Hawkins leads OK Baptist past Azusa Pacific 84-83
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Fans were cheering and confetti was dropping from the roof as if Oklahoma Baptist had just beaten Azusa Pacific 84-83 in a hard-fought championship game of the NAIA.
But had they? Officials huddled over a television monitor, making sure the Marshall Johnson's 15-footer, which went through the net and would have been the game-winner for Azusa Pacific, had come after the buzzer.
After a few minutes, an official stepped onto the floor and waved Johnson's bucket.
Finally, the Bisons of Oklahoma Baptist, from Shawnee, Okla., could celebrate winning the championship of small-college basketball.
"We've been in this game before and hadn't won it. This is an unbelievable feeling," coach Doug Tolin said. "You don't realize until your guys do it how unbelievable it all seems."
Azusa Pacific, trying to be the first 13 seed to win this tournament since Grambling in 1961, took an 83-78 lead with 1:50 left on two free throws by Mike Danielian.
Oklahoma Baptist's Nate Brumfield cut it to 83-80 with a basket and Hawkins made a free throw to shave another point off the lead.
Then Brumfield, the NAIA player of the year, grabbed an offensive rebound, kicked it out to Hawkins, and he drilled an uncontested 3-pointer, putting the Bison on top 84-83 with 31 seconds left.
"Definitely the biggest shot of my life," said Hawkins, who led the Bison with 21 points. "I had an opportunity to be a senior, and it was time for me to step up with a wide-open jump shot."
Hawkins said he wasn't worried as both teams stood tensely and awaited the officials final ruling on the desperation heave by Marshall Johnson.
"I felt like he didn't have a chance," Hawkins said. "I felt like the game was over."
With Oklahoma Baptist holding a one-point lead, players from both sides dived for a loose ball and a tieup was called, with the possession arrow to Azusa Pacific.
The Cougars inbounded with 19.3 seconds to go, but Reggie Owens' pass went off Dominique Johnson's fingertips out of bounds.
Azusa Pacific coach Justin Leslie emerged from his locker room red-eyed.
"I couldn't be more proud of these guys," he said. "They had lots of opportunities to lay down and quit and they just wouldn't do it. It was a great basketball team against a great team and we gave it all we had."
Let there be no controversy regarding that final shot, Leslie said.
"I just wanted them to take an honest look at it. And they did," he said. "I saw the replay as clearly as anybody. The ball was in his hands when the light went off."
Oklahoma Baptist inbounded with 16 ticks left. Emmanuel Wilson was fouled and went to the line but missed both, setting up the final, futile shot for the Cougars.
Johnson had 24 points for Azusa Pacific and Owens had 17.
Kevin Swinton scored 19 for Oklahoma Baptist and Brumfield had 15.
Copyright 2010 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press.
1 vs. 16 usually lopsided in NCAA tourney
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -The NCAA tournament is famous for the little guys shocking the marquee powerhouses and turning into the darlings of March.
Upsets happen.
In every region, every year.
With one lopsided exception: No. 1 vs. No. 16.
When brackets are e-mailed to the office staff after the 65-team field is set, typing the "W" in that 1-16 matchup is about as automatic an annual occurrence as ringing in the New Year on Dec. 31. With good reason: The Washington Generals have better odds at victory over the Harlem Globetrotters than a No. 16 seed does over a No. 1.
100-0.
That's the career record for No. 1 seeds against 16th seeds since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
Yet those unlucky 16s, sometimes schools you never heard of from small college towns across America, always think big even if they should pack light.
This year's likely one-and-doners: Lehigh, East Tennessee State, Vermont and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Those four have a combined 17 tournament appearances. Top seeds Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse and Duke have a total of 14 - as in NCAA national championships. All but the Wildcats have won a title in the past 10 years.
Yet, the rallying cry from these small schools is the same every season:
Why Not Us?
Why not indeed? Because if there was ever a bracket where the 1-16 matchup might merit a little more study, perhaps it's this one: Syracuse vs. Vermont. After all, this upset has happened before, only five tournaments ago.
In 2005, it was a 3-14 matchup.
Win on Friday, and the Catamounts would not only add to their lore as Orange squeezers, they'd pull off one of the monumental upsets in sports history.
"When I saw that name pop up, it fired me up a little bit," said Andy Rautins, a fifth-year senior with the Orange who grew up in Syracuse. "I think everybody around Syracuse took that loss to heart. It's definitely going to be a payback game."
If the game is even tight at halftime - or especially in the waning minutes - that would be enough of a stunner. The No. 1s usually destroy and demoralize the 16s by halftime - and make CBS want to cut away to a more competitive game.
No No. 1 wants to become the answer to a trivia question.
"Yeah, it enters your mind. You don't want to be the first school to lose to a 16 seed," Kentucky guard John Wall said on Wednesday. "They could come out and hit a lot of shots and they might get the lead and feel confident. We've just got to go out and play basketball like we've been doing this whole season, and don't overlook no team."
Last year, top-seeded UConn beat Chattanooga 103-47 in the third-largest margin of victory ever in the NCAA tournament. But two other No. 1s - Louisville and Pittsburgh - won their games by 10 points.
And remember, the 16 over 1 upset has happened once in the women's tournament: Top-seeded Stanford lost to Harvard in 1998.
Eastern Tennessee State was also a No. 16 last season when it threatened Pittsburgh. Coach Murry Bartow said the near-miss helped his team gain confidence and makes them believe they can finish the job this season.
"I think the mental part of it is big, that, 'Hey, we can win this game if we do these things well,"' he said. "I think our guys really believe that. Obviously, we're smart enough to know we'll have to play our best game of the year."
Sometimes the underdog sneaks in some body blows and jabs that stumble the heavyweights.
An overwhelming underdog in its first NCAA tournament appearance in 2006, Albany led No. 1 Connecticut 50-38 about 8 1/2 minutes into the second half. The 21 1/2-point favorite Huskies were flustered in Philadelphia until, well, they remembered how top seeds are supposed to dominate and used a 20-4 run to snuff the Great Danes' upset bid.
There have been other "can you believe this?" moments in the first two days of the tournament.
- 1989. East Regional. No. 1 Georgetown, 50, No. 16 Princeton 49.
Ivy League champion Princeton was considered so little of a threat that ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale said before the game he would hitchhike to Providence, R.I., where the game was played, if the Tigers won.
"I'm going to be their ballboy on their next game, and then I'm going to change into a Princeton cheerleading uniform and I'm going to lead all the cheers. Let's go Tigers! Let's go Tigers! ... Never happen," Vitale said.
Almost did.
The Tigers led Alonzo Mourning and Big East power Georgetown for most of the second half and were only 3 minutes away from the shocker.
Mourning put the Hoyas ahead 50-49 lead with 23 seconds left and blocked a pair of shots late - including a controversial non-foul call - to hold on for the win.
"I knew how they played and I didn't want to play against that system," former coach John Thompson said on Wednesday.
Thompson, back in Providence to support his son, the coach of the third-seeded Hoyas, is always reminded of one of the most famous close calls in tournament history.
"I always tell them their claim to fame was that they almost beat us," he said. "I heard Bobby Knight say this and it's very, very true what Bobby said, the emphasis on seeding was never significant to me. I never went into the tournament being concerned about who was seeded against who."
- 1990. Southeast Regional. No. 1 Michigan State 75, No. 16 Murray State 71, OT.
The Ohio Valley champion Racers pushed the Spartans in regulation and became the only No. 16 seed to lose in overtime.
"It was one of those situations where you think you're going to go out there and have an easy game because you hadn't heard of the school," former MSU star and current assistant coach Dwayne Stephens said by phone Wednesday. "The game got tight and the longer we let them stick around, we got tighter. Luckily, Steve (Smith) made some baskets to get us out of the jam."
Murray State's Greg Coble sank a 3-pointer as time expired to send the game into OT. Murray State had future NBA player Popeye Jones - the kind of prospect most of the automatic losers don't have on their roster. Jones had 37 points and 11 rebounds, one reason why they led 68-67 late in the game.
The Spartans were understandably nervous about being on the wrong end of history.
"Heck yeah. We didn't want to be the first one to lose to a 16. It was bad enough we went to overtime," Stephens said.
Mike Peplowski, another player from Michigan State's team, was only thinking about pulling off the win.
"I was so young, I didn't know the significance of what happened until much later," said Peplowski, who was a redshirt freshman during the 1989-90 season. "Now, I can only imagine what it would be like to watch a game like that now as a fan, thinking, 'Oh my God, a 16 might be a 1.' It definitely almost happened to us."
- 1996. West Regional. No. 1 Purdue, 73, Western Carolina 71.
Western Carolina, making its first trip to the tournament, had two chances to tie or win in the final seconds after Purdue's Brad Miller missed the front end of a one-and-one with 11.6 seconds left.
Western Carolina point guard Joel Fleming then put up a high-arching 3-pointer that missed. But the rebound came out long and Catamount Joe Stafford grabbed it and fired up a running 15-footer that also missed as the buzzer sounded.
"I felt we could make history as the first number one seed to lose to a number 16. That's the kind of history I make," Purdue coach Gene Keady said after the game.
Copyright 2010 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press.
Wake plows to 64-61 win over Virginia
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Wake Forest weathered one of deepest snowstorms in the recorded history of Charlottesville, Va., yesterday to record a victory that any team in college basketball would be proud to bring home.
With its defense providing the traction, the Deacons plowed to a 64-61 overtime victory over Virginia in front of a John Paul Jones Arena more than half filled with what students, staff and faculty that were able to trudge to the game.
"It was surprisingly loud in there, and they filled up the whole bottom bowl," senior Ish Smith said. "I give a lot of credit to the Virginia fans.
"It was one of the loudest atmospheres we've played in front of this year."
By 3:30, the Deacons had escaped the inclement clutches of Charlottesville and were southbound down Route 29 with a 16-5 record and 6-3 mark in ACC play going into Tuesday's home game against Boston College. Not even a 28-point performance by sophomore Sylven Landesberg could keep Virginia from falling to 14-7 and 5-3 with its second loss of the season to Wake Forest.
"It's a great win for us," Coach Dino Gaudio said. "And I told the kids right before the game, `I said, you know what? At 3 o'clock this afternoon they're not going to say there was a lot of snow, we were stuck in a hotel, the arena is just filled with students. They're going to say did you win or did you lose?'
"That's what it comes down to. That's the bottom line. A couple of the times in the huddle I said, `Hang in there, hang in there. We'll find a way.' They found a way to win at the end."
The way was familiar for a team that ranks fourth in the ACC with a field-goal percentage defense of .373. The Deacons held the Cavaliers to 22 field goals on 65 attempts -- the exact totals from their 69-57 victory over Virginia in Joel Coliseum on Jan. 23.
But unlike the earlier game, when the Cavaliers shot 21 percent in the first half and 44 percent in the second, the Deacons yesterday imposed their will more and more as the game progressed.
After making 12 of its first 21 field-goal attempts on the way to an early 14-6 lead, Virginia hit only 10 of 44 over the final 35 minutes. Mike Scott, the Cavaliers second-leading scorer, poured in 10 points in the first 10 minutes, but didn't score again while missing his final 10 field-goal attempts.
"They came out on fire," Smith said. "But we really did weather the storm. Coach said, `We're not playing particularly our best game, but we're still in striking distance.' "
After Al-Farouq Aminu's free throw gave Wake Forest a 44-43 lead with seven minutes remaining in regulation, the Deacons never trailed again. A three-point play by C.J. Harris extended the lead to 53-48 with 3:43 left, but Virginia rallied to tie the game at 53 on a free throw by Jontel Evans and at 55 on a basket by Landesberg awarded with 14.5 seconds remaining when Aminu was called for goaltending.
Smith, who led the Deacons with 15 points to go with seven rebounds and five assists, missed an outside shot with three seconds remaining. Teammate Ari Stewart rebounded but was unable to get a follow shot off before the buzzer.
Although replays showed that Calvin Baker of the Cavaliers grabbed Stewart's arm, official Bernard Clinton, who was standing nearby, made no call.
"I know he hit him on his arm," Smith said. "But you know what, I respect every call the refs make. They allowed us to play toward the end. I respected the call, even though we'd have liked to have had it.
"I should have made the shot, so it shouldn't have gotten that far."
Gaudio protested the no-call, and then turned his mind back to his business.
"I went into the huddle and said, `You guys are basketball players. How about this? You get to play another five minutes,' " Gaudio said. "That's exactly what I told them.
"That's so they weren't like hanging their heads."
Stewart got his revenge on the first possession of overtime, when Aminu rebounded a miss by Harris and fed Stewart outside for a 3-pointer and a 58-55 lead. Aminu's follow shot with two minutes remaining gave Wake Forest a 61-57 lead, and Smith followed with maybe the game's biggest basket a possession later.
After Landesberg's jumper from the right corner pared the lead to 61-59, Smith split a double-team trap, whizzed past Will Sherrill and arched a shot over the reach of 6-9 Jerome Mayinsse and through the basket for a 63-59 lead with a minute remaining.
"I feel like at my height you've got to have a floater," Smith said. "Tony Parker, Steve Nash, Chris Paul, those guys have it.
"I had missed some of them, but thank God I hit the one that mattered and it was a big one."
Smith left the door open for one last Cavalier comeback when he made one of two free throws for a 64-61 lead with 41.9 seconds left, but Landesberg missed a jumper from left of the key and Sherrill missed a 3-pointer from the left corner.
"That's usually the key for us, our defense," Aminu said. "And that's what allowed us to beat them."
WFU Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A PF Pts
Aminu 35 4-9 5-7 3-10 1 2 13
McFarland 26 2-2 1-3 1-6 0 5 5
Smith 44 7-18 1-4 1-7 5 2 15
Harris 37 3-8 3-5 0-2 0 0 10
Williams 35 4-5 0-2 3-9 0 2 8
Clark 5 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Stewart 19 2-8 1-2 2-4 0 0 7
Weaver 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 2 0
Woods 20 3-5 0-0 4-4 0 5 6
Totals 225 25-57 11-23 16-46 6 18 64
Percentages: FG .439, FT .478; 3-Point Goals: 3-12, .250 (Stewart 2-4, Harris 1-3, Aminu 0-2, Smith 0-3); Team Rebounds: 4; Blocked Shots: 8 (Aminu 3, Woods 2, McFarland, Weaver, Williams); Turnovers: 13 (Aminu 3, Smith 2, Woods 2, Harris, Stewart, McFarland, Weaver, Williams); Steals: 4 (Smith, Stewart, Harris, Clark); Technical Fouls: McFarland.
VA. Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A PF Pts
Scott 29 5-15 0-1 5-10 2 2 10
Meyinsse 24 1-2 1-2 2-3 0 1 3
Evans 25 1-6 1-2 1-1 2 4 3
Zeglinski 25 1-6 0-0 0-4 3 3 3
Landesberg 39 8-19 10-11 1-7 3 1 28
Farrakhan 28 3-7 0-0 1-1 2 0 7
Baker 15 0-3 0-0 0-1 3 0 0
Sene 11 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 3 0
Sherrill 25 3-7 0-0 2-3 0 4 7
Jones 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 2 0
Totals 225 22-65 12-16 15-34 15 20 61
Percentages: FG .338, FT .750; 3-Point Goals: 5-19, .263 (Landesberg 2-5, Sherrill 1-3, Farrakhan 1-4, Zeglinski 1-5, Baker 0-2); Team Rebounds: 3; Blocked Shots: 1 (Meyinsse); Turnovers: 9 (Scott 3, Zeglinski 2, Landesberg, Sherrill, Sene, Farrakhan); Steals: 5 (Landesberg 2, Evans 2, Scott); Technical Fouls: None.
Wake Forest 29 26 9 -- 64
Virginia 34 21 6 -- 61
A--11,972
(c) Winston-Salem Journal.
College basketball: McCamey's floater saves Illini
Illinois coach Bruce Weber has complicated relationship with Demetri McCamey.
Weber knows the junior guard is his best player, but he has spent the better part of three seasons riding McCamey for his work habits.
On Saturday, Weber had to love McCamey.
The stocky guard dribbled past a tight Indiana defense that didn't give him many options and sank a one-handed floater off the dribble to beat the Hoosiers at the buzzer 72-70.
"He's had a bunch of chances to win games," Weber said. "The one thing we told him is to go to the basket no matter what happens. And he did get to the basket. I get after him about his dang floaters all the time, but this one went in, so obviously it's a positive thing."
McCamey said he practices the shot every day.
"I knew it was good when it left my hand," he said.
McCamey scored 19 points and had a game-high eight assists to lead the Illini (14-8, 6-3) into a tie for second in the Big Ten with Wisconsin. It also kept the Illini's NCAA tournament hopes alive.
Indiana (9-11, 3-5) missed a chance to even its record. But coach Tom Crean said his team did everything he wanted except win.
"All you can ask your team is to do everything it can do," he said. "We did. We just didn't have the last possession."
The Hoosiers outrebounded Illinois 35-33, hit 19 of their 23 free throws and nailed nine three-pointers. And even with 35.0 percent shooting, they were tied 36-36 at the half, led most of the second half and gave themselves a shot at overtime when they tied the game at 70 on two free throws by Jeremiah Rivers with 22 seconds left.
That left Illinois with the ball and set the stage for McCamey.
With 4.4 seconds left, slumping Illini forward Mike Davis had the ball at the top of the key, but Illinois coach Weber called a timeout. The junior has started almost every game of his career but has lost his starting spot the last two games during a scoring drought.
Weber said he wanted to put the ball back in McCamey's hands, which he did.
McCamey inbounded the ball to Bill Cole, who fed it right back.
With no quick passing option, McCamey drove the right side of the lane, lifting his floater just ahead of the buzzer for the victory.
"It was just a play for us to go back door, and they did a good job of switching and forced me to go to the basket," McCamey said.
Added Crean: "Demetri McCamey made a tough shot, obviously."
The Illini fought back in a furious final four minutes that included a three-pointer by Cole to tie the game at 64 and four free throws by Mike Tisdale in the final two minutes to give them a short-lived 70-68 lead.
Tisdale finished with 12 points and a game-high seven rebounds.
Indiana (9-11, 3-5) was led by Champaign native Verdell Jones, who scored 22. They included eight points in a late-first-half run that turned a 32-20 Illini lead into a halftime tie.
Devan Dumes stole the ball from Illinois' D.J. Richardson and sank a looping jump shot from just shy of midcourt at the buzzer for the tie.
"It was great momentum," Crean said. "They were all very excited. They had never flinched when they were down in the first half."
Illinois started strong, opening that 12-point edge on a dunk by freshman Tyler Griffey with 3:32 left in the half.
But Illinois lost its way to the basket over the next three-plus minutes, and the Hoosiers found theirs.
The four most important of Jones' points came in a sequence with just over two minutes left in the half.
Jones hit the first of two free throw attempts to cut Illinois' lead 34-26, then missed the second. But Rivers grabbed the rebound and kicked the ball out to Jones waiting just beyond the three-point line. The sophomore made the shot, pulling Indiana within 34-29.
Since losing three in a row to Michigan State, Purdue and Northwestern this month, Weber and his players have talked about the slim margin of error they had if they wanted to make the NCAA tournament. That's because the Illini, after heading to Iowa on Wednesday, play their next four against Top 25 teams: Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Purdue.
Just minutes before McCamey saved them from a loss that would have severely hurt their chances at the postseason, Weber shot McCamey a long, angry glare during a timeout after the guard had made back-to-back bad passes.
The coach said McCamey has developed a thick skin because he has been yelled at a lot since he came to Illinois.
"With Demetri's personality, as soon as we let up, he chills," Weber said. "I will stay on him. I will not let up."
(c) 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
McKnight destined to return to Springfield?
It may have gone unnoticed in some circles, but the location at which the new California career boys basketball coaching record was set may have been all too appropriate.
The setting: the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass., a showcase event sponsored by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The record: a 79-71 victory by Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) over DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) that gave 28-year Monarchs coach Gary McKnight a California-best 844 wins.
DeMatha's nationally known program was built by 46-year coach Morgan Wootten, who retired in 2002 with a national-record 1,274 wins. Two years before he retired, Wootten became the only high school coach inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame.
McKnight may one day join Wootten in the shrine, which is filled with college and professional athletes and coaches.
"I think there are deserving coaches on all levels who should be considered," McKnight said. "Among the active coaches, I would think Bob Hurley and Jack Curran would be excellent candidates, among others."
Both are candidates, according to Hall of Fame staffer Matt Zeysing. Hurley, who has more than 950 wins at St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.), has been a finalist the last three years. Curran, the coach at Archbishop Molloy (Jamaica, N.Y.), is New York's all-time winningest coach with more than 900 victories to his name.
And, of course, there's McKnight, who has only 77 losses on his record. His 91.6 winning percentage tops even the 86.8-percent recorded by Wootten.
"Having a class guy, and great coach, like Morgan Wootten in the Hall of Fame opens the door for others," McKnight said. "His influence in high school basketball is far reaching.
"I heard him speak at coaching clinics and first talked with him in 1983. A year later, we arranged for our team to travel to Washington, D.C., and play games against DeMatha and St. John's ... We played the game and DeMatha won. But we managed to even the score, 1-1, vs. DeMatha with our win this season in Springfield."
During his career, Wootten declined offers to coach at major colleges, and McKnight appears to be following in his footsteps. He says he's content at the high school level and has no intention of retiring.
"I love what I do and there's no timetable (to retire)," said McKnight, 57. "Mater Dei is a great school and everything has come together here for me and the program.
"I had some local college feelers, but this is where I want to coach."
(c) 2009 ESPN Internet Ventures.
Mid-Major College Basketball Power Rankings
Now that we've passed the mid-way point in the 2009-10 college basketball season and are well into conference play, we will be releasing a bi-weekly ranking of the top 10 Mid-Major teams. Why did we wait so long? Because just like in college football, its rather pointless to rank teams without knowing how they preformed legitimate number of games. Furthermore, its important to realize that unlike most polls, these are not projections. It is simply an aggregate ranking of the Top 10 teams, as they are playing today, and not how they are projected to finish at the end of the season.
1. Northern Iowa
The Northern Iowa Panthers land at the #1 spot for two reasons. Firstly, they are owners of the best record in Mid-Major college basketball at 15-1, including rattling off 14 straight wins. Secondly, the Missouri Valley has in the past, and certainly is today, the strongest Mid-Major conference in college basketball. So the 6-0 league start definitely adds credibility to the resume, but they will be tested next week with their game at Missouri State.
2. Gonzaga
The poster child of the successful mid-major, the Gonzaga Bulldogs has not disappointed in the 2009-10 season, currently holding 13-3 record and #14 national record. With wins over Oklahoma, Illinois, Wisconsin and Cinnci, the Zags have one of the best non-conference resumes in all of college basketball.
3. Butler
Not surprisingly, the second most tradition rich mid-major program of the last decade, Butler University, follows Gonzaga at the #3 spot. With a record of 12-4, including 6-0 in conference, the Bulldogs are ranked #22 in the national polls. Admittedly, their only solid non-conference wins are against Ohio State and Northwestern, but the Butler Bulldogs should have no problem steam rolling their way through the Horizon League once again.
4. Cornell
Representing the smart kids, the Cornell Big Red takes the #4 spot in our rankings. After taking #1 Kansas down to the wire last week, any quibbling that Cornell couldn't hang with the big boys was silenced. With a 14-3 overall record, including wins against St. Johns and Alabama, Cornell should capture the Ivy League title if it can take care of Harvard. Even if they fall, expect no less than an NIT bid (if not a possible NCAA at large) for the Big Red.
5. Wichita State
The team with the coolest nickname in all of college basketball, Wichita St. Shockers has already matched its win total from last year, boasting a gaudy 16-2 record and a chance to take over the #1 spot in the league with a win against UNI this week. Although Wichita State's non-conference schedule has been lack luster their win against Texas Tech provides the Shockers with a solid point on their resume.
6. Old Dominion
Winners of last year's inaugural CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, the Old Dominion Monarchs has gotten off to a 13-5 start with solid non-conference wins over Georgetown, Marshall and Charlotte. The Monarchs have as good a team as anybody in the CAA and should be in the title hunt till the very end.
7. Saint Mary's
After cruising to a 15-2 record, the Saint Mary's Gaels fell to perennial league champion Gonzaga in its toughest test on the season. Regardless, since losing to Gonzaga seems to be the status quo around the WCC, Saint Mary's should still contend for the league title if the Zag's slip up against the way. A win against Portland should solidify their chances at capturing at least a share of the league title this year.
8. William and Mary
After putting together 4 wins in 7 days to open up Colonial play, including going 2-1 in 3 games decided by a single point, the William & Mary Tribe has solidified itself as a conference contender in the CAA. With strong non-conference wins against Wake Forest and Maryland, the Tribe should be able to challenge league favorite Old Dominion for the leagues coveted auto-bid to the NCAA tournament. Even if the conference championship eludes them, they should be all but locked for a NIT or CIT bid.
9. Siena
The mid-major darlings of the last two seasons, in which they progressed to the second round of the 2008 and 2009 NCAA tournaments, the Siena Saints are in good shape to capture their 3rd league title and 3rd NCAA tournament bid in as many years. Admittedly, at 13-4, the team lost every non-conference test they faced so a loss in the league tournament would lead the Saints on the outside of the NCAA bubble looking in.
10. Western Carolina
The surprise mid-major team of the season, the Western Carolina Catamounts have gotten off to a fast 13-3 start, including a victory at Louisville. Western should have no trouble putting away the rest of the Big South and should challenge Charleston and Chattanooga for the league and tournament title and an NCAA bid. Regardless, you can pencil in the Catamounts for a CIT bid at the very least.
(c) 2010 Sportsblogs, Inc.
Big 12 basketball breakdown
A look at how the Big 12 teams outside of Oklahoma fared during the nonconference season and where they rank in the race for the conference championship.
Oklahoma State
Season record: James Anderson (above) and the Cowboys are 12-2 (.857 win percentage is fifth-best among Big 12 teams in nonconference play).
Best wins: Travis Ford's team collected awayfrom- home victories against Utah, Bradley and Stanford, but none of those teams are in the RPI top 100. The Cowboys' only top 100 RPI win came against Pacific (No. 83). The next-best wins are Bradley (102), Texas-San Antonio (113), Stanford (132) and La Salle (141).
The losses: Both defeats were away from home against top 100 RPI opponents -- No. 4 Rhode Island and No. 74 Tulsa. A 21-point loss to TU came in OSU's first true road game this season. The Cowboys salvaged their best nonconference record since starting 14-1 in 2006-07.
Conference outlook: It's a priority for Obi Muonelo and OSU to defend homecourt because this could be the most difficult year ever to rummage for Big 12 road victories.
Big 12 teams are 105-1 so far in home games.
Regardless of the quality of opposition, that's a ridiculously good homecourt mark.
NCAA outlook: It's this simple. Post a winning record in league play and get invited to the NCAA Tournament. OSU's RPI was 37 entering the Big 12 season. Collegerpi.com projects Ford's team to finish the regular season with a 9-7 conference record and an RPI of 17.
Oklahoma
Season record: Willie Warren (above) and the Sooners are 9-5 (.643 win percentage is tied with Colorado for last in Big 12 nonconference play).
Best wins: Jeff Capel's Sooners showed signs that they were coming on with back-to-back wins over Arkansas (67-47) on Dec. 2 and Arizona (79-62) on Dec. 6. Granted, the Razorbacks and Wildcats are struggling this season.
But it's the only time this season OU showed signs it truly cared about playing defense.
Worst losses: Any of the five qualify. The Sooners were barely competitive on national TV against Gonzaga and UTEP. VCU beat OU, but lost to Western Michigan, William & Mary and Northeastern. San Diego and Houston beat OU in Alaska. Their RPIs are 160 and 172, respectively.
Conference outlook: OU picked a bad year to be lousy on defense. KU and Texas average 87 points to rank in the top four nationally. Missouri, K-State and Texas Tech average over 80.
OSU's James Anderson and Iowa State's Craig Brackins are lethal, and Baylor's LaceDarius Dunn and CU's Cory Higgins are close to that.
NCAA outlook: A winning record in a league as strong as this year's Big 12 should get you into the tournament. So while the Sooners, with an RPI of 132, have done nothing to help their chances to this point, they can still make a run in conference play.
THE TOP CONTENDERS
Kansas (14-0)
Nonconference review: The Jayhawks looked sloppy in beating Memphis and uneven in beating UCLA, Michigan and California. Their 84-52 destruction of Temple in Philadelphia on Jan. 2, however, was befitting the nation's No. 1 team.
Why they can win it: The Jayhawks have the league's best point guard in Sherron Collins, best big man in Cole Aldrich and most exciting freshman in Xavier Henry. Plus, they should feast on the North.
Texas (14-0)
Nonconference review: No team nationally has done more to this point. The Longhorns defeated then-No. 9 Michigan State and then-No. 10 North Carolina. They won at Arkansas. And they hammered Pittsburgh, a 13-2 team that recently gave Syracuse its first loss.
Why they can win it: Not even Kansas has the Longhorns' depth. And remember, the Jayhawks must come to Austin on Feb. 8, when Dexter Pittman could supplant Aldrich as the Big 12's premier center.
OTHERS TO WATCH
Kansas State (13-1)
Nonconference review: The ''other'' school from Kansas plays a mean second fiddle to KU. Kansas State owns a nation-best seven victories against teams in the top 100 of the RPI. Mississippi dealt the Wildcats their only loss.
Why they could surprise: KSU (led by the Big 12's secondleading scorer, Jacob Pullen) is the baseball equivalent of a ''tough out.'' The Wildcats started league play 0-4 last season, then won nine of their last 12 conference games.
Baylor (12-1)
Nonconference review: The Bears aren't one of those ''homecourt hero'' teams. They beat Xavier, Arizona State, Arkansas and South Carolina away from Waco. The only loss came to Alabama in Orlando.
Why they could surprise: Baylor has been guard-powered under Scott Drew, but Michigan transfer and Edmond Santa Fe alum Epke Udoh has upgraded the Bears' defense and rebounding.
He posted a triple-double (18 points, 17 rebounds, 10 blocks) in the nonleague finale.
Texas Tech (12-2)
Nonconference review: Tech began the season 9-0, and the best victory came in overtime against Washington, a top 50 RPI team. The Red Raiders are 2-2 on the road, losing at Wichita State and New Mexico.
Why they could surprise: Coach Pat Knight has experience at an important position.
Junior point guard John Roberson leads the Big 12 in assists. How valuable is he? He leads the league in minutes played.
Texas A&M (11-3)
Nonconference review: A solid nonleague body of work came with a cost. Forward Derrick Roland, A&M's second-leading scorer, saw his senior season come to a premature end when he suffered a Joe Theismann-type broken leg in a Dec. 22 loss to Washington.
Why they could surprise: Good things will happen if senior guard Donald Sloan can remain steady. He shoots nearly 50 percent from the field and is averaging more than 19 points over the last seven games.
Missouri (12-3)
Nonconference review: The reigning Big 12 Tournament champions are 5-2 against top 100 RPI teams but suffered a loss outside the RPI top 100 when they stumbled on the road against Oral Roberts University.
Why they could surprise: Missouri leads the league in steals and turnover margin.
The Tigers turn up the pressure at home and have won 29 consecutive games at Mizzou Arena. Can they steal a few games on the road?
Nebraska (12-3)
Nonconference review: The Huskers head into conference play with a dozen victories for the third time in history and the first since 1994-95. They followed their best win, 74-70 over Tulsa on Dec. 22, with their worst loss, 88-66 to BYU the next day in Las Vegas. Their RPI is 97.
Why they could surprise: They play rugged defense, and they can shoot. Problems are going to be health, as key guard Brandon Richardson has a sore back, and depth, particularly inside.
BACK OF THE PACK
Iowa State (10-4)
Nonconference review: The Cyclones' RPI (144) is worse than OU's. They did accomplish something the Sooners couldn't by beating Houston, 82-75, in double overtime. But they also were blown out in games against California (82-63) and Duke (86-65).
Is there any hope?: Craig Brackins has the kind of talent that attracted 19 NBA scouts to last week's Iowa State-Duke game. It's a matter of getting him consistent help from the likes of Marquis Gilstrap and Lucca Staiger.
Colorado (9-5)
Nonconference review: The Buffaloes had better losses than OU, falling in overtime to Arizona and by four to Gonzaga. But they had no wins of consequence and, as a result, take an RPI of 217 into Big 12 play.
Is there any hope?: The Buffs are 8-0 at home for the first time in 27 years. And they do have Cory Higgins, who scores 18.4 points per game.
(c) Tulsa World
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