1. In round 1 Marquette ran Norfolk State out of the building in a 99-68, 84 possession game. In that game (on November 14th) Marquette turned Norfolk over on 31% of their possessions. A week later in the rematch the Spartans took care of the ball (18.5% turnover rate). Meanwhile, they held Marquette to 3-11 […]

Every program has one.  A player who fans simply can’t figure out.  A guy who flashes talent one game and gets shut out the next.  I’m not going to try and play armchair psychologist here, but in many cases a closer look at the numbers can provide additional insight into some of college basketball’s enigmas. […]

1. Iona’s Scott Machado got a national televised opportunity yesterday to show that he – and not UNC’s Kendall Marshall – is the best distributing point guard in the country. In 35 minutes of play he completely dismantled the Maryland defense, and dished out 15 assists without ever turning the ball over. His interior passing […]

1. As noted yesterday, Virginia clearly has issues on offense. But Tony Bennett’s team has not disappointed on the other end of the court. Entering yesterday’s game with Drexel (in the loser’s bracket of the Paradise Jam) the Hoos were allowing just 0.76 points per possession. Against the Dragons (hitting 18% from 3-point land) they […]

When a school lands an elite high school basketball player something happens to the fans. On message boards, on Twitter, on Facebook, mostly rational people erupt with comparisons that inevitably place the new commitment alongside some recent one-and-done player with a similar game. Most fans don’t consider the potential for greatness – they assume it. […]

1. Alabama has used the Puerto Rico tip-Off to prove that they are legit. At least defensively. In two games at the Tip-Off Bama has limited their opponents to 0.77 points per possession, which is rediculous. They smothered Maryland in the opener and held a very good Wichita State team to 60 points in 71 […]

Somewhere between his tenure as head coach at Ball State and his current job at the helm of the Detroit Titans, Ray McCallum Sr. became a believer in up-tempo basketball. McCallum didn’t talk it up. He didn’t make claims he couldn’t support (unlike first-year Loyola head coach Porter Moser whose “up-tempo” team is averaging the […]

This only happens at mid-majors. First, Oregon hired Creighton’s head coach Dana Altman. So Creighton hired Iowa State head coach Greg McDermott and gave him a ten-year contract.  McDermott’s son – Doug (high school teammate of Harrison Barnes) – was committed to Northern Iowa, a school Greg McDermott had taken to three straight NCAA Tournaments […]

1. Last night Pittsburgh ran into a very good Long Beach State team and got run out of the building in an 86-76 loss (at home!). Most alarming is the 86 points allowed in a 65 possession game (1.32 points per possession). The last time Pitt’s defense got torched like this? Never. Well, at least […]

To predict breakout players, I first have to define what qualifies someone as a ‘breakout player’ candidate. I’ve seen several breakout player type stories, and most include players like Duke’s Seth Curry. But to me, Curry (and players like him) has already proved himself to be a stud, and just needed other players to move […]