Wednesday's Shootaround--
Ballin' is a Habit
There were quite a few upsets last night:
* UAB 67, Butler 57: The Blazers built up a 16 point lead midway through the second half, but a furious rally by the Bulldogs cut the lead to two late in the second half. But UAB got three straight layups, the last with 44 seconds left, to hold on. Gordon Hayward had 12 points and 15 boards to lead Butler, but Matt Howard again struggled, finishing with 6 points on 3-8 shooting before fouling out. The Blazers were led by 18 points from Jamarr Sanders and held Butler to 34% shooting. It was the second straight big win for UAB, who was coming off of a win over Cincinnati.
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Other notable scores:
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* Ohio State 72, Cleveland State 59: David Lighty led the Buckeyes with 30 points as they pulled away in the second half from the Vikings.
The State of the Other 24: Week 2--
The Mid-Majority
8. Butler (Horizon League), 97.411, 8-4 (1-0)
Hmmm. Win a game, lose a game, and move up in our TS-24 ratings? Interesting. Either way, just when everyone thought Gordon Hayward was truly proving to be one of the best sophomores in the country, he went down to UAB with his Butler teammates and turned in a 12-point effort in a 67-57 defeat. The bigger issue? He was still the Bulldogs' leading scorer for the 7th consecutive game. Butler opens Horizon League play next week with visits from Green Bay and Milwaukee.
That’s Debatable: Revisiting the Butler-Xavier Fiasco--
Rush The CourtA Rush The Court Christmas List--
Rush The Court
nvr1983, RTC editor/contributor:
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5. Fire the guy running the clock at Hinkle. Somebody has to get some coal this Christmas…
Birmingham blog 3: Stay in Top 25 to end--
Indy Star Butler Insider
The Importance of Scheduling--
CollegeChalkTalk.comVikings Get Back to .500 With 74-63 Win Over Lake Erie--
csuvikings.com
Titans' Christmas Wish List--
detroittitans.com
Thursday's Shootaround--
Ballin' is a Habit
Wisconsin 68, Milwaukee 58: Jon Leuer scored 25 points, and the Badgers used a 19-8 run to close the first half before holding on down the stretch.
Stature matters little when it comes to expectations--
Milwaukee Journal SentinelA snowball effect--
Milwaukee Journal SentinelLeuer leads Badgers past Panthers--
SportsBubbler.comLate First-Half Run Makes Difference For Badgers In 68-58 Win Over Panthers--
uwmpanthers.com
Gut-check time for Crusaders--
The Post-Tribune
Road Report: Leaving Dayton--
The Mid-MajorityNew life for Brookville standout, Wright State recruit--
Dayton Daily NewsCommentary: NCAA should nix idea of adding teams to tourney--
Dayton Daily NewsUD, WSU basketball players talk about favorite Christmas presents--
Dayton Daily News
Men's Basketball Scoreboard - Dec. 23--
The Horizon LeagueWomen's Basketball Scoreboard -- Dec. 23--
The Horizon League
ATB--
Rush The Court
Are These Really Upsets?
* UAB 67, #18 Butler 57. The surprising UAB Blazers knocked off their second ranked foe in six days by defeating Butler at Bartow Arena behind Jamarr Sanders’ 18 points and 11/7 from Elijah Millsap. UAB did succumb to a ferocious Butler rally midway through the second half, allowing the Bulldogs to cut a 16-point deficit down to two in an eight-minute span before picking up the defense and preventing Butler from scoring on their next six possessions. Under Mike Davis, the Blazers are now 23-0 against non-conference opponents in their home gym and can boast two victories against likely NCAA teams when March rolls around. As for Butler, the only outstanding thing in their resume is a Turner-less win over Ohio State at home and a controversial victory over Xavier. With nothing to gain in Horizon play, their seed could take a hit with the lack of quality wins in November and December. Horizon League POY Matt Howard managed just six points and zero free throw attempts while fouling out yet again in a game where Butler was out-shot, out-rebounded and simply outworked by a fiery UAB squad to be reckoned with in Conference USA.
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Other Games of National Interest.
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* #17 Ohio State 72, Cleveland State 59. No Evan Turner? No problem. At least against Cleveland State that is. Led by David Lighty’s career-high 30 points, the Buckeyes never trailed against the Vikings who were unable to keep it as close as they had in their previous game–an 80-78 loss to West Virginia. The Buckeyes will likely find life a bit more challenging without Turner with their next two games in Madison and Ann Arbor.
Around the Top 25--
College Hoops Journal
—UPSET—UAB 67, No. 20 Butler 57. A hornet’s nest was what the Bulldogs walked into when they entered Bartow Arena last night. Gotta call it like it is: Butler isn’t that good and is proving to be weak in a lot of areas it normally hasn’t been in the past few years.
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No. 17 Ohio State 72, Cleveland State 59. David Lighty with 30 points. And we can officially nudge him into talk of Big Ten player of the year. Just slightly, OK?
Sanders leads UAB over No. 20 Butler, 67-57--
MICentralSports.comRandom Tuesday: It’s Like Christmas in, um, December…--
Rush The Court
8 pm – #16 Butler @ UAB. UAB has won nine in a row including a convincing victory a week ago against visiting Cincinnati at home. Butler will need every nudge it can get from the scoreboard and clock operator tonight to ensure a win in Birmingham.
Ten Tuesday Scribbles…--
Rush The Court
8. Last year’s version of the UAB Blazers were supposed to contend for the top 25 and challenge Memphis in Conference USA. They flopped early in the campaign and stood at 10-7 (1-2) after a 13-point loss to Memphis on January 17 before making a late run and reaching the NIT. This year’s Blazers are off to a much better start sitting at 10-1 after a midweek trouncing of Cincinnati and a convincing road win at South Alabama. Coach Mike Davis has found a star in 6’6 swingman Elijah Millsap (related to Utah’s Paul Millsap). The junior put up 22/15 against Yancy Gates and is averaging a double-double on the young season. The Blazers welcome Butler to their house Tuesday in an interesting matchup.
Tuesday's Pregame Beat--
Ballin' is a Habit
8:00 pm: Butler @ UAB: Butler looks like they have started to figure things out as Gordon Hayward is beginning to play like the all-american everyone thought he would be, but Matt Howard is still struggling. UAB just beat Cincinnati at home, can they pick up another win?
A missing stopwatch was reason for long delay--
Andy Katz's Daily WordNored gets his own cheering section--
The Indy StarButler suffers another blemish on its record--
The Indy StarBirmingham blog 1: More on Xavier and UAB--
Indy Star Butler InsiderBirmingham blog 2: Hard to identify what's missing--
Indy Star Butler InsiderUAB 67, BUTLER 57--
THE unOFFICIAL BUTLER BULLDOGS MEN'S BASKETBALL PAGEBulldogs Fall At UAB, 67-57--
ButlerSports.comVikings, Buckeyes dealing with non-conference scheduling issues: CSU Insider--
Cleveland Plain DealerDavid Lighty puts on a show as Ohio State holds off Cleveland State, 72-59--
Cleveland Plain DealerVikings Fall at 17th-Ranked Ohio State, 72-59, Despite 25 Points From Montgomery--
csuvikings.comVikings Host Lake Erie on Wednesday Afternoon--
csuvikings.comDetroit Mercy beats Central Michigan--
The Detroit Free PressFirst-half burst paces UDM over Central Michigan--
The Detroit NewsTitans Pounce On Chippewas, 76-58--
detroittitans.comTitans Fall at #9 Georgia, 66-42--
detroittitans.comTitans Give Back to the Community--
detroittitans.com
McKnight scores 16, Conyers grabs 19 rebounds as Akron pulls away from Illinois-Chicago 77-65--
The Chicago TribuneZips dominate boards, extinguish Flames--
Whoosh!NetMen's Basketball Downed At Akron, 77-65--
uicflames.comWomen's Basketball Takes Time To Inspire Others--
uicflames.com
Loyola continues winning ways against Albany--
ChicagoNow.comPhotos from Loyola vs. Albany--
ChicagoNow.comAverkamp, Ramblers stay on rise--
The Chicago Sun-TimesLoyola Picks Up Fifth Straight Win, Tops Albany 68-56--
LoyolaRamblers.comPost-Game Quotes Loyola vs. Albany--
LoyolaRamblers.com
Men's basketball story, photos: Bulls outmuscle Phoenix--
Green Bay Press GazetteGreen Bay Comes Up Short Against Buffalo--
uwgbathletics.comLive Blog - Milwaukee at Wisconsin--
Panther Blog ZoneValpo collapses in final minutes--
The Post-TribuneValparaiso at IPFW, Dec. 22, Live Blog--
Off The MarkValparaiso blows seven-point lead in final 2:26 to fall 75-72 to IPFW--
The NWI TimesWrapping up IPFW (MBB)--
Region Sports ExtraValpo Falls to Late Comeback from IPFW--
valpoathletics.comRaiders’ defense shuts down UALR--
Dayton Daily NewsNo excuses needed for fast-starting Raiders--
Dayton Daily NewsWSU junior Tabler elevating his play--
Dayton Daily NewsRaiders beat a good team--
Mark Katz's BlogAt Wright State — An Emergence Like No Other--
Through the ArchRaiders defeat Arkansas-Little Rock--
Fairborn Daily HeraldRaider 'D' smothers Trojans--
RaiderRoundball.comRaiders Defeat Arkansas-Little Rock 69-47--
wsuraiders.com
Dimitrov and Brown emerging as leaders--
Youngstown VindicatorPenguins impressive in 82-69 win over High Point--
Youngstown VindicatorPenguins Catch Fire in Second Half to Beat High Point, 82-69--
ysusports.comMen's Basketball Scoreboard - Dec. 22--
The Horizon LeagueWomen's Basketball Scoreboard -- Dec. 22--
The Horizon LeagueWomen's Basketball Weekly Release #6--
The Horizon League
ATB: Snow Problem, Plenty of Hoops…--
Rush The Court
The Debacle in Hinkle. #17 Butler 69, Xavier 68. The story over the weekend was the bizarre and (some say) unconscionable ending to the Butler-Xavier game on Saturday afternoon. If you somehow missed it, check out our post on the subject from last night. We pretty much agree that the referee crew followed the rules as they’re written, but that the rules as they’re written pretty much suck in a situation such as this. RTC Live was there, and as our correspondent wrote at the time:
That would be one ballsy crew to take a full second OFF the clock against a visitor down by 1 point. HUGE controversy WOW…. I have been doing bball for years and I cannot believe that they just did that?!?!?!?!?!”
Ballsy they were, but also correct by the letter of the law. Unfortunately for Xavier and Chris Mack, the Musketeers were left holding the bag when a timing error led them to believe they’d have a final shot to win the game. The NCAA needs to step up and immediately clarify this rule, including what kind of stopwatch can and cannot be used to estimate the time so that we’re not faced with an equally ridiculous ending on a much bigger stage later this year.
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#6 West Virginia 80, Cleveland State 78. CSU’s pressure defense harassed WVU into eleven second-half turnovers, erasing a 17-pt lead and forcing the Mountaineers to the wire before Huggins’ team finally found a seam in the press to win the game on a layup with 1.1 seconds remaining. Kevin Jones had 23/4 and Da’Sean Butler 18/9/5 assts, while CSU was led by Norris Coles’ 29/5/4 assts.
12/21 - College Hoops Week in Review: Slow week capped off by a wild Saturday--
Ballin' is a Habit
GAME OF THE WEEK: Butler 69, Xavier 68
We've already gone over the controversial ending to this game in detail, and after read multiple different view points, we still believe the refs made the correct decision based on the current rules.
The sad part is that this was actually a great game. Butler went up big early before allowing the Musketeers back into the game. Xavier took control in the second half before Butler regained the lead. A back and forth last three minutes led to a wild final 30 seconds.
The point I haven't seen made yet is that while is obviously sucks losing a game this way, it probably would have sucked just as much if they lost after missing a heave from half court (which is, in all likelihood, what would have happened).
Also good this week:
* West Virginia 80, Cleveland State 78: Cleveland State over came a big deficit by zoning and pressing the Mountaineers, but after the Vikings finally tied the game with 13 seconds left, Kevin Jones found a streaking Da'Sean Butler for a layup with 1.2 seconds left to give West Virginia the win.
Red Line Lounge, Week 06--
The Mid-MajorityTMM A.M. - December 21, 2009--
The Mid-Majority
The Bittersweet-ness Continues: If you think the emotions quickly faded after the bizarre ending to Saturday's Butler-Xavier game, think again. Sunday afternoon in both Indianapolis and Cincinnati, two markets with NFL franchises, stories were still popping up on the internet about the unfortunate circumstances. Bob Kravitz ultimately feels the refs got it right. Meanwhile, Chick Ludwig writes that Xavier got jobbed. And, not surprisingly, Kyle and I discussed it as well. On a related note, several people commented following the game about how difficult it might be for Butler to try and bring non-conference teams into Hinkle Fieldhouse after such a situation. All I know is this...Xavier will be back in two years. That should be...ummm, fun.
Butler Knocks Off Xavier in Dramatic Fashion--
HoopvilleThe Game Ball Goes To The Timekeeper--
DeadspinXavier deserved a final shot--
Beyond The ArcTimekeeper errors leads to contoversial Xavier-Butler ending--
rivals.comXavier offers to pay for damages--
Indy Star Butler InsiderButler Visits Red-Hot UAB For Final Pre-Christmas Tilt--
ButlerSports.comBulldogs Edged In 2OT At Dayton, 84-81--
ButlerSports.comThe BIAH Quotables--
Ballin' is a Habit
The West Virginia Mountaineers escaped by the closest of margins in their game against Cleveland State, 80-78. WVU head coach Bob Huggins was disgusted with his team's play:
I've never had a team give up that many layups in 28 years of coaching. I have never coached a team that has that poor of help (defense). We are awful, just God awful.
Pressure's on: Cleveland State hoping aggressive defense will fuel an upset at OSU--
Cleveland Plain DealerBuckeyes Set For Feisty Vikings--
Palestra.netVikings Travel To No. 18 Ohio State--
csuvikings.comKailey Klein Named Horizon League Player of the Week--
Let's Go Vikes!Klein Named Horizon League Player of the Week--
csuvikings.comDetroit Will Play #11/12 Georgia on Tuesday in Athens--
detroittitans.comTitans And Chippewas Set For Tuesday Showdown--
detroittitans.comScrappy Flames take bite out of Huskies--
Whoosh!NetMen's Basketball Hits The Road To Face Akron--
uicflames.comWomen's Basketball Hangs On To Beat Eastern Illinois, 62-56--
uicflames.comLoyola and a little bit of luck--
ChicagoNow.comChicago City Rankings - 12/21--
ChicagoNow.comA realistic look at predictions--
ChicagoNow.comLoyola tops SIU-Edwardsville 79-61--
The Chicago TribuneHill, Gibler Lead Loyola To Fourth Straight Victory--
LoyolaRamblers.comRamblers Eye Fifth Straight Win When They Host Albany Tuesday Night--
LoyolaRamblers.comLockdown Defense, Early Run Propels Loyola Past Western Illinois, 48-27--
LoyolaRamblers.comWomen's basketball: UWGB sophomore Wojta makes an impact in the post--
Green Bay Press GazetteUWGB moves up to No. 22--
UWGB BasketballPhoenix Men to Host Buffalo Tuesday Night--
uwgbathletics.comWeekly Panthers report--
Milwaukee Journal SentinelMy take on the conference shake-up--
UWM Post Sports BlogPanthers Don't Let Up Until Final Minutes in Home Win Over Miami (OH), 68-61--
Milwaukee Panther TracksPanthers Head To Madison For Matchup With Badgers--
uwmpanthers.comValparaiso vs. Cincinnati--
The Post-TribuneScouting today's VU women's basketball game--
The NWI TimesValpo Heads to IPFW Tuesday--
valpoathletics.comPreview: Arkansas-Little Rock (4-8) at Wright State (7-4)--
Dayton Daily NewsFamiliar faces for Raiders--
Mark Katz's BlogWright State Women can't get the Win in Boston--
RaiderRoundball.comWomen's Basketball Shoots Well, But Falls at Boston College 62-56--
wsuraiders.comMen's Basketball Returns Home to Host High Point Tuesday--
ysusports.comPenguins Wrap-Up 2009 With Monday Matinee vs. Bowling Green--
ysusports.comMen's Basketball Scoreboard - Dec. 20--
The Horizon LeagueButler's Hayward repeats as Men's Basketball Player of the Week--
The Horizon LeagueWild & Crazy Basketball Weekend--
Horizon League NetworkLavesa Glover signs professional basketball contract--
The Horizon LeagueWomen's Basketball Scoreboard -- Dec. 21--
The Horizon LeagueAdversity...We Laugh At You!--
Horizon League Network
Sunday's Shootaround--
Ballin' is a Habit
West Virginia 80, Cleveland State 78: Every Big East coach should get their hands on this game tape, as the Vikings exposed the Mountaineers weakness - zone's. WVU jumped out to a 55-38 lead early in the second half, but struggled down the stretch as Cleveland State forced 11 second half turnovers using a 2-3 zone and a zone pressure. Cleveland State tied this game at 78 with 13 seconds remaining, setting up this exciting finish:
Kevin Jones had 23 to lead WVU, while Da'Sean Butler added 18 points and 9 boards. Norris Cole led CSU with 29.
Butler 69, Xavier 68: As we already discussed, this game had a crazy, controversial finish. Gordon Hayward played great this afternoon, finishing with 22 points, 14 boards, and countless big plays. Matt Howard, the Horizon's reigning player of the year, struggled once again. It has to be a confidence issue at this point, because Howard is a good basketball player, but there may not be another good player in the country playing as badly as Howard is right now. He's shooting just 41% from the floor, averaging an absurd 4.1 fouls per game, and looks unsure of himself when he has the ball in the post. One play in paticular stands out in my mind. During the second half, Howard rolled of a screen and Mack found him with a nice pass. Howard had an open lane to the rim from about 12 feet out, but instead of attacking the basket he tried to throw a cross court pass to Hayward in the corner. The pass was picked off.
It was an ugly-looking Saturday. Let’s peel off a few layers here--
College Hoops Journal
No. 6 West Virginia 80, Cleveland State 78. The Mountaineers got a last-second layup from De’Sean Butler to escape on the road against a 4-8 team. What was it about yesterday’s games? A lot of teams seemed to be mired in a snow-affected funk.
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No. 21 Butler 69, Xavier 68. Xavier owned the Bulldogs in the first half. They looked like the better team. The tougher team. The taller team. The hungrier team. Then, as Butler does all the time, it came back. Xavier will get its chance to get a few more wins in a multi-bid A10. From a mid-major perspective, the right team won this game.
Deconstructing the Butler vs. Xavier Finish…--
Rush The CourtSaturday's Pregame Beat--
Ballin' is a Habit
2:00 pm: Xavier @ Butler: Xavier and Butler are two of the best mid-major programs in the country, but both got of to slow starts this season. Xavier is coming off of a huge home against Cincinnati, a game in which Terrell Holloway and Jason Love took over, but Butler just had a nice win of their own, knocking off Ohio State at home. The biggest issue for Butler this season has been keeping Matt Howard on the floor, and Xavier's bigs of Kenny Frease and Jason Love have been good this season. That said, I'm not sure Xavier has anyone that can match-up with Gordon Hayward.
Controversial finish to the Butler-Xavier game--
Ballin' is a HabitIf you missed the bizarre ending of the Xavier-Butler game, watch it here--
College Hoops JournalXavier Got Shafted by a Clock Malfunction--
The Big LeadHayward's layup off scramble beats clock--
The Indy StarUgly finish, but officials got it right--
The Indy StarCrawford gets his shots--
The Indy StarXavier deserved a shot, and this sport is nuts (but fun)--
Indy Star Butler InsiderBUTLER 69, XAVIER 68--
THE unOFFICIAL BUTLER BULLDOGS MEN'S BASKETBALL PAGEButler Edges Xavier, 69-68--
ButlerSports.comPivotal snafu can't spoil the positive impact of Vikings' defense: Cleveland State Insider--
Cleveland Plain DealerCleveland State's comeback falls just short of upset as West Virginia survives, 80-78--
Cleveland Plain DealerVideo Highlights: Mountaineers Escape Vikings 80-78--
Let's Go Vikes!Vikings Drop Close Game To No. 6 West Virginia, 80-78--
csuvikings.comVikings Rally Late To Force Overtime, Then Top Indiana, 77-75--
csuvikings.comWolverines top Titans--
The Detroit Free PressTitans Fall to Michigan, 65-51--
detroittitans.comDetroit holds off Bowling Green--
The Detroit NewsTeam Effort Leads UDM Over Bowling Green--
detroittitans.comJoin the Titans for ‘Holidays at the Hall’--
detroittitans.com25 for Kreps as UIC routs NIU--
The Chicago Sun-TimesKreps, UIC rout Northern Illinois with 69-49 win--
Daily HeraldDefense, Kreps' Big Game Helps Men's Basketball Knock Off Northern Illinois--
uicflames.comSunday: Loyola at SIU-Edwardsville--
The Chicago TribuneLoyola Looks To Return To Winning Ways With Sunday Matinee At Western Illinois--
LoyolaRamblers.comGolden scores 20 to lift Wis-Green Bay to 10-0--
MICentralSports.comWomen's basketball: Phoenix tips Marquette, hits historic 10-0--
Green Bay Press GazetteGreen Bay off to Best Start in Program History with Win over Marquette--
uwgbathletics.comMen's basketball: Fletcher's return gives Phoenix needed boost--
Green Bay Press GazetteFletcher Returns as Green Bay Drops Youngstown State, 75-67--
uwgbathletics.comPanthers are able to pass final test of the week--
Milwaukee Journal SentinelPanthers Impressive Over Miami (OH)--
SportsBubbler.comMilwaukee Uses Big Surges To Take Down Miami--
uwmpanthers.comD-III Falcons no match for Crusaders--
The Post-TribuneFour score in double figures as Valpo rolls past Concordia--
The NWI TimesValpo Players Help Each Other Out in Win Over Concordia--
valpoathletics.comValpo Heads to Cincinnati to Battle the Bearcats Monday--
valpoathletics.comRaiders win the ‘right way’ — with defense--
Dayton Daily NewsRaiders enjoy a rare laugher against Maryland-Eastern Shore--
Dayton Daily NewsRaiders make easy work of Maryland-Eastern Shore--
Mark Katz's BlogRaiders (7-4) dominate UMES 87-46--
RaiderRoundball.comRaiders Roll to 87-46 Win Over Maryland Eastern Shore--
wsuraiders.comGreen Bay pulls away from YSU in 2nd half--
Youngstown VindicatorPhoenix Catch Fire in Second Half to Knock Off Scrappy Penguins, 75-67--
ysusports.comMen's Basketball Scoreboard - Dec. 19--
The Horizon LeagueOfficial Referee Explanation of the Butler-Xavier Game--
Horizon League NetworkWomen's Basketball Scoreboard -- Dec. 19--
The Horizon LeagueWomen's Basketball Scoreboard -- Dec. 20--
The Horizon League
