Jerian Grant Leads Fighting Irish to 7-2 Mark

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, December 9, 2013

Having jumped from the Big East to the ACC, Notre Dame continued tuning up in anticipation of a rugged conference schedule with a 70-59 home win over Bryant, Monday night.

Powered by senior Jerian Grant, who leads the Irish in scoring and assists, Notre Dame improved to 7-2 overall, with a 7-1 mark at home.

Grant was just 5-for-12 from the floor (two of three from three-point range), but made hay at the foul line, canning 11 of 13 freebies for a game-high 23 points. He also doled out nine of Notre Dame's 17 assists as the Irish took a 12-point lead into the half and maintained their edge over the final 20 minutes. Rounding out his game, Grant finished with two rebounds, four steals and a couple of blocked shots in 38 minutes of playing time.

The schedule soon will get a lot tougher, even prior to conference play, very soon for the Fighting Irish. After a sate with North Dakota State, Wednesday, they have home games with Indiana and Ohio State on the 14th and 21st. They open ACC play on January 4th, hosting the Duke Blue Devils.

Juvonte Reddic Wrecks Old Dominion, as VCU Triumphs, 69-48

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, December 8, 2013

If a team is going to play the VCU Rams, and plan on beating them, that team better have a solid low post presence to deal with senior forward Juvonte Reddic, as Old Dominion found out Sunday afternoon in Richmond, Virginia.

Reddic, if left to his own devices, can absolutely take over and dominate a game, as he did while on the court for 30 minutes in VCU's 69-48 plastering of the Monarchs.

Notching his fourth double-double of the season, the 6'9" Reddic scored a season-high and game-high 24 points on 12-for-16 shooting, while hauling down 12 rebounds, five of them on the offensive end. Reddic was also a defensive stud, blocking four shots and coming away with a pair of steals.

VCU broke open a close game (34-31) at the half, outscoring Old Dominion 35-17 in the second half. The Rams also held a huge rebounding edge, 50-34.

The Rams, improving to 8-2, have been a NCAA tournament fixture the past few seasons and have the potential to do damage within and outside of the powerful Atlantic 10 Conference.

VCU has won four straight and head to Northern Illinois next, on Saturday, December 14.

With 32 Points, 15 Assists, Chaz Williams Sends UMass to 8-0 Mark

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, December 7, 2013

With a 105-96 win over BYU, the Massachusetts Minutemen are off to an 8-0 start, their best since the 1995-96 season when they went 26-0 before taking a loss.

Senior point guard, Chaz Williams, was, as usual, the smallest player on the court, but put larger foes to shame with career highs in points and assists, scoring 32 while dishing 15 times to teammates.

Williams was 9-for-14 overall, including 5-for-7 from three-point range, making all nine of his free throw attempts. The Cougars took an early lead, but that was quickly erased by Massachusetts by the midpoint of the first half. Once they had the lead, the Minutemen did not give it up, leading by as many as 17 points in the second half.

Ranked 21 last week, UMass figures to move up when the new poll is released on Monday. They've already topped a couple of ACC teams (Boston College and Clemson) and have a win over a ranked opponent, beating then-#19 New Mexico, 81-65, two weeks ago.

Last season, the Minutemen were knocked out of the NIT tournament by Stony Brook, 71-58, but are clearly looking for an NCAA tourney appearance this time around.

Kenny Chery Leads #20 Baylor over #3 Kentucky, 67-62

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, December 6, 2013

Following a long delay due to the 4-overtime game between the Kentucky and Baylor womens' teams, the #3 Wildcats and #20 Bears took the court at Jerry Jones' palatial AT&T Stadium for a little Top 25 tip.

The Bears, whose only loss was to Syracuse, 74-67, on November 27, was ready for the meeting that was the finale of the SEC-Big 12 Challenge, and, thanks to some heady play down the stretch and a game-high, 18 points from point guard Kenny Chery, came away on the top side of a 67-62 victory, sending the Wildcats to their second loss of the season (7-2).

Chery, a 5'11" junior from Montreal, couldn't buy a bucket from long range, going 0-for-5 from beyond the arc, but was money inside, hitting eight of 10 two-pointers while dishing five assists. He also hit a key bucket with 43 seconds left, giving Baylor a 65-61 lead as the Bears outscored the Wildcats, 26-12, over the final 13 minutes, eight points supplied by Chery during the final push.

Beyond Chery's contributions on the scoreboard, Baylor badly out-rebounded Kentucky, 41-25, including 18 offensive boards.

The 8-1 Bears won't be hitting the hardwoods for nearly two weeks, when they host Northwestern State on December 18. Kentucky will get little rest, as they play Boise State on the 10th and travel to Chapel Hill to meet the North Carolina Tar Heels on December 14.

Gene Teague Inside, Brian Oliver Outside a Winning Formula for Seton Hall

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, December 5, 2013

Seton Hall outscored visiting LIU-Brooklyn by 17 points in the first half, en route to a 92-81 victory over the Blackbirds.

Gene Teague was a monster in the paint, notching season-highs in scoring and rebounding with 16 points and 17 boards, his second double-double in his last three games.

Teague's effort inside was matched on the outside by fellow senior, Brian Oliver, who didn't take a shot from inside the three-point arc, nailing eight of his 17 attempts from long range, adding a pair of free throws for a game-high 26 points, also a season high.

The Pirates are just 5-3 as they make their way through the non-conference portion of their schedule, though their three losses have been by a total of just eight points, including an 86-85 defeat to Oklahoma on November 22.

Staying in New Jersey for their next game, the Pirates play at Rutgers (4-5) on Sunday, December 8. While Seton Hall remained in the Big East as the once-powerful conference disintegrated last season, Rutgers jumped to the newly-formed American conference, where former Big East teams, Louisville, Cincinnati and Connecticut are expected to dominate.

Kennedy Meeks, Tar Heels Light Up #1 Michigan State in 79-65 Upset

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Freshman forward Kennedy Meeks came off the bench to score a team-high 15 points, leading the North Carolina Tar Heels to a 79-65 victory over top-ranked Michigan State.

Meeks played just 18 minutes, but terrorized the Spartans when he was on the floor, hitting six of eight from the field and three of four from the foul line. He also snatched seven rebounds, along with an assist and a blocked shot, helping the 5-2 Tar Heels send Michigan State to its first loss of the season, holding them to 36% shooting.

Michigan State's Gary Harris led all scorers with 17 points, but only three Spartans scored in double figures. North Carolina was more balanced, with five players posting double-digit scoring while also out-rebounding the Spartans, 49-38.

The game was played at the Jack Breslin Student Event Center in Lansing, Michigan as part of the annual Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

The enigmatic Tar Heels upset then-#3 Louisville earlier in the season, but also suffered losses to Belmont and UAB. Unranked, North Carolina may now be deserving of more respect and will see if they're up to the challenge when they face Kentucky, currently #3, on December 14.

Jarell Eddie Pours in 34 as Hokies Whip Winthrop

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Virginia Tech doesn't stand much of a chance in the newly-aligned ACC; the addition of Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the power-packed conference adds to the burden of having to face the likes of North Carolina and Duke.

What the Hokies do have is a sharp-shooting senior forward in Jarell Eddie, who hit on an incredible 72% of his shots Tuesday night as Virginia Tech topped Winthrop, 81-63, for their sixth win against three losses.

Eddie was 13-for-18 from the field, making six of eight from beyond the three-point arc for a career-high 34 points. While he wasn't helping to build an insurmountable lead for the Hokies, he was wiping the glass, finishing with seven rebounds.

Eddie has recorded three double-doubles already this year and has increased his scoring output year-over-year each season with the Hokies. He's averaging 16.9 points and 6.9 boards this season.

Virginia Tech gets their first taste of ACC play when they travel to Miami this Sunday, December 8.

Dustin Hogue's Double-Double Leads #17 Iowa State to 6th Straight Win

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, December 2, 2013

Iowa State improved to 6-0 on the season with a blowout, 99-70, win over Auburn, putting a bullet next to their ranking of #17 in the AP poll.

Junior forward, Dustin Hogue, paced the Cyclones with 22 points and 16 rebounds, helping Iowa State establish an early lead, power to a 47-28 advantage at half time and coast to the easy win.

Hailing from Yonkers, NY, 6'6" Hogue was 8-for-10 from the field, making two of three form long range. His rebounding prowess was a factor as the Cyclones out-boarded the Tigers, 47-36. It was Hogue's second double-double of the year. He is averaging 1 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.

NOTABLE: #12 Connecticut barely avoided their first loss of the season, improving to 8-0 when Shabazz Napier hit the winning bucket with time expiring to give the Huskies a 65-64 victory over #15 Florida. Napier, who missed a potential game winner from the free throw circle, snatched his own rebound and put back the bucket for the win, leading all scorers with 26 points on 9-for-16 shooting.

Xavier Thames, Aztecs Rip Marquette to Capture Wooden Legacy Title

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, December 1, 2013

It was a weird Sunday for a few of college basketball's Top 25 as the UAB Blazers shot just 31%, but managed to upset #16 North Carolina, 63-59; star forward Doug McDermott was held to a season-low seven points in George Washington's 60-53 victory over #20 Creighton; and, Xavier Thames scored nearly half of his team's points in San Diego State's 67-59 win over #25 Marquette.

The 5-1 Aztecs won their fourth straight to capture the final of the Wooden Legacy tournament at Fullerton, California, having already topped Charleston, 72-52, in the opening round and dumping Creighton, 86-80, in the semi-final on Friday.

Thames, a senior guard, had a career-high 29 points to pace the Aztecs. Though he could not get his two-point shots to drop (2-for-10), he was money from beyond the arc, hitting five of six three-pointers, and, at the foul line, where he canned 10 of 11.

Named tournament MVP, Thames scored 26 in the Creighton win and had 11 points in the easy win over Charleston.

With victories over two ranked teams during the holiday weekend, it's a good bet that the Aztecs will find themselves among the ranked teams when the new polls are released Monday. San Deigo State's only loss was a 69-60 setback to #6 Arizona.

Georgetown Wins Third Straight Behind D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, November 30, 2013

With all the conference changes during the off-season, Georgetown was one school that decided to stay put, remaining as one of the original Big East teams.

The Hoyas will have their hands full with the likes of Villanova, Providence, Butler and Creighton, but should do well if they can play the kind of defense they did against Lipscomb on Saturday at the Verizon Center, holding the visiting Bisons to 27% shooting in a 70-49 rout.

Georgetown didn't really get into their game until the second half. After taking a one-point lead into the break, they outscored the Bisons, 43-23, for their fourth win of the season, against two losses.

The Hoyas were led in offensive categories by sophomore guard, D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, who was everywhere with 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Smith-Rivera, Georgetown's leading scorer, was held below his season average of 18.7 per game, but hit six of 10 from the field, including going 4-for-6 from three-point range.

Georgetown started the season 1-2, with losses to Oregon and Northeastern, but has rebounded with three straight wins, defeating Kansas State and VCU prior to their Saturday win. A big test for the Hoyas comes December 21, when they play at Kansas.

UCLA Remains Perfect at 7-0, as Kyle Anderson Leads Win in Las Vegas Invitational

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, November 29, 2013

19th-ranked UCLA remained undefeated (7-0) with a 95-79 romp over Northwestern in the final round of the Las Vegas Invitational, hitting 13 of 17 three-pointers.

Jordan Adams, Zach LaVine and Bryce Alford each scored 18 points, helping the Bruins take a share of the round-robin tournament with Missouri, winning all four games during the tourney. The Bruins beat Morehead State and Chattanooga last weekend at home in the opening rounds, then came to Vegas and overwhelmed host Nevada, 105-84, Thursday, prior to taking down the Wildcats.

Kyle Anderson dropped in 16 points, hauled in nine rebounds and dished nine assists, earning the tournament MVP award. The 6'9" sophomore had a triple double (13 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists) in the Morehead State win, and double-doubles in the two subsequent games. In the final, he was 6-for-9 from the floor, making two of three three-pointers and a pair of free throws, along with four steals.

UCLA was absolutely sizzling in the final, shooting 63.6% from the field (35-for-55). The Bruins are the nation's second-best shooting team, hitting at 55.6%, fourth in assists (20.2), and are the sixth-highest scoring team, at 90.9 points per game.

NOTABLE: A number of ranked teams didn't fare so well in their holiday tournament outings on Friday. #2 Kansas lost to Villanova, 63-59, on a late three-pointer in the Battle 4 Atlantis; #6 Duke was outflanked by #4 Arizona, 72-66, at the NIT Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden, and #20 Creighton, despite 30 points by Doug McDermott, fell to San Diego State, 86-80, in the Wooden Legagy Tournament in Fullerton California.

Marcus Smart Powers Cowboys to 97-87 Win over Purdue

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, November 28, 2013

Multiple holiday tournaments and showcases are in full swing, and #5 Oklahoma State - the nation's 2nd-highest scoring team at 99.7 points per game - made its presence felt with a 97-87 win over Purdue in the opening round of the Old Spice Classic in Orlando.

As he usually does, sophomore Marcus Smart paced the Cowboys with 30 points, helping build a 52-29 lead at intermission. Smart was 9-for-18 from the field, banging home four of six from beyond the arc.

The game-high 30 wasn't even close to Smart's season high, which is 39, in a 101-89 win over Memphis on November 19. Smart is averaging 22.5 points per game, and probably would have scored more if not forced to sit in the latter stages of the second half with four fouls.

He finished with four rebounds and four assists, also knocking down eight of 12 from the foul line. The Cowboys shot 52.7% overall; Markel Brown had 25. Oklahoma State had five players in double figures.

The 6-0 Cowboys will play 5-0 Butler on Friday, a 76-69 winner over Washington State in the other half of the draw.

Kevin Pangos Scores Career-High 34 Points for Gonzaga; Syracuse Captures Maui Title

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Gonzaga's trip to the Hawaiian Islands for the Maui Invitational didn't exactly live up to expectations when the Bulldogs lost their opening-round game to Dayton, Monday night, 84-79.

However, Dayton being a pretty good team and it being early in the season, the 11th-ranked Bulldogs took the defeat in stride, went on to hammer Chaminade, 113-81, on Tuesday and rolled to a 91-81 win over Arkansas Wednesday, largely on the sharp-shooting of junior guard, Kevin Pangos.

The 6'2" Canadian drilled seven of eight from beyond the three-point arc and hit 10 of 15 shots overall to lead the Bulldogs with a career high 34 points.

Regarded as one of the best pure shooters around, Pangos hit seven of eight from the foul line, grabbed three rebounds and dished out four assists.

Gonzaga took a 38-31 lead into the break and maintained their lead in the second half as Pangos threw down 19 points in the final 20 minutes.

The nation's top team in shooting percentage at a cool 57%, the Bulldogs improved to 6-1 on the season, while their star shooter increased his scoring average to an even 20 points per game.

Wrapping up the Maui tournament, Minnesota dumped Chaminade, 83-68, Dayton topped Cal, 82-64, and #8 Syracuse took the championship, 74-67, over #18 Baylor, led by C.J. Fair's 24 points.

Jordan Dykstra Leads Jackrabbits to 74-61 Win over Lehigh

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Senior Jordan Dykstra scored a season-high 32 points and South Dakota State won their second straight game, as the Jackrabbits smothered Lehigh, 74-61, in the progressive Legends Classic in Brookings, SD.

For the 6'8" Dykstra, it was business as usual, adding 13 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. He was 8-for-14 overall, including four of six from three-point range and a stellar 12 of 13 from the foul line.

Thanks to Dykstra and fellow forward Cody Larson, who hauled in nine boards, the Jackrabbits held a huge rebounding edge, 39-28. Point guard Barden Carlson (9 assists) distributed the rock well enough that South Dakota State had double the assists as the Mountain Hawks, an 18-9 edge.

Intent on getting his squad out to an early lead, Dykstra scored 10 of the first 12 points for South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits soon opened a double-digit lead at 21-11 and took a 12-point bulge into the break. They were never headed in the second half, improving to 3-1 at home, but only 3-4 overall.

Maui Zowie: Christophe Varidel Scores 42, But Baylor Drops Chaminade

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, November 25, 2013

The Maui Invitational is 30 years old, and, for all those years, little Division-II Chaminade University, a Catholic institution from Honolulu, has been a part of the annual festivities.

As usual, they were matched against a powerful foe - the Baylor Bears - in Monday's opening championship round, and, equally as usual, they were defeated, though not until Christophe Varidel tied a tournament record with 10 three-pointers and came within a point of the all-time tournament scoring record with 42 points.

Varidel, a senior guard hailing from Switzerland, who averaged just 6.2 points per game last season with Florida Gulf Coast, seemed to have just one thing on his mind Monday: to shoot as often as possible and keep the game within reach for the Silverswords.

Making 14 of 29 shots, Varidel hit on 10 of his 14 three-point tries, but could not counteract Baylor's full complement of scorers, five of which finished in double figures.

The game was closely-contested through the first half, Baylor taking a 50-47 lead into the locker rooms, but the Bears owned the second half, outscoring Chaminade, 43-30, en route to a 93-77 victory.

In other Maui action, Cal defeated Arkansas, 85-77; Syracuse outlasted Minnesota, 75-67, and, in the surprise of the tournament, the Dayton Flyers upended the Gonzaga Bulldogs, 84-79, despite 27 points from Gonzaga's kevin Pangos.

Chaminade gets Gonzaga Tuesday in the loser's bracket, while Cal meets Syracuse and Baylor plays Dayton in the semi-finals.

Jameel Warney's Career Marks Lead Stony Brook to Triple-OT Win over Detroit, 104-102

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, November 24, 2013

Sunday was full of top 25 action and upsets, with #24 North Carolina dropping #3 Louisville, 93-84; unranked Georgetown defeating #10 VCU, 84-80; and, #14 Michigan losing to unranked Charlotte, 63-61.

But, the game of the day was in Detroit, where the Stony Brook Seawolves took host Detroit to three overtimes, eventually coming away with a 104-102 victory.

A contentious contest throughout, the game featured high-scorers from each team with 32 points. Detroit's Evan Bruinsma made 20 of 22 free throws en route to his 32, and collected 15 rebounds, but Stony Brook's Jameel Warney outdid him with 32 points on 13-for-14 shooting from the field, six of nine from the foul line and 21 rebounds, 11 of them off the offensive glass. Both his scoring output and rebounding were career highs.

Warney, a 6'8", 260-pound man-child sophomore, had his second huge game of the weekend, scoring 21 points with 19 rebounds in a 67-61 win over Florida Atlantic, Saturday.

After averaging 12.4 points as a freshman, achieving five double-doubles last season, Warney is now a full-fledged force, averaging a double-double with 19.4 points and 11.9 rebounds per game.

Hailing from the America East conference, the Seawolves appear to be the conference powerhouse, their 5-2 record the only winning mark of the nine teams plodding through non-conference schedules.

Creighton Goes to 4-0 Behind Doug McDermott's 33 Points, 15 Boards

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, November 23, 2013

When basketball scouts and pundits start making up lists of the top pro prospects, there's going to be one name at or near the top of all of them: Creighton's Doug McDermott.

The 6'8" senior forward is not only a scoring machine, but a tireless rebounder, great passer and team leader. McDermott's been a mainstay at College Hoops Daily, named as player of the day seven times, including Saturday's 33-point, 15-rebound effort in an 82-72 win over Tulsa, sending the Golden Hurricane to their fourth loss without a win, while the Blue Jays improved to 4-0 on the season.

McDermott missed his first four shots, but still finished 9-for-17 from the field. Scoring just 12 in the first half, Creighton was clinging to a one-point lead at the break (42-41), but McDermott took control in the second half, pumping in 21, including three treys, as the Blue Jays pulled away for the victory. McDermott made 12 of 15 from the line, adding a couple of steals and two assists.

The Blue Jays return to action this coming Thursday night against Arizona State as part of the Wooden Legacy in Fullerton, California, a game that will air nationally on ESPN2.

Kyle Anderson's Triple-Double Propels UCLA to 4-0

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, November 22, 2013

At 6'9", UCLA sophomore Kyle Anderson is a match-up nightmare. When he is dishing the ball to teammates - in addition to his own scoring and rebounding - the Bruins become a dynamic offensive force, as was evidenced in their 81-70 win over Morehead State, their fourth win without a loss.

Anderson scored 13 points, to go with 12 boards and 11 assists, many of his passes finding fellow sophomore, Jordan Adams, who lit up the Eagles for a career-high 30 points.

As a freshman, Anderson had eight double-double performances, always with scoring and rebounding; this was the first triple-double of his career. He's always been on the lookout for open shooters, as he had 3.5 assists per game last season as a freshman. This season he's leading the Bruins wirh eight assists per game. Other career highlights include a 21-point, 17-rebound and 7-assist night in a win over Fresno State last December.

UCLA's next game is Sunday, against the Chattanooga Mocs. More definitive tests come later: November 29, against Northwestern, December 7, at Missouri, and December 19, when they meet the Duke Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden in the Carquest Auto Parts Classic.

Kendall Williams Leads #19 New Mexico in 2OT Thriller at Charleston Classic

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, November 21, 2013

The Charleston Classic turned out to be just that Thursday afternoon, as 19th-ranked New Mexico outlasted a stubborn UAB squad to win a thriller in double overtime, 97-94.

Kendall Williams led the Lobos with 29 points and nailed a three-pointer with the clock running down to zeroes to force the first overtime period.

Alex Kirk scored the final five points for New Mexico in the first OT, including a three-pointer with 2.2 seconds left that extended the game into another five-minute extra period.

UAB's Todd Frazier led all scorers with 34 points, but it was Williams who provided the key plays for the win, hitting Cleveland Thomas for an open three-pointer with 39 seconds left in the second overtime. Thomas' bucket put the Lobos up by three and UAB could not overcome the lead as time ran down.

A senior guard, Williams flirted with a triple double, dishing 10 assists with six rebounds. He's the leading scorer for 3-0 New Mexico this season, averaging 22 points per game, increasing his average scoring output each season he's been with the Lobos.

Williams was 8-for-18 from the field, including 4-for-8 from downtown, adding nine points from the foul line where he made nine of 10.

UAB dropped their first game of the season after three wins; the Lobos remain unbeaten and face the unbeaten (4-0) Massachusetts Minutemen Friday afternoon at 2:30 pm ET in one of the tournament's semi-final match-ups. On the other side of the bracket, Davidson and Clemson meet in the other semi-final game, 9:30 pm ET.

The final is Sunday afternoon at TD Arena in Charleston, SC, following the consolation game.

Dylon Cormier Pours in 34 Points as the Loyola Greyhounds Improve to 4-0

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Developing a knack for the dramatic, senior guard Dylon Cormier and Maryland's Loyola Greyhounds improved to 4-0 on the season with their second overtime win, an 89-83 victory over UMBC (University of Maryland Baltimore City), Wednesday night in Baltimore.

Cormier matched his season-high with 34 points, a number he also reached ten days ago when the Greyhounds won at Cornell, 93-89, also in overtime.

In the win over UMBC, Cormier was 12-for-22 from the field, 9-for-13 from the foul line, had 10 boards, two assists and two steals in 44 minutes of floor time. He leads the Greyhounds in scoring, averaging 28.3 ppg, after averaging 13.4 as a sophomore and 16.4 last season.

The win was the third on the road for the Greyhounds and the start of a four-game road stretch. They won't be at home again until December 19th.

The Greyhounds run in the relative obscurity of the Patriot League. Their next game is November 26 at the University of Connecticut.