|
Post by motorcitysam on Dec 8, 2019 17:44:02 GMT -5
Today finds me in Phoenix, enjoying the Jerry Colangelo Classic, presented by the Air Force Reserve. It's a college basketball triple header featuring some pretty decent teams. Game one was St. Louis versus the Tulane Green Wave, featuring former Titan head coach Ray McCallum. The Billikens shot the lights out from three in the first half and Tulane never recovered. They stayed within shouting distance most of the game, but a late run by St. Louis pushed the lead past twenty and it ended that way.
Besides Coach Ray, the local connection in this game was Billikens freshman Jimmie Bell. He's a Saginaw native and packs 270 pounds on his 6-10 frame. That's down from 350 when he was in high school.
|
|
|
Post by motorcitysam on Dec 8, 2019 17:51:49 GMT -5
Game two is a solid matchup between Dayton and St. Mary's. The Flyers hit 10-14 from deep in the opening half and built a twenty one point lead at halftime, 46-25. They cooled off and St. Mary's heated up, resulting in a 58-48 score midway through the second. The Flyers reasserted control and currently lead 72-59, with 3 minutes to go. Obi Toppin is a player.
Local connection: Dayton guard Ibi Watson is a transfer from U of Michigan.
|
|
|
Post by motorcitysam on Dec 8, 2019 18:43:10 GMT -5
Game three pits undefeated Liberty University vs the "hometown team", the Grand Canyon University Antelopes. Man, the GCU fans are wild.
8-6 Grand Canyon at the first media timeout.
|
|
|
Post by motorcitysam on Dec 8, 2019 19:30:34 GMT -5
Liberty 32, GCU 28 at the half. Interesting game, although not particularly well played. GCU is 10-24 from the floor, 0-8 from three. Liberty is 11-26, and their 5-12 from deep has given them the edge.
The GCU crowd is dominating the noise level with numerous clever cheers and chants.
|
|
|
Post by motorcitysam on Dec 8, 2019 20:14:26 GMT -5
Score was stuck on 50-49 for the longest, then Liberty ripped off 13 in a row. 63-51 Liberty. 3:20 left.
|
|
|
Post by motorcitysam on Dec 8, 2019 20:19:16 GMT -5
Local connection: Thunder Dan Majerle, the pride of Traverse City, is the GCU coach.
|
|
|
Post by Commissioner on Dec 8, 2019 23:38:22 GMT -5
I envy you.
|
|
|
Post by motorcitysam on Dec 13, 2019 17:24:35 GMT -5
A few final thoughts from a fun college basketball Sunday afternoon in Phoenix.
Talking Stick Resort Arena, the home of the Phoenix Suns, is a nice venue. Good sightlines, good acoustics, easy to navigate. The crowd was sparse, especially for the early games, but that's what happens when you hold an event like this where five of the six teams are from out of town. I bet the place rocks in the middle of a Suns run.
I can see where a field of more well known teams would have drawn a bigger crowd, or if one of the teams had been Arizona or Arizona State. However, for a college basketball nut like me, it was an interesting group.
St. Louis will make some noise in the A10. They haven't played a great schedule, and lost the game against their toughest opponent, Seton Hall, but they're 8-1 with a nine point win over Boston College. If they shoot the way they shot to start out the game against Tulane, they'll be a tough out for anyone. Saginaw native Jimmie Bell Jr. started on Sunday, but he's a work in progress who will be better in years to come.
Coaches Hunter and McCallum are off to a good start building the Tulane program. They have bolstered their lineup with several transfers from high major programs. I know some frown on that strategy, opining that it is not the way to build a long term program, but I'm sure the Tulane fans are happy with the results so far. The Green Wave won a total of our games last year and are now 7-2 with a win over Utah and losses to Mississippi State and St. Louis. Also, they've already signed two members of the class of 2020, and only have two seniors on this roster.
The Dayton Flyers still make me jealous (along with Xavier and a couple of other urban Catholic universities). I would love it if U of D was where they are as a program. They're looking good this year with a 7-1 record, including an OT loss to Kansas and BLOWOUT wins over Georgia and Virginia Tech. Jalen Crutcher led the way in their win over St. Mary's with 21 points, but Obi Toppin is their best player. The Flyers are deep, talented, and well coached. There was a surprising number of Dayton fans in attendance.
St. Mary's has been one of the better mid major programs around in recent years. They started the season with a win over Wisconsin, and I thought they would give Dayton a better game than they did. The Gaels have games coming up with California and Arizona State, so we'll learn more about them soon.
Liberty was a mystery coming into their game against Grand Canyon. They were 10-0 against a very soft schedule. Their best win is probably their victory over Rice; the Owls are currently 6-4. Liberty led most of the game against GCU, but trailed by one with 10:13 to go before going on a run and holding GCU scoreless for over six minutes. The final was Liberty 70-61. Forward Myo Baxter-Bell played his way onto my "Favorite College Players of 2019-20" list. Baxter-Bell goes 6-5, 255, and plays the low post like a bowling ball. Surprisingly light on his feet. His stats for the win over GCU: 15 points, 5 rebounds, in 21 minutes. He made several big plays down the stretch when LU was putting the game away. The Flames have upcoming dates with Vandy and LSU, so I don't expect them to stay undefeated much longer.
Grand Canyon was the "home team" of the event, and had by far the best fan representation. Not only were there a lot of Antelope fans in the arena, but they were loud, animated, and dedicated. They had several custom cheers and dances. The pep band was what all pep bands should be, talented and involved in the game. I'm not sure who is responsible for developing that team spirit, but they deserve an award. The GCU win total has been diminishing over the past few years, but the fan support has not. Their home stadium seats 7,000, but they average 7300 per game. Even as the game slipped away from the 'Lopes, the fan support remained constant. As the GCU players walked off the floor after the game, the fans were on their feet applauding, even though GCU did NOT play a good game. If I was a recruit in attendance, I would have been impressed.
As I have stated elsewhere on the board, the 'Lopes have been a favorite of college basketball media, but they haven't made an NIT or NCAA under Thunder Dan, and they're 4-8 as I type this, having been drubbed by Northern Iowa last night. They were hoping to get a boost this year from TCU grad transfer Jaylen Fisher, but he's been hurt all season (he was injury prone at TCU). I'm not sure what the season holds for them.
Like I said, this was a fun event. Saw some good basketball played among teams that have various levels of optimism among their fan bases. There is nothing like college basketball. Made me long for the days of the Motor City Classic.
|
|
|
Post by Commissioner on Dec 13, 2019 20:17:18 GMT -5
A few final thoughts from a fun college basketball Sunday afternoon in Phoenix. Liberty was a mystery coming into their game against Grand Canyon. They were 10-0 against a very soft schedule. Their best win is probably their victory over Rice; the Owls are currently 6-4. Liberty led most of the game against GCU, but trailed by one with 10:13 to go before going on a run and holding GCU scoreless for over six minutes. The final was Liberty 70-61. Forward Myo Baxter-Bell played his way onto my "Favorite College Players of 2019-20" list. Baxter-Bell goes 6-5, 255, and plays the low post like a bowling ball. Surprisingly light on his feet. His stats for the win over GCU: 15 points, 5 rebounds, in 21 minutes. He made several big plays down the stretch when LU was putting the game away. The Flames have upcoming dates with Vandy and LSU, so I don't expect them to stay undefeated much longer.
If Liberty can get by Vandy and LSU--a pretty big if, although Vandy isn't much good--they've got a reasonable chance to go undefeated. The Atlantic Sun is never the best conference and it's down this year.
|
|
|
Post by motorcitysam on Feb 29, 2020 12:38:44 GMT -5
As the regular season starts to wind down, I am thankful I got to see the Colangelo Classic in December. Here is how those teams have fared so far.
St. Louis has had a solid season, currently sitting at 20-8, 9-6. The Billikens have wins over Boston College and Kansas State, and losses to Seton Hall and Auburn. With regular season games left against Rhode Island, St. Bonnie, and George Mason, SLU has a chance to make a late season move.
Tulane's early season success didn't carry over to AAC play, as the Green Wave currently sits at 4-12 in conference, 12-16 overall. Of course, Tulane was 0-18 in conference last season so 4-12 is nothing to sneeze at. They are playing well lately, with wins over SMU and UCF, along with a close loss to Tulsa in their last three games.
Dayton has been the class of this event, as well as one of the best teams in the country. The Flyers are 27-2, 16-0. Their two losses are to Colorado and Kansas on neutral courts. They have wins over Georgia, Virginia Tech, and St. Mary's.
St. Mary's is having what has become their typical excellent season. 24-6, 11-4. Wisconsin, Arizona State, California, and Nevada are among the Gael victims this year.
Liberty is a surprising 27-3, 13-2. North Florida, however, only trails them by one game in the Atlantic Sun. Liberty beat SEC team Vanderbilt, but the rest of their wins are pretty pedestrian. They need to win the conference tourney to be sure they get in the Dance. My guy Myo "Bowling Ball" Baxter-Bell is averaging 7 points and 3 boards in 17 minutes per game.
Grand Canyon is fourth in the WAC conference, at 12-16, 7-7. The Lopes have been hurt by the absence of TCU transfer Jaylen Fisher, who was penciled in as their starting point guard but hasn't played a minute this year.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I attended that event in December, but four of those teams are having really good to great seasons. I'm glad I went.
|
|
|
Post by motorcitysam on Jun 9, 2021 8:44:48 GMT -5
Looks like Phoenix is hosting another version of the Jerry Colangelo Classic this coming December, and the line up looks great. I am planning on being in attendance.
It would be nice to see the Titans in an event like this at LCA.
Per John Rothstein on Twitter:
NEWS: Talking Stick Arena in Phoenix will host a quadruple-header on 12/18, according to multiple sources.
Gonzaga/Texas Tech Georgia Tech/USC San Francisco/Grand Canyon San Diego/Northern Arizona
|
|
|
Post by motorcitysam on Dec 18, 2021 7:55:48 GMT -5
The Jerry Colangelo Classic has an expanded format this year, with one game last night and four games today, Saturday December 18.
Last night's game was a nice match up between St. Mary's and San Diego State. I would have included that one on the "What To Watch" thread but it wasn't televised. Smokey's school took the win by ten.
Today's schedule makes me wish I was in Phoenix already. (Times are local for Arizona.)
11:00 AM #5 Gonzaga University vs #25 Texas Tech CBS. Gonzaga is a 8.5 point favorite, which sounds about right.
2:00 PM Kenny Anderson vs Paul Westphal. Nice match up between a couple of NCAA teams from last season. USC is favored over Georgia Tech by eight.
5:30 PM Grand Canyon vs San Francisco. The Grand Canyon fans will turn this into a de facto home game for the Antelopes. Good match up with GCU at 9-2 and San Francisco at 10-0. I wish this one was on television.
8:00 PM San Diego vs Northern Arizona.
Fun day of hoops. I plan on going next season.
|
|
|
Post by motorcitysam on Sept 13, 2023 16:08:02 GMT -5
The Jerry Colangelo Classic is back in 2023, with another quadruple header of college basketball on December 16. My tentative plan is to go. Grand Canyon has capitalized on this event, playing a game in the local NBA arena as part of a big event. Their fans turn it into a party, and basically take over the joint on gameday, despite the presence of fans from the other teams. I'd love to see an event like this at LCA, but the Titans don't have the fanbase to do what GCU's fans do, and our administration might decide that there's not enough benefit in it for us to participate. Probably just wishful thinking on my part. This year's match ups: Grand Canyon vs University of Portland Washington State vs Santa Clara UNLV vs St. Mary's University of California-Santa Barbara vs Loyola Marymount (Hoping that this one is a quadruple overtime affair that saps LMU two days before they meet the Titans.) www.hoophall.com/events/jerry-colangelo-classic
|
|
|
Post by motorcitysam on Nov 18, 2023 23:12:03 GMT -5
Friday I attended the opening games of the Cactus Division of the Arizona Tip Off MTE. It was a double header, with a nice match up between San Francisco and Grand Canyon in the opener, followed by South Carolina vs DePaul(!) in the night cap. The event is taking place at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. The format includes two divisions: The Desert Division, consisting of Fort Wayne, VMI, Northern Arizona, and South Dakota; and the Cactus Division, consisting of the teams I saw last night.
San Francisco vs Grand Canyon was basically a match up between two solid mid major teams. Both had their moments, but the play was poor on both sides down the stretch. The 'Lopes beat the Dons 76-72 in a game that featured a duel between GCU guards Rashon Harrison (24 points) & Tyon Grant-Foster (28 points) and Dons guards Marcus Williams (20) & Mike Sharvajamts (16) points. At one point Harrison and Williams were trading buckets on successive trips down the floor. Williams scoring early in the second half gave San Francisco the lead by six, but late in the game Williams got cold and basically shot his team out of the game.
San Francisco doesn't play as well as the did under coach Todd Golden (now at Florida). They do more standing around and a lot more one on one. While this game wasn't technically a home game for GCU, their fans took over Desert Diamond Arena, drowning out everyone else's fans. Their mascot (a guy in an antelope costume named Thunder) made his rounds among all of the fan bases, and posed for pictures. As soon as GCU gets a new coach, I'll probably become a fan, but their coach now is Bryce Drew, and there is too much Detroit vs Valpo history for me to root for him. For now, I admire the way their University supports their program and the strides they are making to become more relevant on the national scene.
I was excited for the second game, which was the first time I had watched DePaul in person in several years. They came in at 1-2 while South Carolina was 3-0 and the favorite. South Carolina won by 5, but I saw some positives in the Blue Demons. They play HARD and support each other. They run a good offense, with lots of ball and player movement, and they get good shots in their sets. The problem with DePaul, however, is talent. They just don't have enough good players to consistently win. They missed so many of those good shots (short jumpers and lay ups) that they got while running their offense. DePaul has players who would be good rotation guys and depth on a good team, but on DePaul they are in starting roles and not capable of making a difference regularly on that level. They are maybe three good players away not being pretty good. To the Blue Demons credit, they didn't give up when trailing by 14 and fought back hard to put the game in doubt until the end. I was yelling for them the entire way.
Tomorrow (Sunday) I'll be back for the third place game (San Francisco/DePaul) and the Catctus Division Championship (GCU/South Carolina).
|
|
|
Post by motorcitysam on Nov 19, 2023 16:42:30 GMT -5
In the stands waiting for the San Francisco vs DePaul tip.
Back in the 80s, this wouldn't have been a heck of a game. 😏
|
|