NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Mississippi State Rack and Rollin'

Michelle Smith — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:54:00 EST

Filed under: California, Connecticut, Gonzaga, Maryland, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, UCLA, Virginia, WCC, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Mid-Majors, MWC, Pac-10, Women's Basketball

Two weeks ago, Pat Summitt surveyed the national scene and said this:

"A lot of people don't have Mississippi State on their radar screen and they should."

Never argue with Pat.

Mississippi State is climbing the rankings -- moving from No. 25 to No. 19 in this week's poll -- and the ladder of national recognition, particularly after Sunday's 84-55 win over No. 20 Maryland.

Granted, Maryland is remodeling after the graduation of Kristi Tolliver and Marisa Coleman and the transfer of Marah Strickland, and Brenda Frese's program will likely struggle with change most of the year, but the Bulldogs took it to the Terrapins on their home floor.

Senior guard Alexis Rack -- one of eight seniors on the roster -- broke out for 43 points, including seven 3-pointers in the victory. It was the fourth-best individual scoring performance in school history.

"Sometimes I was just letting it go," Rack (above, right) said after the game.

Mississippi State is flying high at 4-0, and it has enjoyed its home court advantage. It's time to hit the road now ... which leads up to the sun and sand of the Paradise Jam Tournament next week in the U.S. Virgin Islands. This year's eight-team field will feature five ranked teams.

Mississippi State will be there, playing in the "Reef" division along with Rutgers, USC and No. 13 Texas.

The "Island" division includes No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 20 Oklahoma, No. 23 San Diego State and South Carolina.

San Diego State, who broke into the national rankings for the first time in 14 years, feels like there's a little honor in the invitation to play.

"Three years ago, the only way we get there is to hold a fundraiser and go in the spring," Aztecs coach Beth Burns said.

The holiday's other big tournament is the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas. It is a bit more of a second-tier group with four ranked teams in the field including George Washington, No. 25 Michigan State, South Dakota State, Indiana, Minnesota, TCU, No. 18 Kansas, UNC Charlotte, No. 15 Virginia, Marist, Oklahoma State and No. 9 Xavier.

Don't overlook Tennessee

Summitt was handing off credit to Mississippi State, but her own team was building some impressive momentum after beating Virginia, 77-63. Angie Bjorklund, Shekinna Stricklen and Glory Johnson combined for 56 points.

The Lady Vols were even good enough to get their locker room back at Thompson-Boling Arena. The team had been kicked out of it for lackluster play in February and Summitt had said her team would have to "win something" to earn its way back in.

Apparently, beating a Virginia team that beat the Vols by one point in Knoxville last year was good enough to unlock the door.

Tennessee is young and inexperienced right now. But they look very, very good -- good enough to turn Connecticut and Stanford's intimate party as national championship contenders into a legitimate threesome.

Now for the bad news: Freshman center Faith Dupree will be sidelined for the season with a back injury. She played in two games, including 18 minutes against Texas Tech on Tuesday night in San Antonio. The Lady Vols are down to 11 active players for the season and need to keep Kelley Cain healthy to avoid serious depth issues in the post.

A View From the Top

The Huskies and the Cardinal don't look to be moving off their top two rankings any time soon. Here's a look at how the best of the best are stacking up so far.

Tale of the Tape
Category	No. 1 UConn	No. 2 Stanford
Scoring Avg.	91.7	86.2
Reb. Margin	17.0	23.0
Victory Margin	49.4	20.4
Next Five Games	vs. Hofstra vs. Richmond vs. Vermont vs. Hartford vs. Iona	vs. Utah vs. Gonzaga vs. DePaul vs. Duke vs. Tennessee

The Week Ahead

The most intriguing non-tournament matchups of the coming week:

UCLA at Tennessee: Former Vols assistant Nikki Caldwell comes back to Knoxville with an intriguing team that should finish near the top in the Pac-10.

Gonzaga at Stanford: One of the country's top mid-majors has a major-league test at Maples Pavilion against the Cardinal.

Cal vs. Ohio State in the Buckeye Holiday Tournament: Cal has showed its youth with poor shooting performances and the Bears lost to Baylor by 20 at home on Sunday. The No. 3 Buckeyes will be an even bigger challenge.

Randoms...

For a mid-major, Dayton is having a good early season run playing tough against big-conference teams. Dayton threw an opening salvo with a 77-74 win over Michigan State, lost a two-point game to Louisville and then knocked off Purdue 56-53 in the Boilermakers' own tournament ... The top nine teams in this week's AP poll went 19-0 last week with an average victory margin of 27 points ...There are two conferences in which every team has at least a .500 record thus far: the Big East and the Big Ten.

Mississippi State Rack and Rollin' originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Washington Makes Unserious Opening Offer to Play Gonzaga

Chas Rich — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:37:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga, Washington, WCC, Pac-10, Media Watch

Having lost eight of 10 games to Gonzaga between 1997 and 2006, the Washington Huskies felt they needed a break because "the schedule began to get away from us." Apparently, that was code for "tired of being beaten by an in-state team from a non-power conference."

Well, after a few years of finding themselves, Washington would like to renew the series with Gonzaga. Just as long as the games are played for Washington's benefit.

Rather than play a home-and-home type of series with Gonzaga as had been done (and how Gonzaga plays it with Washington State, Wake Forest, Illinois, and Michigan State), Washington wants a three game series to be played at Key Arena in Seattle as a neutral site contest. Apparently playing a scant five miles from Washington's campus still constitutes a "neutral" site to Washington's athletic department as long as the ticket sales are split 50-50.

Unsurprisingly, Gonzaga is not interested in that kind of arrangement. Gonzaga already plays an annual game at Key Arena in the Battle in Seattle that annually pits them against a national opponent. There is little incentive to make a second trip of nearly 300 miles for a "neutral" court game. To say nothing of the additional costs the Bulldogs would incur to make the trip.

Gonzaga wants a home-and-home, but would likely settle for a "neutral court" system as long as the games were split between Key Arena and the Spokane Arena -- about two miles from the Gonzaga campus. Washington, having made the whole offer public very quickly, sees this working only one way.

"This is the proposal that we're interested in and I don't see it changing in terms of any other sites," said Richard Kilwien, UW's associate athletic director of athletic communications. "Having it at the Key really benefits both schools in terms of fans and financially as well."

[Gonzaga athletic director Mike] Roth isn't so sure.

"The renewal of this series is something that will be decided by the two athletic directors and the two head basketball coaches in private discussions," he said.

Washington has been taking shots the last couple years for not renewing the in-state series. Some of this is clearly an attempt to shift the pressure over to the Zags.

Eventually the series will be renewed. Most likely as a home-and-home or alternating "neutral sites." In the meantime, it can be a bit of entertaining sniping and gamesmanship to play out via the media.

Washington Makes Unserious Opening Offer to Play Gonzaga originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Worst-Case Scenario for St. Mary's

Adam Papagiorgio — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:27:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga, WCC, St. Mary's (CA)

Gonzaga and St. Mary's opened the WCC tournament final with Matt Boldin shooting a pair of technical free throws after the Gaels' Omar Samhan dunked in warmups.

That turned out to be the highlight of St. Mary's evening.

The Gaels were looking to make a big splash against the Bulldogs on national television and they did. Just not the splash they were looking to make. This game was a worst-case scenario for a team looking to go to the Dance, like an acne outbreak on prom night. St. Mary's made it's case for the NCAA tournament. The only problem was, that case was, "Please don't take us."

Now the only question is, does St. Mary's deserve an at-large bid?

No. 12 Gonzaga 83, St. Mary's 58: Recap | Box Score | RPI | Scores

ESPN analysts Steve Lavin and Stephen Bardo made the case for St. Mary's during the telecast. But even the most ardent of West Coast Conference basketball fans are going to have a hard time defending this one.

The Gaels had a chance to take their NCAA selection future out of the committee's hands, and that was the effort they came up with? Samhan's gaff during warmups should have sent a red flag that this team might be a little excited. Maybe St. Mary's read one too many positive reviews of Sunday night's game. Whatever the reason, the team did as much as it could to erase any of the good feelings from its recent winning streak.

Patrick Mills seemed a little too eager to prove that he was ready to go after missing so much time. Now you have to wonder if the selection committee should hold it against them. Don't give the committee any excuse to hold back a West Coast team. This was certainly a costly game.

St. Mary's does have a game Friday against Eastern Washington, one last chance to make its case. But how much can a possible win there erase this embarrassing loss on national television?

If forced to make a call, I'd say St. Mary's deserves the chance. Primarily because Gonzaga looked so good. Don't gloss over the Bulldogs' effort. Gonzaga would have made a lot of teams look foolish on Monday night. So I would give St. Mary's a bid, but I'm not sure that many will feel the same way.

Maybe we can get a Patrick Mills vs. Stephen Curry in the NIT.

Worst-Case Scenario for St. Mary's originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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St. Mary's Belongs in NCAA Tournament

Adam Papagiorgio — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 02:15:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga, WCC, St. Mary's (CA)

St. Mary's moved into the West Coast Conference finals with a convincing win over Portland. But was it convincing enough for the Gaels to get into the NCAA tournament barring Monday's finals outcome? Right now, St. Mary's looks deserving enough to get into the tournament. The Gaels are a much more complete team right now.

Almost as if losing Mills for a stretch made this team better. But St. Mary's looked impressive enough on Sunday night to make its case to be included in the field of 65.

St. Mary's 71, Portland 61: Recap | Box Score | RPI | Scores

That is a far cry from where the team was on Jan. 31, just two days removed from Mills injuring his wrist against Gonzaga. St. Mary's went to Portland and it was trounced, 88-64. One of the most embarrassing losses for the Gaels in recent memory, and all but seemed to doomed the team's tournament hopes.

The Gaels would lose two of its next three games after that loss before beating the Pilots on Feb. 14. Since that time, the seniors Diamon Simpson, Omar Samhan and Carlin Hughes were able to take control of the team. St. Mary's had that impressive win over Utah State and have no won six consecutive games.

And the Gaels are getting Mills back.

He wasn't quite as sharp from the field as you would expect, but made enough key shots. Really, the most important thing here was to get Mills back into game shape, get him some time on the floor and get the win. This was probably going to be his most trying game.

Gonzaga wasn't challenged in its semi-final game against Santa Clara, so it's tough to judge them. But the Bulldogs could be walking into one of those dreaded trap games. The Gaels really have something to prove. They really pulled away from the Pilots and let's remember, Portland crushed St. Mary's 88-64 in the game immediately following Mills' injury. So I like the Gaels to win on Monday.

But right now, St. Mary's has shown me enough to get into the tournament win or lose in the WCC finals. The team is currently ranks No. 50 in the RPI. The Gaels are 2-2 against the RPI top 50, but those two loses were to Gonzaga -- without Mills. There's that huge win over Utah State without Mills. This seems enough to put them into the tournament.

St. Mary's Belongs in NCAA Tournament originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 02:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bubble Teams Are Big Gonzaga Fans This Weekend

Adam Papagiorgio — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga, WCC, St. Mary's (CA)

The West Coast Conference tournament starts tonight in Las Vegas, but nobody is really going to be paying attention until Sunday when St. Mary's Patrick Mills makes his much anticipated return. No offense to LMU, San Diego, Pepperdine or USF, but like most opening acts in Las Vegas, nobody cares.

(Well not nobody. The WCC did sell out all of its all-tournament passes before the first tonight's tip-off. So maybe that move to a neutral court in Las Vegas wasn't a bad move afterall. Remember this when the Pac-10 and the other big schools play conference tournaments in front of empty crowds.)
And the WCC tournament will draw a lot of interest from the bubble teams. Gonzaga is already in the NCAA tournament. If the Bulldogs can win the conference tournament, then St. Mary's could be left on the bubble. That's the rub for the WCC commissioner Jamie Zaninovich. To be honest, I don't know how he does it.

Now, you can't just keep Gonzaga out of the tournament. And you can't exactly turn into Marsellus from Pulp Fiction ... "Listen Mark, in the second half, your butt goes down. Say it." Though, you couldn't really blame the commissioner if he turns into Bobby "the Brain" Heenan for a day. You know, Matt Boldin comes running down the court and the Zaninovich throws sand in his eyes. Or maybe he gives Omar Samhan a foreign object to use.

The crowning achievement would be if St. Mary's held a one-point lead with only seconds remaining and Zaninovich ran out on the court and screamed, "Sound the horn, sound the horn!" ending the game in the Gaels' favor. (Though, that seemingly happened with the screw-job ending in the Super Bowl.)

Not that Zaninovich has to go to any of those extremes. St. Mary's probably ends up winning the tournament anyway. The Gaels have much more on the line and have something to prove. Gonzaga does not, it's human nature.

Not that it will be easy. Mills figures to come out rusty in his first game. And St. Mary's opponent will already have at least a game under its belt. But the Gaels will find a way to win that semi-final game before running the Bulldogs out of the building. Which, of course, would be bad news for the bubble teams out there.

Bubble Teams Are Big Gonzaga Fans This Weekend originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Billy Packer Would Have Loved the Upcoming NCAA Tournament

Shiloh Carder — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:00:00 EST

Filed under: Butler, Davidson, George Mason, Gonzaga, WCC, Xavier, A-10, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Mid-Majors, MVC, MWC, Pac-10, SEC, March Madness, St. Mary's (CA)

One of the biggest gripes against former CBS basketball analyst Billy Packer was that he didn't respect the mid-majors. He famously complained that there were too many mid-majors in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. That was the year that George Mason upset Michigan State, North Carolina and UConn to get to the Final Four.

This will be the first Packer-less tournament in decades as he retired after last year's Final Four. It's a shame for him because he would have loved the makeup of the brackets this time around. Going against the recent trends, it looks as if the major conferences will get most of the at-large bids, leaving the mid-majors out in the cold.

According to ESPN's Joe Lunardi, there aren't too many mid-majors that are locks to get in if they do not win their conference tournament. Siena, Utah State and Davidson have the strongest cases to be at-large teams but there are factions that believe they won't. Utah State has that win over Utah, but nothing else. Davidson has actually lost a couple of SoCon games this year and their biggest win is against West Virginia on a neutral court. Siena just lost to Niagara last night. All will be overwhelming favorites to win their conference tournaments but they could be in trouble if they don't.

Gonzaga will snatch a bid if they don't win the West Coast Conference tournament. Butler does the same if they fail to win the Horizon.

Lunardi is also projecting that 31 of the 34 at-large bids will be going to the so-called "BCS conferences". The ACC leads the way with eight teams, followed by the Big East and Big Ten with seven each. The SEC, which is suffering a perceived down period, is projected to get five teams in the tournament. The other three bids are penciled in for the Atlantic 10's Dayton and two from the Mountain West (Utah, BYU and UNLV should all get in; one should win the conference tournament). The only non-BCS school that is currently seeded as a No. 4 seed or better is Memphis.

Even Lunardi's last four out includes nothing but BCS schools. The "next four out" features two more Mountain West schools and two Big XII schools.

All this leads up to schools from power conferences fighting for those last spots available in the tournament. It will also lead to more name matchups in the first and second round. Right now, Lunardi has first round games of Kentucky-Texas, Florida-California, Oklahoma State-Arizona State, Boston College-Tennessee, Michigan-LSU, Penn State-UCLA and South Carolina-Wisconsin.

Billy Packer Would Have Loved the Upcoming NCAA Tournament originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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St. Mary's At-Large Hopes Gone

Adam Papagiorgio — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 02:57:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga, WCC, WAC, St. Mary's (CA)

St. Mary's point guard Patrick Mills and the other spectators at McKeon Pavilion are likely filled with the same 'what if' fantasies after Gonzaga defeated the home team, 72-70, on Thursday night. A crushing defeat for the Gaels who entered the season with tournament hopes.

You can never say never in college basketball. Not with conference tournaments looming a few weeks away. But any hope that St. Mary's had of getting an at-large bid floated away as the Gaels failed to rally for the second time this season against Gonzaga with their injured point guard languishing on the bench.

Fellow Australian Carlin Hughes almost willed St. Mary's to a win. A win that would have kept those at-large hopes alive. But in the end, he came up just short. The Gaels are also in danger of finishing out of the top two in the West Coast Conference, which guarantees a bye into the semifinals. But then again, playing extra games didn't seem to bother San Diego last season.

Gonzaga looked pretty good, holding off undermanned St. Mary's. The Bulldogs don't play too well in McKeon Pavilion, so escaping with a win is key and not a given. Not like, say, going to LMU.

Josh Heytvelt, in particular, looked really good. Heytvelt is the Lamar Odom of Gonzaga. He has all of the talent in the world, but sometimes you wonder where his heart is at. Much like the Lakers and Odom, Gonzaga is only going to go as far as Heytvelt will take them. He has to have a presence down low for the Bulldogs to have any sort of sustained run.

In another mid-major game of note:

Utah State 62, Idaho 53: This game was closer than it should have been. The Aggies are the Gaels last chance for a true "quality win" prior to the conference tournaments when the teams battle in the BracketBusters next week. So you can't blame Utah State for looking ahead. That happens.

St. Mary's At-Large Hopes Gone originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 02:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Portland Close, but Nobody's Touching Gonzaga

Adam Papagiorgio — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 01:41:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga, Nevada, WCC, Mid-Majors

The West Coast Conference had a banner 2008, getting three teams into the NCAA tournament. But any hopes of the WCC being a multiple bid conference this season evaporated as quickly as Portland's halftime lead on Thursday night.

St. Mary's did snap a two-game losing streak by beating San Francisco on Thursday night. But unless Patrick Mills is a fast healer, there is no chance of the Gaels making the NCAA tournament.

Last year's Cinderella, San Diego, lost at Santa Clara on Thursday night in a battle of the conference's most disappointing underachievers. Let this be a lesson to all of you coaches who achieve success in your first year. Take the money and run. Bill Grier probably wishes that he did.

That left Portland holding the conference's lone hope to challenge Gonzaga. And it happened ... for a half.

But in the end, the Bulldogs have too much depth and rolled for the victory. Too much scoring from Matt Boldin and Jeremy Pargo, while Austin Daye looked pretty good on the boards. Gonzaga -- as pointed out during the ESPN broadcast -- needs to get tougher on the boards. There, however, is nobody in the WCC that will challenge them.

Especially now that the conference tournament is moving to Las Vegas. There will be no opportunity for any team to ride its home court for an upset bid. Though, if you want to think of a sleeper team, keep an eye on Santa Clara. That team really should be much better.

Portland's Nik Raivio is a stud, but he's just not enough to push the Pilots over the top. And Luke Sikma is developing into a nice player. But it's just not going to happen.

And here's a look at some of the other mid-major action.

Cal State Fullerton welcome former coach Brad Holland back, as Satan's lap dog is currently an assistant at UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos went on a huge run in the first half and looked to continue the Titans misery at home. But somehow Cal State found its stride in the second half and ran Santa Barbara off the court to win its fourth consecutive game. The Titans were 8-of-13 from 3-point range in the second half. You know, this was supposed to be a down year for Cal State that lost four starters from its tournament team from last year. But you know, this team could repeat as conference champs. Believe it.

Mainly because Long Beach State lost at home to UC Davis. Is Dan Monson already preparing his resume? The 49ers earned a nice BracketBusters game against Wisconsin-Green Bay -- and this is the way they respond. Long Beach obviously hasn't recovered from Cal State rolling into town last week and beating them in front of a soldout crowd. The 49ers are talented, but inconsistent. At least Raiders, I mean Long Beach fans don't have to worry about its team peaking too soon.

No. 25 Utah State pounded New Mexico State in Logan. I like to make fun of the Aggies' schedule, but nobody is going to beat them up there. It's not happening.

Louisiana Tech went to Reno and beat Nevada. Utah State isn't getting a lot of help from its conference. The bottom feeders (meaning anytime not named Utah State) are beating each other senseless. And it does nothing to raise the profile of the conference. The Aggies are going to find themselves in a very similar situation to Gonzaga here. Honestly though, what happened to Mark Fox's squad? This is a young team, for sure, but it shouldn't be dropping home games at the Law.

Portland Close, but Nobody's Touching Gonzaga originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 01:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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St. Mary's Loses Patrick Mills, Game

Adam Papagiorgio — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 02:55:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga, WCC, Mid-Majors, St. Mary's (CA)

St. Mary's looked like the best team in the West Coast Conference on Thursday night. At least for a half. The Gaels were rocking in Spokane, and it appeared that there might have been a changing of the guard right there in front of the Kennel Club.

But then the game turned on Patrick Mills' right wrist. Literally. Mills injured his wrist and did not return for the second half. Neither did St. Mary's mojo. Gonzaga took advantage of the situation and went on to win, 69-62. The Bulldogs ended the Gaels' 15-game winning streak.

St. Mary's put in a valiant effort without Mills, but there were stretches where the team obviously missed Mills' leadership. Or his ability to take the big shot. There was a time in the second half when it looked like nobody on the court wanted to shoot the ball for St. Mary's. Shot-clock violations or desperate 3-point shots taken well beyond NBA range probably wouldn't have happened with Mills in the game.

But the truth is, you have to win with the guys on the floor. Losing Mills was an obvious setback, but guys like Diamon Simpson and Omar Samhan needed to take control on the floor. They never did, at least not before it was too late.

Mills' wrist is going to be one of the top stories to follow in the coming days.

Gonzaga should be concerned about center Josh Heytvelt. The ESPN broadcasters mentioned it a couple of times, but he really played poorly. Heytvelt had a couple of nice games against Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount recently, but he needs to show something against the good teams in the conference. Though, Austin Daye has had no problem asserting himself.

In some other mid-major games of note.

Cal State Fullerton 61, Long Beach State 60: A raucous at the Rusting Pyramid witnessed Josh Akognon sink the winner in the closing seconds. A group of Cal State students chartered a bus to help cheer the Titans to victory. Long Beach State also was honoring former coach Tex Winter and Craig Hodges. Witnesses in the crowd said that Hodges was burning up. Cal State is now undefeated on the road in Big West play, but can't win at home. Maybe the Titans should move their games to Troy High School across the street.

Long Beach hospitals, however, are on full alert getting prepared to treat legions of busted ankles after all of the front-running 49ers fans jump off the Dan Monson bandwagon. Way to send the home-town fans happy. Long Beach fans are the Big West equivalent of Raiders fans so expect some reports of property damage.

Utah State 72, Nevada 61: The Aggies win, but will this push their SOS under 200? Tough call. Nobody is going to challenge Utah State at home. That just won't happen. But still, Utah State still hasn't earned your respect yet.

Idaho 63, Boise State 59: The Broncos have a weird way of showing that they want to compete in the WAC this season. Are they banking on another WAC tournament title?

Northridge 72, UCSB 70: Santa Barbara coach Bob Williams should enjoy his last season as Gauchos' coach. But if the school believes that Cheating Brad Holland is the answer, it is foolish. Matador fans will celebrate with a trip to Best Buy!

St. Mary's Loses Patrick Mills, Game originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 02:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ranking the Rankings: Duke's No. 1

Will Brinson — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona State, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Georgetown, Gonzaga, Kentucky, Louisville, Marquette, NC State, Notre Dame, Syracuse, UCLA, UNC, USC, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Mid-Majors, SEC, Coaches, Fans, Media Watch

Ranking the rankings criticizes the critics as soon as the polls come out.

Headlining: It's obvious, right? Duke tops both polls for the first time since the end of the 2005-06 regular season and we're all ~~depressed~~ ecstatic! I want to say that it's hard to like this Blue Devil team, but when is it easy to like Duke? (Answer: When you're a Duke fan. Or when the Blue Devils are playing Carolina.) That being said, the 2008-09 incarnation isn't nearly as hate-able as previous teams.

Gerald Henderson is a freakish athlete who tries hard, Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer embody a certain Durham stereotype, but at least they're not Chris Collins and Wojo, and Greg Paulus has been relegated to a supporting role and has yet to play more than 24 minutes a game.

The antipodal proposition alone should be worth a slightly less odoriferous and palatable annoyance. (Yes, I'm pretending that I graduated from Duke and write for Slate.) Of course, there's still the matter of butting heads with the previous top team, Wake Forest, Wednesday, but for now: Everyone respects Duke.

Freefallin': Georgetown (12/14 to 25/23), Syracuse (8/8 to 15/15) and Notre Dame (19/19 to UR/22). In fairness to all three teams, the Big East is really good. And in fairness to the pollsters, this group of teams combined to lose five games (the Irish lost that Saturday prime timer as their only game of the week en route to three straight losses; coughing one up to Marquette Monday won't help their case either) last week, so it's not that shocking. The Big East teams are certainly going to beat up on each other all season long and they'll fluctuate; anything other than the same from the top tier ACC teams would be surprising as well.

You Gotta Rise Up: Kentucky (UR/UR to 24/UR), UCLA (17/16 to 13/11). It's never a total shock when two big name programs -- Louisville could apply here too, I suppose, just based on the relative inaction of the top 10 -- win a couple of games and start vaulting higher. In Kentucky's case, it's Jodie Meeks helping to propel the Wildcats back into the rankings for the first time since November ... 2007. It wouldn't seem that long if it wasn't Kentucky we're talking about, but the Wildcats are held to a higher standard. Presuming they can beat both Mississippi and South Carolina this week, it's safe to say you'll see them ranked in both polls next week.

Hyped: Clemson (12/11). Yes, the Tigers only have two losses, but they're still in the top 15. And while I don't necessarily know that the Tigers are en route toward a total and utter meltdown, I certainly won't vouch that they aren't, either. They've got games against Virginia Tech, Duke, Florida State and Boston College in their next four matchups. Two of those teams have beaten No. 1-ranked squads ... and they're the two inferior teams on the schedule. A win against Georgia Tech kind of righted the ship, but there's a distinct possibility that they could go 0-4 over that span.

Bunked: Arizona State (14/14). Call me a Herb Sendek homer if you want, and I won't care. I love the guy, and all he does is produce teams that go to the NCAA Tournament. His last five teams at N.C. State went to the Big Dance and It's not far-fetched to say that the Wolfpack would probably deal with an annual tourney bid right now. The Sun Devils are not a high-scoring bunch, and losses to USC and Cal aren't impressive, but James Harden is a baller and 22 points per game in Sendek's offense might be equal to 49 anywhere else.

WTF?: No one from the coaches' poll dropped. Like, literally no one. Florida is this -- makes pinching motion with index and thumb -- close to inching in, just one point shy of Gonzaga, and Utah State is right behind, but it's still really unusual to see a poll with no movement whatsoever.

People That Vote Are Smart: Ron Morris of The State in Columbia, S.C., takes the cake. He really thinks highly of Luke Harangody, so much so that he puts Notre Dame at No. 14 in his poll. Yes, the Irish are a talented team, but when he voted they had lost three straight, and they've dropped four straight now. It's kind of tough to bump a team from No. 14 to unranked in one week, but here it's arguably deserved. He also has UConn and North Carolina ahead of Duke.

Ranking the Rankings: Duke's No. 1 originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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St. Mary's Might Be Best Team in WCC

Adam Papagiorgio — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 02:37:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga, WCC, St. Mary's (CA)

Even though Gonzaga was knocked off in the West Coast Conference tournament last season, the Bulldogs were considered the best team in the league. And even as Gonzaga has struggled at times this season, the perception has been that -- again -- the Bulldogs are the class of the WCC. Gonzaga has even climbed back into the Top 25 again.

But is that perception reality?

St. Mary's is certainly making its case following a convincing 65-42 win at San Diego on Thursday night. The Gaels have no won 15 consecutive games and will look to challenge the Bulldogs for conference supremacy. St. Mary's figured to be a Top 25 team this season. But a loss to UTEP in the Anaheim Classic took them out of the national spotlight. (And would be the last time it would lose.)

They finally didn't return until they got a chance to play at San Diego on ESPN. The same place where the team crashed and burned in the WCC tournament last season. St. Mary's buried San Diego right from the start, taking last year's tournament champion apart.

Point guard Patty Mills continues to be impressive and Omar Samhan (16 points and 11 rebounds) is really exerting himself in the low post -- and could provide some matchup problems for Gonzaga. But that's the thing. We can't get too far ahead of ourselves. St. Mary's hasn't played the grueling schedule that Gonzaga has, but it will get its chance to take on the Bulldogs next week.

But for right now, St. Mary's looks unbeatable.

St. Mary's Might Be Best Team in WCC originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 02:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gonzaga Back to Normal, Dominating WCC

Adam Papagiorgio — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 02:40:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga, Nevada, WCC, Mid-Majors, WAC

Gonzaga had a rather troubling December, were it not for Tennessee. The Bulldogs lost to No. 2 Connecticut, Portland State and Utah in a near two-week stretch before beating the Volunteers for the second time this season. But any stumbling during the silly season is in the past as Gonzaga has once again retaken its throne as unmerciful ruler of the West Coast Conference.

The Bulldogs put any doubt to rest with a dominating performance over Santa Clara on Thursday, winning 95-53. The kind of exclamation to let the rest of the conference know that any momentary lapses were just that. And really, I thought Kerry Keating's club could have been a contender this season. Yeah, not so much.

This win won't do much to help Gonzaga's damaged national reputation they suffered at the end of December. But San Diego and St. Mary's no doubt took notice. Matt Bouldin was awesome, and it seems that Gonzaga is at its best when Jeremy Pargo doesn't have to score a lot and is handing out the ball like he did on Thursday night.

Now for a look at some other mid-major action of note.

Saint Mary's 78, Loyola Marymount 53: The first game of the Max Good era got off to a rousing start. The Gaels are going to end up cruising through the WCC schedule until they face Gonzaga.

San Diego 62, Pepperdine 47: Who put this schedule together? Two of the top three WCC powers were playing the bottom feeders in the conference. And as expected, they faced little resistance.

Utah State 65, Fresno State 61: Like their cross-state rivals, BYU, Utah State doesn't lose to conference opponents at home. If the Aggies ever butched up their schedule, they could be a Top 25 team. But right now, they are the best team in the WAC.

Nevada 77, Boise State 63: Huge win for the young Wolf Pack. They really needed this win, and Nevada is a team that will be pretty dangerous come conference tournament time.

Gonzaga Back to Normal, Dominating WCC originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 02:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lack of Inside Presence Will Kill UNLV

Adam Papagiorgio — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 02:22:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga, UNLV, WCC, Mid-Majors, MWC, WAC

Anytime UNLV garners any sort of national attention, it seems like they stumble right back to earth. It happened again on Saturday night as the Rebels lost at Texas Christian, 80-73. The Rebels had to rely on too many three point shots, hoisting 34 shots from long range. While they were pretty impressive, going 15-of-34, they just couldn't score inside.

Zvonko Buljan led Horned Frogs with 20 points and 13 rebounds. UNLV had only 23 rebounds as a team. Texas Christian also did a great job holding down Wink Adams, limiting to only nine points on 3-of-11 shooting. The Rebels, at times, are a little too dependent on Adams. And when there isn't a decent inside presence, teams can really clamp down on UNLV's captain. Freshman Brice Massamba didn't even get off the bench.

Big men are in short supply in Division I basketball, but the Rebels are going to continue to strugle against any team with a decent big man. Should be interesting when Utah comes to town.

Let's check out some other mid-major games of note.

San Diego State 72, Utah 63: There isn't a definitive leader in the Mountain West. At least not yet, and until somebody can prove that they can win on the road. The Aztecs have been on quite a roll lately and for right now, let's call them the best team in the conference.

BYU 86, Colorado State 60: Yes BYU, we see that you won a conference road game. But come on, it's only Colorado State. The Cougars have to earn some respect.

Pepperdine 59, LMU 57: When these teams get together, throw out the record book. No really, throw it out because both teams are awful. But on this night, LMU was just a little worse and wanted it a little less.

Gonzaga 67, Portland 50: You couldn't help but wonder if the Bulldogs were going to suffer letdown after winning at Tennessee. Beat Portland by only 17 almost counts.

Utah State 77, New Mexico State 67: You knew the Aggies were going to win this one! Sorry, only get to use that twice a year. Utah State is now 15-1, but that one loss came to the only good team they played (BYU). New Mexico State should try to get Reggie Theus' room ready for him again.

For the record, Big West games are sponsored by Aladdin Bail Bonds. Seems fitting.

Long Beach State 86, UC Davis 78: The 49ers are leading the Big West at 4-0. Dan Monson's resume for his next job just keeps improving. Does he have Arizona on his mind?

Cal State 62, UC Santa Barbara 58: The Titans defeat El Diablo, Brad Holland -- the former Cal State coach and current UCSB assistant. Cal State had a rough opening stretch of the season, losing to Cal State Northridge and UC Irvine. Road wins at Cal Poly and Santa Barbara even then up. What's up with the Gauchos? They are 1-3 in conference. Must be Holland's bad influence. The might need a change at the top soon.

Lack of Inside Presence Will Kill UNLV originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 11 Jan 2009 02:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome Back, Gonzaga

Adam Papagiorgio — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 01:28:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga, Tennessee, WCC, Mid-Majors

You can't always teach an old dog new tricks, so it's fitting that Gonzaga went back to its underdog role to once again regain national relevance. The Bulldogs were on the verge of drifting into obscurity again, losers of three consecutive games and looking at a fourth as Tennessee came out smoking on Wednesday night.

But that old Gonzaga grit -- the one that made them a tournament darling only a few years ago -- was on display once again. The Bulldogs withstood a strong first-half charge by the Volunteers and really showed the depth of their character in overtime to beat No. 15 Tennessee, 89-79.

There are statement games, but this game spoke volumes about the makeup of this team.

The rap on Gonzaga was that the team was a little bit soft. And to be honest, a lot of that was justified. They just didn't make the plays to win. And when Matt Bouldin missed a potential winning shot at the end of overtime, you couldn't help but think, "Here comes the old Gonzaga fold again."

But it didn't happen. When Tennessee flubbed its chance to win, something seemed to click for Gonzaga that carried them through a dominating overtime session. This is the kind of win that the Bulldogs needed to carry them through the conference season.

Let's be honest, nobody is going to be impressed when Gonzaga crushes Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount. But that's the key. Gonzaga has used up all of its free-passes. They can't afford to slip up anymore. They need to attack the WCC schedule the same way that it attacked overtime on Wednesday. Gonzaga went old school and gutted out a win.

Austin Daye said that the swagger was back. Now it's time to prove it. No more bad loses. Gonzaga is back, it needs to show us that they want to stick around this time.

Welcome Back, Gonzaga originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 01:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UNLV, Utah Do Mountain West Proud

Adam Papagiorgio — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:50:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga, UNLV, Mid-Majors, MWC

The Mountain West was looking for some signature wins only a few weeks ago. Now they are flush with huge wins after UNLV and Utah did the conference proud by knocking off No. 18 Louisville and No. 16 Gonzaga respectively. Even though some geniuses didn't believe that it could be done.

The Runnin' Rebels were mighty impressive, knocking off the host Cardinals, 56-55, without star guard Wink Adams. Oscar Bellfield hit the winner with 14.2 seconds left and fittingly, it was UNLV's defense that sealed the win. The Runnin' Rebels used a strong defense to stifle the Cardinals for most of the afternoon. Though, the ESPN announcers would never admit that. They were too busy claiming that Louisville was having an "off-night." Yes, that tends to happen when an inspired opponent is harrassing your every shot.

I also have a theory that teams missing a star player can always rise to the occassion. At least for one game. And that's why it looked like on Wednesday. When you are missing one of your stars, you tend to make that extra pass and become reallly dilligent on defense. That's not to say that the Rebels certainly won't welcome Wink back on Saturday against New Mexico.

Utah also used a strong defense to down Gonzaga, 66-65. The Runnin' Utes held the Bulldogs to only 2-of-13 shooting (15 percent) from 3-point range. Luke Nevill was nearly unstoppable down low, scoring 15 points. Nevill was able to get loose down low, and shot 10 free throws. There seemed to be a lot of reaching and sloppy defense. Gonzaga might have thought it could sleep walk against Utah, but that wasn't to be. Matt Boldin nearly bailed them out with a last-second shot, but it wasn't to be.

Of course, people will start questioning Gonzaga. But Utah is a tough place to play. You have to straddle the line between giving Utah the credit it deserves, but also question Gonzaga's motivation in this game. The Bulldogs didn't play their best game, but you have to give the Utes credit for that.

Overall, it was a great day for the Mountain West. This conference wants to become a serious, multiple-bid conference and this was a great day for that. UNLV should be in the Top 25 next week and is -- unless something major happens -- a lock for the tournament. Utah has some nice wins that will look good on its tournament resume if they can keep winning during the Mountain West conference season.

An aside for Gonzaga, so much for being the top seed in the West. They don't have leeway for letdown during conference play.

UNLV, Utah Do Mountain West Proud originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last Chance of the Year for Mountain West, WAC to Make Some Noise

Adam Papagiorgio — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:38:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga, Louisville, Nevada, UNLV, MWC, WAC, North Carolina

Well, it's only the calendar year, mind you. And really, don't you hate running into people on this day who love to say, "See you next year?" And here I am contributing to the problem. But enough about that, UNLV, Utah and Nevada all have an opportunity to make a splash on New Year's Eve with some high-profile games.

The question is, will they be able to take advantage of them? Here's a quick rundown of tonight's games.

UNLV at No. 18 Louisville. The Runnin' Rebels had a brief two-game let down earlier this season, but have established an 11-2 mark, including a big win over Arizona. But tonight's contest could be a tough one, as senior star Wink Adams will be a game-time decision. Adams suffered an abdominal injury recently, but a recent MRI revealed that it was only a strain.

Even if Adams is able to play, UNLV will have a tough test. The Rebels haven't been good on the boards and Louisville is a strong rebounding team. Plus Louisville's defense was able to smother the Rebels in the closing ten minutes of last year's game at the Thomas and Mack Center. Still, that game was closer than some thought. So I expect a similar game this year, where UNLV will hang tough for a while, but ultimately fall. Prediction: Louisville wins. Make your own pick.

Utah at No. 16 Gonzaga. This game suddenly became a huge one for Gonzaga. The Bulldogs looked like a solid Final Four candidate, but recent losses to Connecticut and Portland State has the team reeling, and many questioning the toughness of Gonzaga. That can't be good news for Utah.

The Runnin' Utes had a nice win over Oregon, but followed that up with three consecutive losses to Idaho State, Cal and No. 5 Oklahoma State. Utah also lost a close one to Utah State, and had more trouble then it should have with Big West doormat, UC Irvine. Utah looked good early against Oklahoma and have done well in flashes. But it looks like they are catching Gonzaga at the wrong time. Prediction: Gonzaga in a blowout. Make your own pick.

No. 1 North Carolina at Nevada. First off, congratulations to North Carolina for playing at UC Santa Barbara this season and at Nevada. Some more of the "big boys" should take note of this, because it makes college basketball a whole lot better.

But let's be honest about this one. Unless there is some kind of Reno 911 plot that will keep Tyler Hansbrough detained in a room at Fitzgerald's, then maybe Nevada would have a chance. But unless North Carolina makes like that Carver team that hit the nightlife in Las Vegas prior to a game during the White Shadow, this should be an easy Tar Heels' victory.

But as mentioned before, you can't imagine who exciting this is for Nevada fans and students who will finally get a chance to yell at Hansbrough. (Keep it clean, kids.) This is a once-in-a-lifetime game for them. And again, that's awesome for college basketball. Prediciton: North Carolina wins. Make your own pick. (And who are the six percent picking Nevada? See, this is why games like this are awesome.)

Wow, 0-for-3 for the Mountain West and WAC? That's depressing.

Last Chance of the Year for Mountain West, WAC to Make Some Noise originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:38:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Don't Panic Gonzaga Fans

Adam Papagiorgio — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 02:30:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga, Mid-Majors

Gonzaga fans probably aren't feeling too comfortable after the Bulldogs lost at home to Portland State, 77-70. Most fans can rationalize a loss to No. 2 Connecticut, but have a little bit harder time digesting a loss to Portland State.

Don't.

Hey, I'm not going to sit here and spin yarns about Portland State being in the same class as Connecticut, Tennessee or Memphis. But that's part of the problem right there. These are still college kids and after playing a grueling game against Connecticut, you can imagine that these kids weren't fired up about playing Portland State.

The Vikings (yeah, that's their nickname) certainly were. This was a season-making game for them and they certainly played like it. Gonzaga, not so much. And you can't blame coach Mark Few. He likely stressed how important this game was, but kids can be kids.

If there is one nagging concern about this team, they seem to lack a certain toughness. Josh Heytvelt seems to play a little timid at times. I like his game and remember him doing great against some of the nation's best. But he really needs to start butching up a little bit. He only had one foul, he really needs to assert himself on the floor at times.

But hey, everybody has problems. And Gonzaga is still certainly capable of being a Final Four team. They just need to fine tune some things and get serious about games like this.

Don't Panic Gonzaga Fans originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 24 Dec 2008 02:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Attacking the Basket Was Key in UConn-Gonzaga

Chas Rich — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 20:01:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut, Gonzaga, Big East

Think CBS regrets choosing Davidson-Purdue as the national game instead of UConn-Gonzaga? Maybe. Fans of exciting, tight, good, competitive basketball games definitely were ticked. Davidson-Purdue was a 20-something blowout by halftime. UConn-Gonzaga went to overtime with UConn triumphing, 88-83.

It was a tough, physical and intense game throughout. The one consistent thing was that the team that attacked, thrived.

UConn came out early, playing to their inside presence and jumping out on Gonzaga, forcing Gonzaga to settle for jump shots.

The Zags, adjusted, however, playing more of a zone and getting UConn center Hasheem Thabeet in foul trouble. It allowed them to drive to the basket. Taking the ball to the rim, and forcing UConn back on their heels, Gonzaga led through most of the second half.

As the game reached the final minutes, though, UConn finally began going at the basket. Point guard A.J. Price had solved Gonzaga's zone and was attacking the basket or dishing to wing forwards Jeff Adrien or Jerome Dyson to slash to the basket.

Gonzaga was holding on, but became tentative on offense as UConn raised their intensity. Instead of attacking any longer, they fell back to taking jump shots and fearing contact. Josh Heytvelt became largely invisible. Yes, he was dealing with foul troubles, but he just became timid on offense, and stopped going inside to draw contact. Instead, it was UConn drawing the fouls by going right at Gonzaga inside.

Still, UConn couldn't close the gap. UConn was down 74-71 with just over 24 seconds left. UConn's Craig Austrie tossed a poor looking three-pointer, but Gonzaga couldn't get the rebound. It was tipped out by Dyson and ended up in Price's hands. Price tried to find another shooter, before launching his own off-balance three as Jeremy Pargo ran out on him. The shot went down, tying the game with 7.8 seconds left.

Gonzaga couldn't get a good shot from Pargo and it went to overtime.

Despite Hasheem fouling out on a technical foul early in the OT, Gonzaga was done. They had slumped shoulders and seemed worn down. Even without Thabeet, UConn was just stronger inside than Gonzaga. Three Zags fouled out and Heytvelt was still afraid to do anything.

Attacking the Basket Was Key in UConn-Gonzaga originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 20 Dec 2008 20:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Arizona Upsets Gonzaga in Phoenix As Curse Of No. 4 Continues

Shiloh Carder — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 01:41:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona, Gonzaga, WCC, Pac-10

Don't count out Arizona just yet.

Despite the retirement of Lute Olson and the defection of several players, the Arizona Wildcats are now 7-2 and own a huge win over No. 4 Gonzaga. The win was the first over a top-five team since 2001. Jordan Hill scored 22 points and Nic Wise added 21 in the 69-64 win.

How amazing is it that Arizona, a former perennial power, was the school in this game that needed a defining win over a big-time program? And how amazing is it that Gonzaga has become a legitimate big-time program? The Zags have already beaten Tennessee and Maryland and will face off against No. 2 UConn in Seattle on Saturday.

This is the third time the No. 4 ranked team has been upset by a former powerhouse turned unranked team this season. Michigan beat then-No. 4 UCLA in the 2k Sports tournament. A few weeks later, Michigan would upset then-No. 4 Duke.

Arizona Upsets Gonzaga in Phoenix As Curse Of No. 4 Continues originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 01:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gonzaga Leaves Little Doubt vs. WSU

Adam Papagiorgio — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:55:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga, Washington State

Just in case there was any lingering doubt as to who ruled college basketball in Washington, Gonzaga erased all doubt with an emphatic 74-52 beating of Washington State. And if a 22-point win doesn't seem impressive enough, realize that Gonzaga held just a slim 3-point lead at halftime.

The win had to be cathartic to Bulldogs fans who long suffered against some pretty good teams from Washington State. Above all of that, Gonzaga proved that they could not only survive against slow-down teams, but actually thrive. And if anything, Gonzaga was getting busy on the defensive end and really forced the action, making the Cougars look pretty bad.

Josh Heytvelt and Jeremy Pargo were once again outstanding. I know I've said this before, but Heytvelt is playing up to his potential and before we anoint Tyler Hansbrough as the greatest player in college basketball, we should give the Gonzaga big man some consideration. I know, it's sacrilege to even mention.

And there was some stat floating out there today that Gonzaga is nearly undefeated when Pargo has more assists than points, but you can forgive him for having only 11 points and 10 assists.

What's really impressive is that Gonzaga is making a joke out of their tough preseason schedule. They have handled Oklahoma State, Maryland, Tennessee, Indiana and now Washington State with relative ease. The Bulldogs will play at Arizona on Sunday, which should be another indicator of how good this team is. But when you look at what they have done, you have to consider this one of Mark Few's best teams ... as we've long contended in this space.

Gonzaga Leaves Little Doubt vs. WSU originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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