of play.

Michigan State has looked impressive if not dominant with 41 points on the scoreboard and a relentless transition offense.

Both Neitzel and fellow guard Travis Walton have pushed the ball whenever possible, and Suton, among others, has been the recipient of beautiful passes to convert for easy lay-ups.

Right now, Lowe has to convince the Wolfpack that they do need to dribble when they plan on moving with the ball. Turnovers, mainly in the form of traveling, have stymied any kind of flow N.C. State could establish on the offensive end.

For the Spartans, they just need to keep on doing what they're already doing. Keep up the pace and continue to pound the key and the offensive glass.

Posted by Kevin Wright at 08:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Spartans are running N.C. State out of the Breslin Center.

Suton has 14 points, the latest four coming off the fastbreak. He's simply trailing the ball and getting the dish for an easy lay-up.

Continue reading "Breaking away" »

Posted by Kevin Wright at 07:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It may not have the same hype as last season's No. 3 Ohio State - No. 6 UNC matchup, but make no mistake about it, this year's ACC/Big Ten Challenge clash has the potential to be yet another high scoring affair. Both teams enter with high scoring offenses, and both are led by an abundance of talented youth.

Continue reading "Bucks Look To Avenge Last Year's 98-89 Loss" »

Posted by Matt Gottfried at 07:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Hey, N.C. State finally broke into double digits.

It only took the Wolfpack 16 minutes to do it. They trail, 31-12, with 4:04 left in the half.

Oh yeah, and N.C. State was called for another traveling violation a few minutes ago. Really, it's not that hard to dribble.

Posted by Kevin Wright at 07:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Suton is simply killing N.C. State in the post.

The forward already has 10 points against an undersized Wolfpack team, and Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has kept the ball going into the paint to feed his big man.

N.C. State won't have any chance of making this a game if it can't get defensive rebounds and push Michigan State's forwards out of the key.

Posted by Kevin Wright at 07:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Apparently, the Wolfpack forget they have to dribble when they have the ball.

N.C. State has already been called for four traveling violations, and the first half is barely halfway done. Simply unacceptable when you're playing on the road, and Lowe can't be too happy about that statistic.

Posted by Kevin Wright at 07:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EAST LANSING, Mich. - I guess it could be worse for N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe.

His team has had no offensive flow. The Wolfpack haven't gotten back on the defensive end in transition. And Michigan State is getting open looks at the basket nearly every time down the court.

But...

Continue reading "N.C. State hanging on" »

Posted by Kevin Wright at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Good news for N.C. State. Suton finally missed after hitting his first three shots.

Bad news is the Wolfpack don't look like they have a clue out there. Maybe they're intimidated by the hostile and loud Breslin crowd, but they've taken a couple of ill-advised deep three-pointers and haven't had any open look at the basket since N.C. State took a 2-0 lead.

Posted by Kevin Wright at 07:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- At the first media timeout, Michigan State has started what has the makings of a real blowout.

The Spartans are up, 10-2, and Marquis Gray is on the line, hoping to convert an and-one attempt.

Posted by Kevin Wright at 07:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State forward Goran Suton has dominated the early minutes of this game. He's scored the first eight Spartan points of the game to give Michigan State a 8-2 lead just four minutes into the game.

The Spartans are pushing the tempo and getting out in transition, where Suton has been the recipient of several nice dishes by Neitzel and Travis Walton.

N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe was forced to call a timeout to calm his team down and get them to get back on the defensive end.

Posted by Kevin Wright at 07:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Well, it's about two minutes to tipoff, and the Breslin Center here at Michigan State is already getting pretty loud.

The crowd is filing in hoping the Spartans can put another 'w' on the board for the Big Ten this year.

Michigan State will need its floor general Drew Neitzel to have a good game and manage the flow of the ocntest in order to take care of a feisty N.C. State team.

Posted by Kevin Wright at 07:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- With less than five minutes to go in the game, the crowd at Cameron Indoor Stadium started a chant of "A-C-C." By that time, it was already more than clear that seventh-ranked Duke was going to continue its dominance in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on the way to a 82-58 win against No. 20 Wisconsin.

Continue reading "Duke cruises to easy win vs. Badgers" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 11:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- With just two and a half minutes to go and a 21-point lead, the crowd here at Cameron has started a chant of "our house" and it sure looks to be true. The Devils are just running clock now and will have an easy double-digit win. The only drama here is a Duke official asking the Crazies to return a Wisconsin shirt that a fan was forced to take off before the game started. No word on if they've located the shirt in question.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 11:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Not much really to report here in the Duke-Wisconsin game. The Blue Devils have maintained a steady 18-20 point lead throughout the entire second half, and now it looks like Coach K is trying to get some of his younger players hands-on experience running plays, as he shouts instructions from the sideline. Not that 20 points is insurmountable, but the last eight minutes of this one might be nothing more than a glorified practice for the Blue Devils.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- As if the Badgers didn't have enough problems down 52-29, Brian Butch just picked up his fourth foul less than three minutes into the second half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Apparently, Mike Krzyzewski wasn't happy with the energy at the start of the second half. During a lull one minute into the second half, Coach K stood up and waved his arms, imploring the crowd to get fired up with a shout of "Let's go!"

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Just before the half, the Cameron Crazies were chanting about how the Blue Devils were doubling up the Badgers. While a few more points got scored after that, it was pretty close to being a 2-for-1 at the break.

Continue reading "It's a blowout at halftime" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- D.J. White had a career high 14 rebounds tonight to help IU out rebound the Yellow Jackets, 34-32. Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson said that he felt it would be important to win the rebounding battle.

IU only played seven players tonight, and one, D'Andre Thomas, only played two minutes. Eric Gordon played all 40, as the Hoosiers were shorthanded tonight at guard with an injury to A.J. Ratliff, the suspension of Jordan Crawford and an illness to Brandon McGee.

As a result, Mike White made his first appearance of the season and played 20 minutes. It had been thought that he would redshirt, but Sampson decided he needed him tonight.

Paul Hewitt talked about how pleased he was with his team's effort. He had felt that they had been inconsistent in that area. Then, he went off on a sermon on how players (not his specifically) are all about themselves. He talked about how everyone wants to play, but that they don't understand the responsibility that comes with playing. He said it was "epidemic" in the sport, and not just at this level, but at the high school and pro levels as well.

And then, he left.

My chair has been removed, so I'm typing this standing up. That's not the best thing for my carpal tunnel, so I'm headed home.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 09:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- A brief unrelated-to-the-game side note here, but it appears as if Duke's hated rival, North Carolina has a couple of players in the house tonight. Football players, that is. Mike Paulus, a quarterback who redshirted this season for the Tar Heels, is the younger brother of Duke point guard Greg Paulus. And it looks like Mike brought along another UNC freshman, Greg Little. Little is keeping a low-profile, it appears, no doubt because last weekend he ran for 154 yards and two touchdowns, including a game-winning 25-yarder, to beat Duke in overtime. Meanwhile, Duke has opened up a 20-point lead with less than four minutes to go in the half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Turnovers are starting to become a problem for the BAdgers, and Duke is quickly taking advantage. Freshman Taylor King turned an errant inbounds pass into a 3-pointer to put Duke up 33-18. A minute later, he buried another one to make it 36-18. The Badgers are starting to get back on their heels a little bit here, which is only feeding the fans' frenzy.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- After a completely ridiculous blocked shot by Gerald Henderson -- he skied up to palm the top of the ball -- Greg Paulus hit a three, and then the Devils got another quick bucket to fire up the crowd here with a 25-14 lead. So far, Wisconsin has answered each time Duke looked like it was about to blow things open, so we'll see how they respond to this.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana salted away the end of the game and won, 83-79. There is no question the key stat of the game was free throws. Indiana was 28-38 from the line, while Tech was only 11-20.

Eric Gordon had 29, including 13-16 from the line to lead a sort of balanced attack for IU. D.J. White scored 18 and Lance Stelmer and Jamarcus Ellis had 15 apiece. For those of you who don't want to do the math, that's 77 of Indiana's 83 points.

Georgia Tech got 18 from Lewis Clinch and 17 each from Gani Lawal and Anthony Morrow.

It was a game effort by the Yellow Jackets, but not enough. I'll be back with any interesting post-game tidbits in a bit.

Oh, and I can't figure out how to get pictures off my phone, so I won't be able to post it. I'm so technically inept. There's never an eight-year-old around when you need one.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 09:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Wisconsin guard Trevon Hughes made a quick impact on the Blue Devils fans in the game's opening minute, burying a 3-pointer from so far away that the Crazies behind me remarked, "Man, that's J.J." -- a reference, obviously, to former Duke sharpshooter J.J. Redick. But the Blue Devils have recovered since then, despite some poor shot choices, to lead 10-7 four and a half minutes in.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The last four minutes of basketball here at Indiana were not what you would call elegant.

In one sequence, Jeremis Smith of Georgia Tech fumbled the ball out of bounds going up for a fast break layup. Then, Jamarcus Ellis walked off the spot on the throw in to turn it back over. Tech gave it right back and the Hoosiers' Mike White missed a breakaway layup by about 10 feet. Another Tech turnover and another Hoosier miss on the fast break was followed by Gani Lawal bricking a layup. Then, when Tech finally got to the line, D'Andre Bell nearly airballed a free throw.

Two Jamarcus Ellis free throws and a runner in the lane have given IU a 56-54 lead at the eight-minute timeout. If that kid ever learns to pass, he'll be pretty good. However, Ellis just picked up his fourth foul.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- We're almost ready for tipoff at Cameron Indoor Stadium in a battle of two unbeaten teams, Duke and Wisconsin, in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Blue Devils have never lost a game in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, but they could have their hands full with the Badgers.

Wisconsin is 5-0 for the first time in coach Bo Ryan's seven years at the helm (perhaps because of Ryan's uncanny ability to crank dat).

In the first four games of the season, the Badgers have had seven different players score at least 10 points in a game, which will make things challenging for a Duke defense that is coming off a win in which it held Eastern Kentucky to 12 first-half points.

Duke's freshmen big men will also have to keep the Badgers off the glass. Wisconsin has a plus-16.6 per game rebounding edge so far this year. But it will take more than just winning the rebound battle to keep the Blue Devils from staying perfect -- both on the season and in this annual battle of conferences.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A foul has been called on Eric Gordon (say it isn't SO!) and the MBF chant has started up at Indiana. Actually, I think they are saying something else.

The game has gone a bit back and forth since the last timeout. Georgia Tech is about to go to the line leading by one. Both teams are shooting much better this half. Tech is 7-for-11, while IU is 3-for-6 so far. The Yellow Jackets already have seven fouls, though, so IU will shoot the rest of the way. The Hoosiers already have a 13-shot advantage at the line.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Georgia Tech has scored the first seven points of the second half and has taken the crowd out of the game for now. The Yellow Jackets lead, 41-38, at the first timeout.

Coming back out onto the floor, I had to limbo past the band because the trombones sit in the front row. That was going fine until the started going up and down during the fight song. I managed to get away unscathed, but I would have loved explaining that one at the hospital. As an old band jock, I should know better.

The students in front of us have been standing for the whole game, but these three girls like to stand on the bench instead of the floor. Twice an usher has come to tell them to get down. Last time, it was an elderly woman who was pretty stern with them. The girls all had a look on their face like they had been scolded by their grandmother. But, they have stayed on the floor.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana finished the first half on a 20-8 run to go up 38-34 at the break. D.J. White got a layup with 2 seconds left for the last bucket.

Gordon has 11 points and White 14 to lead Indiana. Georgia Tech is paced by 10 each from Lewis Clinch and Gani Lawal.

While Indiana is doing a MUCH better job finding White in the set offense tonight, Gordon is having problems making the connection. He has four turnovers on bad passes directed at White. I don't have turnover stats yet, but I bet the numbers were high.

The teams aren't shooting overly well either. Indiana is at 44.4 percent, which isn't too bad, but Tech is only shooting 40 percent. IU switched to a zone for the last four minutes, and the Yellow Jackets had trouble finding the openings like they were earlier in the half.

Back with the second half in a bit, and I'm going to try to figure out how to post a picture.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BLOOMINGTON, In. -- Bad news for Georgia Tech. Eric Gordon is getting hot. Matt Causey overplayed a pass to Gordon, but didn't get there in time, and Gordon dribbled in for an electrifying dunk that got the crowd roaring. A Jamarcus Ellis 3 then gave the Hoosiers their first lead in a while. Gordon beat Tech down the floor for a layup and now IU is up 33-29 at the last timeout of the half. The current IU run is 15-3.

Gordon now has 11 points to go with White's 10.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Eric Gordon's step back three and breakaway layup were sandwiched around a Lance Stelmer putback to give Indiana a 7-0 run and pull them within one.

Tech has a tendency to lose a guy on defense and IU is starting to do a better job of finding that guy.

Lawal of Georgia Tech is killing the Hoosiers inside with ten points, but he's on the bench right now.

A three ball by Lewis Clinch, his third of the half, has put GT back up, 29-25, at the eight-minute timeout.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- It turns out I don't really need my chair anyway. With the students standing right in front of us, we need to stand to see. We also can't hear the PA where we sit, and the scoreboard is a bit slow, so figuring out who a foul is on isn't always easy if you don't see it. That's especially true at the other end of the floor.

On the court, Eric Gordon missed his first two shots, but has a couple of free throws. The Hoosiers have found DJ White in the offense today and it shows. He's getting open with ease on the inside and has nine points already.

Georgia Tech is also getting good looks inside. Gani Lawal already has a couple of dunks. He also has a couple of blocks off the bench.

It's 17-13 Tech with 11:10 left in the half.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- This game is off to a sloppy start. It's tied at four at the first timeout. Indiana already has five turnovers by my count, and at least three of them are for carrying the ball. Tech hasn't turned it over quite as much but has missed several shots.

DJ White has had his hands on the ball more and has a basket for IU. Aminu and Smith have both scored for Tech and Aminu goes to the line when we restart.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- I'm coming to you tonight from Indiana's Assembly Hall, but if you look for me on TV, you probably won't recognize me. I'm in disguise. I'm afraid I'm too well known as a Purdue fan.

I've lived in Indiana for a long time but have never been in this facility. It's a strange place. It seats just over 17,000, but nearly all the seats are on the sides of the court. The seating area looks like some sort of inverted saddle. There are only about 1000 or so seats total behind the baskets, and the pep band takes up one section.

I climbed up to the top of the balcony to see what those seats are like, and they're pretty high. If you have ever watched a game in a dome, it's about like being halfway up an upper deck in a dome. I took a picture, which if I can figure out how to post, I will.

I also went to the top row of the lower deck, which is tucked under the balcony. Those are actually worse seats, even though they are a little closer because the balcony hangs down too far.

It's the kind of place where I would normally question the sobriety of the designers, but the upper deck ushers told me the place was designed by the Army Corps of Engineers at Bobby Knight's request.

My seat tonight is behind the basket Indiana will shoot at in the first half, directly behind and below the 1987 national championship banner. The press row here is right up against the wall. It's so tight, that I can barely get into my chair if I pull it out to the wall. When I tuck my chair in, I almost don't fit between the back of it and the wall. And I'm not a particularly big guy.

Fortunately, there are plans to replace this facility. It has pretty much outlived its usefulness.

On to the game. Indiana is looking to rebound from a loss to Xavier in the Chicago Challenge last weekend. In that game, Eric Gordon scored 20, but only shot 4-12 from the floor as Stanley Burrell frustrated him all night with his tight defense. Indiana is going to have to get DJ White more involved in their set offense against better teams. That did not happen in Chicago this weekend.

Georgia Tech went 2-1 at the Paradise Jam last week, beating Charlotte and Notre Dame, sandwiched around a loss to Winthrop. Senior Anthony Morrow leads the team in scoring at 19 points per game and is shooting over 48 percent from long range. The front court tandem of Alade Aminu and Jeremis Smith is also very productive, and they will have to have a good game for the Yellow Jackets to have a chance.

This game is part of the annual ACC smackdown of the Big Ten. This is the ninth year of the ACC-Big Ten challenge, and the Big Ten is a big 0-8.

We just had the national anthem, and when I stood up, I about fell over my chair because it stopped, but I didn't.

I was just handed a note that IU freshman guard Jordan Crawford has been suspended three games for violating team rules. Crawford doesn't start, but averages 25 minutes a game backing up Armon Bassett (mostly) and Gordon. He's been averaging 12.6 points per game, so that could be trouble tonight or in the Hoosiers' next game at Southern Illinois.

We're five minutes from the tip, but the crowd is very slow to arrive. I've been told it's a sellout, but it'd say only 2/3 of the seats are full. The student sports information intern sitting by me says IU has a typically late-arriving crowd.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 06:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- N.C. State's Gavin Grant somehow found a way to catch a 50-foot pass, somehow found a way to get a three-pointer off and somehow found a way to get fouled during a 1.8-second span that decided the game.

After that, making two of three free throws was a piece of cake.

N.C. State (4-1) needed all of that to happen to top Villanova 69-68 for the Old Spice Classic Championship on Sunday at The Milk House at Disney's Wide World of Sports.

Continue reading "N.C. State Edges Villanova For Old Spice Title" »

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- A full recap of North Carolina State's thrilling 69-68 win is on the way, but first, here's the All-Tournament team.

Michael Beasley, Kansas State
Will Thomas, George Mason
Jason Thompson, Rider
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova
Courtney Fells, N.C. State (MVP)

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 09:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Gavin Grant got fouled while trying to put up a desperation three-pointer for N.C. State.

With .4 seconds left, he got three free throws and made the final two to put the Wolfpack up 69-68.

Villanova called a timeout, but there's no way they can get a makeable shot off in .4 seconds.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 09:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Oh wow, Dante Cunningham is the MVP tonight.

He just made a put back after Corey Stokes missed a lay up to put the Wildcats up 68-67 with 2.2 seconds left.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 08:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Jay Wright just called a timeout with 15 seconds left.

Villanova has the ball, down 67-66 after Degand made one of two free throws.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 08:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- N.C. State totally whiffed on its possession and lost the ball, but luckily a loose-ball foul was called on Villanova's Reggie Redding.

Farnold Degand is shooting free throws for N.C. State, the game is still tied, with 20 seconds left.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 08:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- It's 66-66 after Villanova's Reggie Redding and N.C. State's J.J. Hickson traded baskets over the last minute.

N.C. State has the ball with 28 seconds left on the shot clock, so whatever happens on this possession, Villanova will get the final shot.

Stay tuned.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 08:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The announcer at The Milk House stuttered for a second when Villanova's No. 31 entered the game with 6:37 left.

He must have looked at his box score and seen no No. 31 on the Wildcats' roster. There wasn't even a name on the back of the jersey.

The announcer quickly realized, however, that No. 31 was forward Dante Cunningham, formerly No. 33.

Cunningham had left the game earlier, and must have bloodied his No. 33 jersey so much that he had to switch uniforms.

Anyways, with 3:53 left, Cunningham is back with a bandage over his left eye, and Villanova trails N.C. State 64-62 in what is becoming an edge-of-your-seat affair.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 08:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Villanova, playing without Shane Clark and Dante Cunningham, has managed to go on a seven-point streak to tie things up with N.C. State at 57-57 with 7:28 left in the Old Spice Classic Championship Game.

Clark is likely done for the game with some sort of hamstring injury, while Cunningham went out a minute ago and is still being tended to for a cut above his left eye. I expect Cunningham to return by the next TV timeout.

Clark and Cunningham are Villanova's second and third scorers behind Scottie Reynolds, so winning without them would be a major accomplishment.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 08:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- It continues to be a see-saw battle here at The Milk House.

N.C. State took the lead back from Villanova with the score 49-47 with 11:55 left.

J.J. Hickson came off the bench to start the second half just as he did the first, but he has scored six points since entering the game this half.

He has 11 points for the game.

If Hickson continues his strong play, I think N.C. State just might be able to hang on. But Villanova could wake up at any time and go on a run, especially if Scottie Reynolds can get hot again.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Shane Clark is not on the floor for Villanova to start the second half, but that doesn't seem to be that big of a deal.

Villanova just went on a mini six-point run to take a 43-42 lead with 15:58 left in the game.

Jay Wright has opted for a three-guard lineup in Clark's absence, subbing in Corey Fisher to work with the starting five.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 08:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The chants of Wolf!-Pack! are reverberating here at the Milk House as N.C. State hushed Villanova to end the first half.

The Wolfpack scored the final 11 points of the half to go up, 38-33. It's too bad that time ran out, as N.C. State was certainly on its way to a double-digit lead.

Villanova coach Jay Wright may be without forward Shane Clark in the second half. Clark went down with what appeared to be a left thigh injury with 1:39 left in the half and spent the rest of the half on the bench with trainers surrounding him.

Clark is Villanova's second leading scorer and top rebounder, so Wildcats fans have to be very concerned.

Here are some halftime stats:

N.C. State somehow leads despite giving up 16 turnovers and only causing eight from Villanova.

Luckily, the Wildcats are shooting 61 percent from the field, with guard Courtney Fells leading the way with 14 points. Center Ben McCauley added 10 points and five rebounds.

For Villanova, Scottie Reynolds has 10 points and three assists and Dante Cunningham has eight points and four rebounds.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 07:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Villanova point guard Scottie Reynolds and N.C. State center J.J. Hickson, a pair of underclassmen, are playing like they're used to the national TV stage.

Reynolds has come on in the last few minutes, getting a steal for an easy layup and feeding Dante Cunningham for a slam to keep Villanova ahead, 28-23, with 3:58 left in the first half.

After coming off the bench, Hickson has provided a nice inside presence for N.C. State. He just scored his first points while getting fouled, but he also picked up a goaltending call on the other end.

I'd still say Villanova is playing better basketball.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 07:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Guard Corey Fisher has come off the bench with a spark for Villanova, scoring five straight points to give the Wildcats a 20-16 lead.

It seems that the Wildcats have gotten into a groove after a slow start, and N.C. State is having trouble matching them in strength and speed.

There is 7:40 left in the first half.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 07:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe has brought star freshman center J.J. Hickson off the bench, but that didn't stop Villanova from making a run.

The Wildcats cut the deficit to 12-11, and we are now 8 minutes into the game.

Hickson started the team's first two games and led the Wolfpack in scoring, but he has not been in the starting lineup at the Old Spice Classic because of disciplinary issues.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 07:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Neither Villanova nor N.C. State has wowed early on, but the Wolfpack have been just a bit better shooting the three-ball.

The Wolfpack lead, 9-4, with 15:28 remaining in the first half on the strength of a couple of early threes.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 07:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The stadium here is a little bigger than your average high school gym, and it's only half-filled, pretty sad, but to be expected with no local teams and it being Thanksgiving weekend.

Here are the starting lineups:

Villanova
Scottie Reynolds
Shane Clark
Dante Cunningham
Casiem Drummond
Reggie Redding

N.C. State
Brandon Costner
Gavin Grant
Ben McCauley
Farnold Degand
Courtney Fells

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 06:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The George Mason-South Carolina consolation final went a little long on time (George Mason won it 69-68), so the N.C. State-Villanova game will not start until approximately 6:55 p.m. ET.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 06:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Wolfpack and the Wildcats are readying to close out the Old Spice Classic with the winner gaining some serious momentum heading into the rest of the non-conference season.

Continue reading "N.C. State-Villanova Preview" »

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 05:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Roy Williams hit the nail on the head in Saturday's post-game press conference.

"I thought it was ugly as all get out," Williams said of UNC's 73-63 win over BYU tonight. "The toughness is what you've got to have [in a game like this]...For a while we were playing football under our basket and football under the other basket."

Tonight's win over a good BYU team was 180 degrees from the vintage fast-breaking offensive showcase Carolina put on in a 99-82 victory over Old Dominion on Friday. And it was good for Carolina.

Continue reading "UNC Leaves Vegas With Very Different Wins" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- North Carolina got all it could handle from a very tough BYU squad but held on for a 73-63 victory to secure the Las Vegas Invitational title and likely its No. 1 ranking. Tyler Hansbrough led the way with 21 points while Wayne Ellington dropped in 15, including the clutch 3-pointer down the stretch that secured the victory.

Danny Green and Wayne Ellington earned All-Tournament honors while Tyler Hansbrough was named MVP. I'll check back in one more time after hitting up the press conference.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- After struggling all night from the field, Wayne Ellington picked a clutch time to find his stroke. With about two minutes left, he launched a shot from well behind the NBA 3-point line to give UNC a 67-61 lead, his first make in five attempts from long range.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Carolina holds a 64-61 lead with 2:46 to go. BYU is clearly not going to back down. This one's coming down to the wire.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Carolina almost just got two points without putting the ball in the hoop. Quentin Thomas drove the lane and drew a blocking foul, and the officials put up two points on the scoreboard after his shot missed. Of course this put BYU coach Dave Rose into fits. It's a good thing he was paying attention.

Had he not loudly protested, the refs probably wouldn't have reviewed the game tape to make the correction. In the mean time, BYU holds a 59-58 lead with about seven minutes left.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- While a basketball game has broken out at the Orleans Arena, the fans were just treated to the timeout entertainment antics of Roger Clamens, a ridiculous blow-up doll of a giant clam wearing a baseball uniform.

His act consisted primarily of playing fetch with a giant pearl and evidently eating a man. I love this town.

Meanwhile the game is tied at 46 and Tyler Hansbrough and BYU guard Ben Murdock almost got into a fight battling for a loose ball.

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- It's taken BYU four minutes to turn a 38-31 halftime deficit into a 44-42 lead. Joe Tavernari just hit his sixth 3-pointer of the night to take the lead and force UNC Head Coach Roy Williams into taking a timeout. Trent Plaisted is leading the way for the BYU run with seven quick points during the run.

With Ty Lawson out for the game, Carolina could be in trouble.

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Neither team has kept up the torrid pace of the first five minutes as UNC holds a 31-25 lead with 3:29 left in the first half. With Ty Lawson on the sidelines it's a completely different game. Where it started with a run-and-gun style, both teams have settled into a halfcourt rhythm.

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- The pace has slowed down a bit at the Orleans Arena as Carolina goes into the third media timeout holding a 26-21 lead over BYU with 7:53 left in the first half. As usual, the Heels are going early and often to Tyler Hansbrough who has nine points and two rebounds.

But Carolina can't find and answer for BYU star Joe Tavernari, who already has 12 points. Tavernari lit up Louisville for 29 and looks intent on campaigning for Most Outstanding Player honors.

As for Ty Lawson, he appears to be walking comfortably on his rolled ankle, but is still wearing his warmups on the sideline. It's not looking like he'll see any more action tonight.

Posted by Jason Owens at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- I just got an assist from Sports Illustrated writer Seth Davis who spoke with UNC SID Steve Kirschner about Ty Lawson's injury. The Carolina point guard rolled his ankle and is going to try to come back in. He just put his right shoe back on and walked down the tunnel to test it out.

Meanwhile, UNC has a 26-19 lead with 10:45 left in the first half.

Posted by Jason Owens at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Bad news for the Tar Heels. Starting point guard Ty Lawson is out of the game and icing his right ankle on the bench and does not look like he's coming back in. I'll check back in as we find out more details.

Posted by Jason Owens at 10:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- As expected, North Carolina and BYU are lighting up the scoreboard early as the Tar Heels hold a 15-11 edge at the 14:27 mark. BYU runs the secondary break that Roy Williams has made famous at Kansas and Carolina, so neither team is using much of the shot clock. Deon Thompson has been the go-to guy for the Tar Heels with five points as he's looking for his first breakout game of the season.

Posted by Jason Owens at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- The anthem has been sung and Elvis is blaring over the loudspeakers, so that means we're about to tip off for the Las Vegas Invitational championship.

BYU enters the game fresh off an impressive win over sixth-ranked Louisville on Friday to face an even stiffer test against top-ranked North Carolina. Though it's the second of six straight games away from Chapel Hill for Carolina, tonight should feel like a home game with baby blue shirts filling most of the Orleans Arena.

For BYU, it's a chance to pull off another top 10 upset and truly enter the national spotlight. For Carolina, it's one of the first of a slew of tough non-conference matchups as trips to Ohio State and Kentucky are on the slate for next week.

Posted by Jason Owens at 10:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- In the end, it was a convincing win for UNC as it dropped Old Dominion, 99-82, to advance to face BYU in the Las Vegas Invitational final on Saturday. But Head Coach Roy Williams found some points for his Tar Heels to work on as they struggled to defend the Monarchs and came out with a 30-24 rebounding deficit.

"I think we had the effort," Williams said. "We have to be smarter and we have to anticipate more...We have to play defense early."

Continue reading "Williams: Heels Need To Play Smarter Defense" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 02:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- The Las Vegas Invitational final has been set as UNC advances to Saturday's championship round against BYU with a 99-82 win over Old Dominion. I'll check in on the press conference and be back to wrap things up.

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- OK, this one's officially over. Roy Williams just cleared his bench with UNC holding a 99-82 lead with 34.2 seconds left. The arena D.J. proceeded to blare 'Who Let the Dogs Out' over the loudspeakers. That doesn't seem appropriate.

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- UNC looks comfortably in the lead, but every time it looks like its going to pull away, Old Dominion hits another big shot to stay within striking distance. With 2:36 remaining, Carolina holds a 92-79 lead.

Don't get me wrong; I'd be stunned if the Monarchs made up that much ground in so little time, but I'm sure Roy Williams would rather his team be up by 23 than 13 at this point in the game. And he'd certainly rather his team play better defense.

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- North Carolina is slowly pulling away from ODU, but the Monarchs are still within striking distance facing a 65-54 deficit at the 11:53 mark of the second half. UNC looks great on defense but still can't slow down the Monarch offense as ODU has hit 6-of-8 second-half field goals.

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Deon Thompson hit a pair of strong buckets to kick off the second half as UNC has opened up its four-point halftime lead to 55-48 at the 15:56 mark. Carolina is still hot on offense and has managed to make a few stops on defense. First-half Monarchs star Brandon Johnson is also on the bench with his third foul. ODU needs to respond to keep the Tar Heels from pulling away.

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- A Danny Green three-pointer as time ran out in the first half gives UNC a 43-39 halftime edge over Old Dominion, but the Tar Heels can't be happy with how they've played so far. Old Dominion was strong from the field and on the offensive glass to keep pace with top-ranked UNC.

The fact that North Carolina is shooting 68 percent from the field and only has a four-point lead is the most telling stat. Tyler Hansbrough has been a force down low with 12 points and four rebounds, but Brandon Johnson has been equally effective on the other side, logging 14 points and a pair of assists. ODU is shooting 50 percent from the field and hit four 3-pointers in the first half. And when they miss, they've gotten second chances with 11 offensive rebounds. Carolina just has 10 rebounds total. Roy Williams has some adjustments to make at halftime.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- With the heavy pro-Carolina crowd behind them, the Tar Heels just came up with a much-needed defensive stop. UNC forced Old Dominion into a bad shot with the shot clock winding down that led to a Marcus Ginyard rebound and outlet pass to Wayne Ellington for a breakaway dunk.

On the next possession, UNC forced a quick turnover and holds a 36-34 lead at the 3:36 mark for the final media timeout of the first half. This looks like it could be the beginning of a run to build some separation before the half.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- It's now the third media timeout and North Carolina hasn't figured out how to slow down the ODU offense as the Monarchs hold a 30-26 lead at the 6:44 mark of the first half. They're shooting a blistering 60 percent from the field and floor leader Brandon Johnson hasn't missed a shot on the way to a 14-point start.

Carolina looks great on offense, shooting 11-of-19 behind nine points from Ty Lawson and eight from Tyler Hansbrough. But the Heels have to make some adjustments on the defensive side of the ball.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- We just saw some vintage Tyler Hansbrough. With the ball on the baseline under the basket, he took a shot in traffic and missed. He got his own rebound and took another challenged shot. He missed again. But he got the rebound again and didn't miss on the third shot.

But the Monarchs still hold the lead with a 21-20 edge thanks to 3-for-6 shooting from behind the arc.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Another media timeout and Old Dominion has taken the lead over Carolina. Behind strong shooting and a 12-point effort from point guard Brandon Johnson, the Monarchs hold an 18-16 lead at the 11:38 mark of the first half. Both teams are red hot on offense and shooting better than 50 percent from the field, which was expected of UNC.

If ODU can keep up the pace, this could be an interesting game.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Ty Lawson has North Carolina out to an early lead over Old Dominion, but it's not by much. The Tar Heel point guard hit his first three shots to tally seven points and open up an 11-10 UNC lead at the first media timeout. ODU guard Brandon Johnson has one-upped Lawson with eight points of his own as the Monarchs look strong early on offense.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- No. 1 North Carolina takes the court hoping for a different outcome than sixth-ranked Louisville faced in the early game upset at the hands of BYU. The Tar Heels are starting a stretch of six straight games away from Chapel Hill that will surely test their mettle as the nation's top-ranked team.

One thing is for sure. They won't be looking bast the Monarchs tonight toward Louisville with BYU advancing to the championship round of the Las Vegas Invitational.

A "Let's Go Tar Heels" chant has filled the Orleans arena as Carolina and ODU are set to square off. I'll check back in with some game updates.

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Missouri has held on for the win over Maryland.

Maryland seemed so close to taking control of the game but just couldn't get over that last hurdle. Missouri always had some little answer, whether it was a leaner in the lane by Stefon Hannah, a drive by Leo Lyons, or a steal by Keon Lawrence.

The Tigers were just one step ahead of Maryland. The score, 84-70, really doesn't do the game justice, as it was padded with free throws at the end.

Missouri showed that its brand of three-guard ball with little inside presence can still win games. However, that is against a Maryland team that is built similarily, yet plays a different style.

The real question for the Tigerse is whether post players like DeMarre Carroll will be able to stay out of foul trouble and Darryl Butterfield will start playing down low instead of hanging out 15 feet away from the basket. If Missouri can do that, they might survive the season ahead in the Big 12.

Maryland is just one star player away from being a very good team. At the end of the season, they could prove to be a dangerous team poised for a small run through the ACC Tournament or NCAA Tournament.

Posted by Chris Farrell at 09:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Grievis Vasquez seems to want to take this game into his own hands, and he is doing just that. Vasquez drew DeMarre Carroll's fifth foul a mere 10 seconds after Carroll rentered the game. Maryland has moved back into their own full court press and are trapping. Missouri is trying to sit on the ball and run the clock down as the Tigers are still clinging to a 72-67 lead with 1:46 left.

Posted by Chris Farrell at 09:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- With 5:30 left and Maryland threatening, only down by five, Missouri can't help but play sloppy ball. Mike Anderson had to call a 30-second timeout to regroup his team for the final push.

Darryl Butterfield came up huge for the Tigers scoring on a traditional three-point play, as Missouri has gone back into their full court press and is putting the game into the hands of their guards, Keon Lawrence and Stefon Hannah.

Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes have shown that they can easily break the press, and now it's whether they can translate that into points that will determine the game.

Posted by Chris Farrell at 09:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Every time Missouri tries to pull away, Maryland has an answer. The Terrapins seem to be getting closer and closer to taking the lead, as they are just a few defensive stops away from getting there.

Stefon Hannah of Missouri made a few bad decisions driving to the hoop and trying to draw the foul but ended up turning it over instead. Maryland has a chance to make it a one-possesion game with the scoreboard reading Missouri 63, Maryland 58.

Posted by Chris Farrell at 09:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Missouri seems to have righted the ship, but only due to the insertion of Stefon Hannah back into the lineup.

WIth Hannah in the lineup, that freed up Keon Lawrence, who answered with two straight field goals. MIssouri is back up by eight, but I think the slowed pace of the game favors Maryland.

Maryland seems to have the upper hand when it comes to rebounding and blocking out, and with Missouri continuing to drive the lane, that could prove to be the difference-maker.

Posted by Chris Farrell at 09:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KANSAS CITY, Mo.-- In the span of two mintues, DeMarre Carroll has commited two fouls and earned himself a spot on the bench, leaving a huge hole in Missouri's frontcourt.

Even though Missouri still has a four-point lead, Maryland seems to be slowly taking over the game. The Terps have slowed things down and taken Missouri out of their fast-paced game. It's almost as if Missouri is afraid to go with the press again and is playing timid right now.

Posted by Chris Farrell at 08:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Missouri has come out of the locker room for the second half a little cold.

Maryland has gone to the inside and Bambale Osby to pull within four, 45-41. Maryland's defense has seemec to step up and slow the game down. Maryland is playing more of a half-court game now to set up the inside play.

DeMarre Carroll, one of Missouri's big men, has just picked up his third foul three minutes into the second half.

Posted by Chris Farrell at 08:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Leo Lyons continues his impressive first half, putting up 13 points.

Maryland has gone to a full court press that led to a Missouri turnover and quick basket. The Tigers are quick to respond, though. As the first half winds down, both teams are in run-and-gun mode, but Maryland pushed it too hard and got called for an offensive foul.

Maryland seems to be trying to make one too many passes and driving too deep into Missouri's defense, causing offensive fouls and turnovers. Missouri is holding for the last shot and...travels

At the end of the first half, Missouri leads by six, 43-37.

Posted by Chris Farrell at 08:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Just when I thought Missouri remembered how to play the low post, they break down defensively. The Tigers just allowed Bambale Osby to score two straight baskets underneath, prompting Mike Anderson to call a 30-second timeout to regroup.

Missouri responded well with a three-point play from Leo Lyons, then a steal from the full court press and a basket by Stefon Hannah. Leo Lyons continues his low post dominance by scoring another field goal. It's Gary Williams' turn to call a timeout now.

It's Missouri 36, Maryland 25 with 5:28 left in the first half.

Posted by Chris Farrell at 08:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Missouri looks like a different team from the one that almost came back to beat Michiagn State last night. They are more patient on the offensive end showing excellent ball movement and not just driving for the hoop.

Maryland has gone to a full-court press to give Missouri a taste of their own medicine, and it worked. Jason Horton lost the ball for a backcourt violation. Maryland failed to capitalize, though, commiting an offensive foul.

Gary Williams' team seems to be just barely out of sync. His players are making hasty decisions on the offensive end, but once again, defense bails them out with a huge block. The score is Missouri 29, Maryland 21.

Posted by Chris Farrell at 08:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Against Michigan State last night, Missouri seemed to abandon the inside game, instead of settling for drives and three-pointers. Leo Lyons and DeMarre Carroll have established an early presence inside for the Tigers.

Missouri is also breaking down Maryland's backcourt game, which they were unable to do against Michigan State. Maryland needs an increase of defensive pressure from their big guys, more importantly shotblocker Bambale Osby.

Missouri maintains a nine-point lead, 25-16.

Posted by Chris Farrell at 07:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Missouri is playing like it is the championship game of the CBE Classic. They currently lead Maryland by five with 15:30 left in the first half. The Sprint Center is only about 1/4 full, but still is largely made up of Missouri fans.

DeMarre Carroll continues to impress in the first few games of his Missouri career. Grievous Vasquez once again seems to be Maryland's only offensive spark.

Posted by Chris Farrell at 07:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Sprint Center may be a state of the art brand new arena, but they still haven't worked everything out with their wireless internet. UCLA pulled out the victory 71-59 over Maryland.

Continue reading "Working Out The Bugs" »

Posted by Chris Farrell at 09:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Dare I say Maryland is putting together a little run? The Terps have cut the score to 46-35 with 10:18 left in the half.

Posted by Chris Farrell at 08:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Maryland has gone to a 3/4 court press in an effort to get back into this game, but UCLA's guards have been to easily break the press. Kevin Love once again continues to shine, the freshman has 12 points, but has shown an impressive versatility that includes a perimeter game.

Posted by Chris Farrell at 08:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KANSAS CITY, Mo.- Kevin Love is following up his buzzer beater at the end of the first half with some strong play. Ucla has opened up a 14 point lead over Gary William's Terps.

Posted by Chris Farrell at 08:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kevin Love just nailed a 3 pointer, and in no way did it look like it was shot by a 6'10" center. Sophomore Bruin's guard Russel Westbrook has an incredibly intricately shaved mohawk that lookes like it took about 3 hours, and he is putting it to use driving to the basket for a dunk and drawing the foul.

Continue reading "Big Time" »

Posted by Chris Farrell at 07:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Neither team is showing much offensive prowess. UCLA is playing the tough defense that Coach Ben Howland is known for, while Maryland is mathcing that. Unfortunately it is leading to a 22-15 game in favor of the Bruins with 3:22 left in the first half.

Posted by Chris Farrell at 07:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A 6:00 p.m. Central start time and no where to park, along with rush hour traffic, means a half full Sprint Center. UCLA has a four-point lead over Maryland. Bruin freshman star Kevin Love has two points so far in the game but looks impressive crashing the boards.

Posted by Chris Farrell at 07:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Leading up to North Carolina's season opener against Davidson, the Tar Heels couldn't stop talking about just how dangerous they knew the Wildcats were. It took a down-to-the-wire finish to truly get them to believe it.

Continue reading "Davidson Puts Scare Into UNC" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- You could feel the momentum shift somewhere around the three-and-a-half-minute mark when Ty Lawson hit a driving layup to put Carolina up 64-61. But Davidson still had a chance, holding the ball down three with less than a minute left. That was until a wild miss from Andrew Lovedale gave the ball back to the Tar Heels and Lawson hit a pair of free throws. Then it was on to score-and-foul time, which Carolina survived. The final: UNC 72, Davidson 68.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A minute after Hansbrough picked up his fourth foul for UNC, Davidson guard Stephen Curry picked up his fourth. Both are on the bench at the moment, but with this game tied at 61 with less than five minutes to go, it won't be long before we see them again.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Moments after Davidson retook the lead, 57-56, on a Stephen Curry 3-pointer, UNC's Tyler Hansbrough fouled Curry going for a loose ball. That sent Curry to the line and was Hansbrough's fourth foul -- and there's still more than six minutes to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The scoring had slowed for a bit here -- UNC had just two field goals in the second half with nine minutes to go -- but a Will Archambault and Danny Green just traded 3-pointers, and the score is 50-49 Wildcats.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- UNC backup guard Bobby Frasor just entered the game, and the public-address guy announced him as "Brendan Fraser." No word on whether Pauly Shore or Sean Astin will be suiting up for the Tar Heels.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Tyler Hansbrough had managed to stay out of foul trouble, but picked up a quick pair at the 17:07 mark of the second half when he was called for a personal foul and then a technical when he objected. On top of that, the Tar Heels' halftime lead quickly disappeared, though they just hit a layup to retake the lead 40-39.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- During all of North Carolina's preseason, reporter after reporter has asked coach Roy Williams about his team's ability to shoot from the outside. Don't worry, he told them, "we can shoot the crap out of the ball." Well, the last three minutes of the half sure made Ol' Roy look pretty smart.

Continue reading "UNC Shooting Heats Up Before Half" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Hardly anyone in the nation can match Tyler Hansbrough under the basket, and Davidson is learning that the hard way. Ever since the Wildcats opened up the seven point lead, Hansbrough has been a maniac snatching rebounds and drawing fouls. Now he's got 12 points (and eight boards, by my unofficial count) and the Tar Heels are have tied the game at 28 with four minutes to go in the half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Senior point guard Quentin Thomas is seeing plenty of action for the Tar Heels as things just keep getting worse for Ty Lawson. Lawson finally checked back in after a lengthy absence only to quickly pick up his third foul of the game on a charge at the 10:29 mark. And now Thomas has two fouls himself, as Jason Richards is really giving the UNC point guards a run for their money. Davidson's got it's biggest lead, 19-12.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Right now nobody can hit anything outside of about six feet. And even inside six feet hasn't been much of a guarantee. Davidson is leading 11-8 at the 11:46 mark, but to call the shooting by both teams atrocious would probably be generous. The Tar Heels have even missed four consecutive free throws. Yikes.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson is off to a rough start. He picked up two fouls in the first three minutes, including getting absolutely abused on a baseline move by Davidson point guard Jason Richards that went for a layup. Moments later, he got called for a travel at the other end, and Davidson is up 7-4 early.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- For the second year in a row, North Carolina opens its season in Charlotte. But this time the opponent is going to be a little bit tougher than Sacred Heart.

Continue reading "Heels Open With Davidson" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 06:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- At no point in Jon Scheyer's basketball life has he ever not been a starter. But right now, having Scheyer come off the bench is looking like a pretty good plan for Duke. The sophomore guard, who started 32 of 33 games last season, hit four three-pointers on the way to a team-leading 22 points in the Blue Devils' 86-61 win against New Mexico State at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Continue reading "Scheyer Leads Blue Devils Off The Bench" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- New Mexico State managed to cut Duke's lead to 17 with five and a half minutes to go but wouldn't get any closer than that. Duke's Jon Scheyer hit a three to put the Devils up 76-54 with 3:30 to go, and that should just about do it.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- When Duke fan favorite Marty Pocius had a steal and dunk a few minutes ago -- sparking a chant of "Marty! Marty!" from the crowd -- it sure looked like the Blue Devils were just going to continue pulling farther and farther away. But thanks to a Fred Peete three-pointer and a layup from Wendell McKines, the advantage is now 63-44 with 10:36 to play.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Nothing is going down for the Aggies right now, and the Blue Devils have opened the second half on a 12-4 run to push their lead to 59-30. It all started with an alley-oop from Greg Paulus to DeMarcus Nelson that quickly put life back into the crowd after halftime.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- After the Aggies pulled within 10, the Blue Devils turned up the intensity a notch and scored 10 of the final 12 points of the first half to go into the locker room with a 47-26 lead.

Continue reading "Duke Up 21 At Halftime" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Well, the Aggies aren't giving up after all following that big Duke run. They've hit a couple of shots, and the Blue Devils haven't been able to make outside shots to make New Mexico State pay for playing a zone defense (which they're doing almost exclusively). It's now 27-17 Duke at the 7:44 mark. And at the urging of the crowd, the famed Crazy Towel Guy is waving his towel. We'll see how that affects the momentum.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- Remember that game that was tied 6-6? Well since then, the Blue Devils have gone on a 19-2 run -- capped by a nice reverse layup and foul by point guard Greg Paulus -- to completely take control of this game. They're destroying the Aggies on the boards and forcing turnover after turnover. The only reason the lead hasn't grown as I type this is because it's a TV timeout.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- About a minute after that last post, NMSU started taking quick shots that weren't even close, and the Blue Devils quickly converted. A three ball from Duke freshman Taylor King prompted a quick Aggies timeout with the score 13-6.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- There is some fan battling going on in the opening minutes, strange for a place where the Crazies are usually dominant. The section behind the NMSU bench started a "Let's Go Aggies" chant, which the Crazies met with a chant of "Sit! Sit! Sit!" So far the New Mexico State fans have plenty to be excited about, with the game tied at 6 at the 17:30 mark.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DURHAM, N.C. -- It's not likely that Duke will get as big of a blowout win as it did in the season opener against North Carolina Central, but for this game to end with any less of a difference than 20 points, New Mexico state will have to play the game of its young season.

Continue reading "Approaching Tip-Off At Cameron" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 06:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)