December 7, 2011
Welcome college basketball fans to another edition of NCAA Daily. Number of exciting games last night and we will start with the fantastic finish that went down at the second game at Madison Square Garden last night for the Jimmy V Classic:
Jae Crowder’s Late Three Seals Win Against Washington
(Tom Enlund/The Journal Sentinel)
After missing his first three attempts from long distance, Marquette senior forward Jae Crowder nailed the game winning triple with 6.3 seconds remaining in a thrilling 79-77 win over the Washington Huskies. Coach Buzz Williams and the Golden Eagles are a perfect 8-0 on the season and are now the 11th ranked team in the nation. Darius Johnson-Odom had 23 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists while Crowder finished with 18 points and 6 rebounds for the winning team.
The Huskies had a timeout remaining at the end of the game, but chose not to use it as Abdul Gaddy’s potential game winning shot sailed over the stanchion. Terrence Ross had a fantastic game in defeat, finishing with 19 points and 9 rebounds. He had a brilliant 360 alley-oop from freshman Tony Wroten and hit some big shots to keep Washington in the game and give them a chance to win. CJ Wilcox finished with 15 points and 4 blocks, one being a fantastic chase down on Johnson-Odom on a fast break.
The Huskies dominated the glass 41-28 and shot a solid percentage from the field, but Marquette forced more turnovers and did a much better job getting to the line. The Golden Eagles made 19-27 free throws compared to just 5-10 for the Huskies and they had 20 assists to only 10 TO’s. Tony Wroten finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds for Washington, but Marquette freshman Todd Mayo had a strong showing of his own with 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Lorenzo Romar’s Huskies are now 4-3 and have a tough Saturday match-up against Duke at the Gardens.
Ratliffe Perfect From the Field, Missouri Undefeated on the Season
(Martin Manley/Upon Further Review)
Senior forward Ricardo Ratliffe shot a perfect 8-8 from the field (at least, according to the official box score) and kept Missouri perfect on the season at 8-0. Ratliffe gained fantastic post position throughout the game and is shooting an unbelievable 30-32 (93.8%) from the field in his last four games. This moves his season percentage up to 77.3% for the 6’8 Ratliffe, who also averages 14.3 ppg and 7.1 rpg for the #10 ranked team in the nation. He scored 17 points and had 11 rebounds in the Tigers 81-71 win last night over Villanova in the Jimmy V Classic.
Ratliffe was not the only hot shooting senior on Missouri, as guard Marcus Denmon showed his incredible array of offense scoring 28 points on 10-16 shooting from the field while shooting 6-10 from long distance. Denmon is averaging 21.3 ppg for the nations #6 scoring offense, plus posting unreal averages of 54.7% FG, 50% 3 PT and 89.7% FT. Another senior, guard Kim English added 15 points and 3 triples in last nights victory.
The guard heavy Tigers spread the rock incredibly well, with 23 assists on the game. Sophomore PG Flip Pressey had a career high with 12 assists as the Tigers were able to hold off the Villanova attack. Junior PG Maalik Wayns led the Wildcats scorers with 14 and had 9 helpers in the loss. Fantastic ball control was another key to Missouri’s effective play as they only had 8 turnovers to Villanova’s 15.
#4 North Carolina Torches Evansville
(Aaron Beard/AP Sports Writer/Seattle Times)
North Carolina got a nice break from playing highly ranked opponents as they beat opponent Evansville 97-48. No Tar Heel starter played more than 25 minutes in the 49 point blow out, which also saw North Carolina gain a 59-26 advantage in the battle of the boards. Harrison Barnes led the Tar Heels scoring charge with 17 points while fellow sophomore Reggie Bullock had 15 points and 4 three balls off of the bench. They also got a pair of double-doubles from junior PF John Henson (13/12) and senior C Tyler Zeller (12/10). The Tar Heels also had 43-11 advantage in terms of foul shots as they moved to 7-2 on the season.
#3 Syracuse Holds Off Marshall To Stay Unbeaten
(Mike Waters/The Post-Standard)
In a game that Syracuse guard called "harder than (#12) Florida", Syracuse managed to stave off mid-major Marshall, 62-56. Syracuse held off a 17 point and 15 rebound performance by Thundering Herd junior forward Dennis Tinnon to get to 9-0 on the season. Jardine was a key contributor in getting Cuse the win down the stretch as he finished with 10 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 of Syracuse’s 12 steals. Sophomore guard Dion Waiters had 15 points and senior wing Kris Joseph had 11 points in the victory. Syracuse was outrebounded 40-32 by Marshall and had a rather poor shooting game in the close contest.
#13 Kansas Survives Home Scare Against Long Beach State
(Austin Meek/The Capital-Journal)
Down as much as 19, Long Beach State 49ers fought back to make it a 60-56 game before eventually succumbing to the Kansas Jayhawks, 88-80. Thomas Robinson finished the game with a career high 26 points and added 11 rebounds. Thomas had 18 points, shooting 8-8 from the field, in the first half as the Jayhawks built a nice lead. “We wanted Robinson to try to beat us on the perimeter, and he certainly did that,” Long Beach coach Dan Monson said. “He showed why he’s an All-America candidate.”
Jayhawks center Jeff Withey also had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, adding 9 blocks in the almost triple double. The 49ers were led by senior forward TJ Robinson with 19 points. Junior wing James Ennis added 16 points and 6 steals for LBSU, while star PG Casper Ware had 16 and 4 steals but was held to 3-11 FG. Bill Self definitely has to preach better decision making to his Jayhawks squad as they had 22 turnovers on the game. They play #2 Ohio State on Saturday, so they better hold onto the ball if they want a chance at the upset.
#15 Pitt Stomps VMI, 97-70
(John Grupp/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Ashton Gibbs led 5 double digit scorers for Pittsburgh with 20 as they moved to 8-1 on the season. Gibbs missed 10 of his first 13 shots, but finished the game off strong for Jamie Dixon’s squad. Nasir Robinson added 19 points and 14 boards while JJ Moore, Dante Taylor and John Johnson all scored double figures off of the bench. Pittsburgh outrebounded the VMI Keydets 55-27 and came close to reaching 100 points for the third time in Jamie Dixon’s nine year Panther career, but did not score in the final 1:15. Most fans ended up buying Chalupas, regardless.
Will Barton’s Big Game Helps Memphis take down Miami
(Jason Smith/Memphis Commercial Appeal)
Sophomore guard Will Barton has blossomed this season as the Tigers go-to guy, putting up 27 points and 14 rebounds in the Tigers 71-54 win over the Miami Hurricanes. Barton showed fantastic athleticism and a soft touch from the field, definitely showing flashes of why many consider him a future NBA prospect. The Tigers took control of the game in the second half the Tigers snapped a 27 game home winning streak against non-conference opponents held by Miami at the BankUnited Center. The Tigers play at home on Sunday against 9-0 Murray State and are sure to give them there best opponent of the year.
UCLA’s Reeves Nelson Suspended, Again
(Diane Pucin/LA Times)
As if getting off to a 2-5 start was not bad enough for the Bruins, Reeves Nelson now already has more suspensions in the season than the Bruins have wins. Nelson, last years leading scorer and rebounder for UCLA, was suspended earlier in the season for what was described as conduct detrimental to the team. He missed a game and was brought back, only to miss the teams flight to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational and be suspended for the first half of the teams opening game with Chaminade.
Now, Nelson is once again suspended, indefinitely. Nelson played only 12 minutes in UCLA’s latest 69-59 home loss to Texas. Coach Ben Howland claimed that Nelson’s recent behavior, which included him laughing on the bench during the loss to Texas, is what caused the decision to suspend Nelson once again. Howland made it seem like Nelson will not play Saturday as UCLA takes on Pennsylvania and time will only tell if the junior forward stays at UCLA.
Arizona’s Josiah Turner Suspended For Game Against #12 Florida
(The Arizona Republic/Arizona Republic News)
When coach Sean Miller signed Josiah Turner to the Arizona Wildcats, many thought that Turner would immediately put "Point Guard U" back on the map. Instead, Turner has struggled with his transition to NCAA basketball and his latest set back includes being suspended for tonights game against the #12 ranked Florida Gators. Sean Miller announced that Turner was suspended due to violations of team policy and that they will have to meet with him once they return to campus. Arizona had a very highly regarded recruiting class with Turner expected to make the most immediate impact. The class has not been what they expected, as F/C Sidiki Johnson has decided to transfer and Turner has been averaging as many turnovers as assists. SG Nick Johnson has been the key freshman for the Wildcats, averaging 10.8 ppg while shooting well from long distance.
Jarnell Stokes Considering Entering College in January
(Jeff Borzello/CBS Sports)
After being denied a hardship appeal to play basketball at Southwind Prep after transferring from Central High, Jarnell Stokes was not expected to play basketball this season. However, Stokes may indeed have a different way to possibly suit up, which would be his joining a collegiate squad as early as January. The Tennessee based Stokes, a burly 6’8 and 265 pound PF, says he is on track to graduate this month and may apply to go to college mid-year.
Stokes is currently considering Memphis, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee. According to Stokes’ father, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida and Tennessee have scholarships available for January. Also, according to Jason Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Memphis believes Stokes could qualify for an academic scholarship and be a walk-on for a semester. Certainly an intriguing thought for these schools as Stokes was considered a lock to be a McDonald’s All-American had he been able to play high school ball this season.
That is today’s NCAA Daily, be back with more for everyone tomorrow!
