Conference USA Notebook
Rivalries end, ending
Half of C-USA is ecstatic about what changes next season present, because those universities are moving to more talented basketball leagues. But even the likes of Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville and others understand the sad part of the move: the ending of what have become intense rivalries.
Saturday likely saw the last regular season match-up between Cincinnati and Charlotte. In a series that’s produced as many basketball moments; Kenyon Martin’s buzzer beater in ’99, Tim Higgins’ phantom whistle the following season preserving a Charlotte win, with as many non-basketball moments; Diego Guevara’s kiss to his wife and Charlotte fans throwing batteries at Cincinnati players, it produced another memorable finish Saturday. Armein Kirkland missed a 15-footer with a second remaining, preserving a 91-90 victory for the 49ers.
DePaul and Saint Louis will also end their rivalry this season, and played their final game in Saint Louis on Sunday; DePaul eked out a win. The last regular season game between these two will take place Feb. 26. Finally, numerous rivals of Memphis will depart, ending classic Memphis-Louisville, Memphis-Cincinnati and Memphis-Marquette games. It’s unlikely any of these games will continue next year. Memphis defeated Marquette on Jan. 13 in their lone game of the season, and will finish its series with Louisville on Feb. 26 and Cincinnati on March 5.
Badiane sets C-USA block record
Move over Kenyon Martin, there’s a new king in town. With three blocks against Charlotte on Jan. 29, Moussa Badiane become C-USA’s all-time block leader. His current total of 297 beats Martin’s number of 292. Badiane, who was born and raised in France, actually grew up wanting to be a soccer player. That all changed when ECU assistant coach Greg Herenda persuaded Badiane to come to East Carolina to play basketball. Badiane accepted without even seeing the ECU campus.
To top it off, East Carolina pulled off a huge 54-51 upset against the Niners and Badiane made the play of the game. And surprisingly, it was not a blocked shot. With the Pirates leading by one and Eddie Basden driving to the basket with five seconds remaining, Badiane elected not to attempt a block and instead took a charge. He got the call, and the Pirates got the win.
Around C-USA
Charlotte (15-4 overall, 6-2 C-USA) Last week: 1-0
The 49ers, as stated earlier, won their final regular season game against rival Cincinnati, 91-90. Brendan Plavich ignited Charlotte with a season-high 26 points and eight three-pointers, many from 25 feet and beyond. The Niners’ 91 points was easily the most scored against Cincinnati this season (the previous high was 78 by East Carolina). The Bearcats came into the game leading the nation in field goal defense, at 35.8 percent, but Charlotte hit 41.5 percent and went 25-of-28 from the free-throw line. Eddie Basden, having taken over the role as team MVP, nearly finished with a triple double by scoring 20 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing seven assists. Curtis Withers scored 15 and Mitchell Baldwin and E.J. Drayton each added 10. Withers scored the game-winning points with two free throws with a little over a minute remaining. The win almost makes up for last week’s surprising loss at East Carolina, and puts the Niners in third place in C-USA.
Next week – vs. Houston (Wednesday), at Saint Louis (Saturday)
Cincinnati (17-5, 6-3) Last week: 0-2
The Bearcats knew this week would be tough. They put themselves in position to win both road games, at Louisville and Charlotte, but faltered late during both and lost, 77-70 and 91-90, respectively. Against the Cardinals, the Bearcats fell behind early and played catch up the entire game. They had several chances to tie the game during the final few minutes, but Jihad Muhammad missed back-to-back three-point attempts. Freshman Juan Palacios made a crucial 25-foot three-pointer off glass with the shot clock running down, putting Louisville up by seven with less than two minutes to play. Eric Hicks had a monster game, finishing with 21 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Saturday, the Bearcats hit a blistering 48.5 percent from the field and five players finished in double digits, but their usually steady defense was rocked by the 49ers. Hicks again led the team in scoring with 20 points, while James White added 18 and Jason Maxiell finished with 17.
Next week – vs. Xavier (Thursday), at DePaul (Saturday)
DePaul (15-5, 7-2) Last week: 2-0
Quietly, the Blue Demons have collected conference wins the past few weeks. Now that they’re alone in second place, they’re not so quiet anymore. DePaul swept its games last week, winning a close game against TCU, 64-62, before going on the road for yet another close win, 56-53 at Saint Louis. Sammy Meija made the big defensive play of the game, blocking Corey Santee’s 15-footer with 30 seconds remaining and the Blue Demons clinging to a one-point lead. After Quemont Greer made one of two free throws, the Horned Frogs had a chance to win it but Marcus Shropshire’s three-point attempt missed. Sunday, DePaul overcame an early 10-point deficit and made the plays down the stretch to beat the Billikens. Greer missed the front end of a one-and-one with 12 seconds remaining, but Marlon Brumfield tipped the rebound back to Drake Diener, who was fouled and made both free throws. Then DePaul came up with another late-second block, as LeVar Seals blocked Dwayne Polk’s three-point attempt with three seconds left.
Next week – vs. Cincinnati (Saturday)
East Carolina (7-15, 2-8) Last week: 0-2
The Pirates returned to reality last week after their huge upset of Charlotte the previous week, losing at Memphis 72-66, and TCU, 71-59. East Carolina actually controlled the game against Memphis during the first 25 minutes, leading by five points at the half and never trailing until Anthony Rice’s three-pointer with 13:20 remaining in the game. Mike Cook led the team with 17 points, one of four players in double figures. Memphis seemed surprised that the Pirates were playing as well as they were, but eventually turned it on and let their talent take over.
Saturday, East Carolina again looked good during the first half, taking a 28-26 lead into the break. But the Pirates fell apart during the second half, allowing 45 points. Cook led the team again with 12 points, as the Pirates shot 34.5 percent from the field.
Next week – vs. Marquette (Saturday)
Houston (14-9, 5-4) Last week: 2-0
The Cougars notched their second big-time home win this season, defeating Memphis on Saturday, 66-53, after easily beating Saint Louis on Wednesday, 63-43. Andre Owens scored a game-high 26 points while adding seven rebounds and five assists. Houston allowed the Billikens to play their slow pace game, and simply beat them at it. The Cougars only turned the ball over eight times, while forcing 17 Saint Louis turnovers. Along with its rebounding advantage, the Cougars were able to take 19 more shots than Saint Louis. Saturday, Owens and Lanny Smith took a backseat to the Brian Latham and Ramon Dyer show. Latham scored 22 and Dyer a career-high 19 points as Houston outscored Memphis 41-23 during the second half. The Cougars did it with defense, forcing a season-high 26 turnovers by the Tigers.
Next week – at Charlotte (Wednesday), at Southern Miss (Saturday)
Louisville (20-3, 8-1) Last week: 2-0
The Cardinals played their most impressive week of the season, something that never took place during the past two seasons during February. Louisville completed its first season sweep of Louisville since the inception of C-USA with a 77-70 win on Wednesday, before beating UAB on the road Saturday, 77-73. Against Cincinnati, Taquan Dean again led the Cards in scoring with 19, one of four players in double figures. Juan Palacios scored 17 points and hit a crucial three-pointer late, and then Louisville held on by hitting free throws down the stretch. Saturday, Larry O’Bannon led the team with 21 points, while Francisco Garcia scored 19. The Cardinals outscored the Blazers 7-1 during the final 1:44, thanks to four free throws and a big block by Garcia on Demario Eddins that would have tied the game with less than 20 seconds remaining.
Next week – vs. Memphis (Wednesday), vs. South Florida (Saturday)
Marquette (16-6, 4-5) Last week: 1-1
It’s easy to say that the return of Travis Diener on Saturday against Southern Miss was the lone difference between the Marquette’s win against the Golden Eagles and its loss to UAB on Wednesday. OK, it probably did make the majority of the difference. With Diener sitting out for the third-straight game with a minor stress fracture in his left foot, the Blazers easily beat the Golden Eagles in Milwaukee, 86-63. Marquette was spanked inside the paint, being outscored 50-6. Joe Chapman led the team with 21 points, but 20 turnovers did in the Eagles. Saturday, Diener returned off the bench, scoring 17 points and dishing eight assists in 29 minutes. Despite his return, the Eagle struggled against Southern Miss, the team that is in last place of C-USA.
Next week – at TCU (Wednesday), at East Carolina (Saturday)
Memphis (13-10, 6-3) Last week: 1-1
It doesn’t appear that the Tigers are going to make any kind of run this season. After beating East Carolina on Wednesday, 72-66, Memphis lost another game that on paper it should have won, falling to Houston on Saturday 66-53. The Tigers did not even show up for the East Carolina game until halfway through the second half. Memphis trailed by five points at the half and didn’t take its first lead until the 13:20 mark of the second half. Rodney Carney led the team with 19 points, while Jeremy Hunt added 14 off the bench. The Tigers were aided by shooting 28-of-39 from the free-throw line.
Saturday, Memphis simply allowed a weaker team to whip them. Carney only went 2-of-9 from the field and scored five points. The Tigers were outscored by 18 during the second half and collapsed late. The 53 points tied their second lowest output of the season.
Next week – at Louisville (Wednesday), vs. Tulane (Saturday)
South Florida (10-10, 3-6) Last week: 2-0
Well, at least it’s a step in the right direction. After a six-game losing streak, including several close games to some of the best teams in conference, the Bulls won twice last week by beating Southern Miss, 72-61, and Tulane, 86-66. Against the Golden Eagles, Terrance Leather led the team with 22 points and nine rebounds. Brian Swift added 14 points, but only two assists. South Florida shot 52 percent from the field, including 8-of-16 from beyond the three-point line. Leather kept it going against Tulane on Saturday, finishing with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Swift had a more Swift-like performance, dishing out 11 assists in addition to 12 points. Marlyn Bryant also added 19 points. The Bulls out-rebounded Tulane, 31-20, and hit 54 percent from the field.
Next week – vs. Saint Louis (Wednesday), at Louisville (Saturday)
Southern Miss (10-11, 1-8) Last week: 0-2
It’s official: The Golden Eagles are sole owners of the C-USA cellar. Southern Miss lost two more conference games last week, falling to South Florida, 72-61, and at Marquette, 81-72. These were the third and fourth games since Jasper Johnson, the team’s top scorer and rebounder, was asked to leave the team by head coach Larry Eustachy. Wednesday against South Florida, Rashaad Carruth led the team with 19 points, while Jason Forte added 14 and Jarekus Singleton 15 off the bench. Southern Miss played better on the road against Marquette, but could not contain an injured Travis Diener.
Next week – vs. Saint Louis (Wednesday), vs. Tulane (Saturday)
Saint Louis (5-16, 3-6) Last week: 0-2
The Billikens’ modest hot streak is over, now that they have lost four straight. The latter two losses came last week at Houston, 63-43, and against DePaul in a close game, 56-53. Wednesday’s 43 points was their second-lowest output of the season, as they finished with more turnovers (17) than field goals (16). Reggie Bryant was the lone player in double figures, with 12 points. And Saint Louis’ tough defense had no answer for Houston’s Andre Owens, who scored 26 points. Sunday, the Billikens frustrated DePaul and had a shot to win at the end, but a failure to grab a rebound off of a missed Blue Demon free throw attempt allowed them to take a three-point lead with nine seconds remaining. Had Saint Louis recovered the rebound, it would have only trailed by one and any basket would have won the game. Instead, they needed a three-pointer and Dwayne Polk’s attempt was blocked with three seconds remaining.
Next week – at South Florida (Wednesday), vs. Charlotte (Saturday)
TCU (14-9, 4-5) Last week: 1-1
The Horned Frogs lost a tough road game against DePaul earlier in the week, their fourth straight, before rebounding with a 71-59 win against East Carolina. Playing in Chicago, TCU took the game down to the wire before falling 64-62. Trailing by one, Corey Santee had his 15-footer blocked with 20 seconds remaining. After a DePaul free throw, the Horned Frogs had one more chance but Marcus Shropshire missed a three-pointer with one second remaining. Shropshire led the team with 17 points, while Aaron Curtis contributed 13 off the bench. Eight blocked shots, including the last by Sammy Meija, did in the Frogs. After a sloppy first half on Saturday, TCU turned it on to easily dispatch of the Pirates. Shropshire again led the team in scoring with 19, while Nile Murry scored 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and the free-throw line.
Next week – vs. Marquette (Wednesday), vs. UAB (Saturday)
Tulane (8-12, 2-7) Last week: 0-2
The Green Wave returned to their losing ways last week, falling by large deficits to Louisville, 105-69, and South Florida, 86-66. Six players scored in double figures for Louisville, which forced 24 Tulane turnovers. The lone bright spot for the Green Wave was Donnie Stitch, who scored 19 points, thanks to a 14-of-14 performance from the free-throw line. The Cardinals finished with nearly as many three-pointers (14) as Tulane had field goals (16). Against the Bulls, another five players scored in double figures against the Wave, while Quincy Davis was the lone Tulane player to crack the mark, with 13 points. Despite excellent shooting by the Green Wave, 48.7 percent from the field and 89.5 percent from the free-throw line, turnovers and rebounding did them in. South Florida forced 19 turnovers to its five and out-rebounded the Wave, 31-20.
Next week – vs. Southern Miss (Wednesday), at Memphis (Saturday)
UAB (16-6, 6-3) Last week: 1-1
The Blazers were close to their biggest win of the season Saturday, but could not upend Louisville and lost 77-73 in a game nationally televised on ESPN2. The loss came after a surprisingly easy blowout road win against Marquette, 86-63. Against the Cardinals, UAB took a one-point lead with 1:44 remaining, but a three-pointer and four crucial free throws by Louisville prevented the win. Demario Eddins led the team with 18 points, while the Taylor twins of Donell and Ronell contributed 16 and 11, respectively. Earlier in the week against the Golden Eagles, four Blazers scored in double figures, led by Eddins’ 23. After a close first half, UAB blew Marquette out of the gym during the second half, outscoring them 48-24. Twenty Eagle turnovers was the difference.
Next week – at TCU (Saturday)
C-USA Player of the Week
Terrance Leather, South Florida
The senior forward helped the Bulls snap a six-game win streak by averaging 24 points and 10.5 rebounds during their two wins.
Games to watch
Memphis at Louisville (Wednesday at 7 p.m.)
Picking the Cardinals in this match-up looks like the safe bet, but Memphis has the talent to flick on the switch at any moment. Meanwhile, all college basketball analysts are probably wondering if Louisville will fade down the stretch again.
Cincinnati at DePaul (Saturday at 3:30 p.m.)
The Blue Demons repaid a blowout loss at Cincinnati with a win at home last season, and there’s good reason to believe that could happen this season. Quemont Greer struggled against the Bearcats in game one, so look for a big game from him.
UAB at TCU (Saturday at 8 p.m.)
The Blazers continue to struggle on the road. The Horned Frogs have also apparently ended their recent slump. Expect an up-and-down contest, and expect TCU to take home the win.
