ESPN College Basketball Ball @ESPNCBB Preseason Coaches Poll: 1. Kentucky 2. Arizona 3. Duke 4. Wisconsin 5. Kansas 6. North Carolina 7. Florida 8. Virginia 9. Louisville 10. Texas 11. Wichita State 12. Villanova 13. Gonzaga 14. Iowa State 15. UConn 16. VCU 17. San Diego State 18. Michigan State 19. Oklahoma 20. Ohio State 21. Nebraska 22. SMU 23. Michigan 24. Syracuse 25. Iowa
Johnson leads No. 15 VCU past Tennessee 85-69 Melvin Johnson had a simple explanation for a first half in which the missed only two shots, scored 20 points and provided Virginia Commonwealth with a commanding lead. "When I got the opportunity to shoot, I shot it," he said. "It was just my day." With Johnson leading the way, No. 15 VCU built an 18-point halftime lead and beat Tennessee 85-69 Friday night in the Veterans Classic. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400591082
Graham, Johnson lead No. 15 VCU over Toledo 87-78 Virginia Commonwealth's trademark Havoc style -- full-court, in-your-face pressure defense -- can eventually wear down an opponent, and that was certainly the case Tuesday night against a talented Toledo team. The Rockets, who returned seven of their top eight players from a 27-7 team, stayed with No. 15 VCU for most of the game but faltered in the final three minutes, allowing the Rams to pull away for an 87-78 victory in their home opener. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587395
E.C. Matthews' 26 points lead Rhode Island in upset of Nebraska The thunderous chants of "I believe that we will win!" from the student section began with just under two minutes to play in the second half. They continued right through overtime as Rhode Island beat No. 21 Nebraska 66-62 Saturday night for its first win over a ranked opponent since 1998. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400591101
No. 6 North Carolina defeats Davidson 90-72 North Carolina coach Roy Williams wanted to send a message to Kennedy Meeks after two early mistakes, so he sat his star power forward less than three minutes into Saturday's game against Davidson. His message was simple: "Play or sit." Meeks, who played his prep basketball at nearby West Charlotte High, decided to play -- and enjoyed one heck of a homecoming. The 6-foot-9, 270-pound Meeks overcame those two early defensive mistakes to score 19 points and 12 rebounds, leading No. 6 North Carolina to a 90-72 win over Davidson to remain unbeaten. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587784
VCU tops No. 23 Nothern Iowa in double overtime Treveon Graham, Briante Weber and VCU aren't used to losing at home, and especially not in lopsided fashion. They did that a week ago against No. 6 Virginia, falling by 17 points, and then had a week to collect themselves and refocus. "We just wanted to get back on track, and this game really did that for us," said Graham, whose tightly contested 3-pointer in the second overtime Saturday gave the Rams some separation in a 93-87 victory over No. 23 Northern Iowa. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400586361
Devon Scott, Jalen Robinson out Dayton has dismissed starting center Devon Scott and backup big man Jalen Robinson from the team. Robinson and Scott were involved in a trespassing incident in the dorms in which they allegedly stole money, sources said. "I'm extremely disappointed in Jalen and Devon. Their actions do not reflect the behavior we want in our program," coach Archie Miller said. "Our student-athletes are given every opportunity to be successful on and off the court. Despite ample opportunity to do so, their actions demonstrate they chose not to take advantage of that. More important than wins and losses, it's about members of our program being committed to represent the University of Dayton in the manner we all expect." Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...ton-flyers-dismiss-devon-scott-jalen-robinson
Chris Holtmann signs multiyear deal Butler coach Chris Holtmann has agreed to a multiyear deal to replace Brandon Miller, who had been on medical leave since early October, according to sources. The school announced that Holtmann has been named the head coach on Friday in a statement. "Chris has provided important leadership and coached successfully in a difficult situation. He has fully embraced the Butler Way and we are confident in the future of our basketball program with Chris at the helm," Butler athletic director Barry Collier said in the statement. "We want to thank Brandon Miller for his many contributions to Butler over the last 18 months, and wish him well. Out of respect for Brandon and his privacy, we will have no additional comment." Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...h-chris-holtmann-agrees-multiyear-deal-school
Jahlil Okafor scores 28 as No. 2 Duke routs BC by 23 The points are coming from everywhere these days for Duke freshman Jahlil Okafor -- even the free throw line. Okafor scored a career-high 28 points to lead the second-ranked Blue Devils' 85-62 rout of Boston College on Saturday. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587897
No. 3 Virginia remains unbeaten, avoids upset vs. Miami Virginia guard Justin Anderson was talking about his unbeaten team's latest victory when he interrupted himself to greet a locker room visitor. "I've always wanted to meet you. How are you doing?" Anderson said as he shook hands with retired NBA player Shane Battier. "Nice game," Battier said. "Keep shooting that thing." "Yes sir. Thank you," Anderson said. The junior kept shooting Saturday, even after his last-second foul in regulation nearly cost the third-ranked Cavaliers the game. He redeemed himself with several key plays to help Virginia beat Miami 89-80 in double overtime. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587895
Kellen Dunham put Butler in position to win, and then he put away St. John's. Dunham scored a season-high 28 points, including a pivotal 3-pointer with just more than 2 minutes left that helped the Bulldogs hold off the No. 15 Red Storm 73-69 on Saturday. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400588403
When Phil Martelli and Saint Joseph's walked into the Siegel Center two hours before game time Saturday, one of the first things the veteran coach noticed was VCU guard Melvin Johnson in a full sweat taking shot after shot after shot. Two hours later, the Hawks got to see that work pay off as Johnson put on a clinic from 3-point territory. Johnson broke out of a recent slump by hitting 6 of 7 from behind the arc and scoring 20 points as No. 20 VCU beat the Hawks 89-74. The Rams (13-3, 3-0 Atlantic 10) never trailed and extended their winning streak to eight. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400599907
As far as Briante Weber was concerned, the only way Treveon Graham wasn't going to re-enter the game after twisting an ankle early in the second half was if he had to use crutches. Graham, who was forced to the bench after crashing to the floor, scored 16 of his 26 points in the second half as No. 17 Virginia Commonwealth rallied for a 65-60 victory over upset-minded Rhode Island in an Atlantic 10 Conference game Tuesday night. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400599786
One of the many mottos incorporated by Virginia Commonwealth coach Shaka Smart is "poise or panic." The 17th-ranked Rams flirted with the latter before finding the former in the final minutes of a 70-64 victory over Duquesne on Saturday. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400591174
Dayton coach Archie Miller said he was concerned about Davidson's 3-point shooting coming into Tuesday night's game. It didn't take long for those worries to become a reality. Davidson finished 12 of 23 from 3-point range and knocked off the 22nd-ranked Flyers 77-60 for their first win against a top 25 team since beating No. 12 Kansas in 2011. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400591176
The winning play was simple: Get the ball to Treveon Graham and step aside. Graham threw the inbounds pass, got it right back and then drove the distance for a tiebreaking layup with 0.9 seconds left, and No. 16 Virginia Commonwealth held off Saint Louis 63-61 on Friday night for its 11th consecutive victory. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400599947
The Flyers had quite a first week in the Top 25. They got drubbed on the road and then had to rally to pull one out at home. Dyshawn Pierre scored 21 points, and Dayton led a double-digit lead slip away before rallying in the closing minutes to beat Richmond 63-60 on Saturday night, remaining unbeaten at home. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400591182
Terry Larrier is entering that period in his freshmen season when coaches and teammates are fond of saying that freshmen aren't freshmen any more, but rather first-year players who should be starting to figure things out. Consider him on schedule. Larrier had 15 points, four rebounds, two assists, a steal and no turnovers in 22 minutes Tuesday night, leading No. 14 VCU to a 72-48 victory against George Washington in what was expected to be the Rams toughest conference test to date. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400599616
With his team in desperate need of a lift and a win, the smallest player on the court made the biggest impact. Kendall Anthony, all 5-foot-8 of him, scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half as Richmond made an emphatic rally to upset No. 14 Virginia Commonwealth 64-55 on Saturday. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400599794
No. 18 VCU lost another key player on Wednesday night. It also picked up another big win on the road. Melvin Johnson scored 17 points to lead VCU to a 72-60 victory over George Mason. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400599606