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ESPN.com: Men's College Basketball | [Print without images] |
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| Matt Bonner and David Lee are two of Florida's eight healthy bodies entering Tuesday's game against LaTech. |
ThursdayUC Santa Barbara vs. Weber State: The opener of the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, pits two potential champs of the Big West and Big Sky. Ball State is the favorite in this field that includes Nebraska, Centenary, Jacksonville State, UW-Green Bay and host Fairbanks. Saturday Saint Joseph's at Boston College: Point guard matchup of Hawks' Jameer Nelson vs. Eagles' Troy Bell is worth checking out, so too, is the debut of BC freshman Craig Smith and whether or not presently suspended wing Ryan Sidney will still start. Western Kentucky at Arizona: The Hilltoppers took out Kentucky in the opener last season. But those 'Cats weren't No. 1 like these ones. Army at Duke: Coach K and Chris Duhon are on the IR and the question is will they both be available for the opener. Duquesne at Pittsburgh: The opening of the Peterson Events Center, capacity 12,500, should be quite a show for the reigning Big East West champs. Louisiana-Lafayette at Mississippi State: Will Mario Austin be eligible for the opener? Tennessee Tech at Cincinnati: Bob Huggins is back on the bench for the Bearcats' opener. He's downplaying the significance so he doesn't draw attention to himself. But this is a big deal in our book that he was able to make it back in time without a hitch. Sunday Miami of Ohio at Maryland: Comcast Center gets an official unveiling as will all the national championship garb. BYU vs. Kansas State: One of three games to tip off the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas (the others are Michigan vs. St. Bonaventure and Toledo vs. Virginia Tech). Whoever comes out of this round-robin field with three wins, if anyone, will get a strong push to start the season. |
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Player of the Week T.J. Ford, G, TexasFord was sensational in the season-opening win over Georgia on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. He was 10 of 19 for 22 points, eight assists and three steals in 35 minutes. Once again, when the game was on the line, Ford hit the money shot to win it for Texas. In a year loaded with phenomenal point guards, Ford starts out the season at the top of the list. Team of Week Alabama 
The Tide got no pub and was given very little chance in the opener against Oklahoma. Alabama came in depleted with Kennedy Winston and Lucky Williams ineligible, but were tougher than the Sooners in every facet of the game. The 68-62 win over Oklahoma in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic will give this group even more confidence heading into its non-conference schedule, let alone the SEC. |
Supporting Cast JORDAN CORNETTE/DANNY MILLER, Notre Dame: Cornette grabbed 13 boards and blocked 11 shots in the opening win over Belmont on Sunday night in the Guardians Classic, making the Irish forget about Ryan Humphrey. Miller scored a game-high 19 in his Irish debut after transferring from Maryland. DWYANE WADE, Marquette: Wade was the  dominant player on the floor in the win over Villanova Friday at MSG. He scored 17 points, made 8 of 17 shots and grabbed five boards and picked two steals to lead the Eagles.
DAMIEN WILKINS, Georgia: Wilkins played some point and showed he's got ball skills with a driving two-handed slam against the Longhorns. But his debut after transferring from N.C. State was still a solid effort with 16 points, 8 of 11 from the line, seven boards and four assists.
KIRK PENNEY, Wisconsin: The native New Zealander picked  up where he left off at the World Championships by leading the Badgers to the NABC Classic title with wins over Eastern Washington and Northern Illinois. Penney averaged 19 points for the weekend, scoring 25 and grabbing seven boards in the opener.
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CARMELO ANTHONY SyracuseHe played 40 minutes in his debut, that's right all 40, and scored a game-high 27 points (10-23) and grabbed 11 rebounds. Not a bad first effort, but could do better at the line, where he was 5 of 12 in the loss to Memphis. |
GERRY MCNAMARA Syracuse McNamara handled the playmaking duties well, even though he was pushed into the job after Billy Edelin was suspended for 12 games. McNamara scored 14 points, had three assists, only one turnover and three steals in 38 minutes. |
RODNEY CARNEY Memphis He didn't shy away from shooting, but his assertive play was rewarding for John Calipari who pushed him to produce throughout the preseason. Carney scored 12 points, had nine boards, five assists and two blocks in the win over the 'Cuse. |
JEREMY HUNT Memphis Pressed to play the point in Antonio Burks' absence, Hunt dished out seven assists but did have six turnovers. He shot a bit too much in going 6 of 18, but did make three 3s and got to the line (nine times) more than any other player. |
Alvin Snow, Jr., SG, Eastern Washington: Coach Ray Giacoletti raved about Snow's improved offensive game during practice last month and he was right. Snow scored a combined 39 points as the Eagles split NABC Classic games against Wisconsin and Winthrop. The 6-2 junior was the defensive player of the year in the Big Sky but is looking more like a complete player through two games.
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Good Win Memphis 70, Syracuse 63: The Tigers' win will carry a lot of power points in March. Why? It was on a neutral court and it came against a traditionally highly-rated Big East team. |
Bad Loss Brown 65, IUPUI 66: Sorry to pick on the Bears, but they have their best team under Glen Miller and a win over IUPUI would have put them on a bit more of a national stage at the Guardians Classic semifinals in Kansas City. |
Caught Our Eye Inside the Top 25: Marquette proved it's not a one-man team (read: Wade) with five different players making 3s. Forwards Scott Merritt, Todd Townsend and Steve Novak all nailed a 3 as did reserve guard Joe Chapman to go along with Travis Diener's three 3s. Wade, oddly enough, didn't hit any.
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 Outside the Top 25: Wisconsin lit up the Kohl Center with 81 points against Eastern Washington and quietly got off to a 2-0 start by winning the NABC Classic. They're not getting the same buzz despite getting a share of the Big Ten title, but the Badgers have got the goods to challenge again.
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VILLANOVA'S FRESHMEN: The Wildcats didn't beat Marquette, but Jay Wright can still take solace in the fact that his freshmen showed promise in the loss. Guards Randy Foye and Allan Ray scored a combined 26 points, but more importantly, made the mid-range shot and looked comfortable on the perimeter in Gary Buchanan's absence while he sat out with nagging injuries. Forward Jason Fraser, the most heralded in the group, was the best inside presence, grabbing 13 boards to go with his 13 points and two blocks. He also got to the line 13 times, making seven.
SYRACUSE: The Orangemen got rocked by the NCAA when it handed down a brutal, and totally unfair, 12-game suspension on PG Billy Edelin for playing in an unsanctioned men's league when he wasn't a student last year. Missing Edelin for 12 games could end up ultimately hurting the Orangemen's NCAA chances if they can't get a few quality wins in the non-conference before the rugged Big East. Syracuse Nation is so distraught, that an online petition has been circulated in the hope the NCAA will show leniency. But the 12-game ruling was Edelin's appeal of an original decision.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. His Weekly Watch, a look back at the week and a preview of the week ahead, runs every Monday.
