The Cross Town Shootout

Cincinnati (6-1) at Xavier (5-3)

December 13^th 7:00 ET

The 2009 version of the Cincinnati Bearcats will remind fans of a Bob Huggins coached team.  They are not pretty to watch but are very athletic and rugged.  They struggle mightily on the offense end but bring it defensively.  They are led in scoring by wide body Yancey Gates.  The 260lb sophomore center is averaging 11.6 PPG and 7.7 boards.  Ballyhooed freshmen Lance Stephenson is living up to the billing.  He is very athletic with an explosive first step.  He is averaging 11.6 PPG and 6 boards on the young season.  Senior guard Deonta Vaughn has been very unselfish taking less shots and getting the youngsters involved.  The Bearcats were looking forward to the addition of guard Cashmere Wright last season but an injury forced him out for the season.  Wright still is shaking off the rust but will be very good in the near future.

The Xavier Musketeers do not look like the same team without former Head Coach Sean Miller.  Much was expected from the 09-10 Muskies but they have started slowly going 5-3 in their first eight games.  The addition of Jordan Crawford, a transfer from Indiana, was thought to be the piece that made Xavier a national power this season.  Crawford is having a good start to the season averaging 18.5 PPG and 5 RPG.  He is very athletic but his shot selection can often be questioned.  In Xavier’s three losses Crawford didn’t have off nights he was absolutely atrocious.  He was a combined 15 of 52 against Marquette, Baylor and Kansas State.  Xavier big man Jason Love is averaging a double-double with 10 PPG and 10 RPG.  Guards Terrell Holloway and Mark Lyons have been solid.  Athletic junior forward Jamel McLean is a tease.  He possesses a tremendous talent but rarely puts it all together.

Prediction: This is a rivalry game so anything can happen.  In addition Xavier’s home crowd will no doubt be a factor.  For Xavier to have any chance they will have to keep one of the best rebounding teams in the nation off of the glass.  Jason Love will need to have a big game against Yancey Gates and force him away from the basket.  Jordan Crawford and Dante Jackson will be matched up against the athletic guards of UC which is an intriguing match-up.  If Crawford lets the game come to him he will find success.  The Bearcats struggles on the offensive end will keep the game close but their power and defense will be the difference.  Behind a very good performance by Yancey Gates and senior Deonta Vaughn the Bearcats escape the Cintas Center with a big win.  Cincinnati 67 Xavier 63.

Scott Dryden

2009 NCAA Tournament - Midwest Region - Miami, FL
No. 12 Arizona (21-13) 71, No. 13 Cleveland State (26-11) 57
Key Moment: Arizona point guard Nic Wise scored seven points midway through the second half to help the Wildcats maintain control.
High Point Scorers: Arizona — Wise 21  Cleveland State — Norris Cole 17
Analysis: The last will be first? Well, if it’s true the Wildcats were the last team in the tournament, the committee certainly looks smart. But consider the ballclub is really good and plays very good defense. The Vikings made only three of 23 3-point attempts. Again, the big three of Wise, Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill were key as they combined for 52 of the the Wildcats’ 71 points. As they go, so goes Arizona.
What’s Next: Arizona makes its 12th appearance in the Sweet 16 since 1988 and will meet No. 1 Louisville, which held off No. 9 Siena, 79-72. If you had looked at the brackets, Arizona would have likely appeared to reach this round. But now that the Wildcats are here, they are playing with house money. Should be a fun matchup in the low post between Louisville’s Earl Clark and Hill.

By Kevin Lonnquist

2009 NCAA Tournament - Midwest Region - Minneapolis, MN
No. 3 Kansas (27-7) 60, No. 11 Dayton (27-8) 43
Key Moment: Dayton’s shooting throughout the day — 22 percent
High Point Scorer: Kansas — Sherron Collins 25  Dayton — Chris Wright 10
Analysis: While Dayton absolutely deserved to be in the tournament, the Flyers absolutely had no idea how to handle KU center Cole Aldrich who registered the third triple-double in tournament history. He had 13 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocked shots. The Jayhawks have found motivation from the early exit in the Big 12 tournament. And credit Collins who has played like a senior. He has scored 57 points in the first two tournament games.
What’s Next: The Jayhawks advance to the Sweet 16 in Indianapolis where they will meet No. 2 seed Michigan State which held off No. 10 USC, 74-69. This is a rematch of the Jan. 10 meeting East Lansing that Michigan State won, 75-62. But the Jayhawks are a much different team now than they were then. Expect a great matchup at the guard position between Michigan State’s Kalin Lucas and KU’s Sherron Collins. The game will decided on the backboards.

By Kevin Lonnquist

With more teams than any other state in the 2009 NCAA Tournament, you would think the state of Ohio would get a little respect. Apparently now. By some odd bit of bad luck (or an Ohio State grad working in programming for CBS) the Xavier vs. Wisconsin game starts at 2:20 pm, the Dayton vs. Kansas game starts at 2:30 pm and the Cleveland State vs. Arizona game starts at 2:40 pm today. As a result, for the 99.9% of us who do not have DirecTV’s special NCAA Tournament package, we will only see one of these three games featuring Ohio teams.

Meanwhile, in the 2009 women’s NCAA Tournament, #3 seed Ohio State defeated #14 Sacred Heart 77-63 on Saturday. The Buckeye women will now face #11 Mississippi State in the 2nd round.

2009 NCAA Tournament - Midwest Region - Miami
No. 13 Cleveland State (26-10) 84 No. 4 Wake Forest (26-7) 69
Key Moment: The first three minutes of the game set the tone when Vikings jumped out to a 9-0 lead and never looked back.
High Scorers: Cleveland State — Norris Cole 22  Wake Forest — James Johnson 22
Analysis: Wake Forest’s talent is young and impressive and some out there thought it was good enough to get to the Final Four. But it’s also experienced a lot of upheaval after beginning 16-0. Things just haven’t gone well for the Demon Deacons. Their suspect defense bit them again as Cleveland State shot 48 percent from the floor. Although Wake Forest shot 52 percent, the Demon Deacons squeezed off only 50 shots to Cleveland State’s 65
What’s Next: The Vikings advance to the Sunday’s second round and will play No. 12 Arizona, which knocked off No. 5 Utah, 84-71. The Vikings got great cames from Cole, J’Nathan Bullock (21) and Cedric Jackson (19). If they play like that against the Wildcats, you have to give them their due. Remember, this program played giant killer in 1986 when as a 14 seed it knocked off 3 seed Indiana in the first round.

By Kevin Lonnquist
DFN Sports Staff Write

The #11 Dayton Flyers deserved a shot at the NCAA Tournament last year but had to settle for the NIT. In 2009, they made sure that their resume was even stronger, and after receiving a #11 seed in the Midwest the Flyers were not content with just making the Big Dance, they wanted to make a statement as well. Dayton led #6 West Virginia 33-28 at the half and added to their lead in the 2nd half to defeat the favored WVU Mountaineers 68-60 and advance in the 2009 NCAA Tournament earlier today. Chris Wright’s 27 points paced the Flyers as he also added 10 rebounds.

Next up for the Flyers will be the #3 seed Kansas Jayhawks on Sunday in the 2nd round. In the meantime, fans can find a nice selection of Dayton Flyers hats & merchandise online through College Sports Fans while they follow the entire NCAA Tournament.

No. 4 Wake Forest (24-6) vs. No. 13 Cleveland State (25-10)

Time/Site: 9:40 EDT/Miami
The winner gets: The winner of Utah-Arizona
Summary: The Demon Deacons finished in a tie for second with Duke in the ACC and lost to Maryland in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. Cleveland State finished a tie for third in the Horizon League regular season and won the conference tournament to earn the automatic bid.
Key Players: Wake Forest – Jeff Teague (19.1 ppg), F; James Johnson (14.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg)  Cleveland State – J’Nathan Bullock (15.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg), F; Cedric Jackson (5.4 apg), G
Key stat: Wake Forest – Since beginning the season at 16-0 and being ranked No.1  in the country, the Demons are 8-6 in their last 14 games. Cleveland State – The Vikings are back in the tournament for the first time since 1986 .
Wake Forest will win: Because their talent is young but among the best in the nation. Teague is a great one-on-one scorer. Johnson is a physical presence.
Cleveland State will win: If it can find the magic from 1986. That team, a No. 14 seed, knocked off No. 3 seed Indiana. This won’t be easy for Wake Forest. Cleveland State won at Syracuse in December
Prediction: Wake Forest 78, Cleveland State 68

By Kevin Lonnquist

While Ohio State, Xavier, Dayton, Akron and Cleveland State are getting the majority of the headlines for tournament play in 2009, they are not the only Ohio teams playing in postseason tournaments. Kent State tipped off the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) on Tuesday night with a loss @ Oakland University in Michigan. Meanwhile, the Bowling Green Falcons were unable to hold onto a lead @ Creighton falling to the #1 seed Bluejays on their home court this evening in the NIT. While both Kent State and BG have been eliminated from their respective tournaments, the CBI did not select a team from Ohio this season although it is rumored that the Miami RedHawks declined a chance to play in the postseason due to team injuries.

On Thursday the NCAA tournament gets underway with the #13 Akron Zips facing the #4 Gonzaga Bulldogs at 7:25 pm ET. The other four Ohio teams will play on Friday with Dayton tipping off at 3 pm, Xavier at 7:25, and Ohio State and Cleveland State both playing at 9:40 pm ET.

As Ball State and Buffalo battle it out in front of me as I write, the winner of this game will advance and play the winner of tonight’s Bowling Green vs Akron game. BG, the #1 seed in the 2009 MAC Tournament, comes in after a win over #9 Ohio and is 19-12 and #153 in the RPI after a 11-5 MAC record. Akron advanced to the semifinals with wins over #12 Toledo and #4 Miami this week and is now 21-12, 113th in the RPI and went 10-6 in the Mid-American Conference this season.

While Akron should have the stronger fan support tonight, Bowling Green is a very solid team and I expect them to come out strong and get the win. Three games in four days and the questionable health of Anthony Hitchens is going to be too much for the Zips to overcome as Bowling Green advances to face the #2 Ball State/#3 Buffalo winner in the MAC Tournament Championship Game on Saturday night at 8 pm on ESPN2.

The MAC Tournament resumed play today at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio as Kent State, Bowling Game, Ohio, Akron and Miami are all in action throughout the day. Kent played in the second game of the day as the MAC’s #6 seed against the 3rd-seeded Buffalo Bulls. After falling behind early, Kent State trailed by just one at halftime and led in the second half. Seemingly confident that their team would pull the game out, the Kent fans did not finally accept their situation until after the final buzzer as the Golden Flashes remain one win shy of their 11th consecutive 20-win season falling to UB 65-62.

With the loss Kent State will await word from the NIT, CBI or the new College Insider Tournament as they look to continue their streak of 20-win seasons.