Doug McDermott's Season-High 39 Points Carries Creighton Past St. John's, 63-60

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 28, 2014

When one talks about Creighton basketball, one name always comes up: Doug McDermott.

The four-year senior star has led the Bluejays to an 8-1 record and first place in their first year as a member of the Big East, following McDermott's leadership for three years in the Missouri Valley conference.

Getting to that 8-1 mark (18-3 overall) did not take the usual route in Creighton's 63-60 win over St. John's, Tuesday night.

First, it was the lowest score in any of Creighton's wins this season. The Bluejays scored 53 points in a loss to George Washington in December and average 81.3 points per game, 22nd nationally. The Bluejays also turned the ball over 17 times and had only 13 assists (they average 18.1, tops nationally).

Besides shooting under their average (49.3%) and having just one player in double figures, Creighton was able to emerge victorious due to McDermott's season-high 39 points, on 15-for-26 shooting, including five of nine from beyond the arc, with four of five free throws and six rebounds.

McDermott took more than half of Creighton's 47 shots and accounted for roughly 2/3rds of their 23 field goals. Creighton led, 29-25, at the break. McDermott scored 20 of those first half points. Creighton led nearly the entire game and was up by as many as 18 midway through the second half, but, St. John's tied the score at 60-all on a pair of free throws by Rysheed Jordan with 11 seconds left.

After a St. John's time out, the Bluejays got the ball to McDermott, who launched a game-winning three-pointer with just two seconds left on the clock, providing the winning margin.

It was the seventh time this season McDermott has scored 30 or more points. He's been in double figures in all but one of Creghton's games.

Ryan Spangler Boosts Oklahoma over Oklahoma State in 'Bedlam' Rivalry

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, January 27, 2014

Tenacious defense, a patient offense and the interior domination of Ryan Spangler helped the #23 Oklahoma Sooners overwhelm the #8 Oklahoma State Cowboys in the twice-annual renewal of their "bedlam" series, 88-76.

Spangler, the sophomore transfer from Gonzaga, scored 15 points and hauled down 17 rebounds, as the Sooners took over second place in the Big 12, improving to 6-2 in the conference, behind 6-0 Kansas.

Oklahoma held the Cowboys to just 40% shooting, clamping down especially hard on leading scorers Marcus Smart and Markel Brown, holding the duo to 13-for-35 overall and just 3-for-16 from three-point range. If not for Phil Forte III coming off the Cowboy bench to score 20 points - going 6-for-6 on threes - the score would have been even more lopsided.

The Sooners took advantage of a wide disparity in fouls, making 30 of 42 free throws, while the Cowboys were just 15-for-22, but, Oklahoma State held a solid - 42-37 - edge on the boards, shot 46% from the field and were 8-for-17 from beyond the arc (47%). Spangler was 5-for-10 from the floor and 5-for-6 from the line.

Spangler's presence in the middle has caused issues for other Big 12 squads. The Sooners have recently stunned Iowa State and Baylor, and have won four straight against conference foes. Five teams from the Big 12 - Kansas, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Texas - are currently ranked in the Top 25.

The return date for the second part of the bedlam, series is February 15 at Oklahoma State.

Nebraska's Terran Petteway Tears Up Minnesota with Career-High 35 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, January 26, 2014

A few years ago, when Nebraska jumped from the Big 12 to the Big Ten, there was not a lot of thought given to how well they'd fare in basketball. After all, the Cornhuskers are more of a football school and never were very competitive in hoops, even in the Big 12.

Signs that things have begun to change on the court in Nebraska have been evident over the past few weeks. Back on January 9th, the Cornhuskers took the Measure of Michigan, losing, 71-70, to the team that now holds first place in the conference after whipping Michigan State on Saturday.

Last week, Nebraska stunned Ohio State, 68-62, and followed that up - after a 58-54 loss at Penn State - with a win Sunday over Minnesota, as redshirt freshman, Terran Petteway, scored a career-high 35 points in the 82-78 victory.

Petteway, who has been in double figures in all but one game this season, went 10-for-15 from the field, nailing four of six three-pointers and making 11 of 14 from the free throw line. He also collected six rebounds, with three assists, a blocked shot and a steal.

The final score was much closer than most of the game, which Nebraska led by as many as 13 points. Petteway scored the last seven points for the 'Huskers, making all but one of his free throws in the final 1:30.

The victory was just the second of the season in conference play for Nebraska, against five losses, but the recent wins and close calls point up the fact that a trip to Lincoln, where the Cornhuskers are 10-3, is no longer a walk-over.

Treveon Graham Powers VCU to Double OT Win over La Salle

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, January 25, 2014

Loaded with quality teams, the Atlantic-10 conference may not be getting its fair share of respect from the poll voters. Only the Massachusetts Minutemen (16-2, 3-1) and the St. Louis Bilikens (18-2, 5-0) are currently represented, at #13, and #19, respectively.

Missing is VCU (16-4, 4-1), but the Rams made their case Saturday on the road, with a double overtime win at La Salle, as Treveon Graham scored a career-high 34 points in the 97-89 victory.

Graham not only performed at a high level, but without his effort, the Rams would likely not be tied for second place in the conference, along with Richmond and George Washington. Graham scored nine of the last ten points for the Rams in regulation, including the final six, to tie the contest at 73-all, and threw down six of VCU's seven points in the first overtime, again scoring the final six, though he missed a free throw that would have given the Rams the win with six seconds left in the first extra session.

Though Graham did not score in the second overtime, he did have an assist and a rebound, as his teammates finished off the Explorers. Rob Brandenburg buried a pair of three pointers, Juvante Reddick had a pair of buckets and and Briante Weber sealed the win, nailing seven of eight free throws in the final 1:19.

Graham, who played 44 minutes, was 11-for-23 from the field with two three-pointers and was 10-for-16 from the foul line with 12 rebounds and a pair of assists. Reddic complemented with 27 points and 15 boards, his sixth double-double of the season.

A prolific scorer, Graham has tallied in double figures in all but one game this season and leads the Rams at 16.1 points per game.

VCU has won eight of their last nine and three in a row. They next host Fordham, this Wednesday night, January 29.

Juwan Howard Jr. Leads Detroit over Milwaukee in Horizon League Win

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, January 24, 2014

With just six games played in Division-1 Friday, the small sample - all from minor conferences, like the MAAC, Horizon and American East - yielded only a couple of notable performances, though one Juwan Howard Jr., son of Juwan Howard of the original Michigan Fab Five, deserves notice.

Howard, a 6'6" junior, scored 24 points with eight rebounds to lead the Detroit Titans to a 73-54 win at Milwaukee, though the victory was just the second in Horizon League play for the Titans (9-12, 2-4).

Howard was 11-for-23 from the field, with a pair of three pointers.

Pretty much alone in terms of talent on the court for Detroit, Howard is leading the team in scoring at 18.0 points per game. The next-high-scorer for the Titans averages just 11.9 ppg.

NOTABLE: Huge game at 7:00 pm Saturday night when #21 Michigan visits #3 Michigan State, for top honors in the Big Ten. Winners of eight straight, the Wolverines have been on a roll, defeating two ranked teams - Wisconsin and Iowa - in the past week. Michigan is 6-0 in conference play, while the Spartans have run up a 7-0 mark in the Big Ten and have won 11 straight since North Carolina handed them their only loss of the season, on December 4.

The game will be broadcast live nationally on ESPN.

Portland Downs BYU in 3OT on Thomas van der Mars 27 Points, 18 Boards

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, January 23, 2014



Despite 48 points from BYU's Tyler Haws, Thomas van der Mars scored 27 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and led the Portland Pilots to a triple overtime, 114-110, win over the Cougars, Thursday night.

After battling back from an eight-point deficit in the second OT, van der Mars sparked a 7-0 run with a tip-in and two free throws as the Pilots hung on for the win, snapping the BYU's (13-8, 5-3) five-game winning streak.

Haws scored the most of any player in a single game this season, going 17-for-34, with four three pointers and 10 of 13 free throws. Van der Mars was better, however, going 9-for-14 both from the field and the free throw line for a personal single-game career scoring mark. His 18 rebounds matched his total from a 92-76 win over Portland state earlier in the season, also a career-high. Ten of van der Mars' rebounds came off the offensive glass.

A 6'11" junior from the Netherlands, van der Mars recorded his fifth double-double of the season, adding two assists, two steals and a blocked shot in 47 minutes of court time.

The Pilots improved to 12-8 overall and 4-4 in the West Coast Conference.

Nik Stauskas Leads Michigan Past #10 Iowa, 75-67

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Even though the Iowa Hawkeyes were ranked #10 when they entered #21 Michigan's Crisler Center on Wednesday night, they had to be aware that the Wolverines had won seven in a row and were yet to be beaten (5-0) in Big Ten play.

After Nik Stauskas dropped 26 points on them en route to a 75-67 Michigan victory, the Hawkeyes understood why the Big Ten is no place for second-best and winning on the road is a tough task.

Stauskas, the 6'6" sophomore who was part of Michigan's Final Four squad last season, matched a career-high in scoring, hitting eight of 14 shots, including four of nine from three-point range, while adding five rebounds, five assists, a steal and a blocked shot.

The Wolverine starters each played a minimum of 32 minutes in the win, with Stauskas leading the pack with 37 minutes of floor time.

Iowa led early, but traded leads with Michigan, until the Wolverines took control with less than four minutes left in the first half. After taking a 38-34 edge into the break, Iowa trailed the rest of the way, coming to within two points on a couple of occasions early in the second half. Michigan eventually edged away by as many as 11 points, but the Hawkeyes cut it to three with 2:34 remaining. Michigan was unfazed, hitting all six of their free throws in the waning minutes for their eighth straight win and a perfect, 6-0, mark in the conference.

Michigan defeated then-#3 Wisconsin on the 18th, 77-70, and will be tested again when they travel to Michigan State to play the 18-1 Spartans this Saturday. Michigan State leads the Big Ten with a 7-0 mark.

DeAndre Daniels, Shabazz Napier Toast Owls as Connecticut Wins, 90-66

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 21, 2014

A swarming, crushing defense and big games from Shabazz Napier and DeAndre Daniels produced a huge, 90-66, win for Connecticut, sending the overmatched Temple Owls to their sixth straight AAC defeat.

The Huskies held Temple to 38% shooting (23-60) while the Huskies put balls through hoops at a 53% clip. Particularly hot was the Daniels-Napier duo, combining for 58 points, nearly two-thirds of the Husky total.

Napier scored 27 points, going 9-for-14 overall, including five of eight from three-point range while canning all four of his free throw attempts. The senior guard dealt six assists and grabbed seven boards.

Daniels, the 6'9" junior forward from Los Angeles, led all scorers with a career-high 31 points on 11-for-189 shooting. He was 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, hit five of six free throws and snatched 12 rebounds for his second double-double in his last three games.

Connecticut evened their conference record at 3-3 in the newly-formed American Athletic, an outgrowth of the mass defections from the Big East.

The Huskies close out their January schedule with a game at Rutgers on the 25th and a home meeting with Houston on the 30th.

Ethan Wragge Ties Record for Three-Pointers as Creighton Wallops #4 Villanova

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

Ethan Wragge let it fly from beyond the arc, hitting his first seven three-point attempts and was 9-for-14 on the night, tying a team record and helping Creighton set a Big East mark with 21 three-pointers in their enormous, 96-68, upset victory at Villanova.

Various records were set or tied by the Bluejays. Wragge tied the school record, set when Kyle Korver hit nine threes against Evansville on Jan. 15, 2003. The 21 threes set a new mark for Creighton, topping the 20 made three-pointers in a 2005 game against Chattanooga.

In their first season as a member of the widely-disassembled Big East, Creighton has made their mark, setting a new record for made threes while disposing of - supposedly - one of the best teams in the country, leading the Wildcats by as many as 40 points during the second half.

Wragge, a 6'7" senior, set a personal scoring mark, adding three assists and three rebounds. He did not take a shot that wasn't from beyond the arc.

The unranked Bluejays improved to 16-3 and are 6-1 in the Big East. Obviously, the poll voters who kept them out of this week's top 25 have some re-thinking to do about Creighton.

Tre Bowman, Isaiah Williams Lead Iona Past Siena, 88-74

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, January 19, 2014

With the national focus on the NFL Championship games, college basketball fielded a limited number of games (14), but that didn't stop Isaiah Williams and Tre Bowman from making the MAAC conference race more interesting.

With their 88-74 win over Siena, the Gaels moved into a four-way tie for first place in the conference, along with Canisius, Quinnipiac and Manhattan, all at 6-2.

Williams was sharp from the field, hitting eight of 10 shots including a 4-for-5 effort from beyond the arc. He also collected six boards, along with three assists and a pair of steals.

Backcourt mate Bowman led all scorers with 26 points, going 9-for-15, hitting five of nine threes, with six rebounds, two assists and a steal.

Sporting a four guard offense, the Gaels sizzled from the floor, hitting at a 54% mark. Despite being badly out-rebounded - 46-27 - by the Saints, Iona took an eight-point lead into the break and held a slim lead over Siena until the midway point of the second half, when an 11-2 run opened the lead to 13 points with seven minutes left to play. A three-pointer by Williams at 2:41 put Iona ahead by 17, their largest advantage of the game, and they coasted the rest of the way for the victory.

Kyle Anderson Comes Up Big, But UCLA Comes Up Short at Utah, 73-69

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, January 18, 2014

Kyle Anderson had another in a string of impressive games this season, but, despite his efforts, UCLA could not overcome a disparity at the free throw line, falling in Salt Lake City to the Utah Utes, 73-69.

Anderson led all scorers with 28 points, wile gobbling up seven rebounds and distributing seven assists. The sophomore All-American candidate was spectacular, hitting all five of his three-point attempts on 10-for-16 shooting, plus going 3-for-3 at the foul line in 36 minutes of action.

That was not enough for the Bruins to survive on the road, however, as the Bruins piled up fouls. While UCLA went to the line just eight times for the entire game and made six of their freebies, the Utes were sent to the stripe 17 times, where they scored 15 points.

Otherwise, the game was quite even, perhaps with a slight statistical slant toward UCLA. The Bruins hit 27 field goals, compared to 25 for the Utes, both teams hit nine threes, but the Bruins held the edge on the boards, 35-31, and both teams committed 17 turnovers.

The loss drops the #25 Bruins to 14-4 overall, with a 3-2 mark in the PAC-12. Utah is also 14-4, holding a 3-3 mark in conference play.

North Florida's Travis Wallace Scores 27, with 19 Rebounds, in Win over Jacksonville

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, January 17, 2014

The Atlantic Sun conference doesn't get much coverage, except on Friday's when there are only a few games nationwide, but they have some players, as was proven last season when Florida Gulf Coast became the 7th 15 seed to defeat a #2 seed, when they beat Georgetown in the NCAA tourney.

A few such players are Jacksonville's Jarvis Haywood and North Florida's Travis Wallace, the two of them meeting up in the Ospreys' (North Florida) 86-82 home win on Friday.

While Haywood was the game's high-scorer, pumping in 29 points, 6'6" senior Wallace was the workhorse for the Ospreys, scoring a season-high 27 while wiping the glass for a career-high 19 rebounds.

Wallace, who averages 12.5 points and 7.8 rebounds, was 11-for-22 from the floor and 5-for-8 from the charity stripe.

The Ospreys improved to 11-9 overall and 5-2 in conference, trailing 5-1 Mercer and Florida Gulf Coast by 1/2 game.

DeAndre Daniels Carries Connecticut to 83-73 Win over #17 Memphis

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, January 16, 2014

Since their third loss of the season - a 74-65 loss at SMU, January 4 - and an 0-2 start in conference play, the Connecticut Huskies had fallen off the radar and out of the Top 25, but they made their presence known Thursday night with an 83-73 win at #17 Memphis.

While Shabazz Napier leads the team in just about every offensive category and put up a double-double, scoring 17 and dishing 10 assists, DeAndre Daniels was lead dog for the Huskies in their second straight American conference win.

Daniels, a 6'9" junior from Los Angeles, dropped in 23 points and hustled 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.

A consistent performer (13.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg), Daniels hit nine of 15 shots, including a 4-for-5 mark from beyond the arc. His 11 boards included four on the offensive end, helping the Huskies to extra opportunities as they shot 57% and out-rebounded Memphis, 34-27.

Daniels also had a couple of steals and blocked four shots. The Huskies were deadly down the stretch, hitting their final seven shots and going six-for-six from the foul line, turing a close game, that had multiple ties and lead changes, into a late runaway as Connecticut finished with its largest lead of the contest.

The Huskies will have another chance to gain recognition while making up ground in their conference when they host #18 Louisville on Saturday. A win over the Cardinals would almost certainly result in re-insertion of the Huskies into the top 25 rankings. After the Memphis win, they are 14-3, overall.

Chaz Williams Saves 15-1 Minutemen in 88-87 Win at George Mason

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Massachusetts improved to 15-1 Wednesday, squeezing out a win at George Mason University, 88-87, thanks to some late-game heroics from Chaz Williams and game-high 26 points by their 5'9" senior star.

Down five points with 41 seconds left to play, Williams scored five quick points for the Minutemen while the Patriots could only muster one, but UMass still found themselves down by a point with time running out. A steal by Williams with 11 seconds left provided a breakaway chance, but Williams missed a contested layup, which was rebounded and put back by teammate Derrick Gordon for the one-point advantage.

The Patriots still had eight seconds with which to work, but could not get off a shot as time expired, sending the Patriots to their third straight Atlantic-10 loss without a win.

On the other hand, the Minutemen went to 3-0 with their first road win in conference play after topping St. Jpseph's and St. Bonaventure at home last week.

Tied for game-high scoring honors by Sherrod Wright of George Mason, Williams did much more than simply put the ball through the rim. He was 11-for-17 overall and 2-for-4 from three point range, adding a pair of free throws to his scoring total. In addition, he collected two rebounds, distributed eight assists and made five steals. It was the 14th time in 16 games that he's scored in double figures this season.

Ranked 16th in the current poll, the Minutemen have some nice wins on their resume, including victories over Boston College, New Mexico, Miami and BYU. Their only loss was to Florida State, a 60-55 defeat on December 21.

The next two weeks will be challenging for the Minutemen, as they have four of five games on the road, including conference games at Richmond and return match-ups at St. Joseph's and St. Bonaventure.

Michael Qualls OT Dunk Lifts Razorbacks Over Kentucky

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Hosting the Kentucky Wildcats is always a big deal in the SEC, but, as the Arkansas Razorbacks proved Tuesday night, beating them is an even bigger thrill.

After James Young tied the game for the Wildcats with 12 seconds left in overtime, Michael Qualls grabbed the rebound off a three-point miss by teammate Rashad Madden and stuffed it home for the game-winner with one second on the clock, giving Arkansas their first conference win and a needed boost in the SEC with an 87-85 OT victory.

Qualls, a 6'6" sophomore from Shreveport, LA, was on the court for most of the game, logging 34 minutes, finishing with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals, but no play was more important than the game-finisher, getting good position to rebound the miss and put it back for the win.

A consistent scorer, Qualls has been in double figures in 14 of 16 Razorback games. On the night he was just 5-for-14 from the field, but canned seven of 11 free throws and played a big role on defense against the taller Kentucky team, helping to force 17 turnovers.

The Razorbacks took the win after back-to-back losses to open SEC play, losing at Texas A&M, 69-53, and falling in overtime to Florida at home on Saturday, 84-82. Arkansas is 12-4 overall.

The loss was the first in the conference for Kentucky, dropping them into a third-place tie with Georgia at 2-1. Florida leads with a 3-0 mark. Texas A&M is in second place, at 2-0.

Andrew Wiggins, Kansas Rips Iowa State, 77-70; Goes to 3-0 in Big 12

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, January 13, 2014

Of all the freshmen making impacts in the NCAA this season, perhaps none is more intriguing than Ontario, Canada native, Andrew Wiggins of the Kansas Jayhawks.

Listed as a guard, at 6'8", there's no disguising the ability on the interior, as Wiggins displayed in many games this season, but most forcibly and recently in Monday's 77-70 victory on the road over #8 Iowa State, as the frosh phenom registered his second career double-double with 17 points and an amazing 19 rebounds.

While he didn't have his best game in terms of ball-handling - six turnovers - or shooting, Wiggins wiped the glass clean for Kansas, as the Jayhawks dominated their smaller opponents on the boards, 53-36. Wiggins had five on the offensive end and three assists, and, if he hadn't been inclined to shoot from long range - where he was just 1-for-5 - his overall shooting (7-for-16) wasn't that bad, 6-for-11 inside the arc.

The Jayhawks, ranked #15 in the nation, are still considered the class of the Big 12, despite their 12-4 record, as they're all alone atop the conference, at 3-0.

The competition, however, does not rest. Kansas next hosts #9 Oklahoma State on January 18, followed by another home game against #12 Baylor on the 20th.

Washington Huskies Top #15 Colorado on Career-High 31 Points from C.J. Wilcox

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, January 12, 2014

There's no absence of solid, deep conferences spread across the college hoops landscape, but the PAC-12 may just prove to be the deepest and most competitive of them all.

On Sunday, top-ranked Arizona (17-0) traveled to LA and snuffed USC, 73-53; Stanford played at #17 Oregon, handing the Ducks their third straight defeat, 82-80, and #15 Colorado, after topping Oregon, 100-91, last Sunday, was completely upended in their game at Washington, getting outscored 45-25 in the second half of a 71-54 win for the unranked Huskies.

Washington's win was largely the result of a career-high effort from 6'5" senior guard, C.J. Wilcox, who hit 12 of 18 shots from the floor, including seven of 12 from beyond the arc, for a game-high 31 points. Wilcox did not go to the foul line even once, though his teammates were sharp from the stripe, knocking down 10 of 12.

After scoring 10 first half points, Wilcox went on a tear in the second twenty minutes. The Buffaloes led, 29-26 at the break, but, after a Jaren Hopkins free throw put Colorado up by four, the Huskies went on a 24-9 run in which Wilcox scored 16 points, including four three-pointers, for a 53-39 lead with 12 minutes remaining, and were never headed afterwards.

When Wilcox hit his seventh three-pointer of the game with 6:47 left, Washington's advantage swelled to 18 points, the largest of the game. Fittingly, Wilcox ended the scoring for the Huskies with a steal, dunk and the last defensive rebound in the final minute, finishing with four rebounds, two assists, a pair of steals and four blocked shots.

The Huskies improved to 11-6 on the season, and a 3-1 mark in the conference. Next up for Washington is a trip to Cal, 3-0 in conference play, on January 15.

Marcus Smart Saves Oklahoma State in 73-72 Win at West Virginia

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, January 11, 2014

Marcus Smart scored 22 points for Oklahoma State as the Cowboys improved to 14-2 and 2-1 in the Big 12 with a 73-72 win at West Wirginia.

While Smart was above his scoring average of 17.8 ppg, some of his best court time was on plays in which he was either doing the dirty work inside, getting six offensive and seven defensive rebounds, or his five assists, the last of which was to Market Brown, who hit a three-pointer with 14 seconds left to gain the victory for the Cowboys.

Smart was on the floor for 35 minutes, hitting eight of 15 from the field including 3-for-4 on three-pointers. he made three of four free throws and kept the Cowboys in the game with his rebounding and court savvy.

The #11 Cowboys are tied with Iowa State, an 87-82 loser at Oklahoma on Sunday, at 2-1 in the conference, both chasing #18 Kansas, which hammered #25 Kansas State, 86-60, to improve to 2-0 in the Big 12 and 12-4 overall.

Elsewhere in college hoops, some of the big names barely escaped, as #5 Michigan State had to go to overtime to defeat Minnesota, 87-75, as did 17-0 Wichita State, taking down Missouri State, 72-69, in OT.

#2 Syracuse shot just 35%, but easily handled North Carolina at the Carrier Dome, winning, 57-45, but the Duke Blue Devils were stunned by Clemson, 72-59.

Billy Baron Scores Career-High 38 to Lead Canisius over Rider in 2OT

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, January 10, 2014

There were no Top 25 teams in action Friday night, and, only seven games played in all of division 1, but that didn't deter Billy Baron from putting on an offensive show, scoring a career-high 38 points to lead the Canisius Golden Griffins to a 91-94, double overtime win over the Rider Broncs.

The nation's sixth-leading scorer at 22.7 points per game, Baron got his team into overtime by scoring the final four points in regulation, then kept the Griffins' hopes alive with a three-point play with 12 seconds left in the first overtime, and scored 11 of Canisius' 13 points in the second overtime, including a pair of three-pointers, the last of which broke a 91-91 tie with one second left, for the win.

Baron was 11-for-19 from the field, including 4-for-10 from beyond the arc. He canned 12 of 13 free throws and had seven rebounds, helping the Golden Griffins to a share of first place in the MAAC, along with Manhattan, Iona and Quinnipiac, all at 4-1.

Rider fell a game back, at 3-2, along with Sienna. The Golden Griffins next host Monmouth on Sunday, January 12.

Freshman Jordan Mathews Scores Career-High 32 Points as Cal Dunks Ducks, 96-83

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, January 10, 2014

Just a few days ago, #17 Oregon was undefeated (13-0) and had a conference win already in the books, but after losing their first game of the season Sunday at Colorado, the Cal Bears came into Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon and dunked the Ducks, 96-83, as the PAC-12 begins to look like a deep and crowded conference.

All five Cal starters scored in double figures, led by freshman guard, Jordan Mathews, who pumped in an amazing 32 points. In 38 minutes of floor time, Mathews was 10-14 from the field, hitting three of four threes, and 9-for-9 from the foul line. He had five rebounds, an assist and a steal.

Mathews, who scored just two points in Cal's 69-62 win over Stanford this past Thursday, has been coming off the bench and starting occasionally in his freshman year. His previous high was 22 points in a loss to UC Santa Barbara.

Cal improved to 11-4 with the win and is 2-0 in the conference. The Bears took a 46-42 lead into half time, but fell behind, 52-49, five minutes into the second half. The game remained tight until Mathews hit a three-pointer with 4:59 left, putting the Bears up 79-74, and Cal outscored Oregon, 17-9 in the final five minutes for the win.

Cal out-shot Oregon, 53% to 41% and won the battle on the boards, 36-30. The Bears also shared the ball well, with 21 assists, 11 by point guard, Justin Cobbs.

The Golden Bears are 1/2 game behind PAC-12 co-leaders Arizona and Colorado, both 3-0, and play their third straight road game, Saturday, at Oregon State.