The Top 1 Through 16 Tournament

[PointGuard]

In this bracket of teams with 2 losses, it’s a battle of Mid American Conference teams. Ball State has two double digit losses. Kent State lost a squeaker by one point in the first round but got blown out in round 2.

Starting lineups:

Ball State: PG 6-0 Melvin Clark, SG 6-0 Bernard Jackson, SF 6-7 Dwayne Jackson, PF 6-8 Paul Smith, C 6-8 Srecko Lepinat

Kent State: PG 5-8 Michael Deren, SG 6-3 Willie Baker, SF 6-7 Marco Coursey, PF 6-7 Maurice Bruton, C 6-9 Tony Dupree

By controlling the boards and forcing turnovers, Kent State allowed the Cardinals to get away just 5 shots in the first 8 minutes of play. At that point the Golden Flashes led 17-6 and the Kent State fans were making things difficult for Ball State. But the Cardinals made good use of the few shots they took from there on (including hitting 6 of 11 three’s) and cut Kent State’s lead to 3 points with 3-1/2 minutes to go in the first half. But then the Golden Flashes (with their fans going wild) pulled away for a 42-33 halftime lead.

Kent State was +9 in rebounds and +3 in turnovers. Ball State hit 65% of their shots, but the Golden Flashes hit 70% of their FG attempts. For Ball State, O.J. Miller came off the bench to hit all 4 of his shots (including a 3) and scored 9 points in just 7 minutes on the court. PF Maurice Bruton led Kent State with 10 points.

The home court advantage continued to carry Kent State and they extended their lead to 63-47 with 11 minutes to play. Kent State went on to post an easy win.

Final Score: Kent State—82, Ball State—66.

Ball State: PG Melvin Clark-3/3/1, SG Bernard Jackson-13/2/1, SF Dwayne Jackson-11/2/3, PF Paul Smith-8/0/1, C Srecko Lepinat-4/1/5; Bench players: O.J. Miller-9/0/0; Eddie Wheeler-8/3/1.

Cardinals team stats: FG%-58%, 5 of 6 FT’s, 11 of 22 Threes, 15 Reb’s, 18 TO’s, 13 PF’s.

Kent State: PG Michael Deren-3/4/3, SG Willie Baker-20/2/3, SF Marco Coursey-14/1/3, PF Maurice Bruton-18/0/5, C Tony Dupree-8/5/3 (+5 steals); Bench Player: Corey Campbell-7/0/2.

Golden Flashes team stats: FG%-61%, 9 of 14 FT’s, 11 of 22 Threes, 22 Reb’s, 9 TO’s, 8 PF’s.

Player of the Game: Kent State SG Willie Baker-20 pts, 2 assists, 3 reb.

[PointGuard]

Charlotte has a good inside-outside team in PG Mark Graham (20 ppg thus far) and C Marion Kurtz (14.5 ppg thus far) whereas Southern Illinois is getting good scoring from 2 outside players, PG Shannon Ress (18.5 ppg thus far) and SF Tim Montross (15 ppg thus far). So which tandem will prevail in this game? After getting drubbed in the first round, both teams bounced back with strong round 2 wins.

Starting lineups:

Southern Illinois: PG 6-0 Shannon Ress, SG 6-2 Brandon Penders, SF 6-8 Tim Montross, PF 6-6 Adam Lilly, C 6-8 Mike Young

Charlotte: PG 5-7 Mark Graham, SG 6-4 Craig Poole, SF 6-8 Dwayne Cox, PF 6-8 Greg Brumm, C 6-9 Marion Kurtz

Southern Illinois scored the first 7 points of the game and led 19-1 with 8:30 to go in the first half. Charlotte finally hit their first FG of the game at the 8:14 mark. But the 49ers made a nice comeback from the point on and by the end of the half trailed just 26-20.

Southern Illinois hit 55% of their shots compared to Charlotte’s 29% shooting. Charlotte held an 11-9 advantage in rebounds and a 9-7 advantage in turnovers. PG Shannon Ress was the top scorer for Southern Illinois with 5 points and C Marlon Kutz led the 49ers with 6 points.

The Salukis’ lead shrunk to a single point after 5 minutes of play in the 2nd half. Charlotte tied the game at 38-38 with 13 minutes to play. The Salukis then pulled away again to take a 12 points led with 8 minutes left to go. At the final TV timeout, Southern Illinois led 59-49. The 49ers doggedly tried to cut the lead but the Salukis held firm and won a big game on the road.

While the Graham/Kurtz tandem outshone the Ress/Montross duo, it wasn't enough to carry the day.

Final Score: Southern Illinois-71, Charlotte-61.

Southern Illinois: PG Shannon Ress-12/4*/3, SG Brandon Penders-7/1/3, SF Tim Montross-8/1/2, PF Adam Lilly-9/2/5, C Mike Young-12/0/2; Bench player: Jamie Mueller-13/0/0.

Salukis team stats: FG%-54%, 12 of 17 FT’s, 7 of 15 Threes, 24 Rebs, 13 TO’s, 19 PF’s.

Charlotte: PG Mark Graham-20*/3/0, SG Craig Poole-6/4*/1, SF Dwayne Cox-5/1/3, PF Greg Brumm-2/1/7, C Marion Kurtz-10/1/8*.

49ers team stats: FG%-43%, 13 of 16 FT’s, 8 of 23 Threes, 23 Rebs, 14 TO’s, 17 PF’s.

Player of the Game: Southern Illinois PG Shannon Ress-12 pts, 4 assists, 3 rebounds.

[PointGuard]

Both of these teams won their Round 1 games by playing well defensively and getting a lot of scoring from their benches. In Round 2, both teams’ defenses faltered and their benches didn’t bail them out offensively.

So now...the Mormons vs the Jesuits!

Starting lineups:

BYU: PG 5-7 Ben Smith, SG 6-2 John Hopkins, SF 6-8 John Angeli, PF 6-10 Coupe Fuhs, C 6-9 Matt Babul

St. Josephs: PG 6-5 Gregg Hoyer, SG 6-5 Chris Kelly, SF 6-6 Mike Hutson, PF 6-6 Dan Deverage, C 6-9 Petrick Watkins

BYU had 6 turnovers in the first 7 minutes but only trailed 12-10. But the Cougars quieted the partisan Hawks’ fans by hitting 5 of their first 6 three-point shots and taking a 29-21 lead at the 5:51 mark of the first half. St. Josephs came back with 3 quick three’s and by the end of the half led 35-32.

The Hawks outshot BYU 56% to 44%. Other team stats were fairly similar between the two teams. SG John Hopkins led BYU scoring with 9 points on 3 three’s. On the other side, the Hawks’ SF Mike Hutson also hit 3 three’s and scored 9 points.

In the 2nd half, St. Josephs scored the first 11 points to give the Hawks a 46-32 lead with 17 minutes to play. The lead expanded to 20 points with 13 minutes to go as the home crowd made life difficult for the visiting Cougars. The wheels had fallen off the bus for BYU, so from there it was just a question of what the final point differential would be rather than who would win.

Final Score: St. Josephs-76, BYU-61.

BYU: PG Ben Smith-10/2/2, SG John Hopkins-12/2/2, SF John Angeli-10/1/3, PF Coupe Fuhs-1/0/4, C Matt Babul-4/1/3; Bench player: Brandon Marquardt-8/2/4.

Cougars team stats: FG%-49%, 14 of 22 FT’s, 11 of 20 Threes, 18 Rebs, 15 TO’s, 16 PF’s.

St. Josephs: PG Gregg Hoyer-0/5*/0, SG Chris Kelly-18*/0/3, SF Mike Hutson-9/1/4, PF Dan Deverage-6/0/3, C Petrick Watkins-8/0/2; Bench players: Terrence Russell-18*/3/6*, Tomas Wall-8/0/1.

Hawks team stats: FG%-60%, 13 of 17 FT’s, 9 of 18 Threes, 23 Rebs, 12 TO’s, 20 PF’s.

Player of the Game: St. Josephs C Terrence Russell-18 pts, 3 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals.

[PointGuard]

Nevada has had the more explosive offense, but both teams have played extremely well in both of their games thus far in the tournament. Massachusett’s PG (Rogers) has an 8-inch height advantage over his counterpart (Boston) of the Wolfpack. Will he be able to exploit that?

Starting lineups:

Massachusetts: PG 6-2 Mark Rogers, SG 6-1 David Krimmel, SF 6-5 Michael Crenshaw, PF 6-8 Tony Logan, 6-9 Chris Kent

Nevada: PG 5-6 Brett Boston, SG 6-2 Rick Newman, SF 6-8 Marlo Vickers, PF 6-8 Hollis Booth, C 6-9 Donald Thornton

PG Brett Boston of Nevada sustained an injury just 2 minutes into the game and his backup, Jerry McKnight, picked up 2 fouls in less than a minute on the floor, meaning the Wolfpack’s #3 PG, Jermaine Cockle, would need to carry a big load. When Cockle picked up an immediate foul trying to guard Massachusetts’ Mark Rogers, Nevada’s coach brought Brett Boston back on the court, even though he obviously was somewhat hobbled. Boston and Cockle spelled each other at the point. Nevada picked up their 7th team foul and Massachusetts overcame an early deficit to go up 17-12 with 12:48 remaining in the first half. Less than a minute later, Nevada’s SG Rick Newman picked up his 2nd foul and headed to the bench. The Minutemen exploited Nevada’s weakened guard positions to take a 17 point lead. Meanwhile Massachusetts’ SF Michael Crenshaw was injured also but stayed in the game. The half ended with Massachusetts in control 42-21.

Massachusetts outshot Nevada 54% to 35%, held a 16-10 rebounding advantage, and a 12-8 turnover advantage, plus got to the line 11 more times and scored 12 more points on free throws than the Wolfpack. Nevada’s 3 PG’s score no points, had no assists, just 2 rebounds, and 4 turnovers. Massachusetts 3 primary guards (Rogers, Krimmel, and Swoger) scored 19 points, had 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and just 3 turnovers. Tony Logan and Brandon Swoger each had 12 points to lead the Minutemen offensively. Rick Newman scored 9 points in 10 minutes of play for Nevada.

At the beginning of the 2nd half, Nevada started a less-than-100% Brett Boston at PG while Massachusetts’ SF Michael Crenshaw also started but appeared to be fully recovered. Rick Newman carried Nevada in the early going of the 2nd half and the Wolfpack narrowed the gap to 49-36 with 10:37 to play. The lead was down to 10 with 7 minutes left as Massachusetts became turnover prone. With 3:14 to play, the score was 57-50 in favor of the Minutemen. Nevada cut the lead to 5 with 2:55 on the clock. But Nevada was forced to foul and Massachusetts held off the Wolfpack that had been nipping at the Minutemen’s heels.

PG Mark Rogers had a pretty good game against the smaller Brett Boston.

Final Score: Massachusetts-66, Nevada-57.

Massachusetts: PG Mark Rogers-11/5*/7*, SG David Krimmel-8/0/2, SF Michael Crenshaw-10/4/2 (7 steals), PF Tony Logan-17/1/4, Chris Kent-13/0/2; Bench players: Brandon Swoger-12/0/2; Kevin Phillips-4/0/5, Wayne Sides-2/0/7*.

Minutemen team stats: FG%-42%, 23 of 31 FT’s, 5 of 15 Threes, 33 Rebs, 16 TO’s, 18 PF’s.

Nevada: PG Brett Boston-4/0/3, SG Rick Newman-19*/2/4, SF Marlo Vickers-10/2/3, PF Hollis Booth-3/2/3, C Donald Thornton-0/0/2; Bench players: Jermaine Cockle-7/0/0, Marlo Vickers-6/0/4.

Wolfpack team stats: FG%-37%, 15 of 18 FT’s, 8 of 25 Threes, 25 Rebs, 17 TO’s, 26 PF’s.

Player of the Game: Massachusetts SF Michael Crenshaw: 10 pts, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 7 steals.

[Wayne23]

Go UMass!

[PointGuard]

Yes, big win on the road.

[PointGuard]

Both of these teams suffered narrow defeats in round 1. St. Bonaventure kept things close throughout their 2nd round loss also. Saint Louis fell far behind in the 2nd half of their round 2 game, but made a closing run that made the game respectable for the Billikens.

And now: The “battle of the saints”:

Starting lineups:

St. Louis: PG 6-2 Adam Blizzard, SG 6-3 Arthur James, SF 6-8 Adrian Graham, PF 6-8 John Wiel, C 6-8 Bryce Brown

St. Bonaventure: PG 6-3 Bryan Majerus, SG 6-1 Tavaras Linney, SF 6-7 LeDarion Peterson, PF 6-11 Nick Dunn, C 6-9 Sam Chouest

St. Bonaventure spurted out to 7-0, 11-2, 18-5, and 29-10 leads as their defense squelched Saint Louis’ offense. The Bonnies finished the half ahead 39-16.

The Bonnies hit 63% of their shots while holding the Billikens to 21% shooting efficiency. St. Bonaventure also out-rebounded Saint Louis 15-9 and had a 7-5 turnover advantage. SG Arthur James scored 9 for St. Bonaventure and C Sam Chouest scored the same number of points for Saint Louis.

St. Bonaventure continued their dismantling of the Billikens early in the 2nd half, taking a 61-20 lead with 13 minutes to play. The Bonnies dominance continued to the end of the game as they recorded a total blowout win.

Final Score: St. Bonaventure-78, Saint Louis-43.

St. Louis: PG Adam Blizzard-0/3*/0, SG Arthur James-9/0/3, SF Adrian Graham-6/1/1, PF John Wiel-2/0/2, C Bryce Brown-4/1/3; Bench player: Jamaal Williams-6/0/3.

Billikens team stats: FG%-32%, 5 of 8 FT’s, 4 of 19 Threes, 19 Rebs, 15 TO’s, 25 PF’s.

St. Bonaventure: PG Bryan Majerus-13*/3*/2, SG Tavaras Linney-5/2/3, SF LeDarion Peterson-11/2/5*, PF Nick Dunn-13*/0/4, C Sam Chouest-9/3*/3; Bench player: Germayne Millford-8/0/3.

Bonnies team stats: FG%-66%, 23 of 32 FT’s, 5 of 9 Threes, 29 Rebs, 12 TO’s, 10 PF’s.

Player of the Game: St. Bonaventure PG Bryan Majerus-13 pts, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 block.

[PointGuard]

Valparaiso got ripped in the first round, losing by 35 points but bounced back for a nice comeback win in Round 2. Western Kentucky lost a close game in round 1 and then played an exceptionally strong 2nd half against Saint Louis to win their round 2 game on the road.

Starting lineups:

Western Kentucky: PG 5-7 Mario Jones, SG 6-1 Aaron Taflinger, SF 6-8 Scott Reed, PF 6-10 Julius Dickel, C 6-10 Ray Melson

Valparaiso: PG 6-0 Javon Thomas, SF 6-2 Jeremy Scott, SF 6-6 Jim Walker, PF 6-8 David Richardson, C 6-10 Brandon Diggs

Valparaiso hit 4 of 5 from beyond the arc to take a 20-15 lead at the midpoint of the 1st half. After trailing most of the first half, Western Kentucky took a one point lead with a minute left in the half. The Hilltoppers then increased that lead to a 42-38 margin at the break.

Both teams shot well: Western Kentucky hit 58% and Valparaiso hit 65% of their shots. Valparaiso held an 11-8 rebounding advantage but more than gave that up by making 12 turnovers to the Hilltoppers 4. C Cain Cage came off the bench to score 10 points for Western Kentucky. Starting C Brandon Diggs hit for 13 points for Valparaiso.

Both teams came out of the locker room sinking their shots from all over the court, but Valparaiso took advantage of Western Kentucky turnovers to take a 49-46 lead just 2 minutes into the 2nd half. The Crusaders continued their hot shooting to take a 13 point lead midway through the half, but the Hilltoppers made a quick run to cut the lead to 64-61 with 9 minutes left. Valparaiso’s outside shooting pushed them to a 10 point lead with 6 minutes to go in the game. Western Kentucky then scored some quick buckets in transition to close to 80-76 with 3 minutes remaining. But the Hilltoppers didn’t have enough fuel in their tank to make up the rest of the difference.

Final Score: Valparaiso—89, Western Kentucky—82.

Western Kentucky: PG Mario Jones-8/3/2, SG Aaron Taflinger-9/4/4, SF Scott Reed-8/1/0, PF Julius Dickel-6/0/3, C Ray Melson-13/1/7*; Bench players; Chad Fisher-15/1/0, Cain Cage-13/2/3.

Hilltoppers team stats: FG%-49%, 28 of 38 FT’s, 6 of 18 Threes, 21 Rebs, 12 TO’s, 25 PF’s.

Valparaiso: PG Javon Thomas-17/2/2, SF Jeremy Scott-17/4*/6, SF Jim Walker6/1/5, PF David Richardson-8/3/5, C Brandon Diggs-23*/1/2; Bench player: Albert Yearwood-9/1/0.

Crusaders team stats: FG%-64%, 21 of 29 FT’s, 10 of 16 Threes, 26 Rebs, 20 TO’s, 26 PF’s.

Player of the game: Valparaiso’s C Brandon Diggs-23 pts, 1 assist, 2 reb, 2 steals.

[PointGuard]

UNLV’s defense has been like Jekyll and Hyde...great in their first game and horrible in their second game. Bowling Green’s offense was similar...hot in the first game, cold in their second game.

Starting lineups:

UNLV: PG 6-0 Clyde Ruddock, SG 6-3 George Finley, SF 6-5 Rick Watkins, PF 6-8 Geoff Ahern, C 6-9 Simon Ellis

Bowling Green: PG 6-4 Shammell Smith, SG 6-3 Michael Maybin, SF 6-7 Greg Miller, PF 6-6 Jerome Bowie, C 6-7 Chris Gentry

Neither team shot well early in the game. After 9 minutes of play the score was 11-5 in favor of UNLV. With 7 minutes to play in the half, UNLV was ahead 15-7 and Bowling Green had hit just 2 of 15 FG attempts. UNLV extended their lead to 24-10 with 4 minutes to go in the half. The Falcons offense continued to sputter and UNLV left the floor with a 31-14 advantage.
UNLV hit 48% of their shots, but Bowling Green managed to make just 21% of their FG attempts (and was 0 for 12 from 3 point distance). UNLV also held a 17-15 rebounding advantage and a 7-5 advantage in turnovers. PF Geoff Ahern scored 10 points for UNLV. The top scorer for Bowling Green was PF Jerome Bowie with just 5 points.

The Falcons came out in the 2nd half hitting their shots and trimmed the lead to 38-28 with 13-1/2 minutes to go. With 1:35 remaining, Bowling Green closed to within 6 at 59-53. UNLV bent but didn’t break and held the Falcons off to win.

Final Score: UNLV—60, Bowling Green—55.

UNLV: PG Clyde Ruddock16/4*/2, SG George Finley-5/1/2, SF Rick Watkins8/3/3, PF Geoff Ahern-16/1/6, C Simon Ellis-5/1/4; Bench player: Matt Jones-8/1/3.

Runnin’ Rebels team stats: FG%-47%, 8 of 12 FT’s, 6 of 20 Threes, 27 Rebs, 15 TO’s, 10 PF’s.

Bowling Green: PG Shammell Smith-15/2/3, SG Michael Maybin-5/4*/8*, SF Greg Miller-6/2/3, PF Jerome Bowie-17*/2/5 (+ 4 steals), C Chris Gentry-9/3/4.

Falcons team stats: FG%-44%, 8 of 12 FT’s, 5 of 25 Threes, 25 Rebs, 14 TO’s, 16 PF’s.

Player of the Game: UNLV PF Geoff Ahern-16 pts, 1 assist, 6 reb, 1 block.

[PointGuard]

Both teams were tested with close games in round 1 but won more easily in round 2.

Starting lineups:

Central Michigan: PG 6-4 Chuck Livas, SG 6-1 Tremaine Moore, SF 6-6 Jarvis Martin, PF 6-7 Joe Evans, C 6-10 Ramsey Millar

Hawaii: PG 6-5 David Hamilton, SG 6-3 Shannon Sykes, SF 6-8 David Howard, PF 6-7 Darius Allison, C 6-8 Todd Brown

Central Michigan combined some hot shooting with frequent turnovers by the Warriors to take a 20-10 lead with 13:20 to go in the first half and take the Hawaii fans out of the game. Hawaii then pulled within 4 points only to see the Chippewas move out to a 46-25 advantage with 1-1/2 minutes left as the Warriors were called for foul after foul sending Central Michigan to the line repeatedly. The margin at the break was 46-27 in favor of Central Michigan.

Central Michigan outshot Hawaii 59% to 40% and held an 18-10 rebounding advantage. The Chippewas also went to the line 33 times in the first half as the Warriors were called for 20 fouls. SG Tremaine Moore scored 15 points for the Chippewas. Todd Brown and Jason Oliver both had 5 points for Hawaii.

Hawaii cut the Chippewas’ lead to 12 with 13-1/2 minutes left in the game. Central Michigan pulled away again late in the game to win with ease.

Final Score: Central Michigan-82, Hawaii-60.

Central Michigan: PG Chuck Livas-12/1/1, SG Tremaine Moore-20*/3*/3, SF Jarvis Martin-7/2/5, PF Joe Evans-3/1/1, C Ramsey Millar- 6/3*/6; Bench player: Brian Walker-12/0/8*.

Chippewas team stats: FG%-55%, 33 of 44 FT’s, 7 of 19 Threes, 31 Rebs, 14 TO’s, 22 PF’s.

Hawaii: PG David Hamilton-10/1/2, SG Shannon Sykes-2/2/3, SF David Howard-8/0/2, PF Darius Allison-6/0/2, C Todd Brown-13/1/6; Bench player: Cedrick Warren-7/2/2

Warriors team stats: FG%-42%, 20 of 30 FT’s, 2 of 16 Threes, 22 Rebs, 17 TO’s, 33 PF’s.

Player of the Game: Central Michigan’s SG Tremaine Moore-20 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds.