by Paul Casey Gotham
About five minutes into last week’s A10 match-up between Temple and Xavier it became apparent what the Musketeers planned on the defensive end: go ahead and try to beat us. Just don’t expect any yuletide greetings.
Temple’s leading scorer, Dionte Christmas came in averaging 20.5 per game including outbursts of 21 against Kansas, 30 vs. LaSalle, 27 vs. Rhode Island, and 35 against Tennessee. In the latter Christmas went 7-14 from the three point arc.
Xavier coach Sean Miller put B.J. Raymond on the conference’s leading scorer and that was all it took. Christmas finished with 12 pts. – all inside the arc, and Xavier won 83-74.
With the NCAA hoops regular season winding down, and teams jockeying for position, some shooting guards might find the court starting to shrink in size.
Texas Longhorn A.J. Abrams would prefer to be left out of this discussion.
After all earlier in the season he dropped 23 versus Notre Dame, 31 against UCLA, 26 vs. Villanova, 21 vs. Wisconsin, and 22 at Oklahoma.
During the Longhorns recent three-game slide Abrams shot 5-21 in a 4-point loss to Kansas State. The senior followed that with just 11 points in a loss to Missouri. Then over the weekend Abrams managed 16 in a 3-point loss to Nebraska.
Do you think A.J. wishes D.J. Augustin stayed for another year of school. The former Longhorn point guard was a great playmaker who kept defenses honest.
Notre Dame’s Kyle MacAlarney knows this plight all too well.
After being endorsed as within his range soon as he crosses half-court, MacAlarney has found life tiresome.
No one in their right mind would have expected MacAlarney to replicate his 39 point outburst versus UNC.
But even MacAlarney could not have anticipated the attention he has drawn of late.
In a four game stretch K-Mac managed 41 points – all losses – all part of a recent seven-game ND losing streak.
MacAlarney managed 9 vs. UConn and Marquette, 10 against Pitt, and 13 versus Cincinnati.
While not to the degree of the others even Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks has struggled of late.
As Kentucky has dropped their last three, Meeks has found little room to move on the perimeter.
The junior scored 15 over the weekend in a nine point loss to Mississippi State. This after 20 in a loss to South Carolina and 21 in a loss to Ole Miss.
Against Mississippi Meeks managed just four field goals.
1st Team All-Casey
G Stephen Curry Davidson
G Ty Lawson UNC
G B.J. Raymond Xavier
F Blake Griffin Oklahoma
F Terrence Williams Louisville
2nd Team
G Jeff Teague Wake Forest
G Jerel McNeal Marquette
F DeJuan Blair Pitt
F Tyler Hansbrough UNC
F Luke Harangody Notre Dame
Casey —
Nick Calathes of Florida looks like a young Pete Maravich. Did you see him play last night vs Kentucky? Although the Pistol never would’ve missed those last free throws 🙂
Wally
I only saw the final moments of last night’s Kentucky / Florida soiree. I have seen Calathes play before – ‘Pistol’ Pete did not come to mind, but I will have to look again. Actually if Maravich was playing last night, he would have made the first two FTs, intentionally missed the third, retrieved the rebound, and scored. 🙂
That shot by Jodie Meeks was out of this world. How did I leave him off this week’s All-Casey Team?