Marshon Brooks, Vincent Council Ready Providence for Big East

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, December 6, 2010

There hasn't been much to get excited about in Providence since the Whalers left town, as the Friars have become sort of a whipping boy for the elite teams in the Big East over the years, but they have their moments and a share of some of the top talent in the league.

One such player is Marshon Brooks, who has been honing his skills along with his Providence teammates in anticipation of Big East play by beating up on regional opposition, such as Monday night's 91-64 rout of Brown University.

In that contest, Brooks, a prolific scorer, averaging 21.4 points per game, poured in a career-high 33 points on 14-for-21 shooting, including 4 of 8 three-pointers. Amazingly, he only went to the foul line twice, making one. Brooks snatched 8 rebounds and also made four steals.

Teammate Vincent Council had one of the best games of his college career, scoring 19 points and dishing 16 assists, Council, a sophomore, has scored in double figures in each game this season and is tied with Chris Wright of Georgetown for second in the conference in assists, at 6.8 per game. Syracuse's Scoop Jardine holds a narrow lead at 6.9.

The win was the fifth in a row for the Friars, improving to 9-1 on the season. Their only loss was to LaSalle, 84-73.

Michael Glover Gives Gaels Upper Hand

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, December 5, 2010

After losing their first three games, the Iona Gaels had to be wondering if the whole season was going to be a bust. Playing in the Metro Atlantic Association, the Gaels are normally one of the better clubs, and since two of the three losses were close (one point to Kent State and two points at Bryant), the worries would fade as soon as the Gaels found some help for their leading scorer and rebounder, Michael Glover.

Iona won their first game of the season on November 18, beating Richmond - a very good team - and haven't looked back, their winning streak now at five games, including the last two over conference foes, Canisius and Niagara, whom they absolutely bombed, 82-58, Sunday.

Glover, a Bronx native and JuCo transfer, led in both categories, hanging up 30 points and ripping down 11 boards. It was a solid follow-up to his first conference game in which he scored 39, with 14 rebounds. In the win over Niagara, Glover was on the money, hitting 14 of 17 shots, mostly from within five feet of the bucket. He also leads the Gaels in shooting percentage, at 60.8, which is third best among the top 50 scorers nationally. Glover is tied for 19th in scoring, at 21.6 points per game.

Zeller Delivers for Tar Heels, Sends Kentucky to 2nd Loss

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, December 4, 2010

With their season on the brink of disaster, the North Carolina Tar Heels knew they'd have to be at their best to avoid a fourth loss on the early season when the Kentucky Wildcats came calling to the Dean Smith Center.

what they found, over 40 minutes of manic, sometimes desperate, play, was a tough-minded big man in Tyler Zeller and the resolve to defeat a committed opponent.

Zeller, who led both teams in scoring and rebounding with 27 points and 11 boards, canned key free throws down the stretch to seal a 75-73 Tar Heel win and keep North Carolina's record respectable, at 5-3.

Zeller, a seven-foot junior who's been injured for parts of each of the past two seasons, put up career highs in both scoring and rebounding and recorded his second double-double of the season. He also nailed 11-of-12 free throws, many of them pressure shots to keep the Tar Heels in front down the stretch.

The #10 Wildcats suffered their second loss of the season (5-2). They fell to Connecticut on November 24, both losses coming away from home.

Kemba Walker Records Triple-Double in 7th UConn Win

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, December 3, 2010

Connecticut's Kemba Walker continues to amaze and astound the collective basketball community. After seven games - all UConn wins - he continues to lead the nation in scoring, at 29.1 ppg, while others behind him gradually peel away. Besides Anatoly Bose of Nicholls St. (27.4) and Appalachian State's Donald Sims (26.8), the only players from major conferences within shouting distance are Mississippi State's Ravern Johnson (25.4), followed by Xavier's Tu Holloway and Seton Hall's Jeremy Hazell, both at an even 24.0 ppg. Even the reliable Jimmer Fredette of BYU is far back at 23.1.

Now, Walker may be slowing the pace of his scoring down a bit, but in the Huskies' 93-61 romp over UMBC he may have had his best overall game of the season, scoring a mere 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting (2-of-3 3-pointers), though he did haul in 5 offensive rebounds and 8 more on the defensive end for a total of 13, and dished out 10 assists for the rare triple-double, all accomplished in just 30 minutes of floor time. Walker's totals were game highs in each of the three categories. For good measure he also made a steal and blocked a shot. Pretty amazing.

Even though the outlandish totals were accomplished against somewhat of a pushover team - after all, UMBC is the University of Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers - Walker's been doing it to competitors at all levels. It should be worth watching how he fares once Big East play gets underway, beginning December 27 at Pittsburgh. In the meantime, Walker should be able to pad his stats in three upcoming home games, when the Huskies will host Farleigh Dickenson, Coppin State and Harvard.

Dunn Paces Bears with 24 Points in Pac-10/Big 12 Hardwood Series

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

Ranked #11 in the nation, the Baylor Bears are one of 23 undefeated teams in the college basketball universe. On Thursday, the Bears took on Arizona State as part of the Pac-10/Big 12 Hardwood Series, coming away with a 68-54 home win to go to 6-0 on the year.

Leading all scorers, as he does with regularity, was senior LaceDarius Dunn who only made baskets from beyond the three-point line, totaling 24 points on 6-of-14 shooting. Dunn took just two shots that weren't three-pointers and missed them both, adding 6-of-8 free throws, four rebounds and a pair of assists.

Dunn, who missed Baylor's first three games due to suspension, hasn't taken long to get his stroke back. He's hitting at a 52.5% clip overall and has nailed 16 of 31 treys (51.6%). The two-dozen points scored on Thursday matched his season high.

Baylor has a light schedule through the holidays, but one home game stands out. On December 18, they host Gonzaga, and then open conference play on January 8 at Texas Tech.

Notable: Borrowing a page from the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, the Pac-10/Big 12 Hardwood Series featured some exciting contests on Thursday, with more to come, starting Friday night.

#4 Kansas survived a scare at home from UCLA, with a 77-76 win, the winning margin coming on a Mario Little free-throw with seven-tenths of a second on the clock. Little's make came after he was fouled following Tyler Honeycutt's three-pointer which tied the game with 5 seconds to play. Honeycutt scored 33 points for the 3-3 Bruins. Kansas improved to 7-0, keeping alive their home court winning streak, extending it to 64 straight.

Out in Eugene, the Oregon Beavers were beaten by #9 Missouri, 83-80. The Beavers dropped to 4-3, while the Tigers won their sixth game against just one loss, a 111-102 loss to Georgetown on November 30.

The remaining games in the series are (all times Eastern):

Kansas St. Wildcats at Washington St. Cougars, Dec. 3, 11 pm

Dec. 4:
Iowa St. Cyclones at California Golden Bears, 2 pm
Texas Tech Red Raiders at Washington Huskies, 4 pm
Oregon St. Beavers at Colorado Buffaloes, 10 pm

Dec. 5:
Oklahoma Sooners at Arizona Wildcats, 4 pm
Texas Longhorns at USC Trojans, 10:30 pm

Dec. 11:
Washington Huskies at Texas A&M Aggies, 4:30 pm

Dec. 21:
Stanford Cardinal at Oklahoma St. Cowboys, 9 pm

Irving Leads #1 Blue Devils Past Spartans, 84-79

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, December 1, 2010

As far as returning national championship teams are concerned, the 2010-11 version of the Duke Blue Devils is looking pretty good. Having graduated Jon Scheyer, the Devils appear to have found an adequate replacement in freshman guard Kyrie Irving, who may not have the shooting range of Scheyer, but has proven to be a better ball-handler and penetrator than his predecessor.

While the Big Ten took its measure of a somewhat-watered-down ACC, winning the challenge, 6 games to 5, Duke did not disappoint, knocking of a very good Michigan State squad by an 84-79 score.

Irving was clearly the catalyst for the Duke victory, leading all scorers with a career-high 31 points, canning 8-of-12 from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range and hitting 13 of 16 free throws. In addition, Irving added six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocked shots.

Improving to 7-0, the Blue Devils handed Michigan State its second loss of the season, extending its ridiculous string of home wins over non-conference opponents to 80.

Other winners on Wednesday in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge included, for the ACC, Boston College and Maryland, while Wisconsin and Purdue added to Big Ten wins from Tuesday by Michigan, Ohio State, Illinois and Northwestern. Wake Forest was the only ACC winner from Tuesday. Virginia dropped #15 Minnesota Monday night, 87-79.

Frosh Terrell Leads Demon Deacons to win over Iowa, 76-73

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, November 30, 2010

After two days of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, the normally-superior ACC doesn't seem up to the task, with just two wins in the first six games. Five more games are scheduled for Wednesday, and the conference normally perceived as one of the best in the nation has some seriously heavy lifting ahead if they intend to even the score with their Northern rivals.

The highly-anticipated match-up of Michigan State at #1 Duke is preceded by four other cross-conference contests, though only one - Maryland at Penn State - seems to favor the ACC.

In what turned out to be the best and closest game of Tuesday night, Wake Forest outlasted Iowa, 76-73, getting the winning bucket from freshman J.T. Terrell, who drained a long three-pointer from the left wing with 2.7 seconds left to play.

Terrell, a 6'4" guard, led all scorers with a career-high 32 points, on 9-for-16 shooting, which included 7-of-9 from beyond the arc. Terrell also hit 7-of-8 shots from the foul line to help keep the Demon Deacons undefeated at 7-0.

Notable: Elsewhere in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, North Carolina suffered its third loss of the season, handled easily by #20 Illinois, 79-67. Despite the protestations of some "expert" announcers and analysts, the Tar Heels appear to be destined to another NIT-ending season. If North Carolina doesn't make it to the NCAA tournament, it would be the first time under coach Roy Williams, who took over as head coach in 2003, that the team has missed the Big Dance in two consecutive seasons.

#2 Ohio State held Florida State to 32% shooting in a 58-44 win. The Buckeyes are 6-0. Michigan topped Clemson, 69-61, and Northwestern buried Georgia Tech, 91-71.

VMI Keydets Pour in 151 Points; Minnesota Upset by Virginia

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, November 29, 2010
A college basketball game consists of two twenty minute halves, or forty minutes, so for one team to score nearly 160 points would necessitate a complete lack of defense and the probability of quite a few turnovers.

VMI poured in a bucketload of points to defeat Central Pennsylvania College Monday night, by the astonishing score of 151-92, dominating in just about every aspect of the game. The Keydets put seven players in double figures, including three with double-doubles, made the most of 22 steals, 36 turnovers, a rebounding advantage of 52-35 and shot 57% from the field, hitting 54 of 94 shots, including an incredible 21 of 48 (44%) from 3-point range.

VMI led by only 66-43 at the break, but threw down an additional 85 points in the second half. Leading the way were Keith Gabriel (27 points), Stan Okoye (26, 10 rebounds), Ron Burks (24, 5-for-9 three-pointers, 6 assists), Rodney Galsgow (16, 11 assists) and Nick Gore (18, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals).

For their relentless pummeling of a defenseless opponent, we salute them all.

Notable: Marshan Brooks helped Providence to a 92-57 win over Central Connecticut State, scoring a season high 26 points.

Jacob Pullen scored 26 points as the #8 Kansas State Wildcats defeated emporia State, 85-61.

#15 Minnesota was upended by Virginia, 87-79. Joe Harris hit for a game-high 24 points, followed closely by Mustapha Farrakhan's 23.

UNLV Takes 76 Classic, Va-Techs' Delaney, Cowboys' Page Star

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, November 28, 2010

The champions of the 76 Classic is UNLV, now 6-0 after defeating Virginia Tech, 71-59, in the title game, though the star of that game happened to be on the losing side.

Senior guard Malcolm Dalaney scored more than half of his team's total with 30 points on deadly outside shooting. Delaney played all 40 minutes, hitting 9-of-14 from the field, including 7-of-9 from 3-point range. He also pulled down 4 rebounds and dished 4 assists, but his effort was not enough to overcome the overall solid play of the Runnin' Rebels, who forced 18 turnovers by the Hokies and distributed the ball well enough for 19 assists.

In the consolation game, Oklahoma State defeated Murray State, 66-49, as Keiton Page lit up the scoreboard with 29 points, hitting 4-of-5 3-pointers and shot 10-of-13 overall. The Cowboys, losers to Virginia Tech in the semi-finals, improved to 5-1 on the season.

Richmond Pounds Purdue as Anderson Scores 28

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, November 27, 2010

Early-season holiday tournaments have been brutal to highly ranked teams this season as Purdue became the latest Top 10 team to taste defeat.

The Boilermakers were swarmed and held to 30% shooting by an aggressive horde of Richmond Spiders, falling in the final of the Chicago Invitational Challenge, 65-54.

Richmond pressed, trapped and harassed Purdue stars JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore into a combined shooting night of 8-for-28, while the Spiders' Kevin Anderson netted a season-high 28 points to lead all scorers. Anderson wasn't all that accurate, though he was persistent, nailing 9-of-20 from the field and 8-of-11 from the charity stripe.

The Purdue defeat was the 4th of the week for teams ranked in the top 10. Michigan State, Villanova and Kentucky had already felt the sting of defeat at the hands of unranked opponents. Adding to the carnage atop the rankings, #1 Duke hammered #4 Kansas State, 82-64 on Tuesday.

Notable: Kyle Singler threw down 30 points as $1 Duke dealt Oregon a 98-71 defeat and #9 Syracuse improved to 6-0, downing Georgia Tech, 80-76.

E'Twaun Moore Drains 31 as Boilermakers Triumph

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, November 26, 2010

sticking out like the proverbial sore thumb at the Chicago Invitational Challenge tournament, the Purdue Boilermakers smothered their undersized opponent, Southern Illinois, 79-60, advancing to the final of the tourney against Richmond on Saturday. The Spiders topped Wright State, 71-61, in their semi-final match.

The only ranked team invited, the Boilermakers are expected to win it all. They had little trouble knocking off Oakland and Austin Peay in the first two rounds, but got off to a slow, 1-for-13 start against the Salukis, but after trailing 13-7, outscored them, 72-48, for the win.

Senior guard E'Twaun Moore was outstanding, hitting 10 of 18 shots from the field, including 3 of 5 treys for a season-high 31 points. Moore also ripped down nine rebounds.

Though the games have been easy thus far, Purdue will be tested by Richmond, a solid team out of the Atlantic-10. The Spiders are 5-1. The Boilermakers will have to guard against early-season overconfidence. Already this week, #2 Michigan State, #7 Villanova and #8 Kentucky have suffered losses. The latest, Villanova, fell to Tennessee, 78-68, in the preseason NIT at Madison Square Garden.

Notable: Marcus Morris of Kansas scored 26 points, to go with 8 boards as the Jayhawks dominated the Ohio Bobcats, 98-41, improving to 5-0.

Maryland's Jordan Williams continues to impress as one of the best young big men in the country. The Terrapin center knocked down 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a 76-57 win over Elon College. It was Williams' 5th double-double for the 5-2 Terps.

Abromaitis Knocks Down 25 as Irish Dump Georgia, 89-83

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, November 25, 2010

Notre Dame's Fighting Irish may not be a Big East powerhouse, but for now they're 5-0 and one of the flashiest teams in the nation, scoring an average of 91.6 points per outing after beating a much-improved Georgia team in double overtime, 89-83, Thursday afternoon.

Forward Tim Abromaitis played almost the entire game, logging 46 minutes and leading all scorers with 25 points. The 6'8" senior hit 6 of 11 shots from the field, including 4-of-5 3-pointers and 9-of-12 from the line.

By winning their opening round game in the Old Spice Classic (Kissimmee, FL), the Irish earning the right to play Cal in the next round, on Friday. The Golden Bears knocked off #21 Temple, 57-50.

MUSH! Kemba Walker Leads Huskies Past Wildcats

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, November 24, 2010

After bouncing #2 Michigan State out of the Maui Invitational on Tuesday night, Kemba Walker delivered a suitably virtuoso encore in the tourney final, leading the UConn Huskies to an 84-67 win over the #8 Kentucky Wildcats, putting the Huskies back on the top-ranked map.

For the Wildcats and head coach, John Calipari, it's back to practice and the drawing board. Kentuky certainly has more than their share of fine, young talent, but they were no match for the determined Huskies and Walker, who led all scorers again with 29 points and was named tourney MVP.

Walker was 12-0f-16 from the field, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. He was a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line, adding six assists and a pair of steals.

The Huskies, who exit the tournament with some hardware and a 5-0 record, were not ranked going into the tourney, but almost surely will be in the top 15 next week. A very youthful Kentucky team will have to develop over the course of the season if they plan to make any noise in the NCAA tournament come March.

Michigan state bounced back from their semi-final loss to upend #14 Washington, 76-71 in the consolation match.

Walker started the season with 18 points in the Huskies' win over Stoney Brook, but has been a terror to opposing defenses ever since, scoring 42, 31, 30 and 29 in his next four games. He leads the nation in scoring with a 30.0 average, but is followed closely by Nicholls State's Anatoly Bose, at 29.0 and Xavier Silas of Northern Illinois, with 28.8.

Kemba Walker Goes for 30 as Huskies Drop #2 Michigan State

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Junior guard Kemba Walker is having a nice time in Hawaii, enjoying the close quarters at the Maui Invitational to lead his Connecticut Huskies to the tournament championship Tuesday night with a hard-earned 70-67 win over #2 Michigan State.

Walker tuned up for the trip by ripping 42 points against Vermont last Wednesday, then proceeded to tear up Wichita State with 31 points on Monday before hanging 30 on the Spartans.

Hitting 10 of 19 shots overall, Walker nailed down 4 of 11 three-pointers and was 6-for-7 at the line. He added four assists and three steals in his 38 minutes on the floor, there nearly every step of the way helping his team prevail in a hotly-contested tourney semi-final which witnessed multiple ties and lead changes.

The 6'1" native of the Bronx has been the Huskies' primary distributor over the past two seasons, but has always had a knack for scoring, averaging 8.9 points per game in 2008-09 and 14.6 in 2009-10. This year the scoring average is at an elevated 30.3 and the Huskies, who missed the NCAA tournament last season, are back on the championship map.

#8 Kentucky prevailed over #13 Washington, 74-67, in the other semi-final. The Wildcats and Huskies meet in the tournament final at 10:00 pm ET. The game will be broadcast internationally by ESPN.

Notable: #1 Duke proved why they deserve their top ranking with an 82-68 win over #4 Kansas State in the championship game of the CBE Classic. The Blue Devils were never challenged, racing to an 8-point half time lead and keeping the Wildcats at bay the rest of the way. Freshman Kyrie Irving and senior Nolan Smith led the Devils in scoring with 17 points apiece, but it was Duke's perimeter defense which carried the day, limiting K-State star, Jacob Pullen, to 4 points on 1-for-12 shooting and stopped the Wildcats at the three-point line, where they were a horrid 3-for-17.

Freshman Jones Scores 29 for Wildcats; Dunn Back for Baylor; Duke-K-State Tuesday

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, November 22, 2010

Teams may find scoring in the lane to be somewhat more difficult against the Kentucky Wildcats if freshman Terrence Jones is prowling the lane this season. A 6'9", 230-pound shot-blocking and rebounding machine, Jones is likely to be high on the list of Dick Vitale's "Diaper Dandies" as the season progresses.

In Kentucky's 76-64 victory over Oklahoma Monday, Jones not only clogged the middle and hauled in 13 rebounds, Oklahoma defenders were also mostly powerless to slow him down on the offensive end, as Jones tallied a career-high 29 points on 12-of-17 shooting. He also blocked four shots.

The Wildcats blazed their way to a 42-28 half time lead and coasted to their third win of the season without a loss.

Notable: Following a three-game suspension to begin the season, Baylor's Lacedarius Dunn laced up his shoes and began firing away, mostly from beyond the arc. By the time he was finished, Baylor topped Lipscom, 72-60, and Dunn had 24 points on 8-13 shooting, including 7 of 11 three-pointers.

Mason Plumlee scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as Duke dropped Marquette, 82-77, in a semi-final game of the CBE Classic in Kansas City. Plumlee, a 6'10" sophomore, hit 12-of-16 shots and blocked five shots.

Duke will play Kansas State, 81-64 winners over Gonzaga in the other semi-final, Tuesday night for the tourney championship. It was the second straight loss for the Bulldogs. Kansas State and Duke are both 4-0.

UConn's Kemba Walker is being called upon to score more points, and the junior guard has responded in a big way, scoring 42 points last week in Connecticut's win over Vermont and following up that effort with 31 points in the Huskies' 83-79 win over Wichita State. Walker hit only 8-of-16 from the field, but canned 14 of 15 free throws.

Johnson's 25 and 11 Lead Purdue to 3-0 Record; Heels Drop Second Straight

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, November 21, 2010

It would be a mistake to ignore the Purdue Boilermakers, even though they've lost their star forward, Robbie Hummel for the season. Hummel tore his right ACL back in October and is done for the season. It was the second time in eight months that Hummel's suffered the same injury, but the Boilermakers are committed to moving on without him.

Picking up much of the slack is JaJuan Johnson, a big-time player in his own right. Johnson, a 6'10" senior who is likely to be a first round pick in next year's NBA draft, is a force in the pivot. In Sunday's 82-67 Boilermaker win over Oakland, Johnson scored 25 points to go with 11 boards, 5 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks.

E'Twaun Moore led all scorers with 26 points, as Purdue improved to 3-0. Purdue is currently ranked in the Top 15 in all polls.

Notable: Those who thought the North Carolina would be back in their usual Top 10 form this season might want to rethink that notion after the Tar Heels suffered their second straight loss, as Vanderbilt dumped them, 72-65, in one of the consolation games at the Puerto Rico Tip Off Sunday. Minnesota, who won the tourney with a 74-70 win over West Virginia, bested Carolina on Friday, 72-67.

The problems for the Tar Heels are very much the same as last season's, in the back court. There's plenty of talent, but nobody seems to be able to handle or distribute the rock. In the loss to Vanderbilt, they only had eight assists, while committing 22 turnovers.

Xavier's Tu Holloway scored a career-high 31 points, leading the Musketeers to a 57-52 victory over Seton Hall in the Paradise Jam tournament Sunday. Xavier will face Old Dominion, 61-60 winners over Clemson, in the tournament championship Monday night.

Flyers' Johnson Scores 20 as Dayton Topples Mississippi

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, November 20, 2010

Denied an invitation to the NCAA tournament last season, the Dayton Flyers did the next best thing by winning the NIT tournament, winning five straight games over Illinois State, Cincinnati, Illinois, Mississippi and finally, North Carolina, 79-68, in the final.

While the list is fairly impressive, Dayton still seeks respect, playing in the Atlantic-10, and got a share of it Saturday, winning at Mississippi, 78-71, in overtime.

Led by Chris Johnson's 20 points and 12 rebounds, the Flyers rallied from a 46-33 deficit at the half to tie the game at 65 and eventually win it in the extra five minute period.

A 6'6" junior, Johnson's 20 points were a season high, and the win improved Dayton to 3-0 on the year. The Flyers used a combination of pressure and solid defense to hold the Rebels tojust 19 second half points and six in overtime.

Notable: BYU improved to 3-0 with a 109-60 win over Chicago State, led by, who else? Jimmer Fredette, who's lighting it up to the tune of 25.7 points per game thus far. Fredette hit 9-of-12 from the field, including 5-of-6 three-pointers for his game high 27 points. Amazingly, he did it all in just 21 minutes of court time.

Mitchell's 31 Sends Mountaineers to Puerto Rico Tip-Off Final

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, November 19, 2010

Coach Bob Huggins is right where he wants to be: at the school for which he played in younger days, now coaching what appears to be another Top 15 team at West Virginia.

After reaching the Final Four in last year's NCAA tourney (ousted by Duke in a semifinal game, 78-57), the Mountaineers have the nucleus of a strong contender in the Big East and beyond. Departed from last year's squad is Da'Senn Butler, who was a high-profile scored and team leader. Butler, injured during the NCAA tournament, was drafted by the Miami Heat and subsequently waived, still rehabbing from a serious knee injury.

On the brighter side, senior Casey Mitchell has been elevated from bench-warmer to starter. Last season, Mitchell, a 6'4" guard out of Savannah, Georgia, averaged only eight minutes per game, but on Friday played 34 impressive minutes as the Mountaineers outlasted Vanderbilt, 74-71, thanks, in large part, to Mitchell's 31 points and his key three-pointer with 3.8 seconds left to play.

Mitchell was 9-for-15 from the field, including 6 of 12 three-pointers and 7-of-8 from the foul line. An exceptional foul shooter, Mitchell's lone miss was his first of the season, in 16 trips to the line.

West Virginia is off to a 3-0 start, but they face a stiff test when they play Minnesota on Sunday night. The Golden Gophers knocked off North Carolina in their semi-final round game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, 72-67.

The final will be televised live on ESPN2 at 7:30 pm ET.

Notable: Xavier looks like a Top 25 team for sure, as long as Tu Holloway keeps up his torrid scoring pace. Holloway poured in a career-high 28 points in the Musketeers 86-73 win over Iowa. In his previous two games this season - each Xavier wins - he tallied 25 and 24 points.

Jeremy Hazell is back for his senior year at Seton Hall, and he's heating up from beyond the arc. Hazell hit 5-of-6 treys en route to 27 points and an 83-78 win over Alabama. In three games this season, Hazell is nailing three-pointers at a rate of 64.7%.

Tim Williams a Center of Attention for St. Mary's; Double Figure Math

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, November 18, 2010

Last year, St. Mary's turned the tables on Gonzaga in the West Coast conference. The Bulldogs had won the conference title for so many years that it had become almost a foregone conclusion. They did win the regular season title for the 10th straight year, but St. Mary's - who had lost to them twice during the regular season, came back with a vengeance to win the tournament championship with an 81-62 win and an automatic berth in the NCAA tourney.

The Gaels made the most of March Madness, winning two games before falling to Baylor in the Sweet Sixteen round. This season, without star center Omar Samhan, who graduated and is now playing in Europe, the Gaels seek their second straight WCC tournament championship and have their eyes set toward Gonzaga again, their main challengers in the regular season.

Samhan won't be missed too badly if redshirt sophomore Tim Williams continues to show the kind of game he produced in St. Mary's 101-69 win over Point Loma Nazarene on Thursday. Williams scored the nets for a game-high 23 points and clogged the middle, pulling down 14 rebounds in the process.

Played sparingly last season, Williams is being looked upon as a viable replacement for Samhan, who earned a 2010 All American honorable mention. After the big effort against little Point Loma, Williams bears watching against better teams as the season progresses.

Notable: Getting four or five players into double figures is normally a good sing of team balance and usually produces an abundance of wins. On Thursday, a couple of wins were produced with more than the normal numbers and another with none. The Florida Gators had 8 players in double figures in the 105-55 win over NC A&T, outdoing Valparaiso, which had seven players score in double digits as they topped Purdue North Central, 98-44.

The strangest stat sheet of the night, however, belonged to to Missouri. They slipped past Western Illinois, 66-61, with no players in double figures. Four different Tigers tallied 9 points, and nine players scored in all, ranging between 4 and 9 points.

Notre Dame Seniors Double-Double the Fun in 102-62 Win

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Here's something you don't often see: three double-doubles by one team in the same game.

That's what happened when Big East powerhouse took on Chicago State, with the Fighting Irish coming away with another easy win - their third of the season, without a loss - topping the Cougars, 102-62.

While Ben Hansbrough led all scorers with 22 points, he did not have a double-double, though he did pull down 5 rebounds and hand out 6 assists.

Tim Abromaitis was next with 21 points. He had 10 rebounds and 7 assists, bordering on a triple-double along with fellow senior Tyler Nash, who had 10 points, 11 boards and 7 assists. Another senior, Carleton Scott, pumped in 17 points and snatched 11 rebounds with 3 assists, a steal and 3 blocked shots, all in just 23 minutes of floor time.

Notable: The Memphis Tigers are sure to make some noise this season in search of their fifth straight Conference-USA championship. They geared up Wednesday night with their third win of the young season, downing Northwestern State, 94-79, with Wesley Witherspoon leading the way hitting 5 of 7 shots from the field, 13 of 14 from the foul line for a game-high 24 points, to go with 12 rebounds.