Illinois knocks off No. 9 Purdue in OT
West Lafayette, IN (Sports Network) - Mike Tisdale scored 18 points to lead the Illinois Fighting Illini to a 71-67 overtime victory over the ninth-ranked Purdue Boilermakers in the Big Ten opener at Mackey Arena.
Alex Legion and Mike Davis both scored 12 points for the Illini (13-1, 1-0 Big Ten), who have won seven straight games. Trent Meacham added 11 points while Demetri McCamey scored 10 in the victory.
"It was a boxing match," said Illinois head coach Bruce Weber. "I just told our guys they are going to jab you and we have to jab back. Good things happen when you have a good attitude and stay determined."
E'Twaun Moore scored 17 points for Purdue (11-3, 0-1), which saw its six-game win streak halted. JaJuan Johnson totaled 16 points and 15 rebounds and had a chance to win the game at the foul line in the final seconds of regulation, but came up short. Lewis Jackson registered 11 points and Robbie Hummel notched seven points and 11 boards in the loss.
The second half began with Illinois holding a three-point lead and the score remained close throughout the first portion of the stanza. With 7:15 to play in the game, a three-pointer by Moore brought Purdue within 43-42.
At the five-minute mark, the contest was knotted at 47-47 before Legion connected from beyond the arc to make it 50-47. Moore answered with a bucket and following an Illinois turnover, Hummel drilled a bucket that was originally counted as a three-pointer but after review it was only worth two and the hosts held a 51-50 lead.
Two foul shots by Tisdale put Illinois back on top, but Moore answered with a field goal on the other end. With just over two minutes to go, two successful shots from the charity stripe by Johnson gave Purdue a 55-52 edge before Meacham drained a bucket to again make it a one-point game with 1:32 on the clock.
A pair of missed shots by both teams eventually led to the Illini gaining possession, and after a timeout with 12.5 seconds to go, Meacham found Davis all alone in the paint and an easy layup gave Illinois a 56-55 lead. The Boilers quickly made their way to the other end and a foul put Johnson on the line with 1.9 ticks to play and two shots with a chance to essentially win it.
Johnson made the first to tie the score at 56-56, but his second attempt hit the front rim and the game went to overtime.
Purdue led 60-58 nearly two minutes into the extra session, but a jumper by Legion from the right side tied it up. A long alley-oop that was converted by Calvin Brock with 2:30 remaining gave Illinois a two-point edge and an ensuing bucket by Davis increased the margin to 64-60 with 1:13 to play.
Foul shots for both teams created a 65-62 score and Moore's driving layup brought Purdue within one with 38 seconds to play. Another free throw gave the visitors a three-point edge and a miss by Moore from the lane was Purdue's final threat.
"First of all, I think Illinois played a great game," said Purdue head coach Matt Painter. "Their ball control was the key to the game. To have 21 assists and only six turnovers is incredible. Also, we have to finish. Whether it's driving to the basket or on offensive rebounds, we have to do a better job of finishing at the rim."
The contest was tight in the first half with the teams trading baskets for most of the opening 20 minutes. Bobby Riddell's three-pointer brought Purdue within 6-4 over five minutes in. Near the midpoint of the stanza, with the Boilermakers holding a four-point lead, Tisdale's bucket cut the Illinois deficit to 12-10.
From there, a 10-2 run by the visitors gave them a 20-14 advantage with just over five minutes to go. The spurt was capped by an Legion basket. Two free throws by Johnson brought his team within 24-22, and after another free throw by Riddell and Meacham's running floater from the lane as the clock expired gave the Illini a 26-23 lead at the break.
Game Notes
Purdue fell to 8-2 at home this season, while Illinois improved to 2-0 on the road...Purdue leads the all-time series, 88-83...Illinois shot 42.9 percent from the field and made only one shot from three-point range (1-of-9)...Purdue won the battle on the glass, 47-41.
(c) 2008 The Sports Network. All Rights Reserved.
Exhibitions can be biggest games for some
The lines and levels of college basketball are drawn but often crossed.
NCAA Division I programs have their tiers, between mid-major spoilers such as American University and Belmont and major players such as Duke and UCLA.
And no matter how scheduling plays out -- whether it's for a preseason invitational or an early round in the NCAA tournament -- the various classes of team must eventually face each other during the course of a season.
Same goes when Division I teams offer Division II schools the opportunity to play a game -- exhibition or not -- in order to get a nice paycheck.
Often, the favored team, usually the host, wins handily. The occasional upset does happen, too.
Case in point -- Nov. 24. Saint Martin's College in Lacey traveled to Fort Collins, Colo., to take on Colorado State. The Saints won, 86-76.
Another case in point -- one night later. Seattle Pacific University went to Southern Utah and got a 75-65 victory.
But is it really a big deal anymore when a Division II team steals a win from a Division I school? Yes and no.
"It's always good to beat a Division I team," SPU coach Jeff Hironaka said, "but a lot of people don't realize how good Division II basketball is."
The Falcons have made a habit of putting Division I teams on the schedule. They've played Pacific-10 Conference teams, but usually as an exhibition game, taking home anywhere between $5,000 and $10,000.
This season, Hironaka got a two-schools-on-one-trip offer to start the season when his team traveled to the Bay Area to play California (91-70 loss) and Stanford (97-56 loss) in November.
Next week, they travel to Oregon State for a non-conference game.
"It's nice to say we beat Southern Utah, but it's as good to say we played Cal, Stanford and St. Mary's," Hironaka said. "I don't mind playing them. If you play the best, you're going to get better. Your weaknesses are definitely exposed."
SPU has pulled off stunners now and then. Two years ago, the Falcons were invited to a round-robin tournament at St. Mary's, where they beat Murray State, a mid-major Division I team.
"They were told by the St. Mary's people ... it was a guarantee they'd be able to handle us," Hironaka said. "They weren't too happy about (losing)."
Saint Martin's, under coach Keith Cooper, has taken a similar approach to SPU, playing the likes of Montana, Portland State, Montana State, Oregon State, Washington and Oregon in exhibition contests.
"They've been exhibitions, but if you're at Mac Court and it's sold out, or at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, it doesn't feel like an exhibition," Cooper said.
Before this season started, Cooper and the Saints set goals. One of them was finally beating a Division I program.
A couple weeks before going to Fort Collins, the Saints played in the Disney Division II Tipoff Classic in Florida, and not only knocked off third-ranked Bentley, 87-77, but ended the Falcons' 55-game regular-season win streak.
Needless to say, when the Saints took on Colorado State, they weren't the least bit intimidated.
"I remember at the eight-minute media timeout, we had the lead. I didn't give any motivational speech. I thought I was being honest when I told them, 'It was our time,' " said Cooper, a former Decatur High coach. "I said we were going to win it. To a man, our guys felt the same way."
They did, earning their first victory against a Division I team since beating Portland in 1982. But players and coaches showed no emotion walking off the court, even receiving congratulations from the home crowd.
"But we had a heck of a fun time in the locker room," Cooper said.
"Was I surprised we won? No, I wasn't."
Elsewhere
Saint Martin's is rated No. 19 in the NABC Division II rankings. Its eight-game winning streak is the longest since 1983. The Falcons play host to Pacific Lutheran on Saturday night. ... The target date for the reopening of the Memorial Fieldhouse at Puget Sound is Dec. 17. Both basketball teams will be allowed to practice on the new floor. The first event scheduled after the renovation is the Nick-N-Willy's Winter Classic on Dec. 27-28, hosted by the UPS women. ... SPU captured the Division II women's soccer championship by defeating West Florida, 1-0, in overtime. The assist on the team's lone goal came from Curtis High product Jocelyn Charette, a junior who finished with a team-high 15 assists. ... Chad Blau, a former linebacker at Pacific Lutheran, is set to have a tryout with the expansion Albuquerque franchise of Arena Football League 2. ... The Tacoma Community College men (4-0) are ranked No. 4 in the initial NWAACC basketball poll, and the South Puget Sound women (4-1) are No. 7.
(c) THE NEWS TRIBUNE.
Saints, Geoducks rise in men's basketball polls
Saint Martin's and The Evergreen State College are on their way up in men's basketball.
Saint Martin's moved up six spots to 19th in this week's NCAA Division II coaches' poll, and Evergreen rose four places to 16th in the NAIA Division II coaches' poll.
Saint Martin's defeated the University of Puget Sound, which is ranked 14th in NCAA Division III, Saturday to improve to 9-2.
"Being ranked 19th is another nice honor for our guys and comes on the heels of a hard-fought win over a very good UPS team," Saints coach Keith Cooper said.
Central Washington (4-1) is ranked 12th in NCAA Division II.
Evergreen is 5-1 this season. TESC's Cascade Conference opponent Oregon Tech is No. 1 in the NAIA Division II poll.
(c) 2008 The Olympian.
Kansas believes it's the best team left
March 24, 2007
The Kansas City Star, Mo.
SAN JOSE, California | Less than 24 hours before their biggest game of the season, the Kansas Jayhawks sat in a room at the Fairmont Hotel and played spades.
They didn't need to turn on a television to hear all the predictions and prognostications regarding tonight's Elite Eight showdown against UCLA. In the end, they said their own opinions are all that matter.
"I don't care what other people are saying about us," guard Sherron Collins said. "I think we're the best team in the tournament."
The Jayhawks will get the chance to prove it when they square off against the Bruins at 6:05 tonight at the HP Pavilion. The winner advances to the Final Four next week in Atlanta.
"This is the best team I've ever had, and I've had some good ones," KU coach Bill Self said. "But just because it's the best team doesn't guarantee success."
Especially considering the Jayhawks are playing the same UCLA squad that reached the 2006 national title game, where the Bruins lost to Florida.
Just as they did in Thursday's win over Southern Illinois, the Jayhawks are expecting a tough defensive effort from a UCLA team that's even more talented and more athletic than the Salukis.
"I thought Southern Illinois' on the ball defense was terrific," Self said. "This will be a comparable-type defense, but we'll see more athletic guys that can clog things up and give you problems if you allow them to."
Still, as good as UCLA is defensively, the Jayhawks are expecting a different style of game than the one they played in Thursday's 61-58 wrestling match with Southern Illinois.
Because of their athletic ability and ability to score, the Bruins may play a more up-tempo style. That'd be fine with the Jayhawks, who said they'd love to get into a scoring fest with UCLA.
"I don't want another game like the one we played against SIU," KU guard Brandon Rush said. "I'm ready to get out and make it an 80-point-plus game.
"Nobody in the country can run with us except for maybe North Carolina. We've got a lot of great athletes that can get up and down the court real quick. And we've got some great point guards that can handle the ball really well."
Tonight's game matches two of the country's most tradition-rich programs. The Jayhawks have won four of their last five meetings with UCLA. But they're 0-4 against the Bruins in NCAA Tournament play.
No matter.
Kansas' players said they're far from intimidated by UCLA's 11 national titles -- and, no, they don't think the Bruins have an edge because they appeared in the 2006 national championship game.
"I don't really think that matters," KU guard Russell Robinson said. "They didn't win their conference (tournament) this year, so their experience must've not been that good. We're not worried about anything like that.
"I hope they try to run with us. I think that would be great. We've got more guys, and our guys are better. Whatever style we play, we know we're going to be in for another tough game. They're all tough at this point."
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Ohio State, Tennessee get rematch in Sweet 16
On a college campus where national championship races are becoming the norm, Columbus in mid-January was about as bleak as it could be.
One day removed from the Ohio State football team's 41-14 loss to Florida in the BCS National Championship Game, the Buckeyes basketball team dropped its third game of the year and first Big Ten game of the season 72-69 to Wisconsin.
"We had just lost a national championship game and we had just lost to Wisconsin and you guys (the media) were painting the picture like the roof had fallen in on us," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. "It felt like we were 3-13 and not 13-3."
Tennessee, though, found out the sky was, in fact, not falling in Columbus.
Ohio State quickly relocated its winning ways with a 68-66 victory over the Volunteers on Jan. 13 behind a dominant performance from freshman Greg Oden and a late 3-pointer from Ron Lewis.
The win was the first of 19 in a row for the Buckeyes that has put Ohio State in its first Sweet 16 since 1999.
Tennessee, in its first Sweet 16 since 2000, will try to end that win streak in Round Two between the Buckeyes and Volunteers.
Ohio State and Tennessee will face each other today in the West regional semifinal in one of two rematches in the Sweet 16. East regional semifinalist Georgetown defeated Vanderbilt in November.
Since the first meeting, Ohio State freshmen Oden, Mike Conley and Daequan Cook have gained experience, but so have Tennessee freshmen Wayne Chism, Ramar Smith, Duke Crews and Josh Tabb.
Matched up with Chism and Crews, Oden finished with 24 points and 15 rebounds against the Volunteers in January.
After facing Oden several times on the AAU circuit, Chism is familiar with Oden enough to know hasn't peaked since that first meeting.
"He has gotten better," Chism said. "His post moves are quicker now. He has gotten more efficient with his right hand since he got it healthy. He is more effective now which means I have to step up on defense a whole lot."
Conley, too, has taken a step forward. He scored 16 points against Tennessee earlier this year, but was at his best during overtime in the second round against Xavier. He scored 11 of his 21 points in overtime against the Musketeers.
"Conley has really gotten better," said Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl, whose son faced Conley in AAU ball as early as the sixth grade. "The thing Michael has done is that he has gotten better more quickly than I thought he would. He led the Big Ten in steals, and he gets to the rim whenever he wants too."
But Tennessee can return to one of its top weapons in the rematch, as well. The Volunteers' full-court press forced 20 turnovers and kept Tennessee in striking distance. The press was so disruptive that Matta begrudgingly moved Oden into the back court to help out on the inbounds pass.
In the tournament, Tennessee's fast pace led to a 121-point outburst against Long Beach State for a first-round scoring record.
"We have to do a better job (against the press)," Matta said. "It really heightened our awareness of the problems we have if we don't do what we're supposed to do in the press break."
The players are the same and so are some of the game plans, but Matta, at least, doesn't expect the game to follow the same script.
He'll just hope for the same ending.
"They're more seasoned. They've played a lot of basketball," Matta said. "Like us, their young guys have a lot more experience under their belts now."
VolQuest.com contributed to this report.
Copyright 2007 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved
BKC NCAA Xavier Ohio State
By The Associated Press
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) Hold the questions about Greg Oden's future. Ohio State isn't finished in the NCAA tournament.
Ron Lewis revived the Buckeyes' national championship hopes with a long 3-pointer with two seconds left to force overtime, then Mike Conley Jr. dominated the extra period for a 78-71 victory over Xavier in a second round South Regional game Saturday.
The Buckeyes' rally from an 11-point deficit in regulation ensured the Oden era will last at least one more game.
Oden, the most coveted player to enter college in years, figures to be the first pick in the NBA whenever he decides to go pro. A decision on where the freshman intends to play next winter isn't expected until after the season ends.
The Buckeyes are fortunate that time hasn't already come.
"I'm hoping we can learn from this game and know we can't just play around with teams in the first half,'' Oden said. "Then the second half we've got to come at them and keep coming until the game is over."
Ohio State trailed 55-44 with 7 1/2 minutes left, and was still down 61-52 with 2:54 left. When Oden fouled out with a hard shove after Xavier's Justin Cage rebounded an errant Buckeyes shots in the final 10 seconds, they looked lost.
Cage then made of one of two foul shots with 9.3 seconds left for a 62-59 lead, giving Ohio State its last chance. Lewis came down and, with two defenders flying at him, swished the tying 3 pointer from several feet beyond the arc.
"I was just trying to get an open look. I told Mike before we even left the huddle, 'Just give me the ball.' That's what he did. He found me," Lewis said.
"That's what I love about this team," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said."They give you, as a coach, a lot of confidence. I kept telling them, keep your confidence and make plays, and they did.''
With Oden on the bench, fellow freshman and high school teammate - Conley took over. He scored 11 points in overtime and the Buckeyes (32-3) were never threatened again in winning their 19th straight game.
The Buckeyes, who finished No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll, advanced to the round of 16 for the first time since they went to the Final Four in 1999 an appearance later vacated because of NCAA probation. They will play the winner of Sunday's game between Tennessee and Virginia.
Xavier (25-9), which has a history of knocking off higher seeds in the NCAA tournament, was unranked in the final AP poll.
No one had to tell Ohio State about Xavier's tourney reputation. Matta helped build it, serving as Musketeers coach for three seasons before leaving the Atlantic 10 school in 2004 to go to the Big Ten. His good friend, Sean Miller, took over at Xavier.
But this time, the Musketeers couldn't quite get the job done after the 6 foot 6 Cage using his quickness and experience as a senior to drive around and sometimes score over the 7 foot Oden delivered eight points in a 16-3 spurt that gave Xavier a shot at an upset.
Cage, who led Xavier with 25 points, had a chance to all but win the game. He made his first foul shot but missed his second, and Ohio State had a chance to save its season.
"I wasn't nervous. I just shot them like I normally do,'' Cage said. "It went in and out, so I just wanted to get back on defense and hope that they didn't make it.''
Conley dominated the extra period. He scored Ohio State's first seven points, then four free throws in the final 1:03.
Lewis finished with 27 points, going 4 for 5 from 3-point range and making all seven of his free throws. Conley scored 21 and Oden had 14 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 35 minutes.
"Any kind of situation you can think of, we've been through it as a team. Today was nothing different,'' Conley said. "I had all the confidence in the world we'd win the game. We came too far to lose."
Matta played down the significance of facing Miller and his former team. Cage and Justin Doellman, who were freshmen starters on the team Matta led to the final eight three years ago, also insisted there were no lingering hard feelings over the coach's departure.
Xavier fans, who made the one hour drive from Cincinnati, haven't been as forgiving. Many booed Matta when he entered Rupp Arena to watch part of the Musketeers' first-round victory over Brigham Young and voiced their displeasure again when the Ohio State coach was introduced before the game.
Two Musketeers supporters stood side by side with signs hoisted above their heads during a timeout. One read: "A Loyal Coach Is Like A Four Leaf Clover,'' and the other "Hard To Find, Lucky To Have.''
Even though the schools are only about two hours apart and both have strong basketball traditions, the Buckeyes and Musketeers met for just the second time in the past 73 years and the fourth time overall.
Ohio State leads to the series 3-1, with Xavier's only victory coming in the opening round of the 1984 National Invitation Tournament.
"I think we were pretty confident when we were up nine,'' said Xavier's Drew Lavender, whose only basket a long 3 pointer with the shot expiring put the Musketeers up by 11. "We were still pretty confident when we were up with 9 seconds left, but Lewis hit the big 3. We just couldn't hold on in overtime.''
Missouri-Kansas City 84, Valparaiso 76
March 5, 2007
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports
TULSA, Okla. -- Dee Ayuba scored a career-high 31 points to help Missouri-Kansas City rally past Valparaiso 84-76 in a Mid-Continent Conference Tournament quarterfinal game on Sunday night.
It was the seventh consecutive year that the tournament's No. 6 seed has defeated the third-seeded team in a Mid-Continent quarterfinal. The Kangaroos (12-19) advanced to play Oakland in the semifinals on Monday.
Ayuba, a 6-foot-6 senior who entered with a 14.3-point scoring average, scored 20 in the second half for UMKC, which overcame an early 13-point deficit and trailed 38-36 at halftime. He was 12-of-17 from the field and had nine rebounds.
Quinton Day and Dane Brumagin scored 17 points each for UMKC. Brumagin was 4-of-8 on 3-point attempts.
Samuel Haanpaa paced the Crusaders (16-15) with 19 points, but was held to three in the second half. He was 5-for-9 on 3-point attempts.
Urule Igbavboa added 18 points and 10 rebounds for Valparaiso, which played its last game in the Mid-Continent after 25 years in the conference. Valparaiso, the all-time Mid-Continent leader with eight conference tournament titles, will join the Horizon League next season.
It was a seesaw second half until an Ayuba layup gave UMKC a 61-60 lead with 8:56 left and the Kangaroos were never caught.
Day sank a 3-pointer with 2:34 left to boost the UMKC lead to 73-67. The closest Valparaiso could get after that was 78-75 on a 3-pointer by Brandon McPherson. Brumagin, Brian Gettinger and Day each made two free throws during the final 30 seconds to seal the win for UMKC.
The Crusaders won both regular-season meetings against UMKC.
UMKC shot 73 percent from the field in the second half (16-of-22) and finished at 55 percent for the game (28-of-51). Valparaiso shot 44 percent in the second half (14-of-32) and 51 percent overall (29-of-57).
The Kangaroos outrebounded Valparaiso 32-25.
Haanpaa made consecutive 3-pointers to give Valparaiso its largest lead at 33-20 with 6:06 left in the first half. Brumagin started the UMKC comeback with eight points in a 16-3 run that tied the game at 36.
Jarryd Loyd made two free throws with six seconds left to give the Crusaders a two-point edge at halftime.
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