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The Texas Southernmen's basketball team received some early Christmas presents when three of its key players returned to action earlier this month.
Senior forward Travele Jones and senior guards Harrison Smith and Justin Ray are back in the lineup after having to miss nearly a quarter of the season because of compliance issues. Jones returned to the starting lineup against Iowa State on Dec. 12, and Smith and Ray were activated one and two games later, respectively.
Jones, the preseason Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year, has provided an immediate boost for the Tigers (2-8). He averaged ...
Game 10
Morgan State (4-5, 1-0 MEAC) vs. Louisville (12-1, 0-0 Big East)
Monday, Dec. 27, 2010 – 7 p.m. (ET)
KFC Yumi! Center – Louisville, Ky.
Television – WHAS TV (Ch. 11 in Louisville)
Radio – WKRD 790 AM
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com; www.uoflsports.com
Follow Morgan State men's basketball on twitter @morganstbears for in-game updates and the latest news on the squad.
The Opening Tip
Morgan State, the 2010 MEAC champions, will take on Louisville on Monday, Dec. 27 at 7 p.m. at the KFC Yumi! Center in Louisville, Ky. MSU 4-5 will look to rebound from a 97-55 non-conference loss at No. 5 Syracuse on Dec. 20 at the Carrier Dome. Louisville dropped Western Kentucky 114-82 on Wednesday night at the E.A. Diddle Arena to improve to 10-1. Monday night's game will mark the third meeting between the teams, Louisville holds a 2-0 advantage.
THE STORY: Fresh off a dominating performance in their first road game, No. 25 Louisville returns home for another tuneup before the schedule gets much tougher. The Cardinals will try not to overlook Morgan State with a visit from No. 14 Kentucky scheduled for Friday and the Big East slate starting next week. Rick Pitino’s team has impressed all season with its ability to get out and run off pressure defense and shoot 3-pointers, a style that plays well with a young team and a 10-man rotation.
In March 1941,Virginia Union scheduled a game against the Harlem Globetrotters. What followed was one of the most devastating losses in Union history, and the repercussions still can be felt today.
Before 1947, Virginia Union didn't have its own basketball court. The Panthers played at either the Municipal Recreation Center or on the stage of the Richmond Landmark Theatre, then known as The Mosque. They didn't have a bus, either. Fans would drive players from campus to the court, watch them play and drive them back.
The Belgian Building, the current home of Virginia Union's basketball team, wasn't built in Richmond. It was constructed in 1939 for the New York World's Fair. The federal government awarded the building to VUU in 1941.
The worst trip Hi Rise Brown ever endured went from Dubai to London to New York to Miami to Brazil to Argentina. The journey lasted 37 hours. "Everyone got their bags except me," Hi Rise said.
Just as the name suggests, a big part of being a Harlem Globetrotter is traveling to all corners of the earth. Hi Rise, a 6-5 forward from the Chicago area, has flown on a Blackhawk helicopter in Iraq and walked on the Great Wall of China.
In their 84 years, the Globetrotters have visited 120 countries. Handles Franklin, a 6-1 guard from Harrisburg, Pa., has been to more than 50 countries in his four years as a Globetrotter.
'Tis the season for college basketball letdowns. With the holidays inching closer, teams across the land are about to break for a few days, turning that final get-away contest into an adventure. Arizona State nearly fell victim Thursday afternoon, needing to rally from a 12-point deficit in the second half to defeat spunky North Carolina A&T 56-50 at Wells Fargo Arena.
ASU coach Herb Sendek credited the 5-6 Aggies, picked to finish eighth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference preseason poll, but he also questioned himself, scheduling a noon tip so the players could get started on a three-day break.
"They have a game, they're all hustling to the airport," Sendek said. "With a disproportionate number of newcomers, these guys haven't been home (in a while), so I know it's just human nature (to look) forward to hustling out of here."
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Rihards Kuksiks scored 15 points, including a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 2:52 left, and Arizona State rallied to beat N.C. A&T 56-50 on Thursday. Kuksiks' 3 gave the Sun Devils (7-4) a 53-50 advantage, and they held on to come back from a 12-point deficit.
Nic Simpson, who missed three 3s in the final 1:23, scored 17 points and had five assists to lead the Aggies (5-6). A&T led 29-23 at halftime and extended its advantage to 38-26 in the first four minutes of the second half. But Aggies forward Thomas Coleman picked up his third and fourth fouls in a 26-second span and had to go to the bench with 14:55 remaining.
Madison, Wis. — Wisconsin senior Jon Leuer has a new moniker: Zone-buster. Thinking his undersized team could identify and stick with UW's shooters by playing a variety of zone defenses, Coppin State coach Fang Mitchell opened with a 1-2-2 zone.
Leuer opened with 4 consecutive three-pointers in the first 2 minute 54 seconds Thursday night at the Kohl Center. That display set the tone as UW shot 50% from three-point range in opening a 19-point halftime lead and won easily, 80-56.
"I was able to knock down my first couple and get into a rhythm," said Leuer, who hit 5 of 10 three-pointers and 7 of 15 field-goal attempts overall to finish with 19 points. "From there my teammates were finding me in open spots. "I just found myself open a lot."
Coppin State is one of college basketball's vagabond programs. During the non-conference season, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference team travels around from one men's basketball powerhouse to the next, taking its lumps on the floor in return for a nice paycheck.
It wasn't at all surprising, then, that Coppin State showed up to face the University of Wisconsin at the Kohl Center Thursday night. In the midst of a 12-day stretch during which they play at Connecticut, Kentucky and Texas in addition to UW, the overmatched Eagles were representative of the teams that have come to Madison this season.
READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE. Note: Mainstream sportswriters can write all the criticisms they desire regarding Coppin State University basketball program. Call 'em "vagabond program" or any other name...but at the end of the day, the only thing that really matters is that Coach Ron "Fang" Mitchell is providing opportunity, exposure and experience to his players in competing with elite Division I level programs. Most importantly, he is earning enough capital from these "money games" to support ALL the non-revenue athletic programs at CSU. For that alone, Fang Mitchell is a hall of fame coach who provides countless opportunities to urban youth, who otherwise, would not receive an education and travel exposure beyond Baltimore City limits. The Eagles are 4-5, 0-1 MEAC and NEXT GAME is at #14 ranked Kentucky on Dec. 28.
HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men’s basketball team trailed for much of the night Wednesday, but junior guard Kwame Morgan gave the Pirates the lead when it mattered most, sinking a 3-pointer with one second to play to help Hampton beat Liberty 62-59 at the HU Convocation Center.
The Pirates (9-2) trailed for 39 minutes, 20 seconds, but Morgan (Largo, Md.) tied the game at 59-59 with 40 seconds to play with a trey. Liberty had a shot, but the Flames turned the ball over with 20 seconds remaining, thanks to a steal by junior forward Danny Agbelese (Lanham, Md.).
Liberty (7-6) took a 53-39 lead with 9:44 to play after Evan Gordon sank a 3-pointer, but the Pirates responded with a 13-0 run, cutting Liberty’s lead to one, 53-52, with 3:52 to play on a layup from senior forward Charles Funches (Jersey City, N.J.).
HAMPTON, Va. — Liberty men’s basketball assistant coach Jason Eaker walked off the floor at the Hampton University Convocation Center, bowed his head, closed his eyes in frustration and shook his head sharply. He knew his team had given one away Wednesday night.
Interpret the words “give away” literally. Despite shooting 52.1 percent against the nation’s fourth-best field-goal percentage defense, Liberty lost to Hampton 62-59 thanks to 26 turnovers. The Flames (7-6) blew an 18-point lead, including a five-point lead in the final two minutes.
And fittingly, the game’s key play was a turnover, which was the theme of the night for Liberty.
After an eventful fall semester, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore of Princess Anne, MD was ranked as the No. 1 NCAA women’s bowling program in the country by the National Tenpins Coaches Association in its December national poll. UMES received 16 out of a possible 25 first place votes.
Highlighting their successful first half was the Hawks’ championship match victory over the University of Central Missouri to win the 20-team Hawk Classic in Millsboro, DE. UMES (41-7) also ended in second place at the 18-team Jersey Jamboree in Howell, NJ; and owns a commanding six game lead in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Northern Division after 20 matches.
Ranked second was Fairleigh Dickinson University of Teaneck, NJ, 2010 NCAA national champions. The Knights (40-9), who collected four first place votes, won the championship of the Jersey Jamboree by defeating UMES in the title match; finished in second at the 22-team Jeanette Lee Invitational in Midlothian, VA; and after nine matches sits in a first place tie in the North East Conference with three other schools.
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National Tenpin Coaches Association Poll
December 2010
Rank
School (first-place votes)
Season Record
1.
Maryland-Eastern Shore (16)
41-7
2.
Fairleigh Dickinson (4)
40-9
3.
Nebraska - Lincoln (5)
19-3
tral Missouri
26-14
5.
Sam Houston State
28-13
6.
Arkansas State
26-10
7.
Kutztown
41-13
8.
Sacred Heart
35-14
9.
New Jersey City
36-13
10.
Adelphi
41-18
11.
St. Francis (NY)
33-16
12.
Vanderbilt
13-17
13.
Valparaiso
27-20
14.
Alabama A&M
11-5
15.
Stephen F. Austin
15-13
16.
Norfolk State
28-15
17.
Delaware State
24-22
18.
Florida A&M
21-12
19.
Minnesota State - Mankato
19-18
20.
Louisiana Tech
27-17
Others receiving votes(listed alphabetically)
Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, NC; Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX; Saint Francis University, Loretto, PA; State University of New York Institute of Technology, Utica, NY; University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, Whitewater, WI.
The Texas Southern men's basketball team received some early Christmas presents when three of its key players returned to action earlier this month.
