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| Sunday, January 9 | |||||||||
ESPN.com | ||||||||||
Editor's note: Every Sunday, ESPN.com's Andy Katz will break down the week that was and what's coming up in the Weekly Watch. Be sure to check out the Weekly Watch segment Sunday
nights on ESPN2's College Hoops2Night with Karl Ravech and Jay Bilas, 9 p.m. ET.
Last week's storyline Missouri won a small battle against the NCAA in its appeal of freshman wing Kareem Rush's suspension. Rush's penalty was dropped from 14 games to nine for accepting extra benefits from a former AAU coach as a 15-year-old, with Rush having to repay $1,800 to charity (even though no one will admit that they gave him a dime).
Without Rush, Missouri has shuffled its lineup, but now it will get him back for the stretch run in the Big 12, beginning Jan. 29 against Texas A&M. Meanwhile, JaRon Rush is at home in Kansas City meeting with lawyers. He's penciled in to return to UCLA on Jan. 9 and set to resume practicing the following day. JaRon Rush's case won't be heard by the NCAA until late January and possibly February because it involves extra benefits from both an AAU coach and an agent. While he's out, the Bruins are surviving -- just barely -- without their best rebounder. The Bruins shouldn't have beaten Pepperdine last week. Even the UCLA coaches told ESPN.com the basket by the Waves' Craig Lewis should have counted, but it was waved off after the buzzer. Jason Kapono's coast-to-coast layup beat Purdue on Thursday. But without Rush, there's no way the Bruins will be a contender in the Pac-10. They can't start thinking about the season's big picture until they know the final ruling regarding Rush. And don't forget -- the Bruins still have trips to North Carolina and Syracuse wedged in during the Pac-10 season. The soap opera continues....
Team of the week The frontcourt of Jabari Smith, Stromile Swift and Brian Beshara is one of the best, if not the top, frontcourts in the nation. The Tigers (12-0) open the SEC against Alabama and Tennessee this week. They're at home and should answer the latest challenge with as much confidence as they showed when they took apart the Cowboys.
Player of the week
Climbing up Sterling Davis and Ledaryl Billingsley provide a decent inside attack for the Green Wave in Conference USA. Tulane beat SMU last week but faces a tougher test at Louisville on Monday before ending the week at Houston on Saturday.
Falling down Bradley faces two must wins this week: At Wichita State and at home against Indiana State. Any chance of the Braves earning an at-large berth out of the Valley have been erased. Their only chance is to win the conference tournament.
Five worth tracking 2. Colorado: Even though the Buffaloes lost in the semifinals of the Rainbow Classic, they rebounded to defeat Gonzaga for third place. Keep an eye on Jaquay Walls, who could be the best scoring point guard in the Big 12 this season. The Buffaloes have quality wins over Cal and New Mexico State and enter the week at 8-3. Up next: Tuesday at Denver; Saturday vs. Kansas. 3. Oregon: The Ducks have lost only twice (at home to Cal State-Northridge and to Hawaii) and should be taken more seriously in the Pac-10. The win over Gonzaga was a significant victory, especially since the Ducks beat out the Bulldogs in the recruitment of Washington point guard Luke Ridnour. Up next: Tuesday vs. St. Martin's; Saturday at Oregon State. 4. Hofstra: The Flying Dutchmen shocked Rutgers and Fordham to win the ECAC Holiday Festival. The tournament was supposed to be set for Siena but the Saints never even played Hofstra. The Dutchmen are 5-4 and suddenly alive in the America East. Up next: Sunday vs. Boston U.; Tuesday vs. Northeastern; Sunday at Delaware. 5. Ball State: The Cardinals took care of business by winning at San Diego State to run their record to 8-1 entering the New Year. Duane Clemens is averaging 17.6 points and leading the Cardinals to co-favorite status in the Mid-American Conference. Up next: Sunday at Northern Illinois; Wednesday vs. Toledo; Saturday vs. Eastern Michigan.
Question these five
3. Fordham: The Rams had no business getting drilled by Hofstra. They're 6-5 heading into a wide-open Atlantic 10 race. Losing in New York doesn't help Bob Hill turn the attention his way in the city. Up next: Sunday at Providence; Wednesday vs. St. Joseph's; Saturday at Massachusetts. 4. New Mexico: The Lobos won't be a factor in the Mountain West if they can't protect their record at The Pit. They can't do that if Lamont Long doesn't make it his house again by becoming a dominant player. Losing to St. Joseph's in the final of the Lobo Invitational was the fifth home loss of the season. Up next: at Colorado State, Jan 10. 5. George Washington: Who can figure the Colonials? They're 5-6 after losing to UNC Charlotte at home in overtime on New Year's Eve. OK, they have a great scorer in SirValiant Brown, but obviously that's not enough. Up next: Monday at Old Dominion; Saturday vs. Duquesne.
What worked last week Scott Robisch's impact for Butler: The Bulldogs rode Robisch's 17 points to a stunning win at Texas Christian. Suddenly, Butler is a potential favorite in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference because of the Oklahoma State transfer. Joe Johnson's debut for Arkansas: The 6-8 freshman made the most of his new gig with the Razorbacks. He put up 16 points in a win over Alcorn State after getting eligible by posting a required test score last month. Jamaal Magloire in the post: Another visit to the what's-working department for Magloire. He posted 21 points and 13 boards in a win over Missouri, continuing his re-emergence in the lane. Magloire is maximizing his minutes (31 against the Tigers). He's averaging 11.9 points and 8.1 boards but he still needs to get his shooting percentage near 50 percent (he's still at 43.4 percent).
What didn't go well last week Robert O'Kelley's 3-point shooting: The Wake Forest point guard hit 1 of 7 from behind the arc in a 70-57 loss to Villanova in the fifth-place game of the Rainbow Classic. Temple without Pepe Sanchez and Mark Karcher: The Owls shot 27.1 percent and scored only 44 points -- the worst offensive output in three years -- in a loss at Wisconsin. Sanchez's ankle injury kept him out of the game while Karcher was nursing a sore shoulder. Taking George Mason lightly: Maryland nearly got beat at home by George Mason, barely edging the Patriots 69-66. The Terps lost their previous Washington D.C.-area clash, falling to George Washington in the BB&T Classic. Siena's New York party: NYC wasn't kind to the Saints, who stormed into the city with only one loss (to Notre Dame) and were swept out of the ECAC Holiday Classic. Siena still has a shot at an at-large berth should it fail to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. But it can't afford more than two losses in the league.
Andy Katz is a senior writer for ESPN.com. | ALSO SEE Daily Word: Williams waits at Oklahoma State Katz: Who's in the hunt? |