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Sully's court

Email|Link|Comments (0) Posted by Joe Sullivan, Globe Staff December 3, 2007 02:50 PM

Some extra thoughts from Saturday's doubleheader at the Garden:

UConn coach Jim Calhoun's passion is just tremendous and he says things other coaches won't or can't. For example, he lamented not successfully recruiting Gonzaga's Matt Bouldin, who had just scored 19 points against his team. Then he mused about his 7-foot-3 center Hasheem Thabeet. "Hasheem keeps talking about going out but I don't know where he's going." Thabeet was passive against the Zags’ aggressive play around the basket all afternoon.

Bad thoughts are natural after a loss but there are some good things about UConn starting with point guard A.J. Price, who looks like he's finally going to be the player people thought he could be. UConn was a better team when he was in the game. I love Stanley Robinson's game. Every team needs a smart, steady presence like him.

Gonzaga is playing defense better than it's ever been played. When the get talented forward Josh Heytvelt, back from an injury they're going to be even better. Zags coach Mark Few was really high on freshman guard Steven Gray, who hasn't played yet.

Things are only going to get more difficult for BC when ACC play begins. Could be a tough year.

Providence is talented but wacky, which is kind of how they played Saturday.

On second thought: I thought BU was a lock in the America East but the Terriers are 1-6 while Maryland-Baltimore County is 6-1 (its best start in 22 years).

The road can be tough: UMass coach Travis Ford is willing to play just about anybody on the road and sometimes that can hurt, as evidenced by the Minutemen's 89-77 loss to IUPUI. IUPUI could be a tournament team because they can win the Summit League and UMass was a big target for them. The students rushed the court after the game. "We only wrote one word on the board before the game, and that was ‘validation’,'' IUPUI coach Ron Hunter told reporters after the game. "This win continues to give your program validation.'' Despite the loss, Travis Ford should be commended for playing the game.

Look out for the Longhorns: Texas looked great upsetting UCLA Sunday night. Guard D.J. Augustin, who played in Kevin Durant's shadow last season, looked like an All-American last night. I really liked junior center Connor Atchley, who has a great all-around game.

Five on the rise:
Clemson: The Tigers are 7-0 after winning a rivalry game vs. South Carolina. Can they avoid a slide this season?

Mississippi: The Rebels are 6-0 after handing New Mexico its first loss.

Saint Mary's: The Gaels are 6-0 after whipping Seton Hall 71-60. It's their best start since '89-90.

Texas: The Longhorns are a lot better than anyone thought based on their great win over UCLA Sunday night.

Vanderbilt: The Commodores are 7-0 and will play most of their non-conference games at home so the winning trend should continue.

Five on the decline:
Bucknell: Things have changed in Lewisburg, Pa. as evidenced by a loss to neighboring Saint Francis.

Drexel: The Dragons, thought to be a contender in the CAA, lost consecutive games by huge margins, 85-38 to George Mason and 72-48 to Creighton.

Iowa: The Hawkeyes lost in their own tournament, getting knocked out the first night by Louisiana Monroe.

Michigan: Losing to Harvard will be one game first-year coach John Beilein remembers for a long, long time.

Nevada: The Wolfpack, thought to be a WAC contender, are 2-4.

Surprising results:
Centenary 70, Texas Tech 66: Ex-Gent Robert Parrish must be happy.

Dartmouth 76, Vermont 75: The Big Green had lost eight straight in the series but they couldn't stand the prosperity and got blown out by Stony Brook 70-43 Saturday. It was Stony Brook's first win.

East Carolina 68, George Mason 65: This result could hurt on Selection Sunday.

Hampton 64, Virginia Commonwealth 55: See above.

Shocking margins:
Kent State 81, Saint Louis 40
George Mason 85, Drexel 38
Oklahoma State 96, Washington 71

This week's George Mason (best mid-major): Sam Houston State is 5-0, including victories over Texas Tech, Fresno State and Wisconsin-Milwaukee

This week's Final Four: Georgetown, North Carolina, Texas, Memphis

This week's national champion: Georgetown.

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About the college sports blog Updates and insights from Globe sports editor/hoop junkie Joe Sullivan and his college staff reporters, including Mark Blaudschun on Boston College football.

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