Russ Smith Leads Louisville over SMU, 84-71, with 26 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, March 5, 2014

#11 Louisville took another step towards at least a share of the American conference title, knocking off #18 SMU, 84-71.

The Cardinals are 14-3 in conference play, with one game left - Saturday, March 8, against Connecticut. Only Cincinnati, at 13-3, with two games remaining - March 6, Memphis; March 8, at Rutgers - has a chance to tie or beat out the Cardinals for the regular season championship.

If anything, Louisville is underrated, even at #11 in the AP Poll, and their deserving superstar, Russ Smith, gets less attention than other big-name players in the college basketball universe.

Smith had another of his routinely awesome outings on Wednesday against the Mustangs, leading all scorers with 26 points while nabbing six rebounds, handing out five assists and making two steals. Going 9-for-15 from the field, Smith was a perfect 6-for-6 from outside the three-point arc, as Louisville knocked down 13 treys.

Smith scored 22 of his points in the second half, at one point making three straight threes in a span of just a minute-and-a-half early in the second half. Despite his hot shooting, the Mustangs managed to stay close, but a later outburst from Smith of seven points in just over a minute increased the Cardinals' lead from seven to 12, and essentially put the game away.

Elsewhere, #3 Arizona managed a 73-69 win at Oregon State, #4 Duke scored just six points in the final five minutes, losing, 82-72, on the road at Wake Forest. #8 Kansas powered past Texas Tech, 82-57; #9 Wisconsin topped Purdue, 76-70; #10 San Diego State rallied past UNLV, 73-64; and #17 St. Louis was beaten by Dayton, 72-67.

#1 Florida Trounces Gamecocks Behind 37 from Michael Frazier

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Having already clinched the SEC regular season title, #1 Florida demolished South Carolina Wednesday night, 72-46, as sophomore Michael Frazier scored more than half the points for the Gators en route to a career-high 37.

Frazier made 11 of 18 three-point attempts and was 12-for-21 overall, adding three rebounds, an assist and four steals. The Gators improved to 17-0 in the SEC and 28-2 overall.

Elsewhere in the Top 25, #7 Syracuse was beaten again, their third loss in their last four, 67-62, by Georgia Tech; #13 Creighton fell, 75-63, at Georgetown; Baylor dropped #16 Iowa State, 74-61.

#25 Kentucky ended a two-game skid with a 55-48 win over Alabama, and #12 Michigan routed Illinois, 84-53, clinching the Big Ten regular season title.

T.J. Warren Pours in 41 as Wolfpack Devours Panthers, 74-67

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, March 2, 2014

The middle of the ACC is still wide open, with as many as four teams vying down the stretch for wins, seeking to qualify for the NCAA tourney.

One such team is NC State, which needed a win over a quality team to make a statement, and the message was delivered as T.J. Warren scored a career-high 41 points to lead his Wolfpack to a 74-67 triumph at the Peterson Events Center in Pittsburgh, a very tough place to win.

Warren was sensational, knocking down 16 of 22 shots from the floor, three of five from three-point range and six of seven at the foul line. The 6'8" sophomore, fourth-leading scorer in the nation, added five rebounds, four steals, three assists and a blocked shot to his game resume.

The Wolfpack (18-12, 8-9) closes out the regular season at home, against Boston College.

Bubblicious Clemson Downs Maryland in OT on Double-Double by K.J. McDaniels

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, March 1, 2014

In a game that should go a long way in determining which ACC teams make it to the NCAA tournament, Clemson took down Maryland, 77-73, in overtime, improving its record to 9-7 in the conference while dropping the Terps to 7-9 and 15-14 overall.

At 18-10, including back-to-back wins over NC State and Georgia Tech in late February, gives the Tigers the upper hand in the race to the post-season.

Leading the way for Clemson was forward K.J. McDaniels, a junior from Birmingham, Alabama, who tallied 26 points and 14 rebounds, his sixth double-double of the season.

If Clemson can win one or both of their final two home games - both at home, against Miami and Pitt - and steal a win or two in the ACC tourney, they may be up for bigger things as March progresses.

Cleanthony Early Leads Wichita State to Perfect Regular Season

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 1, 2014

Seldom achieved, perfection in any endeavor is always admirable, and that's what Wichita State completed Saturday with a 68-45 victory over Missouri State, closing out their regular season at 31-0, 18-0 in the Missouri Valley conference.

The unbeaten season was the first since St. Joseph's entered the post-season without a loss in 2004. That season, Xavier stopped St. Joseph's in the opening round of the Atlantic-10 tournament.

The Shockers are looking for much more, first hoping to capture the MVC title with a conference tournament win next week, then on to the NCAA's, where they reached the Final Four a season ago.

Should the Shockers make it all the way to winning the national championship - a tall order - it would be the first time a team went all the way unbeaten since Bobby Knight's Indiana Hoosiers did it in 1976.

In their win over the Bears, Wichita State relied on their heady defense and the usual exploits of senior forward, Cleanthony Early, who was the game's high-scorer with 19 points, going 5-for-7 from the field with two three-pointers and 7-for-9 from the foul line. Early snatched six rebounds and dished out two assists.

The team's leading scorer and rebounder, Early averaged 15.8 points and 5.9 rebounds.

Indiana Upsets Iowa, 93-86, Behind 30 from Will Sheehey

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, February 27, 2014

It was a night for upsets, Thursday in college hoops.

Unranked Indiana (16-12, 6-9) overturned #20 Iowa, 93-86, in Indiana, getting a career-high 30 points from 6'7" senior forward, Will Sheehey.

Sheehey was just 2-for-7 from beyond the arc, but deadly inside it, hitting 11-of-13 two-pointers to go with four rebounds, three assists and a steal. The Hoosiers, eighth in the Big Ten, aided their post-season cause, but probably are too far removed from even bubble status to be considered for the NCAA tourney. Look for them in the conference tourney and probably the NIT.

Elsewhere, Penn State downed #22 Ohio State, 65-63, Houston toppled #21 Memphis, 77-68, Arkansas needed overtime to stop #17 Kentucky, 71-67, and, Dusquesne, 4-10 in the A-10, dealt #10 St. Louis their first conference loss, 71-64.

The only Top 25 team to record a victory was #7 Louisville, easily handling Temple, 88-66, behind 24 points from Russ Smith.

Marcus Paige Leads Tar Heels with 35 in OT Win over Wolfpack

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, February 26, 2014

T.J. Warren led all scorers with 36 points, but Marcus Paige's 35 was enough for North Carolina to escape NC State with an 85-84 overtime win.

Warren's two free throws with two seconds left in regulation tied the game at 71, and he scored nine points in the extra session, but a missed free throw opened the door for the Tar Hells and Paige walked through it, scoring a layup with four seconds to go for the final, one-point edge.

Paige made a pair of three-pointers in OT and had 10 of North Carolina's 14 points in the extra session on his career-high night, going 11-for-21 overall and 7-for-12 from beyond the arc. The sophomore sensation was 6-for-8 at the foul line, with six rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals.

North Carolina improved to 21-7 and 11-4 in the ACC, while the Wolfpack dropped to 7-8 n conference play and 17-11 overall. While the Tar Heels appear to be a lock for the NCAA tourney, NC State still may have some work to do in order to get a ticket to the big dance.

Dorian Finney-Smith Saves #1 Gators at Vandy; Florida Wins 20th Straight

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, February 25, 2014

As so often happens in the world of college hoops, the Florida Gators, just a day after being ranked #1 in the national polls, had to prove it against a determined opponent.

In a close, 57-54, win at Vanderbilt, sophomore Dorian Finney-Smith came off the bench to lead the team with 19 points, hitting a key three-pointer with 33 seconds left to seal the victory. The shot came off a pass from Scottie Wilbiken, who had five assists, and put the Gators up by five.

Vanderbilt scored on a layup with 19 seconds remaining, but the Gator defenders wouldn't allow the Commodores a good shot after Wilbiken missed the front end of a one-and-one.

Smith also had nine rebounds to go with his three treys and overall shooting of 6-for-11. Patrick Young was the only other Gator in double figures, with 12 points. Florida shot just 40% but clinched at least a tie for the SEC title with a 15-0 conference mark.

The win was the 20th consecutive for Florida. At 26-2, their last defeat was on December 2nd, when UConn defeated them at the buzzer, 65-64. The only other Gator loss was at Wisconsin, 59-53, in their second game of the season.

Phil Forte III, Marcus Smart Lead Oklahoma State over TCU

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, February 24, 2014

Phil Forte III matched his season-high with 23 points and Marcus Smart made five straight three pointers down the stretch as Oklahoma State trounced TCU, 78-54.

Smart finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals, while Forte went 8-for-14 from the field (5-for-10 on threes) with four assists, three rebounds and a pair of steals.

While the Cowboys were taking care of business, the Kansas Jayhawks wrapped up the Big Ten regular season title with an 83-75 win over Oklahoma.

Oklahoma State, regarded as one of the more dangerous teams in the country, may, in fact, not make it to the field for the NCAA tournament due to their 6-9 conference record, even though they are 18-10 overall. The Cowboys could even their conference record by winning their final three games, but those contests are against Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State. After that, Oklahoma State could improve on their resume in the Big 12 tournament. They have some work to do.

Nik Stauskas Scores 21 of 25 in Second Half to Propel Michigan over Michigan State

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, February 23, 2014

Nik Stauskas scored 21 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, fueling a 16-4 run by #20 Michigan as they went on to defeat #13 Michigan State for the second time this season, 79-70.

Down 36-34 at the half, the Wolverines turned on the jets and overwhelmed the Spartans in the second half, taking over the Big Ten lead in the process with an 11-3 mark. Michigan State fell to 11-4 in conference play, but is still a shoo-in for the NCAA tournament with a 22-6 record.

Stauskas was 9-for-13 from the field and hit three of five from beyond the arc. He added four points from the foul line, plus three rebounds and five assists.

19-7 Michigan took care of the Spartans back on January 25, winning the first-place showdown by an 80-75 margin. Since that win and before Sunday's game, the Wolverines had gone just 2-3, but now have the regular season title lined up, with four games remaining, all against unranked opponents.

T.J. Warren Lights Up Hokies in 71-64 NC State Victory

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, February 22, 2014

While all the lights were on at Cameron Indoor Stadium to see #5 Duke outlast #1 Syracuse, the NC State Wolfpack was doing its best to get off the tournament bubble and make themselves a sure pick out of the ACC.

T.J. Warren lit up Virginia Tech for 31 points as the Wolfpack scored an important win on the road, 71-64.

The leading scorer in the ACC, Warren was 12-for-21 from the field, 2-for-6 on threes and 5-for-8 at the stripe, mixing in six boards and four steals at the 17-10 Wolfpack evened their conference record at 7-7.

Warren is tied with BYU's Tyler Haws for fourth nationally in scoring, hoisting up 23.3 points per game. Creighton's Doug McDermott leads the nation at 25.8 per game.

NC State has just four games left on the regular season schedule, with home games against North Carolina, Miami and Boston College. Their road game is at Pitt, leaving them a legitimate shot at reaching the tournament if they can split these games or upset either the Panthers or Tar Heels.

Michigan State Sets Team Mark with 17 3s; Gary Harris Leads with 25 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, February 20, 2014

Three was the lucky number of the night for the #13 Michigan State Spartans as they cruised past Purdue, 94-79, taking a half-game lead over Michigan in the Big Ten with the win.

The Spartans rained down a school record 17 three-pointers, six of them coming off the hands of Gary Harris, who was 7-for-11 overall and 6-for-9 from beyond the arc, scoring a game-high 25 points, with three rebounds, three assists and three steals.

22-5 Michigan State holds an 11-3 mark in the conference, just ahead of 10-3 Michigan, with just four more games on the regular season slate for the Spartans, including a Sunday showdown at high noon in Ann Arbor with the Wolverines.

Elsewhere, the ACC got a lot more interesting as unranked North Carolina dropped #5 Duke, 74-66. Duke hosts #1 Syracuse on Saturday, at 7:00 pm ET, seeking to avenge their overtime loss at the Carrier Dome earlier in the season. The Orange are coming off their first loss of the season, taken Wednesday at home, when they fell, in OT, to Boston College, 62-59.

Fred VanVleet Powers Wichita State to 28-0 Mark; Syracuse Downed by Boston College

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, February 20, 2014

While #1 Syracuse was being dealt its forst loss of the season by Boston College, 62-59, in overtime, the only other undefeated team, Wichita State, was going about its business in a more orderly fashion, dropping Loyola, 88-74, to get to 28-0 and 15-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference.

The Shockers were led - as they often are - by Fred VanVleet, the 5'11" sophomore from Rockford, Illinois, who had a perfect shooting night, going 6-for-6 from the field and 10-for-10 from the foul line.

VanVleet also led the Shockers in rebounds, with eight and assists, dishing six.

Wichita State is currently ranked #3 nationally. #2 Florida also survived a scare, closing out Auburn late, 71-66.

Julius Randle Posts 14th Double-Double as Kentucky Rolls Mississippi

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, February 18, 2014

The argument over who is the best freshman in the country could very well come down to just two players, Duke's Jabari Parker and Kentucky's Julius Randle - though a couple of guys named Wiggens and Ennis, from Kansas and Syracuse, respectively, might beg to differ.

Tuesday night's games features top-notch performances from the two big frosh, as Parker double-doubled with 16 points and 14 rebounds in Duke's 68-51 victory over Georgia Tech, but Randle's game was just a little better, going for 25 and 13 as the Wildcats ripped Ole Miss, 84-70.

Randle was nearly flawless, making six of seven from the field and knocking down 13 of 14 from the foul line. Four of his 13 boards came on the offensive end, a few of those leading directly to scores.

At 6'9" and 250 pounds, Randle is a double-double machine, having reached that statistical level 14 times this season while helping the Wildcats to a 20-6 record and a 10-3 mark in the SEC.

Jerrelle Benimon Leads Towson over Delaware in Colonial Action

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, February 17, 2014

Talk about monster games, that's just what senior forward, Jerrelle Benimon has when the top two teams in the Colonial Athletic Association met Monday night.

Benimon led the Towson Tigers to a 78-63 win over conference-leading Delaware, which entered the game unbeaten in the CAA.

With his 18th double-double of the season, Benimon was familiar with putting up big numbers as he pumped in 25 points and secured 18 rebounds for Towson. He also led his team with five assists as the Tigers inched closer to the conference leader with the victory.

Benimon was 9-for-16 from the field, made good on his only three-point attempt of the night and hit six of 10 free throws.

Towson improved to 9-3 in conference play, though the Fighting Blue Hens of Delaware still lead, at 11-1. Towson avenged an earlier, 83-76, defeat at Delaware and certainly will be heard from again in the conference tournament, the winner getting the automatic invite to the NCAA tourney.

Doug McDermott Matches Season High as Crieghton Pounds Villanova Again

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, February 16, 2014

Caris LeVert scored a career-high 25 points for Michigan, but Wisconsin's Frank Kaminski had 25 of his own for Wisconsin, along with 11 rebounds, to lead the Badgers to a 75-62 victory at Ann Arbor.

While those efforts were laudable, it was Creighton's brilliant Doug McDermott who had the game of the day, matching his season high with 39 points on 13-for-17 shooting to lead the #18 Bluejays to a 101-80 triumph over visiting #6 Villanova.

McDermott made four of six from three-point range, was 9-for-9 from the foul line, had seven rebounds and an assist. McDermott passed Larry Bird on the all-time college scoring list, taking 13th place. McDermott remains the #2 scorer in the nation, behind Niagara's Antoine Mason.

21-4 Creighton leads the Big East with an 11-2 mark over 10-2 Villanova. The Bluejays handed Villanova another loss earlier in the season, ripping them 96-68 in January.

Perry Ellis Leads Kansas Rout of TCU with 32 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, February 15, 2014

#7 Kansas bounced back from their 85-82 OT loss at Kansas State earlier in the week, continuing to lead the Big 12 with a 10-2 record after smashing up TCU, 95-65, Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore Perry Ellis scored a career-high 32 points on a night of nearly flawless sharp-shooting. 13-for-15 from the field (2-for-2 on threes) and 4-for-4 at the foul line, Ellis led the onslaught which broke wide open in the second half.

Kansas led by seven at the break, but outscored the Horned Frogs, 48-25 in the second half. Due to their overall size advantage, KU also had a huge, 35-18, rebounding edge, Ellis adding his eight to the total, along with five assists and a pair of steals.

Ellis is the second-leading scorer for the Jayhawks, at 14.5 points per game, behind Andrew Wiggins' 16.1.

The Jayhawks lead 10-3 Texas by a game in the conference.

Around the Top 25, #1 Syracuse defied NC State, getting a late steal and a C.J. Fair layup to win their 25th game without a loss, 56-55, at the Carrier Dome. #3 Florida shook off #14 Kentucky, getting a rare win at Rupp Arena, 69-59. The Gators have won 17 straight.

#8 Duke survived a scare at home to defeat a determined Maryland squad, 69-67. #5 San Diego State continues to steamroll through the Mountain West at 11-1 after defeating Air Force, 64-56.

Adreian Payne Has Double-Double in Michigan State Win over Northwestern

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, February 13, 2014

Adreian Payne scored 20 points and snagged 14 rebounds, helping #8 Michigan State overwhelm Northwestern, 85-70.

Payne was 6-for-11, made two of three from beyond the arc and was 6-for-8 from the foul line. His 14 rebounds included four on the offensive end, to go with three assists, a steal and a block.

Michigan State improved to 21-4 overall and 10-2 in the Big Ten, where they share the conference lead with Michigan.

Tyler Ennis Beats Buzzer, Pitt with 35-Footer, Keeps Syracuse Undefeated

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, February 12, 2014

He only scored 13 points, and was just 3-for-7 from the field, but Syracuse point guard, Tyler Ennis, made the biggest shot of the college basketball season, draining a 35-footer at the buzzer to keep the orange undefeated with a 58-56 win at Pittsburgh.

In a game that was expected to be tight (Syracuse was actually a two-point underdog), the Panthers lived up to their reputation as a hard-nosed squad that wouldn't back down in the face of Syracuse's 2-3 zone scheme. Though they shot only 36% from the field, the Panthers led most of the game and found themselves ahead by a point after Talib Zanna made a pair of free throws with 4.2 seconds left.

Ennis took the inbounds pass in Pitt's backcourt, dribbled past a couple of defenders and over the half-court line, and, with about 1.5 seconds left, let fly a perfect arching shot that found the bottom of the net.

Ennis, a freshman who has emerged as one of the steadiest point guards in the country, also has a flair for the dramatic, though one could hardly assume that from his quiet, confident demeanor. His numbers in the final five minutes of games are off the charts and Wednesday's shot heard 'round the college hoops world only serves to solidify his growing reputation.

It also kept #1 Syracuse unbeaten at 24-0 with an 11-0 mark in the ACC. The Orange are the only unbeaten team in the nation besides 26-0 Wichita State. The Shockers are 13-0 in the Missouri Valley conference.

Duke-North Carolina Postponed: The game scheduled for 9:00 pm ET, Wednesday night, between the Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels was cancelled due to the powerful snow storm that swept through the South and Mid-Atlantic. The game has been re-set for February 20, on the North Carolina campus at Chapel Hill.

The distance between campuses is only eight miles, but the roads between Durham and Chapel Hill were largely impassable and dangerous. The re-scheduling sets up a rough stretch for #8 Duke, who will have four games in seven days. They host Maryland on the 15th, play at Georgia Tech on the 18th and host Syracuse on the 22nd.

NC State Tops Wake Forest on T.J. Warren's Career-High 34 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, February 11, 2014

NC State's T.J. Warren took 26 of his team's 59 shots Tuesday night, but he made 15 of them, propelling the Wolfpack to an 82-67 victory over visiting Wake Forest.

When he wasn't knocking down shots for a career-high 34 points, Warren was swiping the glass clean, snaring 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. His big night included 2-for-3 from three-point range and five offensive boards.

Warren, a 6'8" home-grown sophomore from Durham, NC, leads the Wolfpack in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 23.1 points and 7.4 rebounds. In addition to being the seventh-leading scorer in the country, Warren is the top scorer in the ACC.

The Wolfack improved to 16-8 overall and 6-5 in the conference, though they have no wins against the top ACC teams, already having lost to Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia and Wake Forest. Their win over the Demon Deacons was a step in the right direction, but their next game is at #1 Syracuse on Saturday.

NC State reached the NCAA tourney last season, but they were one-and-done, ousted by Temple, 76-72. A winning record in the conference may not be enough to earn a trip to the big dance this season, especially if the Wolfpack can't produce a win over any of the teams above them in the standings.

Top 25 Watch: #5 San Diego State was upset Tuesday night by Wyoming, 68-62; Wichita State trailed by a point at half time, but shook loose from Southern Illinois for their 26th straight win, 76-67, and a perfect, 12-0 mark in the Missouri Valley conference.

Six games involving ranked teams are on the slate for Wednesday, the most attractive in the ACC. At 7:00 pm ET, top-ranked Syracuse invades Pitt, hoping the #25 Panthers won't upset their undefeated season. At 9:00 pm, North Carolina hosts #8 Duke.