Taken from gogriffs.com

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Rider University shot 56 percent in the second half, and made four 3-pointers in a four-minute stretch, to pull away from the Canisius College men’s basketball team as the Golden Griffins lost 79-64 in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Spark Energy MAAC Championship at the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard on Saturday. The Golden Griffins finish the season with a 15-15 record.

Senior Elton Frazier led Canisius with 17 points on 8-for-13 shooting. Senior Greg Logins had 12 points and six rebounds while seniors Robert Goldsberry and Julius Coles each had 11 points, combining for five 3-pointers.

“We cut it to three points, fighting and scrapping to get back into the game. They made some pretty opportune 3-pointers and you have to give them credit,” Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta said. “They took away some of our offense and we had some costly turnovers early. I think we deserve some credit for not folding. We just couldn’t get over the hump. We got a lot of shots tonight, and just didn’t make them.”

Canisius scored the first six points of the game, getting a 3-pointer from Goldsberry and Gaby Belardo to take the early 6-0 lead. The Broncs then held Canisius scoreless for nearly seven minutes as Rider scored 12 straight points to take its own six-point lead. A layup from Frazier ended the run, but a 3-pointer from Justin Robinson put the Broncs up by seven.

Canisius scored six straight points, getting a layup from senior Tomas Vazquez-Simmons, free throw from sophomore Alshwan Hymes and 3-pointer from Goldsberry to cut the lead to 15-14. After a layup from Mike Ringgold, a pull-up 3-pointer from Hymes tied the score at 17-17. Rider went on a 10-2 run to go up 27-19 after a 3-pointer from the wing from Brandon Penn. A 3-pointer from Coles ended the Rider run as the Broncs took a 31-25 lead into the locker room.

Rider attacked the inside to start the second half, scoring its first 12 points in the paint to take a double-digit lead. The Griffs cut the lead to 45-39 after a steal and breakaway layup from Belardo. The Broncs pushed the lead back to 10 points before a 3-pointer from Goldsberry and hook shot from Logins cut the Rider lead to 49-44.

After a Rider basket made it 51-44, Coles scored four straight points to make it a three-point game. The Broncs then made four 3-pointers – their only four 3-pointers of the half – during a four-minute span to re-open a double-digit lead, going up 63-52 after a 3-pointer from Robinson from the corner with just over five minutes remaining. Canisius never cut it to less than nine points the rest of the way as Rider went 10-for-13 from the free-throw line down the stretch.

Rider (23-9) had five players reach double figures, with Anthony Myles, Robinson and Penn each score 13 points. Ringgold added 12 points and Novar Gadson had 11.

Notes: Canisius earned the No. 6 seed in the postseason for the first time since 1998… Canisius received a first-round bye for the first time since 1999… Canisius and Rider met in the postseason for the fourth time and for the first time since the quarterfinals in 2008. Rider has won three of the four all-time meetings… The loss ends Canisius’ string of at least one postseason victory in six-straight years… Frazier scored in double figures in the final 12 games of his career as a Griff… Logins will go down as one of five players in school history to score more than 1,200 career points to go with more than 750 career rebounds… Redshirt freshman Reggie Groves pulled down a career-high six rebounds in the loss… Hymes finished the season with 69 3-point field goals, the most for a Canisius player since Chuck Harris made 70 treys in 2006-07… Vazquez-Simmons had one block in the loss to give him 273 for his career, which is tops in Canisius history and second all-time in MAAC history.

Elton Frazier and Julius Coles

By Paul Casey Gotham

LAWRENCVILLE, N.J. — Gaby Belardo hit a jumper in the lane as the shot clock expired with 7.8 seconds remaining in the game as the Canisius Golden Griffins knocked off the Rider Broncs 67-65 Friday night in Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference action at Alumni Gynasium.

Belardo’s basket capped a late rally by the Griffs.

Down 65-62, senior Greg Logins drilled a three from the left corner to tie the score with 1:08 remaining. The Canisius defense stiffened at the other end of the floor setting up Belardo’s late-game heroics.

The comeback was the last in a series by the Blue and Gold.

The Broncs jumped out to a 20-12 in the first half before the Griffs rallied. Alshwan Hymes cut the lead to one at 24-23 with  a three. Rider scored the next six, but the Griffs answered with a 7-2 run before the break.

Rider opened the second half on 9-2 run. Elton Frazier responded with four points and Logins hit another trifecta as the Griffs closed the gap to 43-41.

The Broncs grabbed another seven-point lead with 7:07 remaining, but the Griffs were up to the task.

Julius Coles had a game-high 18 points going 6-of-12 from the field including 2-of-3 behind the arc to go with 4-of-5 shooting at the free throw line. Logins hit 4-of-8 from long range finishing with 16 points and eight rebounds. Frazier added 10 points and seven boards. Reggie Groves led the Griffs with four assists.

Danny Stewart led the Broncs with nine rebounds and 17 points going 7-of-10 from the field.

The Griffs held the Broncs to just 2-of-14 shooting from behind the arc. Rider came into the game 11th in the country hitting better than 40 percent from long range. Canisius entered play Friday 51st in the nation holding opponents to 40.4 percent from the field.

The win was the first ever for Canisius at Rider. The Griffs were 0-14 in road games at Rider. The Broncs scored at the buzzer to defeat Canisius earlier this year 77-76.

With their third win in a row the Griffs improve to 13-11 overall and 7-7 in the MAAC and move into a tie for sixth place just one game behind the Loyola Greyhounds. Canisius visits Loyola on Sunday. The noon game will be televised locally on MSG.

Rider falls to 17-9 and 9-5.

The top six teams earn a first-round bye in the upcoming MAAC tournament.

By Paul Casey Gotham

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Scott Machado stood at the top of the key shaking his head. To his left, Jermel Jenkins extended his arms in a gesture of disbelief. Under the basket, Mike Glover was doubled over clutching his shorts.

Not exactly the picture one would expect from a first-place team in the final moments of a conference game.

Gaby Belardo finished a pair of lay ups late, Greg Logins netted a career-high 30 points and a relentless Golden Griffin defense led to a 75-73 victory over the Iona Gaels in Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference action at the Koessler Athletic Center, Sunday.

Logins paced Canisius with 22 second-half points. The senior forward hit 8 of 10 from the field including four from behind the arc as Canisius rebounded from a four-point halftime deficit.

“This kid just went ballistic,” said Canisius coach Tom Parrotta motioning to Logins. “It was like a heavyweight fight. He couldn’t breathe. He was cramping. He was on the sidelines. He went in and did what he had to do.”

From the inside and the outside, Logins opened the second stanza scoring Griffs’ first seven. Robert Goldsberry hit Logins at the foul line, and the Sodus, New York native caught and shot. On the next trip, Goldsberry found Logins in transition and the 6’7″ forward connected from behind the arc on the left side.

Elton Frazier missed a pull-up jumper, and the Griff front court took turns keeping the ball alive in a scramble before Logins secured it and finished over the outstretched arms of an Iona defender.

After employing a 1-2-2 three-quarter court press back to a 2-3 zone, Iona switched to man-to-man early in the half, and Glover drew the assignment of chasing Logins.

Logins connected twice from long range then he went into the post and sealed Glover, and Julius Coles delivered a lob for 66-63 lead with 2:33 remaining.

“He can go on tears,” Parrotta said of Logins. “And what an opportune time to go on a tear. He was clearly, clearly on fire, and the guys got him the basketball. It’s a nice luxury to move him around the perimeter because most people say ‘get him inside, get him inside, get him inside,’ but he’s six-for-seven from three. That’s a wonderful luxury to have.”

“He made everything he threw up,” Iona coach, Tim Cluess said of Logins. He made almost every single shot where he was open on.”

With the shot clock running down, Coles crossed over from the top of the key and finished with a lay up from the right side, and Canisius led 68-63.

Machado answered with a jumper at the other end. Jenkins got a steal and led Machado for a lay up, and the Griffs led by one.

Iona called a timeout with 45 seconds remaining to set up a full-court press. Canisius put four players across foul-line extended. Frazier cut to the ball while Belardo released. Instinctively, Frazier sent a pass ahead that Belardo gathered in and finished.

Iona was not done.

Machado broke free for a lay up, but Coles blocked the attempt. Frazier grabbed the rebound and was quickly fouled. The senior forward hit both free throws for a five-point lead.

Sean Armand responded for the Gaels with a three.

Iona pressed again, and, again, Belardo broke free. This time, Coles fed the Canisius point guard into the open for the basket.

“We didn’t have a timeout,” Parrotta noted. “These guys (Coles and Belardo) had the presence of mind.

Machado came into the game leading the nation with 8.1 assists per game, and Glover averaging 20 points and 10.8 rebounds. Machado dished out 11 assists, and Glover had 39 points and 14 rebounds when the Gaels defeated Griffs 94-85 earlier this season. On Sunday, the Iona point guard finished with five assists and three turnovers. Glover scored 11 points.

“We obviously watched what he (Glover) did to us the first time,” Parrotta explained. “We thought we had the personnel to go one-on-one with him because we were very, very concerned with Machado the first time, that is, getting into the lane and finding those three point shooters.  They’re fanstastic. We said we’ll stay closed on the people on the perimeter, and try to keep Machado in front of us and try to jab at him to force him to finish over the top. He is more comfortable dishing. That’s why he leads the nation in assists.”

Glover finished 4-of-11 from the field – his worst shooting performance of the season to date.

“We never left him (Glover),” Parrotta said. ” Elton was never in help. He stay connected to him. That cuts down his aggressiveness for alley oops, drop-off passes and offensive rebounds.”

Logins is the first Griffin to score 30 points in a game since Corey Herring scored 32 against Fairfield on 1/29/06. His 22 points in the second stanza was the most points in a half since Chcuk Harris poured in 20 versus Marist 12/8/06.

Coles, Frazier and Goldsberry all accounted for five assists apiece. Canisius blocked a total of nine shots with Tomas Vazquez-Simmons rejecting three. The senior now has 259 career blocks.

Coles scored 12 with Frazier and Belardo each accounting for 11.

The win was a reversal of fortunes for a Canisius team that has dropped three consecutive single-digit games. Canisius lost to Rider at the buzzer 77-76 on January ninth. Eight days later, the Griffs fell 73-69 to Siena at the Times-Union Center. Fairfield downed the Griffs by seven on Friday.

With the win, Canisius improves to 3-6 in the MAAC and 9-10 overall. Iona falls to 7-2 and 13-7.

The Gaels will host Rider, Friday. Niagara visits the KAC for a 7 p.m. tip off.

By Paul Casey Gotham

BEAUMONT, Texas — The Canisius Golden Griffins stared an unflattering trend in the face. Entering play Tuesday night, the Griffs were 0-4 when trailing at the half. After taking an early 10-4 lead, the Griffs found themselves behind 32-30 going into the break.

It was time to put an end to the streak.

Tomas Vazques-Simmons and Alshwan Hymes led a second half comeback as the Canisius Golden Griffins defated the Lamar Cardinals in a non-conference match-up 78-72.

Vazques-Simmons and Hymes saved their production for latter stanza. The two contributed zero points before the horn and 22 points in the second frame.

Leading by three, Hymes connected on consecutive possessions – first with a jumper from the right side and then a 3 to pace the Griffs. Hymes picked off an errant pass at the other end of the floor, Elton Frazier followed with two of his 22 points. Two possessions later, Frazier fed Hymes. The sophomore nailed another trifecta, and Canisius had their largest lead of the game 61-51.

Vazques-Simmons brought the game home. The senior forward combined with Gaby Belardo on a pair of pretty pick and roll plays. First, Belardo led Vazques-Simmons for a lay up. On the ensuing possession, Frazier corralled a Belardo and slammed it home. Vazques-Simmons all but sealed the victory on the next play when he stepped back from a ball screen and knocked down a three-pointer to give the Griffs a 69-59 lead with four minutes remaining.

Vazques-Simmons finished with 14 points.

Frazier led the way with 22 points including a pair of clutch one-and-one free throws in the game’s final minute. It was the senior’s second 22-point performance in a row. Frazier has scored in double figures in each of Canisius’s last four games.

Julius Coles registered a career and game-high 12 rebounds. The Griffs controlled the glass 45-33.

Marial Dhal made his presence felt with just 10 minutes of playing time. The seven-footer from Uganda pulled down three rebounds and blocked two shots.  In a 20 second sequence Dhal rejected Vincenzo Nelson’s jumper, grabbed the rebound and kept the play going at the opposite with an offensive board. Belardo took advantage and hit a three-pointer.

Lamar came into the game leading the Southland Conference and ranked third in the country scoring 89 points per game. Mike James and Donley Minor came off the bench to lead the Cardinals with 13 and 12 points apiece.  Anthony Miles was a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line and also scored a dozen.

Canisius improves to 5-6 with the win.The Griffs ended a two-game skid. Canisius fell at Northwestern State Sunday evening 86-74 in a game where the Griffs were whistled for 31 personal fouls. Greg Logins scored 17 points before fouling out after 12 minutes of play. The senior became the 30th in program history to top the 1,000 point plateau.  The Griffs get a chance at payback when Northwestern State visits the Koessler Athletic Center on December 29th.

Greg Logins with Tomas Vazquez-Simmons in the background.

By Paul Casey Gotham

VESTAL, N.Y. – Tom Parrotta and his Canisius Golden Griffins spent the past seven days contemplating their season. After a demoralizing loss to a cross-town rival, the Griffs knew what was needed.

Stingy defense. Check.

Patient offense. Check.

Relentless rebounding. Check.

Elton Frazier finished at the rim. Alshwan Hymes connected from long distance. Greg Logins did his work in between, and the Canisius Golden Griffins held off a late rally to defeat Binghamton University 55-45 at The Events Center.

Logins started a 10-0 first-half run with a 3 from the corner assisted by Robert Goldsberry. After a Binghamton turnover, Gaby Belardo dished to Frazier for the lay up. One minute later, Goldsberry again found Logins – this time for a deuce. Hymes capped the run with a three from the corner, and the Griffs held a 20-10 advantage.

Canisius outscored Binghamton 8-2 in the final five minutes of the half for a 28-12 advantage.

The Griffs held the Bearcats to 22 percent shooting from the field in the first stanza.

Hymes and Logins displayed the Blue and Gold’s defensive intensity when the duo combined to take a charge just five minutes into the game.

Frazier made all four of his field goals before the break.

Canisius extended its lead to 18 with 14 minutes remaining on the game clock.

Frazier hit a jumper in the lane. Julius Coles finished a lay up then found Hymes for another trifecta and Canisius led 36-18.

Despite hitting just 14 shots from the field Binghamton scratched their way back into the game. After failing to get to the free throw line in the first half, the Bearcats hit 14-18 in the second half drawing as close as seven, 50-43, with just over a minute remaining.

Goldsberry iced the game with a pair of free throws, and Frazier added one more for insurance.

“We’re still making the transition from scoring when running full court and having to grind it out in the half court,” associate head coach Rob Norris said. “We still need to be aggressive while grinding it out. Against Bonaventure we scored early in the shot clock. That doesn’t always happen. We missed a lot of chippies around the basket.”

Frazier led the Griffs with 13 points on 5-10 shooting. The senior from Syracuse, New York corralled seven rebounds. Hymes went 4-8 from behind the arc. Canisius shot 7-12 from long range. Logins added nine points and six rebounds. Tomas Vazquez-Simmons led all with nine boards. The Griffs out-rebounded Binghamton 37-28.

The win comes one week after a disheartening 81-64 loss to the University of Buffalo. Canisius opened the season with an 80-70 triumph over St. Bonaventure.

Binghamton’s Greer Wright led all scorers with 23 points.

The game was the first of four on the round for Canisius. The Golden Griffins open Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference play Friday night at New Rochelle against the Iona Gaels.

With the win Canisius improves to 3-2 on the season.

Frazier and Coles Photo by Fr. J. Bucki

By Paul Casey Gotham

BUFFALO – What goes around comes around. Unfortunately, Tom Parrotta and Canisius Golden Griffins men’s basketball team know the emotions experienced from both sides of that old saying.

Senior, Byron Mulkey had a career-best game as the UB Bulls dismantled the Canisius Golden Griffins 81-64 in a cross-town rivalry game at the Koessler Athletic Center Tuesday night.

Mulkey was a perfect six for six from the field including one 3 and two of two from the free throw line as the Bulls shot 64 percent and grabbed a 42-29 advantage at the half.

“He has a great stat line,” said 12th-year UB head coach Reggie Witherspoon considering his point guard’s output for the game. “The one that might be as big as all of them is controlling the tempo of the game. He controlled their press pretty well. He slowed the thing right down to the pace he wanted it to be at.”

“He was a great quarterback out there,” Parrotta commented on Mulkey. “He made shots, he got people the ball where they needed to get it. He was great tonight.”

Down 13 at half, the Golden Griffins came out and scored the first six of the second half.

Julius Coles hit a pull up jumper from the left side. The senior from Harlem, New York followed with an upfake and drive for a lay up. Tomas Vazquez-Simmons made it 42-35 with a rebound and putback. Coles picked Mulkey’s pocket on the next possession, but the Griffins could not convert, and seven was as close they would get.

UB only grabbed one offensive rebound in the first half – the result of missing just nine shots in the stanza. After the break, UB reigned in 10 boards on the offensive end.

“They beat us up on the glass,” commented Parrotta. “Win the battle of the boards, and we win the game.”

Three Griffs, Elton Frazier, Greg Logins and Vazquez-Simmons each pulled down five rebounds, but the Bulls won the battle of the boards 36-25.

Canisius took a hit in the paint when Frazier was whistled for his second foul less than three minutes into the contest. The senior played just 19 minutes for the game.

“That really hurt us,” Parrotta commented about his senior’s early foul troubles. “He does clean up a lot of things. If there’s balls bouncing , he’s the first off his feet and he’ll go up and get it.”

“They outplayed us,” Parrotta continued. “There’s no way around it. Half of me wants to burn the tape,” Parrotta said about the game film. “Half of me wants to say, you know what we got to learn from it.”

Canisius made just 11 shots in the first half.

“They did a good job of keeping us on the perimeter,” Parrotta noted. “We were settling for jump shots and hoping they would go in.”

The win was UB’s largest margin of victory in the series since a 40-23 victory in 1915. Canisius beat UB 73-71 a year ago. Saturday, the Griffs knocked off Eastern Michigan 71-51 to avenge last year’s defeat to the Eagles.

With the loss, the Griffs fall to 2-2. Canisius heads out on the road after the Thanksgiving holiday. The Griffs travel to Binghamton Tuesday before opening Metro-Atlantice Athletic Conference play at Iona on Friday the third.

By Paul Gotham

Setting: It’s the ‘Battle of the Bridge Part II’ as Tom Parrotta takes his Canisius Golden Griffins (11-12/ 6-6) north on I-290 for a tilt with Joe Mihalich and his Niagara Purple Eagles (12-12/ 5-7).

Plot: The meeting is the second in seven days for the Metro-Atlantic Conference rivals divided by just 21 miles.

Sub-plot: Canisius is tied for fourth in the MAAC. Siena leads the charge with a 12-0 ledger. Niagara beat Loyola on Sunday, but the Purple Eagles have dropped three of their last four.  Canisius fell to Iona on Monday. The Griffs have split their last six games.

School records are on the line. Tomas Vazquez-Simmons needs just one block to pass Michael Meeks at the top (183) of the Canisius list. Frank Turner brings 550 career assists into the contest. Javone ‘Bam’ Moore heads the Griff list with 551.

Tyrone Lewis is sixth on Niagara’s all-time scoring list with 1,689 points. Cal Murphy leads the way with 2,548 points.

Flashback: With 20 points, Elton Frazier led three Griffs in double figures as Canisius beat Niagara in overtime 73-70.  Frank Turner added 18 and Julius Coles chipped in 16 for the win.

Niagara leads the series 94-72 and have taken 12 of the last 14.

Foreshadowing: Eleven Purple Eagles have graduated to the National Basketball Association, including hall-of-famer, Calvin Murphy. Eleven Golden Griffins have laced them up in the Association. Most recently, Mike Smrek played seven seasons in the NBA.

Niagara has made three NCAA Tournament appearances (’70, ’05, ’07). The Purple Eagles reached the Sweet Sixteen in 1970. Canisius has ‘danced’ four times (’55, ’56, ’57, ’96). Under Joe Curran, Canisius reached back-to-back Elite Eights in ’55 and ’56.

Conflict: A week ago, Niagara made just nine of 38 attempts from behind the three-point arc. The Purple Eagles average 31 percent from long range. Will Niagara be more disciplined in their shot selection this time around?

Canisius made nine of 17 free throws last Friday, and that does not include misses on the front end of one-and-ones. Can the Griffs improve?

Turner leads the Griffs with 16.9 points per game. His assist to turnover ratio (1.5:1) is deceiving. The turnovers he commits are usually sins of aggression. Turner sees the floor well and creates open spaces with passes up the floor. Some of these passes end up out bounds, but do not create lay ups for opponents.  Turner’s miscues allow his teammates to reset the defense.

Elton Frazier is a tireless worker who runs the floor both ways. Frazier averages nine points and 5.5 rebounds. His contributions should not be limited to the stat sheet. It is Frazier that defenses must account for in transition. His commitment to running the floor creates gaps in the defense that the 5’10″ Turner can exploit.

Go Griffs!

Julius Coles averages 15 points and just under five rebounds. At 6’4″ and 183 pounds, Coles is a slender player. He possesses a quick and accurate shot from behind the three-point arc. He can present match-up problems because smaller guards find it difficult to get a hand in his face. Coles is an active rebounder who grabs shot or two that goes long.

Vazquez-Simmons and Robert Goldsberry round out the starting five. Vazquez chips in nearly six points and five and a half rebounds. Goldsberry has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.9:1. The junior has only hit 13 three-pointers for the year, but many of those are timely. Defenses can not lose track of Goldsberry. He is capable of hitting the open shot.

Greg Logins provides valuable minutes off the bench. The junior scores 9.6 points and grabs 6.1 rebounds.

Lewis leads a starting five with nearly everyone scoring in doubles figures. The senior has hit 50 threes this year and averages 16.7 points per game.

Rob Garrison and Anthony Nelson create a two-headed play-making monster that gives opponents fits. The duo combine for almost ten assists per game while limiting turnovers to five.

Bilal Benn leads the Purple Eagle way with 9.6 rebounds. The Villanova transfer pours in 14 points a game.

Demetrius Williamson chips in 9.6 points and 4.5 rebounds.

Kashief Edwards and Austin Cooley come off the bench and combine for 12 points and nearly six rebounds.

Resolution: Niagara enters play tonight with a negative rebound margin of 3.2. Last week, the Purple Eagles out-rebounded the Griffs, 43-36, including 18-12 on the offensive boards. Canisius will need to keep Niagara off the glass and finish at the line.

The Purple Eagles will need to use their size advantage in the lane.  Last week, the Purple Eagles took more than half (38 of 75) of their shots from behind the arc.

Expect Niagara to pound the ball inside, but Canisius will answer with Vazquez-Simmons, Frazier, and Bogins. The last time Canisius swept the season series was ’94-’95. The Griffs are ready to end that streak tonight.

Got any comments on the game? Post them here.

By Paul Gotham

South Carolina slays KU

Indiana Hoosier fans can rest easy. Your’75-’76 Hoosiers still hold the title as – the last division one men’s basketball team to go undefeated.

Not that there was any real cause for concern.

Devan Downey led a spirited Gamecock squad to an upset of the previously last remaining undefeated team, Kentucky. Downey scored 30 including 17 in the second half as South Carolina triumphed 68-62. Twice Downey converted three pointers the old-fashioned way as South Carolina outscored Kentucky in the second half, 42-33.  The senior guard also hit 10 of 11 from the free throw line.

There is not any one number that jumps out and indicates how South Carolina upset Kentucky. Rather, the Gamecocks brought a balanced attack into the game.

Sam Muldrow grabbed 11 boards as the Gamecocks out-rebounded the Wildcats, 40-38. Kentucky entered play Tuesday with a rebound margin of 4.8. The Wildcats had been previously out-rebounded just three times.  South Carolina limited Kentucky to 13 offensive rebounds – their fourth lowest output of the season.

South Carolina held Kentucky to just 57 shots on the night.  In comparison, the Wildcats took 77 against Arkansas and 68 versus Florida. But it’s not just that South Carolina cut down on the number of shots, but it’s how the Gamecocks did it. South Carolina made Kentucky play half-court offense much of the night. The Wildcats want to get out in transition and get into 3 on 2 or 2 on 1 situations. South Carolina eliminated those opportunities.

Kentucky finished the night 22 of 57 from the field (38.6 percent) including 3 of 12 (25 percent) from behind the three-point arc.

A telling number was the amount of time played by Kentucky’s starters. Patrick Patterson, DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall all played 34 or more minutes. Eric Bledsoe logged 31 minutes. These guys are accustomed to playing five minutes less per game. The Wildcat bench might become an issue at some point this season.

South Carolina fans stormed the court and earned the school a fine.

Indiana finished the ’75-’76 season 32-0.

Shot selection leads to Temple victory

Being limited to fewer shots does not always equate with a losing performance.

If ever a new secretary of energy is needed, Temple’s head coach, Fran Dunphy, might be the man. Dunphy’s Owls showed how to get a lot out of little indefeating Xavier 77-72.

Temple needed just 49 shots to account for the night’s total. The Owls shot 59.2 percent from the field including five of ten from behind the three-point arc.

In each of Temple’s three losses this year they took more shots and scored fewer points. Georgetown defeated the Owls 46-45 in a game where Dunphy’s squad shot 18 of 56 from the field. In an 84-52 loss to Kansas, Temple went 16-64. The Owls shot 18-64 while losing to St. John’s 55-48.

Xavier is no slouch on defense. The Muskies limit opponents to 40 percent from the field. The nation’s leader, Florida State, holds opposing shooters to 35.5 percent.

What was the difference? Temple played a patient game against the X-Men. They worked the ball from side to side, created a rhythm and found open shooters. There is a better tendency for that to happen when the defense is responsible fr the entire width of the court. Against Kansas and St. John’s, Temple rushed shots.

Player to watch: Julius Coles, Canisius

The junior guard averages 15 points and 5 rebounds for the Griffins. At 6’4″ and 180 pounds, Coles is not going to move anybody out of his way. But he is a lanky guard who is difficult to keep a body on when a shot caroms off the rim. Coles connects 35 percent (41-117) of the time from behind the arc. He has a quick release. Defenders struggle to defend his shot when he gets the ball to his release point.

A.P.B.:  Pac 10

This week’s polls had a conspicuous absentee: the Pac 10. The conference considered the king of the west did not have any ranked teams. None. Nada. Zilch. In fact, only California managed any votes: two votes from the AP and two votes from ESPN. No school in the conference has fewer than six losses. California, Arizona St. and Washington all have six defeats. USC and Washington have each lost seven games. UCLA is 9-10.

1st Team All Casey

PG Scottie Reynolds – Villanova

SG Jeremy Hazell – Seton Hall

SF Wesley Johnson – Syracuse

PF Al-Farouq Aminu – Wake Forest

C Cole Aldrich – Kansas

2nd Team All Casey

PG – Sherron Collins – Kansas

SG  Jordan Crawford – Xavier

SF  Evan Turner – Ohio State

PF  Patrick Patterson – Kentucky

C Jarvis Varnado – Miss State

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