Wednesdays Top 25 Capsules
January 1st, 2009 Posted in NCAA basketball news, NCAA college basketballUNLV 56, (18) LOUISVILLE 55
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky Oscar Bellfield hit a tough layup with 16 seconds remaining as Nevada-Las Vegas claimed a 56-55 upset of No. 18 Louisville.
After the Cardinals committed a turnover on the other end after getting stymied on a set off a timeout, the freshman guard Bellfield got the ball to the right of the key, recognized a mismatch with forward Samardo Samuels and drove in for the winning basket.
Louisville (8-3) had a final chance but Terrence Williams missed a tightly contested layup before UNLV ran out the closing seconds.
Bellfield finished with eight points and Rene Rougeau scored 17 for the Runnin Rebels (12-2), who played without leading scorer Wink Adams due to an abdominal strain.
Despite the absence of Adams, UNLV came out flying, scoring the first 10 points and taking a 20-6 advantage.
Yet, the Cardinals were able to chip away in the second half, taking their first lead at 48-47 with 4:31 to play when Williams split two free throws.
Williams finished with just nine points on 2-of-15 shooting for Louisville, which had a 15-game winning streak at Freedom Hall snapped.
(1) NORTH CAROLINA 84, NEVADA 61
RENO, Nevada Tyler Hansbrough scored 22 points and Wayne Ellington added 15 as top-ranked North Carolina cruised to another victory, 84-61, over Nevada.
It was the seventh straight 20-point game for Hansbrough, who extended his schools scoring record to 2,375 points. He was 7-of-13 from the floor and 8-of-10 from the foul line.
North Carolina (13-0), which has won all of its games by double digits this season, shot 51 percent (30-of-59) and proved to be no match for another opponent.
Nevada (7-6) hung tough early but North Carolina started to create separation with an 18-5 run, giving the Tar Heels a 30-19 lead with 5:15 left in the first half.
Hansbrough, who was held scoreless for the first 8:07, scored six points late in the half and Ellington connected on a 3-pointer from the right corner to give the Tar Heels a 41-27 advantage at the break.
North Carolina kept Nevada at a distance in the second half and further extended its advantage with a 13-6 run to take a 67-44 bulge with 9:13 remaining. Hansbrough capped the run with a three-point play.
The deficit was far too much for the Wolfpack to recover from and Hansbrough made back-to-back shots before coming out of the game with over five minutes left to play as the Tar Heels cruised to the finish.
Freshman Luke Babbit scored 22 points and Armon Johnson had 15 for the Wolfpack, who shot 34 percent (22-of-64) from the field, including 1-of-12 from the arc.
(3) PITTSBURGH 78, RUTGERS 72
PISCATAWAY, New Jersey Tyrell Biggs sparked a second-half surge as third-ranked Pittsburgh remained unbeaten with a 78-72 victory over Rutgers.
In the Big East Conference opener for both schools, the heavily favored Panthers (13-0, 1-0 Big East) had to rally from a 55-50 deficit midway through the second half against an inspired Scarlet Knights squad.
Biggs, who had gone scoreless, then came alive by converting consecutive driving layups as part of a game-changing run which gave the Panthers the lead for good. He also drained a jumper with under three minutes left to give the Panthers a 70-59 advantage.
Sam Young scored 18 points and Brad Wanamaker 15 for the deeper Panthers, who seemed to wear down the Scarlet Knights over the final 10 minutes.
Wanamaker also hit a pair of deep 3-pointers in the decisive surge for Pittsburgh, which should receive another stern test Saturday when it visits No. 8 Georgetown. The Hoyas upset second-ranked Connecticut on Monday.
Freshman Mike Rosario scored 22 points, Anthony Farmer 20 and Corey Chandler 17 for Rutgers (9-5, 0-1), which is in the midst of a brutal stretch in which it faces the nations top-three teams in a span of six days.
The Scarlet Knights, who were coming off a 97-75 loss at top-ranked North Carolina, visit Connecticut on Saturday.
Behind Rosarios 15 points and Farmers 12, the hot-shooting Scarlet Knights held a 43-39 halftime lead. Rutgers shot 61.5 percent (16-of-26) over the opening 20 minutes.
(5) DUKE 92, LOYOLA MD 51
DURHAM, North Carolina In their final non-conference tuneup before kicking off their Atlantic Coast Conference slate, fifth-ranked Duke made easy work of Loyola of Maryland in a 92-51 triumph.
Duke (11-1) set the tone immediately, scoring the games first eight points and cruising from there for its third victory in a row.
After rolling through the first month of the season, the team was upended on December 6 to then-unranked Michigan. Since then, things have gone back to normal for the Blue Devils. After routing a potent Xavier squad before Christmas, they showed no ill effects from an 11-day layoff.
Naturally, it was the usual suspects doing the bulk of the damage. Gerald Henderson led all scorers with 19 points, Kyle Singler added 18 and Jon Scheyer 12 and five assists to lead the way for a Duke team that shot a blistering 55 percent (36-of-65) from the field and dominated the paint.
Though the outcome was never really in doubt, that didnt stop Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski from keeping his starters on the floor for most of the afternoon. Part of the reason may be that the team is four days away from opening up its always grueling conference schedule.
The Blue Devils kick things off Sunday at home against Virginia Tech before another non-conference contest against Davidson and the nations leading scorer, Stephen Curry. They follow that matchup with back-to-back road meetings against Florida State and Georgia Tech.
With eight minutes to play and his team holding a 31-point advantage, Singler drove down the lane for an easy layup, then added another easy bucket a minute later as he tipped in his own miss.
Hendersons lay-in at the 5:08 mark extended the lead to 84-47 as the junior forward pulled to within one point of his career high.
The Blue Devils also got a major effort from junior center Brian Zoubek dropped in a season-high 17 points and 11 boards.
Loyola (4-9) dropped its second straight game against an ACC opponent after falling to North Carolina State in a 62-60 heartbreaker on Monday. Sophomore guard Brian Rudolph led the way in this one, scoring 13 points.
(10) NOTRE DAME 92, DEPAUL 82
CHICAGO Luke Harangody picked right up where he left off in the Big East last season.
Harangody scored 26 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as No. 10 Notre Dame captured a 92-82 victory over DePaul in the conference opener for both teams.
Zach Hillesland had 17 points and Ryan Ayers added 14 for the Fighting Irish (10-2, Big East 1-0), who won their fourth straight game.
The reigning Big East Player of the Year, Harangody went 10-of-17 from the field and pulled down six offensive boards.
Despite 18 first-half points by the Blue Demons Dar Tucker, Notre Dame built a 47-34 lead at the half as it used its decided advantage inside. Harangody and Hillesland both had 12 points prior to the break.
DePaul (8-6, 0-1) did manage to close within 49-42 with 16:49 left on a layup by Jabari Currie, but Notre Dame scored nine of the next 13 points to back ahead by double digits at 58-46 with 13:04 to play.
Tucker and Mac Koshwal both scored 26 points for the Blue Demons, who lost to the Irish for the fourth straight time.
(15) MICHIGAN ST 70, (21) MINNESOTA 58
MINNEAPOLIS Kalin Lucas poured in 24 points and Chris Allen added 13 as No. 15 Michigan State topped Minnesota, 70-58, in the Big Ten Conference opener for both teams.
It was the first loss of the season for the 21st-ranked Golden Gophers (12-1, 1-0 Big Ten), who were the only remaining unbeaten team in the Big Ten.
Michigan States Goran Suton continued to play well since returning from injury, registering 11 points and pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds.
The senior center, who missed six games with a knee injury, has averaged 15 points in three contests since rejoining the team.
Raymar Morgan added 10 points and 11 boards for the Spartans, who have won nine of the last 10 meetings with Minnesota.
Michigan (10-2, 0-1) held a narrow 30-29 after 20 minutes, but opened the half on an 18-9 run and never allowed Minnesota to get closer than seven points the rest of the way.
Talented Michigan State freshman Delvon Roe was held to two points in limited action as he continues to recover from a ankle injury.
The Gophers were led by Al Nolens 14 points and Lawrence Westbrook finished with 10. Outside shooting threat Blake Hoffarber was limited to eight points and was just 2-of-7 shooting from 3-point range.
UTAH 66, (17) GONZAGA 65
SALT LAKE CITY Luke Nevill led the way with 15 points and eight rebounds and Utah used some strong defense to drop No. 17 Gonzaga, 66-65.
Utah began the game on a 14-2 run and spent the rest of the contest holding onto the early advantage. The Utes led, 36-32, at the half and held the Bulldogs to three points over the first seven minutes of the second half to stretch the lead back to 46-35.
Josh Heytvelt broke the drought with a 3-pointer and scored five points over the next seven minutes as Gonzaga chipped away. Jeremy Pargos jumper with 6:13 left pulled the Bulldogs to within 54-53.
But Nevill and Luka Drca combined for 10 points down the stretch as the Utes went 8-of-8 from the free-throw line in the final five minutes.
Gonzaga had a chance at the end after forcing a turnover with seven seconds left, but Matt Bouldin missed a jumper and Austin Daye could not put back the rebound as time ran out.
(20) BAYLOR 113, JACKSON STATE 78
WACO, Texas Kevin Rogers scored 21 points and Henry Dugat added 20 as No. 20 Baylor notched a season high in offense with a 113-78 blowout of Jackson State.
LaceDarius Dunn had 16 points, Josh Lomers 14 and Tweety Carter chipped in 12 for the Bears (12-1), who rolled to their ninth straight victory at home.
It was the second time that Baylor went over 100 points in a game this season, topping Paul Quinn, 108-50, in its season opener on November 15.
This second big effort comes two days before the Bears host South Carolina on Friday and 10 days before they begin play in the Big 12 Conference against Texas Tech.
Jeremy Caldwell scored 23 points for the Tigers (1-11).
(22) XAVIER 78, ROBERT MORRIS 57
CINCINNATI Freshman Brad Redford and Jason Love scored 15 points apiece to lead 22nd-ranked Xavier to a 78-57 victory over Robert Morris.
B.J. Raymond added 13 points for the Musketeers (10-2), who shot 52 percent (25-of-48) en route to snapping a two-game losing streak.
While Love, who shot 7-of-9 from the field and added six rebounds and three blocked shots, took care of things on the inside, Redford lit it from beyond the arc, hitting 5-of-8 3-point attempts. Xavier shot 44 percent (8-of-18) as a team from 3-point range.
Jamel McLean pulled down 11 rebounds for the Musketeers, who won the battle of the boards, 38-20.
Jeremy Chappell scored 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting to lead the Colonials (6-7), who shot 39 percent (23-of-59) in losing their second game in a row.
(23) OHIO STATE 68, IOWA 65
COLUMBUS, Ohio Jon Diebler connected on seven 3-pointers in scoring a career-high 27 points as No. 23 Ohio State overcame a big second half by Iowa for a 68-65 victory in the Big Ten Conference opener for both teams.
Freshman William Buford scored 16 points and Evan Turner added 11 for the Buckeyes (10-1, 1-0 Big Ten), who overcame 14 3-pointers from the Hawkeyes.
Earlier on, Iowa was not hitting from long range, falling behind 30-15 with 5:46 remaining before halftime. Yet, the Hawkeyes cut that deficit to 36-28 at the intermission before making the contest very interesting in the second half.
Freshman Matt Gatens scored 14 of his 22 points after halftime and Devan Bawinkel finished with five 3-pointers for 15 points for Iowa (10-4, 0-1).
The Hawkeyes took their first lead of the game at 48-46 with 11:43 to play on one of Bawinkels three 3-pointers after the break.
Jake Kelly added a jumper to give Iowa a four-point edge, but Diebler came back with three 3-pointers over the next three-plus minutes, giving Ohio State a 57-55 lead with 7:48 remaining.
Diebler knocked down his seventh and final basket from the arc with 3:49 to play, returning the lead to the Buckeyes at 64-62.
Kelly answered back with a 3-pointer, but that would be the final lead for Iowa, which missed its final two shots, a free throw and committed two turnovers over the closing 2:44.
Turner made 3-of-4 free throws and Diebler split a pair at the line in the closing moments for Ohio State, which overcame a subpar effort at the stripe (13-of-22) in rebounding from a 76-48 loss to West Virginia on Saturday.
WISCONSIN 73, (24) MICHIGAN 61
ANN ARBOR, Michigan Marcus Landry and Trevon Hughes each scored 16 points to power Wisconsin to a 73-61 victory over No. 24 Michigan.
Landry started fast and Hughes sparked a game-breaking second-half run as Wisconsin snapped the Wolverines five-game winning streak in the Big Ten Conference opener for both teams.
The Badgers (10-3, 1-0) led throughout, repelling a pair of runs by Michigan (10-3, 0-1) in continuing their recent domination in the series. Wisconsin won all three meetings last season.
Zack Novak scored 20 points, finishing 5-of-8 on 3-pointers to power the Wolverines.
Behind 10 first-half points by Taylor, Wisconsin carried a 42-31 lead into the intermission before Michigan came inching back.
Novak and DeShawn Sims hit connected from the arc in an 8-0 run to pull the Wolverines to within 46-39 less than three minutes into the second half.
Hughes took over from there, scoring 10 straight points for Wisconsin, including back-to-back 3-points, to build the cushion to 56-41.
The lead peaked at 18 points (62-44) on a dunk by Landry and the Badgers kept Michigan from getting too close the rest of the way.
Jon Leuer also was in double figures with 12 points for Wisconsin, which shot a blistering 59 percent (27-of-46) from the floor.
