Shabazz Napier, Jeremy Lamb Lead UConn to OT Win at Villanova

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, February 20, 2012

In overtime, Villanova's Ty Johnson tied the game with Connecticut at 70-all on a layup, leaving just 5.8 seconds on the clock. It looked like the game was going into double overtime, but Shabazz Napier had other ideas, racing down the court and throwing up a very long 3-point attempt that swished through the net, giving UConn a 73-70 lead that would hold up as the Wildcats had no answer with just 0.6 seconds left on the clock.

Napier and the Huskies saved their season, for the moment. With head coach Jim Calhoun sidelined with health issues, the Huskies had entered the road game at Villanova with just two wins in its last nine contests. The losses had been piling up and there was even talk that Connecticut, the reigning NCAA champions, might not make it into the NCAA field.

The Huskies fell behind early on, down 18 points in the first half, but rallied to tie the score at 30-30 at the break. Jeremy Lamb finished with a career high 32 points, scoring in just about every conceivable manner as the Huskies struggled to stay in the game. Lamb was 11-for-19 from the field with two 3-pointers. He was also 8-for-11 from the line and scored all 10 of Connecticut's points in overtime prior to Napier's game-winner.

Napier scored just six points, all on a pair three-pointers, but the last one was truly epic and important, getting the Huskies to 7-8 in conference play and 17-10 overall. For now, Connecticut appears to have found a path back to the big dance, though they face Syracuse, Providence and Pitt to close out the regular season and will probably have to earn a few wins in the Big East tourney to secure a spot.

As big as the win was for the Huskies, it cannot be overstated that the team they beat is just 4-11 in conference play and has an overall mark of 11-16. Connecticut earned their road win, but the opposition was not what most people would call a quality team.

NOTABLE: Quincy Acy scored 22 points to go with 16 rebounds (8 offensive) as #13 Baylor (23-5) took down Texas, 77-72, an important road win for the Bears who came into the game losers of three of their last four.

The loss left the unranked Longhorns (7-8, 17-11) roundly on the tournament bubble.

Homes for Rent in Calgary

The city of Calgary is located in the province of Alberta, centrally located between the foothills of the Canadian Rockies and the prairies which stretch to the east and north.

It is the third most-populous city in Canada, with over 1.2 million people, with many residents employed in the oil and energy-production business. There are large neighborhoods of single-family homes and duplexes throughout the area. Calgary homes for rent can be found in all of the sections of the expansive city, from Black Diamond to Chester River to the metropolitan downtown area in all price ranges and configurations.

Calgary is unlike most other major metropolitan areas, in that it has incorporated most of the surrounding areas into the city proper, somewhat along the lines of Jacksonville, Florida. This helps keep taxes reasonable, with one major local body of government, rather than the city/county model employed by most municipalities, which suffer from overlapping tax districts and regulations.

Calgary is also a thriving sports, cultural and entertainment mecca, home to the NHL's Calgary Flames, the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL), the Calgary Vipers of the baseball Northern League and the Roughnecks Lacrosse Club, a member of the NLL. Calgary was the site of the 1988 Winter Olympics and Olympic Plaza remains a popular site for many civic events.

The Calgary Tower, with it's revolving restaurant, provides panoramic, majestic views of the city and environs and is one of the iconic features of Calgary's cityscape.

Iowa Dumps #18 Indiana Behind 30 From Matt Gatens

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, February 19, 2012

When talk turns to "bubble teams," there may be none more effervescent than the 14-15 (6-8 Big Ten) Iowa Hawkeyes, who turned their home court into an Indiana massacre scene Sunday, topping the youthful, 18th-ranked Hoosiers, 78-66, to keep their unlikely dream of reaching the NCAA tournament alive.

The Hawkeyes got 30 points from senior Matt Gatens, who was splashing from long range, making 7 of 10 3-pointers and 10 of 18 overall.

The 6'5" guard had his best game ever, his 30 points a career high, helping Iowa win its third game of the season against a ranked opponent. Earlier in the year, the Hawkeyes beat Wisconsin and Michigan, but have suffered a raft of losses - mostly on the road - to teams that will be going home in March instead of playing post-season hoops.

With just four games left on their regular season schedule, the Hawkeyes could make a bid if they can beat Wisconsin, Illinois, Northwestern and Nebraska and do well in the Big Ten tourney. Finishing over .500 is nearly a requisite for entry into the NCAA's, and the Hawkeyes still have an uphill climb.

Drew Gordon's 27 Points and 20 Rebounds Lead Lobos over UNLV

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, February 18, 2012

With 20 of the Top 25 teams taking to the hardwood on Saturday, there was plenty of fuel to turn February's frolics into March Madness, and, while some of the best teams in the country were easily handling their opponents, it was Drew Gordon and the New Mexico Lobos who turned a lot of heads.

Unranked New Mexico has been largely overlooked by the pollsters, but, after winning at #13 San Diego State, 77-67, on Wednesday and absolutely punishing #11 UNLV, 65-45, the Lobos stand alone atop the Mountain West with an 9-2 record in the conference and a gaudy 22-4 mark overall.

Gordon, a burly, 6'8", 245-pound forward devastated the UNLV front line with a career high 27 points and 20 rebounds, tying his season high number for board dominance. The senior, who transferred from UCLA after the 2009-10 season, made 13 of 20 field goals, passed off a couple of assists and made three steals. It was his eighth double-double of the season, a stat which should have most of the big men in the country seeking ways to slow him down.

The Lobos appear to have the conference title all but wrapped up, with four games remaining against some of the dregs of the Mountain West. Their upcoming opponents have a combined record in the conference of 16-24, and the Lobos have already beaten each of them earlier this season.

NOTABLE: At the top of the rankings, #1 Kentucky, #3 Missouri and #4 Kansas won without much of a problem. Syracuse and Duke, ranked 2nd and 5th, were idle, but #6 Ohio State was overthrown at Michigan, the #17 Spartans taking them down by a 56-51 score, while winning their 16th straight home game. The Spartans tied the Buckeyes for second place in the Big Ten at 10-4, both teams just 1/2 game behind 10-3 Michigan State.

Ohio State wasn't the only ranked team to be upset. #9 Baylor lost at home to Kansas State, 57-56, #13 San Diego State fell to Air Force, 58-56, and #24 Gonzaga fell to San Francisco, 66-65.

In Arkansas, both Florida's Erving Walker and the Razorbacks' BJ Young scored 31 points, but the Gators were 30 points better, winning on the road by a 98-68 final.

Another team getting some notice is Wichita State, as the Shockers, tied with Gonzaga at #24, rode Joe Ragland's 30 points for a 91-74 win over Davidson.

#16 Murray State proved to be as good as their 26-1 record implied, pounding #22 St. Mary's, 65-51.

Keith Wright Leads Harvard in Tune-up over Brown; Yale Next; Saturday Slate features Top 25 Teams

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, February 17, 2012

Harvard has been hovering around the lower depths of the Top 25 all season, but last week dropped out when they lost at Princeton, 70-62.

The Crimson will have a chance to make amends and get back into the rankings when they tip off at home against Yale on Saturday night. Yale is 7-2 in the Ivy League, a game behind the Crimson, at 8-1.

Since the Ivy League is more about books than basketball, the players usually compete twice on a weekend, usually Friday and Saturday nights, and the schedule favors Harvard this time around, as they hosted Brown on Friday, putting the Bears down hard with a stifling defense that held their opponents to 33% from the field and out-rebounding them 40-23, in a 69-42 rout.

Harvard committed only 11 fouls, sending the Bears to the line just twice in the entire game. Even though the Bears made both of their alloted free throws, Harvard players toed the line 21 times, making 14, a large determinant in the outcome of the contest.

Keith Wright, a 6'8" senior forward, had his second straight double-double and fifth of the season for Harvard, scoring 12 points with 10 rebounds. Wright played just 24 minutes, but was effective, hitting 6 of 8 of his shots. The Crimson ran away early on, building an insurmountable, 37-16 lead at the half.

NOTABLE: A slate full of Top 25 teams on Saturday features two nationally-televised contests (ESPN) between ranked opponents. At 6:00 pm ET, #16 Murray State hosts #21 St. Mary's in a non-conference tilt. The Racers were the last team in the country to be undefeated, losing at home to Tennessee State on Feb. 9, but since have rebounded with a pair of wins over Austin Peay and SE Missouri State. Murray State has already wrapped up the Ohio Valley regular season title, at 14-1 and will be tested against the Gaels, who have lost two of their last three but still lead the WCC by 1/2 game over Gonzaga.

At 9:00 pm ET, #17 Michigan hosts #6 Ohio State in a game that will be critical in determining Big Ten supremacy. The Wolverines, who are 14-0 at home, trail the Buckeyes and Michigan State by one game in the standings, at 9-3. Both Ohio State and Michigan State are 10-4.

Michigan dropped a 64-49 decision at Ohio State on January 29 and will be looking to overturn the Buckeyes, winners of seven of their last eight, the solitary loss coming at the hands of Michigan State, 58-48, last Saturday.

Duke Rallies Past Virginia Tech on Seth Curry's 26 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, February 16, 2012

There are few teams that can shoot 38%, be out-rebounded, 44-39, and still manage to win by five points, but the Duke Blue Devils sometimes defy conventional wisdom, logic and statistics.

Trailing by 20 points with under 12 minutes to play, Seth Curry rallied #5 Duke to a 78-73 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium, scoring 21 of his game-high 26 points in the second half.

Curry, the lone Duke player to hit 50% from the field, was 9-for-18 from the field, connecting on three of eight 3-pointers as the Blue Devils rallied to their 22nd win against four losses and remained tied for first place in the ACC with North Carolina and Florida State at 9-2.

While the Tar Heels had the night off, Florida State also rallied in the second half, beating Virginia Tech, 48-47 on a buzzer beating, 3-pointer by Michael Snaer

Curry's scoring outburst was a timely season high for the Junior guard.

Both of the Blue Devils' conference losses this season have been at home - to Miami and Florida State. Duke will have the chance to avenge one of those losses when they travel to meet the #20 Seminoles on February 23 and possibly break up the logjam atop the standings.

Jack Cooley Dominates Paint in 71-53 Irish Win over Rutgers

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Notre Dame won its seventh straight game, topping Rutgers, 71-53, to run their record to 18-8 and 10-3 in the Big East, tying Marquette for second place in the conference behind 13-1 Syracuse (26-1 overall).

The Fighting Irish are the only team to have beaten Syracuse this season, taking advantage of the absence of center Fab Melo in a 67-58 home win back on January 21. That win, which ended a two-game losing streak, must have given the Irish confidence, because they haven't lost since and now appear to be a lock for an NCAA invite.

Hard-nosed center, Jack Cooley, led all scorers with 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting, going 6 of 9 from the foul line. While he wasn't putting the ball in the basket, Cooley was rebounding missed shots, pulling down 18, eight of them on the offensive end.

The way they're playing, Notre Dame should cruise into the Big East tourney in the first week of March with a full head of steam. They have only five games remaining on their schedule and just one is against a ranked team, a February 27 visit to #10 Georgetown. The Irish are ranked #23 in the latest poll, but could be moving up if they continue their winning ways.

NOTABLE: In the Top 26 pantheon, there's a new kid on the block. That would be the #24 Wichita State Shockers, the leader in the Missouri Valley conference, at 14-2, with a two-game lead over second place Creighton (12-4). The Shockers improved to 23-4 with a 73-58 road win over Missouri State on Tuesday, their fifth straight win and 13th in their last 14.

In the West, New Mexico dumped #13 San Diego State, 77-67, and #21 St. Mary's fell to Loyola Marymount, 75-60, both ranked teams failing on their home courts. All other ranked teams in action - Indiana, North Carolina, Missouri and Murray State - were victorious.

TCU Tops #11 UNLV Behind Hank Thorns' 32 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, February 14, 2012

It's mid-February, traditionally the time of year that college teams start thinking seriously about the post-season and their chances for invitations to the NCAA tournament.

One such team with plenty on their collective minds is TCU, which is in the midst of a turnaround after going 11-22 last year. The Horned Frogs improved to 15-10 with a signature win Tuesday night over UNLV, topping the 11th-ranked Runnin' Rebels in overtime, 102-97.

TCU upset their Mountain West rivals after being behind by 18 points with 15 minutes left. Their surge to tie the contest and send it into overtime was largely the work of Hank Thorns a 5'9" senior guard who sat out all of the 2009-10 season when he transferred to TCU from Virginia Tech.

Thorns scored a career high 32 points, making 8 of 12 from beyond the arc in an 11-for-21 shooting performance, eventually tying the game with a 3-pointer with 2:58 to go.

Once the game got to overtime, Thorns put the Horned Frogs' offense in high gear, scoring eight points as the Frogs outscored UNLV, 17-12. Thorns added five rebounds and four assists, enabling his team to reverse an earlier, 101-78 win by UNLV in Las Vegas and get to 5-4 in the conference.

The Horned Frogs still have New Mexico, San Diego State and UNLV ahead of them in the conference standings, but can look forward to the post-season with some degree of confidence as they can make their case in the Mountain West tournament later this year.

An NCAA bid? Maybe. An improving team with plenty of upside? Certainly.

NOTABLE: TCU's win wasn't the only upset Tuesday night. Clemson used home court and tight defense to their advantage, outscoring visiting Virginia, 36-24, in the second half to complete a 60-48 victory over the 22nd-ranked Cavaliers.

In other Top 25 action, #14 Florida topped Alabama, 61-52, and #6 Ohio State won at Minnesota, 78-68, though neither of the victors looked particularly convincing in their wins.

Jeff Withey Powers #4 Kansas Past K-State, 59-53

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, February 13, 2012

Jeff Withey came within one blocked shot of a triple-double in Kansas' 59-53 road win over Kansas State. The 7-foot junior center tied his season high with nine blocks, while scoring 18 points and snatching 11 rebounds as #4 Kansas improved to 21-5, taking over sole possession of first place in the Big 12 with a 1/2 game lead over idle Missouri at 11-2.

The Jayhawks had their lowest scoring output of the season against the gritty Wildcat defense, shooting just 40% from the field, but held Kansas State to 31% shooting. Tyshawn Taylor scored 20 for Kansas, tying him for game-high honors with Kansas State's Jamar Samuels.

With Thomas Robinson saddled with foul problems for a portion of the second half, Withey provided some key buckets, going 6-for-8 from the field and also hit the offensive boards hard, getting 6 offensive rebounds.

Kansas should continue to roll towards its February 25th showdown with Missouri. The two games prior to that are against the two bottom teams in the Big 12, Texas Tech (1-11) on February 18, and at 3-9 Texas A&M on the 22nd.

NOTABLE: #2 Syracuse gutted out a 52-51 defensive win at #19 Louisville, snapping a seven game losing streak to the Cardinals dating back to 2006. The two teams meet again in their seasonal finale on March 3.

Robbie Hummel's Season High 27 Leads Boilermakers over Wildcats

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, February 12, 2012

Purdue's Robbie Hummel missed all of last season with a torn ACL, but he looks to be getting his game back in form just in time for the Boilermakers to make a late-season push and maybe get an invitation to the NCAA tournament.

Purdue's second win this season over Northwestern, an 87-77 home victory got the Boilermakers to 6-6 in the Big Ten, though they'll likely need a few quality wins down the stretch after recent losses to Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State and Indiana.

Hummel led five Purdue players in double figures with a season high 27 points and nine rebounds, offsetting the 30-point outburst from the Wildcats' leading scorer, John Shurna. Hummel converted six of 12 shots from the floor, including three triples. He also nailed down 12 of 14 free throws. The 6'9" senior leads the team in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots.

Purdue is 15-9 overall and will hit the road in their next game, a Wednesday (Feb. 15) night date at Illinois.

Thomas Robinson and Jeff Whithey Power Jayhawks Past Cowboys; No Shortage of Top 25 Upsets on Saturday

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, February 11, 2012

The Big 12 looks like it's going to come down to just two teams from bordering states - Kansas and Missouri - for the regular season, conference tournament title and a likely #1 seeding from the NCAA tournament committee.

While Missouri was all over Baylor on Saturday, whipping the Bears by a 72-57 score, the Jayhawks used their superior size inside to bury Oklahoma State, 81-66.

Kansas, ranked 7th nationally, raced off to a 51-24 lead at intermission and coasted to the easy win behind 24 points and 14 rebounds from Thomas Robinson and 18 points and 20 boards by Jeff Whithey.

The Jayhawks improved to 20-5 and 12-2 in the Big 12, tied with Missouri (23-2, 10-2) atop the conference standings. Missouri won the first meeting between the two squads, winning 74-71 at home on February 4, but the return engagement will be at Kansas, two Saturdays away, on February 25.

NOTABLE: There was plenty of Top 25 action around the country, and no shortage of upsets, including #11 Michigan State's 58-48 win over #3 Ohio State, Princeton's 70-62 victory over #25 Harvard and Tennessee's 75-70 win at #8 Florida.

Georgia whipped home-standing #20 Mississippi State in overtime, 70-68, and unranked Wichita State retained sole possession of first place in the Missouri Valley conference with a determined, 89-68, win at #15 Creighton, losers of three straight and in second place in the standings.

The Shockers should get more than enough votes to place in Monday's fresh poll, as they are 23-4 overall and 13-2 in the conference, winning their last four and 12 of their last 13.

Loyola (MD) Takes Top Spot in MAAC as Eric Etherly and Dylon Cormier Score 22 Apiece

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, February 10, 2012

Winning their seventh game in a row, the Loyola (MD) Greyhounds grabbed sole possession of first place in the MAAC with a decisive, 87-81, win over Iona on Friday's limited slate of games.

The Greyhounds improved to 19-5 overall, but more importantly, 12-2 in the MAAC, taking the top spot away from the Gaels, who entered the game tied with Loyola at 11-2.

Taking an early lead on their home court, the Greyhounds raced to a 47-30 advantage at the break and held on, despite being outscored by 11 points in the second half.

6'7" junior forward Eric Etherly and Dylon Cormier each tallied 22 points to lead Loyala scorers. Etherly was 9-for-12 from the field and hauled down 10 boards for his eighth double-double of the season. Cormier, a 6'2" sophomore guard, was 8-for-16 from the field with two 3-pointers, adding five rebounds and three assists.

The Greyhounds avenged an earlier loss at Iona, but the regular season is far from secured. Loyola has four conference games remaining, three on the road, with their final game at 10-4 Manhattan, a team the Greyhounds beat by only a point, 61-60, on their home floor, January 5th.

NOTABLE: There's plenty of hoops action on tap for Saturday, with #5 North Carolina looking to rebound from their last-second loss to Duke on Wednesday when they tip at home against #19 Virginia at 1:00 pm ET. #2 Syracuse hosts UConn at the same hour. At 1:45, #4 Missouri hosts #6 Baylor in a Big 12 rematch, and, at 4:00, #13 San Deigo State visits #14 UNLV in a Mountain West showdown between the conference's two top teams.

At 6:00, #3 Ohio State hosts #11 Michigan State, and the evening is capped off with #1 Kentucky traveling to Vanderbilt at 9:00 pm. With a win, the Wildcats would improve to 25-1.

Gonzaga Pays Back St. Mary's Behind Kevin Pangos' 27 Points; Murray State Last Unbeaten to Fall

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, February 9, 2012

Official attendance for Gonzaga's showdown with St. Mary's was quoted at 6,000, but inside the McCarthy Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington, it sounded more like 60,000 and the home Bulldogs treated the guest Gaels like they weren't invited.

Before a loud and often deafening crowd, freshman guard Kevin Pangos pumped in 27 points to lead Gonzaga to a 73-59 pummeling of #13 St. Mary's the leaders in the race for the West Coast Conference title.

St. Mary's came into the game riding a 12 game winning streak with an unbeaten, 10-0 record in the conference and a two game lead over the Zags, but Pangos and his fellow Gaels took St. Mary's dazzling point guard, Matthew Deledevoda out of his game, limited the Gaels to 38% shooting, and, with the win, may have secured themselves another trip to the NCAA tourney.

Earlier in the season, St. Mary's had treated the Bulldogs with disdain, pounding them, 83-62, and taking control of the top spot in the conference, but Thursday night, on their home floor, the Zags were clearly the better team, shooting 53% and out-rebounding St. Mary's 40-26.

Pangos, a speedy sharpshooter who is also developing into a slashing driver, was 8-for-16 from the field, making five of six of his three-pointers and going 6-for-6 from the line, along with four boards, two assists and a pair of steals.

The win upped Gonzaga's record to 19-4 overall and 9-2 in the conference. With non-conference wins over Notre Dame, Butler and Arizona on their resume, the Bulldogs appear poised to re-enter the Top 25 next week and ride a wave of confidence through the remainder of the season and into tournament play.

They still trail St. Mary's by a game in the conference schedule, but will likely face them again in the WCC tournament, the winner receiving an automatic bad to the the NCAA tourney.

NOTABLE: The last of the undefeated teams in Division I finally met its match as #7 Murray State fell to Tennessee Tech, 72-68, despite 31 points from Isaiah Canaan. The Racers entered the game at 23-0 with a stranglehold on the Ohio Valley conference. Following the loss, their lead is still 2 1/2 games over Tennessee State with just four more conference tilts left on the schedule, the final three of those on the road. The non-conference game with St Mary's on February 18 is of particular importance as both the Gaels and the Racers will be looking for a signature win to ensure a trip to the big dance.