Okoye Scores 24 with 15 Boards, But VMI Loses Badly

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, December 19, 2010

Not much action in college hoops on Sunday. The only ranked team to see action was #24 Notre Dame, which easily dispatched Stony Brook, 88-62.

The performance of the day belonged to Stan Okoye, one of the better swingmen in the country, who unfortunately plays on a very ordinary team at VMI. Okoye scored 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting and ripped down 15 rebounds as the Keydeta dropped their 5th game in their last 7, 98-70, at Marshall.

VMI began the season 5-0, but has fallen on hard times in the month of December. That hasn't slowed down Okoye, who is averaging a double-double (20.1 points, 10.0 rebounds). Putting his game in perspective, only he and Nick Gore (2-for-3, 4 points) shot better than 50% from the field. Besides those two, the Keydets hit just 13-of-55 shots (24%). In addition to scoring more than a third of his team's points, Okoye also had half of their rebounds.

Gilbert Brown Powers Pitt Panthers to 11-1 Record

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, December 17, 2010

Gilbert Brown, a 6'6" senior forward, hammered home 28 points as the Pitt Panthers got back on the winning track a week after suffering their first loss of the season, to Tennessee. Brown led four players in double figures to a 97-64 dunking of Maryland Eastern Shore, improving their record to 11-1 as Big East play beckons.

The Panthers start their conference schedule on December 27 with a home game against the Connecticut Huskies. Brown's 28 was his season high, adding five rebounds and five assists in a mere 24 minutes of play. Brown scorched the nets on 11-of-13 shooting, hitting 4-of-5 from three-point land.

Notable: Jordan Hamilton scored 24 points, to go with 10 rebounds, as the #22 Texas Longhorns outlasted North Carolina, 78-76.

Elsewhere in the Big 12, #13 Missouri routed Central Arkansas, 116-63, as seven different Razorbacks tallied in double figures.

A couple of West coast teams scored upset wins, as UCLA humbled #16 BYU, 86-79, and Gonzaga outmuscled #9 Baylor, 68-64.

Princeton May Be Best in Ivy; Maddox Rips 23 on Wagner

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, December 17, 2010

Last season, it was the Big Red out of Cornell capturing the Ivy League and making some noise in the NCAA tournament. This year, it may be Princeton's turn to return to NCAA's and a chance to play with the big boys, especially if junior forward, Kareem Maddox continues to perform as he has during the Tigers' recent six game win streak.

Princeton started out the season 2-3, with an "excuse me" 97-60 loss at Duke and a couple of close calls in a 65-64 defeat at James Madison and a 69-67 loss at Presbyterian. In those three games Maddox shot a combined 3-for-16 and totaled only 14 points.

But the next time Maddox and the Tigers hit the hardwood, at home against Sienna, Maddox was a different player, hitting 10-of-13 shots from the field, 10-of-12 freethrows for a 30 point, 10 rebound performance and an 86-77 win. Maddox has continued playing at a high level, going for 31 against Tulsa last Sunday and hitting for 23 points in the Tigers' 69-57 win over Wagner on Friday. Maddox was 8-for-12 from the field and hit all seven of his free throws.

8-3 Princeton begins conference play January 28, when they host Brown. They have a light schedule of just four more games until then.

NOTABLE: They came from out of nowhere, and now the Tennessee Volunteers seem to be heading back there, after losing their second straight game to a relatively unknown opponent.

The Vols stunned Villanova on November 26 and then Pitt last Saturday, improving to 7-0, but since has dropped two straight, losing to Oakland, 89-82, on Tuesday and dropping a 49-48 decision at Charlotte Friday night. Tennessee will attempt to snap out of their funk when they host USC on Tuesday, December 23.

Northwestern 7-0 as Shurna Pumps in 28

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, December 16, 2010 Keep your eyes glued to the Big Ten this season, because it's absolutely loaded.

Not only does the conference boast #2 Ohio State, #12 Illinois and #14 Michigan State, but 9-1 Purdue is ranked #19 and 10-1 Minnesota checks in at #21.

Then there's Northwestern, creeping up on all of the well-known names. In 2008-09, the Wildcats went 17-14. Last season, 20-14, and this year, they're off and running with a 7-0 start, after dismissing American U. Thursday, 78-62.

As usual, leading the charge for the Wildcats was junior forward John Shurna, who upped his scoring average to 23.7 per game after going for 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Shurna, 6'8", 215 lbs., comfortable both on the wing and in the paint, canned 3-of-6 outside the arc and was 6-of-8 inside. He also made 7 of his 8 free throws. He's shooting an exceptional 64.3% from the field, which includes 62.2% from three-point land. Shurna leads the Big Ten in scoring, followed - from a distance - by Purdue's E'Twaun Moore, at 20.6.

Shurna's been held under 20 points just once this season, when he played 27 minutes and scored 17 in a 71-45 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

In Thursday's win, Shurna also contributed 4 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocked shots.

Diebler Hits Nine Straight Threes; Buckeyes Coast to 9-0

College Hoops Player of the Day for DAY, Month, 2010

Jon Diebler misfired on his first two three-point attempts. He missed his last three as well, but, in between, he nailed nine straight shots from outside the arc, tying an Ohio State record while leading the #2 Buckeyes to a runaway, 83-55, win against overmatched Florida Gulf Coast.

Overmatched may be putting it lightly. The Eagles scored just 16 first half points to the Buckeyes' 42. They fared better in the second half, but by then the outcome had already been determined.

Diebler's sharp-shooting display netted him 29 points on 9-of-14 shooting, all from outside the three-point line. He went to the free throw line just twice, making both shots, and added four rebounds and a couple of assists to his night's resume.

The Buckeyes are now 9-0 and have four more "creampuff" games before facing Indiana December 31 to open the Big Ten season, though one of those games is against Oakland, which knocked off #7 Tennessee, Tuesday night.

Notable: There's no immunity from being humbled by a small school this season, the latest victim being UNLV, which found themselves on the wrong end of a 68-62 score, delivered by UC-Santa Barbara. The two teams were tied 30-all at the break, but the Gauchos put up 38 to the Rebels' 32 in the second half for the win, improving to a modest 5-3 record while UNLV fell to 9-2.

Benson Scores 26; Oakland Grizzlies Upset 7th-Ranked Vols

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, December 14, 2010

With the spread of talent and coaches in the college ranks, big conference teams simply cannot afford to take small conference teams lightly. That point was never more vividly expressed than in Tuesday's 89-82 upset win by the Oakland Golden Grizzlies over the #7 Tennessee Volunteers, and the small school did it on the big school's home court.

Out of the surging Summit League, the Grizzlies have been in search of a statement win, after playing Purdue, Illinois and Michigan State close, but losing all three games. 6'11" senior Keith Benson couldn't be stopped in the post, hitting 9 of 16 shots for a game-high 26 points to lead the Grizzlies to their sixth win against five losses. Benson, the team's leading scorer and rebounder, also snagged 10 boards for his 8th double-double of the season.

The Grizzlies are 2-0 in Summit League play, and, even though 6-5 overall, they're likely better than their record might indicate, as 8 of their 11 games thus far have been played on the road and included some heavy hitters. They still have a date with #2 Ohio State ahead of them, on December 23, prior to a steady diet of Summit League foes.

Notable: It wasn't just the Summit League pulling off upsets Tuesday night. Drexel, out of the Colonial Athletic Conference, stormed into Freedom Hall and shocked #20 Louisville, 52-46. The Dragons improved to 7-1, while Rick Pitino's Cardinals suffered their first loss of the season. Louisville holds wins over UNLV and Butler, and are now 8-1.

Ravern Johnson Pours in 23 to Lift Bulldogs

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, December 13, 2010

There are a slew of teams trying to stamp their identities on the NCAA map, but maybe none more than the Mississippi State Bulldogs, who were denied an invitation to the NCAA tourney last season, despite a fine, 23-11 record and a one-point loss to Kentucky in the SEC tournament final.

Relegated to the NIT, the Bulldogs defeated Jackson State before falling in the second round to North Carolina. Returning to the team that the NCAA snubbed is Ravern Johnson, a 6'7" senior guard who is a match-up nightmare for most opponents and leads the team in scoring at 23.8 points per game.

Getting through the "easy" part of the schedule in decent fashion, the Bulldogs improved their record to 6-2 with a 67-58 victory over Nichols State, holding their big-time scorer, Anatoly Bose, to 4-for-11 shooting (1-for-8 from three-point range) and a sub-par 17 points.

Johnson led all scorers with 23 points, nearly his average, which is 9th best nationally. Johnson was 4-for-14 overall, including 5 of 9 three-pointers. Johnson and his Bulldogs are flying a bit under the radar right now, even though their two losses were by one and two points. Keep an eye on this SEC West squad which may be making some serious noise come March.

Gary Flowers Leads Southern Miss to 7-1 Record

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, December 12, 2010

Conference-USA has, for the better part of the last five seasons, been the exclusive stomping grounds of the Memphis Tigers, though that condition has changed dramatically since the departure of head coach John Calipari and the three years of probation leveled against the team in 2009, following the revelation of violations involving superstar Derrick Rose.

So, with the Tigers impaired, a reshuffling of power in the conference has been underway, and one of the teams apparently benefitting is Southern Miss, which improved to 7-1 Sunday, as the Golden Eagles knocked off the Cal Golden Bears, 80-78.

Senior forward Gary Flowers scored the final 12 points of the game for the Golden Eagles, including the winning field goal, a short turnaround jumper with 3 seconds left. Flowers, who has scored in double figures in every game he's played this season, led all scorers with 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting, hitting 2 of 3 from three-point range and all six of his free throw attempts.

While Memphis is still a respectable power in the conference, ranked #13 with a 7-1 record, the teams most likely to challenge them this season, besides the Golden Eagles, are UAB (7-2) and the University of Central Florida (UCF), which has begun the season on an 8-0 tear.

Fredette Scores 33 as Cougars Reach 10-0

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, December 11, 2010

Jimmer Fredette just kept firing away, hitting 11 of 22 shots for a game-high 33 points, as the #18 BYU Cougars knocked off the Arizona Wildcats, 87-65.

The scoring onslaught was also a season high for Fredette, who has found himself surrounded by a quality supporting cast this season. The Cougars are a perfect 10-0, with wins over South Florida, St. Mary's and Creighton among their early season accomplishments. Fredette was solid in his 31 minutes, adding nine boards and three assists. BYU goes on the road next, to visit an improving UCLA team on December 18.

Fredette moved into 7th place on the all-time BYU scoring list with 1768 points. He is chasing the record 2467 points set by Danny Ainge in 1977-81, prior to the 3-point shot. Ainge set the mark in 118 games, while Fredette has played 112 already.

Notable: There are blowouts and then there's what Syracuse did to Colgate Saturday. The undefeated Orange blew out the Raiders, 100-43, allowing a mere 8 points in the first half - the lowest ever scored in a half against a Jim Boeheim-coached team (35 years). The SU defense clamped down hard on the unfortunate Colgate squad, limiting them to 18% shooting for the game, hitting just 10 of 56 shots and 1 of 13 from 3-point range. The Orange also forced 21 turnovers.

#23 Notre Dame downed Gonzaga, 83-79, sending the Bulldogs to an uncharacteristic 4-5 mark. It was the third straight loss for Gonzaga, having lost at Illinois and Washington State prior to Saturday's defeat. They previously lost to San Diego State and Kansas State.

Scotty Hopson scored 27 points as the #11 Tennessee Volunteers humbled the #3 Pitt Panthers, 83-76. It marked the first loss for the Panthers (10-1), while the Vols upped their record to a perfect 7-0 mark.

Small School, Big Shot: McCollum Tallies 35 for Lehigh

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, December 10, 2010

With no Top 25 teams in action on Friday, it offers the chance to highlight some of the top players from some of the smaller schools in the college hoops universe.

One such player is Lehigh's CJ McCollum, a 6'3" sophomore guard who averages 22.8 points per game for the Mountain Hawks, reigning champions of the Patriot League.

On Friday, McCollum threw down 35 points in a 91-78 win at Marist, hitting 10-of-20 shots from the field including 6-of-13 three-pointers and 9-of-10 free throws. He added nine rebounds, three assists and six steals as Lehigh evened its non-conference record at 5-5. The 35 wasn't even a season high for McCollum, who had 42 points in a loss to Kent State back in November.

NOTABLE: Not exactly small schools, Iowa State and Michigan may soon be knocking on the Top 25 door. The Cyclones can count on the services of Scott Christopherson, a transfer from Marquette who redshirted the 08-09 season, averaged 7.9 points per game in 09-10 and is up to 16.8 this season. In their 75-72 win over Iowa Friday night, Christopherson scored a career-high 30 points, which included seven three-pointers. The win pushed the Cyclones to an 8-2 mark.

In Michigan, sophomore point guard Darius Morris continues to provide offense and distribution. The Wolverines improved to 7-2 with a 75-64 win over Utah in which Morris scored 19 points and dished out 10 assists.

Jared Sullinger Puts Up 40 for #2 Buckeyes

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, December 9, 2010

As usual, there are some good freshman players in college hoops this season, and then there's Jared Sullinger, the 6'9" Ohio State forward that has help the Buckeyes to a 7-0 record and a #2 ranking in the national polls.

Sullinger had the best game of his brief career on Thursday, slamming down 40 points on the pesky Jaguars of IUPUI, as the Buckeyes overcame relentless pressure to secure a 75-64 victory.

Averaging nearly a double-double (18.9, 9.9), Sullinger hit 12-of-17 shots from the field and canned 16-of-23 free throws to set an Ohio State freshman scoring record. He also contributed 13 rebounds, with 7 of them coming on the offensive end.

Whenever teams play IUPUI, comes the obvious question, who? For the record, IUPUI is short for: Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, an urban university boasting over 30000 students in 20 schools. The school offers 200 different degree programs and is ranked the 8th best public university in the Midwest, according to Forbes magazine.

The school definitely is an up-and-coming establishment, playing in the Summit League. They've already played - and lost - to three ranked teams; along with Ohio State, they've met Gonzaga and San Diego State.

Notable: The #2 Buckeyes may get an unexpected boost soon, especially if word coming out of the Duke athletic department is to be believed. Sadly, it involves another freshman sensation, Kyrie Irving, the flashy guard that has helped the Blue Devils forget the loss of Jon Scheyer to graduation. Irving suffered a freak injury late in the second half in Duke's win over Butler last Saturday.

Irving jammed his right big toe making a move, and hasn't seen action since. While the injury is being called "ligament damage," there's possibly more to it. Duke is mulling over options for their young star, including rest and/or surgery. How long Irving will be out is still speculation, though some feel his season may be over.

Terrence Jones Goes for 27 and 17 in Wildcat Win over Notre Dame

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, December 8, 2010

The oohs and aahs over Kentucky freshman Terrence Jones are not without good reason. A 6'8" forward out of Portland, Oregon, Jones has already impress most of the collected basketball crowd with his immense skills, from deft ball-handling to dazzling dunks and determination on the boards.

Averaging a double-double, with 20 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, speculation is that Jones may not play past this year, or, at most, his sophomore season for the Wildcats.

Following a tough, 75-73 loss Sunday at North Carolina, the Wildcats were looking to rebound back to form at home against Notre Dame and Jones came up huge, with 27 points on 9-for-18 shooting (2-of-5 three pointers), 17 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and two blocked shots, leading the Wildcats to a dominant, 72-58 win over the Fighting Irish.

Jones matched his career high in rebounds and fell two short of his high point total, though few doubt that 30+ point games are ahead for the budding star. Ranked #17 in the current poll, Kentucky is 6-2.

Scoop Jardine, Rick Jackson Lead Syracuse over Michigan State

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, December 7, 2010

As the second game of the Jimmy V Classic, the match-up between Syracuse and Michigan State appeared to be a good one, but midway through the first half, the Orange took control and pretty much turned the rest of the night into a real yawner.

Syracuse stormed to a 38-29 lead at the half, and though the Spartans rallied to cut the deficit down to three early in the second half, it was a close as they would get. Any time Michigan State made a run, either Scoop Jardine, who led the scoring with 19 points, or Rick Jackson (8-15, 17 points, 16 rebounds), would make a play to keep the Spartans at bay.

Michigan State had real problems penetrating the Orange's elastic zone defense. Finding good shots was a problem for Michigan State from the opening tip to the final, 72-58, score. A lot of that had to do with Jackson, a bulwark on the baseline who is averaging a double-double (13.6 points, 12.8 rebounds) and is a superb defender in the post.

Syracuse, now 9-0, outrebounded the Spartans, 38-30 and force 16 turnovers. Michigan State dropped its third game of the season, losing previously to Connecticut and Duke.

Marshon Brooks, Vincent Council Ready Providence for Big East

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, December 6, 2010

There hasn't been much to get excited about in Providence since the Whalers left town, as the Friars have become sort of a whipping boy for the elite teams in the Big East over the years, but they have their moments and a share of some of the top talent in the league.

One such player is Marshon Brooks, who has been honing his skills along with his Providence teammates in anticipation of Big East play by beating up on regional opposition, such as Monday night's 91-64 rout of Brown University.

In that contest, Brooks, a prolific scorer, averaging 21.4 points per game, poured in a career-high 33 points on 14-for-21 shooting, including 4 of 8 three-pointers. Amazingly, he only went to the foul line twice, making one. Brooks snatched 8 rebounds and also made four steals.

Teammate Vincent Council had one of the best games of his college career, scoring 19 points and dishing 16 assists, Council, a sophomore, has scored in double figures in each game this season and is tied with Chris Wright of Georgetown for second in the conference in assists, at 6.8 per game. Syracuse's Scoop Jardine holds a narrow lead at 6.9.

The win was the fifth in a row for the Friars, improving to 9-1 on the season. Their only loss was to LaSalle, 84-73.

Michael Glover Gives Gaels Upper Hand

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, December 5, 2010

After losing their first three games, the Iona Gaels had to be wondering if the whole season was going to be a bust. Playing in the Metro Atlantic Association, the Gaels are normally one of the better clubs, and since two of the three losses were close (one point to Kent State and two points at Bryant), the worries would fade as soon as the Gaels found some help for their leading scorer and rebounder, Michael Glover.

Iona won their first game of the season on November 18, beating Richmond - a very good team - and haven't looked back, their winning streak now at five games, including the last two over conference foes, Canisius and Niagara, whom they absolutely bombed, 82-58, Sunday.

Glover, a Bronx native and JuCo transfer, led in both categories, hanging up 30 points and ripping down 11 boards. It was a solid follow-up to his first conference game in which he scored 39, with 14 rebounds. In the win over Niagara, Glover was on the money, hitting 14 of 17 shots, mostly from within five feet of the bucket. He also leads the Gaels in shooting percentage, at 60.8, which is third best among the top 50 scorers nationally. Glover is tied for 19th in scoring, at 21.6 points per game.

Zeller Delivers for Tar Heels, Sends Kentucky to 2nd Loss

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, December 4, 2010

With their season on the brink of disaster, the North Carolina Tar Heels knew they'd have to be at their best to avoid a fourth loss on the early season when the Kentucky Wildcats came calling to the Dean Smith Center.

what they found, over 40 minutes of manic, sometimes desperate, play, was a tough-minded big man in Tyler Zeller and the resolve to defeat a committed opponent.

Zeller, who led both teams in scoring and rebounding with 27 points and 11 boards, canned key free throws down the stretch to seal a 75-73 Tar Heel win and keep North Carolina's record respectable, at 5-3.

Zeller, a seven-foot junior who's been injured for parts of each of the past two seasons, put up career highs in both scoring and rebounding and recorded his second double-double of the season. He also nailed 11-of-12 free throws, many of them pressure shots to keep the Tar Heels in front down the stretch.

The #10 Wildcats suffered their second loss of the season (5-2). They fell to Connecticut on November 24, both losses coming away from home.

Kemba Walker Records Triple-Double in 7th UConn Win

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, December 3, 2010

Connecticut's Kemba Walker continues to amaze and astound the collective basketball community. After seven games - all UConn wins - he continues to lead the nation in scoring, at 29.1 ppg, while others behind him gradually peel away. Besides Anatoly Bose of Nicholls St. (27.4) and Appalachian State's Donald Sims (26.8), the only players from major conferences within shouting distance are Mississippi State's Ravern Johnson (25.4), followed by Xavier's Tu Holloway and Seton Hall's Jeremy Hazell, both at an even 24.0 ppg. Even the reliable Jimmer Fredette of BYU is far back at 23.1.

Now, Walker may be slowing the pace of his scoring down a bit, but in the Huskies' 93-61 romp over UMBC he may have had his best overall game of the season, scoring a mere 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting (2-of-3 3-pointers), though he did haul in 5 offensive rebounds and 8 more on the defensive end for a total of 13, and dished out 10 assists for the rare triple-double, all accomplished in just 30 minutes of floor time. Walker's totals were game highs in each of the three categories. For good measure he also made a steal and blocked a shot. Pretty amazing.

Even though the outlandish totals were accomplished against somewhat of a pushover team - after all, UMBC is the University of Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers - Walker's been doing it to competitors at all levels. It should be worth watching how he fares once Big East play gets underway, beginning December 27 at Pittsburgh. In the meantime, Walker should be able to pad his stats in three upcoming home games, when the Huskies will host Farleigh Dickenson, Coppin State and Harvard.

Dunn Paces Bears with 24 Points in Pac-10/Big 12 Hardwood Series

College Hoops Player of the Day for DAY, Month, 2010

Ranked #11 in the nation, the Baylor Bears are one of 23 undefeated teams in the college basketball universe. On Thursday, the Bears took on Arizona State as part of the Pac-10/Big 12 Hardwood Series, coming away with a 68-54 home win to go to 6-0 on the year.

Leading all scorers, as he does with regularity, was senior LaceDarius Dunn who only made baskets from beyond the three-point line, totaling 24 points on 6-of-14 shooting. Dunn took just two shots that weren't three-pointers and missed them both, adding 6-of-8 free throws, four rebounds and a pair of assists.

Dunn, who missed Baylor's first three games due to suspension, hasn't taken long to get his stroke back. He's hitting at a 52.5% clip overall and has nailed 16 of 31 treys (51.6%). The two-dozen points scored on Thursday matched his season high.

Baylor has a light schedule through the holidays, but one home game stands out. On December 18, they host Gonzaga, and then open conference play on January 8 at Texas Tech.

Notable: Borrowing a page from the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, the Pac-10/Big 12 Hardwood Series featured some exciting contests on Thursday, with more to come, starting Friday night.

#4 Kansas survived a scare at home from UCLA, with a 77-76 win, the winning margin coming on a Mario Little free-throw with seven-tenths of a second on the clock. Little's make came after he was fouled following Tyler Honeycutt's three-pointer which tied the game with 5 seconds to play. Honeycutt scored 33 points for the 3-3 Bruins. Kansas improved to 7-0, keeping alive their home court winning streak, extending it to 64 straight.

Out in Eugene, the Oregon Beavers were beaten by #9 Missouri, 83-80. The Beavers dropped to 4-3, while the Tigers won their sixth game against just one loss, a 111-102 loss to Georgetown on November 30.

The remaining games in the series are (all times Eastern):

Kansas St. Wildcats at Washington St. Cougars, Dec. 3, 11 pm

Dec. 4:
Iowa St. Cyclones at California Golden Bears, 2 pm
Texas Tech Red Raiders at Washington Huskies, 4 pm
Oregon St. Beavers at Colorado Buffaloes, 10 pm

Dec. 5:
Oklahoma Sooners at Arizona Wildcats, 4 pm
Texas Longhorns at USC Trojans, 10:30 pm

Dec. 11:
Washington Huskies at Texas A&M Aggies, 4:30 pm

Dec. 21:
Stanford Cardinal at Oklahoma St. Cowboys, 9 pm

Irving Leads #1 Blue Devils Past Spartans, 84-79

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, December 1, 2010

As far as returning national championship teams are concerned, the 2010-11 version of the Duke Blue Devils is looking pretty good. Having graduated Jon Scheyer, the Devils appear to have found an adequate replacement in freshman guard Kyrie Irving, who may not have the shooting range of Scheyer, but has proven to be a better ball-handler and penetrator than his predecessor.

While the Big Ten took its measure of a somewhat-watered-down ACC, winning the challenge, 6 games to 5, Duke did not disappoint, knocking of a very good Michigan State squad by an 84-79 score.

Irving was clearly the catalyst for the Duke victory, leading all scorers with a career-high 31 points, canning 8-of-12 from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range and hitting 13 of 16 free throws. In addition, Irving added six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocked shots.

Improving to 7-0, the Blue Devils handed Michigan State its second loss of the season, extending its ridiculous string of home wins over non-conference opponents to 80.

Other winners on Wednesday in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge included, for the ACC, Boston College and Maryland, while Wisconsin and Purdue added to Big Ten wins from Tuesday by Michigan, Ohio State, Illinois and Northwestern. Wake Forest was the only ACC winner from Tuesday. Virginia dropped #15 Minnesota Monday night, 87-79.

Frosh Terrell Leads Demon Deacons to win over Iowa, 76-73

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, November 30, 2010

After two days of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, the normally-superior ACC doesn't seem up to the task, with just two wins in the first six games. Five more games are scheduled for Wednesday, and the conference normally perceived as one of the best in the nation has some seriously heavy lifting ahead if they intend to even the score with their Northern rivals.

The highly-anticipated match-up of Michigan State at #1 Duke is preceded by four other cross-conference contests, though only one - Maryland at Penn State - seems to favor the ACC.

In what turned out to be the best and closest game of Tuesday night, Wake Forest outlasted Iowa, 76-73, getting the winning bucket from freshman J.T. Terrell, who drained a long three-pointer from the left wing with 2.7 seconds left to play.

Terrell, a 6'4" guard, led all scorers with a career-high 32 points, on 9-for-16 shooting, which included 7-of-9 from beyond the arc. Terrell also hit 7-of-8 shots from the foul line to help keep the Demon Deacons undefeated at 7-0.

Notable: Elsewhere in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, North Carolina suffered its third loss of the season, handled easily by #20 Illinois, 79-67. Despite the protestations of some "expert" announcers and analysts, the Tar Heels appear to be destined to another NIT-ending season. If North Carolina doesn't make it to the NCAA tournament, it would be the first time under coach Roy Williams, who took over as head coach in 2003, that the team has missed the Big Dance in two consecutive seasons.

#2 Ohio State held Florida State to 32% shooting in a 58-44 win. The Buckeyes are 6-0. Michigan topped Clemson, 69-61, and Northwestern buried Georgia Tech, 91-71.