FAST BREAK (December 2): Court Storming in Pennsylvania

Another short college hoops day only offered us 14 games.  This didn't stop the action and excitement from happening.  Before we gear up for Saturday's jam packed schedule, here is your Friday evening...

FAST BREAK

Duquesne (4-5) - 64
Pittsburgh (6-2) - 55

Duquesne players begin to celebrate (Photo by Gene J. Puskar/AP)

Friday night began with a huge upset win for the Duquesne Dukes against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the City Game.  The Panthers were without senior forward Jamel Artis, who was suspended for this contest in what was said as "failing to live up to the standards of a University of Pittsburgh basketball player."  Artis has been a crucial piece this season for Pittsburgh, averaging 19.7 ppg and 5.4 rpg.  However, Friday night, the Panthers would have to play without him.  The first half was no easy task, but Pittsburgh was able to find a way to lead 30-29 with scoring machine Michael Young accounting for half of their total.  Following the intermission, The Dukes went up 47-38 with 12:35 left to play only to have the Panthers charge back on a furious 10-0 run to take the lead with 6:55 remaining.  However, despite squandering leads to other opponents early on in the season, Duquesne was determined to not let this one slip away.  The Dukes junior guard Rene Castro hit his only three of the night to put them back on top 50-48.  From there on, Duquesne never looked back.  They were able to limit Pittsburgh to 3-22 shooting from outside.  In addition, the Dukes defense got after senior forward Michael Young after he exploded for 15 in the first half, holding him to just 4 points in the final 20 minutes of action.  It was quite clear that the lack of Jamel Artis hurt Pittsburgh in this one, but that is not to say that Duquesne didn't earn this one.  The Dukes played hard for all 40 minutes and responded well to Pittsburgh's fight.

Notable Players:

DUQ - Emile Blackman (37 minutes, 21 points, 6 rebounds, 4-7 from three)
DUQ - Mike Lewis II (36 minutes, 15 points, 5-14 from field)
PITT - Michael Young (37 minutes, 19 points, 6 rebounds, 8-21 from field)
PITT - Cameron Johnson (38 minutes, 14 points, 8 rebounds, 1-7 from three)  
 
CSU Bakersfield (5-4) - 43
SMU (5-3) - 49

SMU's Semi Ojeleye (Photo by George Walker/DFW Sports)

Not a lot of offense in this one, but still, this was a very good game.  SMU and CSU Bakersfield were tight going into halftime, with SMU grasping hold of a 1 point lead 23-22.  In the second half, CSU Bakersfield was able to take a 4 point advantage with just 5:49 remaining, but SMU, thanks to the free throw line, was able to come back and put CSU Bakersfield away.  The Mustangs went 8-10 from the stripe through the final 4:19 seconds while the Roadrunners were held scoreless through the final 5:49 seconds.  A late three by Bakersfield's sophomore guard Damiyne Durham broke this scoreless stretch, but it was too little too late.  This was a much needed victory after SMU dropped two straight to USC and Boise State.

Notable Players:

SMU - Shake Milton (38 minutes, 13 points, 4 assists, 3-6 from three)
SMU - Semi Ojeleye (31 minutes, 9 points, 8 rebounds)
SMU - Ben Moore (34 minutes, 5 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks)
CSB - Damiyne Durham (25 minutes, 14 points, 4-13 from three)  

Games To Watch Today (Saturday, December 3)

 Note: All times are Central Standard Time

11:30am - CBS

(11) UCLA (7-0)
(1) Kentucky (6-0)


12:00pm - BTN

Oklahoma (5-1)
(17) Wisconsin (6-2) 


1:00pm - ESPNU

(25) West Virginia (4-1)
(6) Virginia (6-0)


2:30pm - ESPN2

(7) Xavier (7-0)
(9) Baylor (7-0)


2:30pm - ESPN

Stanford (6-2)
(4) Kansas (6-1)


3:30pm

(21) Rhode Island (5-2)
Providence (5-2)


4:30pm - ESPN

(8) Gonzaga (7-0)
(16) Arizona (6-1)


7:00pm - FS2

Akron (6-1)
(10) Creighton (7-0)

That's all for today.  Be sure to check out some, if not all of those games on Saturday.  This is a huge weekend in college basketball and features some very intriguing matchups.  Check back tomorrow for full recaps of the action from Saturday!

 Stats from ESPN.com

FAST BREAK (December 1): Cincinnati and Iowa State Slug it Out

While the ACC/Big Ten Challenge is done and we await some premier matchups this weekend, Thursday provided us with one incredibly entertaining game and some convincing victories.  Here is your Thursday...

FAST BREAK

Cincinnati (6-1) - 55
(19) Iowa State (5-2) - 54

Cincinnati's Gary Clark, bottom (Photo by Jeffrey Becker/USA Today)

What was a rather slow day for college basketball got a big boost when Cincinnati marched into Ames, Iowa and knocked off #19 ranked Iowa State in Overtime.  If you were looking for a big offensive showcase, this wasn't the game to watch.  Cincinnati led at the half 25-24 and matched their first half total in the second half.  With Iowa State leading late, 50-48, Cincinnati's junior forward Gary Clark was able to hit the game-tying jumper and send the game to overtime after Iowa State's senior guard Nazareth Mitrou-Long missed the potential game-winning three.  In OT, the Bearcats got after Iowa State on the defensive end.  Not to take away anything from Cincinnati's win, but the Bearcats were beneficiaries of a late foul call that put Jacob Evans to the line.  On an awful possession that looked as if the Bearcats had no idea what to do, Evans, late in the shot clock, got bumped as he drove the lane, with the officials tagging Iowa State's Darrell Bowie for the personal foul and sending Evans to the charity stripe.  There, he rattled in the game-tying free throw and then drilled the game-winning free throw.  Once again, Mitrou-Long had a shot at winning the game, but pulled up way too deep and completely missed the rim.  He finished the night scoreless after going 0-7 from the field and 0-5 from three.  Despite shooting just 3-21 from deep, Cincinnati was able to lock down Iowa State's offense and scamper out of Ames with a big win.

Notable Players:

CIN - Kyle Washington (31 minutes, 13 points, 10 rebounds)
CIN - Gary Clark (37 minutes, 11 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks)
ISU - Monte Morris (39 minutes, 15 points, 7-16 from field)
ISU - Matt Thomas (35 minutes, 13 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals)

Vermont (6-3) - 50
(20) South Carolina (7-0) - 68

South Carolina's P.J. Dozier, #15 (Photo by Richard Shiro/AP)

South Carolina is coming off a tremendous week that saw the Gamecocks beat then #25 Michigan and then #18 Syracuse back-to-back.  Now, sporting a spot inside the AP Top 25, Head Coach Frank Martin and his squad played host to Vermont.  The Catamounts came into this one at 6-2 and were determined to come away with an upset.  This was not the case, however, as Vermont just didn't have enough to offer in their loss to South Carolina.  The Gamecocks began the second half with a 43-32 lead over Vermont and quickly extended it to 51-32.  Martin expressed prior to the game that he was worried that his group would treat this game as a cakewalk, but the Gamecocks were able to come out with aggression and put this one away.  

Notable Players: 

SC - P.J. Dozier (32 minutes, 21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals)
SC - Sindarius Thornwell (29 minutes, 11 points, 9 assists)
VERM - Anthony Lamb (23 minutes, 12 points, 6 turnovers)
VERM - Payton Henson (27 minutes, 6 points, 8 rebounds)  

Montana State (5-3) - 84
Utah (5-1) - 92

Utah's Kyle Kuzma, #35 (Photo by Rick Bowmer/AP)

From the tip, the Utes had control of this one, with Montana State leading early 11-10 and then cutting a 12 point Utah halftime advantage down to 3 points 5 minutes into the second half.  The difference in this game?  Rebounds.  Utah out-rebounded Montana State 51-31.  Junior forward Kyle Kuzma certainly did his part, scoring 16 points while grabbing 15 boards and dishing out 9 assists.

Notable Players:

UTAH - Kyle Kuzma (38 minutes, 16 points, 15 rebounds, 9 assists, 6 turnovers)
UTAH - Tyler Rawson (26 minutes, 17 points, 9 rebounds, 8-12 from field)
MTST - Tyler Hall (37 minutes, 22 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals)
MTST - Quinton Everett (26 minutes, 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3-4 from three)

  
Games to Watch Today (Friday, December 2)

7:00pm - ESPN3

CSU Bakersfield (5-3)
SMU (4-3) 

That's all for today.  Make sure to check back tomorrow for updates on Friday night's games as well what games to watch for this weekend.

Stats from ESPN.com