The Morning Dish – Monday, December 20th
A Star is Back: Sophomore Sean Banks has been reinstated by the Memphis Tigers and will return to action tonight when the Tigers take on Louisiana Tech. He was suspended Dec. 14 for violating multiple team rules. He missed several practices and Saturday’s game against Austin Peay. Banks is the team’s second-leading scorer and was last year’s Conference USA’s freshman of the year.
Back on the Pine: For the second time this season, Boston College coach Al Skinner has suspended freshman forward Sean Williams. Williams, who leads the team with 18 blocks, missed Sunday’s double overtime win against Yale and will also miss Wednesday’s game versus Duquense. His situation will be re-evaluated after the holiday break before the team faces Kent State.
Coming and Going: Liberty announced that redshirt sophomore Jeremy Monceaux has left the team for personal reasons. He had seen limited action in six games this year. Last year, Monceaux broke a finger and redshirted, but as a freshman, he started 26 games and was named to the Big South All-Rookie team. The Flames, however, welcome back Brian Woodson, who was academically cleared to play for the second semester. Woodson made his season debut Saturday night against UNC-Greensboro and scored 10 points and dished out eight assists in 35 minutes off the bench.
Pilot Seeks New Horizon: Sophomore guard Sean Smith has left the Portland Pilots to pursue other basketball options. Smith, a local kid from Vancouver, Wash., had seen action in six games this season and only 22 in his career. The Pilots are 7-3 on the year, narrowly losing to Washington State Saturday night 55-54.
Another Easy W for Illinois: The Fighting Illini moved to 10-0 on the season with a 93-56 pasting of Valparaiso. Dee Brown led all five starters in double figures with 19 points as the team shot 59 percent from the floor. Illinois has one last game before the holidays Wednesday night at Missouri.
Showdown in Seattle: In Sunday’s best matchup, 8-0 North Carolina State put their undefeated record on the line in front of a packed house at Washington. In a game that figured to be a track meet, the Huskies grinded out a 68-64 win. Wolfpack standout Julius Hodge scored 15 points, but he missed a shot in the final seconds that would have tied the game. Washington moved to 8-1 on the year and avenged a 77-72 loss against NC State in Raleigh, N.C., last season.
ACC Underway: ACC conference play started Sunday night with two games. North Carolina welcomed Virginia Tech to the league with an 85-51 win. Jawad Williams and Sean May led the Tar Heels with 17 points each. Maryland eked out a 90-88 overtime win against Florida State. John Gilchrist had 21 points and 13 rebounds plus the game winning free throws in the waning seconds of overtime.
Tonight’s Menu
• Syracuse tries for their 10th win as the Orange hosts Cornell.
• Cincinnati tries to stay undefeated as the Bearcats host Jackson State.
• Mississippi State also looks for their 10th win as the Bulldogs host Florida A&M.
• Temple hosts Ivy League favorite Princeton for the first meeting between the schools since 1975.
