Former Tar Heel Lebo takes reins at East Carolina
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) -Jeff Lebo knows what he's walking into at East Carolina: A program that hasn't had a winning season in 13 years and hasn't been to the NCAA tournament in even longer.
Yet Lebo also believes that he can reverse the Pirates' feeble basketball fortunes.
"It can happen," the new East Carolina coach said Tuesday. "I told our players, 'You watch Butler, you watch Northern Iowa play in the NCAA tournament. So why can't that be East Carolina?"'
It's a question that has been asked here repeatedly over the years. And Lebo - who met with reporters and Pirates fans at his introductory news conference - has been successful in rebuilding efforts at Tennessee Tech and Chattanooga. But East Carolina offers a unique set of challenges outside of the obvious oncourt struggles.
It's a school with a fan base that's passionate and turns out in droves for football, yet is often disengaged and leaves plenty of empty seats in Minges Coliseum when it comes to basketball. Not to mention there's the challenge of building a successful program in the shadows of spotlight-hogging Atlantic Coast Conference programs like Duke, North Carolina and North Carolina State.
Lebo, 43, knows all about the dynamics here. He played for Dean Smith at North Carolina in the 1980s and his wife is a North Carolina native with family less than an hour's drive from campus in Williamston.
"We've got to understand what it takes for a good team to win and win consistently," Lebo said. "The first thing is getting that fan base back out. I've seen the passionate Pirate fans at the football games. I know it can happen here in basketball. This state loves basketball. I know that certainly firsthand."
Lebo spent the past six seasons at Auburn before he was fired earlier this month after compiling a 96-93 record at the school, though he was hampered by an outdated coliseum then let go with the Tigers preparing to open a $90 million arena next season. He received a six-year deal at East Carolina worth about $3.4 million, excluding performance incentives.
Lebo replaces Mack McCarthy, who spent three seasons on the sideline for the Pirates before stepping down to take a a fundraising job in the school's athletics department.
Lebo is the 11th coach at the program during a stretch in which the Pirates have had 28 losing seasons in 35 years. East Carolina hasn't been to the NCAA tournament since 1993 and its last winning record came in the 1996-97 season. In the years since, East Carolina has reached .500 once and compiled a 141-230 record.
"It's not going to happen overnight," said athletics director Terry Holland, who coached Ralph Sampson at Virginia in the early 1980s. "He's going to have to get his own kids in here as well and gradually build what he wants to do and how he wants to play. It's not a matter of whether the players are good, it's whether or not they fit the way he feels most comfortable playing.
"He's very flexible. That's one of the things that's impressive. He doesn't coach a system, he coaches the players."
At the least, Holland finally managed to pull a successful recruiting job on Lebo this time around. Holland recalled his days of trying to recruit Lebo to play for him at Virginia, even remembering a time when someone broke a car window to steal his stereo while he was inside a gym watching Lebo play.
Lebo said Virginia made his final list before he opted to play for Smith and the Tar Heels. There wasn't much hesitation to join Holland's team this time around.
"This is a perfect place for me," Lebo said. "When he offered the job to me, I didn't even have to think about it for more than one second."
Copyright 2010 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press.
Spartan Hoopla: Will Mt. Pleasant's Trey Zeigler G
Right now, that name echoes optimism in the state of Michigan. After scoring an impressive 28 points in the Mt. Pleasant Oilers' 57-49 regional semifinal win over Flint Northwestern, Zeigler is gaining even more attention (if that's possible).
As one of the mitten's premier prep-stars, there's no shortage of offers for the Oilers' senior.
The UCLA Bruins want him.
Arizona State would love to have Zeigler in its rotation. He could make an immediate impact for the Sun Devils.
Mike Krzyzewski has went after the lanky 190-pounder, too. Already known for dynamic shooters, Zeigler could add to Duke's rich history of bucket filling guards.
Will he choose to go to the left coast, sunny Arizona, or down to ACC country?
Or will he choose to simply stay close to his roots—in Michigan?
His father, Ernie, is the coach at Central Michigan. The Chippewas are conveniently located in, you guessed, it Mt. Pleasant.
How's that for a hometown fit?
What about playing for the Wolverines?
Well, John Beilein seems to think that Zeigler would be a great fit in Ann Arbor. Beilein is more than interested in the 6'5" shooting-guard—the land's sixth-ranked shooting-guard according to ESPN , that is.
The real interest here, well to Spartan basketball fans, is the fact that he's also considering Michigan State.
The Spartans routinely snag some of the nation's best talent, and although Zeigler may not see optimal minutes a freshman, he would have a chance to be a mainstay on Tom Izzo's roster for three years.
With Chris Allen and Durrell Summers set to graduate next year, Zeigler would be a welcome replacement to fill the vacated role of shooting-guard.
Zeigler is long, lean, and athletic. He's not the most physical prospect, but he doesn't have to be. All he will have to do is do what he's done in high school: Score points by the truck load.
Zeigler garnished the limelight with his impressive performance in the Adidas Nationals back in August. He filled in for then-injured Brandon Knight, and has sat back and watched his stock climb in dramatic fashion.
With recruits like Adreian Payne (OH), Keith Appling (MI), Alex Gauna (MI), and Russel Byrd (IN), the Spartans continue to dip into the fountain of youth and suit up some of the region's best talent in green and white.
Let the waiting game begin.
Copyright © 2010 Bleacher Report, Inc.
College Hoops Free Pick - #4 Syracuse Orange at Cincinnati Bearcats
No. 4 Syracuse Orange (22-1, 13-5 ATS) at Cincinnati Bearcats (14-8 SU, 5-12 ATS)
Here are some NCAA Basketball Betting Trends which may impact this game:
Syracuse: Total has gone UNDER in their last 3 games
Syracuse: 7-1 ATS on the road
Cincinnati: 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games
Cincinnati: 2-6 ATS at home
As the Syracuse Orange come into Sunday's college basketball betting odds, they're one of the hottest teams in the country. They've won their last nine games, and are undefeated on the road. On Sunday, they take on a team desperate for a win, the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Speaking of Cincinnati, it wasn't supposed to be this way for Mick Cronin's club. They came into the season with high expectations, and even reached No. 19 in the rankings earlier this year. However, they've struggled immensely of late, losing four of their last seven games straight up.
On the surface there don't appear to be a ton of problems: They score points, play adequate defense and have a talented roster. The problem though, has been the inconsistency of their stars, including freshman Lance Stephenson.
Bet on Syracuse by 15 vs Cincinnati
Stephenson came into this year as one of the top freshman in college basketball, but has struggled at Cincinnati, and is averaging just 12 points a game. And in his last five games, he has really struggled, averaging just 9.8 points in that time frame. Senior guard Deonta Vaughn has not had the season many were expecting either, as his points per game total has fallen from 15.3 last year to just 11.9 in 2010.
There are no such problems at Syracuse. They are one of the hottest teams in college basketball, and are excellent on both offense and defense. As a matter of fact, on offense, they are the most efficient team in the country, shooting over 53 percent from the field as a team. On defense their 2-3 zone gives teams a world of fits with their length and athleticism.
Maybe the biggest difference between this year and last, is the play of Iowa State transfer Wes Johnson. Johnson is averaging 17 points and 11 rebounds for this team, and has all but wrapped the Big East Player of the Year at this point. He is an All-American in waiting, and should he leave for the NBA after this season, will likely be a top five pick. Andy Rautins and Arinze Onuaku add experience, as both are seniors.
In this game, the simple truth is that one team is playing well, and the other isn't. The biggest problem for Cincinnati, will be their ability to score points Sunday. In their last two losses, they've averaged just 62.5 points per game, well below their season average of 71. It won't be easy for them to score against this vaunted Syracuse defense.
As you can see with the stats given above, Syracuse is one of the safest bets in the college basketball betting odds. They are an even better value on the road, where they're 7-1 against the spread.
They'll improve that record, and their overall record on Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati.
College Hoops Free Pick: Syracuse by 15
(c) 1994-2009 BetUS.com. All Rights Reserved.
NCAA Lock Alert - Butler Bulldogs vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix
Friday night college basketball betting action features a pair of Horizon League squads when the Butler Bulldogs (16-4, 8-12 ATS) hit the road to take on the Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix (15-7, 7-8-1 ATS). This college basketball betting affair is between two of the top teams in the Horizon League, as both are heading towards high seeds in the upcoming conference tourney.
The Bulldogs have been the dominant team in this series, going 10-1 SU over the L/11 meetings. However, that one loss came in last year's visit to Green Bay, as the Phoenix came away with a 75-66 mild upset. Butler is only 1-3-1 ATS over the L/5 clashes with Wisky-Green Bay. On New Year's Eve, the Bulldogs slammed the Phoenix 72-49 at home.
On Friday night, Sportsbook is featuring them as 8-point favorites. The college basketball betting 'total' has been posted at 131.5.
This will be Butler's first game since winning at Illinois-Chicago 84-55 on Saturday. It was its eighth straight win overall and kept it undefeated in conference play. F Gordon Hayward went off last weekend, scoring 25 points on 10/16 shooting from the floor. He also brought down eight rebounds and blocked three shots in the blowout victory. It was the best game for the leading scorer of the Bulldogs in Horizon action.
He has six double-doubles on the season, but hasn't had one since January 2nd. When you're talking about Butler basketball though, you can't ignore the defense. It just held the Flames to 38.2% shooting from the floor. Though opposing squads are still shooting 43.7% from the field for the year against the Bulldogs, they're only scoring 61.7 points per game.
The Phoenix come into this conference battle off a solid 69-55 road pounding of Youngstown State. G Troy Cotton had one of his biggest games of the college basketball betting season, scoring 23 points and hauling in five boards. His 7/12 night from downtown made the difference. Wisconsin-Green Bay isn't a stellar defensive team, but it is playing strong enough ball in conference to have a reasonable 6-3 record SU.
No one has scored more than 72 points in a game against the Phoenix in conference, and only three teams have eclipsed that point against them all year. Seven of Wigby's L/9 games have failed to reach the 'total'. Keep an eye on F Randy Berry on the inside. He is the only player that may have a chance of winning the rebounding battle. Berry is hauling in 7.9 boards per game and is coming off of a game in which he came just one board short of a double-double (11 points, 9 rebounds).
Green bay will certainly be up for this contest after getting smacked in the first go round, but I still look Butler's way. They're clearly the more talented side, and their 10 wins in this series came by an average of 13.4 points per game. Hayward just doesn't have anyone to match up with him on the other side of the floor, and he should use the momentum from a big game against Illinois-Chicago to dominate the hosts on Friday night.
Rose's Recommendation: 5* Butler Bulldogs
Rating Scale 1* - 5*
(c) 1994-2009 BetUS.com. All Rights Reserved.
Duke A Slight One-Point Favorite Over Clemson In Top-25 battle
Two of the top teams in the ACC collide, when the Duke Blue Devils hit the road to face the Clemson Tigers in a match up of Top-25 teams. Both teams are looking to rebound from losses in each of their last games. Clemson is reeling from a road loss to Georgia Tech 66-64, while Duke was run off the court by N.C State 88-74.
Duke comes to this contest with a 15-3 overall record, and a 3-2 record in conference play. The seventh ranked team in the country had one of their poorest performances in their last game against N.C State, as they lost to the Wolf Pack for the first time since the 2007 season. The Blue Devils lost to an un-ranked team for just the second time in the last 21 games. Duke continues to struggle on the road in conference play, losing six of their last eight ACC road match ups.
Surprisingly, it has been the defense that has been the Achilles heel for the the Blue Devils. Against N.C State, the team surrendered 88 points, as the Wolf Pack shot nearly 60 percent from the floor.
The inept play by the Blue Devils did not go unnoticed by Duke coach Mike Krzyewski, as he praised the Wolf Pack for their performance.
"They were terrific," Krzyzewski said in an interview after the loss. "We could've had a week off and we wouldn't have beaten them tonight, but I wish we would've come with more energy than we came with tonight. They came with superb energy and you want to be in a game where both teams are playing at that level. We could never match their level of play."
Duke will have to come out with much more energy against Clemson. The two teams last matched up on January 3rd, which Duke won 74-53. In that contest, the Blue Devils won both the offensive and defensive battles. Guards Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith led the team with 22 points each. The defense played spectacular in the first half, limiting Clemson to just 12 first-half points. The defense was very aggressive, as they held the Tigers to 5-30 shooting during the first 20 minutes of play.
The team has performed well overall against ranked opponents this season, accumulating a record of 3-1. Wins over Connecticut, Gonzaga, and Clemson has propelled the team to their ranking.
On the other side of the court, Clemson lost a tightly contested game to Georgia Teach, in a clash of Top-25 teams. The Tigers were plagued once more by a poor shooting performance. For the fourth time this season, Clemson was held to under 40 percent from the floor. The team is 0-4 when shooting under 40 percent on the year.
The defense for the Tigers has played well all season, and that was evident in the match up against Georgia Tech. Unfortunately, they were one stop short of taking the game to an extra period.
"Our guys don't have anything to hang their heads about," Tigers head coach Oliver Purnell said after the game. "They came on the road in the ACC against a hot team and we put ourselves in position to win."
The Tigers will look towards small forward Trevor Booker for a good performance against Duke on Saturday night. Booker leads the team in scoring with 16 points per game. He led the team with 19 points against Georgia Tech. The Tigers have three players averaging double-digits on offense. Booker, Demontez Stitt and Tanner Smith complete the trio for Clemson. These three players are cornerstone on offense for the Tigers, but the need to increase their shooting percentage if they are to have a chance a upending Duke.
Duke has been installed as a slight one-point favorite to defeat the Tigers, according to the College Basketball Betting Lines. Tip off for this Top-25 ACC match up is at 9PM EST and can be seen on ESPN.
(c) 2009 USAplayer.com - All Rights Reserved.
Syracuse vs. W. Virginia
Morgantown, WV - Syracuse passed its first test during a three-game road trip against one of the Big East's lower-tier teams.
Its final two contests appear to be far more difficult.
Beating the Orange, however, has been too much of a challenge for West Virginia in recent years.
Fifth-ranked Syracuse has won 10 of its last 11 games against the No. 10 Mountaineers, and it'll look to continue that dominance and knock off its fourth Top 15 opponent Saturday afternoon in Morgantown.
Oddsmakers from online sportsbook SGB Global have made Syracuse -4 point spread favorites for Saturday's game against W. Virginia. Current College Basketball Public Betting Information shows that 72% of more than 167 bets for this game have been placed on Syracuse.
The Orange (16-1, 3-1) started 13-0 with neutral site wins over No. 13 California, No. 6 North Carolina and No. 10 Florida, and offensive efficiency has been their key all season. Syracuse leads the nation in shooting percentage (53.2), is second in assists per game (20.8) and third in points (85.2).
Coach Jim Boeheim's team was held to season lows of 42.4 percent shooting and 12 assists in an 82-72 home loss to Pittsburgh on Jan. 2, but thanks to Andy Rautins it's 5-0 away from home with West Virginia up next and a trip to Notre Dame looming Monday.
The senior guard had a season-high 23 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and five steals in an 81-65 win at Rutgers on Wednesday, though he also had five of the Orange's 18 turnovers.
"We have to clean that up before we go to Morgantown,'' said Rautins, who picked up the slack after leading scorer Wesley Johnson (17.0 points per game) was held to 11. "Even though we won, we're still not happy with the way we are playing. We're not where we need to be yet, which is a good thing.''
Facing the Mountaineers (13-2, 4-1) hasn't been too intimidating for Syracuse in the past decade. The Orange have won 10 of 11 meetings, but they've only visited Morgantown once since 2004 - and that resulted in an 81-61 loss on Jan. 13, 2008.
Syracuse won both meetings last season, including a 74-69 overtime victory in the semifinals of the Big East tournament - one night after it outlasted Connecticut in six overtimes.
West Virginia has only been ranked heading into one of those Orange wins, however, and Syracuse doesn't have much of a glowing recent history on the road against top-flight competition. The Orange have lost their last six road games to top-10 opponents by an average of 12.8 points.
The Mountaineers have alternated wins and losses in their past five games, including a 77-62 defeat at No. 4 Purdue on Jan. 1 and a 70-68 loss at Notre Dame last Saturday.
West Virginia bounced back from the loss to the Irish on Wednesday at South Florida, but it had to overcome an early deficit. The Bulls led 23-12 midway through the first half, but the Mountaineers outscored them 57-27 the rest of the way en route to a 69-50 win.
"We did in the second half what we were supposed to do the whole game,'' coach Bob Huggins said.
Devin Ebanks had 17 points and 11 rebounds against the Bulls after not scoring at Notre Dame, but West Virginia likely needs Da'Sean Butler to be better to knock off the Orange. Butler, the Mountaineers' leading scorer at 15.9 points per game, has shot 30.3 percent in his last two contests.
"We've got to get him going," Huggins said of Butler, who averaged 22.0 points in the team's two losses to Syracuse last season. "And it's not that he's not playing hard and it's not that he's not trying."
West Virginia is 11-0 when it holds its opponent under 50 percent shooting.
(c) 1999-2009 TheSpread.com Inc.
Golden Gophers vs. Boilermakers Preview | Pick
#4 Purdue Boilermakers (13-0) v Minnesota Golden Gophers (11-3)
Minnesota: 11-3 SU, 8-5 ATS
Purdue: 13-0 SU, 6-6-1 ATS
The No. 4 Purdue Boilermakers hit the road to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the Mackey Arena in West Lafayette.
Purdue has beaten Minnesota 31 of their 50 meetings including a 70-62 on Jan 22, 2009.
The Boilermakers handed the No. 6 Mountaineers their first loss of the season in their last outing, beating them 77-62. Junior JaJuan Johnson had 25 points and 10 rebounds, followed by Robbie Hummel with 18 and E'Twaun Moore with 15 in the win. The Purdue defense was solid and held the West Virginia's star guard combination of Da'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks to just 28 combined points.
However, as good as Purdue has played, they have struggled from 3-point range and are just 31.1 percent from beyond the arc -- and rank 10th among the 11 Big Ten teams in that category.
The Boilermakers are 13-0 because they have been excellent from just about everywhere on the floor. They have forced 245 turnovers while giving up just 145, have out rebounded their opponents by 3 or more a game, and are the Big Ten's best free throw shooters at almost 75 percent.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers will have their work cut out as they face a very good Purdue squad, but should be carrying some decent momentum coming off a huge 86-74 win over Iowa on Saturday. The victory increased their current winning streak to seven straight. Junior guard Blake Hoffarber scored 24 points, while Damian Johnson added 13 points and four blocks for the Gophers in the their first real road win of the season. The Gophers enter the Purdue game ranked sixth in the country in assists, seventh in turnover margin, and tenth in scoring margin with an average margin of victory during their seven game streak of 25.3 points.
A big reason for Minnesota's success is its incredible depth, but it will be tested as the they will most likely be without center Ralph Sampson and 6-foot-8 forward Robbie Hummel, both who are listed as day-to-day.
The Gophers have the momentum but will need to stay focused for an entire 40 minutes. Something they have failed to do against some inferior road opponents this season.
Purdue vs. Minnesota Odds
The odds makers have the Boilermakers at -8 1/2-point favorites in this one.
A Few Trends:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing on the road against Purdue
Minnesota' is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Minnesota's last 9 games when playing Purdue
Minnesota' is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Purdue's last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Purdue' is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Purdue' is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Purdue's last 9 games when playing Minnesota
Free Boilermakers vs Golden Gophers CBB Pick
I expect a red-hot Golden Gophers team to hand the Boilermakers their first loss of the season in this one.
(c) 2009 - Sports Betting Forums, Daily Sports Handicapping Free Picks.
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