About Me:
Jeff Goodman is a senior college basketball writer for FOXSports.com. This is the only place you'll find continuous daily updates from the world of college basketball, so check back as often as you'd like.
About Me:
Jeff Goodman is a senior college basketball writer for FOXSports.com. This is the only place you'll find continuous daily updates from the world of college basketball, so check back as often as you'd like.
About Me:
Jeff Goodman is a senior college basketball writer for FOXSports.com. This is the only place you'll find continuous daily updates from the world of college basketball, so check back as often as you'd like.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006, 01:02 PM EST
[General]
We'll unveil our list of the 20 leading candidates for the Player of the Year tomorrow, but we're going to give you our rundown of the All-Underachieving Team thus far:
1) Anthony Morrow, 6-5, SG, Jr., Georgia Tech - In all fairness, Morrow suffered a back injury in the preseason. However, Lewis Clinch has taken his minutes and apparently also his perimeter shot. Morrow averaged 16 points last season, but is putting up just 5.2 points this year while shooting 27 percent from long range.
2) Lester Abram, 6-6, SG, Sr., Michigan - He's averaging just 8.4 points (down from 10 a year ago) and is turning the ball over nearly twice as much as a year ago. Shooting 41 percent from the field and 32 percent from 3-point land.
3) Coleman Collins, 6-9, F, Sr., Virginia Tech - He endured a tough year off the court last season, but Collins' production has dropped significantly. He's averaging just 6.8 points and 3.9 boards in 20 minutes as opposed to 14.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in 33 minutes as a junior.
4) Jamar Butler, 6-2, G, Jr., Ohio State - Butler can thank freshman Mike Conley Jr. for his decreased role. He averaged 10.1 points and 4.6 assists a year ago. The passing numbers are identical, but he's scoring just 7.3 points per contest.
5) Richard Roby, 6-6, SG, Jr., Colorado - At first glance, it appears as though Roby (18.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg) is having a solid start. However, he's shooting a miserable 24 percent from beyond the arc and 33 percent overall from the field.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006, 12:11 PM EST
[General]
Oregon junior swingman Malik Hairston, who missed the first five games with a groin injury, still isn't 100 percent.
``He's probably 75 percent back," Oregon coach Ernie Kent said. "He hasn't gotten all of his stamina and timing back yet."
Hairston has scored more than 20 points in the last two games and also grabbed a dozen boards against Idaho State. The 6-foot-6 Hairston averaged 15 points per game, but his absence has actually been somewhat of a blessing in disguise and allowed freshman Tajuan Porter more scoring opportunities.
The undefeated Ducks won't get Kent's son, Jordan, back after he finishes up his junior season on the gridiron.
``He's going to sign with an agent and put all his time in preparing for the NFL Draft," the elder Kent said.
Jordan, a 6-foot-5 junior wide receiver, caught 39 passes for 458 yards with four TD's this season. He averaged 3 points and 4.4 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game on the court last season.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006, 12:03 PM EST
[General]
Arizona senior big man Kirk Walters won't play against Memphis on Wednesday night and his status for the remainder of the season is still up in the air.
Walters, who came down with mononucleosis in the preseason, took a blood test on Tuesday morning to compare the blood levels as to when it was first diagnosed.
``He's lost 15 pounds and it's hard for him to get up and down the court in practice more than twice before he's really tired," Wildcats coach Lute Olson said. "We're leaving it up to the medical staff, but it doesn't look very positive in terms of whether he'll be able to play anytime in the near future. This may even knock him out for the whole season."
What does this trio have in common? Gerald Brown, Robert McKiver and Dwight Brewington.
The threesome all transferred from Providence and combine to average more than 60 points, 13 boards and 10 assists per game.
Brown is a 6-foot-4, 195-pound junior wing who is back home in Loyola (Md.) after spending two years at Providence. Brown is putting up 22.9 points, 5.3 boards and 3.3 assists per game this season. He averaged 7.1 points in 15 games as a sophomore with the Friars.
The 6-foot-2 McKiver left after one non-descript season (3.2 ppg, 2.2 apg) and is Houston's leading scorer at 22.7 points per contest.
Brewington made his debut at Liberty over the weekend and finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in a loss to St. Francis (Pa.).
In defense of Providence coach Tim Welsh, his team is clearly better without the trio. All three were high-maintenance and the Friars team chemistry is much better.
Corey Brewer played just 11 minutes and Al Horford didn't play at all in Florida's easy victory against Florida A&M on Sunday night.
Brewer wasn't quite in sync and it was a combination of effort and conditioning that put him on the bench for the majority of the game.
The bottom line is that the Gators are going to need Brewer to get back in the swing of things - and quickly - and for Horford's ankle to head quickly if they are going to be able to defend their home turf on Saturday afternoon when Greg Oden and the Ohio State Buckeyes come to town.
Brewer finished with 3 points, 4 rebounds, 4 turnovers and a pair of assists. GRAY CLEARED
Chad Gray, who wasn't admitted by South Carolina for the first semester, has been admitted into the school and is allowed to start practicing on Tuesday. Gray is eligible to play in Wednesday's game against Princeton, but that's a tough assignment in the first game of a college career.
Expect Gray to give Dave Odom's team depth along the frontline.