The Morning Dish – Friday, February 4th
Huskies Tre Tries to Live Up to Name: Washington rode Tre Simmons’ 29 points, 11-of-21 shooting, six rebounds and six three pointers to continue its lead in the Pac 10 with a 99-69 demolition of USC. The Huskies used a 16-2 run late in the first half to take a 47-29 lead into the locker room. UW forced 24 turnovers and is off to its best start since the 1976 team started 19-2. Lodrick Stewart led USC with 13 points.
Gonzaga Comes Back to Avoid St. Mary’s Sweep: After being defeated by St. Mary’s earlier in the year, Gonzaga overcame a 38-26 halftime deficit by outscoring the Gaels 42-25 in the second half to get a key 68-63 West Coast Conference victory. The Zaga victory ties them with St. Mary’s for first in the WCC. St. Mary’s would have been the first team to sweep Gonzaga since San Diego did it in 1997. Adam Morrison and Derek Raivio each scored 19 for the Bulldogs, and E.J. Rowley led St. Mary’s with 18. Gonzaga posted its 33rd consecutive home victory as a ranked team.
Arizona Cruises over Cal: Arizona used aN 11-0 run to open the game and cruised home in the second half for a 97-76 home victory over Cal. With the win, the Wildcats stay tied atop the Pac 10 with Washington. Channing Frye led Arizona with 20 points and seven rebounds, Salim Stoudamire had 17 and Hassan Adams 15. Arizona shot 64 percent from the floor and made 8-of-15 from three-point range as they improved to 9-0 when scoring at least 80 points. Richard Midgley led Cal with 18.
Streaking Heels: North Carolina continued to stake its claim as the nation’s best team by dominating North Carolina State 95-71 Thursday night. Freshman Marvin Williams had a season-high 20 points, Rashad McCants had 18 and Sean May had a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. The Heels jumped to a 51-35 halftime lead and never led by less than 13 in the second half. UNC improved to 19-2 overall and 11-0 at home, while the Wolfpack falls to 13-8.
Self Upset with the Phog Bowl: Kansas coach Bill Self was upset with the Kansas student section after they used profanity throughout the Jayhawks’ victory over Missouri Monday. Self said he is also upset when the fans chanted “bullsh—-“ after a questionable call by the officials. Kansas players had the idea that the match up with their archrivals might have had something to do that. KU senior guard Michael Lee thought it was unrealistic to hold 17,000 people to a high standard and that KU-Mizzou brings out the best and worst in everyone.
BYU’s Miles Reprimanded for Kicking Bogut: BYU’s Chris Miles was reprimanded after kicking Utah star sophomore Andrew Bogut during their match up Monday night. Miles kicked Bogut on his way down, after the Australian Olympian hung on the rim following a dunk with 5:32 remaining in the game. Bogut had landed on Miles following his dunk. Miles and teammate Mike Hall, in addition to Utah’s Bryant Markson were all assessed technical fouls. Coach Steve Cleveland of BYU and Utah’s Ray Giacoletti were both commended for the way they tried to restore peace.
Bogut Trying to Follow in Alex Smith’s Footsteps: Following in the footsteps of Heisman Trophy finalist Alex Smith, Utah is doing everything they can to promote Andrew Bogut for the Naismith and Wooden awards, which honors the national player of the year. The Ute Athletic Department is sending out cardboard boomerangs to honor Bogut’s Australian heritage. Bogut is one of 30 finalists for the Wooden Award. The Ute basketball team is undefeated in the Mountain West, following the football team’s unblemished march through the football season.
Players Only Meeting Doesn’t Help Much at Michigan: Four days after holding a players only meeting, Michigan suffered its fifth consecutive loss to Minnesota, 71-54, Wednesday night. The players’ only meeting was precipitated after a 29-point loss to Purdue Sunday. The conclusion that the players came to was that they needed to play harder and show more toughness. Coach Tommy Amaker said that his team has shown flashes of toughness this year — the Wolverines won at Iowa — but needed more consistency. Michigan had high expectations entering the season. Michigan has lost junior guard Lester Abram to injury and junior guard Daniel Horton, who was suspended indefinitely after being charged with misdemeanor domestic violence.
Izzone Ticket Policy Upsets Michigan State’s Student Body: A portion of the Michigan State student body is upset with a policy that allows only two absences from home games in the Izzone Student section, otherwise students could lose their season tickets. Complaints have been filed with the Student Alumni Association, letters have been written to the school newspaper, and a Web site has been started to address the situation. Fans pay $135 per season to become a member of the Izzone, the courtside student section at the Breslin Center. Fans also face the possibility of losing their seats if they don’t have a death notice, doctor’s note or paperwork showing a class conflict.
Coaches to Wear White Sneakers to Raise Cancer Awareness: College coaches at all levels of competition will be wearing white sneakers to raise cancer awareness this weekend. The idea began with the six Division I schools in Philadelphia last season. When officials for Coaches vs. Cancer heard about the idea, they wanted to take the idea national. Last season, about 45 coaches wore sneakers on nationally televised games. Coaches vs. Cancer was started after a local promotion by former Missouri coach Norm Stewart in 1991.
Floyd Starts at USC in Official Capacity: USC coach-to-be, Tim Floyd, officially started recruiting for the Trojans Tuesday. Floyd is impressed with the USC perimeter players and wants to sign four big men for the Trojans’ fall class. The task will be difficult with 90 percent of the big men already signed according to Floyd. Freshmen Gabe Pruitt and Nick Young have been impressive on the perimeter for the Trojans.
Bonnies’ Fan Palmer Holds No Grudge Against St. Joe’s Martelli: St. Bonaventure fan Mary Palmer held no grudges against St. Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli, who berated her after she commented on Martelli not calling off the Hawks’ press in their 114-63 victory over St. Bonaventure last season. The Hawks led the Bonnies by 25 when Palmer yelled at Martelli for running up the score. After the game, Martelli called Palmer a moron and a nitwit. Martelli apologized a few days after the game and sent Palmer tickets to St. Joe’s second-round game in Buffalo during last season’s NCAA tournament. Olean, N.Y., where St. Bonaventure is located, is about a 90-minute drive from Buffalo. The Bonnies have had trouble recovering from the academic scandal that rocked the school two years ago. The Bonnies are 1-17 on the season including 0-8 at home. St. Joe’s won this year’s match up Wednesday night 95-62.
