What a game day

Some great games went down today.

Upset:

Florida 85, #12 Kentucky 79. It's the second loss in a row for the Wildcats.

The rest of the story:

#2 South Carolina rallied past #10 Texas A&M, 70-63. Tiffany Mitchell lead the Gamecocks with 27 points. Huge good sign for South Carolina in finding that extra gear to close out, and Mitchell has really been stepping up lately.

Mississippi State 65, Arkansas 55.

#15 UCLA 69, Utah 63. Jordin Canada sat out for the Bruins with an undisclosed injury. She is listed as day-to-day.

#16 Stanford 69, Washington State 52.

#19 Tennessee 70, Alabama 42.

#23 DePaul 77, St. John's 71.

#25 Washington 75, California 65.
Husky junior Kelsey Plum, the NCAA's leading scorer, reached the 2,000 point career mark.

NC State 78, North Carolina 49. My, how the tables have turned.

Michigan 92, Minnesota 76.

Iowa 79, Northwestern 64. The Wildcats are tumblin'.

Georgia 64, Vanderbilt 58. (The middle of the SEC is tighter than spandex)

Marquette 89, Seton Hall 82. The Golden Eagles have won five straight.

Oregon 76, Arizona 54.

One more game today tips off right now: USC at Colorado.

All scores.

The AP top 25 poll tomorrow should be intersting.

1. Will Tennessee drop out for the first time since cavewoman days?

2. Will Washington stay ranked?

3. How far will Kentucky fall?

4. Will DePaul drop out?

5. If someone drops out, who will enter?

Saturday, January 30, 2016

124 games

124 games today, with some interesting results:

#4 Baylor 71, #24 West Virginia 61

#5 Maryland 86, Indiana 63 The Terps' Brionna Jones reached 1,000 points.

#6 Texas 66, Kansas State 51

#21 Oklahoma 77, Iowa State 71

Middle Tennessee 83, Western Kentucky 75. The Blue Raiders snapped the Topper's 14-game winning streak.

Purdue 88, Penn State 78 (2OT).

Rutgers 66, Nebraska 56

Ohio 68, Ball State 67. The Bobcats have won 12 straight.

San Francisco 71, Gonzaga 52.

UTEP 86, Louisiana Tech 80. The 18-1 Miners have won 10 in a row.

Oklahoma State 80, TCU 52.

CSUN 79, Cal State Fullerton 52. The Matadors have won three straight.

St. Mary's 83, Pacific 75. The Gaels are undefeated in January.

BYU 77, Pepperdine 66. Lexi Eaton Rydalch tied her career high with 37 points.

All scores.

Tomorrow's schedule:

Only 39 games tomorrow, but they are some classic match ups....

Minnesota vs. Michigan

St. John's vs. DePaul

North Carolina vs. NC State

Georgia vs. Vanderbilt

Iowa vs. Northwestern

Giddyup.

Team news:

Newly-ranked Huskies move forward without key contributor.

Player news:

OSU guard Jamie Weisner is driven by last season's disappointment.

Freshman Sam Fuehring's role is growing for Louisville.

Dawn Staley Award Mid-Season 2016 Watch List

The nominees:

Adrienne Motley, University of Miami
Aerial Powers, Michigan State University
Alexis Jones, Baylor University
Alexis Peterson, Syracuse University
Brandy Montgomery, Auburn University
Courtney Walker, Texas A&M University
Courtney Williams, University of South Florida
Jada Payne, East Carolina University
Jordin Canada, UCLA
Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio State University
Kelsey Plum, University of Washington
Kahleah Copper, Rutgers University
Madison Cable, University of Notre Dame
Makayla Epps, University of Kentucky
Moriah Jefferson, University of Connecticut
Rachel Banham, University of Minnesota
Tiffany Mitchell, University of South Carolina
Tyler Scaife, Rutgers University

WNBA releases schedule

From the WNBA:

WNBA’S HISTORIC 20TH SEASON TIPS OFF MAY 14
WITH NEW, MORE BALANCED SCHEDULE

– ESPN Coverage Starts Opening Day with MVPs
Maya Moore of Minnesota and Diana Taurasi of Phoenix Going Head-to-Head –

– WNBA Tip-Off Presented by Verizon Offers 12 Games over Nine Days –

NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2016 – The WNBA’s historic 20th season tips off on Saturday, May 14 with five games, highlighted by an ESPN telecast of the defending WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx and the Phoenix Mercury at 7:30 p.m. ET. Finals MVP Maya Moore leads Minnesota, while Phoenix features seven-time All-Star Diana Taurasi and reigning two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year presented by Samsung Brittney Griner.

WNBA Tip-Off 2016 presented by Verizon consists of 12 games over nine days (May 14-22), showcasing the home opener of every team.

In the other opening-day matchups, 2015 WNBA MVP presented by Samsung Elena Delle Donne and the Chicago Sky host the Connecticut Sun (8 p.m. ET); the newly relocated Dallas Wings play at the Indiana Fever (6 p.m. ET); the New York Liberty visit the Washington Mystics (7 p.m. ET); and the Atlanta Dream take on the host San Antonio Stars (8 p.m. ET).

The 2016 season also features a new, more balanced regular-season schedule highlighted by more cross-conference games. Details of the new format are available at www.wnba.com/news/regular-season-playoff-format-changes-2016-season/

ESPN networks will air up to 33 games, including wall-to-wall coverage of the WNBA postseason with ESPN networks televising every game of the WNBA Playoffs and WNBA Finals presented by Verizon. All ESPN telecasts will also be available on WatchESPN. NBA TV will televise more than 40 games during the regular season. That telecast schedule will be announced at a later date.

In addition, WNBA LiveAccess will provide online and mobile viewing of live and archived WNBA games for the entire season.

In October 2014, the NBA and ESPN announced an extension of the partnership between the WNBA and ESPN through which WNBA games will continue to be televised on ESPN networks through the 2025 season. The agreement extends the league’s relationship with ESPN, which commenced in 1997, to 29 years.

Highlights of the ESPN/ESPN2 regular-season telecast schedule for 2016 include:

• All 14 games feature at least one winner of the WNBA Most Valuable Player Award presented by Samsung.
• Nine telecasts with league MVPs going head-to-head, highlighted by a pair of clashes involving the two most recent MVPs – Chicago’s Delle Donne (2015) and Minnesota’s Moore (2014). The two meet July 5 in Minnesota and Sept. 13 in Chicago.
• Five straight telecasts featuring former MVPs squaring off, beginning opening day with Taurasi (2009) and the Mercury visiting Moore and the Lynx. Candace Parker (2008 and 2013) and the Los Angeles Sparks visit Delle Donne and the Sky on May 24; Moore and the Lynx face Tina Charles (2012) and the Liberty in New York on May 31; Charles and Parker meet in Los Angeles on June 7; and the Indiana Fever’s Tamika Catchings and Moore square off in Minnesota on June 14.
• On June 21, the 19-year anniversary of the WNBA’s inaugural game, the Wings, led by All-Star Skylar Diggins, will make their ESPN2 debut with a home game against the Mercury. The Wings also will close out ESPN’s regular-season schedule when they visit the Fever on the final day of the season, Sept. 18.
• On Aug. 28, ESPN2 will air a doubleheader tipping off with Seattle at Minnesota at 7 p.m. ET, followed by Los Angeles at Phoenix at 9 p.m. ET.
• Minnesota will appear on six ESPN/ESPN2 telecasts; Los Angeles will make five appearances. Phoenix will be featured in four telecasts, with Chicago, Dallas and Indiana each appearing three times.

The 2016 WNBA regular season runs from Saturday, May 14 through Sunday, Sept. 18. A complete game-by-game listing of the schedule is available at http://www.wnba.com/schedule/. The ESPN/ESPN2 game telecast schedule follows:

2016 ESPN/ESPN2 TELEVISION SCHEDULE
Day Date Visitor Home Local Time Eastern Time Network
Sat. May 14, 2016 Phoenix Minnesota 6:30 PM 7:30 PM ESPN
Tues. May 24, 2016 Los Angeles Chicago 6:00 PM 7:00 PM ESPN2
Tues. May 31, 2016 Minnesota New York 8:00 PM 8:00 PM ESPN2
Tues. June 7, 2016 New York Los Angeles 7:00 PM 10:00 PM ESPN2
Tues. June 14, 2016 Indiana Minnesota 7:00 PM 8:00 PM ESPN2
Tues. June 21, 2016 Phoenix Dallas 7:00 PM 8:00 PM ESPN2
Tues. June 28, 2016 Dallas Los Angeles 7:00 PM 10:00 PM ESPN2
Tues. July 5, 2016 Chicago Minnesota 7:00 PM 8:00 PM ESPN2
Tues. July 19, 2016 Los Angeles Indiana 8:00 PM 8:00 PM ESPN2
Sun. Aug. 28, 2016 Seattle Minnesota 6:00 PM 7:00 PM ESPN2
Sun. Aug. 28, 2016 Los Angeles Phoenix 6:00 PM 9:00 PM ESPN2
Tues. Sept. 6, 2016 Phoenix Atlanta 8:00 PM 8:00 PM ESPN2
Tues. Sept. 13, 2016 Minnesota Chicago 7:00 PM 8:00 PM ESPN2
Sun. Sept. 18, 2016 Dallas Indiana 4:00 PM 4:00 PM ESPN2

* Schedule subject to change

With as many as 25 WNBA players likely to represent their respective countries at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from Aug. 5-21, the league has not scheduled any games from July 23 through Aug. 25. Similar to the 2004, 2008 and 2012 seasons that also saw a break in the schedule for the Olympics, WNBA teams and players will remain active in their local communities during the hiatus. Players not competing in the Olympics will participate in a variety of community-based events and activities designed to give fans a unique opportunity to interact with their favorite WNBA teams.

After the 2016 Summer Olympics, in which the United States looks to earn its sixth consecutive gold medal in women’s basketball, the WNBA will tip off the second half of its season on Friday, Aug. 26. The regular-season schedule concludes Sunday, Sept. 18, with the WNBA Playoffs presented by Verizon scheduled to begin Wednesday, Sept. 21.

Schedule link.

WNBA changes playoff schedule

From the WNBA:

WNBA APPROVES SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO
REGULAR-SEASON AND PLAYOFF FORMATS

-- Top Eight Teams Regardless of Conference to Qualify for Postseason --

-- Balanced Regular-Season Schedule Features More Cross-Conference Play --

-- ESPN Networks to Televise all Postseason Games in 2016 --

NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2016 – The WNBA Board of Governors approved changes to playoff seeding and qualification procedures as well as the postseason format, effective with the 2016 season, the WNBA announced today. The reconfigured postseason structure, featuring live telecasts by ESPN networks of every playoff and Finals game in 2016, dovetails with a new, more balanced format for the regular-season schedule.

Beginning with the WNBA’s historic 20th season, the eight teams with the highest winning percentages regardless of conference will qualify for the playoffs and be seeded based on their record.

Additional changes to the playoff structure are as follows:

• The number of playoff rounds increases from three to four. The top two seeds receive a bye to the semifinals (third round), and the third and fourth seeds receive a bye to the second round.

• Teams will be re-seeded after each postseason round.

• The first and second rounds are single elimination. In the first round, the No. 5 seed hosts the No. 8 seed and the No. 6 seed hosts the No. 7 seed. In the second round, the No. 3 seed hosts the lowest-seeded first-round winner and the No. 4 seed hosts the other first-round winner.

• The semifinals feature a best-of-five format, with the No. 1 overall seed playing the lowest remaining seed and the No. 2 overall seed meeting the remaining team. The Nos. 1 and 2 seeds will host Games 1, 2 and 5, and the lower-seeded teams will host Games 3 and 4 in their respective series. The WNBA Finals remain best-of-five and follow the same 2-2-1 format.

“First and foremost, the new postseason format provides an enhanced opportunity to showcase the best teams in the WNBA Finals,” said Mark Tatum, NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer. “Coupled with the new regular season structure that creates more competitive balance and additional excitement during the stretch run toward the playoffs, the new postseason format will provide a heightened sense of urgency to the start of the postseason. Add to that the fact that ESPN networks will air every postseason game live and we are talking about increased exposure and increased excitement.”

Most recently, the top four teams in both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference qualified for the playoffs and were seeded by conference standings. The East and West each held two best-of-three conference semifinals, followed by a best-of-three conference finals. The conference champions advanced to a best-of-five WNBA Finals.

Under the new, more balanced regular-season format, teams will face their five in-conference opponents in the following manner:

• Four games against one team (two home and two away)
• Three games apiece against the four remaining teams (two home and one away versus two teams; one home and two away versus the other two teams)
• Each team’s opponent breakdown was selected at random and will be rotated annually to ensure a fair balance of the schedule.

Games against the six teams in the opposite conference will be as follows:

• Three games against each team (two home and one away versus three teams; one home and two away versus the remaining three teams)
• The opponents for the two formats have been selected at random and will be reversed annually.

Most recently during the regular season, teams faced cross-conference opponents once at home and once on the road (12 games). The remainder of a team’s schedule consisted of five games apiece against two in-conference opponents and four games apiece versus the remaining three in-conference teams (22 games).

The role of assistant coaches

Great piece on the people behind the head coaches, and what they do. Scouting reports are crucial:

“As an assistant, it is vital to scout and know your opponent almost as well as you know your own team and have film and paper scout prepped and ready to go (for the head coach) two to three ahead of the game. This allows the head coach to access it and start the preparation and discussion on the opponent whenever he/she is ready to, as well as to start to look at what adjustments, wrinkles, and game plans you’ll take into practice and scout.

Along with that, it is paramount that when giving the scout to the team and going through film that you are comfortable and confident because it has serious carryover to the level of confidence and understanding the team will take into the game.

Both the players and head coach don’t necessarily need to know it like you do but they need to know it well enough to execute the game plan and understand that they can trust you in times of adversity during the heat of the game.”

– Kyle Cooper, Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach, West Liberty University (NCAA DII – Mt. East)

“From the first day on the job, the expectations Coach DeSalvo had for me regarding scouting reports were very clear. Still, I felt it was my job to exceed his expectations. I strived to make sure that scouts were prepared prior to him asking and made sure he did not have to ask twice.

Being the only assistant on the staff in my previous role, I worked to be as efficient as possible and strived to go above and beyond to help put the program in the best position to be successful and to never make the head coach have to wait for me. I did my best to be a full scout ahead to keep our preparation early.”

– Courtney Burns, Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach, Southern New Hampshire University (NCAA DII – NE-10)

Finally, something from the WNBA

A promotional video, "Watch Me Work."

And it's on the main page that the schedule will finally be released later today.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

USA Today top 25 coaches poll

Northwestern, Florida and Syracuse out of this week's coaches poll:

1. Connecticut
2. South Carolina
3. Notre Dame
4. Baylor
5. Maryland
6. Texas
7. Ohio State
8. Oregon State
9. Arizona State
10. Texas A&M
11. Florida State
12. Kentucky
13. Mississippi State
14. Louisville
15. Michigan State
16. Stanford
17. Miami-Florida
18. South Florida
19. UCLA
20. Oklahoma
21. DePaul
22. Green Bay
23. Tennessee
24. Missouri
25. Seton Hall

Monday, January 25, 2016

Night cap

Today's results:

#12 Kentucky slipped by #19 Tennessee, 64-63.

#14 Louisville routed Syracuse, 71-53.

Many many postponed games still happening, due to weather and travel issues.

All scores.

Conference news:

ESPN's Charlie Creme is trying to make sense of the topsy turvy SEC.

Player news:

Former Weber State guard Sira Toure has transferred to Auburn.

Coach news:

Oregon coach Kelly Graves: shootin' with the Lexis.

High school news:

A girls basketball team in Minnesota has been kicked out of its league for being too good.

Yet another AP top 25 poll shake up

A turbulent season makes for an ever-changing poll:

1. Connecticut
2. South Carolina
3. Notre Dame
4. Baylor
5. Maryland
6. Texas
7. Ohio State
8. Arizona State
9. Oregon State
10. Texas A&M
11. Florida State
12. Kentucky
13. Mississippi State
14. Louisville
15. UCLA
16. Stanford
17. Miami
18. Michigan State
19. Tennessee
20. South Florida
21. Oklahoma
22. Missouri
23. DePaul
24. West Virginia
25. Washington

Welcome to the poll, Washington Huskies, bringing the mighty Pac-12 back up to five teams in the poll. Bruins move up five spots after downing Stanford last night, who drop four spots.

Other big movers up are TAMU, Florida State, Louisville and Michigan State.

Moving down significantly are: Kentucky, Mississippi State and South Florida.

USA Basketball names 25 Olympic finalists

This year's U.S. Olympic team will come from this list:

Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever), Tina Charles (New York Liberty), Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky), Skylar Diggins (Dallas Wings), Stefanie Dolson (Washington Mystics), Candice Dupree (Phoenix Mercury), Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota Lynx), Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury), Briann January (Indiana Fever), Jantel Lavender (Los Angeles Sparks), Kayla McBride (San Antonio Stars), Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream), Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx), Chiney Ogwumike (Connecticut Sun), Nnemkadi Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks), Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks), Danielle Robinson (San Antonio Stars), Odyssey Sims (Dallas Wings), Breanna Stewart (University of Connecticut), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), Courtney Vandersloot (Chicago Sky) and Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx) and Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm).

Coach’s chair: Aaron Johnston, South Dakota State University

Coach Aaron Johnston has been doing big things at SDSU for the last 16 years, and I talked with him about that. Check it out.

Sunday, January 24, 2016

The continually-surprising Pac-12

#20 UCLA blew out #12 Stanford, 56-36.

It was the Bruins' first win over the Cardinal since Jan. 4, 2008, and Stanford's first double-digit loss to a conference opponent since Feb. 7, 2004

The 36 points by the Cardinal were the fewest they've scored in the history of the 82-game series between the two teams.

Coach news:

Joanne McCallie is leading a different Duke team.

North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell erupted in her team's loss to the Blue Devils today.

High school news:

A California high school player made 15 three-point shots in a game last week, and scored 50 points.

WNBA news:

Sue Bird food diary.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Whoa camel, whoa!

Like my Yo Sammity Sam reference? I feel like this season is a huge runaway camel so far....and I'm loving every minute of it.

Upsets:

Georgia toppled #10 Mississippi State, 47-43.

Ole Miss unseated #9 Kentucky, 73-65.

Almost-upsets:

#7 Ohio State escaped Michigan, 97-93.

#13 Texas A&M used an over time to stave off #23 Missouri, 81-77.

More results:

#2 South Carolina 74, Auburn 58

#18 Tennessee 58, Vanderbilt 49

#22 Florida 80, Alabama 72

Western Kentucky 68, Old Dominion 51

Penn 60, Temple 54

Mercer 67, Chattanooga 44 (wow)

Wake Forest 75, North Carolina 63

Arkansas 48, LSU 44

South Dakota State 68, IUPUI 66 (2OT)

All scores.

Several East Coast teams have had to reschedule games to tomorrow, due to a snow storm headed their way Saturday. Stay tuned.

Team news:

Cal is looking to regain their form against UCLA tomorrow.

Arizona State continues on an upward trajectory.

Life as an unranked team began for Duke tonight against Clemson. (And they won)

Maryland's win over Wisconsin last night was the 900th for the program.

Is it adversity or pressure for Tennessee?

Fast-paced offense has been the key in Ohio State's resurgence.

Oklahoma aims to turn embarrassment into fuel moving forward.

A look at Utah's stats.

Player news:

Shereesha Richards: early greatness.

Jacinta Vandenberg is emerging as a do-it-all piece for Oregon.

A milestone is in reach for UConn's big three.

Diamond DeShields is improving in her Tennessee debut season.

Senior Maggie Lyon is now on top of Northwestern's three-point scoring list.

Outside the paint with Minnesota's Allina Starr.

Hard work is paying off for Kentucky's Taylor Murray.

Utah sophomore Emily Potter is leading the team after sitting out last year injured.

Rutgers freshman Khadaizha Sanders is more than just a basketball star.

Arielle Roberson has become an interior force for West Virginia.

Indiana sophomore Jess Walter is returning to form in Big Ten play.

Could Taya Reimer return to Notre Dame? Her teammate Brianna Turner is shining on both ends of the floor.

WNBA news:

Tamika Catchings will leave an amazing legacy in her wake when she retires this year.

International news:

Arizona State's Quinn Dorstauder is among those leading Canada's surge in basketball.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Mid-major top ten

I guess I'm looking harder at who fell out of this week's ESPN mid-major top ten: Gonzaga, Princeton and Santa Clara.

Many other teams who were stellar last year are struggling this season....Dayton, American. These are some interesting basketball times we're living in.

Anyway....the rankings:

1. Green Bay
2. Florida Gulf Coast
3. George Washington
4. South Dakota
5. Wright State
6. South Dakota State
7. Duquesne
8. San Diego
9. BYU
10. Arkansas State

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

High school top 25, week 6

ESPN's high school top 25:

1. St. Mary's
2. Duncanville
3. Riverdale Baptist
4. Centennial
5. Paul VI
6. Montini
7. Neumann-Goretti
8. Hopkins
9. National Christian Academy
10. Archbishop Mitty
11. Miramonte
12. Forestville Military Academy
13. Blackman
14. St. John's College
15. Riverdale
16. Little Rock Central
17. St. Francis
18. Lakota West
19. Good Counsel
20. Mater Dei
21. Bellevue
22. Columbus North
23. Wenonah
24. Lynnwood
25. Bishop Gorman

More:

Two Indiana teams who brawled have had their seasons canceled.

2016 Senior CLASS Award candidates announced

Name Position School

Jillian Alleyne Forward Oregon
Ashley Beverly Kelley Guard Troy University
Imani Boyette Center University of Texas
Adut Bulgak Center Florida State University
Ruvanna Campbell Forward UIC
Cait Craft Guard Ohio State
Elisha Davis Guard Arizona State University
Aundrea Gamble Guard Arkansas State
Ruth Hamblin Center Oregon State
Nikki Hegstetter Forward The University of Alabama
Bria Holmes Guard West Virginia University
Malina Howard Center University of Maryland
Marissa Janning Guard Creighton
Moriah Jefferson Guard University of Connecticut
Chanise Jenkins Guard DePaul
Jonquel Jones Forward George Washington University
Jordan Jones Point Guard Texas A&M University
Whitney Knight Guard FGCU
Zahna Medley Guard Texas Christian University
Kelsey Minato Guard Army West Point
Tiffany Mitchell Guard University of South Carolina
Janelle Perez Guard Northwestern State University
Shereesha Richards Forward University at Albany
Raquel Scott Forward Holy Cross
Breanna Stewart Forward University of Connecticut
Rachel Theriot Point Guard Nebraska
Elle Tinkle Guard Gonzaga University
Kaylon Williams Forward University of Oklahoma
Elizabeth Wood Forward University of Maine
Michelle Woods Guard Miami (FL)

List link.

USA Today top 25 coaches poll

Like the AP poll, changes abound in this week's USA Today top 25 poll:

1. Connecticut
2. South Carolina
3. Notre Dame
4. Baylor
5. Maryland
6. Texas
7. Ohio State
8. Oregon State
9. Kentucky
10. Mississippi State
11. Arizona State
12. Texas A&M
13. Florida State
14. Stanford
15. South Florida
16. Miami-Florida
17. Louisville
18. Michigan State
19. Oklahoma
20. Northwestern
21. DePaul
22. Tennessee
23. Florida
24. Syracuse
25. UCLA

As predicted: AP top 25 shake up

After the tsunami that was last week, there's much movement in this week's AP top 25 poll.

Duke is out!!!! (For the first time since November, 1999)

Texas and Baylor traded spots.

So did Oregon State and Stanford.

Arizona State is up.

South Florida, Miami, Louisville way up.

Tennessee, Oklahoma way down.

Purdue and Washington almost in.

Well, now!

1. Connecticut
2. South Carolina
3. Notre Dame
4. Baylor
5. Maryland
6. Texas
7. Ohio State
8. Arizona State
9. Kentucky
10. Mississippi State
11. Oregon State
12. Stanford
13. Texas A&M
14. Florida State
15. South Florida
16. Miami
17. Louisville
18. Tennessee
19. Oklahoma
20. UCLA
21. Michigan State
22. Florida
23. Missouri
24. DePaul
25. West Virginia

Coach’s chair: Michelle Clark-Heard, Western Kentucky University

It's been such an honor talking to some of the game's finest coaches this year for the Coach's chair. As you can imagine, these women and men are filled with incredible wisdom.

One of my favorite knowledge/experience nuggets came from Western Kentucky University coach Michelle Clark-Heard, who is in this week's Coach's chair. I asked her the recipe for growing a program, and she said:

"To have a plan in place and stick with your plan. Some coaches try something and are ready to scrap it quickly if it’s not working right away. If it doesn’t look like it’s working, you can’t just switch it up randomly; you have to keep pushing. We stuck with our plan and kept grinding it out. As a result, each year we got a little better with our offense and defense."

BOOM.

Take notes.

Sunday, January 17, 2016

McDonald’s All-American teams named

EAST TEAM

Erin Boley, Forward, 6’2″, Elizabethtown High School, (Elizabethtown, KY) Notre Dame

Kaila Charles, Guard, 5’11”, Riverdale Baptist School (Upper Marlboro, MD) Maryland

Natalie Chou, Guard, 6’1″, Plano West High School (Plano, TX) Baylor

Lindsey Corsaro, Guard, 6’0”, Roncalli High School (Indianapolis, IN) Kentucky

Crystal Dangerfield, Point Guard, 5’6″, Blackman High School (Murfreesboro, TN) Connecticut

Joyner Holmes, Forward, 6’3″, Cedar Hill High School (Cedar Hill, TX) Texas

Ciera Johnson, Center, 6’4″, Duncanville High School (Duncanville, TX) Louisville

Nancy Mulkey, Center, 6’9″, Cypress Woods High School (Cypress, TX) Oklahoma

Amber Ramirez, Point Guard, 5’8″, Wagner High School (San Antonio, TX) Texas Christian

Alecia Sutton, Point Guard, 5’8″, Parkway North High School (St. Louis, MO) Texas

Blair Watson, Guard, 6’0″, Nutley High School (Nutley, NJ) Maryland

Aaliyah Wilson, Guard, 5’9″, Muskogee High School (Muskogee, OK) Arkansas

WEST TEAM

Jeannie Boehm, Forward, 6’3″, New Trier High School (Winnetka, IL) Harvard

DiJonai Carrington, Guard, 6’0″ Horizon Christian Academy (San Diego, CA) Stanford

Chassity Carter, Guard, 5’11”, Dickson County High School (Dickson, TN) Vanderbilt

Lauren Cox, Forward, 6’4″, Flower Mound High School (Flower Mound, TX) Baylor

Nadia Fingall, Center, 6’2″, Choctawhatchee High School (Fort Walton Beach, FL) Stanford

Sabrina Ionescu, Guard, 5’10”, Miramonte High School (Orinda, CA) Undecided

Tori McCoy, Forward. 6’4″, The High School of Saint Thomas More (Champaign, IL) Ohio State

Leaonna Odom, Guard, 6’1″, Chaminade College Prepatory School (West Hills, CA) Duke

Kylee Shook, Center, 6’4″, Mesa Ridge High School (Colorado Springs, CO) Louisville

Destiny Slocum, Point Guard, 5’7″, Mountain View High School (Meridian ,ID) Maryland

Anna Wilson, Point Guard, 5’7″, Bellevue High School (Bellevue, WA) Stanford

Jackie Young, Guard, 5’11”, Princeton Community High School (Princeton, IN) Notre Dame

The 15th annual girls game will be March 30 at Chicago’s United Center.

Full release.

It's brutal out there

What a season so far, and it's only halftime. There don't seem to be too many "nights off" in any conference - especially the Pac-12. There's just constant disruption.

Upset-ville:

Moments ago, #12 Oregon State upended #11 Stanford, 58-50. The Beavers came from behind and made strong runs at the end to snap a 29-game losing streak against the Cardinal that went back 15 years.

#6 Baylor 80, #4 Texas 67. It was the first loss of the season for the Longhorns.

Arkansas 64, #2 Missouri 52.

Washington 69, #25 USC 60.

Oregon 69, Cal 59. Duck forward Jillian Alleyne became the Pac-12 all-time leading rebounder in the process. The old mark belonged to former Cardinal Chiney Ogwumike.

Close to being upsets:

#2 South Carolina escaped #15 Texas A&M with a free throw, 59-58.

#17 UCLA survived Washington State, 75-73.

#23 Louisville edged NC State, 92-90.

Other eyebrow-raising results: (The number of close games today was just incredible)

South Dakota beat South Dakota State at their house for the first time since 1990, 63-58.

Texas Tech slipped by Iowa State in overtime, 69-66.

Michigan hung on to defeat Penn State at their house for the first time since 2001, 91-87.

Minnesota clawed by Indiana, 78-76.

All scores.

I'm so excited!!!

And I can't WAIT for the NCAA Tournament!!!

Midseason Wooden Award list disagreements

The midseason list for the John R. Wooden Award has been released:

Jillian Alleyne, Oregon

Ameryst Alson, Ohio State

Rachel Banham, Minnesota

Nia Coffey, Northwestern

Nina Davis, Baylor

Diamond DeShields, Tennessee

Moriah Jefferson, Connecticut

Brionna Jones, Maryland

Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio State

Tiffany Mitchell, South Carolina

Kelsey Plum, Washington

Aerial Powers, Michigan State

Azura Stevens, Duke

Breanna Stewart, Connecticut

Morgan Tuck, Connecticut

Brianna Turner, Notre Dame

Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State

Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, Maryland

Courtney Williams, South Florida

A'ja Wilson, South Carolina

When I voted last week, this was my list:

Jillian Alleyne, Oregon

Kristine Anigwe, California

Shacobia Barbee, Georgia

Adut Bulgak, Florida State

Jordin Canada, UCLA

Nia Coffey, Northwestern

Nina Davis, Baylor

Jonquel Jones, George Washington

Kelsey Minato, Army

Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio State

Kelsey Plum, Washington

Aerial Powers, Michigan State

Shereesha Richards, UAlbany

Azura Stevens, Duke

Breanna Stewart, Connecticut

Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State

Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, Maryland

Jamie Weisner, Oregon State

Courtney Williams, South Florida

A'ja Wilson, South Carolina
\
I stand behind my ballot.

Leaving Jonquel Jones and Shereesha Richards off, in particular, is a travesty. And there's no way some schools should have multiple players on this list.

And the Pac-12 has the highest RPI of any conference in DI, but has only two players on the list? No way.

I'm truly stunned.

First, the news

And there is plenty of it......

Team news:

The Lady Vols have questions at the season's midpoint.

UConn has few road blocks right now.

Arizona State is avoiding complacency as they hit a lull in their schedule.

Indiana is taking advantage of the free throw line.

Conference-leading Montana State is stressing consistency.

Player news:

George Washington's rebounding machine - Jonquel Jones - could score big in the WNBA draft.

Audio interview with UAlbany's Shereesha Richards after she crossed the 2,000-point mark last week.

Michaela Mabrey and Lindsay Allen are keeping Notre Dame settled on the road.

Freshman Sabrina Haines is adding to Arizona State's scoring punch.

Double-double machine Kalani Purcell is adjusting in her first season at BYU.

Tennessee's Diamond DeShields will be an NCAA Convention delegate.

MTSU junior forward Olivia Jones is quitting the team after being suspended indefinitely.

Lauren Huggins is having her best year, despite Colorado's adversity.

Oregon transfer Justine Hall discusses her transition.

Kelsey Criner is motivated to build on her big game for North Texas.

UConn freshman Katie Lou Samuelson is responding to coach Geno Auriemma's prodding.

Purdue alumni Katie Douglas has inspired the team.

Coach news:

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley and Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell are close to jumping into the elite coaching ranks.

Charli Turner Thorne's Devils always begin with a capital D.

Norfolk State's Amber Brown:

....is out of a coma in what her family calls a miracle.

International news:

Kelsey Griffin is in peak form.

Erin Phillips is itching for a call to join the Australian Olympic team.