A Night of Havoc in Brooklyn (Recap of Boston College vs. VCU)

After having watched St John's defeat Seton Hall at Carnesecca Arena in the first Big East Women's Basketball Conference game for both teams,  my friend Tony Terentieff (aka Tieff), my color analyst, aka my older son Matthew and I headed off to Mineola train station to take a train ride to Atlantic Terminal to see the Brooklyn Hoops Winter Festival Tripleheader at the Barclays Center.

We got there at halftime of the Tulane-Kansas State game, the second game of the holiday hoops trifecta.  After grabbing dinner at the Brooklyn Burger concessions stand, we headed to our seats in Section 20, Row 17.   Shortly after we got there, once again we ran into my good friend, Jaden Daly, who just got there himself after covering the St John's-Seton Hall game as well.  Jaden was kind enough to let me charge my iPhone after I stupidly left my car charger in my car back in Levittown at my in-laws' house. 

Not too long after, John Templon of Big Apple Buckets joined us and we had a reunion of local New York basketball bloggers.  It was a good talk about local metro NYC area basketball, specifically NEC, MAAC and Ivy League basketball as John and Jaden traded their scheduled game coverage for the next few weeks.  I just sat and admired as they talked about the games they were planning to cover, as I miss being able to cover several New York games in a week.  We also talked about how ridiculously good Stony Brook's Jameel Warney is and whether the Ivy can be a two bid conference this season (Harvard and Princeton).  

After Jaden and John said their goodbyes to go cover the remaining twenty minutes of the Tulane game as well as the BC-VCU game,  Matthew, Tieff and I watched the second half of the Green Wave-Wildcats game.  Tulane was playing in its second Winter Hoops Festival in a row, having routed Hofstra last year.  This year, the Green Wave had scored a whopping ten points in the first half.    Tulane scored the first five points of the second half to cut the lead to thirteen, 28-15, as they finally figured out that they should drive the lane against the Wildcats.   

Alas, Kansas State was toying with Tulane, as the Wildcats outscored the Green Wave 44-26 the rest of the second half to win convincingly 72-41.   Shane Southwell, a local kid from Harlem that former K-State coach Frank Martin recruited to Manhattan, Kansas, returned to Brooklyn to lead the Wildcats with 19 points.  Southwell hit five of nine shots from beyond the arc as Kansas State shot twelve of twenty seven from three point land.  The Wildcats also had nineteen assists and thirteen steals.

The lone hightlight for the Green Wave fans in our section was that after much chanting, seldom used, senior guard Max Keenan entered the game late for Tulane.   Most likely, his fans were family and they were excited after Keenan fired an open look three in the last minute of the game.   Much to his fans' dismay, Keenan's shot was slightly off the mark.   Kansas State junior guard Shane Meyer, also seldom used, hit a pretty up and under layup and one, much to the delight of the Wildcats' bench.  Meyer hit the free throw to make the final score margin thirty one points.   It was the most points Meyer had scored in a game in his three year career at Kansas State.

During the break between games,  Tieff, Matthew and I went to get dessert.  There is a Junior's Cheesecake/Blue Marble Custard concession stand at Barclay's.  Tieff wanted the custard, but not having Junior's cheesecake in ages,  I had the Devil's Food Cheesecake.  I think I won out on the dessert match-up.

I didn't see the St John's- Columbia game, but having seen Tulane-Kansas State, it looked like VCU brought the only pep band.  But if you're going to have only one pep band play at the Winter Hoops Festival, you might as well have THE PEP BAND to play at the tripleheader.  Known as "The Peppas", the VCU pep band is simply the best college basketball pep band in the country (with George Mason's pep band a close second).   On the evening, the Peppas started with Toto's "Africa", did an amazing version of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" and of course, "You Don't Want to Go To War", along with a lot of other great versions of songs.

The Rams entered the game 10-3 on the season, which certainly is a solid record.  But VCU had entered the season nationally ranked and a lot is expected of the Rams this season.   Much of it is due to their talent and experience, as well as the fact that the Rams have been very successful the past three NCAA Tournaments under Shaka Smart.   Also, the expectations are based on their unique, aggressive press defense, known as "Havoc".  Entering the game, VCU was first in the country in steals, averaging over twelve steals per game.  The Rams also entered the game averaging +7.8 in turnover margin.  The problem for VCU has been taking advantage of that turnover margins, as they are eleventh in the A-10 in shooting percentage at 42.4 percent.

On the other hand, Boston College had entered the game struggling at 4-8.   Steve Donahue, who led Cornell to three straight Ivy League Championships and a Sweet 16 in 2010, is in his fourth season as head coach of the Eagles.  In his first season, Donahue led BC to a second round NIT appearance, but it has been downhill since with a 9-22 record in 2011-12 and 16-17 last season. 

Early on in the game, both teams struggled to score points.  Due to "Havoc", Boston College kept turning the ball over.  However, VCU could not take advantage due to poor shooting and poor shot selection.  At one point, Mike Litos noted that the Rams has forced ten turnovers but only scored five points on those turnovers.  This was due to VCU taking too many three pointers.  The Rams were three of fifteen in the first half from beyond the arc.

The Eagles jumped out to an 8-3 lead early.  After a quick VCU timeout, the Rams responded with a 7-0 spurt to take a 10-8 lead.  BC tied it up at ten on another Ryan Anderson dunk, his third of the game, all of those came about when the Eagles were able to break the press.  After eight and a half minutes, the game was tied at ten.  The bright side was that both teams had already matched Tulane's output for the entire first half of their game.

The rest of the first half would be mini spurts.  VCU would go on a 6-0 mini spurt to take a 16-10 lead. BC responded with a 7-0 run to take a 17-16 advantage.  But the Rams would score the last six points to enter the half up 22-17.

At halftime, I met up with my friend and VCU's most famous fan, Chris "Pav" Crowley.   As I noted to DefiantlyDutch in a tweet, Pav can be seen everywhere with his Ram horns.   Pav got his nickname due to his terrific opera voice and his Pavarotti looks.   It was good catching up with him and we got this picture together.  Pav hilariously noted later in a tweet that the backdrop of our picture was the best photobomb ever.  

Coach Smart must have said something to his team at halftime, because the Rams went inside in the second half.  In the first half, Rams forwards Treveon Graham and Juvante Reddic, the two leading scorers for VCU, combined for only four points.  In the first few minutes of the second half, Graham had two layups and Reddic added another during a 11-4 spurt to put the Rams up 33-21.  

After the BC got within nine points, 35-26,  VCU went on a 14-1 run over the span of three minutes.  Reddic's layup and put the Rams up twenty points.  Then Melvin Johnson forced the Eagles's sixth turnover of the second half and his layup capped the run to put VCU up 49-27 with 10:45 left in the game.  

It was clear before the start of the game that the majority of fans that were left in the building were wearing the gold and black of VCU.   And with the huge run by the Rams, their fans turned the Barclays Center into the Richmond Coliseum during VCU's days in the CAA Tournament.  And things got worse for the few BC fans left in attendance when Graham buried a three pointer to put the Rams up twenty six, 65-39 with four and a half minutes left in the game.  It was clearly evident to me that VCU had the superior talent, athleticism and aggressiveness over an ACC team.  It was only two seasons ago that the Rams were still in the CAA.

All that was left was both teams clearing their benches and an 11-4 Eagles' game ending spurt to make the game ending margin closer than it was for a good part of the second half.   The Peppas played a set to close out the festivities and a VCU 69-50 win.  

Reddic (14 points) and Graham (13 points) combined for 23 second half points.  Rob Brandenburg added 13 points and Melvin Johnson had 12 points for the Rams.  VCU had 11 steals, forced 23 BC turnovers, and held the Eagles to 38 percent shooting, including 3 of 18 from beyond the arc.

Oliver Hanlan led BC and all scorers with 17 points.  Anderson added 13 points for the Eagles.  BC is now headed into ACC play with a 4-9 record.   VCU starts their A-10 season with an 11-3 record.

As Matthew, Tieff and I headed out of the Barclays Center, we were glad in the fact that for the second year in a row, we got to see multiple college basketball games on a cold late December day.  Nothing warms you up during the holiday season like seeing college basketball and reuniting with good friends. 

And considering we saw VCU, there's also nothing like a little Havoc during the holiday season.  

Tigers Get Some Consolation (Recap of Clemson vs. South Carolina)

Eight days after South Carolina defeated Clemson for the fourth time in a row in their long storied football rivalry, the two schools hooked up again at the Colonial Life Arena  in a men's basketball game.  This time there were no burnings of each other school's mascot.  Just a high noon start time for the Tigers and the Gamecocks.

Both teams were coming off a loss in a conference challenge.  Clemson lost at home to Purdue by twelve in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.   Meanwhile, South Carolina got hammered in Queens by St John's in the Big East/SEC Challenge.  Thus there was added incentive in the rivalry between these two Palmetto State schools.

When I got to Colonial Life Arena about forty minutes before game time, it was apparent that this was not Wisconsin Milwaukee the Gamecocks were playing.  The parking lots were full and the ticket scalpers instead of saying "Need Tickets?" had signs saying "Need tickets!"  I must have been asked at least five times if I was selling my tickets.

Inside the arena, for the first time this season, the seats behind each side of the basket were mostly full and there were a good number of people in the upper deck,.  Again, nothing sells tickets like a good intrastate rivalry.

The game started off with Michael Carrera being fouled on a shot attempt.  Carrera hit one of two free throws to give the Gamecocks a 1-0 lead.  It was the last time that South Carolina had a lead the entire half. It took over seven minutes, but Clemson would go on a 14-2 run to go up 14-3 with twelve minutes left until halftime.

The Gamecocks were struggling from the field, missing eight of their first nine shots.  If they weren't missing shots, South Carolina's was turning the ball over.  The Gamecocks' season long weakness of being careless with the ball continued as they turned the ball over seven times in the first eight minutes.  To complicate things, the Gamecocks' big men all got into foul trouble.  Carrera would have three fouls in the first half and Lakeem Jackson and RJ Slawson would each have two fouls.

Despite the first eight minutes, South Carolina did give their fans two reasons to be hopeful.  First, Bruce Ellington made his home game debut as he entered the game for Eric Smith. The crowd gave him a large BRUUUCE cheer upon his entrance.

Shortly thereafter, Brenton Williams entered the game to a warm welcome.  Williams had suffered what appeared to be a scary neck injury against St  John's after a Red Storm player landed on him while he was driving for a layup.  Williams was taken off the court on a stretcher and taken to a local hospital in New York.  Amazingly, Williams was playing only three days after the incident and he celebrated by burying a three pointer to end the Tigers run.

A K.J. McDaniels three put Clemson back up by double digits, 17-6.  They had opportunities to extend the lead further, but the Tigers turned the ball over four times and missed all three of their shots over a four minute span.  The Gamecocks cut the lead down to seven before Clemson scored five straight points to put their lead back in double digits, 23-11.

But the Gamecocks responded with an 11-0 run over the next six minutes as Williams scored six of the eleven points.  South Carolina now was back within one point and also finally had the crowd fully involved in the game.   After dominating most of the first half, Clemson went into halftime only up one point, 28-27.

The crowd gave their largest cheers of the day for the halftime festivities.  That's because there was a presentation/celebration of the Clemson-South Carolina football rivalry trophy. Coach Steve Spurrier and several players, including the phenomenal Jadeveon Clowney, came out to a thunderous ovation.  Athletic Director Ray Tanner first spoke, then Spurrier talked for several minutes, which included a funny Wofford/Clemson comparison (you had to be there).  It was a reminder that football is the big sport in Columbia, even at  halftime of the biggest non conference basketball home game of the season.

The start of the second half saw the Gamecocks score the first four points to take their first lead of the game since 1-0.  Layups by Williams and Jackson put South Carolina up 31-28. It looked as if the Gamecocks would make it two straight rivalry wins over the Tigers.

But Clemson responded with a 13-2 run over the next few minutes as the Tigers started using their frontcourt size advantage.  McWilliams scored seven points and added an assist during the run.  The Tigers were now up 41-33 with twelve and a half minutes left in the game.

The lead grew as South Carolina continued to have problems containing Clemson's big men.  Devin Booker scored six straight points and extended Clemson's lead to twelve, 49-37.  One had to wonder if Clowney was available for a few minutes to guard the paint.

But Ellington and Williams led a Gamecocks' 10-2 comeback as they scored seven of those points. An Ellington layup cut the Tigers' lead to four, 51-47.  At the under four minute media timeout, the crowd was now out at its loudest point of the game, halftime football game celebration excluded.

But Damarcus Harrison quieted the crowd with a big three pointer to put the Tigers up seven, 54-47.  He wasn't on the court long enough to celebrate it, as he quickly picked up his fifth foul.  But Carrera made only one of two free throws.

From that point, the game became a free throw shooting contest and the Tigers made their free throws.  In fact, Clemson would shoot 27 of 37 from the charity stripe and down the stretch, they put the game out of reach.  The Tigers would go up by as many as twelve before settling for a 64-55 win.

McDaniels, Booker and Rod Hall would each score in double figures for the Tigers.  Together they combined for forty four of the sixty four points scored by Clemson. McDaniels added five blocks and Booker had two of his own.

For the Gamecocks, their bench had a strong game as Ellington, Williams and Mindaugas Kacinas each scored in double figures and combined for thirty eight points.  Unfortunately, the South Carolina starters combined only scored fourteen points. The Gamecocks shot only 4 of 15 from beyond the arc and 34.6 percent overall from the field.  They also had nineteen turnovers.

For South Carolina, it was their second loss in a row after winning five of their first six games. It was also their second loss at home on the season. The Gamecocks look to bounce back with another home non conference game Friday night vs. Jacksonville.  Coach Frank Martin's team will likely have to bounce back without Ellington, who will be practicing with the football team now that South Carolina is in the Outback Bowl vs. Michigan on January 1st.

Clemson had gathered a measure of revenge beating South Carolina on its home court.  It was a solid road win for the Tigers, who are now 6-2. Coach Brad Brownell had to be pleased with the effort.

But you got the feeling that all things considered, the Clemson fans in attendance would have much rather won the football game instead.

Conference Realignment is All About the Money

I guess it was only a matter of time before we had serious conference realignment.  In the past several days, the dominoes have truly started to fall.  Texas A&M agrees to join the SEC.  Then Pittsburgh and Syracuse join the ACC, while UConn and Rutgers look to join them as well.  Meanwhile, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State are looking to join the PAC-12.  Now comes news that what's probably left of the Big 12 is looking to merge with the Big East.

It's survival of the fittest and the loser in all this is the sports fan.  Basketball rivalries like Syracuse vs. St John's, Kansas vs. Oklahoma (anyone remember the 1988 NCAA Championship game?) and football rivalries like Pitt vs. West Virginia (depending on where they end up) could become a thing of the past.  Already, you have seen the demise of Oklahoma vs. Nebraska in football when the Cornhuskers left for the Big Ten.

And forget conferences based on geography.  Remember when the Big East was comprised of schools in the East and Atlantic Coast conference schools that actually resided near the Atlantic Ocean?  Syracuse and Pittsburgh are about as Atlantic as TCU is East or Utah and Colorado are Pacific (kudos to Brendan Loy for that last reference). 

And what's the root cause?  What else, money! Greed.  TV contracts.  In this case, football TV contracts.  That's why you are hearing that if the Big 12 and the Big East merge, it would be into the Big 12, due to the contract with Fox and ESPN/ABC.   

So college football seems to be the root of all this super conference evil.  It's why Utah and Colorado were grabbed up by the PAC 12 and soon some of their fellow Big 12 brethren.  And the Mountain West trying to be the new big kid on the block swooped up Boise State and Nevada.  I assure you, the Broncos and Wolfpack were not taken for their hoops teams.

Eventually, there will be the PAC 16, the SEC, the Big Ten (how many teams does it take before you change the name from the Big Ten?), the Big 12/Big East combo and the not so now Atlantic Coast Conference running the BCS landscape. 

But what does this mean for college basketball?   Well, the non football playing Big East members probably will decide to keep their own conference.  Whether it's still named the Big East is a huge question.  Notre Dame is obviously an independent in football.  What they decide to do as far as basketball is anyone's guess.  But for St John's, Villanova, Marquette, Providence, Georgetown, and Seton Hall, they will probably band up and try to do their own version of a super conference and pluck teams from the Atlantic 10 and maybe Conference USA.   

You could certainly see Xavier, Richmond, Temple and St Joe's in the sights of the Big East's remnants.  Of course, that would then leave a weakened A-10 trying to fight for survival.  Some, like Defiantly Dutch, say that would mean that several of the CAA's northeast teams would then join the Atlantic 10.  I  happen to agree somewhat with the Dutchman.   Since the CAA has positioned itself quite well now as a supreme football subdivision conference, the exodus will be small, limited to Drexel, Northeastern and Hofstra.  It has already killed A-10 football when most of the A-10 went to the CAA en mass after 2006.  Delaware will not leave, due to being an elite FCS program in the CAA.  Towson is also trying to develop its football team as well.   I am not sure they are willing to be a part of a A-10 conference that doesn't have football.

But here's where I differ with Dutch.   With the A-10 now only a basketball driven league and potentially weakened by a mass withdrawal to a reconfigured Big East, I think the CAA might swallow a good portion of the rest of the A-10, similar to the potential Big 12 acquisition of the Big East football teams.  You could see the CAA saying to Rhode Island and UMass "You're already here in the CAA in football.  Why not join us for the rest of your sports too?"    

Then you would see the CAA become a mid major super conference, with two divisions, similar to the MAC.   Yes, there is the likely scenario that the A-10 could damage the CAA and take the teams that don't have football, Hofstra, Drexel and Northeastern. But only three of the northeast teams would really go.  So if you lose Hofstra, Drexel and Northeastern, but gain UMass, Rhode Island and say a third school like Appalachian State, some would say that makes the CAA stronger, not weaker.

My guess is that in the end, you will have both a stronger CAA and a weaker A-10, albeit.  Thus, the end result is that the CAA and the A-10 will be on a comparable level (where currently the A-10 is a level above).  

And of course, this will trickle down to the other mid major conferences as well.  What will the Horizon and the Valley do to keep their teams or strengthen their conferences?   Will St Louis finally decide that the Atlantic 10 doesn't fit and head off to the Missouri Valley, like it should?  Does that mean the Valley will try to find the Bilikens a partner, say Butler?  Will the WAC even survive? 

This is all conjecture right now.   The next few months promise even more upheaval and who ends up where is still anyone's guess.  But when the smoke finally clears, one thing will be apparent.  The college landscape is going to look a whole lot different than it did a year ago.