Gonzaga Shoots 64% in 104-57 win; Kyle Dranginis Leads with 30 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, November 29, 2012

Freshman guard Kyle Dranginis, who was averaging less than 15 minutes and 2.67 points per game, exploded for 30 to lead the 7=0 Bulldogs to a 104-57 trouncing of Lewis-Clark State, hitting 12 of 16 shots from the field, including four threes.

The 6'5" Dranginis, who logged more court time than any of his teammates with 34 minutes, wasn't exactly hogging the ball, either, as five of his teammates also scored in double figures. Dranginis distributed seven assists and helped out on the boards, pulling in six rebounds.

Gonzaga, ranked 12th nationally, scored in triple figures for the second time this season. The Bulldogs displayed masterful marksmanship, shooting an incredible 64% (43-for-67)for the game while limiting the visiting Warriors to a mere 37%. They lead the nation in field goal percentage at 54% and are 8th overall in scoring, averaging 85.3 points per game.

Elsewhere, #8 Kentucky was treated rudely by their Notre Dame hosts, as the Fighting Irish posted a 64-50 victory over the Wildcats, one of two wins by the Big East in the opening night of the Big East - SEC Challenge. St. John's got the other Big East win, dumping South Carolina, 89-65. Florida and LSU were winners for the SEC.

The inter-conference showcase continues Friday with four more games, including Tennessee at Georgetown and Arkansas hosting the #6 Syracuse Orange.

Duke Rallies Past Buckeyes on Mason Plumlee's 21 and 17

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, November 28, 2012

After scoring just 23 first half points, the #2 Duke Blue Devils came out and blistered the nets with 50 points to rally past the Ohio State Buckeyes in the final game of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

Freshman Rasheed Sulaimon scored all of his 17 points in the second half and Quinn Cook canned six straight free throws in the final half minute to seal the 73-68 win, keeping Duke undefeated at 7-0 while sending the fourth-ranked Buckeyes to their first loss of the season (4-1). Mason Plumlee delivered another stunning performance as the Buckeyes could not contain the big man inside.

Plumlee hit six of 11 shots and was 9-for-12 from the foul line, tallying a game high 21 points while snatching 17 rebounds, matching his a career high, set just a week ago in an 89-71 victory over Minnesota. The 6'10" senior is averaging a double-double on the year, scoring an average of 19.9 points with 11 rebounds per game.

After Big Ten teams took four of six on Tuesday, the first night of the challenge, the ACC stormed back with four wins of their own on Wednesday, evening the series for the year at six wins for each conference. The stunner of the night was Miami's 67-59 victory over #13 Michigan State. It was the Spartans' second loss of the season. They opened their season with a 66-62 loss to Connecticut, but won five straight after that, including a 67-64 win over Kansas.

Michigan Improves to 6-0 on Trey Burke's Double-Double

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, November 27, 2012

The annual ACC-Big Ten Challenge got underway Tuesday night with six games matching up teams from two of the nation's top conferences. Big Ten teams got off to a solid start, winning four of the games, including Indiana's one-sided, 83-59, win over North Carolina and Minnesota's 77-68 victory at Florida State.

One of the more intriguing set-ups was #18 North Carolina State traveling to Michigan to face the #3 Wolverines. The Wolf Pack came into the game at 4-1, following a devastating, 76-56, home loss to unranked Oklahoma State and a close call in an 82-80 win over NC-Asheville.

Host Michigan sported a 5-0 record at tip time, and, thanks to a big effort by point guard, Trey Burke, remained unbeaten at the buzzer, with a hard-fought, 79-72, victory.

Burke, a sophomore who averaged 14.8 points and 4.6 assists as a freshman, scored 18 points on 5-for-9 shooting, including three treys. He also established a new career high in assists, with 11, for his first career double-double. Burke, handling the ball on most of Michigan's possessions, did not commit a turnover in his 37 minutes of playing time.

Jeff Withey's Triple-Double Leads #10 Jayhawks

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, November 26, 2012

Monday's sparse hardcourt activity saw the #10 Kansas Jayhawks improve to 5-1 with a 70-57 victory over San Jose State, the Spartans' failing effort led by James Kinney's game high 30 points.

While the Jayhawks encountered some difficulty containing the shot-happy Kinney (he took 26 of 65 Spartan shots, making 11), center Jeff Withey enjoyed life in the middle, coming up with a triple-double, scoring 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting, meanwhile ripping down a dozen rebounds and blocking the same number of San Jose State shots.

A seven-footer, Withey is considered to be one of the most solid interior players this season. The triple-double was the first of his four-year career at Kansas. Last season, he came within one block of the rare feat against Long Beach State, and, later, against staunch rival Kansas State.

The Jayhawks only loss was to Michigan State, a 67-64 defeat in which Withey was held to eight points and seven boards.

Elias Harris Leads Gonzaga to 6-0 with 24 Point Effort

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, November 25, 2012

Headed into Sunday's game with Davidson, the Gonzaga Bulldogs, ranked 17th in the last poll, look like the giant-killer they've always been under coach Mark Few.

With their 81-67 win over the Wildcats, the Zags improved to 6-0 and almost certainly will move up a few notches - possibly into the top 10 - when the new poll is released Monday afternoon.

Senior forward Elias Harris, who has averaged 13.6 points and 7.3 rebounds in his four years as a starter for Gonzaga, scored a season-high 24 points to lead all scorers on 9-for-11 shooting. Harris notched his second double-double of the season with 10 rebounds as he controlled the interior on both ends while Kevin Pangos dominated the outside, hitting five of nine three-pointers for his 23 points.

Elsewhere, #6 Syracuse defeated Colgate for the 47th consecutive time, 87-51; #15 Michigan State survived a scare from visiting Louisiana-Lafayette, 63-60; #1 Indiana demolished Ball State, 101-53; and Shabazz Muhammad's double-double was not enough to prevent UCLA from losing its second game of the season, 70-68, to Cal Poly.

The Bruins entered the week ranked #11, but lost to Georgetown on Monday, narrowly defeated Georgia, 60-56, and appear headed to the lower rungs of the Top 25 if not ending up unranked come Monday afternoon.

Doug McDermott Pours in 29 for Creighton to Capture Las Vegas Invitiational

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, November 24, 2012

Nearly unstoppable last season at 22.9 points per game, Creighton's Doug McDermott is off to another sensational start for the Bluejays as he scored 29 points in an 87-73 win over Arizona State to capture the Las Vegas Invitational.

The 6'8" junior forward hit 10 of 19 shots from the field and canned eight of 11 from the charity stripe while hauling down nine boards.

McDermott helped Creighton to a win in the tournament's opening round with a game-high 30 points against Wisconsin on Friday. The Bluejays cruised to an 84-74 win over the Badgers.

McDermott is averaging 21 points and 7.8 rebounds per game this season. 6-0 Creighton is ranked 14th in the AP Poll.

Wrapping up other holiday tournaments, Cincinnati scored 42 first half points en route to a 77-66 win over Oregon to grab the Global Sports Classic title; #5 Duke topped #2 Louisville, 76-71, winning the Battle for Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas.

The Blue Devils placed five players in double figures and made 23 of 27 free throws.

Richard Howell Saves Wolf Pack in 82-80 Win

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, November 24, 2012

Bucketfuls of Top 25 action adorned the holiday hoops weekend. For some, life was a breeze; for others, just hanging on to a ranking was enough.

Down on Tobacco Rosd, in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Wolf Pack had their hands full with unwelcome guests from NC-Asheville, as Jeremy Atkinson led all scorers with 28 points and the Bulldogs led most of the game, until Richard Howell bailed out the 16th-ranked Wolfpack, scoring the go-ahead bucket with 3:06 remaining in an 82-80 NC State victory.

Howell, a 6'8" senior forward, scored 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, registering his second double-double of the season. The Wolfpack improved to 4-1, bouncing back from a 76-56 drubbing by Oklahoma State on November 18.

Howell was 8-for-10 from the field and 7-for-11 from the foul line. Five of his 15 boards were offensive.

Elsewhere, in the "romp-over-cupcake" category, #3 Ohio State blasted Missouri-Kansas City, 91-45; #8 Kentucky bombed LIU Brooklyn, 104-75.

In the best holiday tournament action, the Battle for Atlantis got down to two teams for the finals, with #5 Duke topping a determined and sure to be heard from again VCU squad, 67-58.

On the other side of the draw, #2 Louisville erased Missouri, 84-61. Russ Smith popped in 18 points, but junior forward matched a career high with 19 points on six of nine shooting, making five of seven threes in just 21 minutes.

For the Memphis Tigers, the trip to the Bahamas was a veritable disaster. After losing to VCU in the opening round, 78-65, the Tigers were humbled in a consolation game by Minnesota, 84-75. The #19 Tigers went from 2-0 to 2-2 in the span of 24 hours and are unlikely to remained ranked when the new poll is released on Monday.

Also encountering early season issues was #18 UNLV, losing at home to Oregon, 83-79. The Runnin' Rebels are 2-1.

Mason Plumlee Paces Duke in 89-71 win over Minnesota

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, November 22, 2012

In between mounds of mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy, some college squads got in a little hoop action on Thanksgiving, like the Duke Blue Devils, who are spending the holiday weekend in the Bahamas at the Battle for Atlantis tourney in Nassau, where they dispatched Minnesota, 89-71, earning a ticket the to a semi-final game against VCU, 78-65 upset winners over Memphis. The two sqauds will tip off at 7:00 pm ET.

Duke got an enormous effort fromsenior forward, Mason Plumlee, who scored 20 points on 6-for-11 shooting and eight of 10 free throws. Plumlee also matched his career high rebounding total with 17, five on the offensive end, notching his second double-double of the young season. Seth Curry pitched in a game-high 25 points for the Blue Devils.

With Plumlee playing a big part - averaging a double-double, with 21.3 points and 10.8 boards, Duke is off to its usual strong start, at 4-0, ranked #5 in the most recent poll.

In the other half of the tournament draw, #13 Missouri matches up against #2 Louisville. Both the Tigers and Cardinals are 4-0.

There is a veritable feast of college basketball on tap Friday through Sunday, with tournaments nationwide, including the Old Spice Classic in Kissimmee, Florida; the Great Alaska Shootout in Ancorage; the DirecTV Classic in Anaheim, California and the Preseason NIT at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Grinnell's Jack Taylor Sets New NCAA Scoring Mark with 138 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, November 20, 2012

This is a special edition of CBD

The collegiate single-game scoring record stood for 58 years until Jack Taylor bombed away for an incredible 138 points Tuesday night in Grinell College's 179-104 victory over Faith Bible Baptist.

Taylor had a mere 58 points at half time, and finished his shooting spree with 80 in the second frame, 52-for-108, including 27 of 71 from the three-point line.

The previous NCAA record of 113 points, set by Bevo Francis of Rio Grande against Hillsdale, in 1954, was shattered by Taylor's incredible performance.

Grinnell College is located in Grinnell, Iowa. Grinnell is a Division III school.

Cashmere Wright Leads Bearcats to 4-0 Record; Indiana Survives over Hoyas, Tar Heels Dumped by Butler

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, November 20, 2012

As his name implies, Cincinnati's Cashmere Wright is a smooth operator, capable of putting up points from anywhere on the floor, as he did in Wednesday night's 91-72 victory over Campbell, the Bearcats' fourth straight win without a loss.

A 6-foot senior guard out of Savannah, Georgia, Wright tallied a game-high and career-high 28 points for the Bearcats, hitting four of six from three-point range on 8-for-14 shooting overall. Wright also canned eight of 10 free throws, distributed a pair of assists, and made five steals, making up for his four turnovers.

As usual, the Bearcats are pounding lesser opposition in their early season tune-up phase, preparing for headier days ahead when Big East play commences.

Elsewhere, various tournaments were displaying some of the best talent around. In Hawaii, at the annual Maui Invitational, Butler had an incredibly easy time defeating #9 North Carolina, leading the Tar Heels by as many as 27 points as they cruised to an 82-71 win in one of two semi-final games.
A night after topping Marquette by a point to advance, the 3-1 Bulldogs were paced by 17 points apiece from Kellen Dunham and Rotnei Clarke. They held North Carolina to 18 first half points, rolling to a 17-point lead at the break. Butler will face Illinois - an 84-61 winner over Chaminade - in the tournament final Wednesday night. The Bulldogs and Fighting Illini are both unranked.

In Brooklyn, top-ranked Indiana held off a determined Georgetown team, finally dispatching the Hoyas in overtime, 82-72, to capture the Legends Classic title at the Barclays Center.

The Hoosiers are 4-0. Georgetown dropped to 3-1, but should not be disappointed with the result of their trip to the Big Apple. The Hoyas tore up #11 UCLA in the tourney semi-final and fared well against one of the nation's best teams in the championship game. A Top 25 ranking for the youthful Hoyas, who have no seniors on their roster, is a good likelihood in the near future.

Otto Porter Buries UCLA as Georgetown wins in Brooklyn

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, November 19, 2012

UCLA got their star recruit into the mix, as Shabazz Muhammad was reinstated off suspension prior to their trip to the Brooklyn, NY, and a meeting with the Georgetown Hoyas in the Progressive Legends Classic tournament at the Barclays Center.

While Muhammad fit right in, scoring 15 points in 25 minutes, the 11th-ranked Bruins were undone by an underrated, unranked Georgetown squad that improved to 3-0 with a 78-70 victory.

Markel Starks, a junior guard, led all scorers with 23 points, but 6'8" sophomore forward, Otto Porter, put on an impressive, double-double performance with 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting, making both of his attempts from beyond the arc, cashing in four of five free throws and nabbing 11 rebounds.

When Porter wasn't busy scoring or rebounding, he got busy dishing to teammates, totaling five assists, or defending, with five blocked shots and three steals.

The game was Porter's first of full time action of the season, having sat against Liberty this past Wednesday due to concussion symptoms resulting from an injury sustained in the Hoyas' season-opening win over Duquesne on November 11. Porter played only six minutes in that game before sitting out with dizziness.

His 35 minutes on the floor against UCLA proved invaluable, as the Bruins found few openings in the Hoya zone defense, within which Porter excelled. The Bruins were held to 41% shooting and just 5-for-19 on threes (26%). On their offensive end, Georgetown sizzled, shooting a cool 55% for the game with seven of 14 threes.

The Bruins dropped to 3-1.

Georgetown will face #1 Indiana in the tournament championship game, Tuesday night, with tip time slated for 10:00 pm ET.

Sean Kilpatrick's 29 Leads Cincinnati to 3-0 Record

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, November 18, 2012

It was back to routine routs for Top 25 teams playing unranked, lesser opponents on Sunday and finishing up tip-off tourneys for others.

A few of the bigger blowouts included #2 Louisville ripping Miami (OH), 80-39, #8 Syracuse's, 88-57, toppling of Wagner, and #19 Gonzaga taking out South Dakota, 96-58.

Brady Haslip pumped in 29 points to lead the #16 Baylor Bears over St. John's, 97-78.

There were a couple of games that didn't exactly come off as planned. #23 Connecticut was taken to double overtime by tiny Quinnipiac before finally prevailing, 89-83. Shabazz Napier led all scorers with 29 points, but made only eight of 23 shots.

#6 NC State lost at home, badly, being roped and tied by the Oklahoma State Cowboys, 76-56. The Wolfpack were held to 36% shooting and made only half (8-16) of their free throws, dropping to 3-1. The Wolfpack becme the seventh Top 25 team to record a loss in just the first nine days of play, assuring a major shake-up in the national rankings.

Cincinnati's 93-39 palindromic victory over NC A&T may have been the most lopsided rout of the day, in which Sean Kilpatrick buried eight of 12 three-pointers and made 10 of 15 overall to lead all scorers with a career high 29 points.

In just 26 minutes of floor time, Kilpatrick, a 6'4" junior swingman, hauled in seven boards, dished five assists and made two steals.

Cincinnati, ranked 24th, is 3-0, and almost certain to move up in the new poll out Monday.

DeShaun Thomas Leads #4 Buckeyes to 69-58 Win

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, November 17, 2012

DeShaun Thomas score 25 points to lead the Buckeyes to a 69-58 win over Rhode Island in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off tournament in Connecticut.

Thomas had ten rebounds for the fourth-ranked Buckeyes, who play Washington in the tournament final on Sunday afternoon. It was his first double-double of the season. The Buckeyes are 2-0.

The 6'7" junior forward hit 9 of 18 shots from the field, including going 3-for-5 on three-pointers. Thomas played a full 40 minutes and is averaging 22.0 points per game after scoring 19 against Albany in Ohio State's season opening win.

Last season, Thomas averaged 15.9 points and 5.4 rebounds.

Ronald Roberts Jr. Leads St. Joseph's Upset Win over #20 Notre Dame

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, November 16, 2012

With plenty of tip-off tournaments and Thanksgiving tourneys underway, there was plenty of college hoops action on Friday, a weekday that later on in the season will be fairly bland, unless you're a big fan of Ivy League basketball.

Anyhow, for now, we're loving it, and the biggest upset of the night had to be Colorado's 60-58 victory over #16 Baylor. The Bears had a shot at the buzzer that would have sent the game into OT, but missed.

That makes six ranked teams that already have lost a game. The others are Kentucky, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Kansas. Quite a list, considering we're only a week into the season. Surely, there will be more to come.

One of those ranked teams suffering defeat was Notre Dame, beaten by St. Joseph's, out of the traditionally-tough Atlantic 10 conference. The two met up in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, and it was a classic, with the Hawks winning, 79-70, in overtime.

The main contributor to the demise of the Fighting Irish was St. Joseph junior forward, Ronald Roberts Jr., who tallied 21 points on 5-for-12 shooting, making good on 11 of 16 free throws and doing serious board damage with 16 rebounds, nine of which were on the offensive glass. Roberts also had a pair of blocked shots in his second straight double-double for the 2-0 Hawks, the first coming in St. Joseph's, 61-35, rout of a pretty good Yale squad, back on Monday, November 12.

St. Joseph's win may not have been pretty, but their defense, especially on the interior, was effective, limiting the Irish to 39% shooting, though Notre Dame did hit 10 threes on 28 shots. The Hawks had fewer shot attempts than the Irish, but cashed on 47% of their opportunities. They also went to the free throw often, making 19 of 24 attempts (79%).

Another player with a huge game was Roberts' front court running mate, Halil Kanacevic, who went 6-12 for 15 points, adding eight boards, six assists, three steals and three blocked shots.

As Dick Vitale might put it, that's some serious stat sheet stuffing, baby!

Davon Usher Lights Up Northwestern for 35 as MSVU Loses Third Straight

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, November 15, 2012

There were blowouts aplenty among Top 25 teams on Thursday night. #1 Indiana improved to 3-0 with a breezy, 99-45, victory over Sam Houston. Louisville, ranked #2, blew past Samford, 80-54.

After trailing 36-28 at the break, #7 Kansas scored 41 in the second half and ripped Chattanooga, 69-55. #6 Villanova humbled Penn State, 72-65, in the Puerto Rico Tip Of, and #13 UCLA - still awaiting word on the eligibility of Shabazz Muhammad - pounded James Madison, 100-70.

But, hidden within the plethora of scores and stats around the college hoops universe, Davon Usher, a 6'5" junior guard, lit it up for 35 points as his Mississippi Valley Delta Devils dropped their third straight - all on the road - in an 81-68 defeat at Northwestern.

Usher hit 12 of 18 shots from the field, including 7-8 three-pointers, adding a fo4-for-4 effort from the line and seven rebounds. He single-handedly kept the Devils in the hunt, hitting a three-point shot to knot the score at 58-all, but the Wildcats pulled away in the final minutes, outscoring MSVU, 23-10, down the stretch.

The South Baltimore native is averaging 22.3 points per game while seeing over 37 minutes of court time.

Usher, who toiled his first two years of eligibility in junior college, at Polk State College in Lakeland, Florida, figures to make the most of his two years in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)

The Delta Devils have an imposing early schedule. They've already visited Mississippi and Cincinnati and will continue their non-conference road trip for six more games - including stops at LSU, Virginia, Virgiia Tech and TCU - before opening SWAC play at Arkansas Pine Bluff.

Last season, the Devils followed a similar route, going 1-11 before reeling off 17 straight wins to capture the conference title and went on to win three games in the conference tournament to qualify for the automatic bid to the NCAAs.

That's where the road ended, with a 59-58 loss to Western Kentucky in the opening round. With Usher now adding to the mix, keep an eye out for the Delta Devils as the season progresses. They are among the favorites to win the SWAC for a return visit to the Big Dance in March.

NOTABLE:
Norman Powell, UCLA: 10-14, 27 Pts, 3 Rebs, 5 Assists
Darrun Hilliard, Villanova: 7-10, 22 Pts, 3 Rebs
T.J. Warren, NC State: 9-12, 22 Pts, 8 Rebs
Pierre Jackson, Baylor: 10-15, 31 Pts, 2 Rebs, 7 Assists

Erik Murphy Leads #10 Gators over Badgers with 24 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, November 14, 2012

While the pundits, broadcasters and analysts ooh and aah over John Calipari's success at Kentucky and his youthful 2012-13 squad, there's another SEC team that almost surely will challenge the Wildcats for the conference championship this season: the Florida Gators.

Coached by Billy Donovan - who, by the way, has two national championships on his resume - the Gators have depth, balance and experience, which was on display Wednesday night in a nationally-televised (ESPN), 74-56 rout of a very solid Wisconsin team that was ranked #22 in the latest poll.

The 10th-ranked Gators pt up an early lead and were never challenged by the Badgers, who were held to 36% shooting by the active Florida defenders.

Senior Erik Murphy, who averaged 10.5 points per game last season, matched his career high (notably achieved in a 74-71 loss to Kentucky in last season's SEC tournament) with 24 points on perfect 10-for-10 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers, 2-for-2 from the foul line, with four offensive and four defensive boards.

Murphy led all scorers in his 33 minutes of floor time. The Gators sizzled at 62% shooting and hit 16 of 20 shots from the foul line (80%).

The 2-0 Gators should move up in next week's poll, probably past #3 Kentucky, after the Wildcats dropped a 75-68 decision at home to Duke on Tuesday.

Jordan Adams Cans 16 of 16 Free Throws as UCLA Escapes UC Irvine in OT

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Jordan Adams scored six of his game-high, career-high 26 points in overtime, helping #13 UCLA to a 2-0 record with an 80-79 nail-biter over UC Irvine.

Jordan made all sixteen of his free throws, including four in overtime, having less success from the field, where he was 5-for-12.

A 6'5" freshman out of Oak Hill Academy, Adams promises to be one of the top free throw shooters in the nation. In the Bruins opener, he made five of six and is shooting at 95% from the line.

Last season, UCLA made the NCAA tournament out of a weak PAC-12 field, winning their opening round game over Michigan State, 78-76, but falling to Florida in the next round, 73-65. The Bruins finished the 2011-12 season with a 19-14 record.

NOTABLE:

Sean Kilpatrick, Cincinnati: 9-12, 20 points, 8 rebounds
Tray Woodall, Pittsburgh: 8-13, 23 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists
Keith Clanton, UCF: 9-10, 20 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists

Kansas State 87 Alabama-Huntsville 26 - OK, we all know that this is the time of year that good teams from major conferences have on their schedules games against teams from small conferences that simply can't compete at the same level, but this score is a little embarrassing.

The division II Chargers didn't have any player score more than four points. As a team, they shot 16% from the field, including three three-pointers, but they took 33 shots from outside the arc, a percentage of .091. Kansas State also held a 55-22 edge in rebounding and shot 56% for the game.

Jaime Smith, the co-high scorer for the Chargers, made two of 12 from the field, but was 0-for-9 from long range.

Kadeem Batts, Bryce Cotton Combine for 51 Points as Providence Rolls

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, November 12, 2012

There are so many good teams and good players in the Big East, it's tough to keep track of them all, but keep an eye on Kadeem Batts and Bryce Cotton the inside-outside duo for the Providence Friars who combined for 51 of their team's points in an 81-49 thrashing of Bryant College.

The Friars are 2-0 and will probably be 11-0 or 10-1 or something like that before Big East play gets underway in late December, early January.

Cotton a 6'1" junior guard, scored 24 points on 6-for-13 shooting - including 4 of 7 from 3-point range - made 8 of 11 free throws, ripped down 11 boards and handled six assists, while his inside partner, Batts, was 12-for-15, scoring 27 points with 9 rebounds and 2 assists.

The 6'8" Batts, also a junior, fell just short of a double-double, a feat he accomplished just twice last season in limited playing time. The Friars were just 4-14 in Big East play last season, but they soldier on in the nation's most rigourous conference.

NOTABLE:

Cody Zeller, Indiana: 8-12, 22 points, 9 rebounds
Trey Burke, Michigan: 8-19, 22 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists
Garrick Sherman, Notre Dame: 8-10, 22 points, 9 rebounds
Fuquan Edwin, Seton Hall: 7-19, 23 points, 10 rebounds

Ryan Anderson Sets Career Highs with 29 and 17 in Boston College Victory

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, November 11, 2012

Buried within the ranks of the ACC, Boston College hasn't made much noise inside the conference dominated by the Tobacco Road teams, notably, Duke and North Carolina, but they may have a spark-plug this season in Ryan Anderson, a 6'8" sophomore forward from Lakewood, California, who pumped in 29 points in BC's, 84-70, season-opening win over Florida Atlantic.

Anderson was 9-for-16 from the field and hit 11 of 14 free throws. He also snatched 17 rebounds - eight offensive - both his scoring and rebounding career highs.

The Eagles took care of business in the opening half, posting a 49-33 edge at the break. Three other BC players scored in double figures, each scoring exactly a dozen points. Besides winning the point total, BC also enjoyed a sizable rebounding advantage, pulling down 46 boards to 28 for the Panthers.

Not completely off the radar as a true freshman, Anderson notched double-double efforts seven times last season, even as the Eagles went 9-22. With a little help from teammates, BC may actually be competitive in the rough-and-ready ACC, though nobody is expecting them to challenge for the top spot.

A trip to the NCAA tournament would be a suitable goal, though realists understand that the best the Eagles may do this season is .500 in the conference and an invite to the NIT.

Other Notable Efforts:
Aaron Craft, Ohio State: 20 points, 7 assists, 2 rebounds
Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova: 25 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds
C.J. Fair, Syracuse: 17 points, 10 rebounds

Isaiah Sykes Powers UCF to Upset Win at South Florida, 74-56

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, October 10, 2012

For the South Florida Bulls, Saturday's meeting with the University of Central Florida was not supposed to go this way.

Bad enough that the Bulls play in the tough Big East and missed a bid for the NCAA tournament with a 19-12 record last season, but getting ripped at home by the Knights was not exactly in the playbook.

Trouble was, the Bulls could not find a player - or even two - to handle match-up nightmare, Isaiah Sykes, a 6'5" junior guard out of Detroit, who lit up the Bulls for 26 points in UCF's 74-56 road win.

Sykes did all of his damage from within the three-point arc, not even attempting a long-range shot, hitting 10 of 16 from the field. When he wasn't scoring, Sykes was hauling down rebounds, getting 11 (five offensive), or dishing to teammates, which he did successfully on eight assists.

Sykes averaged 12.3 points and 6.4 rebounds last season, but has begun the 2012-13 campaign with a bang. He still needs to work on his foul shots, as he made just six on 14 trips to the charity stripe against the Bulls.

UCF raced out to a 40-24 half time lead and coasted to the win, outscoring their hosts by two in the second half. UCF had a huge edge on the boards, 45-26, and held South Florida to 36% shooting.

If their opening game is any kind of indication, the Knights may challenge Memphis (currently ranked 17) for the Conference USA title. UCF handed Memphis a 68-67 defeat in January, but were demolished by the Tigers twice later in the 2011-12 season.

They were 22-10 overall last season, ending their campaign in mid-March with a 81-56 loss to Drexel in the NIT tournament.

Sykes and his teammates have bigger and better ideas about this season.

College Hoops Tips Off; Dee Davis of Xavier Stars in 117-75 Rout

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, November 9, 2012

College hoops tipped off with a flurry of activity Friday night, including blowout mismatches by #1 Indiana (97-54 over Bryant College), #5 Michigan's 100-62 victory over Slippery Rock, and a close call by #3 Kentucky, getting by Maryland, 72-69.

One of the more lopsided and dominant wins was turned in by unranked Xavier, a perennial Atlantic 10 powerhouse, which got 22 points and 15 assists from Sophomore Dee Davis, in their 117-75 romp over Farleigh Dickenson.

Davis, who played sparingly last season as a freshman, is the starting point guard on this year's Musketeer squad and he came through with a standout performance, hitting 8 of 11 shots from the field, including 5-for-7 from three-point range.

Turning the ball over just three times, for an exceptional assist-to-turnover ratio of 5-1, Davis, a six-footer out of Bloomington, Indiana, had a steal and four rebounds.

The game was never very much in doubt after Xavier opened a big, early lead and had the visiting Knights down 68-32 by the half.

The Musketeeers were ousted from the NCAA tournament last year by Baylor, 75-70, ending the season with a respectable record of 23-13.