The Morning Dish – Wednesday, January 26th
Illinois Keeps Streaking: Illinois proved why the Illini are the undisputed No. 1 team in the nation by beating Wisconsin 75-65, ending the Badgers’ 38-game home-winning streak. The Illini won their 20th consecutive game, moving to 20-0. But it wasn’t easy. Illinois fell behind by nine points with about 10 minutes remaining, and the Badgers appeared poised for the upset. Forward Alando Tucker led the upset bid with 16 points and eight rebounds. But the Illini caught fire, and forward Jack Ingram hit back-to-back three pointers to give Illinois the lead. The teams traded baskets down the stretch, until Illinois capped the comeback with a 14-1 run to end the game. Guard Luther Head led Illinois with 18 points in the battle of two of the Big Ten’s best.
Wildcats Continue Domination: Kentucky continues to be the class of the SEC with an 84-62 blowout at Tennessee. The Wildcats used a 15-3 run midway through the second half to squash any Volunteer hopes of an upset. Wildcat guard Patrick Sparks led all scores with 19 points, including four three pointers, and swingman Kelenna Azubuike added 17. Freshman guard Chris Lofton led the Volunteers, who played without center Brandon Crump. Crump sprained his left ankle in the Volunteers’ loss at Louisville. Kentucky forward Chuck Hayes had a broken nose at the end of the first half. No word about whether he’ll miss time.
The Jayhawks Strike Back: After Saturday’s embarrassment to Villanova in snowy Philadelphia, Kansas thumped Baylor 86-66 by raining threes all night. The Jayhawks hit a school-record 16 three pointers, including 5-of-5 from guard Keith Langford. Five Jayhawks reached double figures, led by forward Wayne Simien, the only one of the five not to attempt a three pointer. The big man didn’t have to because he dominated the paint. The highlight for Baylor was taunting the Jayhawks with chants of “Vill-a-nova.” The mind game, however, did not produce the desired results. Guard Aaron Bruce led the Bears with 23 points.
A Tale of Two Halves: Texas and Texas Tech opened the first half of the rivalry game with a defensive struggle but ended the game with a meteor shower from three-point range. The Longhorns held Texas Tech to 25 points and built a 32-25 halftime lead primarily through stringent defense. For the game, Texas Tech shot less than 37 percent from the field. But both teams lit up the nets in the second half, each scoring 48 points as Texas won 80-73. Freshman guard Daniel Gibson drained all six of his three-point attempts for Texas, leading the Longhorns with 20 points. Guard Ronald Ross led Texas Tech with 29 points, including six three pointers. But the rally fell short primarily because the Red Raiders couldn’t stop the Longhorns’ perimeter attack. Texas drained 14-of-21 from behind the arc.
Huskies Frustrate Mountaineers: Connecticut played efficiently to hold off West Virginia 68-58. The Huskies did not score a field goal during the final five plus minutes of the game and failed to blow out a struggling Mountaineer squad. West Virginia hit only 29 percent from the field, including 8-of-33 from three-point range. At some point, the coach has got to tell the shooters to find other shots. Connecticut’s interior presence made that difficult, however. The Huskies out-rebounded West Virginia 44-26. Guard Rashad Anderson led the Huskies with 22 points off the bench. Coach Jim Calhoun opted not to start his most prolific scoring guard and the change worked. West Virginia was led by forward Tyrone Sally’s 16 points.
Georgia Tech to Play Without Its Elder: Georgia Tech is in the midst of a three-game losing streak in part because senior guard B.J. Elder has been out with a severely strained hamstring. The Yellow Jackets’ second-leading scorer will likely miss two more weeks, said coach Paul Hewitt. That includes Thursday’s game against Wake Forest and this weekend’s visit to Maryland. The Yellow Jackets desperately need other players to step up, especially on the perimeter, to stop the slide.
Good News, Bad News: A knee injury won’t sideline Michigan junior guard Daniel Horton, but an indefinite suspension will. Coach Tommy Amaker suspended the starting point guard because of the recent charges of domestic abuses. Horton’s girlfriend accused him of choking her during a recent fight. The news comes a day after Michigan officials determined that a slight knee injury suffered during this past weekend’s loss to Wisconsin would not limit Horton’s playing time. He has missed several games this year because of a sprained left knee.
Wounded Jayhawk Needs Rest: Kansas will be without one of its important bench players, freshman forward C.J. Giles, for a couple of weeks. Giles injured his right foot a few weeks ago and played through the injury. But coach Bill Self said the bruise has inhibited Giles. Tests did not indicate that the injury is serious, but the Jayhawks want to rest Giles and get him back to 100 percent for the stretch run.
SEC Quiets Coach: Arkansas coach Stan Heath still cannot be happy with the questionable call last week that sent the game between Arkansas and LSU to overtime. But he cannot criticize the officials, according to the folks at the SEC league office. SEC officials reminded Heath, who accused officials of penalizing the Razorbacks, that players and coaches are not allowed to publicly condemn referees. Heath said the officials reviewed tape and gave the Razorbacks only two points instead of three, which would have won the game for Arkansas, because they missed a call when Michael Jones traveled.
Bennett Apologizes: Washington State coach Dick Bennett publicly apologized for flipping the bird to Washington’s student section during the Cougars’ weekend loss at Edmundson Pavilion. The energetic crowd incensed Bennett during the first half, and he lost his cool and retaliated by raising his middle finger. He said he immediately regretted his actions and apologized to the students within earshot before and after halftime. Washington State’s athletic director was mildly critical of the coach and indicated that game environments should not foster frustration and rage in the opposition.
Chaney Preaches to Wrong Choir: In the midst of Philadelphia sports big wigs, Temple coach John Chaney was supposed to simply acknowledge an award for winning 700 games as a coach at the 101st Philadelphia Sports Writers Dinner in Cherry Hill, N.J., which is not exactly a hotbed for liberals. So when Chaney ranted against President Bush and the messy situation in Iraq, several audience members booed – it is Philadelphia, after all – the legendary coach. Chaney eventually tempered his speech but said, “know I speak from the heart, every time I stand up.” That’s why he’s the winner of 700 games as a coach and the boo-birds are only critics.
Former Sooner Killed: Ronnie Griffin, a former Oklahoma and Southern Indiana player, was found stabbed to death in Louisville. Police arrested Richard Shawn Spellman and charged him with murder and tampering with physical evidence. Griffin transferred from Oklahoma to Southern Indiana and averaged 14 points and seven rebounds per game for the Screaming Eagles, en route to a 22-7 record.
