Hoops notes: Vandy, Ole Miss make first misstep

The week began with two Southeastern Conference teams clinging to their undefeated records.

The week ended with none.

Vanderbilt and Mississippi stepped out of the non-conference world and into that dangerous territory known as the SEC. Things quickly become more difficult. After opening the season with 13 consecutive victories, Ole Miss lost its SEC opener to No. 8 Tennessee 85-83 on Wednesday. Saturday, Vanderbilt traveled to Kentucky and extended the Wildcats to double overtime before losing 79-73. That snapped the 16-game winning streak to start the season for the Commodores.

So, what have we learned? What does it all mean? Quite honestly, the view from here hasn’t changed a bit. Both teams are still legitimate contenders. Tennessee remains the top team in the conference, with Vanderbilt right behind. If a vote were taken today, Vandy’s Shan Foster would likely win conference player of the year honors, and Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy would likely be the leader in coach of the year balloting.

Don’t tell me Vanderbilt is a disappointment after losing at Kentucky. The Wildcats may have entered the game 6-7 overall but the jersey still says Kentucky and the arena is still named after Adolph Rupp. It was Billy Gillispie’s SEC debut and the Commodores rallied from a 16-point deficit to force two overtimes.

It’s simply unreasonable to expect any team in the SEC to go undefeated. And this isn’t college football, where one loss can cost a team its shot at the national championship. Vanderbilt has to put the Kentucky loss to rest immediately and focus on Thursday’s big game at Tennessee. It’s a tough follow-up game without a doubt, but an opportunity for the Commodores to make an enormous statement.

“Obviously, we were a bit disappointed in our play but in terms of our character, it was certainly there a long time before we had to try to come back in the game and it will continue to be there because that is who these guys are,” Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings told reporters in Lexington. “I think our team had good composure and had very good composure at the end of a close game.”

Foster scored 20 points, including a three-pointer with 14 seconds left in regulation that tied the score at 65.

“We learned an important lesson from the game today,” said Vandy center A.J. Ogilvy, the Australian import who is averaging 19.4 points and 7.1 rebounds. “We learned we can play with fatigue, that we can depend on each other and hit big shots down the stretch. Shan is our go-to guy. His shot at the end of regulation showed what kind of player he can be.”

Vanderbilt is one of only two SEC schools to reach the Sweet 16 two times in the past four seasons (two-time defending national champion Florida is the other). Nothing close to that level was expected heading into this season as the Commodores faced the task of replacing Derrick Byars, the SEC Player of the Year. But Foster, who is averaging 20.6 points and 5 rebounds, might give Vandy back-to-back POY winners and Stallings has established a solid program in Nashville.

“Shan has been nothing short of incredible,” Stallings said before the Kentucky game. “He’s been great in every way. He has scored and shot great. He has been pretty effective on the boards for us. He’s usually given the top perimeter opponent to defend. He has been a rock for us.”

The way Vanderbilt responds against Tennessee will be important to Stallings. Kennedy watched Mississippi rebound from its loss to the Vols with a 74-71 victory Saturday at home over LSU. It wasn’t easy for the Rebels, who bolted to a 22-point lead and then had to survive the comeback-minded Tigers — but it was a win.

“Obviously we’ve still got something to learn,” Kennedy said.

That should come as no surprise either.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

It’s not just the Eric Gordon show at Indiana. D.J. White can do some heavy lifting for the Hoosiers. Last week he scored 21 points and grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds in a victory at Michigan on Tuesday. He followed that up with 15 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday’s 62-58 triumph over Illinois. That was Indiana’s 10th consecutive victory and 27th straight win at home.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

The Oklahoma Sooners became the most recent team to experience the frustration of trying to defend Kansas State’s Michael Beasley. The Wildcats’ star scored 32 points, including the game-winning shot with 2.3 seconds left, as K-State stunned Oklahoma 84-82. Beasley also grabbed 11 rebounds to complete his 14th double-double of the season. Beasley has scored 30 or more points in six games. That’s the second-most in one season in Big 12 history and one behind the school record shared by Bob Boozer and Norris Coleman.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Monday, Jan. 14
Georgetown at Pittsburgh
This one seemed like a potential instant classic until Pitt got hit with so many injuries. It’s still a big one in the Big East.

Oklahoma at Kansas
The Jayhawks are 24-3 at home on Big Monday telecasts. Freshman Blake Griffin leads Oklahoma in scoring (15.4), rebounding (9.1) and steals (22).

Tuesday, Jan. 15
Ohio State at Michigan State
Michigan State must find a way to put Saturday’s horrendous 43-36 loss to Iowa in the past.

Cincinnati at Notre Dame
The Bearcats are off to a stunning start in the Big East but South Bend is a tough place to win.

Wednesday, Jan. 16
Duke at Florida State
Tallahassee isn’t on Duke’s list of favorite ACC destinations.

DePaul at Villanova
It’s early for a conference rematch, but that’s what we have here. DePaul beat Villanova 84-76 on Jan. 3.

Thursday, Jan. 17
Marquette at Louisville
Louisville could climb back into the Big East race with a win over the Golden Eagles.

Vanderbilt at Tennessee
This shapes up as a big bounce-back game for Vandy after Saturday’s loss at Kentucky.

Friday, Jan. 18
Bucknell at Holy Cross
Two of the premier programs in the Patriot League get together for some special Friday night hoops.

Saturday, Jan. 19
Texas A&M at Kansas State
K-State won’t be an easy place to visit this season and the Aggies played only two non-conference games away from home.

Clemson at Duke
Clemson seems to have a split personality after nearly upsetting North Carolina but then losing to Charlotte.

Kansas at Missouri
The Tigers have already surprised and the trip to Columbia is never too pleasant for the Jayhawks.

USC at UCLA
Mr. Mayo, meet Mr. Love.

Sunday, Jan. 20
Marquette at Connecticut
The Huskies remain in need of a signature victory. Can UConn find a way to stop Marquette’s talented guards?

THEY SAID IT:

“It’s like being a step-parent. I didn’t pick them. They didn’t pick me. They are trying hard. They are trying. It is a process. The effort is good. If it wasn’t I would say it publicly.” — Saint Louis coach Rick Majerus after his team set a modern Division I record for fewest points in a game, losing 49-20 to George Washington.

“I came into the game with a whole different mentality like ‘Just play ball.’ I actually tried it for the first time. And Coach [Jim] Calhoun wasn’t there [because of illness], so it was kind of a little more stress off me, less worries. I think that’s what it was.” — Connecticut guard Doug Wiggins, to The Hartford Courant, after making his first six shots and scoring 15 points with Calhoun sidelined by flu-like symptoms.

“The office is too small for all that dadgum memorabilia.” — North Carolina coach Roy Williams, after tripping over a cord in his office, cutting his scalp and needing five stitches. Williams said there were about two dozen basketballs, needing autographs, in his office.

“You are not going to win any basketball games in Division I scoring 50 points. It’s just that simple.” — Boston College coach Al Skinner, following a 57-51 home loss to Robert Morris.

NOTES:

The Atlantic 10 has been flexing some muscle on the court this season but the conference may have made a bigger statement off the court last week. Xavier took a stance against a label that really wore out its usefulness years ago. When Rivals.com called the Xavier athletic department with the news that point guard Drew Lavender had been chosen “Mid-Major Player of the Week,” athletic director Mike Bobinski declined to accept the honor. “It’s such an easy thing to do to put labels on people,” Bobinski told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “But you do an injustice when you don’t know or tell the whole story by lumping people in broad major or mid-major categories.” There is no doubt the mid-major label is inaccurate when applied to Xavier. A-10 commissioner Linda Bruno went a step further. “The term mid-major is derogatory,” she told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Coaches who were hoping they could go back to text messaging recruits got a jolt on Saturday. A proposal aimed at overriding the ban that took effect Aug. 1 failed big-time Saturday at the NCAA convention. Delegates voted 240 to 65, with one abstention. A group of 30 schools had placed text messaging on the agenda, asking for an override.

Remember when UConn seemed to be closing in on its third national championship in eight seasons? The Huskies’ fortunes have changed drastically since losing to George Mason in the 2006 regional finals. After a win over No. 17 Washington two days prior to that stunning upset, UConn is 0-7 against ranked teams. The latest loss came Saturday at No. 7 Georgetown when center Roy Hibbert capped a rally by the Hoyas, hitting a three-pointer with 4.2 seconds left for a 72-69 victory in Washington. Hibbert is now 2-for-2 from three-point range in his Georgetown career. “It’s not a fluke,” Hoyas coach John Thompson III said. “It’s not a shocker. It’s not a once-in-a-lifetime shot.”

Baylor defeated Iowa State 74-67 to win its Big 12 opener for the first time since 2002. The Bears have opened Big 12 play with a 2-0 record only once. They jumped out to a 5-0 start in 1997-98.

Arizona freshman guard Jerryd Bayless must have been practicing his free throws while recovering from a Dec. 22 knee injury. Bayless returned to action Saturday and scored a career-high 33 points with nine assists in an 85-71 win over Houston. In the process, he set an Arizona record for free throws made in a game (18) and equaled the school record for free throws attempted (20).

Stat package of the week: Kansas guard Mario Chalmers has 17 assists and only three turnovers in his last three games. Chalmers has been a model of consistency this season, finishing 11 games with at least five assists and 12 games with two turnovers or less.

Good news department: Doctors have cleared ESPN analyst Dick Vitale to return to broadcasting after his surgery in December to treat ulcers on his left vocal cord. It seems more than fitting that Vitale plans to return for the Feb. 6 game between Duke and North Carolina. That should be awesome baby. You’ve been missed, Dick.

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