College Basketball Recap - Nov 26th

Purdue beat Boston College, 71-64

Purdue - Well it wasn't pretty at times but my Boilers won last night. Our offense stalled at times and we got eaten up on the glass, but in the end we were able to slow down BC's offense enough and do just enough offensively to hold on. Expect these kinds of wins from Purdue... we're not going to blow anyone out of the water but we'll win close games. We shut down Tyrese Rice for the most part (4-12 from the field) and for the most part nobody else stepped up. Trapani cleaned the boards and had some good shots but that was about it. Offensively, we were good at times and horrible at others. We need to start moving better without the ball and finding the open man. Shot selection became an issue at times when we forced up threes rather than waiting for an opening. E' Twaun Moore stepped up and looked good today. He's a good finisher at the rim and we'll need a good performance from him to win on Friday. Hummel did it all, as always, Johnson showed some good athleticism and Keaton Grant had some good takes to the basket. Overall there's not one guy you can focus on for this Purdue offense and while none of them are excellent offensively, they can all score and you have to devote equal attention to all of them.

BC - They impressed me, but not enough to warrant a tournament bid. This team runs a funky offense (flex) and they were able to move the ball well but it's painfully obvious if Rice isn't scoring this team struggles offensively. They just don't have the skill at this point at any other position to really create their own offense. Trapani had some nice buckets but they survived today on offensive rebounding for the most part. And this is against a pretty crappy rebounding team in Purdue. We'll see how this young team progresses but they're probably not a tournament team.

Oklahoma beat UAB, 77-67

Oklahoma - They had major problems stopping UAB's guard attack but in the end it was too much Blake Griffin. This guy's a monster. He can score in a multitude of ways, he dominates the glass, he can dribble a bit... the Sooner offense runs solely through him and he's more than capable of handling the load. Without him, though, this isn't even a top 25 team. Warren, the freshman, was bogged down by foul trouble and he's probably the next best option offensively for them. Crocker hit some shots but was inconsistent overall. Cade Davis brings some offense off the bench but he caught fire from 3 today and that was mainly why he had 12 points. Defensively they simply didn't match up in terms of speed with UAB and they were consistently beat off the dribble. I don't think Purdue will be as effective at that, but I believe there are driving lanes, especially when OU runs that 2-3 zone. Griffin's not the best defender in the post either which doesn't help

UAB - I was encouraged by the Blazers' performance tonight. They really had no tools to stop Griffin but were the much more athletic team overall. Delaney and Vaden are both quick and can score from beyond the arc or at the bucket. Kinnard's not the biggest guy in the paint but he can score from all over the floor as well. Basically this team's personnel is exeplified in their offensive set, which is basically spread the floor, have a guy dribble-drive in, and dump to Kinnard in the paint or kick out to a shooter from three. They can run with pretty much anyone in the country and that makes them very dangerous. Defensively they obviously had no answer for Griffin but otherwise looked decent. They gave up 55% shooting but that's inflated because of how well Griffin shot

UNC beat ND, 102-87

UNC - So that was against the #8 team in the country. Yea... it's unbelievable how good this team is. Seriously, they have guys off the bench who would be stars for most of the teams in the game right now, and that includes power conference/top 25 teams. Hansbrough was a monster, as always. Ty Lawson has to be the quickest guy in the nation right now and ND had absolutely nobody to counter him. It says something about your team offensively when Ellington and Green can be held to 8 points each and they still win handedly against a top 10 team. I remember at times last year when Ellington struggled this team wasn't as dynamic offensively. But now with guys like Deon Thompson stepping up, this Tar Heels team has even more weapons. If there's any doubt who the #1 team in the nation is right now... well, there shouldn't be anymore

ND - Great team that was both overmatched athletically and exhausted from last night's battle with Texas. Harangody looked noticeably tired and he had a subpar game by his standards. Tory Jackson was held in check for the most part. McAlarney had a career game, but seriously, half of those points were in the final 3 minutes or so when he was just chucking up threes. It's apparent this team is very dangerous and will be a tough out in the tournament but it was also apparent they could not handle UNC's speed and were simply run off the floor.

Meanwhile, it was back to normal for Texas, who won a defensive contest 70-57 over Oregon in the 3rd place game at Maui. Abrams took a lot fewer shots and it's apparent Texas' offense is much better with Mason at PG and Abrams at another guard spot. Mason and James have matured into very talented offensive players. Atchley looked bad tonight and I still think he needs more touches late in games (but maybe not with the way Mason, James, and Abrams can score). Defensively is where this Texas team shines and they shut down Oregon tonight (33% shooting).

In non-top 25 news, Alabama picked up a much needed win over St. Joseph's in the 5th place game and IU barely beat Chaminade (darn it!) to avoid falling into even more major suckage. And Oregon St. lost in overtime to Montana State, meaning this team still has not won a game yet and has lost to the likes of Howard and Yale. Good times in Corvallis... at least your team has a shot at football glory on Saturday.

Remember, Old Spice Classic and Legends Classic quarterfinal games tonight!