College Basketball on The Huffington Post

Derrick Roland Injury VIDEO: Aggie Breaks Two Leg Bones

2009-12-23T03:58:22Z

UPDATE: Roland is traveling home for Christmas. The AP has more.

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EARLIER:

The Texas A&M Aggies lost one of their best players last night when Derrick Roland broke his tibia and fibula in brutal fashion. Shortly after the second half began at the University of Washington, the Aggies trailed 34-33 and tried to take the lead. Roland took a shot near the basket and landed awkwardly, breaking both bones in his lower leg.

Teammate Donald Sloan was visibly distraught, keeling over and covering his face with his hands. All the while Roland's leg was noticeably bent. The injury was evocative of two awful football injuries suffered this year: Bills lineman Eric Wood's leg snapped in a game against the Jaguars in late November, and Vikings linebacker E.J. Henderson gruesomely fractured his femur on Sunday Night Football earlier this month.

Roland was sent to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, and the Huskies beat the Aggies, 73-64.

WATCH:

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UCLA's Nikola Dragovic Pleads Not Guilty To Assault

2009-12-22T12:07:00Z

UCLA senior forward Nikola Dragovic pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles court on Monday morning to a felony assault charge stemming from a fight outside a concert in Hollywood on Oct. 24.

Louisville Pizza Giveaway: Papa John's Offering Nearly 19,000 Free Pizzas (VIDEO)

2009-12-21T17:18:05Z

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(AP) LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Papa John's founder John Schnatter is promising a free pizza to every fan who saw him sink a shot from midcourt at a University of Louisville basketball game.

He banked one in after a few tries at halftime of the Oral Roberts-Louisville game last week.

Video posted by the company on YouTube shows Schnatter celebrating wildly after hitting the long shot in Freedom Hall.

The company estimates that if all 18,868 fans claim the free large one-topping pizza, it will add up to a $174,000 giveaway.

Papa John's says the free pizza offer is good through Dec. 27. Fans must call the store, order carryout and surrender their game ticket when they pick up the pizza.

WATCH:

AP Poll Week 6: College Basketball Rankings Tighten At The Top

2009-12-21T12:47:49Z

Kansas will be spending at least one more week atop The Associated Press' college basketball poll, a spot it has held all season.

Another Big 12 team from that state jumped to territory it hasn't been in over 25 years.

Snow Impacts Sports Schedules On East Coast

2009-12-20T04:36:34Z

Sporting events from NFL games to harness races were rescheduled Saturday as a winter storm swept across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, dumping more than a foot of snow in some areas.

In Philadelphia, the Eagles-49ers game on Sunday was pushed back to 4:15 p.m. from 1 p.m. after about 9 inches fell. The Bears-Ravens game in Baltimore also was pushed back to the late-afternoon slot.

Bob Knight On John Calipari: 'Integrity Is Really Lacking'

2009-12-18T10:41:38Z

INDIANAPOLIS — Bob Knight said integrity is lacking in college basketball and cited Kentucky coach John Calipari as an example.

During a fundraiser for the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, Knight said he doesn't understand why Calipari is still coaching.

AP Poll Week 5: College Basketball Rankings Keep Kansas, Texas At TOp

2009-12-14T15:43:30Z

Kansas was the runaway No. 1 pick in The Associated Press' college basketball poll Monday, just as it has been each week since the season began last month.

Kansas State and New Mexico entered the rankings this week. The Wildcats joined the poll for the first time since the 2007-08 season, a drought dwarfed by the Lobos, whose previous appearance in the Top 25 was in March 1999.

John Wall's Alley-Oop Dunk Against UConn (VIDEO)

2009-12-10T10:15:27Z

No. 4-ranked Kentucky and No. 14 Connecticut battled it out in a close game at Madison Square Garden last night, and rookie standout John Wall didn't disappoint, posting a season-high 25 points for the Wildcats. Two of them came early on in the game and set the tone for the night. Leading 4-0 less than two minutes into the game, Wildcats guard Eric Bledsoe grabbed a rebound and darted down the court, passing to Wall, who then fired the ball back to Bledsoe. With just one UConn defender covering the two guards, Bledsoe passed one more time to Wall, who flew through the air for the alley-oop dunk.

Wall scored 12 of his team's final 15 points in a narrow 64-61 win over the Huskies. Scroll down to see the dunk, as well as a bonus clip of a second John Wall dunk.

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Kentucky Vs. UConn: John Wall Leads Wildcats To Win

2009-12-10T01:54:00Z

NEW YORK — Freshman John Wall scored a season-high 25 points, including 12 of Kentucky's last 15 in the game, and the fourth-ranked Wildcats beat No. 14 Connecticut 64-61 on Wednesday night in the SEC/Big East Invitational.

Wall lived up to his billing in his first appearance at Madison Square Garden, overcoming first-half foul trouble and dominating the game over the final 7 1/2 minutes.

Eric Angevine: Kolloen: In Praise of Bobby Knight the Announcer

2009-12-09T10:13:26Z

I wanted to share something written by Seth Kolloen, who covers college hoops in the western third of the country for my site, Storming the Floor. He's been watching Bobby Knight announce college basketball games this year, and he says his opinion on Knight as announcer is a radical change from his opinion of Knight the coach:

Bobby Knight is revolutionizing basketball commentary on ESPN.

Knight is best basketball commentator I've ever heard, and this is the secret of his success: He talks about basketball.

In a field dominated by commentators who want to tell you about a player's mom's job history, or whether a team deserves the ranking they've got, or blather on about "momentum" or "playing within yourself," or worse yet (I'm talking to you, Steve Lavin) discuss the cultural relevance of the iPod, Knight stands apart by being pertinent to the actual sporting event that is occurring in front of him.

I've learned more about basketball from listening to one game of Knight than I did in three decades of Billy Packer. And Knight's not boring either -- he employs a savage dry wit.

Here are some of Knight's comments during LSU/Arizona State a couple of weeks ago:

"Arizona State sets a lot of ball screens, but what they don't have is someone coming off the ball screen who can shoot."

"Dotson made a great pass there ... he made the pass away from the defensive man."

"The shot fake is the greatest weapon in offensive basketball."

"The defensive man made no move. He might as well have had a camera there." (ha!)

"That was a bad pass. Let's make sure we get a basket. Let's not try for a home run on a low-and-away slider."

"One of the most important things in offense is reading your defensive man. I always say if you watch your man he'll be talking to you."

My love of Knight's commentary surprises me, which goes to show how drastically I misunderstood the man during his coaching days. When he first started working for ESPN, I expected a surfeit of crotchedyness. I mean, look at the man. Does he not look like he could rant for six hours about how much he hates e-mail? Maybe he does, in his private moments. But when basketball is going, he is all business.

This brings up a question: What exactly is ESPN looking for in a commentator? How can you employ a hard-core hoops analyst like Knight, but also a personality-obsessed hyperactive like Dick Vitale? Maybe TWWL wants diversity, to have guys at both ends of that spectrum and everywhere in between. I can respect that.

My preference, and if you're reading this, I suspect yours too, is for someone like Knight. I can understand the need for a Vitale or Lavin when a less-advanced audience is watching, like during the NCAA Tournament. But, honestly, does anyone besides hard core college basketball fans watch the sport in November and December? If I need human-interest stories, I can watch Oprah. If I'm watching basketball, tell me about basketball.

Well said, Seth. You can read more of Seth's college basketball coverage through his weekly report on west coast hoops, While You Were Sleeping.

NCAA Considering 96-Team Tournament, Cable Broadcasts

2009-12-08T18:43:26Z

The NCAA has started meeting with broadcasters to explore the media value of expanding the men's basketball tournament field, industry sources say.

As part of that process, the group also is gauging the feasibility of moving the tournament from broadcast to cable.

AP Poll Week 4: College Basketball Rankings Have Four Newcomers

2009-12-07T13:36:50Z

Kansas, Texas and Villanova held the top three spots in The Associated Press college basketball poll for the second straight week Monday. For the third consecutive week at least three teams moved into the Top 25.

The Jayhawks (7-0), who beat Alcorn State and UCLA last week, were again a runaway choice at No. 1, receiving all but three first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel.

Evan Turner Injury VIDEO: Ohio State Buckeye BREAKS BACK

2009-12-06T12:32:57Z

Evan Turner has played a major role in Ohio State's basketball success this year, having averaged 20.6 points and 12.9 rebounds per game for the Buckeyes before last night's game against Eastern Michigan. However, midway through the first half the junior suffered a transverse process fracture on his second and third lumbar vertebrae after landing awkwardly following a dunk attempt.

With the Buckeyes holding a 15-5 lead and 13:28 remaining in the first half, Turner leapt in the air to try for a dunk. The ball bounced out and Turner grabbed the rim, which thrusted his body horizontally. As soon as he let go, Turner hit the ground, landing on his back and writhing in pain.

The swingman will miss eight weeks. Ohio State dominated Eastern Michigan even without Turner, winning 111-60.

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AP Poll Week 3: College Basketball Rankings Include Portland For Second Time Ever

2009-11-30T15:55:12Z

Only once before has The Associated Press college basketball poll changed as much as it did Monday.

Only once before has Portland been in the Top 25.

Barack Obama Basketball PHOTOS: Obama Family Attends Oregon State-George Washington Game

2009-11-28T17:22:05Z

President Obama attended today's Oregon State-George Washington University basketball game to cheer on his brother-in-law, Beavers coach Craig Robinson. The first lady, Malia and Sasha Obama, and President Obama's mother-in-law Marian Robinson were in attendance as well. According to the AP, the family was "intensely interested in the outcome." All of the cheering paid off, as Oregon State won, 64-57. Below, see photos of the Obamas rooting for the Beavers.

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Florida Vs. Michigan State: Gators Knock Off No. 2 Spartans

2009-11-27T23:48:42Z

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — (AP) – Chomp on this, Michigan State.

Florida craves more than another NIT this season. The Gators aspire to wildly mob each other on the court, and dance and hop their way toward the locker room in the NCAA tournament – just how they celebrated after stunning the No. 2 Spartans.

AP Poll Week 2: College Basketball Rankings Thrust Syracuse To No. 10

2009-11-23T14:04:39Z

Syracuse was so impressive in the 2K Sports Classic that it made one of the best entrances ever into The Associated Press' college basketball poll.

The Orange, who beat California and North Carolina by an average of 19 points in winning the tournament at Madison Square Garden, went from unranked to No. 10 on Monday, the third-best jump-in in poll history.

Eric Angevine: NBA Sons Populate College Hoops

2009-11-23T12:40:43Z

Some friends marvel that I can enjoy college hoops so much and not give one small damn about the NBA. I've done some soul-searching on this, and come to the realization that 1) I grew up in the Kansas City area, where the hoops scene was actually improved by the departure of the Kings to Sacramento, 2) I actually grew up in Lawrence, KS, so the Jayhawks were guys I'd see walking down the street. I didn't need the NBA, really. But 3) I actually did keep up with the NBA more as a kid, because most of the great names of the day had spent some time in college, so I already knew something about them by the time they became pros.

While I was scouring rosters looking for funny names a while back, I started to notice a trend: lots of familiar names were on college rosters again. I call them Spawn of the NBA. I'd like to thank the other STF writers for helping me to track down a solid list of hoops scions.

One thing that stands out here is that the apples are falling pretty far from the tree in a lot of cases. The more transcendent the father, the more average the son, it seems. Below, we'll compare the college averages of the paterfamilias to the accrued stats of the offspring.

Ralph Sampson (Virginia): 16.9 ppg, 1.2 apg, 11.4 rpg, 3.5 bpg

Ralph Sampson III (Minnesota): 6.5 ppg, 1 apg, 4.6 rpg, 1.6 bpg

Glen Rice (Michigan): 18.2 ppg, 48% 3P, 6.4 rpg, 2.0 apg, 0.3 bpg, 0.8 spg

Glen Rice, Jr. (Georgia Tech): 2.3 ppg, 25% 3P, 2.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.75 bpg, 0.5 spg

Michael Jordan (North Carolina): 17.7 ppg, 44.7% 3P, 5.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.7 bpg, 1.7 spg

Jeff Jordan (Illinois): 1.1 ppg, 33.3% 3P, 0.4 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.0 bpg, 0.3 spg

Marcus Jordan (Central Florida): 2.6 ppg, 11% 3P, 2.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.6 bpg, 1.8 spg

Mychal Thompson (Minnesota): 20.8 ppg,

Mychel Thompson (Pepperdine): 8.8 ppg, 33.2% 3P, 3.0 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.6 spg

Klay Thompson (Washington State): 13.7 ppg, 42% 3P, 3.8 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.7 spg

John Lucas II (Maryland): 18.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.1 apg,

Jai Lucas (Texas): 8.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 2.3 apg (Freshman year at Florida)

Larry Drew (Missouri): 11.8 ppg, 3.7 apg, 1.0 spg

Larry Drew II (North Carolina): 2.1 ppg, 2.5 apg, 0.7 spg

Nate McMillan (Chowan/N.C. State): 8.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 6.0 apg, 2.6 spg

Jamelle McMillan (Arizona State): 3.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 2.1 apg, 0.9 spg

Detlef Schrempf (Washington): 11.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.6 spg

Alexander Schrempf (UCLA): Freshman walk-on, no stats yet.

Jack Sikma (Illinois Wesleyan): 21.2 ppg, 13.1 rpg (All IWU seemed to take note of)

Luke Sikma (Portland): 6.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.9 bpg, 0.9 spg

Thanks to sharp-eyed reader Avi for reminding me of this tandem:

Anthony Mason (Tennessee State): 18.7 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.4 bpg, 1.3 spg

Anthony Mason, Jr. (St. John's): 11.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.0 apg, 0.8 spg (Playing fifth season on medical hardship after missing most of last season)

Also receiving votes: Elston Turner (Ole Miss), Elston Turner, Jr. (Washington); Denzel Washington (Jake Shuttlesworth, Rikers Island Correctional Facility All-Stars), Malcolm Washington (Penn).

Class of 2010

Shawn Kemp, Jr. - Auburn (A trickle becomes a flood on this one, I'm betting)

Juwan Howard, Jr. - Western Michigan

Tim Hardaway, Jr. - Michigan

There's a clear flaw in this quickie examination of father/son tandems. Most of the sons are nowhere near the ends of their college careers yet. And yet, those of us who follow college hoops religously know that if either of Michael Jordan's sons had their father's potential, they would have been hotly pursued by Dad's alma mater. Jai Lucas and Larry Drew II are the most likely to follow in their fathers' footsteps at this point.

Charlie Coles, Miami University Coach, Humiliates Reporter After Kentucky Game (VIDEO)

2009-11-19T13:07:55Z

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Miami of Ohio coach Charlie Coles was asked the wrong question at the wrong time. After a hard-fought game between the RedHawks and the Kentucky Wildcats, which was decided by a 15-foot jumper with six seconds remaining in regulation from Kentucky freshman John Wall, a reporter asked Coles "how the game got away from him." Unfortunately for the reporter, Coles made sure he knew he made a poor choice of words and went on a rant that thoroughly and comically embarrassed him.

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Eric Angevine: Making Sense of ESPN's Basketball Marathon

2009-11-18T10:44:08Z

This morning will be dedicated to making some big-picture sense of the whirling chaos of the Hoops Tip-off. I've tried to include everything that was on some part of ESPN during the 24 hours, though some were more visible than others.

Kansas 57 - Memphis 55

As StF founder Marco Anskis said during our live chat, "I can't tell if Memphis is better than I thought, or Kansas is worse than I thought." A fair question. It's a bit of both. Last season, KU's freshman class made a lot of rookie mistakes against top competition. They're still doing some of that as sophomores - fouling jumpshooters, playing out of position on defense, and generally showing some low basketball IQ. Memphis looked pretty crappy as well, but they clearly have plenty of talent and aren't going to roll over because they're "supposed to be" in a rebuilding mode. Tigers head coach Josh Pastner looks like he'll win enough to get everybody off the "he's so young" hobby horse with a quickness. Conference USA looks to be Memphis' to lose once again.

Top players: Cole Aldrich (Kansas) - 18 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks; Elliot Williams (Memphis) - 21 points, 6 rebounds.

Michigan State 75 - Gonzaga 71

Another presumptive Final Four candidate struggled with a traditionally tough team in rebuilding mode in this one. Spartan Raymar Morgan fouled out in the second half as he tried to keep up with game action on two gimpy ankles, and was joined on the bench by an ineffective Delvon Roe, who played just 12 minutes, with no points and four turnovers. MSU guard Durell Summers picked up the slack, gaining a double-double on the night and hitting the key shots when his team needed them. Gonzaga played well, with four players scoring in double figures, but could have used more of highly-effective big man Robert Sacre, who managed 17 points in 19 foul-plagued minutes.

Top Players: Elias Harris (Gonzaga) - 17 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals; Durrell Summers (Michigan State) - 21 points, 11 rebounds.

Other Scores of Note

Georgetown 46 - Temple 45

Cal State-Fullerton 68 - UCLA 65

Tennessee 124 - UNC-Asheville 49

Duquesne 52 - Iowa 50

Marathon W-L By Conference

A-10: 1-2

ACC: 2-0

America East: 0-1

Big East: 5-0

Big South: 0-2

Big Sky: 1-0

Big 10: 2-1

Big 12: 3-0

Big West: 1-0

CAA: 0-3

C-USA: 1-1

Ivy: 0-1

MAC: 0-1

MAAC: 3-0

Mountain West: 1-2

NEC: 0-1

OVC: 0-1

Pac-10: 1-1

SEC: 1-1

Sun Belt: 0-2

WAC: 0-2

WCC: 1-1

Most of this goes according to form. The great showing by the MAAC in a rare moment in the limelight is refreshing. The poor performance of the CAA in same is disheartening to an Old Dominion grad like myself. Iowa's struggles continue, giving the Big Ten their lone loss of the 24 hours, which is baffling - Iowa coach Lickliter was phenomenal at Butler. On the flipside, typical Big East also-ran DePaul scored a late victory to uphold the best single showing by a league in yesterday's matchups.

Stat Hounds

Artsiom Parakhouski (Radford): 31 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists vs. Lynchburg (Non-DI)

Alexander Starling (Bethune-Cookman): 28 points, 14 rebounds vs. Edward Waters (Non-DI)

Maurice Bolden (Southern Mississippi): 29 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks vs. Loyola of Louisiana (Non-DI)

These guys obviously loaded up on junk food, while others played meaningful games on TV. Nonetheless, I love it that Southern Mississippi opened their season with Louisiana-Lafayette and Loyola of Louisiana, both of which ESPN abbreviates as some variation of LA-LA.

Categorical Undeniability (excluding Non-DI games)

Points: 33 - Aubrey Coleman (Houston) vs. Nicholls State

Rebounds: 17 - Mike Davis (Illinois) vs.Northern Illinois

Assists: 13 - Travon Woodall (Pitt) vs. Binghamton

Blocks: 6 - Anthony Johnson (Fairfield) @ Maryland

Steals: 6 - Damian Saunders (Duquesne) @ Iowa; Jeff Allen (Virginia Tech) vs. UNC-Greensboro

In general, ESPN has scored a big hit with the 24-hour Tip Off Marathon. Journalists, television personalities, fans and bloggers have made it a point of pride to stay awake for the entire event. Schools that have a tough time getting on air are being watched zealously by millions of eyeballs, albeit at strange times of the day (6 am in New Jersey for St. Peter's vs. Monmouth was strange, but fun).

Call the second annual marathon of hoops a win-win for everyone who loves college basketball.

Kansas Vs. Memphis Basketball: Jayhawks Defeat Tigers, 57-55

2009-11-18T01:07:41Z

ST. LOUIS — Cole Aldrich had 18 points, 11 rebounds and blocked five shots, helping top-ranked Kansas overcome a sloppy night to hold off Memphis 57-55 in a rematch of the 2008 national championship game Tuesday.

Kansas (2-0) led most of the night despite 21 turnovers, but could never shake the scrappy and supposedly overmatched Tigers.

Gonzaga Basketball Vs. Michigan State: Spartans Beat Bulldogs, 75-71

2009-11-18T00:43:42Z

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Durrell Summers hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:02 left, made two at the line with 5.7 seconds to go and finished with 21 points to help No. 2 Michigan State rally for a 75-71 win over Gonzaga on Tuesday night.

The Spartans (2-0) won their 41st straight game at home against a nonconference team, extending a streak that started after a lost to Duke on Dec. 3, 2003.

Kevin Coble, Northwestern Basketball Star, Out For Season

2009-11-16T11:23:27Z

If Northwestern is going to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since it started playing the sport 104 years ago, decades before the tournament ever began, then the Wildcats will have to accomplish it without their leading returning scorer and two of the four seniors on the roster.

Harrison Barnes UNC bound, Duke loses out

2009-11-13T20:00:00Z

The next Shane Battier is going to ... North Carolina.

Man, this one has to hurt Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils staff.

Coach K had been recruiting the nation's top-ranked player, Harrison Barnes, longer than his Tobacco Road rival.

Jordan's Son To Miss Games For Rule Violation

2009-11-12T08:37:34Z

Michael Jordan's son will miss games due to playing in a three-on-three event during the summer, according to the AP. Jeff Jordan announced that he would leave the team in June, but reversed course in October.

Jeff Jordan is not the only one of Michael Jordan's sons to make headlines this month. Last week, Michael's youngest son Marcus cost the University of Central Florida a $3 million Adidas contract by insisting on wearing white Air Jordans.