ACC Battle in Durham
Durham, NC - Duke enters its ACC opener on a roll and with a healthy point guard.
The No. 5 Blue Devils are expected to have Nolan Smith available as they look for a fourth straight victory when they host Virginia Tech on Sunday night.
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Duke (11-1) received a scare when sophomore starter Smith suffered a knee injury early in a 92-51 win over Loyola, Md on New Year's Eve. Though there was concern at the time, Smith, who replaced three-year starting senior Greg Paulus at the point, has been able to practice and should be ready for this contest.
Oddsmakers from Online Sportsbook Sports Interaction have made the Duke -14.5 point spread favorites for Sunday's game against the Virginia Tech. Current College Basketball Public Betting Information shows that 57% of more than 372 bets for this game have been placed on the Virginia Tech +14.5.
"I was nervous. I didn't want it to be anything serious with this being the knee I've hurt,'' said Smith, who's averaging 10.9 points and 2.3 assists. "They said I should definitely be back. I'm just going to ice it and should be ready (against Virginia Tech).''
So should the Blue Devils, who shot 53.1 percent and averaged 91.0 points in their last three victories against Loyola, then-No. 7 Xavier and North Carolina-Asheville since losing at Michigan on Dec. 6.
That recent success and a healthy Smith should help keep the momentum high for the Blue Devils, who were picked to finish second in the league behind No.1 North Carolina after finishing 13-3 and second to the Tar Heels last season.
"I think ACC games are definitely a little higher intensity, especially the first one,'' said forward Gerald Henderson, who had 19 points versus Loyola. "It's going to be a different kind of game. It's a game where you see what you're playing for. In regular-season (non-ACC) games, you're trying to win obviously, but there's nothing really at stake. In the ACC, there's something more at stake.''
Duke faces Virginia Tech (9-4) for the first time at Cameron Indoor Arena since the Hokies won 69-67 in overtime there to open ACC play in 2006-07. That was the Blue Devils' only loss to the Hokies in 14 home games.
Duke won 81-64 at Virginia Tech in the only meeting between the teams last season to improve to 33-7 all-time versus the Hokies. Kyle Singler led Duke with 16 points and nine rebounds in that contest and is averaging a team-leading 16.3 points and 7.8 boards this season.
The sophomore forward posted 20 points and eight rebounds against Loyola as the Blue Devils shot 55 percent and scored 34 points off 24 turnovers.
Virginia Tech enters this contest having won four in a row, including a 75-66 victory over Charleston Southern on Monday. Swingman A.D. Vassallo and Malcom Delaney each had 16 points for the Hokies, whose four loses have each come by four points or less.
"They are just a veteran team," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told the Blue Devils' official Web site of the Hokies, who finished fourth in the ACC at 9-7 in 2007-08. "I think they are a really good basketball team."
The senior Vassallo is averaging 19.0 points per game, but has scored just 22 in his last two games versus Duke. Sophomore Delaney is averaging 16.7 on the season and was held to four on 1-of-6 shooting versus the Blue Devils last season.
Virginia Tech is looking to avoid an eighth straight loss to a ranked opponent since winning at No. 4 North Carolina in overtime on Feb. 13. 2007.
(c) 1999-2008 TheSpread.com
Odds Favor Hoyas
Washington, D.C. - With the Big East schedule approaching, Georgetown desperately needs to sharpen up. Following Chris Wright's example would be a good start.
With one last chance to tune up for league play, the 12th-ranked Hoyas look to bounce back from their worst shooting game of the season as they face Florida International on Tuesday night.
Oddsmakers from Online Sportsbook Sports Interaction have made the Georgetown -29.5 point spread favorites for Tuesday's game against the Florida International. Current College Basketball Public Betting Information shows that 81% of more than 402 bets for this game have been placed on the Georgetown -29.5.
Georgetown (8-1) extended its winning streak at the Verizon Center to 27 games with a 69-59 win over Mount St. Mary's 69-58 on Saturday. The Hoyas, though, shot a season-low 38.0 percent (19-for-50) from the field in their first game since beating then-No. 17 Memphis in overtime on Dec. 13.
It was the fifth time in 112 games that Georgetown was held below 40 percent.
The Hoyas' only loss came against then-No. 12 Tennessee on Nov. 28, but they need a good showing against the Golden Panthers (4-8) to build some confidence before playing in a Big East Conference that currently has seven Top 25 teams. Georgetown visits No. 2 Connecticut on Monday night.
DaJuan Summers, who leads the Hoyas with 14.4 points per game, had 13 against Mount St. Mary's but was 4-for-12 from the floor. The junior forward is shooting 54.5 percent on the season.
Freshman center Greg Monroe, meanwhile, tied his season low with eight points and went 2-for-5. Monroe didn't block a shot after entering the game averaging 2.5 per contest.
Wright was one of the few Georgetown players who looked sharp, leading the team with 19 points on 6-for-11 shooting while adding seven rebounds and four steals. He had seven points during a decisive second-half run.
The game was in doubt until Wright led an 11-1 spurt to take a 47-33 lead with 11:01 left. His off-balance 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring game the Hoyas' their biggest lead of the game.
It was the second straight excellent effort from the 6-foot-1 sophomore guard. Against Memphis, he did an outstanding job of staying with standout Tigers freshman Tyreke Evans, who had 20 points but was 8-for-24 from the field and had five turnovers.
Wright is one of four Georgetown players averaging double digits in scoring at 13.1 points. He's also averaging a team-high 3.7 assists.
Wright went 6-for-9 from the free-throw line against Mount St. Mary's as the Hoyas had a season-high 38 attempts from the line. Georgetown, though, made a season-low 65.8 percent of its attempts.
The Hoyas are shooting 74.3 percent from the free-throw line, and that's helped them average 76.0 points.
"We've been getting to the line this year," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. "In general, we put an emphasis on getting into the paint and feeding the posts."
Florida International shot 58.3 percent (14-for-24) from the foul line in a 62-57 loss to South Alabama on Saturday night. The Golden Panthers also matched a season high with 22 turnovers.
"You can't win when you turn the ball over and you don't make free throws," Florida International coach Sergio Rouco said. "We just have to keep getting better, and we're getting closer."
The Golden Panthers have lost four straight, averaging 51.0 points and shooting 34.0 percent during that span.
Nikola Gacessa leads the Golden Panthers with 10.8 points per game, but has been held under 10 in each of his last three contests.
Georgetown is 2-0 all-time against Florida International.
(c) 1999-2008 TheSpread.com Inc.
Heytvelt, Gonzaga Trounce Washington St. To Remain Perfect
Pullman, WA. (AHN) - Josh Heytvelt tallied a game-high 22 points to help the Gonzaga Bulldogs stay perfect at 7-0 with a 74-52 victory over intra-state rival Washington State Cougars Wednesday.
Austin Daye added 14 points, and Jeremy Pargo had 11 points and 10 assists for Gonzaga, which is off to its best start since the team posted an 8-0 mark to start the 1994-95 campaign.
Trailing 32-29 at the break, the Cougars scored the first basket of the second half before Gonzaga upped the tempo and slowly took control of the game.
The Bulldogs' pressure defense and fast break plays forced Washington State to commit six turnovers, and was limited to just 2-of-11 shooting over the next 10 minutes.
Gonzaga unloaded 15 straight points to take a 47-31 edge, with Heytvelt scoring six points in the run.
Washington State was able to break the offensive burst when Cougars' center Aron Baynes scored on a goaltending call.
But the Bulldogs were on a roll, countering with 12 unanswered points, to take a 59-33 lead with 11 minutes left in the game.
Gonzaga's lead was never challenged from there, as the Bulldogs broke a two-game losing skid to their regional rival.
The Bulldogs finished with a 48 percent shooting clip (29-of-61), including 10-of-23 from long range.
Baynes and DeAngelo Casto each scored 10 points for Washington State, which fell to a 6-3 mark.
Point guard Taylor Rochestie was also not a factor, tallying six markers on 2-of-11 shooting, with no assists for the Cougars, who shot 32 percent in the first half, including 1-of-10 from downtown.
Washington State ended with a dismal 33 percent shooting clip, hitting 2-of-19 from the arc and committing 14 turnovers.
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Jesse Jackson gives Memphis Tigers history lesson, pep talk
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Rev. Jesse Jackson gave the Memphis Tigers a personal history lesson before the team left for the Final Four.
Jackson is in Memphis for the 40th anniversary commemoration of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. He met with the Tigers before they flew to San Antonio to face UCLA on Saturday and watched some of practice.
"I think Dr. King would find this a source of joy," Jackson told reporters. "After all, this couldn't have happened 40 years ago in Memphis. Now we see the flowering and the blossoming of Dr. King coming here 40 years ago."
Coach John Calipari already had printed off copies of King's biography and planned to read through King's "I Have a Dream" speech with the Tigers before leaving town. Jackson said he was impressed that Calipari also had copies of King's final speech, delivered in Memphis the day before he was killed, for the Tigers to read.
Jackson, who was in the parking lot when King was shot on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968, called and asked to visit the team. Calipari said yes.
The reverend talked to the Tigers about the civil rights struggle, and how the colors that matter now involve uniforms and not race. He stressed the importance of graduating college after hopefully winning the national championship.
"It's neat for our players to understand what's been done before them and by whom," Calipari said. "I'm just happy for them. What an experience. We took a team picture. They all wanted their own. `Can I have my own with him?' It's special for them, and I'm happy for them," Calipari said.
It didn't hurt that the Tigers have freshman sensation Derrick Rose, the point guard from Chicago. Asked for a prediction, Jackson said he would keep that private.
"But you see my jersey," Jackson said as he held a Memphis jersey. "Because in Chicago, we have Derrick Rose on the brain."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Mississippi 81, Virginia Tech 72
BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Chris Warren scored five of his 22 points during a 9-0 second half run Wednesday night and Mississippi beat Virginia Tech 81-72 in the NIT quarterfinals to earn a trip to Madison Square Garden in New York.
Ole Miss (24-10) led 51-49 with 10:49 to play before Warren's layup sparked the burst. He later added a 3-pointer, Eniel Polynice hit a jumper and Kenny Williams made a layup to cap the spurt, which gave the Rebels a 60-49 led with 8:22 to play.
Mississippi will face Ohio State in the semifinals.
The Hokies (21-14), who got 23 points from Deron Washington in the final game of his college career, never got closer than seven thereafter in a game that wasn't really as close as the score. Virginia Tech was outrebounded 46-23 and shot under 40 percent.
Dwayne Curtis added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Rebels, Williams had 10 points and 11 rebounds and David Huertas finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.
Mississippi shot better than 49 percent and grabbed 16 offensive rebounds.
A.D. Vassallo scored 16 points for the Hokies, but missed 15 of his 21 field goal tries, and Malcolm Delaney scored 14. Vassallo had seven assists and Delaney five.
The Rebels led 33-31 at halftime and never trailed again. Virginia Tech drew even at 46 with 12 minutes left on J.T. Thompson's layup, but Huertas hit one of his four 3-pointers 14 seconds later and the Hokies eventually fell as many as 13 points down.
Virginia Tech, which blew out UAB on Monday night, 75-49, started the same way against Mississippi, scoring 12 of the first 15 points to fire up the crowd of 9,615.
But the Rebels responded quickly with an 18-5 run and led 21-17 after 11:30.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Stan Joplin fired as Toledo basketball coach after 12 years
TOLEDO, Ohio -- Stan Joplin was fired as University of Toledo men's basketball after 12 years.
Athletic director Mike O'Brien said the program needs new direction and energy after an 11-19 finish and a disappointing recruiting class.
Joplin was MAC coach of the year last season. O'Brien said the coach was surprised when he got the news Sunday.
Joplin had a 203-155 record at Toledo. He signed a three-year extension in 2006 that was to have taken him through next season.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
San Diego State edges Air Force 53-49 in Mountain West Conference semis
LAS VEGAS -- The San Diego State Aztecs couldn't buy a basket. Free throws? They couldn't miss.
Lorrenzo Wade sank four free throws and grabbed a critical rebound in the final seven seconds, allowing the Aztecs to edge Air Force 53-49 Thursday in the Mountain West Conference tournament quarterfinals.
The Aztecs (20-11) scored just four baskets in the second half but sank 12-of-13 free throws.
They advanced to face No. 24 BYU in the semifinals despite making just two baskets in the final 16:07, both of them by Richie Williams.
"If it was going happen against any team, it would probably be Air Force," said Ryan Amoroso, who led the Aztecs with 15 points despite an illness that landed him in the emergency room Sunday night with breathing problems.
Amoroso sank a career-high nine free throws. Overall, the Aztecs made 20-of-22 free throws -- critically important against a deliberate, disciplined team like Air Force that makes every possession precious. San Diego State's three lowest-scoring outputs of the season all came against the Falcons, who beat them 46-43 Saturday, when the Aztecs weren't nearly as sharp from the stripe.
It appeared as though Wade might be lamenting a loss instead of celebrating a win after he charged into Andrew Henke with 20.1 seconds left and the Aztecs clinging to a 49-48 lead.
Instead of playing for the last shot, however, the Falcons (16-14) broke San Diego State's press and Anwar Johnson, who didn't score any points, darted to the basket only to miss the layup.
"I tried to go straight up and get contact," Johnson said of his only shot of the game. "We had the play set up. Coach yelled to drive the ball."
Falcons coach Jeff Reynolds said he'd do it again, too.
"We encouraged him to drive the basketball," Reynolds said. "In that situation we knew they were not going to foul. They didn't want to foul. And unfortunately, he got all the way to the rim and had an opportunity at a layup and it just didn't go in the hole. But we didn't want to call timeout. And we had went over those, the opportunity situations in practice, and just didn't bounce our way."
The Aztecs weren't surprised by Johnson's drive.
"I guess they could have brought it out and tried to run an offense," Wade said. "But any basketball player who has an open lane in that situation is going to attack the basket."
Tim Anderson, who led Air Force with 17 points, called it a bad break, not a bad call.
"I saw Anwar driving in there strong. It came off and there was an opportunity for a tip-back. But there was another player there that tipped it away, as well," Anderson said. "So it was just a scramble play. They got a break and we missed an opportunity."
San Diego State got the ball and Wade was fouled and sank both free throws for a 51-48 lead with seven seconds left.
Anderson was fouled before he could get off a game-tying 3-pointer. He sank his first free throw and missed his second.
Wade skied above the outstretched arms of three Falcons to pull down the rebound and draw another foul. He hit both shots and finished with 12 points, including a career-best 10 of them from the stripe.
The Aztecs, who have three consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time since 1938-41, jumped out to a 16-point lead in the first half and took a 32-21 lead into the locker room before going cold.
Williams' basket with 16:07 left made it 39-30 but the Aztecs wouldn't make another field goal until Williams, who scored 12 points, hit a floater with 2:20 remaining. That gave San Diego Sate a 47-46 lead after the Falcons had taken their first and only lead of the game on Anderson's three-point play with 2:45 left.
Henke added 16 points for the Falcons, who fell to 0-9 all-time in the Mountain West Conference tournament and 4-22 in conference postseason play. They've lost 16 consecutive opening-round league tournament games, including the last seven by an average of not even five points.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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