The Morning Dish – Thursday, January 13th
Illini Stays Unbeaten: Raining down a school-record 15 three-point baskets, Illinois kept its record perfect at 17-0 with a 90-64 win against Penn State. Luther Head notched 19 and Dee Brown added 15 points against a Penn State zone defense that allowed plenty of outside shooting. Both players had five treys on the night. Geary Claxton scored 16 points for the Nittany Lions, while Ben Luber and Aaron Johnson each had 11 in the losing effort. Illinois pulled away with a 16-0 run in the first half and was on cruise control in the second. Illinois needs a win Saturday against Northwestern to tie the record for most consecutive wins by an Illini squad, currently 18 by the 1988-89 Final Four team.
The game was also held 99 years to the day after the first-ever Illini game, in which Champaign High School was downed 71-4. Also, it was announced that Illinois coaches and players had voted earlier this week to not participate in the ESPN-produced docu-drama “The Season.” The players felt that the presence of cameras and interviews during the next two weeks would be a major distraction. Some players had been interviewed in Las Vegas after the win against Cincinnati in a holiday tournament and felt that a full two weeks of questioning would not mesh with their winning ways. On the other side, to generate interest in their 6-10 season, Penn State has announced a “white out” for this weekend’s game against Michigan, hoping to whip the Nittany Lion fans into a frenzy.
Aggies Upset the ‘Horns: Acie Law led Texas A&M with 24 points, and the Aggies stayed hot as they downed No. 10 Texas 74-63 last night. A&M (12-1) used a high-pressure defense to defeat Texas for the first time in 10 tries at College Station, showcasing the turnaround coach Billie Gillispie’s has brought to Aggies fans. The team is off to its best start since 1959 and only has a road loss to No. 2 Kansas on its record. P.J. Tucker led the ‘Horns with 18 points and freshman LaMarcus Aldridge added 12 points and eight boards. The game also marked the return of Texas center Jason Klotz, who served a one-game suspension for throwing a punch against Memphis last week.
Vols Upset Bulldogs: As mentioned yesterday, Tennessee coach Buzz Peterson made the Vols players practice in their own clothes after the embarrassing start. Well, the message came through loud and clear, as Peterson’s charges knocked off No. 11 Mississippi State last night 64-63, ending MSU’s road winning streak at 16 games – previously longest in the nation. Tennessee was up 16 at the half and held on as the Bulldogs attempted a comeback. Scooter McFadgon notched 14 points and Brandon Crump added 12 in the midst of foul trouble. Lawrence Roberts, who missed a jumper at the buzzer that would have won it for the Bulldogs, led Mississippi State with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Shane Power added 17 points. The Bulldogs were without guard Winsome Frazier, the second-leading scorer on the squad who broke a bone in his left foot during the win against Mississippi last weekend.
Jayhawks Prevail in Ames: Kansas got some needed depth back last night, as injured forward Wayne Simien returned to help down the Cyclones 71-66. Simien, who underwent surgery on his left thumb Dec. 20, scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds – all while wearing a soft cast. The Jayhawks (12-0) were led by 18 points from Keith Langford, who has not expected to contribute because of a concussion in the victory against Kentucky Sunday. The loss was only the second in 27 home games for the Cyclones under coach Wayne Morgan. Curtis Stinson led the Cyclones with 18 points and had a bloody nose for most of the second half. Will Blalock scored 17 points, while Jared Homan had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
ACC Showdown: No. 3 North Carolina downed No. 8 Georgia Tech 91-69 in an ugly win for the Tar Heels. UNC had 19 turnovers and shot only 41 percent from the field but pulled away quickly from the shorthanded Yellow Jackets, who were without top guard B.J. Elder. North Carolina was led by Marvin Williams, who had 14 points, while Rashad McCants and Sean May each added 12. Jarrett Jack had 24 points and Luke Schenscher finished with 13 for the Jackets. North Carolina improved to 14-1, while Georgia Tech fell to 11-3 with the loss.
Roundup:
• No. 9 Kentucky rebounded from its loss Sunday to Kansas by downing Vanderbilt 69-54. Freshman guard Rajon Rondo notched 18 points in the victory, snapping Vandy’s seven-game winning streak. Corey Smith led the Commodores with 16 points.
• No. 18 Cincinnati stayed hot as they held off a feisty East Carolina squad 84-78. Jason Maxiell had 24 points and eight rebounds in the win, and the Bearcats improved to 18-1 on the season, with the only loss coming to No. 1 Illinois. East Carolina, now 0-7 all-time against Cincinnati, was led by Corey Rouse, who had 21 points and 13 rebounds and Mike Cook’s 19 points. Cincinnati’s junior guard Chadd Moore was limited to nine minutes because his injured back flared up again.
• No. 21 George Washington added to St. Bonaventure’s pain last night, downing the Bonnies 85-59. Pops Mensah-Bonsu scored 14 points for the Colonials, while T.J. Thompson added 13 and Ricky Lucas had 10 points in the win, which was coach Karl Hobbs’ 100th victory as a head coach. The Colonials improved to 11-2, while the Bonnies fell to 1-13 on the season.
• In Reno, UTEP downed Nevada 83-80 in overtime. The Miners’ Filiberto Rivera scored 23 points and the final three-pointer with three seconds left to force overtime. Nevada was led by Nick Fazekas, who scored 29 points.
Memphis Domestic Dispute: Memphis junior guard Jeremy Hunt is in some hot water with Memphis police. According to a Memphis Police report, Hunt allegedly pushed, shoved, grabbed and punched his ex-girlfriend, former Lady Tiger basketball player Tamika Rogers. Apparently, Hunt arrived at her house early Monday morning, and Hunt started attacking her as she approached his car, leading to a chase, in which Rogers was repeatedly thrown to the ground. Memphis coach John Calipari had no official comment and indicated that the university would cooperate during the investigation. It is not known if Hunt will be allowed to play in tonight’s game against Marquette. Hunt has played in six games this season and is averaging 5.3 points per contest.
Boatner Transferring to McNeese: Colorado State sophomore point guard Dwight Boatner has announced he will be transferring to McNeese State, to be closer to his Lake Charles, La. home. Boatner, who we reported yesterday was taking some time off to resolve some personal issues, received his release from coach Dale Layer. Boatner had started the majority of the Rams’ games, and averaged 8.1 points per contest.
I Want My C-USA TV on CSTV: Conference USA officials announced the signing of a six-year television deal with ESPN for football and men’s and women’s basketball, starting next season. Additionally, a more comprehensive broadcast package with College Sports Television (CSTV) was announced, with more than 50 football and 100 men’s basketball contests to be broadcast each season, plus conference tournament coverage. CSTV will also provide coverage for C-USA volleyball, softball and soccer and will produce the conference’s Web site as part of its collegesports.com enterprise.
Colonial Moving On: Prior to last night’s 85-59 victory against St. Bonaventure, George Washington forward Jaz Cowan had announced his intention to transfer to another program in search of more playing time. Cowan, a junior, has only seen action in six games this season, averaging six minutes of action. The Owings Mills, Md., native, who started as a walk-on his freshman year, saw limited action in the past two seasons.
Lee Going to Indians: Former Evansville forward Deywane Lee has announced that he will transfer to Arkansas State. Lee, the son of former Memphis great Keith Lee, was released from Evansville last season for “failure to meet team standards.” Lee has enrolled at Arkansas State and began practicing with the squad this week. He will have junior eligibility as a walk-on after the end of the 2005 fall semester. Lee averaged almost seven points and four rebounds per contest last season with Evansville.
Husky Down: Connecticut reserve forward Hilton Armstrong will likely miss the next week of action as he recovers from a sprained knee. Armstrong, who is averaging 3.6 points and four rebounds per contest this season, injured his right knee during the weekend in the 77-65 loss to Oklahoma. The diagnosis was a sprained medial collateral ligament. Armstrong will likely miss UConn’s upcoming games against Rutgers and Seton Hall.
Simmons Out at Wazzu: Washington State guard Isaiah Simmons has been declared academically ineligible for the remainder of the season, effectively ending his Cougar career. Simmons, a Tacoma native, walked on to the Cougars squad last season as a junior after transferring from Warner Southern College (Lake Wales, Florida). Simmons had played in 10 of 13 games thus far, averaging just more than one point and two rebounds per contest.
