NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament Field Released

The NCAA DII basketball tournament bracket has been released.

Kentucky Wesleyan will be the top seed in the Midwest Bracket and will open against Saint Joseph's.

The Bellarmine Knights, fresh off winning the GLVC tournament title, will face Central St. (Oh.) in the first round.

Those first round games will be on March 13.

No other teams from Kentucky will be represented.

Complete Bracket

Brandon Knight's Father Denies Rumor of Commitment

According to ZagsBlog.com, Brandon Knight's father states that his son has not given a commitment at this point.

Here is an excerpt:

‘No, no he hasn’t committed to Kentucky,” Efrem Knight said Sunday afternoon by phone. “Everything’s still the same.”

Asked when Brandon might make a decision, Efrem said, “Probably in a couple of weeks.”

The 6-foot-4 Knight lists Florida, Kentucky, Kansas, UConn, and Miami as his final five.

One assistant coach of a school recruiting Knight told me that, “They [Kentucky] are leading.”

Complete Article

Photos: Murray State Celebrates an OVC Championship

The Racers pile up at midcourt following the final buzzer

Displaying the OVC Championship t-shirts

Three Racers made the All-Tournament team

Isaiah Canaan, OVC Touranment MVP

The Racers display their newly earned championship hardware

Photos: Morehead State vs. Murray State in OVC Tournament

You could feel the tension - even in pregame

The ESPN2 guys were all smiles

WYMT's MacKenzie Bates was fired up for OVC basketball action

Never thought I'd see the day that I was watching a Morehead State game over the should of ex-coach Kyle Macy...but there is the proof.

Murray State took a late lead and sealed it at the free throw line

Bellarmine Upsets Wesleyan to Win GLVC Championship

Bellarmine 79
Ky. Wesleyan 69

Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament Championship Game

Game recap and image by GLVC:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Junior guard Jeremy Kendle exploded for 31 points and lifted Bellarmine to the school's first Great Lakes Valley Conference Men's Basketball Championship on Sunday afternoon at the TRAC with a 79-69 win over third-ranked Kentucky Wesleyan.

Kendle was 13-for-26 from the field on the afternoon and also had 10 boards from his point guard position. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, joining teammate Braydon Hobbs on the All-Tournament Team.

Bellarmine (22-8) shot 50 percent from the field, including a 60 percent effort in the second half helping the Knights extend their five-point halftime advantage.

Kentucky Wesleyan (29-4), which had beaten Bellarmine in each of the teams' previous two meetings, shot just 30.8 percent in the second half and 35 percent for the game. Included in that shooting effort was a 25 percent performance from the three-point line.

The Panthers were led by Desmond Stephens who scored a team-high 19 points. Teammate Kwan Waller chipped in 14 points and both were named to the All-Tournament Team. Drury's Dennon Mitchell was the final member of the All-Tournament Team.

The two teams will now advance to next weekend's NCAA Division II Regional Tournament.

No. 3 Kentucky Lets Gators Back In, but Holds On Late

(3) Kentucky 74
Florida 66

Game summary:

Kentucky (29-2, 14-2 SEC) allowed Florida to get back in the game during the second half but were able to hold on late to get the win. The No. 3 Wildcats escaped with an emotional 74-66 Senior Day victory in front of 24,354 fans.

The Wildcats exploded midway through the first half to go up by as many as 18 points. The Gators (20-11, 9-7 SEC) fought back to within 10 at 41-31 heading into the halftime locker room.
The Cats then allowed Florida to cut the lead all the way down to 2 at the 6:53 mark of the second half. Kentucky finally nailed some timely shots and came up with several key defensive stops to earn the win.

Kentucky placed five players in double figures, led by 14 each by Eric Bledsoe and Darius Miller. Patrick Patterson, who went through Senior Day festivities despite being a junior, added 13 points and 4 steals. John Wall chipped in 11 points and a game-high 8 assists.

Alex Tyus led Florida with 12 points and Kenny Boynton added 11.

Kentucky shot 23-49 (46.9%) from the field and 8-18 (44.4%) from long range. The Gators shot 25-61 (41%) from the field and 4-15 (26.7%) from beyond the 3-point line. Florida was only 12-21 from the free throw while Kentucky was 20-28.

NOTES:

- Darnell Dodson continued to shoot the ball well as he was 3-3 FG and 2-2 3PT for the game
- Wall did an excellent job in leading the team today
- Cousins didn't play bad, but he didn't put up his usual numbers; sharing Senior Day minutes was a factor
- Liggins only played 7 minutes and contributed no offense
- Kentucky seems to have escaped recent shooting woes; for the second consecutive game, they shot the ball great
- Each team had 13 turnovers; Florida won the rebounding battle 38-34
- Starting lineup: Stevenson, Patterson, Krebs, Harris and Wall
- Most minutes: Patterson, Wall, Miller, Bledsoe, Cousins

Calipari discusses the game:



Video via KentuckyVids' YouTube channel

Georgetown College Claims Mid-South Championship

Georgetown College 64
Campbellsville 61

Mid-South Conference Tournament Championship Game

Game recap by MSC:

FRANKFORT, Ky. - Georgetown College survived a career high by Mid-South Conference player of the year Nestor Colmenares to knock off Campbellsville University 64-61 and win the league tournament title and automatic bid on Sunday afternoon at the Frankfort Convention Center.

Georgetown (26-6) took a three-point lead on a pair of free throws by senior Hollis Giles with 34.7 seconds left. Campbellsville had one last chance to tie the game, but a late three-point try by junior Shawn Savage was deflected by junior Matt Walls to seal the championship.

Campbellsville (26-7), the regular-season champion, got a career high 38 points from Colmenares, including 25 in the second half before fouling out with 25.9 seconds left. Colmenares also had nine rebounds in the loss.

The win for Georgetown was their third tournament title in the last four years.

Georgetown has won nine straight since losing at Campbellsville on Feb. 6, while Campbellsville saw a 10-game win streak come to an end.

The brilliantly-played game was never more than 10 points apart. Georgetown scored five straight to lead 29-19 with 5:01 left after Giles scored inside, and again at 31-21 after sophomore Vic Moses hit two free throws with 3:02 remaining.

But those would be the last GC points of the first half, as Campbellsville scored the final four to trail 31-25 at the break.

Georgetown scored the first basket of the second half to lead by eight, and regained that edge when Giles hit a free throw with 17:42 left to make it 38-30.

From there, it was never more than a six-point game.

Campbellsville battled the entire way, relying largely on Colmenares, who had 11 straight points for his team at one point, and when he hit inside with 2:01 to play for his 38th and final point, the game was tied at 59. It was the first tie since 7-all.

Georgetown didn't have a field goal for the final 5:40, but after the tie its 5-of-8 from the line proved enough to hold off Campbellsville for the championship.

Moses led Georgetown with a double-double, scoring 19 points and pulling 13 rebounds. With a put back with 8:41 to play, the sophomore became the 47th player to score 1000 points in school history.

He was followed by Giles who finished with 16 points.

Colmenares was the only player in double figures for Keith Adkins' club. Junior Brett Crittenden followed with eight.

Freed-Hardeman Drops Mid-Continent in TSAC Semifinal

Freed-Hardemen 98
Mid-Continent 91

TranSouth Conference Tournament Semifinals

Excerpt of game recap by Mid-Continent:

Mayfield, KY - Number three seed Freed-Hardeman University (22-10) trailed by nine points but outscored MCU, 43-27 in the last 13:45 of the game and defeated number two seed Mid-Continent University (20-12), 98-91, in TranSouth Athletics Conference (TSAC) semifinal action, Saturday, March 6, in the Mayfield High School Sports Arena. The Lions snapped MCU's seven-game winning streak and advanced to the TSAC championship game against number one seed Union University (25-7) which recorded a 75-67 semifinal win over number five seed Cumberland University (12-17) Saturday night at Union.

The season is not yet over for the Cougars either as they will host a National Christian College Athletics Association (NCCAA) Mideast Regional game against Tennessee Temple University (14-14) from Chattanooga, Thursday, March 11, at Mayfield High School Sports Arena, tipping off at 7:00 p.m. Covenant College (3-21) from Georgia plays at Bluefield College (16-15) in Bluefield, West Virginia Thursday, and the winner of that game plays King College (21-4), Friday, March 12, at King College in Bristol, Tennessee. The winner of Friday's NCCAA regional game meets the winner of Thursday's game between Tennessee Temple and MCU at King College, the number one team in the NCCAA Division I and an NCAA Division II member, on Saturday, March 13.

Complete recap

Terrence Jones Scores 31; Expected to Sign with Kentucky?

Terrence Jones led Jefferson High School to a 122-78 victory over South Albany in the Oregon Class 5A playoffs.

Jones scored 31 points in the game.

An excerpt of an article from DemocratHerald.com states that Jones is expected to sign with Kentucky soon:

Jones, a five-star recruit who is expected to sign with the University of Kentucky for his freshman year of college next season, scored a game-high 31 points to go with four blocks.

My Thoughts: I actually have been hearing that Jones was a Washington lean lately. He would be a huge get for Kentucky if this rumor were true.

Western Kentucky Rolls in Sun Belt Tournament First Round

Western Kentucky 83
New Orleans 58

Sun Belt Conference Tournament First Round

Game recap by WKU:

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. -- Western Kentucky University (20-12) shook off a sluggish start, and heated up to shoot 67.9 percent in the second half in running past New Orleans (8-22) 83-58 in the first round of the 2010 Sun Belt Conference Tournament on Saturday evening in Hot Springs, Ark. The fourth-seeded Hilltoppers posted their largest margin of victory ever in the Sun Belt Tournament while 13th-seeded New Orleans closes out its tenure as a Division I institution and member of the league.

Extending its season-best winning streak to seven games, WKU notched its Sun Belt record sixth-straight 20-win season, the longest such stretch for the Hilltoppers in 65 years. Now with 40 seasons of 20 or more wins, WKU ranks sixth all-time in NCAA history trailing only Kentucky (54), North Carolina (53), UCLA (45), Duke (45), and Louisville (43).

After leading 31-25 at the break, AJ Slaughter drained two triples in the opening 52 seconds of the final stanza, pushing the bulge to a dozen at 37-25 as the Toppers seemed ready to pull away from the Privateers. New Orleans, however, held its ground, even cutting the margin to single digits on a Billy Humphrey three with 10:00 left in the game.

Then the Toppers delivered the knock-out blow. WKU rattled off a 25-5 run, ballooning the spread to 75-46 with 2:53 to play on a Nemanja Milosevic lay-up. The Hilltoppers were sizzling from the field, making nine-straight field goal attempts during the run and were keyed by 10 of Steffphon Pettigrew's team-high 18 points.

After a 2-for-8 performance in the first half, the junior from Elizabethtown, Ky. was a flawless 5-for-5 to go with seven rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal. Junior Sergio Kerusch added 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting while Slaughter chipped in 13 points and a pair of steals.

WKU connected on 19-of-28 shots from the field in the second half and finished 31-of-55 for the game (56.4 percent). The Hilltoppers were 9-of-22 from long range for 40.9 percent. Despite being outrebounded by three, WKU forced New Orleans in 25 turnovers and held the Privateers to just 17 second half shots.

Charles Carmouche paced New Orleans with 21 points on 5-of-7 from three-point range.

In the first half, WKU misfired on its first five shots from the field, falling behind 4-0 until Jeremy Evans' lay-up at 16:42 broke the ice. The Hilltoppers took their first lead at 6-4 on two Slaughter free throws, but a Humphrey jumper in the paint put UNO up 10-6 with 13:47 left in the opening frame.

Tied 16-16, Caden Dickerson's lay-up at 10:28 ignited a 10-2 Topper run capped by a Slaughter trey to give WKU its largest lead of the first half, 26-18, with 6:45 on the clock.

Ten of 11 Hilltoppers scored with eight contributing five points or more.

WKU advances to Sunday's quarterfinal round of the 2010 Sun Belt Conference Tournament and will face fifth-seeded Arkansas State at 6:30 PM CT at Summit Arena. The Hilltoppers swept the season series with the Red Wolves winning 79-68 in Bowling Green (Feb. 11) and 78-76 in an overtime thriller in Jonesboro, Ark. on February 20. WKU is 14-3 all-time in quarterfinal round.

Talented Recruits Expected in Rupp Arena Today

Lake Clifton (Md.) High School star Josh Selby will not visit Kentucky today for the Florida game.

Here is an excerpt from TheShiver.com, who spoke with Selby's mother:

The #7 player in the ESPNU 100, Josh Selby, will not be in Lexington, Kentucky this weekend according to his mother, Maeshon Witherspoon.

There are unconfirmed rumors swirling that Brandon Knight may commit to Kentucky soon and that could possibly mean Selby ends up in Kansas.

The recruiting cupboard will not be empty for UK today, however, as they are expecting a handful of talented prospects at the Florida game.

As Dustin Rumbaugh (KSR) reported a couple of days ago, big man Enes Kanter will be in Rupp Arena today.

Jody Demling reports that Kanter will likely be joined by Michael Gilchrist, Quincy Miller and Deuce Bello.

This is obviously a huge recruiting weekend for the Cats and there isn't a better atmosphere in college basketball than Rupp Arena on Senior Day.

John Calipari Discusses Florida and Senior Day

Kentucky head coach John Calipari discusses today's Florida game and Senior Day:





Videos from BlueNationBlog's YouTube Channel

Murray State Captures OVC Tournament Crown

Murray State 62

Morehead State 51

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship Game

Game recap by AllKYHoops.com:

The Murray State Racers pulled away late for a 62-51 victory over Morehead State in the Ohio Valley Conference championship game.

For a little over 30 minutes of action, it appeared that this game could go either way. With Murray State leading 36-31, a series of events occurred that game the Racers all the separation they needed to get the win. Kenneth Faried, the OVC Player of the Year, was inadvertently undercut on a skying rebound attempt. He went to the floor hard and had to leave the game in obvious pain. The Racers followed Faried's exit with a quick run to pull away and the Eagles were unable to recover.

Faried re-entered the game but was ineffective following the injury.

Murray State's Isaiah Canaan, who was later named tournament MVP, heated up from long range to send the Racers (30-4) into the NCAA Tournament.

Canaan led the way for Murray State with 16 points and 5 rebounds. Danero Thomas and Isacc Miles each added 9 points. B.J. Jenkins and Ivan Aska chipped in with 9 each.

Morehead State (22-10) was led by Demonte Harper's 20 points. Kenneth Faried netted a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

A Sam Goodman free throw cut the Murray State lead to 36-33 following Faried's injury. The Racers then went the low block immediately and scored a dunk. A quick run sent Murray State to a 42-33 lead and the Eagles never came any closer than 7 points.

My Thoughts:

- Yes, that was me who had the fortune of sitting behind the ESPN announcers all night; it led to an entire night's worth of weird background media guy moments and a text from a friend that read, "man, you look like you're ready to kill somebody...smile!"

- This was a terribly officiated game (both ways) for a league championship game; with all the hard work that goes into a long college basketball season, I think it is disgusting to have officials controlling the action. The officials called the game extremely tight for a game of this importance and quite honestly seemed like they could not keep up with the speed of a high-level game.

- It was interesting to see former Morehead State head coach (and University of Kentucky legend) Kyle Macy sitting courtside to cover the game.

- I spoke to one of the ESPN announcers at halftime and his direct quote was, "this would be a really good game if the officials would let the teams play..."

- Let's face it, the Eagles had little to no chance of getting a win with Shingles injured, Faried shaken up and Stallworth contributing no points

- Shingles played 1 minute and was unable to continue

- Stallworth found early foul trouble (3 in the first half) and was not able to get back in the game; he finished 0-3 from the field with 0 points and 3 rebounds

- Faried had 10 points and 12 rebounds, but following his injury, he contributed 0 points and 2 rebounds and was just not himself

- I was disappointed at a handful of Murray State fans sitting behind me that were trashing Faried as he lay on the floor in obvious pain; to those fans (and those fans only - all others were tremendous): show some class when an opposing player is injured

- When Faried was announced as a member of the All-Tournament team, a handful of Murray State fans booed loudly; again, win with class and respect other kids

- That stat sheet was fairly even; Murray State did shoot more free throws (18-25 vs. 11-12)

- From a fan perspective, this game was like going on the road for the Eagles; Murray State fans dominated the arena and likely outnumbered Morehead State fans 5-1 or more.

- I project Murray State (30-4) will be a 13-seed in the NCAA Tournament

- Morehead State will move on to the NIT and my new dream is for the Eagles to send North Carolina home early

- I enjoyed Bridgestone Arena, but the media hospitality room there was perhaps the worst I've ever visited. I was there two consecutive nights and was unable to get any pre-game food. How hard is it hand out bags of popcorn or hot dogs?

- The actual arena was great; I now have a burning desire to watch a hockey game there now

- 30 wins is a school record for the Racers

All-Tournament Team:

- Kenneth Faried, Morehead State

- Maze Stallworth, Morehead State

- Tony Easley, Murray State

- Isacc Miles, Murray State

- Isaiah Canaan, Murray State (MVP)

Bellarmine Rolls Into GLVC Championship Game

Bellarmine 85
Drury 65

Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament Semifinals

Game recap by GLVC:

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The Bellarmine men's basketball showed why they were ranked first in several preseason national polls by posting a convincing 85-65 win over 22nd-ranked Drury in the second semifinal of the GLVC men's basketball tournament at TRAC. Bellarmine (21-8) will now face No. 3 kentucky Wesleyan in the championship game on Sunday.

In a well-balanced attack, Bellarmine opened each half with big runs to wrestle control of the contest for the majority of the evening. The Knights built a 41-34 halftime advantage and built on the lead in the second half, never leading by less than 13.

Sophomore Braydon Hobbs notched a triple-double and tied the conference tournament record for assists in a game with 11. He finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.

Five Knights finished in double figures including Luke Sprague and Jeremy Kendle who tied for team-high honors with 16 points.

Drury (23-6) was paced by Chase Elliott and Dennon Mitchell who each had 14 points.

Kentucky Wesleyan Escapes Northern Kentucky

Kentucky Wesleyan 81
Northern Kentucky 76

Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament Semifinals

Game recap by GLVC:

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Third-ranked Kentucky Wesleyan sprinted out to a big lead and then held off a feisty Northern Kentucky squad on Saturday evening to pull out a 81-76 win. The Panthers (29-3) will meet the winner of the Drury/Bellarmine game on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. CST.

Senior Desmond Stephens paced the Panthers in the victory and tallied 13 points in the first half. After starting the second half slowly, Stephens helped the Panthers rally after losing a 16-point first-half lead and finished with 23 points, seven steals and five assists.

Kentucky Wesleyan shot 55 percent from the field in the second half and converted 22-of-29 free throws.

Northern Kentucky erased the early first-half deficit behind a strong post presence in David Palmer and the outside shooting of Dennis Gagai. Palmer finished with 25 points and Palmer added 17 pointsl, seven rebounds and five blocked shots.

The Norse tied a GLVC tournament record by converting all 23 free throw attempts.

Georgetown College Advances to Mid-South Title Game

Georgetown College 82
Cumberlands 64

Mid-South Conference Tournament Semifinals

Game recap by UC:

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Two huge first-half runs proved to be all No. 2 Georgetown College would need in a 82-64 win over No. 3 University of the Cumberlands in the semifinals of the 2010 Mid-South Conference tournament.

The win sets up a third and final meeting with No. 1 Campbellsville in tomorrow afternoon’s championship game at the Frankfort Convention Center. The teams protected their home court in their regular-season meetings, with Georgetown winning 64-51 on Jan. 16, with Campbellsville returning the favor 71-64 on Feb. 6.

Georgetown blistered the nets to the tune of 56.1 percent shooting overall and 45.5 percent from the arc.

Cumberlands (21-10), on the other hand, shot a respectable 45.8 percent overall but allowed the hot-shooting Tigers nine more field goal attempts and turned it over 15 times while forcing only eight by Georgetown in the loss.

Saturday’s game was tied four times early, including at 14 when Cumberlands senior Chad Byron nailed a three with 13:43 to play.

Leading 17-16, Georgetown got some breathing room with its first run, an 18-3 outburst over a 5:22 stretch. Junior Matt Walls had seven during the stint, and when junior Vincent Crutcher scored the Tigers were on top 35-20 with 6:46 left.

Georgetown (25-6) ended the half with the final eight points to lead by 20 (48-28) at the break, and then scored the first four of the second half to lead 52-28.

The Tigers led by 31 on two occasions in the second half before settling for the 18 point win.

Georgetown got 18 points and eight rebounds from Crutcher to lead four players in double figures. He was followed by sophomore Vic Moses, who tossed in 16 on 6-of-9 shooting.

Juniors Eddie Gray and Matt Walls had 14 apiece, while Walls handed out six assists.

Cumberlands had only two players in double figures, paced by Byron’s 15 on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor. Senior Travis Harvey followed with 11.

Murray State Captures OVC Tournament Crown

Murray State 62
Morehead State 51

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship Game

Game recap by AllKYHoops.com

The Murray State Racers pulled away late for a 62-51 victory over Morehead State in the Ohio Valley Conference championship game.

Kenneth Faried, the OVC Player of the Year, went to the floor hard with Murray State leading 36-31. The Racers followed with a quick run to pull away and the Eagles were unable to recover.

Complete game recap coming soon...

SEC Tournament Field is Set

The field for next week's Southeastern Conference Tournament is now set.

Here is the schedule:

Thursday, March 11:

South Carolina vs Alabama 1 pm
LSU vs Tennessee 3:30 pm
Florida vs Auburn 7 pm
Georgia vs Arkansas 9:30 pm

Friday, March 12:

Kentucky vs South Carolina/Alabama winner 1 pm
Ole Miss vs LSU/Tennessee winner 3:30 pm
Mississippi State vs Florida/Auburn winner 7 pm
Vanderbilt vs Arkansas/Georgia winner 9:30 pm

UK Fans Beward: Ticket Scamming on the Rise

Excerpt of article from Kentucky.com:

Outside the arena, police say they have seen an unprecedented level of scamming and scalping related to University of Kentucky basketball tickets.
Lexington police already have cited almost 50 people for scalping or illegal sales outside Rupp Arena this season — the highest level in years. Officials had to put out a scam alert after dozens of student tickets were altered for games in January and February. Students and other ticket-holders are using the Internet to find new ways to sell tickets above face value, sometimes for hundreds of dollars.

Now, university officials say that ticket scalpers have elevated things to a new level by manufacturing a high-quality counterfeit ticket that is nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.
Complete Article

Handing Out a Few "Awards" During My Time in Nashville

The family and I took a stroll around Nashville today as we await tonight's OVC Championship battle between Morehead State and Murray State. I decided to hand out a few impromptu (and meant to be funny) "awards."

Hope you enjoy:

The Future Home of the OVC Tournament Award goes to Municipal Auditorium

In a landslide, the Best Car in Nashville Award goes to the above car

Best Kid-Friendly Dining Atmosphere goes to the Aquarium Restaurant at Opryland

The Upgrade Needed Award goes to Tennessee Tech's Golden Eagle

The Nice Fan Sign That Seems Inappropriate Sign Award goes to this Murray State fan

Campbellsville Advances to Mid-South Title Game

Campbellsville 68
St. Catharine 62

Mid-South Conference Tournament Semifinals

Game recap and image by Mid-South Conference:

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Campbellsville University used stellar three-point shooting and timely free throw shooting to advance into the Mid-South Conference Tournament finals with a 68-62 win over St. Catharine College on Saturday at the Frankfort Convention Center.

The top-seeded Tigers (26-6) made nine of 13 three pointers (69.2 percent) to build a lead and 10-of-12 free throws inside the final minute to secure the win.
Campbellsville's hot shooting in the latter part of the first half and early stages of the second half helped the Tigers build an 11-point second half lead. But the No. 4-seeded Patriots refused to go away cutting the Campbellsville lead to one with a little more than five minutes left in regulation.

St. Catharine (21-11) would get no closer.

The Tigers -- who struggled in the second half from the free throw line making just 18-of-27 in the half -- converted 10-of-12 in crunch time.

Campbellsville's T.J. Bishop made 11 of his 12 freebies to send the Tigers into their first conference title game since the 2005-06 season. Bishop finished with a game-high 23 points.

Mid-South Conference Player of the Year Nestor Colmenares contributed a double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds in the win.

St. Catharine's Authur Latham scored a team-high 22 points and Brandon Johnson added 10 in the loss.

In the opening half, Campbellsville used an 18-7 run over the final 6:29 to erase a five point deficit and take a 33-27 lead into the locker room. Campbellsville's Shawn Savage led the charge scoring eight of his 10 points during the run.

St. Catharine enjoyed as much as a six point lead in the opening half. The Patriots led 11-5 seven minutes into the game and led 20-15 prior to the Campbellsville run.

Campbellsville advances into Sunday's MSC Tournament Championship game against the winner of the Georgetown College and University of the Cumberlands semifinal game played later on Saturday.

Louisville Closes Freedom Hall in Style, Shocks Syracuse

Louisville 78
(1) Syracuse 68

* Louisville's final game at Freedom Hall

Game recap by U of L:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)--Louisville gave Freedom Hall a memorable send-off.

Kyle Kuric scored all of his career-high 22 points in the second half and the Cardinals upset No. 1 Syracuse 78-68 on Saturday, providing one last highlight at their 54-year-old home.

Louisville (20-11, 11-7 Big East) may also have assured itself a return trip to the NCAA tournament by sweeping the season series from the Orange (28-3, 15-3). Their only other loss all season came against Pittsburgh, and Saturday was their first road loss.

Although Syracuse led by eight points late in the first half, Kuric was a one-man wrecking crew in the second. He made 9 of 11 shots--including four 3-pointers--to make for a happy ending at Freedom Hall, before Louisville moves to a new downtown arena in the fall.

Trailing 42-39 early in the second half, the Cardinals found their inside game with three straight baskets in the paint that gave them the lead for good. Kuric had two of them, a fastbreak dunk and layup.

In a span of just over five minutes, Kuric also had all four of his 3-pointers. After his second one, Syracuse's Scoop Jardine immediately answered with a 3, so Kuric simply answered right back with another one. Jardine finished with 20 points.

With under four minutes left, it was Kuric's dunk that pushed the Louisville lead to 10, and he got another one on a break that buried the Orange with under two minutes left.

It was a completely different game in the first half, when Syracuse dominated the paint, getting 26 points there compared to 12 for the Cardinals.

Syracuse took an early 21-20 lead with more than six minutes to go in the first half on a dunk by Rick Jackson, then stretched it to a game-high eight points a couple minutes later after a 3-pointer and fastbreak layup by Jardine.

Edgar Sosa nailed a 3 seconds before halftime to make it 35-30 at the break.

Although the Cardinals connected on 46 percent of their shots and the Orange 44 percent by the end, the two were cold from the gate, combining for 11 shots but no points over the opening three minutes. Jerry Smith finally hit consecutive 3s for the Cardinals, and later turned in one of the more dazzling plays of the game, grabbing a steal out of midair and cruising the other way to finish with a one-handed dunk.

Smith was sidelined the second half after injuring a finger on his right hand.

This one had all the pageantry of the final Louisville game in one of college basketball's most storied venues. The stands were filled long before tipoff, and fans waved towels with glowing red flashlights during player introductions.

Louisville coach Rick Pitino, sporting a bright red suit coat to match the attire of most fans in attendance, introduced the team's seniors before the game and expressed some sentimental thoughts about Freedom Hall.

"This building will close, but what our legends have done for our university will never pass and close," he said.

Freedom Hall has hosted six national championship games, a handful of NCAA tournament regional finals and 683 Louisville victories.

Denny Crum, who led the Cardinals to national titles in 1980 and 1986 and whose name is adorned on the court, was introduced at halftime alongside players from those teams.

"I love them all," Crum said. "It's just really fun to be here, be around them."

Photos: Morehead State vs. Tennessee Tech

Time for basketball action

Superstar Kenneth Faried and MSU assistant's watch from the bench

Kenneth Faried and Maze Stallworth prepare for an out-of-bounds play

It wasn't exactly Vitale and Nessler, but ESPNU was in the house

Photos: Murray State vs. Eastern Illinois

The Racers are ready for action

Out of an early timeout

Reactions to some critical late free throws

We can't always agree with the officials

Murray State fans (which controlled the arena tonight) celebrate a Racers' victory

Mid-Continent Advances to TSAC Tournament Semifinals

Mid-Continent 83

Bethel University 69

TranSouth Athletics Conference Tournament Quarterfinals

Excerpt of game recap by MCU:

Mayfield, KY - Mid-Continent University (20-11) advanced to its first-ever TranSouth Athletics Conference (TSAC) semifinal and reached the 20-win plateau for the first time in its history with an 83-69 TranSouth quarterfinal victory over Bethel University (13-18), March 4, at the Mayfield High School Sports Arena. MCU won its first TSAC quarterfinal game in three tries since joining the TSAC in 2006-07 and is 2-3 in TSAC playoff games in four seasons. The Cougars also won their seventh consecutive game and won for the 10th time in their last 11 games.

MCU advances to a TSAC semifinal, Saturday, March 6, against number three seed Freed-Hardeman (21-10) which defeated number six seed Martin Methodist College (18-13), 83-81, after trailing 44-37 at halftime. MCU hosts its semifinal in the Mayfield High School Sports Arena at 7:00 p.m.

In other Thursday quarterfinal action, number one seed Union University (24-7) crushed number eight seed Lyon College (7-23), 93-56, and number five seed Cumberland University (12-16) upset number four seed Trevecca Nazarene (21-10), 90-83. Union, the defending TSAC regular-season and tournament champion, hosts Cumberland, Saturday, March 6, in Jackson, Tennessee, at 7:00 p.m.

Senior two-time All-TSAC center Kenny Thomas (East Orange, NJ/East Orange HS/Essex County CC, NJ), pictured above on the right, totaled 23 points and 11 rebounds, his third double-double of the season, and grabbed 8 offensive rebounds. MCU totaled 27 offensive rebounds and outrebounded Bethel, 47-38.

Off the bench senior guard TiRon Peoples (Kevil, KY/Heath HS), pictured on the left, contributed 16 points, 2 three-pointers, 2 rebounds and 3 steals, and senior forward Keiran Nunley (Kent, WA/Kent HS/Riverside CC, CA), pictured below on the right, added 10 points and 6 rebounds, 5 on the offensive glass, and dished off 3 assists. Sophomore forward Chris Ferguson (Oakland, CA/Royal Sunset HS/Feather River CC, CA) added 5 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and one blocked shot, and senior point guard Aaron Pearson (Baton Rouge, LA/Southern Laboratory HS/Cabrillo HS, CA) added 8 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 steals and leads the conference with 84 steals in 31 games. Senior guard Donovan Willis (Orange, NJ/Orange HS/Essex County CC, NJ) finished with 9 points and 2 assists off the bench. MCU's bench players outscored Bethel's bench, 38-18.

Bethel guard Andre Crudup led all scorers with 26 points with 3 three-pointers, 7 of 8 free throws and 8 of 13 field goals, and had 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Forward Daniel Doyle finished with 16 points, 2 three-pointers and 7 rebounds, and reserve guard Cameron Clemons added 7 points off the Wildcats' bench.

Complete Recap

John Wall on Final List for Bob Cousy Award

John Wall is on the list of the final six candidates for the Bob Cousy Award, which is presented to college basketball's top point guard.

Excerpt of release by CousyAward.com:

SPRINGFIELD, MASS. - MARCH 5, 2010 – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame today announced the final six candidates in consideration for the 2010 Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. This annual award is given to college basketball’s top point guard and is named after Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtics guard Bob Cousy. An original list of 73 candidates made up of players from Division I, II and III schools was trimmed by a Hall of Fame appointed, nationally based committee to 20, down to 11 and now six candidates remain in consideration for one of college basketball’s most prestigious awards.

2010 Bob Cousy Award Final Six

Sherron Collins - Kansas
Scottie Reynolds - Villanova
Jon Scheyer - Duke
Evan Turner – Ohio State
Greivis Vasquez - Maryland
John Wall - Kentucky

Georgetown Outruns West Virginia Tech in MSC Tournament

Georgetown College 86

West Virginia Tech 62

Mid-South Conference Tournament Semifinals

Game recap by MSC:

FRANKFORT, KY -- Georgetown College's Eddie Gray scored a team-high 23 points as the Tigers advanced into the Mid-South Conference Tournament semifinals with an 86-62 win over West Virginia University Tech on Friday night at the Frankfort Convention Center.

Gray hit seven of his 11 three point attempts to help the Tigers advance to Saturday's semifinal game against University of the Cumberlands. The Patriots beat Lindsey Wilson College 58-47 earlier in the day.

No. 2-seed Georgetown used a 24-5 run midway through the first half to build a 44-19 lead and never looked back. Gray led the charge with five of his six first-half three-pointers during the run.

The Tigers ended the half with a 49-30 lead.

West Virginia Tech -- the tournament's seventh-seed -- closed to within 14 points with 15 minutes left but could get no closer despite the play of senior guard Darryl Slack.

Slack scored a game-high 28 points in the loss. He made 6-of-7 shots from behind the arc and 4-of-6 free throws in the loss.

While Gray was providing the offense, the Georgetown defense was just as effective. The Tigers forced the Golden Bears into 21 turnovers, while committing just 12 of their own.

Georgetown shot 50.0 percent from the field and 42.3 percent (11-for-26) from 3-point range, while West Virginia Tech shot 41.1 percent from the field and blistered the nets from behind the arc for a 63.2 percent clip (12-of-19).

Georgetown faces Cumberlands at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday in the second semifinal.

Campbellsville University and St. Catharine College play at 2 p.m. ET in the other semifinal game.

Game recap by Mid-South Conference

Centre Hangs Tough but Loses in NCAA DIII Tournament

Eastern Mennonite 63
Centre College 53

NCAA Division III Tournament First Round

Excerpt of game recap by Centre College:

The Centre men's basketball team came up short against Eastern Mennonite University on Friday, March 5 as they fell 63-53 at Yoder Arena in Harrisonburg, Va. Centre was competing in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament for the fourth year in a row.

The Colonels had the advantage early in the first half as they built an early 6-2 lead over the Royals. Eastern Mennonite tied the score at 6-6 with 17:23 remaining in the first half after Eli Crawford hit one of two free throw shots.

Freshman Bryon Ellis (Russell Springs, Ky.) connected on a three point basket to give Centre the 11-7 advantage with 16:15 to go in the first half. The Royals would tie the game for the second time after D.J. Hinson made a jumper with 14:18 on the clock.

Eastern Mennonite University took their first lead of the game when George Johnson recorded a three point basket to put the score at 14-11 with 13:37 remaining in the game.

The Royals would eventually build a 12 point lead over Centre, but the Colonels cut the lead down and went into halftime with a seven point deficit as Eastern Mennonite University led 33-26.

Centre shot 33% from the floor and 50% from the free throw line in the first half. Eastern Mennonite University shot 41% from the floor, while shooting only 33% from the free throw line.
Complete Recap

Brandon Knight to Kentucky Next Week?

Spartyandfriends.com (Michigan State site) reports the following:

In a move that will almost assure that he continues his recent streak of great point guards, rumors are flying that Brandon Knight will officially announce his commitment to the University of Kentucky and John Calipari next week. Knight has been rumored to be influenced by William Wesley who has long been tied to John Calipari and past recruits like DaJuan Wagner and Derrick Rose.

Here is the article

My Thoughts: Knight's recruitment has been pretty tight-lipped and I would be surprised if they leaked any info out at this point, but we'll take it for what it's worth. I have no clue as to the validity of this site, but I'd rather read this report as one that says Brandon Knight to Florida Next Week!

Franklin County Has Season Stolen by Bad Officiating

I feel bad for those kids that play for Franklin County.

They scored a tip-in that clearly beat the clock and would have won the game, but it was ruled now good by the officials and Henry Clay earned a fortunate victory.

Judge for yourself (HT Jody Demling, Courier-Journal for the video link):

Cumberlands Escapes Poor Half, Lindsey Wilson

Cumberlands 58
Lindsey Wilson 47

Mid-South Conference Tournament Quarterfinals

Game recap by Cumberlands:

FRANKFORT, Ky. – The University of the Cumberlands built a 16-point halftime lead that allowed them to overcome a 19-point second half and knock off Lindsey Wilson College 58-47 in the opening round of the 2010 Mid-South Conference tournament.

Cumberlands (21-9), seeded third in the tournament, will play the winner of the day’s sixth and final game between No. 2 Georgetown and No. 7 WVU Tech.

Lindsey Wilson’s season ends at 14-17.

Cumberlands hit 55.6 percent from the floor and the same – 5-of-9 – from the arc in the first half. Those numbers, combined with holding the Blue Raiders to only 38.5 percent shooting, helped Don Butcher’s club build a 39-23 lead at recess.

Lindsey was able to trim the lead and keep it close despite more shooting woes in the second half. The Raiders outscored the Patriots 24-19 yet hit only 34.6 percent (9-of-26) from the field but could get no closer to eight points before ending with an 11-point spread.

Lindsey Wilson was also undone by poor shooting from the free throw line. The Blue Raiders were only 7-of-14 from the stripe for the game. Cumberlands, for that matter, was only slightly better, going 10-of-19 (52.6 percent).

Cumberlands was led in scoring by senior Chad Byron’s 16 points, having hit 3-of-8 from the arc. Junior Tanner Jacobs followed with 11 points and eight rebounds. His total, combined with 10 boards claimed by senior Bernard Cherry, helped the Pats to a 35-32 edge on the glass.

Coach Paul Peck’s Blue Raiders were led in scoring by MSC freshman of the year Kalen Kimberland’s 19 points. He was followed by senior Andrija Tintor’s seven markers.

Photo: Mid-South Conference

Quick Site Note: Off to Nashville

By the time you read this, I should be getting close to Bridgestone Arena (formerly the Sommett Center) in Nashville for the OVC Tournament.

I will be posting continuous updates on Twitter and will have complete game coverage, notes, analysis and pictures later tonight.

Murray State and Morehead State are both representing Kentucky tonight in the tournament semifinals.

Here is the schedule (EST):

7:00 p.m. (1) Murray State vs. (4) Eastern Illinois

9:00 p.m. (2) Morehead State vs. (6) Tennessee Tech

- Games on ESPNU

Maze Stallworth Plays for Morehead State, Not Self

Maze Stallworth is finishing up a stellar career for the Morehead State Eagles. He has given everything he has to the MSU program and been one of the leaders during this four years for the Eagles.

I found a nice article about Maze this morning that is worth a read.

Excerpt of article from TheNewsEnterprise.com:

MOREHEAD — When Maze Stallworth signed his national letter of intent to play basketball at Morehead State four years ago, he had one simple goal in mind.

It wasn’t about the amount of playing time he’d get or how many points he’d score. It wasn’t about the number of 3-pointers he’d make or how many rebounds he’d grab.

No, Stallworth had his sights set on the bigger picture.

“I wanted to come and help put Morehead back on the map,” said Stallworth, a 6-foot-4 senior forward. “I wanted to help make people want to watch and come see Morehead basketball.”

Mission accomplished.

Complete Article

Western Kentucky Prepares for Sun Belt Tournament

The Sun Belt Conference Tournament kicks off tomorrow and runs through Tuesday.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers enter as the 4-seed and will face New Orleans tomorrow night at 7:45 p.m. (EST).

Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Championship Schedule of Events

Saturday, March 6

Game 1 - 2:15 p.m. - No. 8 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 9 South Alabama (Summit Arena)
Game 2 - 6:45 p.m. - No. 4 WKU vs. No. 13 New Orleans (Convention Center Court)
Game 3 - 6:30 p.m. - No. 5 Arkansas State vs. No. 12 UALR (Summit Arena)
Game 4 - 8:45 p.m. - No. 6 Denver vs. No. 11 FIU (Summit Arena)
Game 5 - 9:00 p.m. - No. 7 Louisiana-Lafayette vs. No. 10 Louisiana-Monroe (Convention Center Court)

Sunday, March 7

Game 6 - 6:45 p.m. - No. 1 Troy vs. Winner Game 1 (Convention Center Court)
Game 7 - 6:30 p.m. - Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3 (Summit Arena)
Game 8 - 8:45 p.m. - No. 2 North Texas vs. Winner Game 5 (Summit Arena)
Game 9 - 9:00 p.m. - No. 3 Middle Tennessee vs. Winner Game 4 (Convention Center Court)

Monday, March 8

Game 10 - 6:00 p.m. - Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7 (Summit Arena) - Sun Belt Network
Game 11 - 8:30 p.m. - Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9 (Summit Arena) - Sun Belt Network

Tuesday, March 9

Championship Game - 6 p.m. (Summit Arena) - ESPN2

All times central and subject to change