Primarily a collection of news links about all 11 Horizon League teams on a daily basis, culled from online newspapers, school athletic websites, the conference website, and school newspapers, plus some other content from time to time.
Super sophomores: The future is not the just future; it is the now, and Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward proved it. This was capsulated by the big shots each made down the stretch and a unlikely tip in by Favors with 1:25 left followed by Hayward’s clutch 17-footer 45 seconds later.
With Jefferson sitting out, Favors got the start at the center spot and played extremely well. He managed to stay out of foul trouble for the first time this young season, which enabled his 20-point, 11-rebound outing in the middle.
Not to be outdone, Hayward turned in a very efficient evening: 15 points (5-of-9 FG, 1-of-2 3-pointers, 4-of-4 FT) along with three assists and two blocked shots. He played heady defense against Philadelphia’s impressive group of swingmen.
FORWARDS: Paul Millsap had an off shooting night and is taking too many 3-pointers, but played hard like usual and finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Gordon Hayward hit a clutch jumper with 30.2 seconds left to give the Jazz a 101-97 lead, and also made some nice passes in crunch time. Howard played 24 minutes and did a decent job, although he shot just 2-for-6 from the field. Grade: B+
With four starters — Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, Gordon Hayward and Paul Millsap — scoring in double figures, and two of them — Millsap and Favors — coming up with double-digit rebounds as well, this lineup looked much more focused and cohesive than the one that got slapped around in those lopsided losses at L.A. and Denver. ... But Miles, Kanter, Watson, Favors, Howard, Hayward and Harris took turns coming up with huge plays down the stretch to put Utah back on top, feeding off the home-court crowd and refusing to let the Sixers regain the lead.
"We did a lot better," starting small forward Gordon Hayward said. "We weren't perfect and we made a lot of mistakes, and we still have a lot of work to do. (But) we definitely played with a lot more energy. We played like teammates, and it was a good start for us." ... Hayward also had his best outing of his second season, scoring 15 points, including a clutch jumper in the final minute, and totaling three assists, two rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
“It was great to win, especially in front of our fans,” said Gordon Hayward. “They were great. … Obviously, we still have a lot of work to do. But this feels good to win.” ... Hayward came off a screen by Derrick Favors and buried an open 18-footer to make it a two possession game with 30.2 seconds left.
“We had run that a lot during the night and had some success, so we stuck with it,” Hayward said. “D-Fav set a monster screen and got me open.”
Significantly, Hayward was ready and willing to take the shot.
“They had sagged off before,” he said. “I knew if they did the same thing I’d be ready to pull the trigger.” ... Hayward shrugged and said, “I think we were just competing, playing hard, playing with more energy. When you do that you are going to make mistakes -- trying to be aggressive.
“We’re a young team. We’re going to make mistakes. We’re not going to be perfect. But it’s about how you respond to those and we did a much better job tonight.”
When the battle was over, coach Tyrone Corbin breathed easier, laughed loudly and spoke with pride. Gordon Hayward, 21, talked of confidence — reacting instead of thinking, pulling the trigger instead of just passing. And Derrick Favors? The 20-year-old power forward who didn’t learn he was starting at center until he saw Al Jefferson’s name removed from a locker-room dry-erase board about 45 minutes before tipoff took the next step toward what he spent last summer striving for. ... Forced to go young with Jefferson out, Corbin turned to Favors, Hayward and 19-year-old Enes Kanter during crucial stages of the game. Kanter responded with six big rebounds and two strong, quick moves in the paint. Hayward finished with 15 points on an efficient 5-of-9 shooting, and he drilled a key 18-foot jump shot with 30.2 seconds to go that made it 101-97 Jazz.
The basket put Philly away and was the first sign the No. 9 overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft could one day be a deadly late-game closer for a Utah team without a true No. 1.
“That’s one thing about becoming a pro: You’ve got to be able to take those shots,” Hayward said.
GROWING PAINSRookie point guard Norris Cole struggled in the second game of his first home-away back-to-back. After exploding for 20 points against the Celtics on Tuesday, Cole was 2 of 8 from the field for five points on Wednesday against Charlotte. He then took the day off on Thursday, choosing to rest rather than attend an optional practice.“It was an adjustment; it was different,” Cole said. “But it’s something I can definitely get used to. I’m going to have to, obviously.”
Heat rookie Norris Cole scored eight points in eight minutes midway through the second quarter. His running floater with gave the Heat 39-26 lead. Cole finished with 12 points 30 minutes, his most as a pro.
Norris Cole scored 12 for the Heat. ... True to form, he scored 15 points in the first quarter, and the Heat flustered the young Wolves into six turnovers and 39 percent shooting. Cole then scored six of the Heat's first eight points in the second quarter for a 39-26 lead, and it looked like Miami was pulling away. ... Then James turned the third quarter into a one-man dunk contest, soaring through the air for three straight that put the Heat back in control. He threw down a windmill, a baseline lob from Cole and a final one-handed hammer for a 78-72 lead.
Four more mid-major matchups to watch ... Sat. 2:00 pm: Milwaukee @ Butler: Milwaukee looks like they may end up being the class of the Horizon League this season. But until Butler loses their grip -- completely, as in they are knocked out of the Horizon League tournament -- I won't believe that anyone else is going to win a game in that conference.
FORWARDS: Starting power forward Derrick Favors grabbed 10 rebounds, but scored just two points on 1-of-4 shooting in less than 17 minutes of play. It was a performance that doesn't necessarily scream to Utah head coach Tyrone Corbin that he deserves to start over Paul Millsap, who scored 13 points on an effective 6-of-9 shooting with eight rebounds in nearly 22 minutes.
Gordon Hayward had a nice line with 10 points and seven assists, but backup Josh Howard didn't quite maintain his play against the Nuggets in shooting just 2-of-9 from the field. Jeremy Evans was essentially a non-factor in 13 minutes. It hardly seemed like anyone could put a body on Nene, who scored 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting. Grade: C
Center Al Jefferson scored 10 of his team-best 19 points in the first quarter after missing 14 of 16 shots against the Lakers. But Utah's starting five of Devin Harris, Raja Bell, Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Big Al still didn't completely click, falling behind 28-23 after the first 12 minutes. ... C.J. Miles also had 13 points, while Hayward and Harris added 10 points apiece.
But Utah had 22 turnovers — "sign of a careless team," Corbin said — and got outrebounded 45-39 by a squad that obviously wanted this one more.
"It's early and we do need to find out who we are," Hayward said. "I think it will be good to go home and have a day to watch some film, find out who we are as a team and hopefully come back and play with a vengeance."
That means Utah fans hoping to see more playing time allotted to Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, Alec Burks and Enes Kanter might be in the weird position of agreeing with and laughing at something Barkley had to say.
The other four starters will remain the same, with Devin Harris (point guard), Raja Bell (shooting guard), Gordon Hayward (small forward) and Al Jefferson (center).
Despite hinting after the loss to the Lakers he might tweak Utah’s starting lineup, Corbin decided to stick with an initial rotation of Devin Harris, Raja Bell, Gordon Hayward, Favors and Al Jefferson against the Nuggets.
Butler Bulldogs Resume: 28-10. Horizon League Regular Season and Tournament Champions. National Runners-Up. won 14 consecutive games. Currently 6-7 with wins over Purdue and Stanford. ... Best Game of 2011 ... No.8-seed Butler 71, No.1-seed Pittsburgh 70, NCAA Tournament - March 19th ... Best Coach in 2011
Jim Boeheim, Syracuse Jim Calhoun, UConn Jon Calipari, Kentucky Steve Fisher, San Diego State Mike Krzyzewski, Duke Thad Matta, Ohio State Shaka Smart, Virginia Commonwealth Bill Self, Kansas Brad Stevens, Butler Buzz Williams, Marquette
Brad Stevens' club is lucky to have two very solid wins against Purdue and at Stanford. But there's not a realistic chance for them to do enough to get in as an at-large. Which means they'll need to win the Horizon. And losses to Evansville, Valpo and Ball State don't make that prospect seem all that likely.
Cleveland State 72, Toledo 64 — With all the Military Bowl wackiness keeping us busy, little did we have time for a sneakily good game which had the Rockets up by six points at halftime against the Horizon League's best team. But turnovers cost them down the stretch as the CSU seniors salted away what turned out to be a very mellow victory for them. Curtis Dennis led all Rockets with 14 points.
Also, if you didn't hear, Ryan Majerle, Thunder Dan's nephew, is transferring. Odd time for this to happen, but he probably did this now so he'll only have to sit out two more semesters and pull a Curtis Dennis; rejoin someone after the fall 2012 semester.
(3) When the O goes broke, they're toast. The common theme in Vandy's four losses is easy enough to identify: vs. Cleveland State: 0.83 points per possession; vs. Xavier: 0.91 points per possession; vs. Louisville: 0.91 points per possession; vs. Indiana State: 0.83 points per possession. In every other game (save for the rock fight against Oregon State), the 'Dores have produced an offensive efficiency of at least 113 (1.13 points per possession).
There isn't a single consistent culprit for the low offensive outputs in those four losses: the losses against Cleveland State and Indiana State, for example, were the product of hideous shooting days (39.2 eFG% against CSU, and 44 eFG% against ISU) and a ton of turnovers (21 vs. CSU, 15 vs. ISU), while the loss against Xavier seems tied to Vandy's inability to get to the line (just 12 throws attempted, for a free throw rate of 18.8%) and getting slaughtered by X on the offensive glass (Xavier had 25(!!!) offensive rebounds, good for a 51% O-reb rate).
Vanderbilt isn't exactly bad defensively (no opponent has cleared an offensive efficiency of 112 against them), but they're not great either, and when the going gets tough, they haven't been able to get enough stops to make up for their inconsistent offense. Xavier, as noted earlier, grabbed offensive rebounds at their leisure, and Indiana State managed an eFG% of 52.9 in their win at Vandy.
After a long night on Tuesday in the Heat’s 115-107 win over Boston — one in which backup Norris Cole stole the spotlight and most of the playing time — Chalmers rebounded with a season-high 15 points and four assists against just one turnover. ... Chalmers had committed six turnovers against Boston and watched as Cole played 29 minutes and scored 20 points. ... Cole played just 10 minutes, and finished with five points and one assist. Chalmers said he’s fine with the way Spoelstra goes with the point guard who’s playing the best on any given night.
ILLINOIS-CHICAGO at No. 19 GREEN BAY (8 p.m. Thursday at Kress Events Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin)
Horizon League play gets underway Thursday for these two schools, and whoever wins this game will have a slight upper hand with plenty more basketball yet to play. UIC (7-4) has wins over Northern Illinois, Roosevelt and Eastern Illinois in its last three games following a three-game losing streak. Green Bay (10-0) has handled two Mid-American schools and one Big Ten squad in the last three victories. The Phoenix’ 65-49 win over Wisconsin was most impressive, keyed by 29 points and eight rebounds from Julie Wojta. This could be a close game, but don’t be surprised if Green Bay runs away with the contest. If the Phoenix blow out UIC, then Green Bay might skate all the way to the Horizon League title.
3. Wunderkind coaches, More mid-major madness. The Butler Magic that made the 2010 NCAA tournament one of the most memorable of all time was expected to be a one-year phenomenon -- a fairy tale only fit for the Bulldogs' hometown of Indianapolis. And then it happened again, in more improbable fashion. Three seed lines lower this time (at No. 8), Butler had to prevail in back-to-back, down-to-the-buzzer games against Old Dominion and top-seeded Pitt (an upset that featured the most absurd, foul-ridden ending I've ever seen), solve Wisconsin's hyper-efficient offense and then survive overtime against Florida to reach the Final Four ... where it turned out the Bulldogs weren't even the biggest surprise in Houston.
VCU, one of the teams in the inaugural "First Four" -- a nice way of saying it was among the last teams picked for the newly expanded field of 68 -- reeled off a string of five upsets to become the first 11-seed to reach the Final Four since George Mason, in 2006. The Rams introduced the nation to Team Swag, and the motivational tactics and charisma of 33-year-old coach Shaka Smart made him an overnight star. The only coach who could derail the VCU express was the game's preeminent wunderkind, 34-year-old Brad Stevens, who completed one of the greatest feats in modern tournament history by getting Butler to back-to-back title games. That the Bulldogs lost the finale in miserable fashion shouldn't overshadow that achievement.
4. Inexplicable foul helps Butler beat Pittsburgh: Snake-bitten Pittsburgh has fallen short of a Final Four berth each season under Ben Howland and Jamie Dixon, but never have the Panthers been denied March glory in such a heartbreaking way. First Pittsburgh appeared to benefit from a referee's whistle when Shelvin Mack fouled Gilbert Brown with Butler ahead by one and 1.4 seconds remaining. Then it was the top-seeded Panthers who were victimized when Brown's second free throw rimmed out and Nasir Robinson went over the back of Matt Howard vying for the rebound. The result was a 71-70 Butler victory that left both teams dazed and propelled the Bulldogs to their second straight appearance in the national title game.
Growing pains: Each of the young guys—Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks, and Enes Kanter—took his lumps in the season opener. Due to two quick fouls, Favors sat out the final 20 minutes of the first half. He finished with eight points and six rebounds in 19 minutes. After a dominant performance the last time he visited STAPLES Center, Hayward was quiet with seven points.
FORWARDS: Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors combined for 15 points on 7-15 shooting from the field and matched Lakers starters Devin Ebanks and Josh McRoberts. However, Los Angeles' Metta World Peace scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds in 27 minutes to give the Lakers the edge. Paul Millsap seemed to be the only Jazzman that deserved to be on the same floor as the Lakers, scoring 18 points on 7-15 shooting from the floor with eight rebounds in 27 minutes. Josh Howard's play was encouraging, scoring 10 points while playing half the game. Grade: B-
Coach Tyrone Corbin cautioned against overreacting. Center Al Jefferson said the Jazz must stick together. Devin Harris and Gordon Hayward know Utah missed way too many makeable shots. ... Down by 29 during the fourth quarter, Utah watched early-game miscommunication turn into in-game yells, and the faces of everyone from Raja Bell to Gordon Hayward tightened.
Even with Wade and LeBron on this team, Norris Cole still provides a spark — an extra gear that the Heat doesn’t get from Mario Chalmers, and certainly didn’t get from any of its point guards last season.Cole only cemented his place in Heat fans hearts this early in the season by hitting a pair of huge jump shots late in the game, when the Celtics closed to within arm’s reach of the Heat and continued to play that zone that forced Miami into a few too many outside shots.It doesn’t hurt that he apparently loves the big moments, with 14 of his 20 coming in the final period.
The more aggressive offense suits the Big 3, and so does the increased familiarity with one another. Udonis Haslem’s return to health makes a big difference. Defense-minded veteran Shane Battier was a smart addition. And rookie point guard Norris Cole will be a significant energy charge off the bench if Tuesday night’s whirling-dervish show by him was an indication.Underline that last sentence.Cole was on the floor in the crucial closing minutes Tuesday, and had 20 points.“A pace-changer,” Spoelstra called him. “Our immediate spark plug.”As an aside, can you imagine being this kid coming into this team?“My first week of training camp my eyes were a little big,” he admitted before Tuesday’s game, with a smile. “You see LeBron, D-Wade, Chris Bosh, Juwan Howard of the Fab Five … it was an eye-opening experience.”Cole has the potential to make starting point guard Mario Chalmers slowly disappear, and is one reason why the Heat is better. By a lot.
5. Horizon League (58-52) Versus Pomeroy top-50: 2-15 (Butler 2-2) Versus top-25: 0-14
It's unclear who's on top of the Horizon. Butler (6-7) has made a late charge with attention-grabbing wins over Stanford and Purdue following head-scratching losses to Ball State and Evansville. Meanwhile, Milwaukee's losses are all against top-50 teams, and Cleveland State (11-2) runs the most efficient defense in the conference, at 0.92 ppp.
No offense is ranked higher than 100th among the teams in the Horizon (at 1.04 ppp, Valparaiso is ranked 100 by Pomeroy).
The Jazz open the season tonight, having addressed some pressing issues. In the last 18 months, they've added players who can fill more than one position, such as Josh Howard, Al Jefferson and Gordon Hayward. They've become bigger by picking up Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter. And they got deeper by bringing on Earl Watson and Alec Burks.
What the Jazz haven't resolved is who should be their alpha dog. Right now, there is no team leader. They govern by committee. If a player has something to say, he just says it. There's nobody really there to set him straight. ... Favors is too inexperienced and soft spoken. Josh Howard is too new and his future with the Jazz unclear. C.J. Miles is too laid back, Watson too temporary, Gordon Hayward too agreeable, Enes Kanter too, well, Turkish.
But, realistically, unless everything falls into place and guys like Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward, Paul Millsap, Devin Harris, Raja Bell, Josh Howard, Miles and Jefferson exceed expectations, it looks like this "Route 66" will wind up with something more in the neighborhood of a 31-35 finish.
Role: Guard/forward looks to pick up where he left off as rookie, giving team added outside shooting, defense and athleticism.
Quote: "Excited, ready to get this under way — definitely. After watching the games (Sunday), it makes you want to play basketball. It'll be good to finally start playing."
Will Utah’s offense again feature a methodical half-court, inside-out attack that saw power forward Paul Millsap and center Al Jefferson combine to average 35.9 points and 17.3 rebounds during the 2010-11 season? Or will second-year coach Tyrone Corbin gradually open up the Jazz’s offense in the attempt to increase outside scoring options and take inside pressure off his bigs, in turn giving more freedom to everyone from Harris and C.J. Miles to Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks? ... But what could separate the 2011-12 Jazz from last season’s failure is depth, which is mainly derived from youth. Howard and Jamaal Tinsley should improve Utah’s standing at small forward and point guard; Miles finally appears comfortable with the idea of consistency; and the emergence of potential young stars such as Derrick Favors and Hayward could give Corbin a variety of options to choose from in the nightly attempt to exploit matchup advantages.
If Al Jefferson starts at center and Devin Harris opens at point guard, Corbin’s biggest decisions will be Gordon Hayward or C.J. Miles at small forward and Paul Millsap or Derrick Favors at power forward.
Corbin could start Hayward and Miles and bring veteran shooting guard Raja Bell off the bench, but he might want Bell to open as the primary defender on Kobe Bryant.
The Jazz’s 18-23 road record tied for the 11th best in the NBA, more than adequate for a playoff team. But they were only 21-20 at home, tied for 22nd. Beyond that, only a few memorable performances came at home: The Jazz scored the game’s last 11 points against the Lakers, Deron Williams and C.J. Miles combined for 58 points against Orlando, and Gordon Hayward scored 34 points in the finale against Denver. ... The Jazz do have a promising future, with Hayward, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Alec Burks and the potential of two more lottery picks in 2012. The issues are how long it will take them to get back to the playoffs, just how bad they will get before getting better and how their fans will view them during that process.
John Wall is still flying upcourt at warp speed, trying to see if the fourth-youngest team in the league can catch up with him. They can’t, which is part of the problem.
You almost wish rookie point guard Shelvin Mack played alongside Wall on occasion just to slow the tempo down, so that many of the half-court set Wizards could contribute offensively.
