6 Hours, 4 Wrong Predictions, and 1 Overtime Later

At ten till two, I sat down on my couch, preparing for the six hours of basketball that would follow. Yesterday, I gave you my predictions for whom would win the five best games of the day. At ten till two, I was very confident with those very predictions.

Duke 82, Xavier 64

At ten after two? Not so much. Around that time, Duke was already on their way to a rout of Xavier, a complete annihilation which surprised everyone. Xavier hadn't look so out-of-sync all season; they hadn't turned over the ball so much all season. The result of these problems was expected. The Blue Devils cruised to an 18-point victory that wasn't even so close as the score may lead one to believe.

The lead was so large so late in the game that the final ten minutes were not shown on CBS. They switched their viewers to the much more dramatic Michigan State/Texas showdown, but more on that later.

This game belonged to Duke. They jumped out to an 18-1 lead on eleven points from Jon Scheyer, whom I have been waiting all year to have a breakout game like he did today. He finished the game with 23 points on a remarkable 9-for-11 on field goals and 5-for-7 on three-pointers.

The other two players that led Duke were 7-footer Brian Zoubek and the uber-athletic Gerald Henderson. Zoubek scored the first three points of the game and finished 9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks, and without a missed field goal or free throw. Henderson had 19 points on 7-for-13 shooting with many of his field goals coming somewhat later in the first half.

For the Musketeers, not much was going right until the second half began. They actually outscored Duke in the last twenty minutes, but the self-dug hole they were in at halftime was too much to overcome.

In that first half, Sean Miller's squad had ten turnovers, many of which led to layups at the other end courtesy of Duke. They couldn't get in a rhythm offensively and, although they held a size advantage on their opponents, their struggles with scoring on inside shots were clear as day.

Player of the Game: Jon Scheyer, Duke: 23 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals. His near-perfect shooting keyed the big 18-1 run to open the game for the Blue Devils.

Most Valuable Player: Brian Zoubek, Duke: 9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks. The 7-footer's presence alone deterred and altered many shots; his stat line doesn't accurately show how important of a role he plays for Coach K's team.

Best Losing Effort: Derrick Brown, Xavier: 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists. He shot better than 50% from both the field and long range but didn't really get going until the second half.

Michigan State 67, Texas 63

A more exciting game than the Duke/Xavier one, but I only caught about eight or ten minutes of game action so I don't have a whole lot to say about it. From what I did see, however, Kalin Lucas has improved his play tremendously over the summer, and the return of Goran Suton for the Spartans spells trouble for the rest of the Big Ten.

Suton, in his second game back from an injury, pulled down only two boards but made his mark on the offensive end with a team-high 18 points. Kalin Lucas controlled the offense for Coach Izzo and proved that he has the ability to lead his team deep into March. Raymar Morgan, Michigan State's best player when he wants to be, had a rough game with only eight points and five rebounds, both below his season averages.

If you're Texas, there were a couple reasons you lost. First, A.J. Abrams couldn't score. They sent him off screen after screen and even had him handling the ball at times but to no avail. He finished with eight points on 3-for-10 shooting from the field. Second, the Longhorns need to handle the ball down the stretch. They had a few turnovers that cost them the game.

A Durrell Summers three with 19 seconds left put the Spartans ahead and in position to win, but Summers was more vital than just that huge bucket late in the game. He played tough D and finished with an impressive all-around stat line.

Player of the Game: Durrell Summers, Michigan State: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal. This game was a coming-out party for the 6-4 sophomore, who is a very good shooter and terrific defender.

Most Valuable Player: Kalin Lucas, Michigan State: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists to 1 turnover. Drew Neitzel's replacement is finally looking like a capable scorer and playmaker for the Spartans. His worth goes beyond the stat lines, and it showed in a game like today's.

Best Losing Effort: Damion James, Texas: 15 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block. The 6-7 wingman recorded his fourth double-double of the year, but it wasn't enough to secure the win for his team.

UConn 88, Gonzaga 83 (Overtime)

A.J. Price is possibly the best point guard in America. Anyone who watched him today would at least agree that he's certainly in the top three. After nailing an improbable three-pointer to send the game into overtime, Price rallied his Thabeet-less troops (the big man had fouled out 22 seconds into OT) to a victory over one of the nation's elite teams.

Gonzaga took the lead roughly two minutes into the second half and held onto it until 10 seconds were left when Price sank the aforementioned shot. So the game went to overtime where Thabeet fouled out on a controversial technical foul call. Then Micah Downs and Matt Bouldin fouled out on consecutive plays to join teammate Austin Daye on the bench, since he had fouled out at the end of regulation.

The result? The Zags couldn't score. Three of their best scorers were on the bench, and the rest of the team managed only nine points in five minutes. Downs's and Daye's absences also allowed UConn slasher (and leading scorer) Jerome Dyson to get to the hoop at ease. The Huskies outscored Mark Few's squad 14-9 and were the winners of the "Battle of Seattle."

As the announcers mentioned countless times, Gonzaga was successful when they attacked the basket. It either led to a layup or a pair of free throws or a wide-open three on the kick-out. Late in the game this started to happen less and less. They forced shots that weren't there. Part of this was also UConn's great defense, but a big part of the blame falls on the Bulldogs' shoulders.

Another reason as to why they lost was Jeremy Pargo. The senior leader for the team committed a few crucial mistakes that absolutely killed Gonzaga down the stretch. He threw an errant pass way down court one time; he over-penetrated another time. After his basket twenty seconds into the second half, Pargo only scored two more points, which came when the Huskies were playing dummy defense at the very end of overtime.

His effectiveness, or lack thereof, in the second half and overtime period was directly related to their losing control of the game. As a senior point guard, that shouldn't happen. In March, it can't happen.

Co-Players of the Game: A.J. Price, UConn: 24 points, 10 assists, 3 rebounds. He controlled the game, made the right decisions, and provided clutch scoring that was essential for the #2 team in the country to remain unbeaten.

Gavin Edwards, UConn: 14 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals. Off the bench, Edwards was exactly what the Huskies needed. He posted a double-double and made some very key plays in overtime and the end of regulation to win the game for his team.

Most Valuable Player: Jerome Dyson, UConn: 21 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1 block. A great all-around stat line along with a 10-for-12 performance from the free throw line was invaluable to UConn. He pulled down rebounds, scored, and dished to the big guys down low after the Zags had lost some of their interior strength.

Co-Best Losing Efforts: Austin Daye, Gonzaga: 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals. The versatile sophomore cemented himself as one of the best in his class today. When Heytvelt was out, he made Thabeet play him all over the court. When Heytvelt was in, Daye could have been found taking advantage of the shorter defenders. My only complaint is that he sometimes gets himself into too much trouble by dribbling into traps and over-penetrating.

Steven Gray, Gonzaga: 23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists. The 6-5 sophomore performed way above his season averages and provided scoring for his team when many of Gonzaga's leading scorers were fouling out.

Curry Watch

I missed the entire game because I was watching Gonzaga and UConn, but Steph Curry's stat line reads of only 13 points, way below his average of 32. Even worse is that he shot a horrid 5-for-26 from the field and 2-for-12 on threes. (That will put a damper on the shooting percentages.)

One must be happy with his eight rebounds, six assists, and three steals, but not so happy about his six turnovers. Are teams starting to figure him out? It's hard to say.

Purdue has really been the first team to keep him from scoring a bunch on them while also winning the game. The Wildcats didn't have a chance with the halftime lead of 23 being too much for them to come back from. The final score was 76-58.

Syracuse 72, Memphis 65

Between the overtime of the Gonzaga/UConn game and my dinner, I only saw about ten minutes of action in this one. From what I did see, though, Jonny Flynn is one of the best scoring point guards in the country, and Roburt Sallie is a damn good shooter.

I said before that this game would be about who doesn't make more turnovers, and that certainly proved to be the case since Memphis committed 20 turnovers in a loss. Tyreke Evans and Antonio Anderson, two starting Tiger guards, combined for eleven of them.

Player of the Game: Jonny Flynn, Syracuse: 24 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals. Today must be the breakout day for sophomores, because this particular sophomore point guard led the Orange down the stretch and sealed the game with a couple of free throws, something that was very difficult all day for Syracuse.

Most Valuable Player: Paul Harris, Syracuse: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal. Whether it was a rebound the Orange needed greatly or a three as the shot clock was expiring, Harris was everything Coach Boeheim needed him to be today.

Best Losing Effort: Roburt Sallie, Memphis. This bench player made four of his six attempts from long range and kept the Tigers in the game with his timely shooting. More playing time should be headed his way.

It will be called "The Day of the Sophomores" from now on. So six hours, four wrong predictions, and one overtime later, here I am, just happy that the college basketball season is in full swing.

To contact this writer, you can email him at marchmadness14@gmail.com.

Game-Planning 2: A Six-Hour Basketball Saturday

Tomorrow is Saturday, which, for the past three months, has meant nothing but college football. Tomorrow, however, signals the start of some great college basketball action available every Saturday from the comfort of your recliner. What to watch? When to watch? I've got you covered.

Two Great Games But You'll Only See One

#22 Michigan State vs. #5 Texas

At two o'clock on CBS, most viewers in the southwest, midwest, and far west will be watching Raymar Morgan (17 points, 6 rebounds) and Michigan State take on A.J. Abrams (21 points) and Texas. The Longhorns are obviously favored but with good reason. They have impressive wins over Villanova and UCLA; their lone loss came at the hands of a very good Notre Dame squad.

Michigan State, on the other hand, lost to Maryland and North Carolina (embarrassingly) in the comfort of their home state. The Spartans' biggest win to date has been Oklahoma State. This game, on the road in Austin, seems to be a little too much for them to handle. Their best shot at winning is getting the inconsistent Morgan involved early to get him going. Kalin Lucas also needs to have a big game to offset the Texas backcourt a little bit.

Finally, Michigan State needs to win the rebounding battle. The point guard for Texas, Gary Johnson, is even averaging six per game. Damion James needs to be boxed out perfectly every single trip down the floor because anytime he isn't, he'll get the ball.

Personally, I seriously doubt Coach Izzo's somewhat-inexperienced squad can do all that in their first tough road game of the season. Texas will win this one by about ten or twelve points.

#7 Xavier vs. #6 Duke

For everyone living on the east coast, this game will be available at two o'clock as well on CBS. This particular matchup will be played in East Rutherford, New Jersey, between what should be a mixed crowd of Dukies and Musketeer fans.

Xavier has very good size in their scorers which should cause matchup problems for Duke's defense. Even more worrisome, it could lead big scorers like Kyle Singler (17 points) and Jon Scheyer (13 points) to the bench with foul trouble.

The Musketeers do not, however, have anyone that can match the size of 7-1 Brian Zoubek, who is having a very good year with averages of seven points and five rebounds per game. Xavier will also have to deal with the stingy defense of players like Nolan Smith, Greg Paulus, and Lance Thomas.

I wouldn't expect Coach K's team to put up 80 tomorrow because defense will be the key. They do not necessarily want to push the pace too much on a team that averages 72 points per game. I would expect them to slow it down a little bit and be prepared both mentally and physically after the wake-up call sent by Michigan earlier this month.

Xavier, for a mid-major, is far from untested this year despite what some may think about their 9-0 record. They have wins over the Big East's Cincinatti, the ACC's Virginia Tech, and last year's national runner-up, #12 Memphis. For those reasons along with the size on the perimeter, I'm picking Xavier to steal one from Duke.

Two More Great Games Yet Only One for Your Viewing Pleasure

After watching one of those games, don't even change the channel because coming up next will another great set of games.

#2 UConn vs. #8 Gonzaga

This game, starting at four on CBS, is a "rebound" game for the Zags, after being upset by Arizona earlier in the week. Those in the northeast and far west should get this one. Connecticut is just looking to preserve their unblemished record and get a solid win to add to their tournament resume.

The Huskies may have wins over ranked opponents such as Miami and Wisconsin, but no team will play them tougher in their non-conference schedule than Gonzaga. The "Battle in Seattle" will be played at a neutral location before a crowd that will certainly be pro-Bulldog.

UConn boasts a team with a great starting lineup and solid depth. Seniors A.J. Price (9 points, 4 assists) and Jeff Adrien (14 points, 9 rebounds) combine with juniors Jerome Dyson (15 points) and Hasheem Thabeet (15 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks) to form one of the best groups of upperclassmen in the entire nation, which is nice to see amidst all the players leaving after just one year to join the NBA ranks.

Mark Few's team, however, is a mix of the young and the old. The "old" is their point guard Jeremy Pargo, wingman Matt Bouldin, do-it-all guard Micah Downs, and big man Josh Heytvelt. The "young" refers to sophomores Austin Daye and Steven Gray, who combine to average over 20 points per game for the Zags.

The home crowd along with some payback for the loss to Arizona and a good shooting day could spell trouble for UConn. I'll take Gonzaga in the upset victory.

#20 Davidson vs. #18 Purdue

For the other four o'clock CBS game, Purdue will look for a way to stop Stephen Curry with those living in the midwest and south tuning in. Much has been made about the superstar Curry, but not so much regarding his underrated supporting cast.

Andrew Lovedale (14 points, 11 rebounds) is the perfect complimentary big man to Steph, while Barr and McKillop (the son, not the coaching dad) can stroke it from deep off penetration. Junior Steve Rossiter also contributes six points and seven rebounds and is a vital role player for the Wildcats.

Purdue is a shaky team right now. They lost two straight to ranked opponents in Oklahoma and Duke and haven't played a formidable foe since then. For them to win, their defense has to step up tremendously. They gave up 87 points to Oklahoma and 76 to Duke; that cannot happen if they want to beat Davidson, a team that has scored at least 70 points in all but one game.

Coach McKillop simply needs to have a good game out of Lovedale and Curry with contributions from the rest. I can't imagine that not happening; Davidson will win, and Purdue will fall even farther in the minds of many hoops followers.

No Regional Coverage; Everyone Sees This One

At the conclusion of either the Davidson/Purdue or UConn/Gonzaga game, flip the channel to ESPN for one last game between two ranked opponents.

#11 Syracuse vs. #21 Memphis

At Memphis, the Orange will continue to play among controversy being generated by guard Eric Devendorf, who could be out of college basketball altogether by the end of January. Can they look past that and focus on the game? That remains unclear. They weren't able to do it when they were upset by Cleveland State though.

The Tigers are still rebounding from the losses of Chris Douglas-Roberts, Derrick Rose, and Joey Dorsey. They have yet to establish a go-to scorer at the end of games and struggle mightily to put points on the board at times. Due to this, Coach Cal has made some minor changes to his offense, making the scouting report on Memphis even more difficult.

Of the five games in this article, this could be the closest one that goes down to the wire. Each team has their obvious strengths and weaknesses so it will come down to who can execute. And, honestly, who can you trust more: the inexperienced Tigers or the more-experienced-yet-still-inexperienced Orange? I'll take Syracuse because it won't be about who makes the least mistakes, but more about who doesn't make the most.

That's all, folks. Have a nice day and enjoy your college basketball; it's the best basketball there is.

Game-Planning Record This Year: 2-1

To contact this writer, you can email him at marchmadness14@gmail.com.

5 Minutes of Basketball

Basketball is finally in full swing, but that does not limit it to the United States. Two future lottery picks, Ricky Rubio and Brandon Jennings, faced off in Barcelona this past week. Jennings is known for his decision for forego college altogether and play in Europe for a year. Ricky's team, Joventut, ultimately defeated Brandon's, Roma, 97-93 in a game that proved both players have the ability to play in the League right now. Rubio was just coming off an injury and was essentially playing with one good arm so he didn't even attempt a shot yet still had a solid game playing defense and making good decisions on offense. Jennings, on the other hand, had 12 points and two assists in 22 minutes of playing time. Ricky and Brandon currently rank one and two, respectively, at the point guard position in the 2009 draft class.

From my point of view, Jennings is a better playmaker and will create more offense than any other player in next year's draft. Rubio, however, plays a much more well-rounded game. He plays superior defense, is bigger and stronger, and is one of a few players in the draft that can boast a resume that includes Olympic play.

They also have their weaknesses. Rubio is certainly not so fast nor so quick as other point guards like Ty Lawson, Jennings, and Jrue Holiday. His jump shot needs a little work as well. Brandon needs to become a better defender, first and foremost, and needs to add some bulk in the weight room before entering the L.

In the NBA, the Cavs' 11-game win streak was put to an end while the Lakers and Celtics continue to dominate and only further stoke the thoughts of a Finals rematch. LeBron James has been averaging 27, 7, and 6 in less minutes per game than last season. But don't mistake Cleveland for a one-man team because everyone is doing their part in having one of the best offenses and defenses the League has to offer. (LeBron, Mo Williams, Big Z, and Delonte West are all averaging double figures in points.) This team could be the Celtics' toughest test in the playoffs.

I find it particularly interesting that the Lakers, who featured a prolific offensive attack last season, have taken great strides to improve their defense, while Boston, home to last year's best defense, decided to change and improve their offense this year. Boston and LA are both outscoring their opponents by more than ten points per game so the changes seem to be working. The Lake Show (21-3) and the World Champion Celtics (24-2) are set to meet on Christmas Day. Stay tuned.

In college hoops, North Carolina may be the most impressive team, but Chapel Hill is possibly no longer home to the nation's most impressive player. The reigning National Player of the Year, Tyler Hansbrough, may be averaging 23 points and seven rebounds, but three other studs are making names for themselves as well.

Blake Griffin of Oklahoma has been annihilating opponents on his way to 23 points and 15 rebounds per game. Not only can he get out and run in transition, but Griffin can also use a very good spin move to drive around the defense and dunk or hit the fadeaway jumper from ten feet. I do, however, expect his averages to dip somewhat when the Sooners begin their conference schedule in January.

Another on my list is the boy who killed every single bracket last spring, Stephen Curry of Davidson. What's scary is the thought that he actually got better since last March. Currently, he's averaging 32 points, seven assists, three rebounds, and three steals per contest. Only nine games into the season, Steph has already notched six 30+ plus scoring nights. His quick release and ability to move without the ball make him even harder to guard.

Some basketball heads would stop their lists after those two. They are forgetting one tremendous player out West when they do this though: Arizona State's James Harden. His averages of 26 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals don't do him justice if you can believe it. The Sun Devils have failed to score 65 points in a game three times this season, making his scoring even more remarkable. Add to that the fact that he attracts double teams and traps quite often, and you have one hell of an overlooked player.

So that's what's new in the world of basketball. Have a good rest of the week. I personally cannot wait for the Gonzaga/UConn game Saturday. I'm really liking some of the matchups, such as the "Senior Floor General Battle" (Pargo versus Price). Four o'clock on CBS, fellas.