UVA 65, Clemson 61

18-3 (5-2). Best defensive team in the country. On to the next one.

All Larry Bird Team

Larry Legend was known as a great shooter, a great trash-talker, and a great player in crunch time. But what really set Bird apart was his desire to win, his drive to motivate his teammates and the fact that he never took a play off. In today’s game, there are a lot of great players, but very few who really put it all on the line every night. Below is this year’s All Larry Bird team in college basketball:

PG – Aaron Craft, Ohio State – I remember watching Aaron Craft play at the beginning of his freshman season last year and thinking to myself, “Is this little kid Thad Matta’s nephew? Otherwise, how the hell is he starting on the best team in America?” Forty minutes later, I had my answer. Aaron Craft is all over the place, all the time. He throws his body around with reckless abandon and has to be the most annoying guy in basketball to bring the ball up the court against. He is top-20 in the nation in steals per game and needs to get some more shots to boost his scoring (8ppg).

SG – Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky – Even though this kid is just a freshman, he brings the type of energy and effort to the court each night that I would expect from a 5^th year senior. He’s a stat-sheet stuffer (averages 13, 8, 2, 1, and 1) and it’s amazing to watch him play in stretches where he literally dominates all aspects of the game on the both the offensive and defensive sides of the floor.

SF – Robbie Hummel, Purdue – You have to give Hummel a ton of credit. Two years ago, people were talking about him being a first round draft pick. Two knee surgeries later, Hummel is back on the court doing work, getting over 15ppg. The rest of his stats might not be as gaudy as these other guys, but he nailed a huge game-winner on Saturday against Northwestern that would have made Larry Legend proud.

PF – Kevin Jones, West Virginia – Kevin Jones is only 6’8” and is never the most gifted athlete on the floor, but the guy leads the nation in offensive rebounding. He has improved every year that he has been at West Virginia and plays the type of tough nosed ball that Bob Huggins teaches his kids. He’s putting up Player of the Year type numbers (21 and 12) and still plays harder than anyone else on the court.

C – Arnett Moultrie, Mississippi State – As is the case with many transfers, Moultrie showed up this year with something to prove. And boy, has he made a statement. After putting up pedestrian stats at UTEP the last two years, Moultrie is averaging 17 and 11 and has 5 straight double doubles. Unfortunately for Moultrie, he plays with (hands down) the laziest player in college basketball in Renardo Sidney, so he has to play with enough effort to make up for 2 people.

Oh. Yes. He. Did. That.

DeSagana Diop: somewhere, Shaq is laughing.

Oh. No. He. Didn't.

Kendrick Perkins, meet Blake Griffin.

Headshot Faceoff - Tony Bennett

Looks like UVA might have found its newest sponsor - Papa John's.

More Props for Utah State's Student Section

This "Wild Bill" character is hilarious. Could Mason Plumlee shoot 20% from the FT line with that guy in the background? Not a chance.

Missouri - A More Clownish Version of Murray State

If I went to Mizzou, I would not be happy about this getting around...

Murray State Means Business

The Racers are 21-0 and sitting at #9 in the Coaches Poll. And now they have an anthem.

I Smell a Mismatch

Are those rims 8 feet or is the other team's center 5'8"? Regardless, Mamadou is making his presence felt.

Headshot Faceoff - Ryan Kelly

Coach K is Breeding Rats in Durham. Unfortunately for Duke, Master Splinter's game is soft.

 

Doug McDermott is Overrated

Don't get me wrong - Doug McDermott can play. The guy averages 24 and 8 and is one of the most efficient guys in the country, shooting 62% from the floor and 50% from 3. But all of this talk about him being the best player in college basketball has to stop. When you play for your dad, you usually get your shots (see the Barons at Rhode Island and the Drews at Valpo) and when you play in the Missouri Valley Conference, you can get stats. Below are highlights from his best game of the season, a 44 point outburst against Bradley. You be the judge.

Anthony Davis or John Henson would send that stuff into the rafters.

Saturday Rundown

Win of the day:
Towson 66, UNC-Wilmington 61 - most teams get amped up for games against ranked teams. Teams in the CAA get up for the Towson game. Why? You lose and you are the laughingstock of the league. Prior to the game, Towson was 0-21 and had lost 41 straight games.

Robbery of the day:
(4) Syracuse 63, West Virginia 61 - The ending of this game was a complete joke. Are these refs blind? No goaltending? If I was Bob Huggins, I would rip off my sweatsuit and verbally assault the guys in stripes.

Upset of the day:
Iowa State 72, (5) Kansas 64 - Kansas lost its first Big 12 game as Royce White made Player of the Year candiate Thomas Robinson look human. I thought that Fred Hoiberg was still playing for the Bulls, but apparently he's orchestrating upsets in Iowa.

Utah State - Winning Team

It is tough to get a W at Utah State. Forget about the Cameron Crazies - this is the best home court advantage in college basketball.

UVA 61, NC State 60

17-3 (4-2). Best defensive team in the country, allowing only 23 in the second half on the road. On to the next one.

Headshot Faceoff - Tyler Zeller

Did George McFly come back to the future and get together with Sloth? You be the judge.


 

Ben Howland = Donald Sterling?

Things are not going so well in Westwood. Yesterday, I read an article praising UCLA for its impresive win over Utah, a team that has won a total of 5 games this season. The Bruins are led by the Wear twins (softies who supposedly transferred from UNC because they were homesick) and Josh Smith (fattest player in basketball) and will probably be lucky to make the NIT this year. How the mighty have fallen.

Is Ben Howland having trouble bringing talent to UCLA? Quite the oppposite. Howland brough in 3 consecutive top 20 recruiting classes from 2008-2010. However, Howland has done his best Donald Sterling impression and driven five guys out of Westwood who are proving to be quite the players. (Note: for those of you who do not know Donald Sterling, he is the controvercial owner of the L.A. Clippers who has been notorious over the last 2 decades for refusing to pay a market rate to his best players to keep them in town.)

Below is a list of guys who have transferred from UCLA and would currently be on the roster:
Chace Stanback (#15 UNLV) - 14.7ppg, 4.6rpg
Mike Moser  (#15 UNLV) - 14.2ppg, 11.7rpg (3rd in the nation)
Drew Gordon (New Mexico) - 12.7ppg, 10.7rpg (11th in the nation)
Matt Carlino (BYU) - 12.2ppg, 4.5apg
J'Mison Morgan (Baylor) - 6'11" 250lb monster who is redshirting
* UCLA's leading-scorer Reeves Nelson left the team in December to play pro ball in Lithuania.

That squad would be, without a doubt, a top-25 team and a group that would be undefeated in the pathetic Pac-12. Instead, UCLA is struggling to get wins. It makes you wonder whether Howland has lost his ability to manage his players and evaluate the talent on his own roster.

Howland had a great run in the mid-2000's when he took his teams to 3 consecutive Final Fours, so the program is going to give him some leeway. But if he can't start producing in the next two years (the #2 player in the nation Kyle Anderson is a UCLA commit), the UCLA AD needs to bring in some new blood. It's time for UCLA to get back to where it should be.

Scott Wood Keeps It Real

I appreciate players who speak their minds. Reporters ask idiotic questions all the time and players just take it. Not Scott Wood. When a reporter asked Wood how frustrating it was to never have beaten UNC after N.C. State's 19-point loss to the Tar Heels, Wood compared his frustrations to the reporter's wife cheating on him.

Classic. Even though Wood likes to stroke 3s, he doesn't care to stroke the egos of the media.

Scott Wood is frustrated