The Hoops National: March 5, 2010

NOTE: The Hoops National will only cover regular-season games for the remainder of the week.

Big Games

Atlantic 14: at Richmond 60, Dayton 56
RICH - 23-7 (12-3) [RPI: 30, State: 32] UD - 19-10 (8-7) [RPI: 41, State: 51]
Star of the Game: Kevin Anderson 22 Pts (6-14 FG, 9-10 FT)

Spiders Finish 14-1 At Home With Comeback Win Over Dayton - Kevin Anderson led the way with 22 for the Spiders (23-7, 12-3 Atlantic 14), who bounced back from a double-overtime loss at Xavier and seemed to erase any doubt that they are heading to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2004, no matter what happens next. They close the regular season at Charlotte on Saturday. Dayton (19-10, 8-7) lost despite the huge rebounding edge, which included a 20-6 advantage on the offensive end. Those 20 boards turned into just 14 points, however, and the Spiders minimized the deficit somewhat by turning 20 turnovers into 19 points. (via Richmond)

Western Athletic: at Nevada 100, New Mexico State 92
NEV - 18-11 (10-5) [RPI: 75, State: 71] NMSU - 19-10 (11-4) [RPI: 64, State: 89]
Star of the Game: Brandon Fields 32 Pts (11-15 FG, 7-10 FT), 7 Reb, 9 Ast

Fields' Career Best Leads Nevada Past New Mexico State 100-92 - Senior Brandon Fields scored a career-best 32 points to lead Nevada over New Mexico State 100-92 on Thursday night. Sophomore Luke Babbitt added 23 points for the Wolf Pack (18-11, 10-5 Western Athletic), including nine free throws down the stretch. Jahmar Young scored 22 points and Jonathan Gibson and Troy Gillenwater 17 apiece for the Aggies (19-10, 11-4). The Wolf Pack trailed 58-55 with 10:56 to play after a 3-point play by Gordo Castillo but rallied with a 25-8 run over the next five minutes to build an 80-66 lead with 4:50 left. (via Nevada)
Other Games of Note

Big West: Pacific 70, at Cal State Fullerton 64
PAC - 19-10 (11-4) [RPI: 143, State: 103] CSF - 15-13 (8-7) [RPI: 183, State: 181]
Star of the Game: Sam Willard 14 Pts (6-11 FG, 1-1 FT), 12 Reb

Tigers Win 70-64 at Cal State Fullerton - The Tigers men's basketball team picked up a 70-64 win at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, March 4. Pacific improved to 19-10 overall, 11-4 in Big West Conference games. The Titans dropped to 15-13 overall and 8-7 in league games. With the victory, the Tigers have locked up the No. 2 seed at the Big West Tournament and two byes in the tournament. Pacific's first game will be Friday, March 12 at the Anaheim Convention Center. (via Pacific)

Mid-American: at Miami (Oh.) 73, Buffalo 62
MIO - 13-17 (9-7) [RPI: 161, State: 170] BUFF - 17-11 (9-7) [RPI: 86, State: 124]
Star of the Game: Julian Mavunga 17 Pts (6-10 FG, 4-7 FT)

Hayes Leads Miami to 73-62 Win over Buffalo - Senior Kenny Hayes scored six of his team-high 17 points during an 11-0 second-half run to lead Miami to a 73-62 win over Buffalo Thursday night at Millett Hall. Julian Mavunga also tallied 17 points while grabbing three rebounds and blocking three shots. Despite the win, Miami must wait another day for its Mid-American Conference Tourament seeding, pending tomorrow's Kent State-Akron game. The RedHawks would earn the No. 4 seed and a bye with a Golden Flashes' win, while they would host Toledo as the No. 5 seed if the Zips win. Buffalo is in the opposite situation as it tied with Miami in the final standings. (via Miami (Oh.))

Mid-American: Central Michigan 56, at Eastern Michigan 55
CMU - 15-14 (9-7) [RPI: 207, State: 180] EMU - 16-14 (8-8) [RPI: 189, State: 192]
Star of the Game: Robbie Harman 14 Pts (5-9 FG), 8 Ast

Back-to-Back: Chippewas Claim At Least Share of West Division Crown - Jordan Bitzer scored a team-high 18 points and Robbie Harman added 14 as the Central Michigan men's basketball team held on for a 56-55 victory over Eastern Michigan at the Convocation Center on Thursday to claim the program's second-consecutive West Division crown and a bye through to the quarterfinals in next week's Mid-American Conference Tournament. A free throw by Jalin Thomas with 44 seconds left gave the Chippewas (15-14, 9-7 MAC) a one-point lead, and neither team would crack the scoring column the rest of the way. A halfcourt three by the Eagles' (16-14, 8-8 MAC) Jay Higgins at the buzzer was off the mark, causing an eruption of celebration from the Chippewas' bench. (via Central Michigan)

Top Performances

Gold: Tyler Cain, South Dakota - 34 Pts (13-17 FG, 8-13 FT), 17 Reb in 85-79 win vs. Texas-Pan American
Silver: Brandon Fields, Nevada - 32 Pts (11-15 FG, 7-10 FT), 7 Reb in 100-92 win vs. New Mexico State
Bronze: Andrew Gonzalez, Houston Baptist - 31 Pts (12-18 FG, 3-4 FT), 11 Reb in 91-81 win at North Dakota

Honorable mentions:
Reggie Holmes, Morgan State - 36 Pts (12-17 FG, 5-8 FT) in 74-54 win vs. Coppin State
Wendell Preadom, Houston Baptist - 30 Pts (8-14 FG, 11-14 FT) in 91-81 win at North Dakota
Terrance Calvin, Arkansas-Pine Bluff - 25 Pts (8-11 FG, 8-10 FT), 6 Reb in 84-68 win vs. Mississippi Valley State
Christopher Jones, Prairie View A&M - 19 Pts (5-8 FG, 7-10 FT), 8 Reb in 75-69 win at Southern

Full Scoreboard

Atlantic 14: UD 56 @ RICH 60
Big West: UCD 66 @ CSN 70 ... PAC 70 @ CSF 64
Great West: HBU 91 @ NDAK 81 ... UTPA 79 @ SDAK 85 (OT) ... NJIT 57 @ UVU 65
MEAC: BETH 64 @ FAMU 69 ... COPP 54 @ MORG 74 ... UMES 37 @ DEST 57 ... WSSU 61 @ SCST 59 ... HOW 42 @ HAMP 90 ... NORF 67 @ NCAT 66
Mid-American: CMU 56 @ EMU 55 ... BSU 52 @ WMU 67 ... BGSU 60 @ OHIO 82 ... BUFF 62 @ MIO 73 ... TOL 58 @ NIU 60
SWAC: JSU 70 @ ALAM 64 ... MVSU 68 @ UAPB 84 ... PVAM 75 @ SOU 69 ... TXSO 84 @ ALC 67 ... GRAM 76 @ ALST 81
Western Athletic: HAW 63 @ BOIS 82 ... LTU 59 @ FRES 66 ... SJSU 76 @ ID 86 ... NMSU 92 @ NEV 100

Today's State of the Other 24 (full list)

1. Butler 102.474 ... 2. Northern Iowa 99.894 ... 3. Temple 98.937 ... 4. Xavier 98.212 ... 5. Utah State 93.474 ... 6. Richmond 92.402 ... 7. Old Dominion 88.862 ... 8. Siena 88.722 ... 9. Saint Mary's 88.507 ... 10. Rhode Island 87.757

Game! Of! The! Night!

Kent State at Akron (Mid-American)
James A. Rhodes Arena - Akron, OH
8:00 EST

KENT - 22-8 (12-3) [RPI: 48 State: 63] SOS: 97 Last 10: 9-1 Form: L W W W W PF/PA: 70.4/64.1
AKR - 22-8 (12-3) [RPI: 88 State: 86] SOS: 171 Last 10: 8-2 Form: W W L W W PF/PA: 70.2/63.8

Players to watch:
Kent State - #34 Justin Greene So. F (14.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.3 apg)
Akron - #32 Jimmy Conyers Sr. F (9.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.4 apg)

Kent State Battles Akron For MAC Title On ESPN2 Friday Night - The 2010 Mid-American Conference title and an automatic bid to the post season will be on the line Friday night as Kent State (22-8; 12-3) travels the 14 miles over to Akron (22-8; 12-3) for a winner-take-all showdown. The Golden Flashes have won four straight and 12 of the last 13 following last Saturday's 66-58 Senior Day win over Miami. (via Kent State)

Basketball State Preview/Box

#Pixelvision Picks (all times Eastern)

Mid-American: Kent State at Akron - 8:00 pm

Today's Full Schedule (all times Eastern)

Atlantic 14
Fordham 2-25 (0-15) at Duquesne 15-14 (6-9) - 12:00 pm

Big West
California-Riverside 12-16 (5-10) at Long Beach State 14-15 (7-8) - 10:30 pm

Ivy League
Cornell 25-4 (11-1) at Brown 11-18 (5-7) - 7:00 pm
Dartmouth 5-21 (1-11) at Princeton 17-8 (8-3) - 7:00 pm
Harvard 20-6 (9-3) at Pennsylvania 5-20 (4-7) - 7:00 pm
Columbia 10-16 (4-8) at Yale 11-18 (5-7) - 7:00 pm

Mid-American
Kent State 22-8 (12-3) at Akron 22-8 (12-3) - 8:00 pm

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