Gonzaga NCAA tournament run ends with 87-65 loss to SyracuseBUFFALO, N.Y. -- Gonzaga's 2010 NCAA basketball tournament run ended Sunday afternoon at the hands of a gifted, top-seeded Syracuse team.
The eighth-seeded Zags, only four points behind in the last four minutes of the first half, lost contact with the talented Big East champions in the moments before and after the break and dropped an 87-65 decision to the Orange in front of a partisan Syracuse crowd at HSBC Arena.
Gonzaga finishes 27-7, while Syracuse bumped its record to 30-4 and plays Butler next in the West Region at Salt Lake City.
Ahead 47-32 at halftime, Syracuse blew it open in the opening minutes after the break behind veteran off-guard Andy Rautins. He shook loose from the defense of Demetri Goodson twice for three-pointers and then downed two free throws for eight points in the span of 1:14 to make it 55-34.
Then Rautins added another three as he scored the Orange's first 11 points of the half and Syracuse blew to a 60-34 lead that shortly became 73-41.
Syracuse had 7-0, 9-0 and 11-0 runs in the first half to assume control.
Gonzaga trailed only 32-28 with 3:59 left in the first half after Elias Harris hit a pair of free throws, two of his 16 points before the break. But then Syracuse left the Zags in the dust.
Rautins curled off a screen for a 16-footer and Steven Gray missed a three from the corner. Rautins hit a pair of free throws and Goodson, whom the Orange left mostly unguarded because of his limited offense, missed an open three.
Harris' bad pass led to a goaltending call on him at the other end, and in quick order, Syracuse had built a 10-point lead.
But it grew larger. Gray and Robert Sacre misfired on an entry pass and Wes Johnson, the Big East player of the year, knocked down a three-point shot, and Gonzaga coach Mark Few called timeout with 1:48 left in the half.
On the first play out of the timeout, Gray threw it away for a turnover and DaShonte Riley hit Brandon Triche for an inside hoop to make it 43-28, Syracuse. Finally, Sacre ended the Gonzaga drought with a short bank shot at the 1:05 mark.
Gonzaga fared all right against the Syracuse zone, getting some good looks inside to complement the outside shots, but it was at the other end that the Zags got hurt. The Orange hit 60.7 percent in the first half on 17 of 28, with Johnson scoring 15 points.
The Zags played mostly man-to-man defense, with Harris generally defending Johnson. They also played some zone, but that helped 'Cuse to a 17-12 rebound advantage before intermission.
Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga's leading scorer, went without a point in the first half, missing his three attempted treys, and he didn't have a field goal until 15:58 remained in the game. The Zags, who needed badly to make perimeter shots to stay in it, were only 2 of 11 on three-point shots before the break and 3 of 21 at one point.
Gonzaga started well, with a 13-8 lead in the opening six minutes. But Syracuse ran off the next seven points. Later, with Syracuse ahead only 22-21 midway through the first half, the Orange had a 9-0 burst, capping a stretch in which they downed 8 of 11 shots.
Copyright (c) 2010 The Seattle Times Company
A look at the Big Ten tournament semis
INDIANAPOLIS -- The 2010 Big Ten tournament has reached the semifinals. Here's a look at the two matchups on tap today at Conseco Fieldhouse.
No. 1 seed Ohio State vs. No. 5 seed Illinois (CBS, 1:40 p.m. ET)
Records: Ohio State (25-7), Illinois (19-13)
Season series: The Buckeyes swept two games from Illinois and did so in convincing fashion, pummeling the Illini 72-53 in Champaign and 73-57 in Columbus.
Advancement: Winner faces Purdue or Minnesota in the championship game Sunday (CBS, 3:30 p.m. ET).
What to watch for Ohio State: Evan Turner's legend grew Friday as the National Player of the Year frontrunner hit a 37-foot shot as time expired to lift the Buckeyes to a 69-68 victory over Michigan. Turner has been very good against Illinois this season, averaging 16 points, 11.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in the two meetings. Ohio State called Friday's game a wake-up call after a 10-day layoff, and Turner and his teammates need to reclaim their defensive swagger. Illinois big men Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis turned in one of their best performances Friday against Wisconsin, and it'll be important for Buckeyes center Dallas Lauderdale to stay out of foul trouble. Buckeyes sharpshooter Jon Diebler was on fire in his last game against Illinois, swishing 7 of 14 attempts from 3-point range.
What to watch for Illinois: The Illini likely put themselves in the NCAA tournament with the Wisconsin win, but they can virtually guarantee a spot with a win today. Star guard Demetri McCamey comes off one of his more complete performances of the season (13 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds), and he'll need an even better effort against the Buckeyes and Turner, his former high school teammate in Chicago. Tisdale did a nice job of extending Wisconsin's defense Friday, hitting two 3-pointers and several long 2-pointers. If he can bring Lauderdale or David Lighty away from the bucket, it should free up opportunities for others. D.J. Richardson looked like a freshman for much of Friday's quarterfinal win, but he found his shooting stroke late and never lost confidence. He needs to be a factor today if Illinois plans to advance.
Quotable:
Ohio State forward David Lighty: "It's a wake-up call. Watching games [Thursday], watching Syracuse go down, watching Kansas go down to the wire almost and things like that, it's kind of like we almost did the same thing. We have to get our minds right. It's like second lift, second wind for us."
Illinois head coach Bruce Weber: "No matter what, [Ohio State has] to be feeling relieved about [Friday's win], and then second, 'We kicked Illini butt two times.' I hope we can have a little bit of a mental edge."
No. 2 seed Purdue vs. No. 6 seed Minnesota (CBS, 25 minutes after Ohio State-Illinois game)
Records: Purdue (27-4), Minnesota (20-12)
Season series: Purdue crushed Minnesota 79-60 in West Lafayette on Jan. 5 and found a way to escape Williams Arena with a 59-58 win Feb. 24 after losing star forward Robbie Hummel to a season-ending knee injury in the first half.
Advancement: Winner faces Ohio State or Illinois on Sunday in the championship.
What to watch for Purdue: The Boilermakers missed 10 of their first 11 shots Friday against Northwestern and likely can't afford another slow start against surging Minnesota. Juniors E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson are really answering the bell in Hummel's absence, and both men need strong performances again today. Johnson recorded a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) in the 1-point win at Minnesota, while Moore recorded 18 points and five assists in the teams' first meeting. The Boilers amped up their defensive intensity Friday and will try to fluster Gophers guards Devoe Joseph, Lawrence Westbrook and Blake Hoffarber. Purdue won Friday without much from senior guards Chris Kramer and Keaton Grant, who struggled with poor shooting and cramps. Both men need to be better today.
What to watch for Minnesota: The Gophers have put themselves firmly on the NCAA tournament bubble, and they probably will put themselves into the field of 65 by beating Purdue. Aside from an ugly loss at Michigan on March 2, Minnesota has played pretty good ball the last three and a half weeks. Minnesota already has avenged a 1-point home loss to Michigan State and looks to do the same against Purdue. The Gophers' interior defense needs to be good on Johnson, but Tubby Smith is getting very solid play from forward Damian Johnson and center Colton Iverson right now. Minnesota has more length from Purdue and needs center Ralph Sampson III to bounce back from a poor performance Friday (0 points, 2 rebounds). Remember that Sampson had the best game of his career against Purdue in Minneapolis, recording 21 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
Quotable:
Purdue coach Matt Painter: "Our next opponent, no matter who it is, we have to out rebound them, but if we don't, we have to shoot the ball better. We're not going to get out rebounded and shoot the way we did [Friday] and win basketball games. You've got to understand how you're going to win, but you've also got to understand how you're going to lose and be proactive about that as a coach and really drill that home to your players."
Minnesota coach Tubby Smith: "We're as talented as anybody when we play the right way. I think every coach in America feels that way about their team, especially when they get to this level. If you don't feel that way, you're not going to win any games. I've got as much confidence in this team as in any team I've ever coached."
(c)2010 ESPN Internet Ventures
Michigan State can still end the basketball season on a high note by topping MichiganIt has been a weird five weeks for Tom Izzo's Spartan basketball team.
On February 1 they were riding high after setting a new team record by starting 9-0 in conference play. Since then, they are just 4-4 in Big Ten games, and have fallen from No. 5 in the country down to No. 11.
They have gone from playing for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament to trying to stay in the top quarter of the bracket.
Despite all that, MSU can still be Big Ten champions with a home win today over Michigan. Yes, it would be a share of the title with Ohio State and Purdue, but a championship is a championship.
A win over the Wolverines today would be a positive end to a tumultuous regular season, and could give the Spartans some momentum heading into the conference tournament.
If Izzo can lead his team to three victories in Indianapolis, they can call themselves undisputed champs. With the rest of the conference's top teams having their own problems, it is far from impossible.
Being both regular season and tournament champs of the Big Ten could even get MSU a much better seed in the NCAA Tournament.
It all starts today. MSU has to make sure they play like the team that started out the conference season, not the inconsistent one that has popped its head up since Groundhog Day.
(c)2010 Michigan Live LLC
Cougars win men's basketball championship
The University of Minnesota, Morris men's basketball team is the 2010 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference tournament champion. The Cougars defeated St. Scholastica 83-49 Saturday at the P.E. Center to claim the post-season trophy.
The Cougars and Saints had split games this season and Scholastica was coming off an upset, having toppled No. 1 seed Northwestern on the road in the UMAC semifinals.
Senior Kendall Proell, who was named the tournament MVP, led the Cougars with 17 points, along with five boards and five assists.
Phil Allen contributed 15 points. Eric Dalbey scored 14, including a three at the first-half buzzer that gave UMM a 50-24 halftime lead.
Derek Schmidt had six rebounds to lead the Cougars.
Proell knocked down back-to-back-to-back three pointers, while Allen added points inside, during a 34-11 run that gave the Cougars an early lead.
Dalbey and Proell were a combined 8-for-8 on three pointers in the first half. As a team, the Cougars shot 68 percent from the field and 89 percent on threes before the break.
On defense, head coach Paul Grove moved his team into various presses to keep the Saints guards off balance and working for open shots.
The Saints, led by all-UMAC players Danny Schmitz and Brett Tester, tried to rally in the second half, but the shots would not fall from outside as they made just one three-point field goal for the game.
The Cougars won the inside battle, pulling down 32 rebounds to Scholastica's 16.
UMM, who was a pre-season No. 1 pick in the UMAC, finished the year with a 15-12 record. The Saints fell to 11-17.
Next season, the UMAC will have an automatic qualifier into the NCAA tournament, meaning that the post-season tournament winner will advance to March Madness.
(c)2010 Forum Communications Co
Rifle: No. 1 WVU Welcomes No. 7 Nebraska
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team will play host to No. 7-ranked Nebraska on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 8 a.m., at the WVU Rifle Range.
The match, the second of the season between the Mountaineers (9-0, 5-0 GARC) and the Cornhuskers (6-6, 4-2 GARC), will serve as an NCAA Championship qualifier. Scores from Saturday will be added to the teams' current averages, with the top eight teams from this weekend's qualifiers advancing to the NCAA Championship on March 12-13 in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Mountaineers enter tomorrow's match with their Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) foe three days after re-earning the nation's No. 1 ranking with a 4690.33 average; the ranking is based on the average of the team's best home score and two-best away scores.
"I feel like we're in good shape for tomorrow's match," says fourth-year coach Jon Hammond. "You never truly know, but I think we're ready to go. We have been waiting for this part of the season all year, so it's exciting. Still, we are not going to approach this match any differently than we have approached each contest this season. We are just going to go into the range and try to shoot our best."
The Cornhuskers bring a 4621.67 ranking average to tomorrow's match.
The Mountaineers defeated NU, 4660-4634, on Oct. 11 in Lincoln, Neb. WVU owns a 4-3 series advantage and has scored victories in each of the last three matches between the two squads.
WVU extended its regular season win-streak to 15 two weeks ago when it defeated Ole Miss, 4696-4576, in Cookeville, Tenn. The victory was the Mountaineers' ninth of the season. WVU last won its first nine matches in 2001; that team ended the year with an 11-0 mark. Not only did the Mountaineers earn victories in both guns, keeping their unblemished records intact, but their combined-total fell one shot short of their program-best 4697 score, achieved in their Jan. 21 win over Alaska-Fairbanks.
The Mountaineers followed their win over the Rebels with a first-place, 4678 showing at the Winthrow Invitational.
Junior Nicco Campriani achieved three school records at the invite, shooting 596 air rifle and 593 smallbore for an 1189 combined score.
Junior Andy Lamson's 1167.4 combined-score average is the team's best 10-match mark. The Colchester, Vt., native also paces the team's smallbore squad with a 578.7 average. Sophomore Michael Kulbacki leads a talented air rifle pack with a 589.1 average. Senior Bryant Wallizer marginally trails Kulbacki with a 589 average, while Lamson owns a 588.7 average.
Tomorrow's match is the Mountaineers' final home contest of the season. Fans are encouraged to stop by the WVU Rifle Range throughout the day, as the two squads will shoot into the afternoon.
(c) 2010 MSNsportsNET.com
Arizona on self-imposed basketball probation
Arizona has placed its men's basketball program on probation for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons for violations by Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson related to an offseason AAU tournament in 2008.
The school also announced yesterday that the basketball program will relinquish one scholarship for the 2011-12 academic year and cut the number of days coaches are allowed to recruit for the next two seasons.
The Wildcats will reduce the number of official campus visits allowed by prospects and trim the number of coaches allowed to recruit off campus at one time for summer 2010 recruiting.
Arizona also has disbanded a basketball booster group and undertaken a number of administrative and rules education changes. However, the NCAA might modify the self-imposed sanctions.
Copyright 2010 The San Diego Union-Tribune, LLC
Charles becomes sixth UConn player to 2,000 points
PITTSBURGH -- The incredible numbers keep adding up for No. 1 Connecticut, yet the Huskies only have one single goal in mind -- raising the national championship trophy at the end of the season.
Tina Charles scored 24 points to become the sixth Connecticut player to reach 2,000 points in her career and the top-ranked Huskies coasted to their 60th consecutive victory, beating overwhelmed Pittsburgh 98-56 on Saturday.
"They all know what the goal is and what the final destination is," Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma said, referring to winning a seventh national title. "[There's] no streak talk, no numbers talk, no nothing. Let's get better."
Maya Moore, part of the inside-outside combination with Charles that has made these Huskies (21-0, 8-0 in Big East) one of the best teams in UConn's wildly successful history, added 22 points in a game that -- as usual -- was decided after only a few minutes.
Connecticut, now 10 victories away from matching its own NCAA women's record of 70 consecutive wins set in 2001-03, opened leads of 15-4 and 19-6 in the opening 5½ minutes. After Pitt got to within eight points at 21-13, the Huskies went on a 14-2 run that made it 35-15 and erased any doubt whether this would be another Huskies romp.
No team has come within 10 points of UConn during its winning streak, and the Huskies' only relatively close game this season was an 80-68 decision over Stanford. The Huskies' average winning margin is 40 points.
Pitt coach Agnus Berenato knows what she saw: One of the best women's teams in NCAA history. She predicted the Huskies might well break the UCLA men's national record of 88 consecutive victories, especially with Moore returning next season.
"You're watching a dynasty," Berenato said. "They could break John Wooden's record of 88-0."
Berenato confidently predicted before the game that her Panthers might pull off a Miracle on Ice-like upset -- "Watch the news headlines," she told a friend -- but also acknowledged, "I was worried we might not score double digits in the first half."
Shay Scott scored 18 for Pittsburgh (12-8, 1-6), which lost for the sixth time in seven games and is in serious danger of not making the NCAA tournament -- especially with its next three games against Syracuse, Georgetown and Notre Dame. The Panthers have dropped 25 in a row to the Huskies, who are 21-0 for a third consecutive season.
UConn is No. 1 in The Associated Press women's basketball poll for the 36th straight week, and is certain to surpass Louisiana Tech (1980-82) for the longest run atop the Top 25 when the next poll is released on Monday.
"Just because the teams we're playing against aren't able to do what we do doesn't mean we're the best of all time, the history of basketball," Auriemma said. "We're flawed just like any team that's flawed, and we try to chip away at it [every day]."
There wasn't much to dislike about a first half in which the Huskies shot 63.2 percent (24 of 38) while outscoring Pitt 57-32, but did so without rushing themselves.
"I thought we did some things offensively that we haven't done all year," Auriemma said. "We weren't in a hurry. A lot of games this year we were trying to score so quickly that a lot of the stuff we do doesn't look good. ... You're not going to be able to run up and down and shoot layups against every team you play."
Charles, a 6-foot-4 senior from Jamaica, N.Y., scored 18 points in the first half, one more than she needed to become the first Huskies player to go over the 2,000-point mark since All-American Diana Taurasi in 2004. She reached 2,000 by scoring inside with five minutes left before halftime.
"She's playing as well as she's played," Auriemma said.
Kalana Greene scored 18 points as the Huskies finished up shooting 55.6 percent (35 of 63) to Pitt's 37.9 percent (22 of 58). The Huskies held a 43-26 rebounding edge as Charles, who missed only three of 13 shots, had nine rebounds.
(c)2009 ESPN Internet Ventures
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