Laurent Rivard Scores 18 as Harvard Punishes Yale, 65-35

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, January 27, 2012

Earlier in the season, Harvard was ranked in the Top 25, rising to #22 in the January 2 AP poll when they were 12-1. Just a day later, the Crimson lost at Fordham, 60-54, and the dream was shattered by the pollsters, who voted Harvard off the Top 25 island the next week, where they continue to languish.

Undaunted and still looking like easily the best team out of the Ivy League, the Crimson have put together five straight wins, all by nine points or more, but none more impressive than their 65-35 rout of long-standing rival Yale, Friday night.

The game, played at Yale, before 2,522 fans in New Haven, CT, was about as one-sided an affair as the Crimson have dealt an opponent this season. Leading 30-19 at intermission, the Crimson poured on the defense, converting a total of 22 turnovers by the Bulldogs into a 35-16 second half and the laugher of a win.

Leading the offensive charge for Harvard was 6'5" sophomore guard, Laurent Rivard, who knocked down a game high 18 points on 5-for-8 shooting and a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line.

The rest was all Harvard defense, limiting Yale to just 32% shooting. Greg Mangano was the only player in double figures for Yale, with 17 points.

At 17-2 overall and 3-0 in the conference, the Crimson leads the 2-0 Penn Quakers by 1/2 game in the Ivy League. Their only other loss was at UConn, a 67-53 defeat to the Huskies.

Tyler Zeller Leads Tar Heels Past Wolfpack, 74-55; Indiana Slide Continues

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, January 26, 2012

When Tyler Zeller finds matchups he likes, i.e., shorter guys in the paint, the North Carolina Tar Heels are virtually unstoppable.

That was clearly evident as Zeller led the Tar Heels to their 17th win against just three losses, putting a thorough thumping on nearby rival NC State, 74-55.

While the 7-foot senior was putting up 21 points and 17 rebounds - his eighth double-double of the season and fourth in a row - his teammates were clamping down on the Wolfpack, limiting them to 37% shooting, blocking eight shots (five by Jon Henson), forcing 17 turnovers and outrebounding them by a preposterous 48-26.

Zeller's performance was one of his best of the season, hitting 8 of 11 shots, all five of his free throws, and getting six offensive rebounds.

With the win, the 7th-ranked Tar Heels improved to 4-1 in the conference, 1/2 game behind ACC co-leaders, Duke and Florida State, both with 5-1 records.

NOTABLE: After a stunning December in which the Hoosiers beat two top-ranked teams, Kentucky and Ohio State, Indiana has found the sledding in the Big Ten to be a little rough. They lost their conference opener at Michigan State, 80-65, then beat the Buckeyes, 74-70, and topped Michigan and Penn State, but since have lost four of their last five, including Thursday's 57-50 dinimg at #25 Wisconsin. Indiana's currently ranked 16th nationally, but, with losses mounting, especially against conference foes, their grip on a Top 25 ranking is quickly slipping away.

Le'Bryon Nash's Career High 27 Sends Cowboys to 79-72 Win Over #2 Missouri; Tom Izzo Gets 400th Win with Spartans

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, January 25, 2012

On Monday, the Missouri Tigers learned they were ranked #2 in the nation after topping Baylor on the road, 89-88, and improving to 18-1.

Wednesday night in Stillwater, Oklahoma was another road game, but not a good one for for Missouri as they dropped a 79-72 decision to the motivated Cowboys of Oklahoma State.

Ricardo Ratliffe scored 25 points and had 12 rebounds for Missouri, but it was no match for freshman forward Le'Bryon Nash's career high 27 point outburst.

Nash and his Cowboy teammates survived 16 turnovers by shooting a sizzling 60% (31-52) from the field and nailing 12 of 14 free throws, 10 of those by fellow frosh, Brian Williams, who finished with 22. Nash was 12 of 18 from the floor, including 3-for-4 from 3-point range. He also contributed four rebounds and four assists.

The 10-10 Cowboys were unlikely upsetters, having lost their last three straight, to Baylor, Iowa State and Kansas State. Missouri's loss dropped them into a tie for second place in the Big 12 at 5-2 with Baylor. Everybody in the conference is chasing #5 Kansas, which is 7-0 in the conference and 17-3 overall.

NOTABLE: Mason Plumlee had 23 points and 12 boards as the #8 Duke Blue Devils stomped Maryland, 74-61, in College Park, MD.

IN SEC play, Arnett Moultrie's 28 points and 12 rebounds led #18 Mississippi State to a 76-71 home win over LSU. The Bulldogs are 17-5 on the season.

#12 UNLV needed overtime to slip past Boise State, 77-72, as Mike Moser scored 18 points and dominated the boards, hauling down 21 rebounds. The Runnin' Rebels improved to 19-3 and are second in the Mountain West conference at 3-1, behind 4-0 San Diego State. The Aztecs, ranked 13 nationally, topped the Rebels, 69-67, on January 14.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo recorded his 400th career win as the Spartans' head coach with a 68-52 pasting of Minnesota. Izzo's 10th-ranked Spartans are 17-4 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten, tied for first place with #4 Ohio State and #20 Michigan.

The national scoring race heated up a bit as the nation's 4th-leading scorer, Doug McDermott led #15 Creighton to a 77-69 win over Drake with a 30-point outburst. McDermott is averaging 23.5 points per game. Albany's Gerardo Suero, 5th, at 21.5 ppg, popped for 25 in Albany's 74-68 win over Binghamton.

The top two scorers in the country, Weber State's Damian Lillard (25.1 ppg) and Grambling State's Quincy Roberts (24.0) were not in action on Wednesday. Grambling State is just 2-15, and Roberts has played in just 10 games this season.

Jeffery Taylor Leads Vanderbilt to 65-47 Road Win at Tennessee

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Jeffery Taylor scored more than a third of Vanderbilt's points in the Commodores' 65-47 road win over Tennessee.

Taylor, a four year starter, pumped in a game high 23 points, making all three of his 3-pointers while going 8-for-14 from the field and 4-for-4 from the line. The 6'7" forward also collected four steals and had nine rebounds, three on the offensive boards.

Vanderbilt displayed a scrappy, disruptive defense, holding the Volunteers to just 35% shooting while forcing a ridiculous 25 Tennessee turnovers. Vanderbilt raced off to a 40-21 lead at the break and were never challenged in the second half, dropping Tennessee to 1-4 in the conference.

The 15-5 Commodores are unranked, owing to consecutive losses to Xavier and Louisville at the end of November and start of December and a 61-55 loss to Indiana State on December 17, though the squad has since won nine of their last ten and trail the Kentucky Wildcats in the SEC race by one game. Top-ranked Kentucky had a road win of their own Tuesday night, topping Georgia, 57-44, to improve to 20-1 overall and 6-0 in the conference. Vanderbilt is 5-1 in SEC play.

With Vandy and Kentucky apparently headed for a showdown, fans of the cross-border rivalry will have to wait until mid-February to see whether the Commodores have the grit to hang with the powerful Wildcats. Vandy hosts Kentucky on February 11, and then visits the wildcats on February 25.

Syracuse Back on Winning Track as Kris Joseph Scores 17 in 60-53 Win at Cincinnati; Boeheim Passes Rupp with 877th Victory

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, January 23, 2012

Losing isn't always a bad thing. The taste of defeat can inspire players to improve. Just ask the Syracuse Orange, which were ranked number one for six straight weeks in the AP poll and ran off a school record of 20 straight wins to open a season before throwing in a clunker, losing, 67-58, at Notre Dame on Saturday.

Playing for the second straight game without their dynamic center, Fab Melo, the Orange, after a slow start, pulled together and got back on the winning track with a 60-53 win over Cincinnati that was straight out of coach Jim Boeheim's textbook.

The Bearcats sprinted to an early lead, hitting four of their eight 3-pointers before the first media timeout, but by half time, the Orange defense had prevailed, with Syracuse leading 28-25 at the break.

The second half was nip-and-tuck, but Syracuse would not relinquish the lead, as Kris Joseph stepped up with 11 of his game-high 17 points (Cashmere Wright also tallied 17 for the Bearcats).

Joseph couldn't find the range from outside the arc, missing all three of his attempts, but those were his only missed shots, going 8-for-11 from the field and an uncharacteristic 1-for-5 from the foul line. Free throws will be on the Orange to-do list, as they went a combined 5-for-15 from the stripe.

Joseph added eight rebounds and a blocked shot without committing a turnover. The Orange turned the ball over just eight times and stifled the Bearcats with their 2-3 zone.

The win kept Syracuse atop the Big East with a 7-1 record. Georgetown holds second, a game and a half back at 6-2, followed by West Virginia, South Florida and Marquette at 5-2. Cincinnati dropped to 5-3 in the conference and 15-6 overall. 21-1 Syracuse was dropped to third in Monday's latest AP poll, Kentucky regained #1, followed by Missouri at #2.

Coach Jim Boeheim reached another career milestone, passing legendary Adolph Rupp with win 877, fourth all-time among Division 1 coaches.

Cody Zeller Leads Indiana over Penn State with 18 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, January 22, 2012

The three Top 25 teams that did not play on Saturday were given their chance on Sunday, though two of them wish they had performed better.

Number 15 Virginia lost at home to in-state rival Virginia Tech, 47-45, and #22 Illinois was upended by surging Wisconsin, 67-63. The unranked Badgers have won four straight and stand alone, at 5-3, in 4th place in the Big Ten, behind the trio of Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan, all 5-2.

The one Top 25 winner from Sunday was also from the Big Ten, as #11 Indiana held serve at home, dropping Penn State, 73-54. While Penn State fans were dealing with the death of long-time football coach Joe Paterno, the Hoosiers were making life for the basketball team a little more miserable with a clogging defense that held the Nittany Lions to just 34% shooting.

Besides the stifling defense, Indiana shot 53%, including a 7-for-8 effort by freshman center Cody Zeller, who led all Hoosier scorers with 18 points. Zeller also collected four rebounds, four blocks, and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.

Tim Frazier led Penn State with 21 points, though he was only one of two players in double figures for the Lions.

Indiana improved to 16-4 overall and 4-4 in the rough and tumble Big Ten. Next up for the Hoosiers is a trip to Wisconsin on Thursday.

Ricardo Ratliffe Lifts Mizzou; Syracuse Falls to Notre Dame Behind Jack Cooley's 17 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, January 21, 2012

There was plenty of college hoops action on Saturday, with 21 of the the Top 25 taking to courts around the country.

One game which involved two of the top five, was won by #5 Missouri, which handed #3 Baylor its second straight loss, 89-88, after opening the season with 17 straight wins.

Ricardo Ratliffe, who leads the nation in shooting percentage at 77%, scored a career high 27 points on 11-for-14 shooting for the Tigers, which improved to 18-1 and 5-1 in the Big 12. Ratliffe also grabbed 8 boards and blocked a pair of shots.

Missouri now holds second place alone in the conference, behind Kansas, a 69-68 winner over the Texas Longhorns.

The Big East was a hotbed of activity, with two of their games going into overtime, but the performance of the day went to the Notre dame Fighting Irish, who took down one of just two remaining unbeaten teams as they topped the Syracuse Orange by a stunning, 67-58 score.

Notre Dame took an quick lead over Syracuse on a 3-point spree in the early moments of the game, and held on bravely, never allowing the Orange closer than XX points. Center Jack Cooley was a cool customer in the lane, scoring a game-high 17 points and ripping down 10 rebounds, helping to end #1 Syracuse's 20-game winning streak.

The Irish win left just one team in Division 1 with an unblemished record, that being the unheralded Murray State Racers, who easily got past SIU Edwardsville, 82-65, improving to 20-0 on the season. The Racers lead the Ohio Valley conference with an 8-0 record and are ranked #12 in the AP Poll.

Michael Glover, Scott Machado Lead Iona Past Rider, 91-71

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, January 20, 2012

Until tournament time comes around in March, Friday nights are reserved for smaller schools and that's where we found the Iona Gaels, playing in one of just five NCAA games on the slate.

The Gaels, seeking a return to the NCAA tournament, a place they haven't been since 2006, when they lost to LSU in first round, 80-64, know they'll likely have to capture the MAAC tournament to receive the automatic bid.

On Friday, they took a step in the right direction, with a 91-71 win over Rider, the team they beat in last season's conference semi-final, only to lose the final to St. Peter's, 62-57, landing them a berth in the Collegeinsider.com tourney.

Leading the charge for Iona was their top scorer and rebounder, senior forward, Michael Glover, who had another superior effort, hitting 8 of 9 shots from the field for a game high 21 points, to go with nine boards and three assists.

Scott Machado, the senior guard who leads the nation in assists (10.6 per game), chipped in with 11 points, nine boards and 15 assists.

The combination of these two leaders with assorted role players has the Gaels atop the MAAC, with a 7-1 record and a 15-4 mark overall, putting them in position to earn a spot at the Big Dance come March.

One part of the Gaels' strategy has been to play a ton of road games. In December, the Gaels spent the entire month on the road, playing eight straight contests in opponents' facilities. They've already played 10 away games and will embark upon a three-game road trip to Sienna, Fairfield and St. Peter's, last year's NCAA entrant, beginning Monday, January 23.

Harrison Barnes Leads Tar Heels Past Virginia Tech with 27 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, January 19, 2012

In any discussion of the ACC, the obvious center of attention is the North Carolina Tar Heels, the team that appears to be the best in the conference, despite an ugly recent loss at Florida State.

This past Saturday, the Tar Heels were humbled by the Seminoles, 90-57, snapping North Carolina's nine-game winning streak with the worst loss since Roy Williams took over as head coach in 2004.

Any good coach, of which Mr. Williams certainly qualifies, knows that the best way to erase thoughts of a thorough trouncing is to win your next game, which is exactly what the Carolina squad did on Thursday, as they went into Blacksburg, and, after a troubling first half, exploded for 48 second half points en route to a 82-68 victory, their 16th, against just three losses.

Harrison Barnes keyed a 19-0 Tar Heel run with nine of his game high 27 points, as North Carolina turned around a 39-34 half time deficit and cruised to the win in hostile territory.

Barnes made 8 of 14 shots from the floor and added 10 of 12 from the line, contributing six rebounds and three steals to the cause.

With the win, North Carolina moved into a three-way tie in he conference with NC State and Florida State at 3-1. 4-0 Duke leads the ACC.

The Tar Heels have four games - two on the road - before the first of their twice annual showdowns with the Blue Devils on February 8, when North Carolina hosts Duke.

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Rodney McGruder Pours in 33 as Kansas State Whips Texas, 84-80

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, January 18, 2012

If you're going to compete in the rugged Big 12 conference, your team has to have a go-to guy who can score a load of points and keep your squad in the game.

For the Kansas State Wildcats, that would be junior shooting guard Rodney McGruder, who ripped the nylons for a career high 33 points, helping the Wildcats over a testy Texas team, 84-80, Wednesday night in Manhattan, Kansas.

McGruder's big night wasn't just all about shooting, though he was 11-for-17 from the field, including four 3-pointers and 7-for-10 from the foul line. The 6'4" McGruder was also hitting the boards with regularity, snatching eight rebounds (4 on the offensive end) and dishing a pair of assists.

The Wildcats, clinging to the #25 spot in the AP poll, needed the win badly, having lost three of their last four and falling to 1-3 in the conference. The victory improved their overall record to 13-4 and 2-3 inside the Big 12.

Texas, a talented, though not very deep team, fell to 2-3 in the conference and 12-6 for the season.

NOTABLE: There were a number of upsets in college hoops on Wednesday, including Cincinnati's 70-67 win over Connecticut on Sean Kilpatrick's clutch 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left, and Nebraska's stunning upset of Indiana, 70-69, but the lesson of the night comes from the Pavilion in Philadelphia, where the struggling Villanova Wildcats (9-10) took advantage of 41 trips to the foul line to defeat 15-4 Seton Hall, 84-76.

Led by junior guard Maalik Wyans and freshman forward JayVaughn Pinkston, who scored 25 and 22, respectively (a career high for Pinkston), the Wildcats showed great form at the foul line, something a few of the top teams still need to work on before the pressure of tournament play in March. Wyans, hitting 89.7% of his foul shots this season, displayed textbook form, making 15 of 16 freebies, while Pinkston hit 13 of 17 from the stripe.

Seton Hall committed 27 fouls and went to the line themselves only 16 times, making 12, while the Wildcats, just 22 of 51 from the field, made 34 of 41 free throws. Practice, practice, practice makes perfect.

Kentucky Goes to 18-1 Behind Anthony Davis' 27 Points and 14 Boards

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 17, 2012

#2 Kentucky rolled past another SEC opponent Tuesday night, topping the Arkansas Razorbacks (13-5), 86-63, behind a career high 27 points and 14 rebounds from their likely one-and-done freshman sensation, Anthony Davis.

The outcome never in doubt on Kentucky's home court, Rupp Arena, the Wildcats opened with a flurry and never looked back, stretching their 37-21 half time lead to the 23-point victory.

Davis, the 6'10" forward on every NBA scout's must-see list, also swatted away seven shots, setting a new single-season mark for Kentucky ballers. Leading the nation in blocked shots with 89, Davis broke the Kentucky record of 84, previously held by Melvin Turpin and Andre Riddick.

The fabulous freshman hit 10 of 12 shots and made seven of eight free throws. four of his 14 rebounds were on the defensive end.

Kentucky outshot the Razorbacks, 57% to 40%, and out-rebounded them, 38-26.

The 18-1 Wildcats stretched the nation's longest winning streak to 46 straight. They've won ten in a row since their only loss of the season, a 73-72 defeat at Indiana.

NOTABLE: When your team loses by 100 points, maybe the AD might want to reconsider the scheduling. That could be the case for Toccoa Falls, after falling victim to the Western Carolina Catamounts, 141-39, who put nine players in double figures, led 72-17 at the half and out-rebounded the Eagles, 62-16.

Toccoa Falls plays in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) and maybe should just stay there.

Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson Stop Baylor, as Kansas Wins,92-74

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, January, 2012

The Kansas Jayhawks reduced the number of undefeated college basketball teams to two with a 92-74 win over the Baylor Bears, as Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson provided more inside-outside offense than the previously 17-0 Bears could handle.

Robinson, a certain player of the year candidate, dominated the interior, scoring 27 points on 11-for-18 shooting, including a number of rim-shaking dunks and swift spin moves in the paint that ignited the sold out crowd at Allen Field House.

The 6'9" junior was also responsible for limiting Baylor's second chance opportunities, wiping the boards with 14 rebounds, 13 of which came on the defensive end. It was Robinson's 13th double-double of the season. He leads the Jayhawks in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.8 points and 12.3 rebounds.

Taylor, playing the best ball of his four-year collegiate career, matched his career high - set just two days ago in an 82-73 win over Iowa State - with 28 points, scoring on 10 of 14 shots, with four of his six 3-point attempts hitting their mark. Taylor also led Kansas with six assists.

Kansas took a 10 point lead into the break, but Baylor responded in the early part of the second half, cutting the lead to six before Kansas completely took over, pressuring every one of the Bears' shots while sizzling on their own offensive end to up the lead eventually to 20 points.

The Jayhawks shot 57% from the field and completely dominated the boards, out-rebounding Baylor, 39-24. It was their 16th straight win at Phog Allen Field House and improved their record to 15-3. The Jayhawks now stand alone atop the Big 12 standings at 5-0, with Missouri and Baylor chasing them, at 4-1.

NOTABLE: Syracuse beat Pitt in the Carrier Dome for the first time in five years, extending their winning streak to a school record 20 straight wins to open a season with a 71-63 decision over the struggling Panthers, who have lost seven straight and fallen to the bottom of the Big East standings, at 0-6. The top-ranked Orange used their familiar combination of tight zone defense and run-outs to lead start to finish. The Orange opened the game with a 13-0 run and were never headed.