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March 23, 2009 | Andy Katz – ESPN

EAST REGIONAL (BOSTON)

No. 1 Pitt vs. No. 4 Xavier, Thursday, 7:27 p.m. ET

No. 1 Pitt

How did the Panthers get here? Pitt had the most trouble of any of the favorites. The Panthers were dangerously close to becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16. The 10-point win over East Tennessee State doesn’t tell the whole story. This game was extremely tight down to the final minutes. You could see how the Panthers were playing not to lose, before figuring out how to win.

Pitt had the most difficult second-round game of any of the top seeds. Oklahoma State was more than capable of knocking off the Panthers. The Cowboys were able to run with Pitt by making plenty of early shots, and they had the Panthers fighting for every possession late before Pitt was able to pull away in the final minutes for an 84-76 victory.

Who’s hot? Sam Young. The senior forward may be the most talented and maligned stud of any remaining Sweet 16 team. Young poured in 32 points for the Panthers in the win over the Cowboys. He didn’t score as much (14) but was dominant on the boards (13) in the win over ETSU.

Who’s not? Junior guard Jermaine Dixon is just 1-of-7 in two NCAA games so far. Dixon needs to be more productive to take some pressure off Levance Fields on the perimeter.

What does it mean for the program? Pitt has its best chance to win a national title with co-Big East Player of the Year DeJuan Blair and seniors Young, Fields and Tyrell Biggs. Coach Jamie Dixon has been a model of consistency in his six seasons. But getting to the Sweet 16 isn’t enough. The Panthers haven’t been past this round under Dixon. Winning one more game won’t change the reputation of Dixon as a solid coach who hasn’t been to the Final Four. But the perception certainly would change for the Panthers if they can win two more games and get to Detroit.

Drama factor so far? Pitt is making sure its fans are paying attention. The Panthers haven’t cruised for multiple four-minute periods, let alone a game. The Panthers are earning every victory, and if they win the East Regional, they will feel like they’ve earned every bucket.

No. 4 Xavier

How did the Musketeers get here? Xavier was sent to Boise and the games didn’t get much national play. But much like they did earlier in the season, the Musketeers quietly manufactured wins — an 18-point victory over No. 13 Portland State and an 11-point win over No. 12 Wisconsin.

Xavier has had an interesting season. The Musketeers were lucky early with a half-court shot to beat Virginia Tech; were poised in a win over Memphis in the same event in Puerto Rico; were humbled by 18 against Duke in New Jersey; and then went on cruise control for a spell before bumps in the Atlantic 10 saw them lose four of their final five road games. But beating Portland State and Wisconsin to get to the Sweet 16 is more than admirable for this crew.

Who’s hot? Not really anyone, but if we must pick one for a team that is getting by with a little bit from everyone, then B.J. Raymond gets the nod. He scored in double figures in both games but is a combined 9-of-22 in the tourney, including 5-of-14 on 3s.

Who’s not? Junior forward Jason Love has struggled in the NCAAs. He had four fouls in just 16 minutes in the win over Wisconsin and didn’t make a field goal. Love did last 26 minutes in the first game and scored eight points with two fouls in 26 minutes. But the onus is on Love to stay on the court to bang with the big boys from Pitt.

What does it mean for the program? Xavier continues to be one of the top-20 programs in the country. The Musketeers are to the Atlantic 10 what Memphis is to Conference USA and what Gonzaga is to the WCC. Xavier is now the team to beat every season in the A-10. Reaching the Sweet 16 for the third time since 2004 is a testament to the coaching of Thad Matta (who left Xavier for Ohio State in ‘04) and current coach Sean Miller. Getting to the Elite Eight with a win over Pitt would be quite a feat, considering this squad was never projected to be within 40 minutes of the Final Four this season.

Drama factor so far? There were anxious moments against the Badgers as the Musketeers trailed at the half. But the Musketeers outscored Wisconsin 24-12 over the final nine minutes to roll to a comfortable win.

February 25, 2009 by Chris Frechette | A10CollegeHoops

KINGSTON, RI – URI was pretty in pink tonight at the annual “pink out” game as they defeated Dayton 93-91 in overtime on a last second driving layup by point guard Marquis Jones as time expired.  

After Dayton shooting guard Marcus Johnson tied the game at 91-91 on a 3 pointer with Rhody guard Jimmy Baron in his face with 12 seconds left, Jones brought the ball upcourt, worked off of a pick from forward Kahiem Seawright, drove the lane and put up a layup with his back to the basket that rattled around the rim and fell through as the buzzer went off sending the 7,218 Rhode Island fans into a frenzy.

“I got a screen from Kahiem and what happened, happened,” Jones said.  “I was trying to get fouled as I went up (for the shot)”.   The overtime win puts the Rams’ record at 3-1 in overtime games this year, 12-1 at home,  and brings their overall record to 21-8, 10-4 in the A-10 which is good for third place in the conference.

Kahiem Seawright puts the last play of the game in different perspective.  “I wanted the last shot so bad.  We did a pick and roll, they switched, I rolled and I had a little guy on me and I looked at him like you better give me the ball,” he said.  “Marquis made a move and I was still looking at him saying you better give me the ball, and he made the shot.  So he didn’t have to give me the ball.”

Rhode Island was led by a balanced scoring attack  where five players reached double figures.  Jimmy Baron, Kahiem Seawright, and Keith Cothran all had 19 points, while Delroy James chipped in 18 points and Marquis Jones added 13 points.

URI was on fire in the first half, shooting 17-29 from the floor (59%), and 8-11 from three point range (73%).  The Rams finished the last minute of the first half with a 7-0 run on two free throws from Delroy James, a three pointer from Jimmy Baron, and Delroy James dunk off of a steal from Marquis Jones which gave the Rams a 52-44 halftime lead.  URI’s 52 halftime points was just 7 shy of the 59 points per game the Flyers average on defense. 

“Our defense was just awful in the first half,” Dayton coach Brian Gregory said.  “With that being said, they’re (URI) the most efficient offensive team in the league.”  The Flyers tightened up their defense in the second half and allowed only half the points they allowed in the first half (26).  Led by a game high 21 points from Marcus Johnson, Dayton (23-5, 9-4 A-10) clawed back into the game to force overtime on a layup by point guard London Warren (6 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals).

“You saw a great indication on how good the (A-10) league is,” Gregory said.  “You saw a team with 21 wins and a team with 23 wins, and you saw why (they both have that many wins)”.  Gregory added, “You lose on the road in this league and you don’t have to apologize to anybody, and I don’t apologize for our effort tonight”.

“This is the greatest moment I’ve had at URI,” said Jimmy Baron.  “We didn’t win these types of games last year, or early this year.  We’re all on the same page now, setting ourselves up for success”.

Coach Baron agreed that URI’s recent success has to be attributed to its senior leadership.  “The senior leadership has been tremendous,” he said.  “I couldn’t be more proud of our kids, they played with great tenacity”.

Jimmy Baron was also named to the second team Academic All-American team by ESPN the Magazine.

The University of Rhode Island community raised over $19,000 dollars for the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation with their annual “Pink Out” game.

December 13, 2008 by John Lamb | A10CollegeHoops

#8/8 Tennessee Volunteers (6-1, 0-0 SEC) at Temple Owls (4-3, 0-0 A-10)
12:00PM ET, December 13, 2008
The Liacouras Center    Philadelphia, PA

ALL-TIME:

The Vols lead the series 3-2. These two teams played an infamous pre-shot clock era game that ended with Tennessee winning at home in Knoxville 11-6 over the visiting Owls way back when on Dec. 15, 1973. The Owls held the ball for 11 straight minutes in the first half and 14 straight in the second. Former Temple Coach Don Casey said this about the game: “Tennessee had a great team, we thought this was going to give us the best chance to win. So we took two guys [Rick Trudeaux and John Kneib] and put them out by the 28-foot line, had them standing about five feet part, and we had them pass the ball back and forth.” Tennessee won that game thanks to an 8-0 run that lasted 37 minutes.

LAST MEETING:

Nov. 9, 2007  Tennessee 80, Temple 63 – The visiting Owls were defeated rather handily by the Volunteers 80-63 in last year’s season opener for both schools. The game was notable due to the fact that the Owls, a team that led the A-10 in fewest turnovers the previous season, committed 15 turnovers through the first 20 minutes and ended the game with 23 total. The Vols had four scorers in double digits; this year’s offensive catalyst Tyler Smith put together an impressive stat line of nine points, three rebounds, five assists and four steals. The game marked the first collegiate game and start of Lavoy Allen’s career and he did not disappoint. He put up eight points and nine rebounds to go along with three assists. Temple played well with Allen in the lineup but foul trouble forced him to become a spectator for most of the game. Dionte Christmas ended the game with 12 points but had an terrible shooting night, going 1-for-8 from beyond the arc and 3-for-13 total.

TOP PERFORMERS:

Temple Owls:
PPG: 19.0  G Dionte Christmas
RPG: 8.3  F Lavoy Allen
APG: 4.6  G Semaj Inge

Tennessee Volunteers:
PPG: 17.4  F Tyler Smith
RPG: 8.1  C Brian Williams
APG: 4.1  G Bobby Maze

COACHES:

Temple – Fran Dunphy 37-34  3rd season at Temple (347-197 overall)

Tennessee – Bruce Pearl 83-24  4th season at Buffalo (400-109 overall)

LAST OUTING:

TEMPLE – The Owls rebounded from back-to-back defeats at the hands of MAC opponents with a 65-59 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions last Saturday in Happy Valley, PA. The contest marked the first time that the Owls’ ideal starting five (Inge-Christmas-Brooks-Allen-Olmos) began the game together … Dionte Christmas was a non-factor throughout the game, only scoring two points in a season-low 27 minutes due to a combination of poor shooting and foul trouble … Semaj Inge scored a career-high 19 points for the Owls, including nine points in the midst of a 15-5 run late in the second half. Inge also had six assists and four steals, both team highs … The Owls defense was stifling as they held the Nittany Lions, one of the country’s hottest shooting teams heading into the contest, to 34.6 percent from the field. The Nittany Lions were held to no field goals for nine minutes in the first half…

TENNESSEE – The Vols are in the middle of a long layoff as they have not played since defeating UNC Asheville 87-69 in Knoxville on Dec. 3. The game marked the first time in the 100 year history of varsity basketball at UT that a player recorded a triple-double when junior forward Tyler Smith notched 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. What was most impressive about the feat was that Smith did it in only 26 minutes … The victory was the 400th of coach Bruce Pearl’s career. He became the 6th fasted, 2nd among active coaches today, to ever reach the mark … Tennessee’s home winning streak improved to a school-record 35 games…

THE MATCHUP:

This game should prove to be entertaining. Tennessee has one of the nation’s most explosive offenses, averaging 87.1 points per game. Temple, on the other hand, averages just under 69 a contest. The 18 point disparity between the two offenses may be a little misleading, however, as the Owls look to be built for a run-and-gun style of play. They have four double-digit scorers in Christmas, Brooks, Olmos and Allen with Inge and Ramone Moore not far behind. The Owls have enough depth to go nine or 10 deep in their rotation if they have to. Because of that, the winner of this game is going to be the team that excels in the other aspects of the game.

Last season the Owls loss could be attributed to the 23 turnovers they committed. To win this game they need to make it a point take better care of the ball. Semaj Inge has emerged as the starting point guard for this team and will need to make smart decisions. His major strength is his ability to slash through the lane and create offense where it otherwise wouldn’t be. Sometimes players like him tend to try and do too much, which would be catastrophic as the Vols will make opponents pay with points off of turnovers.

The Vols are an excellent rebounding team and they hold a definite size advantage over the Owls. Four of the five Tennessee starters are 6-7 or taller while the Cherry and White only really use three players consistently that approach that size (Olmos, Allen and Michael Eric). This could be a game that Craig Williams sees some time on the floor just to get another big body in to help keep the regulars fresh. All five players on the court for the Owls will have to make rebounding a priority, especially the guards.

Another area that the Owls need to improve on is three-point percentage defense. They currently allow their opponents to shoot nearly 40 percent from behind the three point line. Tennessee, on the other hand, allows only 30 percent of long range shots to go in. Both schools average about 7 three-pointers a game but that shot is a strange beast in the sense that once a team gets rolling from beyond the arc it can really start to rain. Temple will need to keep UT to ones and twos instead of twos and threes to keep themselves in the game.

These are the little nuances that seem so obvious to the average fan that are magnified in high profile games such as these. Whoever does the little things better will come out on top.

PREDICTION:

This is really a tough one to call. The Volunteers are more talented than the Owls but Temple is built in such a way that they should be able to play to their strengths and keep the game interesting. For the Owls to win they need all of their players to play at the highest level possible. I can’t feel too good about the Owls, however, when they are going to end up depending on a player like Semaj Inge or Luis Guzman to have the game of their lives to put them over the top. If Temple wins I won’t be terribly surprised but I think Tennessee wins in a game that will be a lot closer than the average fan would expect. Tennessee 81, Temple 74

John Lamb can be reached at johnlamb@a10collegehoops.com

November 26, 2008 | AP Press

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Atlantic 10 will move its men’s basketball tournament championship game to CBS in 2010 and play first-round games at campus sites.

Under a deal announced Tuesday, the 14-team league’s championship game will be played on the same Sunday that the NCAA tournament field is announced. Previous championship games were played on Saturdays and broadcast on an ESPN network.

This season’s tournament is being played in Atlantic City, N.J. Like previous seasons, the top 12 teams will play all the tourney games there, with the top four seeds getting an opening-round bye.

Beginning in 2010, the four opening-round games will be played at the campuses of the higher seeds. Winners of the first-round games will play in quarterfinals at the tournament site, which the league hasn’t yet announced.

“Allowing four institutions to host an opening-round championship game will generate enthusiasm throughout the footprint of the Atlantic 10,” A-10 commissioner Bernadette McGlade said. “This hybrid format presents the best of all worlds: allowing teams to host midweek opening-round games, which are always an attendance challenge, and subsequently advancing all to a common championship site on a traditional weekend schedule of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.”

November 18, 2008 | AP Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – During his years as a Memphis assistant, Derek Kellogg had seen the Tigers’ formula in many of their wins.

Let the opponent hang around for a bit, then start throwing more players at them, run them until they wear down and pull away in the second half.

Monday night, Kellogg — in his first year as Massachusetts coach — was on the receiving end of the tactic.

Antonio Anderson had 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds as No. 13 Memphis shook off a poor shooting performance to beat Massachusetts 80-58.”I’ve seen it before on that bench numerous times,” Kellogg said.

“Their process is, ‘We have more bodies than you. We have bigger, longer players than you, and we’re going to wear you down.’ At the end, they take advantage of it, and that formula worked again.”

Freshman Tyreke Evans had 19 points and Robert Dozier added 18 for the Tigers, who were limited to 39 percent shooting for the game, including 2-of-19 from outside three-point range. It marked the second straight game where Evans, one of last season’s prized recruits, led the Tigers (2-0) in scoring. Evans keyed a first-half rally that put the Tigers up for good.

“There were a lot of things that I didn’t like,” Memphis coach John Calipari said. “I’m going to go watch tape and probably pull my hair out.

“Ricky Harris led the Minutemen (1-2) with 17 points; Tony Gaffney scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds.

Calipari became the winningest coach in Memphis history with 221 victories, surpassing Larry Finch, who led the program from 1986 to 1997.The game was a real family affair.Kellogg, in his first year as coach at UMass, played for Calipari from 1991 to 1995 during Calipari’s tenure as coach of the Minutemen. Kellogg was an assistant under Calipari for eight years at Memphis before moving to his alma mater.

The Memphis crowd gave Kellogg a standing ovation when he was introduced at the start of the game.And, if that isn’t enough, Calipari’s daughter, Erin, is a fourth-year student at UMass. Calipari’s wife, Ellen, and his other daughter, Megan Rae, wore shirts representing both schools.Both coaches said afterward that they were just glad the game was over.

“Driving down, I thought: ‘If Derek wins, this would be a huge game for him on ESPN for recruiting,’ ” Calipari said. “Then I said: ‘Forget that.’ “Memphis built the lead to double digits in the first half and extended it to 27 in the second.

UMass was without 7-foot-1 senior center Luke Bonner, who injured his left knee in an 80-73 loss at Southern Illinois last week. In the second half Monday, the Minutemen lost 6-7 reserve forward Matt Hill to a left Achilles injury. But Gaffney’s effort allowed UMass to outrebound the Tigers 49-48.

“Tony Gaffney’s been absolutely phenomenal,” Kellogg said. “If we had two more of him, we’d have a pretty good record. We’re pretty thin, right now.”While Memphis struggled from the field, UMass was even worse, shooting 30 percent. Add in 24 turnovers, and the Minutemen were unable to stay in the game in the second half.The Tigers led 33-25 after a first half filled with poor shot selection, sloppy ballhandling and plenty of misfires from both teams.Harris was 3-of-5 from three-point range to lead UMass with 12 points in the first half.

Dozier had 12 points for Memphis and Evans had 11, seven coming during an 11-0 run that erased an early UMass lead and put Memphis up by double digits.

Dozier got inside for a handful of baskets to keep the Tigers in the game early, but turnovers, shots that barely caught the rim and difficult unsuccessful layup attempts led to anemic shooting percentages.

UMass shot 28 percent for the half; Memphis connected on 33 percent, but missed 11 of 12 3-pointers.

Memphis rebuilt the lead to double digits when Shawn Taggart, who had seven points and 11 rebounds, converted a three-point play with 15:37 left in the game, and Massachusetts never got the deficit to less than 10 the rest of the way.

“Guys just didn’t make shots,” Anderson said of the Memphis shooting. “That’s how it goes. … When guys aren’t making shots, we’ve got to figure out another way to earn the win. We did that by driving the ball and attacking the rim.”

November 10, 2008 | AP Press

The college basketball season got underway with games in the Durham regional of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.#5 Duke defeated Presbyterian, 80-49, as Kyle Singler posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. He led four Blue Devils in double-figures. In the first game, Georgia Southern beat Houston, 65-63.

Massachusetts, Michigan and Southern Illinois will begin play tonight.   #4 UCLA begins their regional on Wednesday. Regional games take place between November 10-13 with the four winners advancing to the Championship Rounds, November 20 & 21, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

ESPN will televise a total of 10 games of the tournament, including the Championship Round doubleheaders on November 20th & 21st.

The inclusion of Division II teams in the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer is a result of recent NCAA legislation increasing the number of games that teams are allowed to play and the increased number of early season tournaments. Additionally, there is an interesting history dating back to 1982 when NAIA Chaminade upset the nation’s top ranked team, Virginia, in a season opening tournament. Currently, these events can provide opportunities for teams to gain exposure which would not otherwise exist by giving them the chance to represent their institution on a national stage and give their student-athletes a competitive experience unlike the rest of their schedule.

2K Sports will be the title sponsor of the event for the fourth consecutive year. 2K Sports develops and publishes the popular and highly acclaimed 2K series of sports video games including the “NBA 2K” series – the best selling and best rated next-generation basketball videogame on the market. 2K Sports is known for delivering the most innovative and realistic sports simulation gaming experience to fans every year.

The Coaches vs. Cancer program, a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), exists to leverage the strength, community leadership and celebrity of the nation’s basketball coaches, to raise awareness and reduce cancer risk through education programs while raising funds for the American Cancer Society’s fight against cancer. Since 1996, the event has raised more than $4 million for the benefit of Coaches vs. Cancer.

The 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer is produced by The Gazelle Group in Princeton, N.J. The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. Gazelle produces numerous nationally-recognized events, such as the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic, the Legends Classic and the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.