Beyond the Arc : 24-hour hoops marathon

Better re-think those preseason assumptions

Mike Miller — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:28:00 GMT

On a night when college hoops’ top two teams escaped upsets, what’d we learn?

That Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins are the key to Kansas’ season? Or that Kalin Lucas is Michigan State’s go-to guy? We knew all that going in.

Try this: Don’t forget recent history because Gonzaga and Memphis are actually good. Again. Re-think those preseason assumptions of who's good and who's not. There's no reason to adhere to what the rankings say when your eyes tell you different.

The old cliché still applies, I guess. The more things change – Gonzaga and Memphis both lost four starters from last season – the more they stay the same.

Al Goldis / AP

As Raymar Morgan found out Tuesday, nothing's going to come easy against Gonzaga.

Start with the Zags. Like Miami (Ohio) against Kentucky on Monday night, Gonzaga outplayed the No. 2 Spartans for most of the game, particularly along the frontline.

Sophomore center Robert Sacre played just 19 minutes due to foul issues, but finished with 17 points. Elias Harris (17 points, 9 rebounds) was effective as an undersized power forward who gave Draymond Green and Delvon Roe matchup issues. Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray didn’t shoot well (a combined 8 for 29), but had to do pretty much everything along the perimeter. And the bench surely gave Mark Few more options for later in the season when more hostile environments await.

Perhaps Michigan State isn’t the second-best team in the country. But hey, Tom Izzo said as much in the preseason, not that anyone was listening. The frontcourt was going to be an issue, which is why guys like Lucas, Durrell Summers and Raymar Morgan will carry the Spartans until then.

“It’s a big win for us because we didn’t play real well,” Izzo said. “Gonzaga took it to us for at least 30 minutes. I have a lot of respect for Mark and their program. They punched us in the mouth, picked us off the ground and punched us again.”

The same applies to Memphis and Kansas.

The Tigers lost their coach and most of their scoring from last season’s 33-4 squad. Yet they’re just as athletic and downright stingy on defense. Ask the Jayhawks.

“We’ve known for the past few days that they’re really going to give us a challenge and it proved to be right,” Aldrich said afterward.

Memphis coach Josh Pastner used just six players (well, seven, but D.J. Stephens played 1 whole minute), all of whom were aggressive on defense and fast in the open court. Will Coleman gave up 4 inches to Aldrich, but held his own in the post and even blocked one of Aldrich’s shots. Elliot Williams jacked up 18 shots – his potential game-winner was long – but that was because Kansas couldn’t stay in front of him.

The result made for one ugly game, though. Kansas went for .877 PPP, while Memphis was at .814. Neither team’s eFG% was above 50. The Jayhawks committed a turnover on nearly a third of their possessions. And without Collins and Aldrich – a combined 12 of 17 shooting for 30 points and 4 turnovers; the other 7 ‘Hawks were 8 for 26 and 16 TOs – it gets real bad.

Don’t expect anything easy against Memphis. Or Gonzaga. If a night like tonight didn’t convince you otherwise, you weren’t watching.

Follow me on Twitter (@BeyndArcMMiller) and get more college basketball news at NBCSports.com.

Naismith Classic: Where rough offseasons meet

Mike Miller — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:53:00 GMT

Those watching the end of the 24-hour hoops marathon Tuesday night should see some classics. Gonzaga vs. Michigan State. Arkansas vs. Louisville. Memphis vs. Kansas.

The final two are part of the Naismith Hall of Fame Classic and features four of the game’s most successful programs.

Not that those four exhibited Hall of Fame behavior during the offseason. Rob Dauster at Ballin’ Is a Habit thinks the tourney name is worthy of a little irony. Perhaps the Role Models Classic?

Rob offers up the details:

Memphis lost their coach, his recruiting class, four of their own players, and their trip to the national title game.

Kansas not only had two kids get DUI's, they had multiple brawls with the football team that not only made national headlines, but ended up with Tyshawn Taylor missing three weeks with a broken thumb.

Arkansas has had a laundry list of issues over the past two years, which culminated in John Pelphrey handing down suspensions to five players prior to the start of the season.

Louisville had to deal with Rick Pitino's extortion case, the accusations and eventual admission of his affair and abortion, and as if they were adding icing on the cake, Terrence Jennings and Jerry Smith got arrested for scuffling with cops in Indiana.

(whistles)

It’s not all bad behavior – Memphis got hosed by the NCAA clearinghouse and kept its nose out of the police blotters – but it does give me a small chuckle. (I wish Luke Winn had done one of his graphics for Arkansas when he touched on Louisville, Memphis and Kansas this summer.)

Is there any way the TV folk can’t spend time talking about these team’s offseasons tonight? Get ready for those awkward pauses – and for the tournament officials to cringe. Just a bit.

Follow me on Twitter (@BeyndArcMMiller) and get more college basketball news at NBCSports.com.

UCLA's brick-fest surely helped insomniacs

Mike Miller — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:34:00 GMT

ESPN’s 24-hour college hoops marathon opened with an upset, but I’m not sure how many people stuck around. Poor shooting will do that.

UCLA clanked its way to a 68-65 double overtime loss to Cal State Fullerton, the first time the Bruins lost an opener in Ben Howland’s tenure. They hoisted 84 shots, hit just 31 percent of those and were a brutal 5 of 28 from beyond the arc. (Tempo free stats: .746 PPP and .339 eFG%. They pushed the pace, logging 87 possessions, but couldn’t buy a bucket.)

If East Coast hoopheads were looking for reasons to stay up late, this wasn't it.

It wasn’t Saint Louis losing to George Washington, but it was stunning to see UCLA struggle that much on offense. Just last season the Bruins were third on kenpom.com’s adjusted offensive efficiency rankings and boasted a ridiculous 57.9 eFG% during conference play (thanks BP!). Losing four starters and having a M*A*S*H* unit for a roster apparently deals death blows to an offense.

Does this mean the Bruins are toast? Ken Davis weighed in on that last week, but it’s hard to see UCLA as anything other than a middle-of-the road Pac-10 team that could miss the NCAA tournament.

The Bruins have solid players, but few stars. Guys like Micahel Lee and Drew Gordon have to drastically improve, while seniors like James Keefe, Nikola Dragovic and Michael Roll have to be smart, efficient and play lots of minutes.

Their saving grace may be the pitiful Pac-10. Boosting that league record always helps with the committee.

Follow me on Twitter (@BeyndArcMMiller) and get more college basketball news at NBCSports.com.

Grab a Red Bull: Hoops marathon returns!

Mike Miller — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:52:00 GMT

The college hoops godsend returns for another season. And it’s even better.

ESPN announced the Nov. 17 schedule for its hoops marathon to open the 2009-10 season. It added a few timeslots, bringing the total to 19 total games – 17 on the men’s side and 2 from the women.

And, unlike last season when ESPN used a kickoff show to fill some of the time, it’s truly a round-the-clock day. Monmouth and St. Peter’s, two New Jersey schools, play each other at 6 a.m. ET. It’s followed by Drexel at Niagara at 8 a.m. That's some dedication.

The network has broadcast about 8,200 college hoops games, but it’s never had any in those time slots. I bet. Getting up at 6 a.m. is hard enough, let alone playing hoops. Or not.

Mary Ann Chastain/AP

Will Trevor Booker and Clemson escape the 24-hoops marathon unscathed?

ESPN programmer Nick Dawson told USA Today that "There were definitely schools who weren't interested. But to my surprise, lots of people were interested.”

Anyway, there’s a complete schedule of all the action below. Quite a few games are must-sees, including Michigan State-Gonzaga, Memphis-Kansas, Arkansas-Louisville and Clemson-Liberty (seriously, the Tigers are playing at Liberty at 10 a.m.; sounds like upset material), which is what you’d expect in a field with 14 NCAA tournament teams from 2009.

Andy Katz has a complete breakdown of the games here. He tries to make compelling reasons to watch each game, not an easy task given Northern Colorado plays at Hawaii at 4 a.m. ET. (Hint: That’s when even die-hard viewers catch up on the zzzzs.)

For readers who don’t want to sift through the bull, try Rush the Court’s preview instead. Not quite as much text and it also gives a link to their “coma-inducing live blog” from last year. My favorite section follows:

5:46pm – Fatigue sets in. I can’t deny it at this point. I just went outside to get something out of the car and when I came back in, as I realized 20 minutes later, I left the back door wide open. Sure, come on in, everyone. Come on in and kill me.
5:50pm – Energy drink.
5:57pm — Energy drink.
5:59pm — It’s over. 90-55, Baylor.
6:01pm — Coffee.
6:07pm – Atrial fibrillation.

That’s called taking one for the team. Remember to stock up on Red Bull.

Schedule (all times Eastern)

Midnight -- Cal State Fullerton at UCLA, ESPN/ESPN360.com
2 a.m. -- San Diego State at St. Mary's, ESPN/ESPN360.com

4 a.m. -- Northern Colorado at Hawaii, ESPN/ESPN360.com

6 a.m. -- Monmouth at St. Peter's, ESPN/ESPN360.com

8 a.m. -- Drexel at Niagara, ESPN/ESPN360.com

10 a.m. -- Clemson at Liberty, ESPN/ESPN360.com

Noon -- Northeastern at Siena, ESPN/ESPN360.com
2 p.m. -- Arkansas Little-Rock at Tulsa, ESPN/ESPN360.com

4 p.m. -- Temple at Georgetown, ESPN/ESPN360.com
5:30 p.m. -- O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic: Binghamton at Pittsburgh, ESPN2/ESPN360.com

6 p.m. -- Dick's Sporting Goods NIT: TBD at Duke*, ESPN/ESPN360.com
7 p.m. -- ESPNU Road to the Championship: Tennessee vs. Texas Tech (women's game from San Antonio), ESPNU

7:30 p.m. -- Hall of Fame Showcase: Arkansas vs. Louisville (from St. Louis), ESPN2/ESPN360.com

8 p.m. -- Gonzaga at Michigan State, ESPN/ESPN360.com
8 p.m. -- Northern Illinois at Illinois, ESPN360.com

9 p.m. -- ESPNU O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic: Duquesne at Iowa, ESPNU
9:30 p.m. -- ESPNU Road to the Championship: Connecticut vs. Texas (women's game from San Antonio), ESPN2/ESPN360.com

10 p.m. -- Hall of Fame Showcase: Memphis vs. Kansas (from St. Louis), ESPN/ESPN360.com
11:30 p.m. -- Dick's Sporting Goods NIT: TBD at Arizona State*, ESPN2/ESPN360.com

24 hours of hoops. This is nirvana

Mike Miller — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 02:28:00 GMT

Twenty-four hours of hoops. Now this is a proper start to the college basketball season.

If you need a quick primer on the details, click here and here. The schedule of games and times can be found here and below. (All times are ET)

Midnight: UMass at Memphis (ESPN)
2 a.m.: Fresno St. at St. Mary’s (ESPN)
4 a.m.: Idaho St. at Hawaii (ESPN)
6 a.m.: College Hoops Tip-Off Special (ESPN)
10 a.m.: Penn at Drexel (ESPN)
Noon: Liberty at UNC-Asheville (ESPN)
2 p.m.: Iowa at Kansas (women) (ESPN)
4 p.m.: Centenary at Baylor (ESPN)
6 p.m.: Richmond at Syracuse (ESPN)
7 p.m.: NIT Regional Final-Purdue (ESPNU)
7:30 p.m.: NIT Regional Final-Boston College (ESPN2)
8 p.m.: College GameDay-Chapel Hill (ESPN)
9 p.m.: Kentucky at North Carolina (ESPN)
9 p.m.: Florida Gulf Coast at Kansas (ESPNU)
9:30 p.m.: NIT Regional Final: Davidson-Oklahoma (ESPN2)
11:30 p.m.: NIT Regional Final-Arizona (ESPN2)

If you want to follow the games online, several sites will be doing live blogs. Check out:

Rush the Court (which has one guy doing the whole she-bang; no word on how much Red Bull he’s drinking.)

Storming the Floor (including their initial Umass-Memphis blog).

Ballin is a Habit (which has multiple blogs going, so use their main page.)

I’ll be doing some occasional blogs as well, just not as often. Some NFL responsibilities for the site are getting in the way. Such is life. Enjoy the 24 hours!

Hoops godsend: A full-blown season tip-off

Mike Miller — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:49:00 GMT

Rule of thumb when planning the fall months is to let the NFL, baseball playoffs and college football carry the load (fantasy football gets lumped into the NFL). NASCAR’s chase gets some attention, along with an occasional golf event, depending on who’s involved. Once the NBA begins, that works into the mix.

Those sports are the backbone to just about any site’s coverage. College basketball is usually secondary until the NFL season ends and Duke-North Carolina gets all the casual fans involved (we die-hards will be watching on Nov. 10 when Coaches Vs. Cancer tourney kicks off).

So imagine the die-hards’ glee at ESPN’s brilliant idea: A hoops marathon to give college basketball a proper season opener.

Nov. 18 (a Tuesday) will feature 14 games and 23 hours of hoops, headlined by North Carolina vs. Kentucky, among others. It starts at Midnight ET (UMass vs. Memphis), and, with a slight break in the morning hours, end with an NIT regional final at 11:30 ET. (Those of us on the West Coast don’t mind that time.)

Here’s a complete sked, with all times ET.

Midnight: UMass at Memphis (ESPN)
2 a.m.: Fresno St. at St. Mary’s (ESPN)
4 a.m.: Idaho St. at Hawaii (ESPN)
6 a.m.: College Hoops Tip-Off Special (ESPN)
10 a.m.: Penn at Drexel (ESPN)
Noon: Liberty at UNC-Asheville (ESPN)
2 p.m.: Iowa at Kansas (women) (ESPN)
4 p.m.: Centenary at Baylor (ESPN)
6 p.m.: Richmond at Syracuse (ESPN)
7 p.m.: NIT Regional Final-Purdue (ESPNU)
7:30 p.m.: NIT Regional Final-Boston College (ESPN2)
8 p.m.: College GameDay-Chapel Hill (ESPN)
9 p.m.: Kentucky at North Carolina (ESPN)
9 p.m.: Florida Gulf Coast at Kansas (ESPNU)
9:30 p.m.: NIT Regional Final-Oklahoma (ESPN2)
11:30 p.m.: NIT Regional Final-Arizona (ESPN2)

For more analysis an each matchup, click here.

Yes, give the sports behemoth some credit on this one. It’s a genuinely great idea that will earn it plenty of points from the fans. Bust out the amphetamines and caffeine.

And credit the folks at Storming the Floor for the line of the day (just above the games list).