Solomon Hill Scores 21 as Arizona Remains Undefeated

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, December 25, 2012

There were no college basketball games played on the US mainland Christmas Day, but eight teams took to the hardwood in Hawaii as the Diamond Head Classic concluded.

#17 San Diego State and #3 Arizona advanced to the finals in a match-up of Top 25 teams, and, for much of the game, it appeared the Wildcats would become the latest unbeaten team to suffer its first loss.

Down by as many as eight points, the Wildcats rallied to a 68-67 victory, preserved by Nick Johnson's swat of an attempted layup by the Aztecs' Chase Tapley as the final seconds ticked away.

Senior forward Soloman Hill led all scorers with a season-high 21 points, making seven of 15 from the field and adding another seven points from the foul line. Hill also grabbed six boards and handed out three assists for the 12-0 Wildcats.

Arizona is one of just five undefeated teams in Division 1. Duke, Michigan, Cincinnati and Wyoming are the others. Soon to be plying their skills against a watered-down PAC-12, the Wildcats are poised to make a serious run to the conference championship and into the NCAA tourney come March.

The Wildcats open conference play with a pair of home games on January 3rd and 5th, facing Utah and Colorado, the two newest members of the expanded conference.

Murphy Holloway Leads Mississippi to 9-2 Record

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, December 23, 2012

Dominated in recent years by Kentucky and Florida, the SEC is a conference with plenty of room for improvement through its ranks in college hoops.

One team that may be capable of breaking out from the pack of mediocrity is Mississippi, as the Rebels are coming off a very productive 2011-12 season (24-11) with a 9-2 start in 2012-13, their latest exploit an 85-78 road victory over the San Francisco Dons.

Topping the scoring and rebounding stats was senior forward Murphy Holloway, who dominated the interior, with his sixth double-double of the season - 23 points and 13 boards. His point total equalled his season high; Holloway has scored in double figures in each of Ole Miss' 11 games.

The Rebels are a competitive bunch, their two losses - to Middle Tennessee and Indiana State - were by three and two points, respectively, and both losses occurred on the road.

Mississippi is unranked, but may be able to make the SEC a more interesting conference as the season progresses.

Perfect No More: Syracuse, Illinois, Lobos Fall; Khalif Wyatt's 33 Leads Temple over Orange

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, December 22, 2012

Upsets were the order of the day on a jam-packed Saturday of college hoops action.

Three previously-unbeaten teams took their first losses of the season as Temple dumped #3 Syracuse, 83-79, South Dakota State took the measure of #16 New Mexico, 70-65, and #12 Missouri took home bragging rights from St. Louis, dropping #10 Illinois, 82-73.

The sudden Saturday turn of fortune leaves just four teams without losses. Top-ranked Duke, #2 Michigan, #11 Cincinnati and unranked Wyoming remain perfect.

In games involving teams from the Sunflower State, both the Jayhawks and Wildcats were successful, as #9 Kansas knocked off #7 Ohio State, 74-66, and unranked Kansas State welcomed visiting #8 Florida with their second loss, 67-61.

Getting the nod for top performance of the day was Temple guard Khalif Wyatt, who tallied a game-high and career-high 33 points in Temple's win at the Carrier Dome over the Orange. The 6'4" senior was 8-for-17 from the field, including two treys, but his perfect skill toeing the line, where he was 15-for-15, provided the difference in denying SU coach Jim Boeheim his 901st career victory.

The Owls were a combined 29-for-36 (81%) from the line, while the Orange struggled, making 19 of 34 (56%).

Wyatt added three rebounds and four assists, helping the Owls reach 9-2, which might just be good enough to get a peek at the top 25 when the new polls are released on Monday.

Jack Cooley Leads 12-1 Notre Dame to Easy, 89-67, Win over Niagara

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, December 21, 2012

When Notre Dame's Jack Cooley finds his groove, the result is usually pretty obvious. Cooley gets a ton of points on easy layups and dunks and hustles down a boatload of rebounds.

Such was the case as an unguardable Cooley took his skills to the paint against Niagara University Friday night, pumping in a game high 24 points to go with 15 boards in an 89-67 Irish win, their tenth straight.

So dominant was Cooley's performance that he only had to be on the court for 25 minutes, going 9-for-12 from the field and 6-for-6 from the foul line. It was Cooley's ninth double-double (which he averages: 15.2, 11.3) in 13 games.

For good measure, the 6'9" forward dished out three assists and blocked a pair of shots as the Irish easily took the measure of the Purple Eagles, taking a 42-34 lead into the break before blowing the game open with 47 second half points.

The 22nd-ranked, 12-1 Fighting Irish haven't ventured off campus yet this season, where they are averaging 76.4 points per game. Their 89 in Friday's contest was the second-highest point total of the season, behind only the 82-65 beating they put on Chicago State back in November.

This is the last game the Irish play before opening their Big East schedule on January 5th, when they host Seton Hall. Their first road game of the season is January 7, when they travel to Cincinnati to play the 11th-ranked, 11-0 Bearcats, currently one of eight undefeated teams in the nation.

Mason Plumlee Boosts #1 Blue Devils to 11-0

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, December 20, 2012

On Monday, the Duke Blue Devils were anointed the top spot in the AP Poll.

On Thursday, they showed why they deserve to be #1, with a routine, 78-54, victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium, running their record to 11-0.

Dominating the affairs on the court was senior forward Mason Plumlee, a polished, physical forward who has the look of a certain All-American and a potential player of the year.

Plumlee turned in his usual strong performance with 21 points and 15 boards against the overmatched Phoenix. He was 9-for-14 from the field. Eight of his rebounds came off the offensive glass.

Averaging a double-double (19.3 points, 11.5 rebounds), Plumlee has scored in double figures every game this season while averaging 32.5 minutes. His 64% shooting percentage is in the top 20 nationally, while his rebounding is fifth best in the countryHe has seven double-doubles this season.

Sean Kilpatrick Scores 25 as Cincinnati Downs Xavier

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, December 19, 2012

11th-ranked Cincinnati improved to 11-0 with a 60-45 win over crosstown rival Xavier, and, while the game was of a particularly ugly variety, it was a dramatic improvement over last season's meeting with involved a nasty display of fisticuffs and brawling, multiple ejections and eventual suspensions and a black eye for college hoops in general and the style of ball played in and around Cincinnati in particular.

That style is typified by hard-nosed defense, close defending and a man's game under and often above the rim. Wednesday night's contest had plenty of that, but nothing even approaching a flagrant foul was witnessed as both teams played with dignity without sacrificing toughness.

When it came to toughness, there was none tougher than freshman point guard, Dee Davis, who limped through most of the second half with severe leg cramps, but was largely ineffective.

For the Bearcats, who led almost the entire game, junior guard Sean Kilpatrick was the answer, scoring a game-high 25 points (nearly half of the Bearcat total) with seven rebounds and four steals over 35 minutes of floor time.

While Kilpatrick shot just 37% (10-for-27), his shooting actually boosted the Bearcat average. Cincinnati shot just 33% as a team, making 21 of 64 shots, including 5-for-24 (21%) from three-point range.

The Bearcats weren't exactly lighting it up, but neither were the Musketeers, who were held to 38% shooting, making just two of 13 three-point attempts. Perhaps the best defense of Xavier came from the stripe fifteen feet from the hoop - the foul line - from where the Musketeers could knock home just three of 14 free throws, in a display of foul shooting that would make the likes of Rick Barry turn away in horror.

Kilpatrick, who leads Cincinnati in scoring at 19.7 points per game, has tallied in double figures in all 11 Bearcat wins, and, while the win was ugly, it was still a win, keeping Cincinnati's record perfect at 11-0.

Luke Martinez, Larry Nance Jr., Lead Wyoming to 11-0 Record

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Don't sleep on these Cowboys.

Wyoming, despite their 11-0 record following a Tuesday night win over Denver, 71-61, remains unranked and unloved by pollsters, but the Cowboys have the players and the experience to make some noise in the Mountain West conference, where they share the lead - at 11-0 - with #16 New Mexico.

Out of the same conference, San Diego State and UNLV are also both ranked, #18 and #21, respectively.

Sophomore forward, Larry Nance Jr., son of former NBA star, Larry Nance, is showing that genetics matters, leading the Cowboys - along with senior guard Luke Martinez - to their prefect record with 21 points against the Pioneers.

Nance was 5-for-8 from the field, but converted all 11 of his free throw attempts. Martinez bombed away from the perimeter, scoring a game-high, career-high, 25 points, hitting nine of 12 shots, including 5-for-8 from beyond the arc.

Martinez converted both of his free throws, improving his percentage at the line to 93.1. Nance is hitting foul shots at an 88.4% rate, a stat that usually comes into play during conference play and into the tournament.

As a team, the Cowboys shot a remarkable 65% for the game, making 22 of 34 shots, including 8 of 12 from three-point range.

If you can't stop them and you cant foul them, that's a winning combination.

Jim Boeheim Gets 900th Win as James Southerland Leads Syracuse

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, December 17, 2012

In his 36 years as head basketball coach at Syracuse, Jim Boeheim has had a fair share of easy wins. Monday's victory in the Carrier Dome, Boeheim's 900th - all with the Orange - won't make that list of easy ones.

The Orange rolled out to an early lead, taking a 40-21 edge into intermission on the strength of James Southerland's 3-point shooting, but nearly let the win slip away, as Detroit outscored the Orange by 15 in the second half, cutting the Syracuse lead to just three with 1/2 second left.

Michael Carter-Williams made one of two free throws to increase the lead to four points and the Orange put Boeheim in the record books as just the third coach in division 1 history to record 900 wins with a 72-68 victory.

Southerland led all scorers with 22 points, making seven of 12 from the field, including 5-for-8 from three-point land. Carter-Williams finished with a double-double - 12 points and 10 assists - helping the #3 Orange to a 10-0 record.

Boeheim joins Mike Krzyzewski (936) and Bobby Knight (902) as the only members of the 900-win club.

Fuquan Edwin, Brandon Mobley, Aaron Cosby Lead Seton Hall to 8-2 Mark

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, December 16, 2012

Illinois dumped Eastern Kentucky, 66-53, making eight the number of unbeaten teams in the college hoops universe. The Fighting Illini prevailed at home, running their record to 12-0. Brandon Paul dropped in 17 points and snatched nine boards.

Elsewhere, Seton Hall continued preparations for Big East play with a 77-66 victory over North Carolina A&T, improving to 8-2 with the win.

Fuquan Edwin led all scorers with 26 points on 8-for-12 shooting, making 5 of 7 from beyond the 3-point line. The 6'6" junior also contributed five boards, four assists and had three steals.

Three Pirates accounted for all but six of Seton Halls points. Along with Edwin, Brandon Mobley pitched in 23 to go with his 13 boards, and Aaron Cosby also set a career mark with 21 points.

Mobley and Cosby are both sophomores.

#1 Indiana Topped by Butler; Trey Burke Leads Michigan to 11-0 Mark

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, December 15, 2012

The pollsters seem to have a pretty good feel for which teams are the best in the nation as there were 17 games involving Top 25 teams and all of them except two won. Determining which team deserves to be numero uno is a topic which appears certain to be argued all the way to the Final Four.

Of those 17 Top 25 games, one involved two ranked teams, as the Florida Gators traveled west to tangle with the Arizona Wildcats, and a tangle is was, not decided until Mark Lyons' running floater with seven seconds left finished a furious final minute in which the #8 Wildcats rallied from a six=point deficit to down the #6 Gators, 65-64.

The only other game that came close to matching the intensity of that contest was earlier in the day, at Indiana, where the unranked - but always tenacious - Butler Bulldogs upset #1 Indiana in overtime, 88-86, when 5'11" walk-on, Andrew Barlow, scored on a spinning jumper in the lane with 2.4 seconds left in the extra frame.

Rotnei Clarke, the transferee from Arkansas, scored 19 points and was sensational at both ends of the floor, as was the Bulldogs' Roosevelt Jones, who had 16 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.

The singular performance of the day belonged to #3 Michigan's blue chip point guard, Trey Burke, who teamed with Tim Hardaway Jr. to score 52 of the wolverines' points in an 81-66 victory at West Virginia.

Hardaway tied his season high with 25 points, burying four of eight from three-point range, but Burke topped all scorers with his own season high 27 points, on 12-for-16 shooting with eight assists, six rebounds and three steals, all without committing a single turnover in 38 minutes of floor time.

With the #1 team going down to a narrow defeat, one of the few inactives on the day, #2 Duke, should move up to take over the top spot in Monday's new poll, though Michigan will surely receive a solid number of #1 votes.

The Blue Devils are on an extended break, last seen December 8, ripping apart Temple, 90-67, and won't hit the hardwoods again until December 19, when they host Cornell at Cameron Indoor Arena.

The losses by Florida and Indiana drops the number of undefeated teams down to nine. Along with Duke and Michigan, the unbeaten squads are #4 Syracuse, #8 Arizona, #10 Illinois, #11 Cincinnati, #17 New Mexico and unranked Wyoming and Eastern Kentucky.

Anthony Drmic, Boise State End LSU's Unbeaten Streak

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, December 14, 2012

It's the middle of December, the college hoops season about one month old, so, between cream-puff blowouts, opening tournaments and early season showcase games, there still should be a good number of undefeated teams dotting the hardcourt landscape.

Let's check.

Going into a sparely-populated Friday night (7 games), there were a total of 13 teams that have not suffered a loss.

Going down the AP Top 25 poll, the top five are all perfect. Indiana (9-0), Duke (9-0), Michigan (10-0), Syracuse (8-0) and Florida (7-0). Further down the rankings are #8 Arizona (9-0), #10 Illinois (11-0) and #11 Cincinnati (9-0). Two teams from the Mountain West conference, #17 New Mexico and unranked Wyoming are both 10-0. Eastern Kentucky tops the Ohio Valley East with a 9-0 record.

LSU and Charlotte were unbeaten as of Friday morning, but as darkness fell, so too their unblemished early season marks, as Charlotte was badly damaged by Miami, 77-46, and LSU's trip to Boise State was not very pleasant, as the Broncos pounded the Tigers, 89-70, getting 34 points from sophomore swingman, Anthony Drmic, a highly-touted recruit who played prep ball at the Australian Institute of Sport.

Drmic was 12-for-18 overall, draining six of 10 from three-point range. The Brocos established themselves early, taking a 43-30 lead into the break and cruised to their seventh victory against two losses. Drmic is averaging 14.3 points per contest.

With LSU and Charlotte going down on Friday, the number of unbeaten teams dropped to 11.

Anthony Bennett Leads Youth Movement as UNLV Goes 8-1

College Hoops Player of the Day for DAY, Month, 2012

In sharp relief to the sexagenarian rockers on stage the other night at the concert for Sandy Relief, there's a real youth movement on the UNLV basketball team, which reached 8-1 Thursday night with a 91-44 rout of the La Verne Leopards.

Led by Anthony Bennett's 27 points and 14 boards (both game highs and career highs) the Runnin' Rebels led 38-21 at the break, but really broke the game wide open with 53 second half points, outscoring La Verne by 30.

20th-ranked UNLV shot 53% from the field while holding their opponents to 31% and out-rebounding the 49-19.

The Rebels sport six freshman on their roster, including Katin Reinhart, a starting guard, and three sophomores, from which guard Bryce Dejean-Jones is also a starter.

UNLV's only defeat this season was an 83-79 loss to Oregon. The Rebels have an interesting match-up with another youthful squad - North Carolina - during the holiday break. The Rebels travel to Chapel Hill to play the Tar Heels on Saturday, December 29.

Keith Clanton Goes for 30 as UCF Improves to 5-2

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Memphis usually rules the roost in Conference-USA, but, if Keith Clanton and the Central Florida Knights have their way, that will not be the case this season.

The 6'9" senior forward scored a career high 30 points and tallied his fifth double-double in seven games, leading the Knights to a 72-62 win over visiting Bethune-Cookman.

Clanton was an incredible 14-for-15 from the field, all shots taken and all but one falling from inside the three-point are. Less effective from the free throw line, Clanton hit two of four freebies, adding five of his 13 rebounds on the offensive end.

Having scored in double figures in each of UCF's games, Clanton has led the Knights to a 5-2 record in non-conference, early season games, averaging a double-double (17.4 points, 10.9 rebounds).

Last season, the Knights knocked off Memphis, 69-68, in January, but were pounded by the Tigers in late February by 29 points and in the conference tourney by 31. Clanton and his floor mates hope to improve upon those performances.

Matthew Dellavedova Racks Up 31 in St. Mary's 130-67 Rout

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Another mid-week, light schedule in college hopps saw just 18 games across the country, but a few notable wins.

Michigan, ranked #3, topped Binghamton easily, 67-39, and #10 Illinois remained unbeaten at 11-0, slipping by Norfolk State, 64-54. Surprising Minnesota improved to 11-1 with a 64-54 win over North Dakota State. The Badgers are ranked 13t in the most recent AP poll.

Late night, St. Mary's - 7-2 and unranked - poured in 68 second half points to overwhelm the Jackson State Tigers (0-6), 120-67.

Australian Matthew Dellavedova, the wonder from Down Under, led all scorers with 31 points, the second straight game in which he's tallied that number. The 6'4" senior was bombing away from the outside, making six of eight from three-point range, going 9-for-12 overall and 7-for-7 from the foul line, adding six rebounds and seven assists for the Gaels.

Dellavedova, in addition to being one of the best point guards in the country, is one of the best free-throw shooters around. He's missed just three times this season and is stroking it at 93.3%, hitting 40 of 43.

Otto Porter Helps #15 Hoyas to 8-1 Mark with Career High 22

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, December 10, 2012

#15 Georgetown was the only Top 25 team in action on a very light Monday schedule of just seven games, but the Hoyas did not disappoint, putting 11 players in the scoring column in an 89-53 romp over the Longwood Lancers.

Sophomore sensation, Otto Porter, led the points barrage with a career high 22, adding four rebounds and seven assists to his impressive stat line. Porter went 8-for-11 from the field and made seven of nine free throws n 29 minutes of playing time, the most for any Hoya along with front court mate, junior forward, Nate Lubick.

The Hoyas went 24-9 last season and are off to an 8-1 start with their fifth straight win. Their only setback was an 82-72 loss to Indiana.

Anthony Bennett Scores 25 with 13 Boards to Lead UNLV

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, December 9, 2012

Anthony Bennett, a 6'6" freshman forward, scored 25 points but his teammate, Quintrell Thomas, retrieved an Anthony Marshall air ball, turned and put it back in with 1.2 seconds left to lead the UNLV Runnin' Rebels to a 76-75 win over 6-2 Cal.

The win was #21 UNLV's seventh, against just one loss. Bennett, who led all scorers, nailed nine of 17 shots from the field, was 7-for-11 from the foul line and ripped down 13 rebounds, three on the offensive end. It was the second double-double of the season for the Canadian-born Bennett, who played at Findlay College Prep prior to enrolling at UNLV.

Bennett has scored in double figures every time out for the Rebels and leads the team in scoring and rebounding at 19.5 points and 8.3 boards per game.

The Rebels blew a seven point half time lead, but hung in and were bailed out by Thomas' quick shot at the end of the game for their second straight road win in as many tries. UNLV's only loss was an 83-79 setback to Oregon on November 23. They've since won five in a row.

Brandon Paul Keeps Fighting Illini Perfect with 35 Points Against Gonzaga

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, December 8, 2012

With 21 of the top 25 teams in action on Saturday, choosing a single Player of the Day was no easy feat.

There was Cody Zeller of #1 Indiana, who led the Hoosiers to their ninth win without a loss, defeating hopelessly overmatched Central Connecticut State, 100-69.

Zeller, a top early choice for Player of the Year, had one of his best games of the season, scoring 19 points and hauling down the same number of rebounds.

His effort was gargantuan, but so was Russ Smith's game, as #5 Louisville crushed Missouri Kansas City, 99-47. Smith rolled up 31 points on 12-for-18 shooting, including three treys. He also had seven boards, five assists and five steals. Wow!

However, both of those efforts were against inferior opposition by top-ranked teams. For a look at the game of the day, that honor fell to Brandon Paul, the 6'4" senior leader of the 13th-ranked Fighting Illini, who led his squad to their 10th straight win without a loss, handing #10 Gonzaga their first loss of the season (9-1) with a come-from-behind, 85-74, victory.

Paul, who has scored in double figures every game this season, went off for a season-high 35 points on 10-for-16 shooting (5-for-9 on threes), making 10 of 11 from the foul line while adding four rebounds, three assists, three steals and a pair of blocked shots, turning the ball over just twice.

A starter since joining the Illini as a freshman, Paul seems to savor big games against big opponents. His career high of 43 points came last season against the Ohio State Buckeyes, leading his team to a 79-75 win in one of the biggest Big Ten upsets of the year.

The Illini had a rough season, though, going 6-12 in the conference and losing their opening round game in the conference tourney to Iowa, costing them any chance at further post-season play, but the Illini have turned things around this season and appear poised to challenge Indiana, Michigan and Michigan State for league leadership.

Paul's superior performance on Saturday, on the road against an unbeaten, ranked foe, was perhaps this season's top single-game effort of the 2012-13 season.

VCU Backcourt of Troy Daniels and Treveon Graham Dominate ODU

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, December 7, 2012

An extremely light slate of games graced Friday night, with just 11 contests taking place. After all it is college, and December, so all of those stdents and student athletes were out partying, er... studying for finals, no doubt.

Down at Old Dominion, the Monarchs weren't exactly rulers of their home court, as visiting VCU handed them their seventh straight loss, downing them by an 83-70 final tally.

The Ram back court of senior Troy Daniels and sophomore Treveon Graham teamed for 24 ad 23 points, respectively, with Daniels setting a career high on 8-for-16 shooting, all of his field goals coming from the beyond the three-point line, from where he was 8-for-13.

Graham, who is quickly turning into a big-time scoring threat, having scored in double figures in seven of nine VCU games this season, was 7-for-13 from the field, 8-for-12 from the charity stripe and came up just short of a double-double, with nine boards.

VCU is 6-3, with losses to some solid programs, Duke, Missouri and Wichita State. ODU dropped to 1-8.

Providence Whips Rhode Island on LaDontae Henton's 21 and 17

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, December 6, 2012

The Providence Friars are off to a solid start again, winning their seventh game against two losses (by two points to UMass and three points to Penn State) with a 72-57 whipping of visiting Rhode Island.

Sophomore forward, LaDontae Henton, who has scored in double figures in every game this season, racked up his fourth double-double with 21 points and 17 rebounds for the Friars.

Henton couldn't connect from the outside, missing all three of his attempts from beyond the arc, but was deadly inside, making nine of 13 shots and going 3-for-3 throm the foul line. The 6'6" Henton wiped the boards clean, grabbing four on the offensive end. He also had four steals as the Friars exploded for 45 second half points after taking a 27-26 lead into the break.

Providence outrebounded the Rams, 41-28 and made 24 of 26 free throws. Only four players scored for the Friars, all in double figures, led by Kadeem Batts' game-high 23.

Providence struggled in the Big East last season, finishing with an overall 15-17 record. They went 11-2 in non-conference play, but were just 4-15 within the conference.

Matthew Dellavedova Leads St. Mary's Past Drake, 88-73, with 31 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for DAY, Month, 2012

When he's on his game, St. Mary's is a winner, and Matthew Dellavedova, the Gaels' senior point guard from Australia, was on it Wednesday night, leading St. Mary's to its sixth win of the season against two losses, ripping Missouri Valley Conference's Drake, 88-73.

Dellavedova led the visiting Gaels to an insurmountable 47-33 lead at the break and continued his superb back court play into the second half, finishing with a game-high 31 points, adding seven assists and five boards. The feisty point guard was 10-for-14 from the field, with four threes on five attempts. He canned seven of eight free throws as the Gaels toed the line 20 times, making 17.

St. Mary's shot 54% for the game, outrebounding the Bulldogs, 38-20. They also distributed the ball well, having 20 assists to just 12 for Drake.

The Gaels, with Dellavedova at the point the last four years, have established a tradition of challenging perennial powerhouse Gonzaga for the top spot in the West Coast conference, and this season seems to be shaping up as more of the same.