2015 NCAA Men’s Basketball Rankings – Week 6 (Dec. 15)

The NCAA men’s basketball rankings are out and the Kentucky Wildcats remain as the No. 1 team in both polls.

The Wildcats are followed by the Duke Blue Devils, Arizona Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals and Wisconsin Badgers in the AP Poll. In the USA Today Coaches Poll, the top four is the same with the Virginia Cavaliers at No. 5.

There are no teams from the American Athletic Conference ranked nor are there any among the others receiving votes in either poll.

AP Top 25 USA Today Coaches Poll
RK TEAM REC PTS RK TEAM REC PTS
1 Kentucky (65) 11-0 1,625 1 Kentucky (29) 11-0 773
2 Duke 8-0 1,545 2 Duke (1) 8-0 736
3 Arizona 10-0 1,505 3 Arizona (1) 10-0 721
4 Louisville 9-0 1,349 4 Louisville 9-0 658
5 Wisconsin 10-1 1,331 5 Virginia 9-0 633
6 Virginia 9-0 1,294 6 Wisconsin 10-1 619
7 Villanova 10-0 1,215 7 Villanova 10-0 592
8 Gonzaga 9-1 1,175 8 Gonzaga 9-1 556
9 Texas 8-1 1,154 9 Texas 8-1 539
10 Kansas 8-1 1,102 10 Kansas 8-1 519
11 Wichita St 7-1 959 11 Wichita St 7-1 439
12 Ohio State 8-1 838 12 Ohio State 8-1 417
13 Iowa State 8-1 772 13 Iowa State 8-1 373
14 Utah 7-2 670 14 Utah 7-2 300
15 Oklahoma 6-2 647 15 Oklahoma 6-2 295
16 Washington 8-0 598 16 Washington 8-0 287
17 Maryland 10-1 512 17 San Diego St 7-2 246
18 Miami (FL) 9-1 426 18 Maryland 10-1 214
19 San Diego St 7-2 424 19 Miami (FL) 9-1 164
20 St. John’s 8-1 353 20 West Virginia 9-1 159
21 Notre Dame 10-1 351 21 Notre Dame 10-1 155
22 West Virginia 9-1 333 22 Michigan St 7-3 122
23 Butler 8-2 259 23 St. John’s 8-1 114
24 North Carolina 6-3 122 24 North Carolina 6-3 86
25 Michigan St 7-3 116 25 Butler 8-2 85
Dropped from rankings: Dropped from rankings:
Baylor 97, TCU 80, Colorado St 75, Northern Iowa 65, Georgetown 41, California 37, Arkansas 19, Seton Hall 14, Virginia Commonwealth 6, Old Dominion 4, LSU 4, Oklahoma St 4, Penn State 3, Davidson 1 Baylor 49, Northern Iowa 40, Colorado St 29, Georgetown 28, California 26, TCU 26, Seton Hall 19, Illinois 13, Arkansas 12, Oklahoma St 9, Old Dominion 7, Florida 4, LSU 4, Iowa 3, Saint Mary’s 1, Virginia Commonwealth 1, Minnesota 1, Penn State 1
Others receiving votes: Others receiving votes:
Northern Iowa 23 Northern Iowa 24, Illinois 25

Amida Brimah Named AAC Player of the Week

This should come as no surprise after his 40 point performance against Coppin State on Sunday.

From UConn:

PROVIDENCE, R.I.  — A record-setting performance by sophomore center Amida Brimah (Accra, Ghana) has earned him Player of the Week honors from the American Athletic Conference, the league announced today.

UConn C Amida Brimah slams home two points in the first half against Coppin State at the XL Center on December 14, 2014.Brimah went 13-of-13 from the floor, the most field goals ever in a game by a UConn player without a miss, which is an American Athletic Conference record as well. He also added a 14-of-16 night from the foul line to finish with 40 points in Sunday’s 106-85 victory over Coppin State. It was the 17th time in UConn history that a player scored 40 or more points in a game. The 7-foot sophomore also grabbed 12 rebounds to complete his first career double-double and he added three blocked shots and a steal as well.

It is the first such honor for Brimah, who was named the league’s Rookie of the Week once last season.

Also earning league recognition this week are UConn freshman Daniel Hamilton (Los Angeles, Calif.) and senior Ryan Boatright (Aurora, Ill.), both named to the league’s weekly Honor Roll. Hamilton also posted his first career double-double against Coppin State with 11 points and 11 assists, as well as five rebounds and four steals, while Boatright contributed 22 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals to the win.

It is the third time on the Honor Roll for Boatright, who was also the AAC Player of the Week on Nov. 24. Hamilton was selected as the Rookie of the Week on Nov. 24.

photo credit: ©2014 Ian Bethune

American Athletic Conference Weekly Men’s Basketball Honors – Dec. 15

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s weekly men’s basketball honors for the week ending Dec. 14.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Amida Brimah • So. • C • UConn

Brimah scored a career-high 40 points, finishing two points shy of the American Athletic Conference record, in UConn’s 106-85 win against Coppin State. Brimah was 13-of-13 from the field, setting an American Athletic Conference single-game record for the most field goals without a miss. He was 14-of-16 from the free throw line (.875) and added 12 rebounds, three blocks and a steal. Brimah leads The American in field goal percentage (.698) and is second in blocks (2.9 bpg).

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

B.J. Tyson • Fr. • G • East Carolina

Tyson came off the bench to help East Carolina to a 70-58 win against James Madison. He scored 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting to go with four rebounds, an assist and a steal in 25 minutes. Despite coming off the bench in all 10 games, Tyson is ranked third in the American Athletic Conference in scoring this season with 15.5 points per game.

WEEKLY HONOR ROLL

Ryan Boatright • Sr. • G • UConn

Scored 22 points with four rebounds and three assists in a 106-85 win against Coppin State.

Daniel Hamilton • Fr. • G/F • UConn

Had 11 points, 11 assists, five rebounds and four steals in a 106-85 win against Coppin State.

Terry Whisnant • Jr. • G • East Carolina

Had career highs of 24 points and seven rebounds in a 70-58 win against James Madison.

Caleb White • So. • G • East Carolina

Scored 16 points, all in the second half, in a 70-58 win against James Madison.

Keith Frazier • So. • G • SMU

Scored 20 points with five rebounds in an 80-73 overtime win against UC Santa Barbara.

American Athletic Conference Weekly Women’s Basketball Honors – Dec. 15

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced winners of the league’s weekly women’s basketball honors for games ending Dec. 14.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jada Payne * G/F * 6-2 * R-Jr. * East Carolina
Payne matched her season high with 24 points on 8-for-10 shooting, including 4-for-5 from three-point range, to lead the Pirates to an 82-33 win at Loyola (Md.) on Dec. 9. Payne’s four triples gave her 100 made for her career and became just the eighth player in program history to reach that mark.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Laura Ferreira * F * 5-11 * USF
Ferreira led four Bulls in double figures with a career-high 16 points in a win over College of Charleston on Sunday. The freshman shot 6-for-12 from the field and added seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals on the defensive end. Ferreira set a new career-high with four 3-pointers and finished 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.

WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Brittni Montgomery * F * 6-3 * R-Sr. * UCF
Pulled down 24 rebounds vs. Iona on Sunday, tying her school record single-game mark

Breigha Wilder-Cochran * G * 5-8 * So. * Memphis
Led Memphis with 12 points and a career-high five steals in a win at Georgetown on Saturday

Marley Hill * F * 6-2 * So. * Cincinnati
Fell just shy of a double-double vs. Xavier, had 17 points and nine rebounds vs. the Muskateers

Ana Owens * G * 5-6 * Fr. * Cincinnati
Recorded 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting vs. Xavier on Sunday

Ondrea Shaw * C * 6-4 * Sr. * East Carolina
Blocked an NCAA season-high 10 shots in a win at Loyola (Md.) on Dec. 9, mark was also a career-high

Muller’s OT Goal Gives Wolf Pack 5-4 Win Over Sound Tigers

Hartford, CT, December 14, 2014 – Chris Mueller scored at the 55-second mark of overtime Sunday at Webster Bank Arena, to give the Hartford Wolf Pack a 5-4 win over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, after the Wolf Pack had lost a 4-2 lead in the third period.

Ryan Bourque, who scored two goals in the game, set up the winning tally when he cut across the slot and threw the puck down low to Mueller, who deflected it into the net past the glove side of Bridgeport goaltender Kevin Poulin (30 saves). That was after Mueller, who also had two assists, won a faceoff in the Sound Tiger zone.

“I think the backchecking effort by Chris Bourque prior to the goal was a bit of character,” Wolf Pack coach Ken Gernander said of the winning overtime effort. “He made a huge defensive play on an odd-man rush they had in the overtime, then Muells (Mueller) with the big faceoff win, Bourquie (Ryan Bourque), nice pass to Muells, who found some available ice there at the side of the net.”

The win was the Wolf Pack’s fourth straight, equaling a team season high, and improved the club’s record to 15-9-2-1 for 33 points.

“We’ve got everybody chipping in, and we’re not dependent on one or two people to do it,” Gernander said. “When we’re successful as a team, it looks like everybody’s a much better player for it.”

Justin Vaive also scored twice in the game for the Wolf Pack, his first career AHL multiple-goal game, and Ryan Haggerty had two assists. Colton Gillies had a pair of goals for Bridgeport, and Justin Courtnall contributed two assists.

Down 4-2 entering the third, the Sound Tigers climbed to within one on a power-play goal at 6:25 of the third frame. Scooter Vaughn fired the puck into the net with Wolf Pack goaltender Cedrick Desjardins (28 saves) caught out of position, after Cory Conacher, playing his first AHL game of the season, swept the puck into the slot from the side of the net.

Gillies then tied it with his second of the game, with 5:20 remaining. Courtnall circled the net from right to left and wrapped the puck toward the front, and Gillies was just able to jam it between Desjardins and the post to his right.

That sent the game to overtime, and the Wolf Pack recovered to end the game on the only shot of the extra session. The OT victory was the Wolf Pack’s third of the season, and their second in the season series against Bridgeport.

A perfect cycling play by a line of Vaive, Haggerty and Oscar Lindberg led to the first goal of the game, at 4:22 of the first period. Haggerty worked the puck to Lindberg on the left-wing boards, and he fed a backhanded pass to Vaive, who snapped a quick shot past Poulin from the top of the circles.

The Sound Tigers answered just over four minutes later, at 8:24, on Brett Gallant’s first goal of the season. Chris Langkow won a draw back to Jesse Graham at the right point, and Desjardins stopped Graham’s shot, but Gallant pounced on the rebound between the hash marks and ripped it in.

A Wolf Pack faceoff win, though, led to a go-ahead goal at 12:10, the first of the game for Ryan Bourque. Mueller prevailed over Alan Quine in the faceoff circle, to work the puck to Dylan McIlrath at the middle of the blue line, and Bourque re-directed McIlrath’s shot through Poulin.

Bridgeport came back again to tie just eight seconds into the second period, with Gillies burying his first of the game, and second of the year. Desjardins stopped Courtnall’s shot from the right-wing side, but the rebound came off of Desjardins’ pads right to Gillies, and he easily found the net from the left side.

The Wolf Pack would get the next two goals, however, with both Vaive and Bourque getting their second goals of the game, just 2:37 apart.

Vaive scored just ten seconds into a holding penalty against Adam Pelech at 6:41, taking a pass along the goal line to Poulin’s right, stepping in front and backhanding the puck underneath Poulin’s left pad.

Then, at 9:18, Bourque picked up his second of the contest, as he drove the net and banged in the rebound of a Tommy Hughes shot. Hughes slapped it at the net from high in the slot, and Bourque found it coming hard off of Poulin’s pads.

The Wolf Pack’s next game is this Friday, December 19, as they host the Syracuse Crunch at the XL Center. Faceoff is 7:00 PM, and all Friday-night Wolf Pack home games feature $1 hot dogs and $2 beers through the start of the second period.

Tickets for all 2014-15 Wolf Pack home games are now on sale at the XL Center ticket office, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499. Wolf Pack tickets start as low as $12 for youth 12 years old or younger.

To speak with a Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info.

Hartford Wolf Pack 5 (OT) at Bridgeport Sound Tigers 4
Sunday, December 14, 2014 – Webster Bank Arena

Hartford 2 2 0 1 – 5
Bridgeport 1 1 2 0 – 4

1st Period-1, Hartford, Vaive 7 (Lindberg, Haggerty), 4:22. 2, Bridgeport, Gallant 1 (Graham, Langkow), 8:24. 3, Hartford, R. Bourque 5 (McIlrath, Mueller), 12:10. Penalties-Mouillierat Bri (hooking), 9:50; R. Bourque Hfd (tripping), 12:48; Desjardins Hfd (delay of game), 15:33.

2nd Period-4, Bridgeport, Gillies 2 (Courtnall, Mayfield), 0:08. 5, Hartford, Vaive 8 (Haggerty, Mueller), 6:41 (PP). 6, Hartford, R. Bourque 6 (Hughes, Saponari), 9:18. Penalties-Mueller Hfd (goaltender interference), 1:50; Poulin Bri (diving/embellishment), 1:50; Courtnall Bri (hooking), 6:31; Graham Bri (interference), 13:41.

3rd Period-7, Bridgeport, Vaughan 5 (Conacher, Zolnierczyk), 6:25 (PP). 8, Bridgeport, Gillies 3 (Courtnall, Sundstrom), 14:40. Penalties-Pelech Bri (delay of game), 3:15; Lindberg Hfd (tripping), 5:32; Hrivik Hfd (hooking), 6:25; Stretch Bri (unsportsmanlike conduct), 8:25.

OT Period-9, Hartford, Mueller 2 (R. Bourque, Tallinder), 0:55. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Hartford 13-15-6-1-35. Bridgeport 12-11-9-0-32.
Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 1 / 5; Bridgeport 1 / 4.
Goalies-Hartford, Desjardins 7-3-1 (32 shots-28 saves). Bridgeport, Poulin 9-5-1 (35 shots-30 saves).
A-4,205
Referees-Mark Lemelin (41).
Linesmen-Jim Briggs (83), Luke Galvin (2).

Video: Brimah’s Career Day Ends UConn Men’s Losing Streak

UConn C Amida Brimah (35) slams home an alley-oop pass from Daniel Hamilton (5) over Coppin State F Arnold Fripp in the second half at the XL Center on December 12, 2014.

UConn C Amida Brimah (35) slams home an alley-oop pass from Daniel Hamilton (5) over Coppin State F Arnold Fripp (3) in the second half at the XL Center on December 12, 2014.

The UConn Huskies men’s basketball team went into their final exam break last week having lost three straight games, two of them coming on last second shots. Some way, some how, they needed to break that losing streak.

Amida Brimah made sure UConn’s losing ways didn’t hit four straight games.

Behind a career-high 40 points from Brimah, the Huskies went on to a 106-85 win over the Coppin State Eagles in front of 8,260 at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on Sunday.

With the win, UConn improves to 4-3 while the Eagles fall to 1-9.

Brimah actually finished with a double-double adding 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. Ryan Boatright added 22 points while Kentan Facey had 15 points and five rebounds.

Daniel Hamilton had a double-double of his own with 11 points and 11 assists.

Arnold Fripp led Coppin State with 25 points and nine rebounds. Christian Kessee chipped in with 22 points while Daquan Brickhouse had 16 points and a team-high seven assists. Sterling Smith rounded out the Eagles in double digits with 12 points.

Next up for UConn is a matchup with the Duke Blue Devils on Thursday night. Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m.

Coppin State Eagles @ UConn Huskies 12/14/14 box score

Here are the postgame quotes from UConn head coach Kevin Ollie and Coppin State head coach Michael Grant.

Here are UConn’s postgame notes.

photo credit: ©2014 Ian Bethune

A Rotating Experiment

The Lester-less 2015 Red Sox Starting Rotation is comprised of the following: Question mark, Question mark, ¿Qué carajo?, ???, and Buchholz.

This is better than having a starting rotation of minor league prospects and Buchholz; essentially, what we witnessed at the end of 2014. The Red Sox can again use prospects as rotation depth instead of certainties. But an ace-less rotation isn’t screaming October to any knowledgeable Red Sox fan. 

Oddly enough, though, Cherington’s Plan B after Lester could work. 

With the advent of the second wild card, a third of the teams are guaranteed a playoff berth each year. So a team has to be pretty horrible not even be in the playoff hunt a week before the trade deadline on July 31. Given that a team’s regular season performance need not be spectacular to get to the playoffs, teams can experiment with different ways to get through the regular season. 

The two best examples of teams achieving success through experimenting with non-typical rosters are the 2014 Giants and 2012 Orioles. 

The Giants victory in the World Series is a recent memory of course, and we can quickly remember who was in their starting rotation: Bumgarner followed by a bunch of actual bums. Let’s remember that the Giants thought acquiring Jake Peavy before the trade deadline would improve their starting rotation – the same Jake Peavy who hadn’t won a game since April and had an ERA larger than Paula Deen’s collection of lard. And those Giants won the World Series. 

The 2012 Orioles didn’t have as much success as the Giants, but they did make it to the playoffs with a rotation that, quite frankly, looked worse than what we can expect from the 2015 Red Sox. The Orioles’ rotation had only one starter with double-digit wins (12 wins), and none of their starters pitched 200 innings. In fact, only one starter pitched more than 140 innings. That team made it to the ALCS. 

Personally, the baseline I use to predict playoff hopes is the probability a team has of winning 88 games. Let’s look at the 2015 Red Sox in this respect: Can they win 88 games?

They have a rotation starters who have MLB experience, but they are 3-5 starters at best. Porcello is the one starter who has the best chance of having a breakout season, and he becomes the proverbial “ace.” The rotation will have an average ERA of, let’s guess, 4.30. 

That’s not great, but a starting lineup with 3. Papi, 4. Han-RAM, 5. Panda, and 6. Napoli is going to score a lot of runs – especially with Mookie Betts hitting leadoff, followed by a finally healthy Dustin Pedroia. With the rate that Betts and Pedroia can get on base, they’re poised to each have 100+ runs scored in 2015.

Hitting behind Napoli will be Xander Bogaerts, who has something to prove in 2015. Throw in Rusney Castillo, and we can forget about the fact that hitting production from the catcher’s spot in 2015 is a total unknown. 

Can this lineup score enough runs to overcome a starting rotation with an ERA of 4.30 or a little more? Simply put: yes. 

The 2015 Red Sox will be an interesting experiment. Before the experiment starts, it would appear that they can win 88 games next year and remain in the playoff hunt. But, by July, if it looks like the experiment may fail, then there’s always a blockbuster trade for Cliff Lee. That’s a hell of a back up plan which must have crossed Ben Cherington’s mind at some point last week.

Paw Prints: The Daily UConn Huskies Roundup – 12/13-14/14

UConn Huskies Daily Roundup

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

It’s game day for the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team as they look to end their three-game slide. They’ll take on the Coppin State Eagles at the XL Center in Hartford, CT this afternoon at 4 p.m. The game will be televised on SNY and the game will be available online at WatchESPN outside of the SNY television footprint. If you can’t watch the game, you can always listen on the UConn IMG Radio Network or Tunein.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Miami Heat assign Shabazz Napier to D-League [sox & dawgs]

A few words with Tremont Waters, Tyler Dorsey [david borges – new haven register]

Omar Calhoun practices, expected back soon with UConn [ct post]

Facing Coppin State, UConn men in desperate need of a win [ct post]

Huskies Still Short Of Players Heading Into Coppin State Game [hartford courant]

Missing His Shot: UConn Could Use Calhoun, But He’s Still Out [hartford courant]

Coppin State Offers Huskies A Chance For Healing, But Not Cure [hartford courant]

UConn men look to get back on track vs. Coppin State [new haven register]

Boatright, Purvis improved, Calhoun likely out [sny uconn]

UConn men get back to work [the day]

UConn Football links

OL Nolan Ulizio Verbally Commits To UConn [sox & dawgs]

2014 UConn Huskies Football Awards [sox & dawgs]

Bridgeport’s Williams could make NFL debut Sunday vs. Giants [ct post]

UConn Football Lands Two More Commitments [hartford courant]

List of first 20 UConn football commits for 2015 [new haven register]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Milestone for UConn commit [jim fuller – new haven register]

OL Nolan Ulizio Verbally Commits To UConn

The UConn Huskies football staff has been out on the road recruiting with the exception of Friday night’s 2014 UConn Huskies Football Awards and their efforts are being rewarded.

Nolan Ulizio, a 6’6″ 280 lb offensive lineman out of Lakota West in West Chester, OH, verbally committed to the UConn football program on Sunday morning.