NCAA Games of the WeekBy: Dan Kirby

Monday December 3rd

#9 Georgetown Hoyas  12-2 Big East at St. John’s Red Storm 9-3 Big East

Key Players:

Georgetown:
6’1 Jr. Austin Freeman 19.1Pts 2.7Reb 2.4Ast 57%FG 2.3 3’s 48% 83%FT
6’2 Jr. Jason Clark 13.2Pts 3.9Reb 1.7Stl 2.2 3’s 43% 76%FT
6’1 Sr. Chris Wright 12.8Pts 2.6Reb 6.3Ast 1.8Stl 1.5 3’s 36% 76%FT
6’9 Sr. Julian Vaughn 9.0Pts 6.7Reb 2.1Blk 53%FG 67%FT
6’7 So. Hollis Thompson 8.2Pts 4.8Reb 54%FG 1.1 3’s 45% 67%FT

St. Johns:
6’2 Sr. Dwight Hardy 15.9Pts 3.1Reb 2.6Ast 1.4Stl 1.6 3’s 28% 90%FT
6’7 Sr. Justin Brownlee 14.4Pts 4.5Reb 1.2Stl 1.5Blk 58%FG 73%FT
6’6 Sr. DJ Kennedy 12.6Pts 6.2Reb 2.3Ast 1.5Stl 52%FG 73%FT
6’8 Sr. Justin Burrell 6.5Pts 5.8Reb 59%FG 50%FT

Breakdown:
As opposed to years past, the Hoyas rely on their guards instead of big men and will go as far as they can take them. In their 55-69 loss to Notre Dame, Clark and Wright shot a combined 4-18 for 11Pts including 2-13 from 3. They bounced back against DePaul as Wright had 17Pts 7Ast and Clark had 21Pts in a 86-75 win. Freeman continues to be one of the best shooters in the country and had 21Pts each game while shooting 17-28 (61%) overall. The Hoyas are 2nd in the country in FG% at 52%.

The Red Storm have 9 seniors on their roster and have opened conference play with 2 big road wins against West Virginia and Providence. Those wins go a long way on your tournament resume. Hardy had 21Pts 6Reb and 2Stl in the providence win and Brownlee added 14Pts 9reb 4Ast. Here is St. Johns next 8 games:

#9 Georgetown, @ #15 Notre Dame, #5 Syracuse, #15 Notre Dame, @ #22 Louisville, #24 Cincinnati, @ #9 Georgetown, #1 Duke……..yikes!  Those teams are a combined 100-10 right now.

Key Match Up: Hoya backcourt vs. Storm backcourt
Seniors Hardy, 5’9 Malik Boothe and 6’3 Paris Horne will have their hands full with one of the best trio of guards in college. Freeman, Clark and Wright combine for over 6 3’s a game.

Tuesday December 4th

#4 Connecticut Huskies 11-1 Big East at #15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 12-2 Big East

Key Players:

Connecticut:
6’1 Jr. Kemba Walker 26.7Pts 5.0Reb 3.8Ast 2.3Stl 2.3 3’s 39% 84%FT
6’9 So. Alex Oriakhi 11.3Pts 8.6Reb 2.2Blk 55%FG 66%FT
6’0 Fr. Shabaaz Napier 8.5Pts 2.3Reb 2.7Ast 1.9Stl 1.2 3’s 33% 72%FT
6’5 Fr. Jeffrey Lamb 7.7Pts 4.9Reb 0.8Blk 43%Fg 75%FT
6’8 Fr. Roscoe Smith 6.7Pts 6.0Reb 1.8Blk 36%FG 87%FT

Notre Dame:
6’8 Sr. Tim Abromaitis 16.3Pts 7.2Reb 2.3Ast 2.3 3’s 39% 84%FT
6’3 Sr. Ben Hansbrough 15.2Pts 3.6Reb 4.0Ast 2.5 3’s 46% 80%FT
6’7 Sr. Carleton Scott 11.9Pts 6.4Reb 2.6Ast 1.8Blk 1.4 3’s 34% 88%FT
6’8 Sr. Tyrone Nash 10.1Pts 6.3Reb 2.8Ast 44%FG 73%FT

Breakdown:
The Huskies are starting to get exposed  as a one man team as they lost 63-78 to #6 Pitt and barely beat South Florida 66-61. Walker was the only player in double figures (31Pts) in the Pitt loss and the Huskies shot 19-60 (32%) from the floor including 5-21 from 3. They shot poor against South Florida as well hitting only 2-14 from 3 but were saved at the foul line by going 22-26 from the stripe. They are a very young team with 3 freshmen logging big minutes and Oriakhi has struggled lately averaging just 5.5Reb over his last 6 including a total of 4 over his last 2.

Life in the Big East can be brutal. Like St. Johns, The Irish wrap up a 7 day span against 3 top 10 teams. They shot lights out in their 69-55 win over Georgetown as Abromaitis had 20Pts on 5-7 shooting from 3 and Hansbrough added 17Pts 6reb 3Ast and was 10-10 from the free throw line. They went cold in their 58-70 loss to Syracuse as they shot 7-21 from 3 and only had 7FT attempts. The Irish are one of the top teams in the nation in 3’s as they average over 8 made a game.

Key Match Up: Hansbrough vs. Walker
Hansbrough is feisty and ultra competitive but isn’t the athlete Walker is. He will try and keep pace with the explosive guard and shut down the head of the Huskie offense.

Wednesday December 5th

UAB Blazers 10-2 C-USA  at #1 Duke Blue Devils 13-0 ACC

Key Players:

UAB:
6’4 Sr. Jamarr Sanders 17.2Pts 4.7Reb 1.3Stl 2.3 3’s 35% 83%FT
6’8 Jr. Cameron Moore 17.1Pts 9.1Reb 1.2Blk 56%FG 1.2 3’s 52%
5’8 Sr. Aaron Johnson 10.1Pts 2.9Reb 8.2Ast 2.0Stl 89%FT
6’8 So. Ovie Soko 10.1Pts 5.9Reb 1.0Blk 48%FG

Duke:
6’2 Sr. Nolan Smith 18.6Pts 4.7Reb 5.6Ast 54%FG 1.5 3’s 41% 76%FT
6’8 Sr. Kyle Singler 17.5Pts 5.8Reb 1.4Stl 2.2 3’s 39% 83%FT
6’4 So. Andre Dawkins 12.2Pts 1.1Stl 57%FG 2.5 3’s 53% 82%FT
6’2 So. Seth Curry 7.6Pts 2.1Ast 1.5Stl 1.5 3’s 44% 89%FT
6’10 Mason Plumlee 7.5Pts 7.7Reb 1.6Blk 56%FG 41%FT

Breakdown:
UAB’s Aaron Johnson is 2nd in the nation in assists and leads a Blazer team that only allows 58.9Pts per game. The Blazers are one of the best 3 point shooting teams in the nation and they are facing a Duke team that shoots 45% from beyond the arc. Jamarr Sanders had 23Pts 7Reb in their 79-44 rout of George Washington and also poured in 29 in their 68-65 comeback against VCU in which they trailed by 12 with under 5 minutes to go. Sophomore Dexter Fields has averaged 17.5Pts and hit 8-18 3’s over his last 2 games.

Nolan Smith is playing better than anyone in the country as of late. Over his last 4 games, he is averaging 24.5Pts 5.5Reb 5.8Ast and has shot an amazing 67% from the floor including 10-14 from 3. Kyle Singler has also been hot as he has averaged 21.5Pts 6.5Reb and has nailed 11-24 from 3 over that same span. The ever emerging Andre Dawkins scored 16Pts and had 4Stl in their 74-63 win over Miami (FL).

Key Match Up: Johnson vs. Smith
Nolan Smith is one of the best defenders in the country and will try and stop the Blazer attack which runs through Johnson, and Johnson will try and contain the Player of the Year candidate despite giving up 7 inches in height.

#21 Memphis Tigers 11-2 C-USA  at Tennessee Volunteers 9-4 SEC

Key Players:

Memphis:
6’6 Fr. Will Barton 12.8Pts 5.0Reb 3.0Ast 1.5Stl 41%FG 72%FT
6’9 Jr. Wesley Witherspoon 12.5Pts 5.2Reb 1.6Stl 54%FG 82%FT
6’0 Fr. Joe Jackson 10.8Pts 2.9Reb 4.3Ast 1.2Stl 38%FG 81%FT
6’4 Fr. Chris Crawford 9.0Pts 3.6Reb 3.2Ast 1.8Stl 2.0 3’s 38%

Tennessee:
6’7 Jr. Scotty Hopson 16.4Pts 3.4Reb 1.4 3’s 33% 78%FT
6’8 Fr. Tobias Harris 15.0Pts 6.6Reb 45%FG 71%FT
6’6 Jr. Cameron Tatum 10.5Pts 3.5Reb 2.2Ast 40%FG 71%FT
5’11 Sr. Melvin Goins 8.3Pts 2.8Reb 2.8Ast 1.8Stl
6’10 Sr. Brian Williams 6.5Pts 7.9Reb 50%FG 55%FT

Breakdown:
These are 2 teams headed in different directions. Memphis is starting to put it all together as all of their freshmen have been stepping it up, and they have a lot of freshmen. Will Barton had 19Pts 8Reb 4Ast last game and is starting to emerge. Will’s brother, 6’2 Antonio Barton had 24Pts on 5-6 from 3 and 6’8 Tarik Brown had 22Pts on 9-11 shooting in the Tigers 91-86 win over Tennessee State. Joe Jackson had 8Ast in the win and Crawford had 9Ast. Witherspoon had foul trouble and only finished with 3Pts but had 28Pts 14Reb 3Stl 3Blk in their 88-70 win over Lipscomb the previous game. All of these guys are starting to figure out their roles and the team is benefiting from it.

Tennessee is headed the other way. They have lost 4 of their last 6, have fallen out of the rankings, and coach Bruce Pearl is set to begin his 8 game suspension on January 8th. They have stopped playing the defense that had them mentioned as Final Four material in the preseason and allowed Charleston to shoot 57% from the floor and hit 14 3’s. Tobias Harris has been one of the only bright spots as he has scored in double figures in all but one game this season.

Key Match Up: Barton vs. Tatum
It sounds like a heavyweight fight but Tatum will be matched up against the leader of the young Tigers and try and slow his hot hand.

Saturday December 8th

Marquette Golden Eagles 10-4  at #6 Pittsburgh Panthers 13-1 Big East

Key Players:

Marquette:
6’7 Sr. Jimmy Butler 14.9Pts 6.4Reb 2.4Ast 1.4Stl 50%FG 77%FT
6’2 Jr. Darius Johnsom-Odom 14.6Pts 3.6Reb 2.5Ast 1.6 3’s 33%
6’6 Jr. Jae Crowder 12.7Pts 6.6Reb 1.7Stl 57%FG 1.2 3’s 42%
6’4 Fr. Vander Blue 9.9Pts 3.6Reb 3.0Ast 1.7Stl
6’3 Sr. Dwight Buycks 9.9Pts 3.6Reb 4.6Ast 1.5Stl 51%FG 81%FT

Pittsburgh:
6’2 Sr. Ashton Gibbs 16.8Pts 2.4Reb 3.6Ast 3.1 3’s 45% 87%FT
6’4 Sr. Brad Wanamaker 13.0Pts 4.9Reb 5.3Ast 1.8Stl 50%FG 76%FT
6’6 Sr. Gilbert Brown 10.9Pts 4.5Reb 3.2Ast 44%FG 74%FT
6’9 So. Dante Taylor 7.2Pts 5.6Reb 70%FG 56%FT

Breakdown:
Marquette isn’t the 3 point shooting team they have been in year’s past when guys like Wes Matthews. Lazar Hayward, Jerel McNeal and Dominic James were lighting up the Big East. This team relies on its defense and the ability to spread the ball around to win games. Junior college transfer Crowder had 29Pts 8Reb 5Ast on 12-14 shooting in their 79-74 win over West Virginia and has been their best player this season. Butler had 10Pts 7Reb 6Ast 2Stl and 2Blk in the game and brings the experience having played in some dog fights during his career. The Golden eagles have lost their 4 games by a combined 14Pts and will face 9 ranked opponents over their last 16 games.

Pitt showed how great their defense is as they held Uconn to 32% from the floor including 5-21 from 3 in their 78-63 whipping of the Huskies. Gibbs had 21Pts and 7Ast and big men Gary McGhee (11Pts 11Reb 3Blk) and Nasir Robinson (11Pts 10Reb 4Ast) provided the bruising down low that has had Pitt out rebound their opponents by +15 on the year.

Key Match Up: Crowder vs. Brown
Crowder will need to have another great shooting night as the Golden eagles simply can’t match up with Pitt on the boards.

#4 Connecticut Huskies 11-1 Big East  at #13 Texas Longhorns 11-2 Big 12

Key Players:

Connecticut:
6’1 Jr. Kemba Walker 26.7Pts 5.0Reb 3.8Ast 2.3Stl 2.3 3’s 39% 84%FT
6’9 So. Alex Oriakhi 11.3Pts 8.6Reb 2.2Blk 55%FG 66%FT
6’0 Fr. Shabaaz Napier 8.5Pts 2.3Reb 2.7Ast 1.9Stl 1.2 3’s 33% 72%FT
6’5 Fr. Jeffrey Lamb 7.7Pts 4.9Reb 0.8Blk 43%Fg 75%FT
6’8 Fr. Roscoe Smith 6.7Pts 6.0Reb 1.8Blk 36%FG 87%FT

Texas:
6’7 So. Jordan Hamilton 19.8Pts 7.2Reb 2.4Ast 2.7 3’s 41% 74%FT
6’8 Fr. Tristan Thompson 12.0Pts 8.1Reb 1.2Stl 2.0Blk 50%FG
6’6 Sr. Gary Johnson 11.7Pts 7.3Reb 48%FG 71%FT
6’3 Fr. Cory Joseph 11.7Pts 3.8Reb 3.1Ast 1.1Stl 1.7 3’s 41%

Breakdown:
I already broke down UConn above so I will just talk about Texas.

In Texas’ 95-75 win over Coppin State, they showed the difference between this team and last year’s team…defense. They out rebounded Coppin State 47-17 and have held opponents to 38%FG and 61.9Pts on the season. Jordan Hamilton has averaged 22Pts 8.3Reb and hit 12-29 from 3 over his last 3 games including wins over UNC and Michigan State. Tristan Thompson has put up 19.5Pts 12Reb and 2Blk over his last 2 and is the best defender on the team.
Key Match Up: Kemba vs. Joseph
If Joseph plays his usual defense and contains Walker, this game will be Texas’.

#11 Kentucky Wildcats 11-2 SEC  at Georgia Bulldogs 11-2 SEC

Key Players:

Kentucky:
6’3 Fr. Brandon Knight 18.0Pts 3.5Reb 3.9Ast 2.4 3’s 38% 78%FT
6’8 Fr. Terrence Jones 17.7Pts 9.2Reb 1.2Stl 2.0Blk 46%FG 60%FT
6’4 Fr. Doron Lamb 14.0Pts 52%FG 2.2 3’s 54% 83%FT
6’6 Jr. DeAndre Liggins 9.7Pts 4.4Reb 3.2Ast 1.5Stl
6’10 Sr. Josh Harrellson 6.8Pts 9.3Reb 1.2Blk 65%FG 89%FT

Georgia:
6’9 Jr. Trey Thompkins 17.4Pts 7.1Reb 1.3Stl 1.5Blk 52%FG
6’4 Jr. Travis Leslie 13.8Pts 7.6Reb 2.2Ast 1.8Stl 50%FG 81%FT
6’1 Jr. Gerald Robinson 12.6Pts 2.3Reb 4.7Ast 1.1Stl 50%FG
6’8 Sr. Jeremy Price 9.0Pts 4.6Reb 1.2Blk 56%FG 76%FT

Breakdown:
Brandon Knight had 25Pts on 4-6 from 3 in the Wildcats 78-63 win over Louisville and Terrence Jones added 12Pts 8Reb 5Ast and 3Blk. Josh Harrellson played the biggest however as he had 24Pts 14Reb on 10-12 shooting. They will need another similar game from Josh as Georgia presents problems for them up front. Kentucky is shooting 41% from 3 as a team on the season.

Georgia is riding an 8 game winning streak and has the experience edge at every position in this game. Thomkins and Price will give the Wildcats fits down low and Leslie is a match up nightmare. Thompkins had 26Pts and 7reb in their 64-57 win over Eastern Kentucky and Leslie added 14. The Bulldogs will have to improve on their 62% team free throw percentage to stay competitive.

Key Match Up: Kentucky front court vs. Georgia front court
Jones and Harrellson need another big game to fend off the deeper Bulldog big men.

Sunday December 9th

#14 Minnesota Golden Gophers 11-3 Big 10  at #2 Ohio State Buckeyes 14-0 Big 10

Key Players:

Minnesota:
6’4 Sr. Blake Hoffarber 13.6Pts 3.4Reb 4.6Ast 1.5Stl 2.9 3’s 40% 83%FT
6’8 Jr. Trevor Mbekwe 13.4Pts 9.9Reb 1.0Stl 1.2Blk 62%FG
6’11 Jr. Ralph Sampson III 11.4Pts 5.9Reb 2.0Blk 47%FG
6’4 Jr. Devoe Joseph 11.2Pts 2.2Reb 3.5Ast 2.0 3’s 38%

Ohio State:
6’9 Fr. Jared Sullinger 17.6Pts 10.1Reb 60%FG 73%FT
6’5 Jr. William Buford 14.2Pts 4.6Reb 3.8Ast 1.2Stl 1.4 3’s 39%
6’5 Sr. David Lighty 12.8Pts 3.9Reb 3.8Ast 1.8Stl 1.6 3’s 44%
6’6 Sr. Jon Diebler 12.4Pts 53%FG 3.1 3’s 51% 81%FT
6’6 Fr. Deshaun Thomas 11.4Pts 5.1Reb 51%FG 86%FT

Breakdown:
Minnesota has started out 0-2 in Big 10 play with road losses to Wisconsin and Michigan State. They face another huge test against an Ohio State that simply has no weaknesses. Hoffarber has averaged 12Pts 2Reb and 2Ast in league play and the Gophers need a lot more from him if they want to make the tourney. Mbekwe had 17Pts and 9Reb in the Michigan State loss and has 8 double doubles on the season.

Ohio State opened Big 10 play with a 85-67 rout of Indiana. Sullinger had 19Pts 9Reb and Diebler added 15 on 5-5 from 3. Buford had his 2nd straight big game with 24Pts on 5-7 from 3 and has scored 47 points over his last 2 while hitting 8-12 from beyond the arc.

Key Match Up: Sullinger vs. Mbekwe
This match up is highly anticipated as both are high energy guys who play with mean intentions. The game may get out of hand but this match up should be awesome.

#24 Cincinnati Bearcats 14-0 Big East  at #8 Villanova Wildcats 12-1 Big East

Key Players:

Cincinnati:
6’3 Jr. Dion Dixon 12.7Pts 2.6Reb 2.1Ast 1.2 3’s 35%
6’9 Jr. Yancy Gates 11.5Pts 6.6Reb 1.7Blk 49%FG
6’4 Fr. Sean Kilpatrick 10.1Pts 3.2Reb 1.6 3’s 42%
6’0 So. Cashmere Wright 9.3Pts 2.3Reb 3.9Ast 1.9Stl

Villanova:
6’5 Sr. Corey Stokes 16.9Pts 3.8Reb 1.1Stl 3.2 3’s 44%
6’1 Sr. Corey Fisher 14.9Pts 3.1Reb 4.8Ast 1.6Stl 38%FG 77%FT
6’1 So. Malik Wayns 12.8Pts 3.5Reb 5.4Ast 1.3Stl 39%FG 81%FT
6’8 Sr. Antonio Pena 9.8Pts 7.5Reb 1.0Blk 57%FG 78%FT
Breakdown:
Cincinnati is off to its best start since the 1998- ‘99 season and has outscored its opponents by 20.7Pts a game. Things will get a little tougher from here on out as they make their way into a brutal Big East schedule. Gates will be leaned on heavily in this game as Villanova is big down low. Dixon and Kilpatrick will be tested big time against a backcourt that is one of the best in the nation with the Corey’s and Wayns.

Corey Stokes has been stroking lately. Over his last 3 games, he has averaged 22Pts while nailing 14-26 from 3. Wayns is emerging as one of the best point guards in the nation as he has averaged 13.7Pts 7.7Ast and 2Stl over his last 3 games. In their 81-65 win over Rutgers, Wayns just missed a triple double with 9Pts 8reb and 9Ast.

Key Match Up: Bearcat back court vs. Wildcat back court
Dixon, Kilpatrick and Wright will face a trio of guards that can all handle the ball and will try and cool the hot hand of Stokes.

#3 Kansas Jayhawks 12-0 Big 12  at Michigan Wolverines 11-3 Big 10

Key Players:

Kansas:
6’8 Jr. Marcus Morris 15.5Pts 6.0Reb 61%FG 1.1 3’s 45% 61%FT
6’2 Fr. Josh Selby 14.8Pts 4.0Reb 3.0Ast 3.0 3’s 55% 90%FT
6’9 Jr. Markieff Morris 13.6Pts 8.8Reb 1.1Blk 56%FG 74%FT
6’9 So. Thomas Robinson 9.8Pts 6.9Reb 1.1Blk 63%FG 50%FT
6’3 Jr. Tyshawn Taylor 9.2Pts 5.4Ast 1.6Stl 52%FG 69%FT

Michigan:
6’4 So. Darius Morris 15.6Pts 3.5Reb 7.6Ast 1.4Stl 51%FG 75%FT
6’5 Fr. Tim Hardaway Jr. 10.9Pts 3.6Reb 1.5 3’s 29% 79%FT
6’8 Fr. Jordan Morgan 9.5Pts 6.7Reb 60%FG 61%FT
6’4 Jr. Zach Nowak 8.1Pts 7.1Reb 1.3 3’s 32% 83%FT

Breakdown:
Kansas leads the nation in FG% at 54 and is 6th in scoring at 84.5 points per game. In their 83-56 win over Miami (OH), Marcus Morris had 18Pts and 5Reb on 7-11 shooting and his twin, Markieff, had 20Pts and 10Reb and has averaged 18.3Pts 8.3Reb 70%FG over his last 3 and is starting to out play his brother. Thomas Robinson added 20Pts and 10Reb in the win and Josh Selby continues to look every bit as advertised. Clearly more of a shooting guard than point guard, the 6-3 Selby had 18Pts 7reb and 5Ast in the win and has hit 12-22 3’s in the 4 games since coming back from suspension.

Michigan is led by Morris, who is among the leaders in assists at 7.6 per game. The Wolverines are the youngest team in the Big 10 as they have zero seniors on their roster and 11 of the 15 are either freshmen or sophomores. In their 76-69 win over Penn State, Morris had 20Pts and 10Ast and Morgan added 10Pts and 9Reb. Michigan is not very big up front and this could spell problems in this one.

Key Match Up: Jayhawks front court vs. Wolverines lack of one.
Look for the Morris twins to go into beast mode again and expose the Wolverines inside.