No Keeping Up with Dominique Jones

College Hoops Player of the Day for DAY, Month, 2010

In South Florida, the focus has been on football, but lately, 6'4" junior guard Dominique Jones has drawing fans into Tampa's Sun Dome to see the Bulls take on Big East rivals.

On Sunday, the Bulls hosted Pitt, but proved to be quite rude to their guests, as Jones went off for 37 points en route to a 70-61 win for South Florida. Pitching them in from everywhere on the court, Jones was 10 for 20 from the field, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc and 14-for-17 from the charity stripe. He also notched 8 boards and 3 assists as the Bulls won their third straight Big East game, for the first time in the program's history.

Jones has been unstoppable of late, recently scoring 46 in a win at Providence and then 28 at home vs. Seton Hall. Both games went into overtime, but on Sunday, the Bulls downed the Panthers without needing an extra period.

The loss was the third in the last four games for Pitt, currently ranked #17, though they may be out of the Top 25 when the new poll comes out on Monday. South Florida still has a way to go before making the rankings. They've improved to 4-5 in the conference and 14-7 overall.

Notable: Ohio State avenged an earlier loss to Minnesota with a blistering 85-63 home win. Point guard Will Buford went for a career-high 26 points, with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. The 16-6 Buckeyes are ranked #20 in the nation.

Virginia improved to 16-6, as Sylven Landesberg scored 29 points and the Cavaliers dumped North Carolina, 75-60, in Chapel Hill. The struggling Tar Heels are 2-4 in the conference and 13-8 overall. On their current path, North Carolina looks to be playing in the NIT come March.

Hoyas Shoot 72%, Hammer Blue Devils

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, January 30, 2010

The Georgetown Hoyas put on a shooting clinic at the Verizon Center Sunday, hitting 33 of 46 shots from the field, for an impressive 71.7% effort as they cruised to an 89-77 win over Duke.

While the Hoyas were hitting just about everything from everywhere, the Blue Devils were trying their best to stay in the game. After a first half run, the Hoyas took command, heading into the break with a 46-33 lead. Duke cut that to six, but that was the closest they would get, as Georgetown players just kept making their shots. Other than the shooting, Georgetown wasn't all that special. They were outrebounded by Duke, 32-22, and turned the ball over 15 times, one more than Duke. They did, though, manage to block 9 shots, and 20 of the 33 baskets came off assists.

Shooting the lights out were a trio of Georgetown players: Austin Freeman (8 of 11, 2-3 3-pointers, 20 points); Chris Wright (8 of 9, 1-2 3-pointers, 21 points); and, super soph center Greg Monroe (7 of 11, 21 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists).

The Hoyas, taking a break from the rigors of the Big East, got into Duke's psyche and bolstered their own resume, improving to 16-4 on the season. Duke, despite the loss, is 17-4 and will likely still be ranked in the Top 10 come Monday.

Notable: Of 14 games involving Top 25 teams Saturday, 4 of them went into overtime. The two biggest were in the Big 12, where #2 Kansas withstood the Kansas St. challenge, winning 81-79, while in Austin, the Baylor Bears upset Texas, 80-77, hanging the Longhorns with their third loss in two weeks.

The other two OT games produced wins by unranked teams, as San Francisco toppled #13 Gonzaga, 81-77, and unheralded UTEP outscored #25 UAB 11-2 in the second overtime for a 74-65 win.

Cornell Stomps Dartmoth, Continues Roll through Ivy

College Hoops Player of the Day for DAY, Month, 2010

When Ivy Leaguers from Dartmoth meet with Cornell, it's Big Green vs. Big Red, but the greens were swallowed up in a sea of red Friday night as Cornell plastered Big Green, 71-37, continuing their dominance over fellow Ivy Leaguers.

Sporting a 17-3 record, Cornell's only losses have come from outside the conference, to powerhouses Syracuse, Kansas and Seton Hall, though Big Red held their own in each of those contests. Against Dartmouth, Cornell emptied their bench (amd maybe some of the stands) using 19 different players to extend a 27-13 half time lead for 44 second half points and a thorough beating.

Leading the way was 3-point specialist and Massachusetts transfer, Max Groebe, who hit his only 2-point attempt, and connected on 4 of 6 from beyond the arc to raise his season shooting percentage from long range to an incredible 59.4%. Groebe played just 16 minutes but tallied a team-high 15 points. 11 other Big Red players scored in the one-sided affair.

Cornell will try to go 4-0 in the Ivy League when they face Harvard - also 3-0 - on Saturday in Ithaca, NY. Back-to-back weekend games are the norm in the Ivy, where the focus is on books rather than hoops. All conference games are played on either a Friday or Saturday.

Razorbacks Clamber Past Miss. St. on Fortson's 35

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, January 28, 2010

Although their record is just 9-11, the Arkansas Razorbacks may be a surprise team from the wide-open SEC West, especially if the Hogs can find a player or two to step up to the level of sophomore point guard, Courtney Forston.

Forston, who missed the first fourteen games of the season due to a suspension for some untoward comments on Twitter, scored 33 of his 35 points in the second half to rally the Razorbacks to a 67-62 SEC win.

After a lethargic first half from both squads, in which the Bulldogs led 29-21, Forston put the entire program on his 5'11" frame and lifted the team to victory, hitting 9 of 17 shots, including 3-for-6 on 3-pointers, while canning 14 of 18 free throws. The diminutive guard added 7 boards, 4 assists and a pair of steals. Down by as many as 11 points, Forston carried Arkansas back to their second conference win against 3 losses.

Besides Mississippi State, Alabama and Mississippi should vie for the SEC West title, and you can add Arkansas into that mix, especially if they can upset the Rebels when they travel to Mississippi on Saturday.

James Matches Career High as Texas Returns to Winning Form

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Even though Texas only managed to stay #1 for a couple of hours before losing - first at Kansas State last Monday, and then at UConn on Saturday - they still came in at #6 in the most recent poll and have now gotten off their losing skien with a 95-83 home win over a pretty solid bunch from Texas Tech.

As usual when the Longhorns are rolling, forward Damion James led the way, matching his career-best (also against Texas Tech, last season) of 28 points on 12-for-20 shooting while also helping out on the boards in a big way with 13 rebounds (4 offensive). It was the 11th double-double for james this season, in 20 games.

The 18-2 Longhorns host #24 Baylor on Saturday before back-to-back road games at Oklahoma State (Feb. 1) and Oklahoma (Feb. 6).

NOTABLE: With the possibility that the Mountain West Conference could send more teams to the NCAA Tournament than the PAC-10, the New Mexico Lobos have regained some of their swagger with their 5th straight conference win after dropping their first two. Wednesday's 76-72 win over high-flying #12 BYU was spurred by Dairese Gary's career-high 25 points. The win was the Lobos' third against ranked opponents this season and has them settled into a second-place tie in the Mountain West with UNLV, at 5-2. BYU still leads the pack, at 5-1.

Then There Were None: Gamecocks Shock #1 Kentucky

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Kentucky's freshman sensation, John Wall, has gotten an inordinate share of press and frothy praise by NBA scouts who believe he'll be the #1 pick in the draft later this year. s Wall has helped the Wildcats to the Top of the AP poll, ranking #1 for the first time since 2003 with their 19-0 record, that was, until Tuesday night when Kentucky squared off with SEC foe South Carolina Gamecocks at the Colonial Center in Columbia, SC.

Amid all the hype and excitement over Wall and the #1 Wildcats, 5'9" guard Devan Downey was having none of it and he proved his point with 30 points and a 68-62 win, eliminating the last of the undefeated teams in college hoops.

Downey was the ultimate water bug against Kentucky, spinning, whirling, twisting, and leaping past defenders. Though he only shot 31% (9-for-29), he made up for it with impressive defense and by hitting 10 of 11 from the foul line. Easily the shortest player on the court, he managed to grab 5 rebounds to go with his 3 assists, keeping the Wildcats off-balance and in awe most of the night. Downey leads the SEC in scoring at 22.4 points per game.

Helping in the upset effort were 6'8" forward Sam Muldrow, who contested everything in the paint, blocking 5 shots while scoring 9 points with 11 rebounds. Downey's backcourt mate, Brandis Raley-Ross, chipped in with 17 points and 5 boards.

Kentucky's reign as #1 lasted just over one day before they tasted their first loss of the season, though they will retain the #1 ranking through Sunday, and might just stay there, depending on how they fare against Vanderbilt on Saturday and how other teams - #2 Kansas, #3 Villanova and #4 Syracuse - perform during the week.

NOTABLE: The University of Seattle is a fledgling independent playing mostly teams from the Big West, PAC-10 and other independents, and they've done fine, sporting a 9-11 record heading into their Tuesday night game at Washington. Seattle hoped to be competitive against the Huskies, but the wheels fell off completely as the Redhawks committed 45 personal fouls, had six players foul out and sent the Huskies to the charity stripe 61 times, where the Washington players gleefully dropped in 46 freebies en route to a 123-76 thrashing.

Washington built an insurmountable 61-20 lead by the half, and Seattle played the final 1:27 with just four players on the court due to the foul-outs. Quincy Pondexter led 6 Washington players in double figures with a game-high 27 points. Washington shot 56%, to just 30% for Seattle.

#4 Syracuse Rips #7 Hoyas at Carrier Dome

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, January 25, 2010

Big East rivalries don't get any bigger than the one witnessed Monday night by a national television audience (ESPN), as Georgetown headed north from the nation's capitol to take on the Syracuse Orangemen.

At the beginning, everything went Georgetown's way, with the Hoyas building a 14-0 lead. Once Syracuse got on track, however, it was game over, lights out, everybody down. The Orange stormed to a 34-29 lead at the break and opened up by as many as 20, eventually winning in a laugher, 73-56. Too quick and too physical for the Hoyas, Syracuse converted 21 of 28 free throws, compared to just 6 of 11 from the line for Georgetown.

Andy Rautins and Kris Joseph led the Orange attack with 15 points apiece. Joseph added 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Rautins dished 6 assists and had 6 steals.

Wesley Johnson had a superb all-around game with 14 points, 9 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals and 4 blocked shots, all while committing not a single personal foul.

Notable: Kansas, seeking their 54th straight home win, held Missouri to 27% shooting in the first half while building a 50-30 lead en route to an easy, 84-65 win. Cole Aldrich had 11 rebounds by half time as all 8 Kansas players who saw floor time scored, led by Marcus Morris with 11 points. Aldrich finished with 16 rebounds, 6 blocks and 12 points and was a key factor in Kansas' fast breaks with deft, deep outlet passes. #3 KU improved to 19-1, and 5-0 and sole possession of first place in the Big 12.

Pirates Bloody Panthers as Pope Reigns in Paint

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, January 24, 2010

Winning on the road in any conference is a tough task, but it's especially difficult in the Big East, as the #9 Pitt Panthers found out on Sunday when they traveled to New Jersey Sunday to face the Seton Hall Pirates. The Panthers were coming off their first home loss in 3 years, and a win would be a big boost to their confidence, but the Pirates had other ideas.

After close calls against Syracuse, UConn and West Virginia, the Hall was poised to make a statement, and they did, despite leading scorer Jeremy Hazell riding the pine for most of the game due to foul issues. Hazell, who averages 22.2 points per game, saw just 16 minutes of floor time and scored only 9 points, his lowest point total since the season opener.

Picking up the slack was sophomore forward Herb Pope, who played 38 minutes, scored 19 points and ripped down 9 boards. Pope was a solid force in the paint, hitting 8 of 12 shots, mostly from point-blank range. With help from Jeff Robinson, rounding into form after missing the first eight games of the season, the Pirates were able to hold on for a 64-61 win and improve their conference mark to 3-4.

Playing solid defense for the duration of the game, the Pirates held Pitt to just 35% shooting, including holding the Panthers' leading bomber, Ashton Gibbs, to just 1-for-7 from beyond the arc. Gibbs, the game's high-scorer with 23 points, made up for his poor shooting by hitting all 14 of his free throws, but in the end it wasn't enough.

Pitt is now 15-4 (5-2 Big East) and will still be ranked when the poll results come out on Monday, but two straight losses have taken some of the swagger out of their step.

NOTABLE: A huge match-up in the Big East is slated for Monday night, when the Syracuse Orangemen and Georgetown Hoyas renew their rivalry at the Carrier Dome. 19-1 Syracuse is ranked #5; the 15-3 Hoyas are ranked #12.

Longhorns Corralled by Huskies, 88-74

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, January 23, 2010

The Big 12 is a tough conference, but the Big East is even tougher, proven, in distinctive fashion by the Connecticut Huskies, as they thumped the Texas Longhorns, 88-74, at the XL Center in Hartford.

Texas entered the week ranked #1 in the polls, but since then has suffered two straight losses, the previous one at Kansas State on Monday, where the Wildcats bumped them, 71-62. Five days and another long road trip later, Jerome Dyson and the Huskies took them down again. Dyson led all scorers with a season-high 32 points, hitting 12 of 23 shots from the field, including 4 of 8 3-pointers. Down 42-34 at the half, the Huskies rallied in the second stanza, outscoring the Longhorns, 54-32. Texas drops to 17-2 on the season, while UConn, during a week in which they lost head coach Jim Calhoun to a medical leave and dropped out of the Top 25 for the first time in 36 weeks, improved to 13-6 with their second straight win over interim head coach George Blaney.

Cal Golden Bears Devour Ducks

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, January 21, 2010

The PAC-10 is having a down year. Not a single team in the conference is ranked in the Top 25, but, since they will be sending three or four teams to the NCAA Tournament, it's a good idea to keep tabs on which teams are likely to get bids and potentially pull off an upset.

The league is pretty wide open at this early date, though a number of teams, including Washington, Washington State, Cal and Arizona State have winning records and may be headed to the field of 65.

On Thursday, the Cal Golden Bears, led by 21 points from senior guard Patrick Christopher, mauled the visiting, defenseless Ducks from Oregon, 89-57. Christopher, who was one of five Cal players in double figures, also chipped in with 6 rebounds, 3 of them on the offensive end.

With the outcome of the game almost never in doubt past the opening minutes, Cal took a 48-21 lead into the half and cruised from there for their 12th win against 6 losses. The Bears are tied for first in the PAC-10 with Arizona State at 4-2, but, after 4-3 Washington State, a pack of four teams are in pursuit, at 3-3. The conference may not be one of the best in the nation, but it appears to be highly competitive.

Wright, Hoyas Hand Pitt 1st Big East Defeat

College Hoops Player of the Day for DAY, Month, 2010

There are just too many good teams in the Big East to think that any one of them will go through the conference schedule without tasting defeat, and probably more than once.

Such was the case on Wednesday night, when the Georgetown Hoyas stormed into Pittsburgh's Petersen Events Center and stopped the Panthers' 31-game home win streak and 5-0 Big East start with an important 74-66 road win. Led, as they often are, by point guard Chris Wright's game-high 27 points, Georgetown broke a second-half 56-all tie with a 7-0 run and never allowed the Panthers closer than 6 after that.

Wright went 11-for-17 from the field, including hitting all 3 of his 3-point attempts and going 2-for-2 from the foul line. He also added 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal while outplaying his counterpart, Pitt's Ashton Gibbs, who was just 3-for-16 and 2 of 8 from beyond the arc for 8 points.

Pitt's loss left Villanova alone atop the Big East, at 6-0, followed by 5-1 Syracuse and Pitt. Georgetown improved to 5-2, good for sole possession of 4th place in the conference standings.

Notable: #3 Kansas staved off a determined effort by Baylor for an 81-75 win. Sherron Collins all but sealed the deal when he hit his 5th 3-pointer of the game with 1:13 left, giving KU a 5-point lead. Collins finished with a game-high 28 points, closely followed by Baylor's LaceDarius Dunn, who scored 27 and also canned 5 3-pointers. Dunn, who leads Baylor at 19.5 points per game, grabbed 9 boards to go with 2 assists and 4 steals.

Duke and North Carolina both lost on the same night, the first time that's happened since 2003, though it appears it could happen again sooner rather than later, especially with a slew of injuries plaguing the Tar Heels. Carolina was mangled, 82-69, by visiting Wake Forest (13-4, 3-2), probably the best unranked team in the country. Duke had its own problems at NC State, as the Blue Devils were spanked by the Wildcats, 88-74. North Carolina is 1-3 in ACC play; Duke's conference record is 3-2.

Georgia Tech Tames Tigers in ACC Clash

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The ACC is a very tough conference. Just ask players from Clemson, whose record dropped to 3-2 after their trip down to Georgia Tech to play the Yellow Jackets ended in a 66-64 loss.

Georgia Tech has already equalled their win total from last season, and, by taming the Tigers, now can lay claim to three wins over Top 25 teams in the past 11 days. They beat Duke back on January 9, then took down the Tar Heels on Saturday and Tuesday night took out #17 Clemson.

The Yellow Jackets certainly have what it takes up front. Lots of beef. Teams playing the Yellow Jackets have to contend with a super-sized lineup which includes the likes of Zachery Peacock (6'8", 235) - whose two free throws with 5.1 seconds left won the Clemson game - Gani Lawal (6'9", 234) and Derrick Favors (6'10", 246), a freshman powerhouse, whose 17 points and 14 rebounds were essential in the win over the Tigers and were his 7th double-double of the season.

NOTABLE: In the Big Ten, Purdue, which had won 14 straight prior to dropping three in a row, got back on the winning track with an 84-78 win at Illinois. Ohio State, as suggested here last week, is back in the Top 25, coming in at #21. The Buckeyes took care of business with a 76-56 thumping of Northwestern.

Texas Dumped by K-State; Kentucky Only Unbeaten Left

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, January 18, 2010

Kansas State sophomore forward Jamar Samuels delivered his best performance of the season at just the right time, scoring 20 points and bringing down a career-high 12 rebounds to help the Wildcats knock off #1 and previously-undefeated Texas, 71-62, leaving another team of Wildcats, Kentucky, as the only unbeaten team in the college ranks.

Coming within a point of his career-high scoring mark, Samuels made the most of his time in the paint, hitting 8 of 13 shots, but also contributed a key three-pointer and defended against the Texas big men - Damion James and Dexter Pittman as the Wildcats had the Fred Bramlage Coliseum rocking. James, an all-American candidate, was held to just 9 points. Pittman was limited to just 6. James had one of his worst shooting nights ever, hitting just 3 of 12 from the field. He also was credited with 4 turnovers.

In addition to their generally poor shooting (37%), Texas struggled from the foul line as well, making just 9 of 22 freebies (41%).

NOTABLE: Wesley Johnson and Andy Rautins scored 22 and 21 points, respectively, as the #5 Syracuse Orangemen closed out Notre Dame late for an 84-71 win, their 5th straight after losing to Pittsburgh back on January 2nd. The Orange are 18-1 overall and 5-1 in the conference, right behind co-leaders Pitt and Villanova, both 5-0.

Villanova Stops Hoyas Despite Monroe's Huge Game

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, January 17, 2010

Villanova remained perfect through five Big East games and improved to 16-1 overall, as Scottie Reynolds scored 27 points in the Wildcats' 82-77 home win over Georgetown. The #4 Wildcats rule the Big East along with Pittsburgh, both at 5-0. Syracuse, 4-1, is hot on their tails. The #11 Hoyas dropped to 4-2 in the conference and 13-3 overall, yet remain one of the elite teams in college hoops.

Part of their formula for success has been the play of sophomore center Greg Monroe, who continues the tradition of exceptional big men from Georgetown. Monroe was an absolute force in Sunday's loss, hitting 9 of 13 shots and 10 of 15 from the foul line for a career-high 29 points, to go with his 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Monroe is quickly becoming one of the most-feared low post players in the nation. If his progress continues at its current pace, he may not be back for a junior season, as he is already regarded as one of the best big NBA prospects around, averaging a double-double every time his sneakers hit the court - 14.9 ppg and 10.0 rpg.

NOTABLE: When the latest polls come out today, expect to see at least one of two fixtures in the Top 25 drop out. Both North Carolina and UConn seem to be in the middle of rebuilding seasons and their troops are not prepared well enough for the rigors of life in the ACC or Big East. Both teams have already suffered 6 losses, and are under .500 in conference play (Tar Heels, 1-2; Huskies, 2-3). With the easy part of the season behind them, don't be surprised if one or both of these squads miss the NCAA tournament. Despite playing in big time conferences, 12 or 13 losses isn't likely to impress the selection committee.

Dunn's 25 Leads Baylor Over Oklahoma St.

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, January 16, 2010

Oklahoma State has a pretty good basketball team. At 13-4, they've established themselves as a contender in the Big 12. The problem for the Cowboys, however, is that there are a lot of good teams in the conference, such as Baylor, the team they visited on Saturday. After a closely-contested first half, from which the Cowboys emerged ahead, 40-39, Baylor took control in the latter stages, thanks to a 25-point effort from the Bears' leading scorer, LaceDarius Dunn, propelling Baylor to a harder-than-it-looked, 83-70 win.

Dunn, who is averaging 19.1 points per game this season, hit 9 of 17 shots overall, including 4 of his 9 three-point attempts. He also grabbed 9 rebounds, as the #22 Bears improved to 14-2, and 2-1 in the conference, along with Kansas State, Oklahoma and Missouri. That foursome trails Kansas (2-0) and Texas (3-0) in one of the nation's most loaded conferences. With anywhere from 6 to 8 teams likely to head to the Big Dance, wins over other contenders - give Baylor one here - will be an important determinant weighing on the final selections. Baylor appears to be headed that way.

NOTABLE: There was no lack of Top 25 action on Saturday, including a huge 72-67 overtime victory for #1 Texas, who hosted the Aggies from Texas A&M. Forward Damion James scored 26 points, including seven in overtime to keep the Longhorns unbeaten at 17-0.

Now that Ohio State has a healthy Evan Turner back playing full time, they've managed to even their conference record at 3-3 and should be a force - barring injuries -for the rest of the Big Ten season. After dispatching Purdue on Tuesday, the Buckeyes hosted #13 Wisconsin, defeating the Badgers by a 60-51 score. The 14-5 Buckeyes are making plenty of noise in the crowded Big Ten, where Purdue, which had been undefeated heading into conference action, has now lost three straight, their latest a 72-64 beat-down at Northwestern.

#12 North Carolina is in danger of dropping out of the Top 25 after dropping two straight, including Saturday's 73-71 loss to Georgia Tech. The Tar Heels are 12-6, and 1-2 in the ACC.

Harris Goes for Career-High 31 as Zags Top St. Mary's

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, January 14, 2010

Every year, the Gonzaga Bulldogs field a team worthy of inclusion in the NCAA tournament field. Over the last decade, the Zags have become a nearly-permanent fixture of the tourney, and have gone from being a novelty to being a perennial high seed. This year's squad is no different, taking on teams from all over the country, and beating some of them, in preparation for the annual March madness.

On Thursday, the Bulldogs won their 5th straight, and 3rd straight on the road, with an important victory over one of their West Coast Conference main rivals, the St. Mary's Gaels. Leading the way to the 89-83 win was freshman forward Elias Harris, who did it all with a career-high 31 points on 13-for-20 shooting, and 13 rebounds. Operating mostly in the post, Harris displayed some very un-freshman-like skills and even drifted out beyond the arc on occasion, hitting one of his two 3-point attempts. Harris, 6'7", is a 46% shooter from downtown.

With wins in their first two conference games on the road over their main rivals for the WCC title - beating Portland on Saturday, 81-78, the Bulldogs are tied for first place with Pepperdine and appear to have a team worthy of a high seeding and potential run deep into the tourney field come March. Gonzaga is 13-3, with the losses coming against Michigan State, Duke and Wake Forest.

Upsets Predominant In Wide-Open ACC

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The big news in the Top 25 Wednesday night was #24 Clemson's smashing performance over #12 North Carolina, in which the Tigers took advantage of 27 Tar Heel turnovers, including 14 steals, mostly by Clemson guard Tanner Smith and forward David Potter, each of whom had five. Clemson took an early lead and dominated the entire game, winning, 83-64. The win improved Clemson to 2-1 in the conference and a highly respectable 14-3 overall.

Later in the evening, two more upsets verified that the ACC, one of the top two or three conferences in the nation, was loaded with quality teams. Virginia slipped by 20th-ranked Georgia Tech, 82-75, while Virginia Tech was absolutely hammering #23 Miami, putting their offense on cruise control in the second half after taking a 50-23 lead into the break. The Hokies eventually finished off the Hurricanes with an 81-66 rout, improving to 13-2, as junior gaurd Malcolm Delaney hoisted up a game-high 28 points, to go with 9 assists and 4 rebounds.

All of the ACC upsets occurred on the home floors of the winners. With strong fan bases and generally loud crowds, college basketball presents one of the most challenging environments for visiting teams, especially in the hotly contested ACC.

The scramble already on at the top and middle ranks of the conference, all of the confusion adds to 14-2 Duke's strong position at 2-1, with their only ACC loss coming just this past Saturday, as Georgia tech stepped up for a 71-67 win. The Blue Devils' only other loss was to Big Ten powerhouse, Wisconsin, another 4-point defeat, making the Blue Devils just four buckets short of perfection at 14-2. Duke held court at home over Boston College, 79-59.

NOTABLE: Senior guard Andy Rautins led five doble-figure scorers with 23 points, as the #5 Syracuse Orangemen improved to 16-1 with an 81-65 spanking of Rutgers. Rautins had one of the best all-round games by a single player this season, grabbing 8 rebounds, dishing 9 assists and snatching 5 steals.

Pittsburgh, the only team to have beaten Syracuse this season, continued to vie for first place, going to 4-0 in the Big East - along with Villanova - with a 67-57 defeat of a highly suspect UConn team. The Huskies are already 2-3 in the conference and 11-5 overall. While it's still early in the season, the huskies have the look of a definite bubble team when time comes to pick the 65 competitors for the NCAA tournament.

Turner Outduels Hummel; Ohio St. Outlasts Purdue

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 12, 2010

After missing 6 games due to injury, Evan Turner entered his third game back as the Ohio State Buckeyes traveled to face Purdue in a key Big Ten tilt. But even he couldn't have expected Robbie Hummel to score 29 first half points, hitting 8 of 10 3-pointers, before going on to a game-high 35. Hummel's eight 3's in a half tied a Purdue record set by Cuonzo Martin in a 1994 Sweet 16 win over Kansas, but the second half belonged to Turner and the Buckeyes, who scrapped back and eventually tied the game at 62 on a Turner trey and went on to win, 70-66, handing the Boilermakers their second loss of the season. For the Buckeyes, the game was their first road win of the season, and second conference win in five tries. Turner, who scored 23 in the second half, finished with 32, plus 9 rebounds and 3 assists.

Hummel scored 18 straight points heading into the half before E'Twaun Moore's layup with 5 seconds left put Purdue up, 41-29, at the break, but was stymied in the second, scoring four points within the first two minutes, but then being held scoreless by Ohio State's best defender, David Lighty, until he canned a pair of free throws with 22 second left in the game and Ohio State already ahead. Hummel dislocated a finger on his non-shooting hand late in the game and missed some key court time. He had ten rebounds.

The scoring outbursts by Hummel and Turner were both personal season highs, Turner's a career best.

Scottie Reynolds Goes Off as 'Nova Rips Louisville

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, January 11, 2010

Squandering a 17-point first half lead, the Louisville Cardinals could not stop Villanova guard Scottie Reynolds, as the Wildcats tore up the Cardinals in the second half - outscoring them 56-41 - en route to a 92-84 win.

Reynolds was nothing short of magnificent, hitting all five 3-point shots and 9-of-10 overall, adding 13 of 17 from the foul line for a season-high 36 points. He scored 16 points in the final 6 minutes of the game, boosting the #4 Wildcats to a 15-1 record and a 4-0 mark in the Big East. Their only loss was a 75-65 loss at Temple in December. Since then Villanova has reeled off 6 straight wins, including a pair of 2-point victories over Marquette.

Reynolds leads the Wildcats in scoring at 18.8 points per game and is tied for 5th in the Big East with South Florida's Augustus Gilchrist.

Vols Stun #1 Kansas; Texas Should Assume Top Spot

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, January 10, 2010

Tennessee's harassing defense held the #1 Jayhawks in check and the Volunteers stunned Kansas, 76-68, Sunday.

Senior guard Bobby Maze contributed greatly to the offensive success for Tennessee, scoring 16 points, but more importantly, distributing the rock with 8 assists and securing it with 7 rebounds. Maze played 33 minutes, his season-high, and was aided in the upset by teammates Rolando Woolridge and Scotty Hopson, who tallied 14 and 17 points, respectively.

The Vols held Kansas to just 38% shooting and induced 16 turnovers, while giving it up just 7 times. The outcome of the game, which wasn't decided until the closing minute, could have been worse for Kansas, as the Vols were horrible from the foul line, hitting just 15 of 29 free throws (52%).

When the new poll is released later today, Kansas should drop to #3 or further down, with Texas #1 and Kentucky #2. They are the only remaining undefeated teams in the country.

NOTABLE: After six Top 25 upsets on Saturday, half of the six Top 25 Sunday games ended with underdogs on top. In addition to Kansas, #18 Florida St. was dumped at Maryland, 77-68, and #24 Washington was routed at Arizona 87-70. Some new faces and new places are expeced in this week's poll.