REBUILDING CH2K8 (CPU vs. CPU)

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LOUISVILLE BEATS MARQUETTE IN A BATTLE OF TOP 10 TEAMS, 67-60
Connecticut is 4-0 after routing Providence, 87-70

4 UL d. 8 MARQ, 67-60

Jan. 17, Louisville KY - Louisville banked on the endgame heroics of Terrence Williams to subdue Marquette in a titanic battle between two Big East top-10 teams. The No. 4 Cardinals defeated the No. 8 Golden Eagles, 67-60, in front of an ecstatic crowd at the Freedom Hall.

Scott Padgett had just restored the lead back to the Cardinals, 62-60, with 1:04 remaining. After Dominic James missed a jumper, the 5’11 post guard came down fast in transition and blocked the layup attempt of Andre McGee giving the ball back to Marquette. The Golden Eagles immediately sued for time with 45 ticks left. However in the ensuing play Williams came out from nowhere to steal off Marquette’s main man Wesley Matthews and was fouled. Williams, who earlier canned two free throws to give the Cardinals the lead at 52-50 after a 28-37 halftime deficit, calmly sank another two to give the Louisville a two-possession game, 64-60, with 29 seconds left. After a miss three by the Golden Eagles, Williams added two more.

Terrence Williams finished with 10 points but it was Scott Padgett that earned the Player of the Game honors leading the Cardinals with 14 points and 8 rebounds. Will Scott chipped in 12. Wesley Matthews was the only Golden Eagle in double-figures top scoring with18 points. Jerel McNeal added 9 while Ousmane Barro contributed 8 markers and a game high 9 rebounds.

14 CONN d. PROV, 87-70

Jan. 17, Storrs CT - No. 14 Connecticut kept its unblemished conference record intact of 5 straight games with a sound beating of Providence, 87-70, in front of a boisterous crowd at the Harry A. Gamble Pavilion. The Huskies stormed to a 51-28 at halftime after the Friars succumbed to a tight pressing defense turning the ball 21 times. This despite the Huskies playing without Hasheem Thabeet, who has to sit most of the first half for the Huskies after committing two early fouls right in the first minute.

It was virtually game over by the middle of the second half when the lead went as high as 25 points, 51-26. Stanley Robinson, who exploded with 17 points in the first half alone, player an excellent all-around game for the Huskies finishing with a game high 24 points, 7 rebounds, two steals and 1 block shot. Jerome Dyson chipped in 17 while Doug Wiggins and Jeff Adrien added 12 apace. Thabeet was in action for only 13 minutes and had 4 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks. Weyinmi Rose again led the Friars with 19 points. Randall Hanke exploited the absence of Thabeet and came up with a double-double 16 markers and 16 boards. Jeff Xavier added 15 while Geoff McDermott contributed 7 points and 12 rebounds.

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RUTGERS STOPS SKID, TRIPS DEPAUL ON THE ROAD 84-68
Scarlet Knights' 32 free throws too much for the Blue Demons

Jan. 19, Chicago IL - Rutgers bounced back from two harrowing defeats with an impressive road victory at the All-State Arena tripping DePaul, 84-68, thereby stopping the Blue Demons’ win streak to two. The Blue Demons sent the Scarlet Knights to the free throw line a season high 43 times and those 32 charities made spelled the big difference in the game.

The Scarlet Knights led at the half 45-32 and never looked back as the Blue Deacons couldn’t resist the shooting fouls. Freshman point guard Corey Chandler was high-point man for the game with 18 points for Rutgers. Earl Pettis, who came from the bench, contributed 15 while another freshman Kai Sotto added 14. JR Inman finished with a double-double 11 points and 10 rebounds. Draelon Burns led the Demons with 15 while Matija Popic had 12.

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TOP TEAMS #2 GEORGETOWN AND #4 LOUISVILLE LOSE
#16 Pittsburgh goes down for the 3rd straight time

ND d. #2 GU, 82-76

Jan. 19, Washington DC - Notre Dame displayed its best defense of the season against Georgetown and the Fighting Irish waylaid the Georgetown Hoyas, 82-76, for their third straight victory. The win sent the previously unbeaten Hoyas to their second defeat in three games and both setbacks happening right at home any the Capitol One Center.

Notre Dame sent the Hoyas in a quandary with a suffocating full-court defense at the same time disabling the Georgetown offense. The pressing defense forced the Hoyas to a horrendous 37 turnovers stealing the ball 16 times. The Irish led 46-35 at halftime bucking the 20-point performance of Roy Hibbert in the first half. The Hoyas came close at 63-57 but a blistering 13-2 run in the final 5:16 by the Fighting Irish would sent them back reeling towards defeat.

Luke Harangody and Zach Hillesland topscored for the Irish with 14 points apiece but it was Harangody that took home the Player of the game honors. Ryan Ayers and Rob Kurz chipped in identical 12 points. Roy Hibbert finished with a game high double-double 27 points and 15 rebounds but a double sometimes triple-teaming defense threw him off committing a high 6 errors in the process. Jonathan Wallace added 11 for the Hoyas.

HALL d. #4 UL, 66-56

Jan. 19, Newark NJ - Seton Hall won its third straight victory this time against No. 4 Louisville in a tightly-defended game, 66-56, to the delight of the hometown crowd at the Prudential Center. The victory put the Pirates over .500 in the conference likewise snapped the 2-game winning streak of the Cardinals.

Seton Hall limited Louisville to a measly 31% from the floor in the first half en route to a 29-24 at the half. A 14-3 run in the last minutes gave the Pirates a double-digit lead at 53-41 but the Cardinals came back with a 6-0 of their own to cut the lead to 6 at 53-47. The Cardinals would come a little closer to 4 points after Terrence Williams made good all his free throws after a shooting foul behind the arc, however that was the closest they could get.

The game was tightly defended by both teams, Seton Hall shot only 36% from the field while Louisville a little worse at 35%. But the Pirates made 26 points out of 33 from the free throw line, 14 more than the Cardinals. Eugene Harvey sank all his 9 free throws, 4 of them in the final minute, to seal the win for the Pirates. Harvey finished with a game topping 16 points for the Pirates. Brian Laing and John Garcia chipped in with 12 and 10 respectively while Michael Glover had 6 markers but hauled down a game high 11 boards. Earl Clark was the only Cardinal in double figures with 10 points as main man Terrence Williams struggled with only 8 points.

CIN d. #16 PITT, 59-50

Jan. 19, Cincinnati OH - No. 16 Pittsburgh continued to spiral downwards losing its third straight game, this time against Cincinnati, 59-50. Down 20-32 at halftime, the Panthers were never in the game shooting a miniscule 35% from the field and were outrebounded 22-31. If there’s something wrong with the Panthers, Coach Jamie Dixon should know by now and make adjustments.

Deonte Vaughn and Alvin Mitchell led the Bearcats with 14 and 13 points respectively. Anthony McClain added 10 and John Williamson had 6 and a game high 11 rebounds. Tyrell Biggs was the high point man in the game with 15 points for the Panthers while Keith Benjamin chipped in 11.

SYR d. VILL, 84-73

Jan. 19, Syracuse NY - Syracuse won its second consecutive game with an 84-74 thrashing of Villanova to the delight of a jam-packed crowd at the Carrier Dome. The surging Orange men dealt the the Wildcats third straight defeat. Donte’ Greene exploded for 33 points, 12 in the final 3 minutes, in an all-around display of star prowess. The freshman forward shot 14 of 18 from the field and had 8 rebounds and 2 steals.

The Orange were well ahead 43-32 at the half but the Wildcats came back to knot the count at 69-all with 3:28 to go. Greene broke the tie with a trifecta but Shane Clark pumped back a similar trey to push the Wildcats up in front. 72-71. Greene countered to hand the lead back to to the Orange, 74-72, this time it was for good with time down to 2:33. The Wildcats would not score after that except for single free throw.

Donte’ Greene was the high point man for the contest and was unanimously adjudged Player of the Game. Jonny Flynn chipped in 17 points for the Orangemen, which finished a high 59% from the field. Scottie Reynolds and Dwayne Anderson led the Wildcats with 13 and 12 points respectively while Shane Clark and Corey Stokes added 11 apiece.

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CONNECTICUT WINS 6 IN-A-ROW, DEFEATS MARQUETTE, 72-64
West Virginia rallied from 26 points down to nip South Florida in OT, 72-69

#14 CONN d. #8 MARQ, 72-64

Jan. 20, Storrs CT - In a battle between two nationally ranked teams, No. 14 Connecticut outsteadied No. 8 Marquette, 72-64, in front of a hometown crowd at the Harry A. Gamble Pavilion. A.J. Price stole the ball twice from Dominic James in the final 90 seconds play lifting the Huskies to their 6th straight victory and burying the Golden Eagles to their 3rd consecutive setback.

Up by only a point at the half, 41-40, Connecticut was on equal terms with Marquette the whole of the second half until Dominic James hit a backboard jumper to give The Golden Eagles the upper hand, 64-62, with 2:02 but that was their last taste of the lead. Jerome Dyson countered with three straight points in between two Golden Eagles’ misses to give the lead back to the Huskies, 65-64 with 1:20 remaining. Then came Price’s defensive heroics. Price stole off James then sprinted to a lay in basket, 67-64, with 36.8 seconds to go and on the return play Price again to seal the victory for the Huskies.

A.J. Price was the obvious Player of the Game with game highs of 16 points and 4 interceptions. Jerome Dyson chipped in 11 while Jeff Adrien and Doug Wiggins added 10 apiece. Hasheem Thabeet had only 7 markers but a grabbed 13 boards and 4 blocks. Jerel McNeal led the Golden Eagles with 14 points while Dominic James contributed 10.

WVU d. USF, 72-69 OT

Jan. 20, Tampa FL - West Virginia rallied back from 26 points down in the first half to nip South Florida in overtime, 72-60, to the dismay of a boisterous but disappointed crowd at the USF Sun Dome. Alex Ruoff, who was a miserable 0 from 9 from the three-point area, pumped in a trey with no time remaining in regulation to force the game in overtime. The Mountaineers, which were down 14-40 at one point, took over in the 5-minute extension.

The Mountaineers which shot a dismal 19% from the field in the first half en route to a 21-40 halftime score, tightened up their defenses limiting the Bulls to only 5 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half to come back within striking distance at 39-45. Jamie Smalligan, who sat out most of the first half due to foul troubles, began dominating the painted area. Then came two successive threes from Darris Nichols and Da’Sean Butler to pull the Mountaineers within a single point, 58-59, with 1:29 remaining. After a series of misses by both teams and with 38.1 ticks left, Solomon Bozeman was fouled intentionally but made good only one free throw, 60-58. Ruff, who was left alone missed a trey, and in the ensuing play Kentrell Gransberry was fouled with only 5.5 seconds in the ball game, However Gransberry was only one out of two and that gave the Mountaineers a chance to equalize then came the Hail Mary from Ruoff.

John Flowers led the Mountaineers with 15 points but it was Da’Sean Butler that was adjudged the Player of the Game. Butler finished with 14 points while Wellington Smith had 10. Jamie Smalligan scored all of his 9 points in the second half to go with a team high 10 rebounds. Darris Nichols and Alex Ruoff had 8 and 7 points respectively but were a combined 5 of 27 from the field. Kentrell Gransberry had a game high double-double 20 points and 13 rebounds. Dante Curry chipped in 13 markers while Solomon Bozeman and Dominique Jones added 12 and 11 points respectively.

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NCAA Hoops Rankings - Media Poll Top 25 - Updated: Jan 20, 2008
RK	LW	TEAM (RECORD)	CONFERENCE	LAST 10
1	1	North Carolina (16-3)	Atlantic Coast	8-2
2	2	Georgetown (14-2)	Bis East	8-2
3	3	Kansas (13-3)	Big 12	8-2
4	5	Michigan State (14-3)	Big Ten	7-3
5	7	Arkansas (16-2)	Southeastern	9-1
6	9	Memphis (14-3)	Conference USA	8-2
7	4	Louisville (15-3)	Big East	8-2
8	14	Connecticut (15-2)	Big East	9-1
9	10	Duke (11-4)	Atlantic Coast	8-2
10	6	Tennessee (13-3)	Southeastern	7-3
11	15	Ohio State (13-4)	Big Ten	9-1
12	11	UCLA (13-4)	Pacific-10	8-2
13	8	Marquette (12-5)	Big East	6-4
14	12	Texas A&M (12-4)	Big 12	7-3
15	18	Stanford (14-4)	Pacific-10	7-3
16	13	Texas (12-4)	Big 12	8-2
17	19	Oregon (14-4)	Pacific-10	7-3
18	17	Wisconsin (13-4)	Big Ten	8-2
19	--	USC (11-4)	Pacific-10	7-3
20	16	Pittsburgh (11-6)	Big East	4-6
21	20	Virginia (13-3)	Atlantic Coast	7-3
22	22	Clemson (11-5)	Atlantic Coast	6-4
23	24	Auburn (12-4)	Southeastern	7-3
24	--	Mississippi State (14-4)	Southeastern	8-2
25	21	Alabama (13-6)	Southeastern	7-3

Big East Conference Standings - Updated: Jan 20, 2008
TEAM	CONF	PCT	REG	PCT	STRK
Connecticut #8	6-0	1.00	15-2	.882	W9
West Virginia	5-1	.833	11-6	.647	W4
Cincinnati	4-2	.666	9-9	.500	W1
Georgetown #2	4-2	.666	14-2	.875	L1
Louisville #7	4-2	.666	15-3	.833	L1
Notre Dame	4-2	.666	12-5	.705	W3
Seton Hall	4-2	.666	11-7	.611	W3
Providence	4-2	.666	9-8	.529	L1
Rutgers	3-3	.500	10-8	.555	W1
DePaul	3-3	.500	9-9	.500	L1
Syracuse	3-3	.500	8-9	.470	W2
Marquette #13	2-4	.333	12-5	.705	L3
Pittsburgh #20	1-4	.200	11-6	.647	L3
Villanova	1-4	.200	8-7	.533	L3
St. John's	1-4	.200	8-8	.500	L4
South Florida	0-6	.000	5-14	.263	L7

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GEORGETOWN BOUNCES BACK, ANNIHILATES SYRACUSE, 80-50
Hibbert and Hoyas too much for the Orange

Jan. 21, Washington DC - Georgetown bounced back and routed surging Syracuse, 80-50, to the delight of the capacity crowd at the Capitol One Center. The victory put the Hoyas back on track and halted the Orange 2-game winning skein. The Hoyas held a slim 36-34 lead at half-time but a crippling 14-0 run midway in the second half took the game out of the Orange.

Roy Hibbert, who late in the first half held the audience in silence when he was carried out of the floor after he dunked the ball, was a rebound away from another double-double finishing a game high 19 points and 9 boards. Hibbert came back in the second half capped that breakaway 14-0 run with 6 straight points at 54-37 despite a pulled ligament. Sead Dizdarevic and Austin Freeman chipped in 11 and 10 points respectively while Vernon Macklin added 8 markers and a game high 12 boards. Eric Devendorf led the Orange with 14 points while Antonio Jardine aded 10.

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SCARLET KNIGHTS AND #7 LOUISVILLE CARDINALS WIN ANEW
Send Villanova and South Florida deeper down the mire

RUT d. VILL, 69-47

Jan. 23, Piscataway NJ - Rutgers crushed Villanova at home, 69-47, for its second straight win. The victory moved the Scarlet Knights up over .500 in the conference while the faltering Wildcats, which were ahead 29-28 at halftime, sank deeper in the mire. Villanova 50% from the field at the first half went down to 34% when Rutgers defense toughened up.

Corey Chandler top scored with 21 points with JR Inman chipping in 12 points and a game high 9 rebounds for the Scarlet Knights, which routed the Wildcats at the board 35-23. Alex Legion and Earl Pettis had 10 apiece while Kai Sotto added 8 points and 8 rebounds. Dante Cunningham was the only Wildcat in double figures with 10.

#7 LU d. USF, 76-62

Jan. 23, Tampa FL - Louisville bounced back from a previous loss to hand down South Florida’s 8th straight defeat sinking them deep into the conference cellar with a sorry 0-7 slate in front of a frustrated crowd at the Sun Dome, 76-62 The Cardinals led 44-23 at the half but the Bulls managed to stage a rally midway in the second half with an 18-3 run at 53-45 but that was the closest they could get.

Terrance Williams led all scorers with 19 points for the Cardinals. Jerry Smith and Juan Palacios chipped in 13 and 10 respectively. Dominique Jones and Solomon Bozeman led the Bulls with 13 and 10 markers.

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I will have to put everything on hold (temporary hopefully).
My old and trusty PS3 has kissed the Yellow Light of Death.