Monday, January 25, 2010
Pirates Bloody Panthers as Pope Reigns in Paint
College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, January 24, 2010
Winning on the road in any conference is a tough task, but it's especially difficult in the Big East, as the #9 Pitt Panthers found out on Sunday when they traveled to New Jersey Sunday to face the Seton Hall Pirates. The Panthers were coming off their first home loss in 3 years, and a win would be a big boost to their confidence, but the Pirates had other ideas.
After close calls against Syracuse, UConn and West Virginia, the Hall was poised to make a statement, and they did, despite leading scorer Jeremy Hazell riding the pine for most of the game due to foul issues. Hazell, who averages 22.2 points per game, saw just 16 minutes of floor time and scored only 9 points, his lowest point total since the season opener.
Picking up the slack was sophomore forward Herb Pope, who played 38 minutes, scored 19 points and ripped down 9 boards. Pope was a solid force in the paint, hitting 8 of 12 shots, mostly from point-blank range. With help from Jeff Robinson, rounding into form after missing the first eight games of the season, the Pirates were able to hold on for a 64-61 win and improve their conference mark to 3-4.
Playing solid defense for the duration of the game, the Pirates held Pitt to just 35% shooting, including holding the Panthers' leading bomber, Ashton Gibbs, to just 1-for-7 from beyond the arc. Gibbs, the game's high-scorer with 23 points, made up for his poor shooting by hitting all 14 of his free throws, but in the end it wasn't enough.
Pitt is now 15-4 (5-2 Big East) and will still be ranked when the poll results come out on Monday, but two straight losses have taken some of the swagger out of their step.
NOTABLE: A huge match-up in the Big East is slated for Monday night, when the Syracuse Orangemen and Georgetown Hoyas renew their rivalry at the Carrier Dome. 19-1 Syracuse is ranked #5; the 15-3 Hoyas are ranked #12.
Winning on the road in any conference is a tough task, but it's especially difficult in the Big East, as the #9 Pitt Panthers found out on Sunday when they traveled to New Jersey Sunday to face the Seton Hall Pirates. The Panthers were coming off their first home loss in 3 years, and a win would be a big boost to their confidence, but the Pirates had other ideas.After close calls against Syracuse, UConn and West Virginia, the Hall was poised to make a statement, and they did, despite leading scorer Jeremy Hazell riding the pine for most of the game due to foul issues. Hazell, who averages 22.2 points per game, saw just 16 minutes of floor time and scored only 9 points, his lowest point total since the season opener.
Picking up the slack was sophomore forward Herb Pope, who played 38 minutes, scored 19 points and ripped down 9 boards. Pope was a solid force in the paint, hitting 8 of 12 shots, mostly from point-blank range. With help from Jeff Robinson, rounding into form after missing the first eight games of the season, the Pirates were able to hold on for a 64-61 win and improve their conference mark to 3-4.
Playing solid defense for the duration of the game, the Pirates held Pitt to just 35% shooting, including holding the Panthers' leading bomber, Ashton Gibbs, to just 1-for-7 from beyond the arc. Gibbs, the game's high-scorer with 23 points, made up for his poor shooting by hitting all 14 of his free throws, but in the end it wasn't enough.
Pitt is now 15-4 (5-2 Big East) and will still be ranked when the poll results come out on Monday, but two straight losses have taken some of the swagger out of their step.
NOTABLE: A huge match-up in the Big East is slated for Monday night, when the Syracuse Orangemen and Georgetown Hoyas renew their rivalry at the Carrier Dome. 19-1 Syracuse is ranked #5; the 15-3 Hoyas are ranked #12.
Labels: Herb Pope, Seton Hall Pirates
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Mountaineers Top Seton Hall, Remain Undefeated
College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, December 26, 2009
Apparently, Bob Huggins never heard the phrase, "you can't go home again," or, if he did, hasn't bothered to take its message to heart. Born in Morgantown, West Virginia, Huggins made a long coaching journey - with great success - through places like the University of Cincinnati (1989-2005) and Kansas State (2006-2007), but finally made it back to his home, and since last season has been the head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Experts figured it would take Huggins a couple of years to reshape he program into a national contender, something he did at Cincinnati, but Huggins appears to be ahead of schedule. After opening the Big East season with a 90-84 overtime win at Seton Hall Saturday, the Mountaineers are 10-0, one of just six unbeaten college basketball teams.
Led by sophomore Devin Ebanks, who matched his career high with 22 points, the forward also nabbed 17 rebounds, his high of the season. Aiding in the effort were Kevin Jones (19 points, 14 rebounds) and Da'Sean Butler (21 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists).
Holding off the Pirates was no easy task as junior guard Jeremy Hazell poured in 41 points, though he hit only 4 of 19 shots from 3-point range. West Virginia rallied from a late ten-point deficit to force overtime, finally putting the Pirates down in the extra session. Seton Hall is 9-2.
NOTABLE: On Friday, USC downed UNLV, 67-56, to capture the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii, led by Marcus Johnson's 19 points and 9 boards. The Trojans, who began the 2009 campaign 2-4, have now won 6 straight, including solid victories over quality foes: Tennessee, Western Michigan, St. Mary's and UNLV.
Apparently, Bob Huggins never heard the phrase, "you can't go home again," or, if he did, hasn't bothered to take its message to heart. Born in Morgantown, West Virginia, Huggins made a long coaching journey - with great success - through places like the University of Cincinnati (1989-2005) and Kansas State (2006-2007), but finally made it back to his home, and since last season has been the head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers.Experts figured it would take Huggins a couple of years to reshape he program into a national contender, something he did at Cincinnati, but Huggins appears to be ahead of schedule. After opening the Big East season with a 90-84 overtime win at Seton Hall Saturday, the Mountaineers are 10-0, one of just six unbeaten college basketball teams.
Led by sophomore Devin Ebanks, who matched his career high with 22 points, the forward also nabbed 17 rebounds, his high of the season. Aiding in the effort were Kevin Jones (19 points, 14 rebounds) and Da'Sean Butler (21 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists).
Holding off the Pirates was no easy task as junior guard Jeremy Hazell poured in 41 points, though he hit only 4 of 19 shots from 3-point range. West Virginia rallied from a late ten-point deficit to force overtime, finally putting the Pirates down in the extra session. Seton Hall is 9-2.
NOTABLE: On Friday, USC downed UNLV, 67-56, to capture the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii, led by Marcus Johnson's 19 points and 9 boards. The Trojans, who began the 2009 campaign 2-4, have now won 6 straight, including solid victories over quality foes: Tennessee, Western Michigan, St. Mary's and UNLV.
Labels: Devin Ebanks, Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall Pirates, West Virginia Mountaineers
