Russ Smith, Chane Behanan Power #1 Louisville Past UConn

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, January 14, 2013

With Duke and Michigan each suffering losses over the weekend, Louisville was raised to the #1 position in the latest Top 25 Poll (AP), and, right away they were offered the opportunity to defend their position as the top team in the land.

Traveling to Connecticut to take on the Huskies, who had just toppled Notre Dame, 65-58, on Saturday, the Cardinals entered enemy territory with expectations as lofty as their ranking.

The Huskies took it to the Cardinals in the first half, shooting 50% from the field to take a 34-28 edge into the break, but the Cardinals came out breathing fire in the second half, quickly erased the lead and went on to dominate with 45 points in the half, cruising late to the 75-58 victory.

Led by a game high 23 points from Russ Smith (10-for-20, 2-for-6 on threes) and 16 points, nine boards and five assists by Chane Behanan, the Cardinals rolled to their 16th win against just one loss (76-71, to Duke), a 4-0 record in the Big East, tying them with #6 Syracuse for the conference lead.

The Cardinals will be put to the test again on Saturday, January 19, when they host the Orange in a 4:00 pm ET showdown, but for now, the #1 ranking rests peacefully in Kentucky, the ancestral home of hoops.

Buckeyes Hand Wolverines First Loss; Iona's Sean Armand Powers Gaels

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, January 13, 2013

The theme of the weekend was completed in Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday, where the Ohio State Buckeyes downed previously-undefeated Michigan, 53-56, holding the Wolverines to just 38% shooting.

That score followed NC State's Saturday win over Duke, leaving the nation with no unbeaten teams and a big question mark over who's really #1. On Monday, new polls will be out and we'll have an answer, at least temporarily.

Far from the top of the heap in the rankings, Iona College improved to 11-6 overall and into a tie with Niagara, at 5-1, for the lead in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), with a 97-87 win over Conesius.

Junior swingman, Sean Armand, tied his career high with 32 points to lead the Gaels to their fifth straight victory.

Armand, who has scored in double figures in 16 of Iona's 17 games, lit it up from downtown, making nine of 15 three-pointers on 11-for-18 shooting overall. He rounded out his his game with five rebounds, three assists, a pair of blocked shots and a steal.

Richard Howell Leads #20 NC State over #1 Duke, 84-76

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, January 12, 2013

And Then there was one.

With Duke's loss to North Carolina State on Saturday, there remains only one team in the country without a loss, the 2nd-ranked Michigan Wolverines, but they must survive a trip to Columbus Ohio on Sunday, where they will play the #15 Ohio State Buckeyes - in order to last through the weekend and into Monday's poll as the presumptive #1 team in the country. Tip time for the Buckeyes and Wolverines is 1:30 pm ET.

Duke's demise came a short bus ride from their home court, at PNC Arena, home to the #20 Wolfpack, sure to rise in the rankings after their 84-76 victory over the previously-unbeaten Blue Devils.

Richard Howell, one of the nation's most accurate shooters, striking the iron at 62.3%, was a beast in the paint, scoring 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting, in addition to hauling down a game high 18 rebounds, six of them on the offensive end.

Besides denying the Blue Devils second opportunities with his board work, Howell also kept Wolfpack possessions alive by battling Mason Plumlee and other Duke rebounders.

Howell, who averages a double-double (12.4 points, 10.6 rebounds), turned in his ninth such performance of the season, helping NC State improve to 14-2, but, more importantly, push the Wolfpack to the top of the ACC standings, at 3-1.

Howell had plenty of help in upending Duke. The team's leading scorer, CJ Leslie, pumped in a game-high 25 points, and NC State's assist leader, Lorenzo Brown, dished 13 times and scored 12 points.

NOTABLE: 19 of the nation's top 25 teams were in action on Saturday, with all of them winning except for the Blue Devils, #8 Minnesota (dumped at #5 Indiana, 88-81), #17 Notre Dame, a 65-58 loser at home to unranked UConn, and 10th-ranked Missouri, finding early trouble in the SEC, falling at Mississippi, 64-49.

#13 Creighton Goes to 16-1 Behind Doug McDermott's 39 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, January 11, 2013

Hitting 15 of 19 shots from the field, Doug McDermott had his way against Missouri State as the Creighton Bluejays improved to 16-1 and 5-0 in the MVC with a 72-54 romp at Missouri State.

McDermott's season-high tally was the second-most he's ever scored in a college game. Last season, he lit up Bradley for 44 points in a 92-83 Creighton victory.

Nearly flawless in his execution, McDermott hit three of four from three-point range and six of seven from the foul line, also collecting 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.

Averaging 23.6 points per game, McDermott is third in scoring nationally, close behind Virginia Tech's Erick Green (24.6) and C.J. McCollum of Lehigh (23.9).

Vreighton's only loss came in an 83-70 setback by Boise State on November 28. Since then, they've won 10 straight and have a pair of important games upcoming: Tuesday, January 15, against Northern Iowa and Saturday, January 19, at 15-1 Wichita State, currently 4-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Kelly Olynyk Leads Gonzaga over St. Mary's; Arizona Tastes First Defeat in 70-66 Loss at Oregon

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, January 10, 2013

The biggest upset of the night came late into it, as the Oregon Ducks won their 17th straight home game, downing the Arizona Wildcats, 70-66, with balanced scoring, quality distribution and a nagging defense.

The 13-2 Ducks had 10 steals and six blocked shots against the previously unbeaten Wildcats (14-1), forcing 14 turnovers. As a team, Oregon dished 17 assists. The result left just two undefeated teams within the college ranks: #1 Duke and #2 Michigan.

Even later into the night, the #9 Gonzaga Bulldogs continued an impressive run with their seventh straight win, this time holding home court against their cheif rival in the WCC, the St. Mary's Gaels, 83-78.

Seven-footer, Kelly Olynyk, was unstoppable in the post, hitting 11 of 19 shots for a game-high 31 points, fresh on the heels of a 33-point outburst at Santa Clara this past Saturday.

Olynyk was 8-for-11 from the foul line and snatched eight rebounds, three on the offensive end.

The 16-1 Bulldogs now share the West Coast Conference lead at 3-0 with BYU. San Diego is a half game back at 2-0

Cleanthony Early Lights Up Salukis with 39 Points in Wichita State Victory

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, January 9, 2013

A bundle of good teams are playing in the Missouri Valley Conference, a general hotbed of college hoops that is often overlooked, but the pollsters have already determined that two of them - Creighton and Wichita State - are worthy of Top 25 designations, while Evansville and Indiana State are providing depth for the league.

In Wednesday's 81-76 victory at Southern Illinois, the 15-1 Shockers of Wichita State applied a stamp to their #23 ranking, rallying from a 43-34 half time deficit for the win.

After the slow start, the Shockers lit it up in the second half, especially junior forward, Cleanthony Early, who set a career high mark with 39 points on 13-for-19 shooting, making five of eight from three point range and eight of 10 from the foul line.

Scoring the first 10 points of the of the second period, the Shockers quickly erased their host's lead, and battled the rest of the way against the determined Salukis.

Early, who leads the Shockers in scoring at 15.4 points per game, easily outdid his previous high mark of 25, made in a 75-63 win over Iowa earlier in the season. Red-shirted his first two years at Wichita State, Early has arrived in time to give the Shockers a versatile scoring threat.

Wichita State is tied with Creighton at 4-0, atop the MVC standings. The top two teams meet on Saturday, January 19 at Wichita State.

Brandon Young Scores Career High 35 as DePaul Falls to UConn

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 8, 2013

The Connecticut Huskies blew away DePaul in the first half, outscoring them, 54-34, en route to an easy, 99-78, victory, the Huskies' 11th against three losses, evening their Big East record at 1-1, after losing to Marquette on New Years' Day, 82-76.

While UConn was victorious, they couldn't stop the Blue Demons' junior guard, Brandon Young, who set a career-high mark with 35 points on 13-for-22 shooting, including three of four from beyond the arc, in addition to making all six of his foul shots.

Young is a big time scorer, averaging 17.3 points per game, but he also contributes elsewhere, with 4.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game. Against the Huskies, he outdid his averages, snatching four board and dishing five assists, though his efforts fell short as only he and Cleveland Melvin (18 points) scored in double figures.

The Huskies were paced by 26 from DeAndre Daniels and 22 from Ryan Boatwright.

NOTABLE: #1 Duke keeps rolling along, winning their 15th straight without a loss, pounding Clemson, 68-40, for their second ACC win. The Blue Devils did it with defense, holding the Tigers to just 28% shooting for the game and 10 first half points.

#10 Missouri should love life in the SEC, shifting to the new conference after leaving the Big 12. Hosting Alabama, the Mizzou cruised to an 84-68 win, in the first SEC game this season, giving the Tigers a leg up. The anticipated showdown at #11 Florida is set for January 19.

Sam Rowley's Double-Double Lifts Albany over Binghamton

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, January 7, 2013

Every conference gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament in March, including obscure ones like the American East, where the Albany Great Danes have a chance to get the invite, especially if they ride one of their big dogs, like sophomore forward Sam Rowley, who set career highs for points and rebounds in Albany's 71-59 win at Binghamton.

Hailing from Syndey, Australia, the 6'6" Rowley turned in his first double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds, going 8-for-9 from the field and 5-for-5 from the charity stripe.

The Great Danes are off to a 13-4 start to their season and are 2-1 in conference play.

Kenny Boynton Scores Career High 28 as Gators Chomp on Bulldogs

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, January 6, 2013

Most of the teams across the country have begun conference play. The Ivy League and the SEC are among a few that are still working through non-conference schedules, so it was that the #13 Florida Gators trundled up to Yale and showed off their ball skills in a 79-58 trouncing of the Bulldogs.

The game was largely a mismatch, but Florida senior guard Kenny Boynton enjoyed himself, getting enough good looks to go 9-for-12 from the field, including 8-for-10 from three-point range, for a game-high, career-high, 28 points.

Playing 37 minutes, Boynton also added two assists and a pair of rebounds as the Gators improved to 10-2 in their final tune-up before heading into SEC play beginning January 9, at home against another Bulldog team, this one from Georgia.

Florida and Missouri appear the teams to beat in the conference. Missouri is currently ranked #12, with an 11-2 record.

Kelly Olynyk Has Career High 33 in Gonzaga Win at Santa Clara

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, January 5, 2013

Mark Few, head coach of the Gonzaga Bulldogs since 1999, has built the program into one of national prominence, routinely dominating the West Coast Conference. This season, he may have one of his best teams ever.

Few's record with the Zags is impressive, going 357–91 (.797) overall and an even better 162–22 (.882) in conference play. The 10th-ranked, 15-1 Bulldogs won their second straight conference game, winning at Santa Clara, 81-74, to remain tied with BYU for the early lead at 2-0 thanks to a career high, 33-point, 10-rebound effort from their outstanding junior forward, Kelly Olynyk.

Olynyk had a nearly flawless game, making 12 of 15 shots from the field, including going 1-for-1 from three-point range and canned seven of eight free throws, displaying a deft shooting touch for a big man. Olynyk, a native of Kamloop, British Columbia, stand's seven feet tall and finds few opposing players who can defend him. He's scored in double figures in all but one of Ganzaga's 16 games.

With three straight road wins under their collective belts, the Bulldogs appear ready for their next big test, a January 10 meeting with traditional conference rival, St. Mary's. It will mark Olynyk's first game as a starter against the Gaels, since he sat out last season.

NOTABLE: Life is tough in the big conferences. There were 16 Top 25 teams in action on Saturday, and five of them suffered defeats at the hands of conference foes.

In the Big East, the carnage was widespread, with #15 Georgetown falling to Marquette, 49-48, Rutgers topping #24 Pitt, 67-62, and #15 Cincinnati losing at home to St. John's, 53-52.

In the Big Ten, the #11 Fighting Illini took down #8 Ohio State, 74-55, while #25 Kansas State prevailed at home, 73-67, over #22 Oklahoma State in Big 12 action.

O.D. Anosike Gets 19 Points, 15 Rebounds in Sienna Loss

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, January 4, 2013

Just 16 games dotted the college hoops landscape on Friday night, none of the games featuring any teams even close to the top rankings.

Among the contested hardcourts was in upstate New York, at Siena College, where the Saints were hosting the Iona Gaels in a MAAC game.

Siena, 0-2 in the conference going in, kept the game close, but eventually succumbed to the Gaels, 66-62, despite a monster effort from senior forward, O.D. Ansike, a one-man gang averaging a double-double (13.7 points, 12.9 rebounds).

Anosike kept Siena in the game on both ends, scoring 19 points - equalling his season high - and hauling in 15 boards.

Anosike was 8-for-11 from the field, but he didn't get much support from his teammates, who made just 16 of 47 field goals (34%).

Iona improved to 8-6 overall and are part of a six=team tie for first place in the conference with a 2-1 mark. Siena slumped to 0-3 in the MAAC and 2-12 overall.

Kyle Anderson Provides Lift as Bruins Open PAC-12 Play with a Win over Cal

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, January 3, 2013

Continuing their quest for respectability, the UCLA Bruins took another step forward, defeating the Cal Golden Bears, 79-65, opening their PAC-12 schedule with a solid win, their sixth in a row.

The Bruins were led by freshman Kyle Anderson, who, at 6'9", s listed as a guard but plays more like a forward, operating in the post and on the wings. Anderson recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 boards, adding a pair of assists, two steals and two blocked shots, and is becoming an integral part of the UCLA scheme. Anderson was 5-for-8 from the field and a perfect 8-for-9 from the foul line, where his improvement has been notable.

In his first seven games, Anderson was 13-for-26 from the stripe (50%), but, in his last seven has hit 30 of 35 freebies, an 86% rate.

Anderson was just a point off his career high, set just two games past, when he displayed his huge potential with 20 points and 17 rebounds in the Bruins' 91-78 win over Fresno State. Averaging close to a double-double, with 9.5 points and 8.7 rebounds, Anderson is one of the keys to UCLA challenging for the conference title, their main opposition being the unbeaten Arizona Wildcats (13-0), who struggled to a 92-83 overtime win against Colorado.

The 11-3 Bruins meet up with the Wildcats in three weeks, on January 24, at Arizona.

NOTABLE: #2 Michigan stormed into Northwestern to open their Big Ten schedule and ripped up the place with a 94-66 victory. Trey Burke led the way with 23 points for the 14-0 Wolverines.

D'Angelo Harrison Scores 36 in St. John's Loss at Villanova; Boeheim Gets Win #903

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Conference play got started in a big way on Wednesday, with eight ranked teams hitting the hardwood.

#1 Duke was still in tune-up mode, playing its final non-conference game, at Davidson, and the Blue Devils came through with a 67-50 victory.

#11 Illinois suffered its second loss of the season (13-2), starting off Big Ten action with a 68-61 loss at Purdue, as the Illini shot just 38% and Purdue's Terone Johnson torched then for a game-high 25 points.

The inevitable occurred in the Carrier Dome at Syracuse, as Jim Boeheim's #7 Orange carried him to win #903, passing Bobby Knight and moving into second place all-time in wins behind Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, with a 78-53 win over Rutgers. The Orange blew open a tight game with a 21-0 run to close out the first half and never looked back.

In game of the night was in Philadelphia, where visiting St. John's batted Villanova to a 83-83 tie in regulation before submitting in the extra period, the Wildcats prevailing by a 98-86 final score.

The Red Storm's sophomore guard, D'Angelo Harrison, pumped in a career-high 36 points on 11-for-21 shooting with six three=pointers. Harrison's heroics fell short, however, as Villanova's Ryan Arcidiacono and JayVaughn Pinkston threw down 32 and 26 points, respectively.

St. John's dropped to 8-5 while the Wildcats improved to a 10-4 mark.

Adonis Filer a Perfect 7-for-7 in Clemson Rout of the Citadel

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Year!

With New Year's Day focused on college football bowl games, the schedule of hopps actions was sparse, to say the least. You know it's a slow day when Presbyterian can more than double up an opponent, as the 2-11 Blue Hose (yes, that's actually the team name) blew out the Montreat (not a typo) Cavaliers, 77-35.

The Big East got in an early conference game, with Shabazz Napier scoring 29 points in a losing overtime effort at Marquette, 82-76. Both teams are 10-3, but the Golden Eagles get a leg up on the rest of the conference.

But, the player who enjoyed playing against a loose defense the most was Clemson's Adonis Filer, who was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field in the Tigers' 92-51 romp over the Citadel.

Filer, a 6'2" freshman guard who is a regular off the bench, scored a game-high and career-high 21 points, which included four three-pointers. Ironically, the only shot he missed was a free throw, as he made three of four from the line. Filer also chipped in with a rebound, one assist and three steals.

The 8-4 Tigers open their ACC season on January 5th, hosting Florida State, then travel to play the #1 Duke Blue Devils on January 8, certainly a far cry from, say, Montreat.

Michael Carter-Williams Dominates as Syracuse Improves to 12-1

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, December 31, 2012

#7 Syracuse ended 2012 the same way they started the season, by whipping up on a lesser opponent and getting their starters and reserves valuable playing time in advance of the heady Big East season.

The 12-1 Orange raced off to an early lead, taking a 47=26 edge into the half and cruised to a 96-62 victory over Central Connecticut State, led by point guard Michael Carter-Williams, who fell just one rebound short of a triple double, with 18 points, 13 assists and nine boards.

Averaging a double-double (12.2 points, 10.2 assists), the 6'6" guard had his way with the Central Connecticut back court. It was his second game of the season that he missed a triple-double by the narrowest of margins. On November 30, at Arkansas, he scored 17 points, snagged 10 boards, but dished out just nine assists.

Syracuse opens Big East play on January 3rd at Rutgers.

Jeff Elorriaga Hits 10 Treys, Scores 30, as Boise State Romps

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, December 30, 2012

No Top 25 teams were in action on Sunday, but Boise State was, and the Broncos continue to make their case for inclusion in the elite ranks of college hoops.

Boise won their fourth straight, improving to 10-2 on the season, with a monstrous, 105-49, defeat of the visiting Corban Warriors. Obviously, this was a mismatch of mammoth proportions, but Boise State players took advantage of the opportunity to hone their skills prior to conference play in the Mountain West.

One of those players working on specific skills was junior guard, Jeff Elorriaga, who got plenty of open looks from beyond the arc and used the space to practice his long-range bombing.

Making 10 of 16 from three-point range, a school record for made threes, Elorriaga threw down a career high 30 points, scoring all of his points from long range, never even stepping to the foul line and missing his only shot from inside the arc.

Elorriaga, already a specialist from range, improved his three-point percentage to an excellent 45.6 on the season.

Tyler Haws Pumps in 42 as BYU tops Virginia Tech, 96-71

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, December 29, 2012

There's no lack of offensive players in college hoops this season, and on Saturday, two of the best in the business hooked up when Virginia Tech made the trek out West to play BYU.

Hokie guard Erick Green, the leading scorer in the nation (24.4 ppg) was looking to extend his steak of scoring at least 20 points to 13 games, but the Cougars had other ideas, defending the perimeter and denying Green good looks. The result was Green's worst shooting performance of the season, going 4-for-17 and 0-for-5 from three-point range for a season-low 12 points.

Meanwhile, on the offensive end, Tyler Haws was lighting up the Hokies, helping BYU build an insurmountable, 56-31 lead at the break, en route to a decisive, 97-71 victory, their second straight win and 10th in 14 outings.

Haws, a 6'5" sophomore out of Alpine, Utah, was firing at will, nailing 14 of 25 shots, including six of eight from beyond the arc, adding eight of nine from the foul line for a career high 42 points.

Haws leads the Cougars in scoring, averaging 20.9 points per game and has scored in double figures in 13 of 14 games this season.

Phil Pressey Dishes 19 Assists, but Shabazz Muhammad Leads UCLA over Missouri

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, December 28, 2012

When the UCLA Bruins lost at Georgetown, it was understandable. But, after home losses to Cal Poly and San Diego State, there were those declaring the Bruins' season a bust, and college hoops at Pauley Pavilion a dead issue.

However, five straight wins later, like Mark Twain, reports of the Bruins' death may have been greatly exaggerated.

On Friday night, UCLA hosted the #7 Missouri Tigers and their superlative point guard, Phil Pressey, who lit up the arena with 12 assists in the first half en route to a career-high 19 for the game. Despite Pressey's efforts, though, the Tigers couldn't pull away from the Bruins, the scored knotted at 47 at the break.

The second half was more of the same. More crisp passes from Pressey, more spurts from David and Travis Wear, more scoring by both Pressey and the Bruins' standout freshman, Shabazz Muhammad. Trailing by eight with under five minutes to play, UCLA rallied to tie the game at 88-all and send it into overtime.

In the extra period, it was the Bruins who dictated pace and made plays. Muhammad scored a key three-pointer with 1:01 to play which gave UCLA the lead for good, finally prevailing, 97-94, improving their record to a respectable 10-3.

Muhammad led all scorers with 27 points, tying his career high. Pressey led Missouri with his own career high, 19 points.

Brandon Davies Leads BYU to 84-54 Win over Northern Arizona

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, December 27, 2012

The holiday-shortened week was witness to another day of sparse collegiate hoops action, with just 11 games nationally and only one involving a Top 25 team, that being #8 Cincinnati, which entered their last home game of the season undefeated, facing the 12-1 New Mexico Lobos, but ended the night with their first loss of the season, a 55-54 defeat.

That leaves just four teams with unblemished records: Duke, Michigan, and Arizona, ranked 1, 2, and 3 respectively, plus unranked Wyoming, hailing from the Mountain West conference.

In Provo, Utah, the BYU Cougars improved to 9-4, pounding visiting Northern Arizona, 84-54, behind 27 points and 10 rebounds from senior forward, Brandon Davies.

At 6'9", Davies dominated the paint, making good on 13 of his 16 shots. Averaging 20.3 points per game, Davies is the #15 scorer in the nation, and his shooting percentage of 56.5 is the best among the top 25 scorers. He also holds the distinction of averaging the fewest minutes of all the leading 20 scorers in the nation, a mere 28.4 per game.

Playing in the West Coast Conference, Davies will probably see more floor time when the Cougars match up against conference powerhouses, Gonzaga, St. Mary's and Santa Clara. The Cougars open conference play at home against Loyola Marymount on January 3.

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.