Louisiana Tech 64, Memphis 55 (story) - Homestanding Memphis dominated the first period, leading 28-16 at the half after ripping down 24 boards and holding WAC middleton LaTech to 13% shooting (4-for-31). But they let it all slip away by holding themselves to 23% shooting after the break. Memphis started hacking early, but the Bulldogs kept making their free throws and ended up outscoring the Tigers 48-27 in the second twenty. LaTech power forward Paul Milsap had his 27th career double-double (19 and 15). Guess what? He's a sophomore.
Sam Houston State 77, Arkansas State 74 (box) - Ask someone at SHS what a Bearkat is, and they're duty-bound to lie to you. But for God's sake, a bearkat is not a kinkajou. The mediocre Southland squad in question defended their turf against Arkansas State, a team with first-division aspirations in the Sun Belt. The Indians made it close at the end, but Sam State was in control throughout. Second-year senior Joe Thompson had 21 for the 'Kats, 18 of those points coming on threes.
UC Davis 98, Dartmouth 87 (2OT) (story) - This one started an hour and a half late - a lengthy power outage kept the UCD women/men doubleheader from starting on time, and pushed the finish well into Carson Daly's timeslot on the east coast. Dartmouth was up by as many as 16 in the second half after starting the game on a blistering 12-for-16 shooting tear, but maybe the jet lag finally caught up with them. The Ags went on a 10-0 run in the second extra frame, and came a basket shy of sending everyone home with free tacos. It was the provisional D1's second victory this year over a fully-fledged D1 - they beat Sacramento State on the road earlier in the season.
ESPN Classic will be airing nine live games this season with "retro" 1979 graphics, Jim Simpson (an old favorite of mine) in the play-by-play chair, and lots of in-depth features on team histories. The first game, on January 5, will be hosted by Mid-Majority arch-enemies Villanova... sometimes the punchlines just write themselves.
Speaking of 1985, Rollie Massimino retired last year as coach of Cleveland State (just in time to escape what would be a 4-win season). That means that FireRollie.Com is obsolete, and it's yours for the asking. Has the owner moved on to build a FireMikeGarland.Com? (via College Basketball Blog)
Louisiana-Lafayette, a school that has ruled the Sun Belt recently, had as many coaches in 2004 as Southern California did. When Jessie Evans, the architect of the recent success, left to resurrect the formerly proud San Francisco program, the school went outside the family. When hot assistant Glynn Cyprien was brought in from Oklahoma State, longtime assistant Robert Lee was quite non-plussed at being passed over. When Cyprien was fired for lying on his resumé about a Texas-El Paso bachelor's degree he never earned, Lee was given sloppy seconds. Now Lafayette is searching desperately for an identity under Lee, Evans is already pulling upsets at USF, and now Cyprien has filed a lawsuit seeking ULL's proverbial trousers. Days of our lives, etc.
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Having recently completed its fourth season, The Mid-Majority is a blog about the 22 smaller Division I college basketball conferences (and independents) by me, Kyle Whelliston. I write for ESPN.com and Basketball Times, and maintain the Basketball State statistics website as well.
Here's a brief note on who we talk about, and why.
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