NCAA: Collegiate Top 25 look solid in openers

The first weekend of the NCAA men’s basketball season got off to rocky start as two top 25 teams were upset in their opener, three games scheduled to be played on United States Naval Aircraft Carriers docked in three different cities in the US were canceled due to condensation on the courts and a highly touted recruit was declared ineligible my the NCAA. None-the-less, collegiate basketball in the US did get its season started this weekend with 217 games total scheduled from opening night on Friday thru the end of the day on Sunday.

Carrier Classic, Battle on the USS Midway, and Navy/Marine Corps Classic
With this being Veterans Day weekend, it was an ideal opportunity for organizers to build on the first Carrier Classic held in 2011. The plan was to play high-level games on a temporary court and bleacher structures assembled on the flight decks of three different aircraft carriers. Both men’s and women’s games were scheduled, service men and women were invited to watch, tickets were sold, festivities planned including an appearance by the US Secretary of the Navy. Unfortunately, all three contests were canceled or postponed due to weather related problems. A great idea to raise awareness for programs that help former Military personnel, but planning games in November at night next to the water? The women played without incident in Charleston, SC, but they played late afternoon before the sun went down. Hopefully someone was taking notes… They’ll try again in San Diego on Sunday afternoon when the 9th ranked Syracuse Orangemen take on San Diego St. on the USS Midway.

Top 25 Highlights
Most of the top ranked teams took care of business Friday and Saturday, but a couple of non-ranked teams had something to say about the preseason picks.

(1) Indiana – Bryant, 97:54
Top ranked Indiana led by preseason player of the year pick, Cody Zellar, cruised to a 43-point win over Bryant at home in Bloomington, Indiana. Zeller shot 8 for 10 from inside the arc and secured 10 rebounds in just 27 minutes of playing time. Alex Francis dropped in 15 and Frankie Dobbs added 12 for the Bulldogs.

(3) Kentucky – Maryland, 72:69
UK and Maryland traveled to the new Barclay Center in Brooklyn, NY for the Barclay Center Classic with the Terrapins almost giving the defending National Champions their first loss of the new season. The Wildcats built a 49:36 advantage going into the locker room at halftime and scored the first two points in the second half, but then Maryland went on a 2:17 run to knot the score at 53 with 11:33 to play in the contest. UK was able to build a five point margin with just over two minutes to play, but Maryland was able to get within one, 69:70 with 11 seconds left on the clock. Jarrod Polson dropped in two free throws with 8.9 seconds remaining to push Kentucky to a three-point lead, giving the Terrapins an opportunity to set up for a final shot. Pe’Shon Howard got a clear jumper, but couldn’t get it to fall, though even if he had found the bottom of the cords he was inside the arc which would have still left them a point short. Kentucky got 19 from Kyle Wiltjer, while Maryland’s 216 cm Alex Len tallied 23.

(6) North Carolina State – Miami (OH), 97:59
The Wolfpack got their 2012-13 campaign off to a solid start with a 38-point win at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC. All five NC State starters scored in double figures with Richard Howell turning in a double double (16 points, 10 rebounds). Miami of Ohio was led by Allen Roberts’ 16 points.

(5) Michigan – Slippery Rock, 100:62
Ever since 1959 the NCAA Division II Slippery Rock football team’s scores have been announced during Michigan football games. Because of this tradition, the smaller school feels like the Big Ten powerhouse is like their ‘big brother’ school. Like any big brother will do, the Wolverines welcomed ‘The Rock’ into their home and proceeded to remind them who the big brother was with a 38-point victory in Ann Arbor. Tim Hardaway, Jr., son of Tim, Sr., a 14-yr veteran of the NBA, surpassed 1,000 career points at Michigan with a 25-point performance. Devin Taylor picked up 14 for Slippery Rock.

(7) Kansas – SE Missouri St, 74:55
Number 7 ranked Kansas got their 2012-13 season off on a positive note picking up a 19-point win at home against SE Missouri State. Jeff Withey paced Kansas with 17; Nick Niemczyk dropped in 14 coming off the SE Missouri bench.

(8) Duke – Georgia St., 74:55
Duke got a double double from forward Mason Plumlee (19 points, 14 rebounds) to help the Blue Devils pick up their first ‘W’ of the new season at home against Georgia St. Seth Curry added 15 and Tyler Thornton dropped in 15 for Duke. Devonta White paced Georgia State with 19 points and RJ Hunter added 14.

(11) North Carolina – Gardner-Webb, 76:55
The Tar Heels got a career-high 26 points from James McAdoo in a 76:55 win over the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill. Dexter Strickland added 13 for North Carolina. Donta Harper and Max Landis had 13 each for GW and Mike Byzzron contributed 10.

(13) UCLA – Indiana State, 86:59
The 13th ranked Bruins reopened the renovated Pauley Pavilion (18-months and $132 million worth of work) in Los Angeles with a decisive win over Missouri Valley Conference’s Indiana State. UCLA found out prior to tip-off that prize recruit Shabazz Muhammad was ruled ineligible for the season by the NCAA for accepting financial assistance from a family friend for travel and lodging during three unofficial recruiting trips to Duke and North Carolina. The NCAA ruled that the friend fell outside the boundaries for such assistance to be declared acceptable and has deemed the assistance to break the rules of amateurism. NCAA is discussing their options, which include appealing the decision and waiting a year and requesting reinstatement. Another high-profile freshman, Jordan Adams, led the way for UCLA with 21 points off the bench, Travis Wear added 17 to the win. The Sycamores got 11 each from Justin Grant and Khristian Smith.

Connecticut – (14) Michigan St., 66:62
14th ranked Michigan St. and unranked UConn traveled to Ramstein Air Force Base in Ramstein, Germany to play in the Armed Forces Classic, the first-ever collegiate basketball game played on European soil. In keeping with the Military theme around the NCAA, the Spartans and Huskies donned specially designed camouflage uniforms and shoes and played inside an aircraft hangar in front of a packed set of temporary bleachers full of US Army personnel. Connecticut shocked the Spartans by keeping the game tempo up and by hitting 9 of their first 10 shots from the floor; they got the lead early and never gave it up, getting up by as many as 16 in the first half. Shabazz Napier led all scorers with 25 for UConn, Keith Appling topped the Spartans with 17.

(15) Missouri – SIU-Edwardsville 83:69
The Cougars got four players in double figures, but couldn’t match up with the 15th ranked Tigers of Missouri and found themselves on the losing end of an 83:69 score. Laurence Bowers and Phil Pressey scored 20 and 19, respectively, for Missouri, while Edwardsville got 17 from Jerome Jones, 13 from Michael Messer and 11 each from Maurice Willtz and Kris Davis.

(19) Baylor – Leigh, 99:77
Baylor saw the debut of 216 cm Isaiah Austin at home in Waco, Texas, when they got their 2012-13 campaign underway with a 22-point victory over Leigh. Austin contributed 22 points to the win in 17 minutes on the court before rolling his ankle and having to head to the trainer’s room. Baylor was led by Cory Jefferson’s 26 points. C.J. McCollum showed why he was picked as a preseason All-American, tallying 36 points and eight rebounds in the loss.

(21) Gonzaga – Southern Utah, 103-65
Gonzaga had six players in double figures and was able to give some bench players solid minutes, including 216 cm Polish freshman Przemek Karnowski, who led the Zags with 22 points in 20 minutes. Southern Utah got 29 of it’s 65 from forward Jackson Stevenett.

(22) Notre Dame – Evansville, 58:49
Evansville traveled the state of Indiana from foot to head on Saturday to square off with the 22nd ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame in South Bend. Jack Cooley tallied a double double with 19 points and 11 rebounds to help give the Irish their first win of the season, while Evansville’s Colt Ryan dropped in 15 and Ryan Sawvell added 10 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.

(25) Florida St. – South Alabama, 71:76
South Alabama traveled to Tallahassee and pulled off a five-point upset win over 25th ranked Florida St. to open their 2012-13 season. Shooting an impressing 9 of 15 (60.0%) from behind the arc, compared to the Seminoles connecting on just 5 of 21 (23.8%), the Jaguars picked off their first top 25 ranked opponent in over three seasons. Antoine Allen got 21 off the bench for South Alabama, while Florida St. was led by Terry Whisnant and Allen Thomas with 11 points each.