Thursday, November 19, 2009
Like I did during football season, for every UMass men's basketball game this season, I'll be giving out three stars to the top three performers from the Minutemen and keeping track of who earns the most three start points over the course of the season.
I'm putting a little extra weight on No. 1. So a No. 1 star is worth 5 points. A No. 2 is worth three and a No. 3 is worth 2.
Three Stars from UMass vs. Central Florida
Not a great game to choose stars from as the Minutemen struggled.
No. 1 - Terrell Vinson - The freshman looked much more confident with 11 points and four rebounds.
No. 2 - Ricky Harris - He wasn't terrific, but he had 26 points against a defense designed to stop him.
No. 3 - Anthony Gurley - Took good shots. Made 5-of-7 free throws.
Season-to-date points:
Terrell Vinson - 5
Freddie Riley - 5
Anthony Gurley - 4
Ricky Harris - 3
Javorn Farrell - 2
Game updates are at http://twitter.com/GazetteUMass.
UMass looked better than it did against Central Florida.
The defense still needs work, but had moments where the players seemed to get it a little better.
If David Gibbs or Gary Correia doesn't get better UMass is going to continue to struggle offensively. I think Kellogg did the right thing cutting Doug Wiggins loose, but the Minutemen could use him.
Vinson looked pretty good. I have a feeling he'll be playing closer to the basket as the season continues. Against a smaller team, he could have some big nights inside.
Still no Putney, which leads me to believe a redshirt is till very possible.
UMass needs some offense from Sean Carter.
Monday, November 16, 2009
This week John Wall will begin what figures to be a short college career.
LEADING OFF
With a couple of exceptions, last week was the college basketball equivalent of dipping toes into water as few good teams really challenged themselves. The cannonballs arrive this week as the final four of the 2K Sports Classic and the Puerto Rico Tipoff tournaments highlight a legitimate docket of games.
Top 24 - I decided on 24. I started to rank 20 and that felt restricting and 30 felt like too much. Since I'm not actually voting in the A.P. this year I didn't want to pick 25 and mislead anyone so this week's marks the debut of the top 24.
1. Kansas
2. Michigan State
3. Texas
4. Kentucky
5. Purdue
6. Villanova
7. West Virginia
8. North Carolina
9. California
10. Butler
11. Duke
12. Ohio State
13. Oklahoma
14. Washington
15. UConn
16. Missouri
17. Tennessee
18. Michigan
19. Georgia Tech
20. Louisville
21. Dayton
22. Georgetown
23. Minnesota
24. Siena
GAMES OF THE DAY:
MONDAY: Penn at Villanova - Not a great Monday at schedules go. But any matchup between two Big Five teams is worth paying attention to.
TUESDAY: ESPN 24 Hours of Basketball- Somewhere down the line it would be great if this event opened the season, but its still pretty fun where it is. This year's games include:
Memphis vs. Kansas, St. Louis, 10 p.m. - A rematch of the 2008 finals won't compare to that game, but the Tigers figure to give the top-ranked Jayhawks a true test.
Gonzaga at Michigan State, 8 p.m. - This Zags team isn't as good as some of the recent editions, but this is a terrific game never the less.
WEDNESDAY: Butler at Northwestern, 8 - This is a sneaky good game that could slip by a lot of people. But this is as good as Butler has ever been and Northwestern, a perennial doormat has a legitimate shot to make the NCAA Tournament this season.
THURSDAY: North Carolina vs Ohio State at Madison Square Garden, 9 - The Tar Heels are ranked awfully high for a team that lost a lot. Ohio State's Evan Turner could be the best player on the floor here.
Syracuse v, California, Madison Square Garden, 7, -The Orange always seems to be good in Madison Square Garden events in both November and March. But the young and rebuilding Orange will have their hands full with a very good Cal team that has a chance to make a name for itself in this event.
Dayton vs. Georgia Tech, Puerto Rico, 11:30 a.m. -Both of these came into the season with high expectations, this is a huge opportunity to deliver on it.
FRIDAY: Seton Hall at Cornell, 7 - The defending Ivy League champs have loaded up their schedule heavily. With a SEC win already in their pocket, the Big Red will try to add a Big East win.
2K Sports Classic games -Whatever the matchups of the winners and losers of Thursday's MSG will be worth watching Friday.
SATURDAY: Rider at Kentucky, 1 p.m. - Rider beat Mississippi State last week. This will be a much tougher task.
SUNDAY: Puerto Rico Classic Final - I'm guessing Villanova vs. either Dayton or Georgia Tech
Recommended Reading -
For the first time in a long time, there is legitimate optimism in November for St. Bonaventure basketball.
Question I don't know the answer to: How is Georgetown going to Savannah State? I know Horace Broadnax played at Georgetown, but that's still a stunning game for a top 25 team to play on the road.
Buzzer beaters
Keep your eye on Harvard. Yes Harvard. While the Crimson aren't likely to dethrone Cornell in the any time soon, they look more formidable than they have in quite a while.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Like I did during football season, for every UMass men's basketball game this season, I'll be giving out three stars to the top three performers from the Minutemen and keeping track of who earns the most three start points over the course of the season.
I'm putting a little extra weight on No. 1. So a No. 1 star is worth 5 points. A No. 2 is worth three and a No. 3 is worth 2.
Three Stars from UMass vs. Central Florida
Not a great game to choose stars from as the Minutemen struggled.
No. 1 - Freddie Riley - The freshman opened his career with 12 points.
No. 2 - Anthony Gurley - The junior had 14 points
No. 3. - Javorn Farrell - Nine points and a game best five rebounds.
Season to date points:
Freddie Riley - 5
Anthony Gurley - 3
Javorn Farrell - 2
Monday, November 16, 2009
For every UMass game this season, I'll be giving out three stars to the top three performers from the Minutemen and keeping track of who earns the most three start points over the course of the season.
I'm putting a little extra weight on No. 1. So a No. 1 star is worth 5 points. A No. 2 is worth three and a No. 3 is worth 2.
Three Stars from UMass vs. Northeastern
No. 1 - Tyler Holmes - The sophomore linebacker continues to be the best player on the Minutemen. After missing last week he had 14 tackles and clinched the season's Three-Star points award.
No. 2 - Perry McIntyre - The true freshman linebacker has been a bright spot in a disappointing year.
No. 3. - Josh Maurer - With no other Minuteman having a particularly noteworthy game, I'm picking the UMass radio broadcaster. After calling the hoop game in Orlando Friday night, Maurer caught a 5:20 a.m. flight back in time to call the football game.
Season to date points:
Tyler Holmes - 20
Victor Cruz-10
Jonathan Hernandez - 10
Tony Nelson - 10
Eric Dickson -9
Jeremy Horne - 6
Ke'Mon Bailey - 5
Kyle Havens -5
Armando Cuko - 4
Jeromy Miles - 3
Mike Mele -3
Perry McIntyre - 3
Emil Igwenagu - 2
Jared Chivers -2
Kurt Filler - 2
Chris Zardas -2
Josh Maurer - 2
