The Month In Hoops: November

A look around the hardwood with CSTV.com's Bryan Armen Graham.

Dec. 1, 2006

By Bryan Armen Graham

CSTV.com

	BRYAN GRAHAM Bryan is a basketball editor for CSTV.com and contributes on a regular weekly basis. E-mail here!

        ---   Column Archive   --- 7/12: Summer Vacations On The Hardwood 7/5: Slipping Through The Cracks 6/29: NBA Draft Superlatives 6/28: Draft Depth > Drama 6/25: The Bust Ratio 6/21: Tigers, Heels Top Early-Summer Top 25 6/21: Stuckey Shooting For 1st Round 6/18: Big Baby: "I'm Glad I Stayed" 6/14: Should I Stay Or Go? 6/7: The Trigger-Happy 10 6/7: Afflalo Finally Focuses On Own Skills 6/7: Why Billy Should Have Gone 5/31: More Fans in the Seats 5/24: Porter's Comeback Tale Takes Tragic Turn 5/17: Piecing Together the Puzzle 5/10: A Look at Personality Types 5/3: One Month After Atlanta 4/26: Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now? 4/19: Six Super Sophs 4/12: Making The Grade 4/5: March Madness Superlatives 4/3: Never Too Early To Look Ahead 4/3: Final Four Fodder 4/3: Gators Score Rare Championship Double 3/30: YOu Final (Four) Exam 3/24: Matta's Vision Realized With Ohio State Victory 3/23: South Regional Notebook 3/22: Tigers Silencing Critics 3/22: Handicapping the Sweet 16 3/21: 35-Second Clock: The First Weekend 3/17: Painful End For Xavier's Cage 3/13: The March Madness List of Lists 3/12: Second-Round Wish List 3/7: At the Knee of John Chaney 3/5: Niagara Outruns Siena in MAAC Title Victory 3/2: The Month In Hoops: February 3/1: Conference Calls 2/25: Corralled Oden Still Makes Difference 2/22: Rolling the Dice for Final Four Tix 2/19: Experience, Balance Help Wounded Panthers 2/15: Bubble, Yum! 2/8: Drexel Guts Out Crucial CAA Win at Hofstra 2/8: The Sharper Image: A Look Ahead 2/2: The Month In Hoops: January 2/1: Halftime: From A to Z 1/30: Freshman Saves Day For Surging Manhattan 1/25: Snakebitten Gaels Just Can't Get A Break 1/18: Calhoun, Roberts Revisit Wiggins Situation 1/14: Calhoun's Work In Progress At The Garden 1/11: Tigers Earning Their Stripes One Win At A Time 1/4: Strange Cases 1/2: The Month in Hoops - December 12/28: Mejia Powers "New Drexel 12/28: Seven Weeks Down: Taking Stock 12/21: Paulus Spirits Duke To Garden Victory Over Zags 12/21: Secret Santa: Helping Cagers and Coaches in Need 12/14: Villanova's Arizin Was Rags-To-Riches Story 12/10: Throwback Guard Jordan Has Brady Bunch Clicking 12/9: Seton Hall Wakes Up In Time To Tame Nittany Lions 12/7: 31-0: Why Butler Can Run The Table 12/5: Welcome Freshmen 12/3: Irish Upset Tops Day At BB&T Classic 12/1: The Month In Hoops: November 11/30: Youngest Graves Making Biggest Splash 11/24: Three Is A Magic Number For Unlikely NIT Champ Butler 11/22: No Morrison, No Problem For Zags in Upset of UNC 11/22: Tennessee Joins Roll Of Butler Upset Victims 11/17: Terps Edge Spartans For 2K Sports Classic Title 11/16: Spartans Snatch Classic Upset 11/16: Jinxed Jayhwaks Need To Get It Together 11/15: Icy Shooting Dooms Rutgers in Season-Opening Loss to K-State 11/12: Maggie Dixon Remembered 11/10: Starting Over in Morgantown 11/9: Before Keydren, Houston Was Scoring King 11/7: Stuck On You 11/6: Gillispie Has Aggies Positioned For Success 10/31: Five Frosh Faces 10/26: Climbing Ev'ry Mountain 10/24: Transfers of Power 10/23: Circle The Date 10/13: 65 Things to Know, Part IV 10/12: Starting Over in Baltimore 10/12: 65 Things to Know, Part III 10/11: Winthrop Stud Aims to Get Back to NCAAs 10/11: 65 Things to Know, Part II 10/10: 65 Things to Know, Part I THE HARDWOOD FLASH 11/1: Scheduling With Big Boys A Laughing Matter In Valley 10/26: UConn Still The Team Thabeet 10/19: Demon Daze 10/12: Southern Comfort 9/28: Playing The Numbers Game 9/21: Favorite Sun Returns to Silicon Valley 9/14: THe Head of the Class 9/8: Gavitt Rolls Back Years At Enshrinement 9/7: For Davis, Long and Winding Road Ends in Spokane 9/1: Preps Shine In Elite 24 Hoops Classics 8/31: Studying Abroad 8/24: Still Busting After All Those Years 8/17: Rematches Made In Heaven 8/10: Few's Good Men 8/3: House of Boateng 7/27: Tangled In The Web 7/20: Not-So-Big Baby 7/13: Vegas, Baby, Vegas 7/6: July's Recruiting Heat 6/29: Don't Expand 6/22: Calipari and C-USA 6/15: Cat Calls For Tubby 6/8: Down With Diploma Mills 6/1: Pepperdine's New Coach 5/25: Dunphy's New Chapter 5/18: No Rest At Florida 5/11: Recruiting Update 5/4: The Colonial Carousel 4/27: Are 65 Teams Enough? 4/20: NC State's Search 4/13: A Longer Season? 4/7: The Wright Move? 3/31: Final Four Flash 3/22: The Second Weekend 3/15: The First Weekend 3/10: The Tournament Edition 3/3: Gearing Up for the Tourney 2/23: Coming Down the Stretch 2/16: Calhoun Questions Calls 2/9: No Luck for the Irish 2/2: Big 5 Down to the Wire OTHER 8/31: The Moore Things Change... 8/30: UNH Rides High-Powered Offense 8/30: Previewing the I-A Independents 8/20: Old, Young Blend At IU 8/17: Looking For Leaders In L.A. 7/10: Reebok ABCD Camp: Best In Show 7/9: Reebok ABCD Camp: Day 4 Recap 7/8: Reebok ABCD Camp: Day 3 Recap 7/8: Reebok ABCD Camp: Day 3, Session 2 7/7: Reebok ABCD Camp: Day 3, Session 1 7/7: Reebok ABCD Camp: Day 2, Session 2 7/7: Reebok ABCD Camp: Day 2, Session 1 7/6: Reebok ABCD Camp: Day 1, Session 2 7/6: Reebok ABCD Camp: Day 1, Session 1 7/6: Reebok ABCD Camp: Holding the Mayo 7/5: Reebok ABCD Camp: Quick Hits 6/27: Top Five Sleepers 6/6: Miller's Crossing 5/4: Duke Wins Lance Thomas Sweepstakes 4/19: Sunny Future for Signee 3/13: Tribute to Chaney 3/7: Foye, Wright Get Big East Honors 2/27: A Class Above NCAA TOURNAMENT 4/4: Howland, Bruins Come Up Short 4/4: Final Four Fodder 4/3: Addition by Subtraction 4/2: Pitino's Bad Advice 4/1: Bruins Tame Tigers 4/1: Midnight Strikes For Mason 3/31: GMU Duo Survive to Reach Indy 3/31: Tigers and Bears, Oh My! 3/31: UF, Mason Crash NCAA Party 3/31: How They Got Here: LSU 3/31: How They Got Here: UCLA 3/31: How They Got Here: G. Mason 3/31: How They Got Here: Florida 3/27: Fairfax Feels Final Four Frenzy 3/26: Slipper Fits For George Mason 3/26: Let Us Praise Infamous Men 3/25: Patriots Look To Make History 3/24: UConn, Mason Move On 3/20: Subregional Wrap-Up 3/19: Ray, Foye Lift Villanova 3/19: Huskies Bend, Don't Break 3/18: Shakur Can Go Home Again 3/17: My Almost-Super Sweet 16 3/17: Cat Power: 'Zona, 'Nova Survive GRAHAM AT THE GAME 6/16: The U.S. Open: Collegiate Notebook 6/15: Do You Want Moore? 5/13: Notre Dame's Two-Sport Star Enjoys Balancing Act 4/22: Young Leads White in Jordan Classic 3/11: McNamara Spirits `Cuse to Title 3/10: Syracuse, Pittsburgh To Meet 3/9: Big East's New Top Seed 3/9: Old School Look In Big East 3/9: For Huskies, Now Or Never 3/8: Rutgers And Pitt Win Ugly 3/8: Two Close Contests in Big East 3/6: Iona Plucks Peacocks in MAAC

Whether you've been fixated to the television since the season tipped off with the opening rounds of the 2K Sports Classic or you've been plugged into football and given just cursory attention to hoops, here's your opportunity to catch up with some of the November results, injuries, surprises, disappointments and newsy notes you might have missed.

Three Telling Results

·          Gonzaga 82, North Carolina 74: No Morrison, no problem. Sophomore Josh Heytvelt might not carry the star power of departed scoring champion Adam Morrison, but the Zags look as dangerous as ever after diffusing Carolina's high-octane attack. The result was a clear demonstration that good team basketball can still hang with the all-star teams that the traditional powers are assembling with premier AAU players.

·          Virginia 93, Arizona 90: The then-unranked Cavaliers christened $130 million John Paul Jones arena with a season-opening showdown against then-No. 10 Arizona before a capacity crowd. J.R. Reynolds and Sean Singletary, the nation's most prolific scoring backcourt from last season, combined for 35 points to provide the program a head start on its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2001. A perennial I'll-believe-it-when-I-see-it team, Virginia looks like the genuine article.

·          Wichita State 57, LSU 53: With their four-point victory over the Tigers coming just days after a 72-66 beating of George Mason in Fairfax, Va., the unbeaten Shockers (5-0) dispensed of two Final Four teams from a year ago in back-to-back road games and showed that there's life in the Sunflower State without Paul Miller, last season's Valley Player of the Year.

The Ugly And The Underwhelming

On the flip side of every pleasant surprise, there's a disappointment. Here's a look at three of the season's early let-downs:

While it's not always fair to saddle a team with the dreaded F word as early as November, Boston College looks as much a fraud as any team in college hoops. Ranked No. 15 in the Preseason AP Top 25, the Eagles (3-3) suffered a thorough 77-63 loss at home to a Vermont team which turned around and got handled at home by Drexel. After a nine-day layoff, BC suffered a 73-64 defeat at the hands of a Providence team tabbed for no better than 10th place in the Big East. It's not too late for the Eagles to turn it around and enjoy a great season, but it would seem this group misses All-American post man Craig Smith even more than anticipated.

That Bucknell ranks among the biggest early disappointments of the year says a lot about how far the Bison (2-4) have come in the past two seasons under Pat Flannery. None of the team's four consecutive losses to open the season -- at Albany, Wake Forest, at Saint Joseph's and at Penn State -- were particularly unsightly. But perhaps we've just come to expect more from a program that cracked the Top 25 just last season and has made two straight trips to the second round of the NCAAs.

It seems like Hofstra has righted the ship after stumbling out of the gates with three straight losses. But with so few opportunities to prove their mettle against quality opponents, the Pride (3-3) had minimal margin for error during their out-of-conference schedule -- and their slow start could prove dooming down the road.

The Injury Report

Is there a more documented, contemplated and talked-about injury in all of sports than the right wrist of Ohio State seven-footer Greg Oden? The Indianapolis native is still recovering from his June surgery and the timetable for his return remains unclear. An X-ray taken last week indicates that the fractured bone is healing but is not ready for full contact. Buckeyes coach Thad Matta has set a tentative return date for Jan. 1, but many have speculated that Oden is aiming to be back in time for Ohio State's marquee matchup with Florida on Dec. 23 in Gainesville. Said first-year guard Jamar Butler to The Lantern, OSU's student newspaper: "He's doing more and more each day. If it was up to him, he'd be playing tomorrow."

You don't need to watch much tape of Florida to realize the importance of Corey Brewer to the Gators. That's what makes the Tennessee native's indefinite sidelining for mononucleosis so alarming for Florida fans. Brewer, who is averaging 11.7 points and 4.3 rebounds, was initially diagnosed with the flu last week while in Nevada for the Las Vegas Invitational but subsequent tests confirmed mono. Sophomore Walter Hodge is expected to start at small forward until Brewer is able to return.

As well-positioned as Creighton may be for a memorable year, the status of sophomore point guard Josh Dotzler remains a looming concern in Omaha. The local product ranked among Missouri Valley Conference leaders in assists and steals as a freshman before suffering a season-ending tear of his posterior cruciate ligament in a February loss to Southern Illinois. Dotzler missed most of preseason practice and the Nov. 13 season opener against Mississippi Valley State and played just eight ineffective minutes in Creighton's lone loss to in-state rival Nebraska. His minutes have increased in subsequent outings but questions remain as to whether Dotzler can regain his first-year form. Without their incumbent floor general, the Blue Jays would be forced to move Nate Funk over from his natural shooting guard spot or rely on newcomers Nick Bahe or D'Angalo Jackson.

The hits just keep on coming for Rick Pitino and Louisville. After losing reliable senior guard Brandon Jenkins for three months to a broken right leg and high ankle sprain suffered in an August pickup game, Pitino must cope with the loss of sophomore guard Andre McGee, who underwent arthroscopic surgery Tuesday to repair torn cartilage in his right knee and will miss three to six weeks.

The All-November Team

A look at five players that have come correct during the first three weeks of the season:

Jared Jordan, Marist: It's been quite a journey for Jordan, who has emerged as one of the top point guards in college basketball despite playing in one of the nation's most overlooked conferences. The Red Foxes won just six games during Jordan's freshman season, a disappointing campaign which prompted the hiring of former Saint Joseph's assistant Matt Brady. Jordan would win 11 games as a sophomore and 19 games a junior, a season that saw the Hartford native average 8.5 assists to lead all Division I players. This season, the Brady Bunch has sprinted to a 5-2 start -- including victories over Minnesota and an Old Dominion side that toppled Georgetown -- and Jordan is again leading the nation in dimes (8.7 per night) while averaging a team-best 20.7 points. Just two years and change into the Brady era, the Foxes have designs on a MAAC title and their first trip to the NCAAs in the two decades since Rik Smits manned the paint in Poughkeepsie.

A.J. Graves, Butler: The heady combo guard from Switz City, Ind., has emerged as the face of the Butler story during the first weeks of the season as the Bulldogs -- a team picked for sixth place in the middling Horizon League -- have opened with eight straight wins while ascending to their highest national ranking (No. 18) since 1949. Among his November heroics: Graves poured in a career-high 28 points (including eight 3-pointers) to sink Notre Dame in the first round of the NIT Season Tip-Off victory over the Irish and banked in a 24-footer to beat Indiana two nights later. After a steady outing in the semifinal upset of Tennessee at Madison Square Garden, the wiry Indiana product poured in 26 points against Gonzaga in the title game to garner Most Outstanding Player honors.

Kevin Durant, Texas: With Ohio State's Oden sidelined for another month, there's no question that Durant has been the best freshman on the court in college basketball. The 6-foot-9, 225-pound native of Maryland has recorded double-doubles in three of his first six collegiate contests and paces the Longhorns in scoring (22.3), rebounds (9.5) and blocked shots (2.7). Most importantly, the Longhorns (5-1) are winning.

Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina: While North Carolina's vastly talented freshmen players get accustomed to the college game, the rough-and-tumble Hansbrough has provided a steady post presence for the sixth-ranked Tar Heels and leads the team in scoring (20.7), rebounds (9.7) and steals (1.3). The sophomore forward saved his best effort of the season for his side's biggest game to date: 21 points, 14 rebounds and two blocked shots in a 98-89 victory over top-ranked Ohio State.

Nick Fazekas, Nevada: The spirit of No. 24-ranked Nevada is averaging 24.3 points and 13.3 rebounds, clips which rank ninth and first among Division I leaders, respectively. But with home dates against UNLV, St. Mary's and Pacific and road dates with California, Akron and No. 22 Gonzaga, December should prove a much tougher month for the unbeaten Wolf Pack (6-0) and their 6-foot-11, 240-pound leader than their cupcake-laden November slate.

Just A Thought

Anyone else realize that the top two teams in the Associated Press Top 25 -- UCLA and Pittsburgh -- are each Ben Howland-engineered programs?

Bryan Armen Graham's Top 15

1. UCLA (5-0): Bruins lost Jordan Farmar and two other starters but might be an even better team than last year's national runners-up. Darren Collison has proven a more-than-adequate successor to Farmar at the point, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has opened a compelling case for Pac-10 Player of the Year and swingman Josh Shipp (who missed all but four games in 2005-06) is healthy and averaging 14.2 points, 4.8 boards and 3.2 assists.

2. NORTH CAROLINA (5-1): With six former McDonald's All-Americans on the roster -- including do-everything pivotman Hansbrough -- the Tar Heels are two-deep at every position. There's not a team in the country with more ability and depth but a sound beating at the hands of Gonzaga showed that talent alone won't give Carolina the program's second national championship in three seasons.

3. FLORIDA (7-1): Gators returned everything but the kitchen sink from last season's national champions and have enjoyed a gaudy average margin of victory (plus-49.5!) in their seven wins. But a two-point loss to Kansas in Las Vegas gave the Gators their first dose of reality in 18 contests going back to a Feb. 26 setback at Alabama. It will be interesting to see how this group responds to the Brewer injury.

4. TEXAS A&M (6-0): Heralded floor general Acie Law IV is averaging team highs with 5.0 assists and 16.7 points on an incredible 61.9 percent shooting, leading four players who average in double figures for Billy Gillispie. Is it possible that the Aggies finished 0-17 in the Big 12 just three years ago?

5. PITTSBURGH (7-0): Perhaps the most underrated team in this Top 15. The second-ranked team in the AP Top 25 employs an extended rotation that sees nine players average five points or more. Burly seven-footer Aaron Gray is averaging a double-double for the Panthers with 16.9 points and 10.4 rebounds.

6. KANSAS (6-1): Jayhawks rebounded from a gut-shot upset loss to Oral Roberts at Allen Fieldhouse with five consecutive victories including a potential team-defining overtime scalp of top-ranked Florida in Las Vegas. Heralded freshman Darrell Arthur paces his side in scoring (15.9), blocked shots (2.4), field-goal percentage (64.2 percent) and free-throw percentage (80.6 percent).

7. OHIO STATE (6-1): Oden-less Buckeyes have impressed doubters and believers alike with fast start. The fantastic freshman class gets a ton of the credit -- and rightfully so -- but senior shooting guard Ron Lewis is averaging 18.9 points on 57.1 percent from the floor to lead the defending Big Ten champs.

8. ALABAMA (6-0): Even without point guard par excellence Ronald Steele, who has missed two games with tendonitis in his right knee, Crimson Tide are rolling past all comers. Senior forward Jermareo Davidson is averaging a double-double with 14.0 points and 11.2 rebounds while fellow starters Alonzo Gee and Richard Hendrix are combining to average 29.2 points (on 55.9 percent shooting) and 14.0 boards.

9. MARQUETTE (7-0): Super soph Dominic James is the Big East's leading returning scorer -- and appears to be the conference's premier point guard in averaging 18.6 points and 4.1 assists. Golden Eagles collected impressive 11-point victory over then-No. 9 Duke to win the CBE Classic in Kansas City.

10. DUKE (6-1): Youthful Blue Devils suffered a close loss to Marquette but each member of the four-man freshman class has shown promising signs early on. Healthy at last, DeMarcus Nelson leads the team with 14.3 points and ranks second in rebounds behind Josh McRoberts with 5.4 pulls per game.

11. ARIZONA (4-1): Fab frosh Chase Budinger has lived up to advance billing. But Wildcats have gotten a little something from everybody during a four-game winning streak on the heels of their season-opening loss to No. 25 Virginia. Kudos to mercurial senior point guard Mustafa Shakur for keeping everybody involved.

12. LSU (3-1): Slimmed-down and streamlined Glen "Big Baby" Davis still runs the show for the Tigers, averaging 18.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals. A four-point loss to No. 24-ranked Wichita State is the only blemish on his side's record.

13. MARYLAND (8-0): Senior-heavy Terps look as motivated as any Maryland team in years and guard D.J. Strawberry is taking his game to the next level. It's still early, but snapping that two-year NCAA tournament drought would seem like a slam dunk.

14. WISCONSIN (6-1): Fill-it-up scorer Alando Tucker is averaging 20.4 points for the Badgers, whose lone loss to Missouri State isn't as bad as might appear. If Tucker can manage to improve his dreadful clip from three-point range (23.5 percent), watch out.

15. BUTLER (8-0): Half of the eight victories for the top-ranked team in the Ratings Percentage Index have come against schools from BCS conferences. Only remaining opponents on entire schedule ranking in the RPI Top 100 are Purdue (No. 32) and two dates with Horizon League rival Loyola Chicago (No. 87). Don't be floored if veteran Bulldogs enter postseason with just two or three losses -- or less.