Whose stock has risen and fallen during the tip-off marathon?
A look at whose stock has risen and fallen during this year’s college basketball tip-off marathon. Check back throughout Tuesday’s action because this file will be updated all day:
Stock rising: Gonzaga’s hopes for a deep March run
Two of the best Gonzaga teams Mark Few has coached are the Adam Morrison-led 2005-06 squad that fell apart in the Sweet 16 and the Kelly Olynyk-led 2012-13 squad that got shot down by Wichita State in the round of 32. Watching the Zags throttle highly touted SMU 72-56 on Monday night confirmed suspicions that this year’s team has a chance to be better than both. One impressive aspect of Gonzaga’s performance was the play of Kevin Pangos, who scored a game-high 17 points and offered a reminder he’ll be far more explosive this season after being hampered by injuries last season. Another was the play of backup big men Domantas Sabonis and Angel Nunez, both of whom gave the Zags quality minutes with mammoth 7-footer Przemek Karnowski battling foul trouble. Most impressive, however, was Gonzaga’s defense, which limited SMU to 31.1 percent shooting. The Mustangs aren’t an especially effective perimeter shooting team and had trouble scoring inside against the Zags’ stable of tall, long-armed big men, a combination that contributed to Gonzaga building its lead to as many as 25 in the second half.
Stock falling: Georgia State’s hopes for an at-large bid
Georgia State certainly wouldn’t have been a lock to contend for for an at-large NCAA tournament bid had it upset Iowa State on Monday night, but the Panthers have virtually no chance now after sustaining an 81-58 loss. The reason is that the matchup with the Cyclones represented Georgia State’s lone chance to notch a victory that would resonate with the selection committee. The toughest games remaining on the Panthers’ schedule are against Colorado State and Green Bay, both qualify teams but neither good enough that a win could earn Georgia State at-large consideration. Instead the Panthers will probably have to win the Sun Belt tournament, a goal that proved elusive last season when they went 17-1 in league play but lost to Louisiana-Lafayette in the tournament title game. Many believe Georgia State can be a threat in March in spite of its one-sided loss Monday night because of its potent backcourt highlighted by NBA prospect R.J. Hunter and transfers Ryan Harrow and Kevin Ware. Ice-cold 15 of 48 shooting from all three guards contributed to Monday’s loss. As a result, Georgia State’s path to the NCAA tournament became a little more difficult.
Stock rising: Bruce Pearl’s dry cleaning bills
One sure sign Auburn wasn’t faring well against Colorado on Monday night: Its coach was sweating more than his players. Patches of sweat were plainly visible on Bruce Pearl’s blue shirt when TV cameras panned to him throughout the second half of the Tigers’ 90-59 loss to the Buffaloes. It was bad even before a Auburn missed 17 straight second-half shots to enable Colorado to break open what had been a fairly close game for most of the first 25 minutes. Thus Pearl learned a few things during his team’s first loss of the young season. He had no answers for Colorado’s potent frontcourt trio of Wesley Gordon, Xavier Johnson and Josh Scott. He needs other scorers to emerge to sink some outside shots and take the pressure off K.T. Harrell. And, most importantly, under no circumstances should he wear a heavy cornflower blue shirt under his blazer during a game ever again.
Stock falling: Geno Auriemma’s late-game Xs and Os.
It’s tough to criticize Geno Auriemma considering he has more national championship trophies than I have clean shirts in my closet. Nonetheless, it’s also impossible to ignore that his UConn women’s team made some curious decisions late in its 88-86 overtime loss at Stanford on Monday night. The Huskies showed little urgency trailing the Cardinal by three late in overtime, letting 17 seconds melt off the clock before a layup from Saniya Chong cut the deficit to one. A Karlie Samuelson free throw extended the Stanford lead to two and gave UConn a final chance to tie or win, but the Huskies neither managed to advance the ball past mid-court, nor managed to get off a shot before time expired. Perhaps Auriemma instructed his team to go for a quick two on the first of those possessions and the Huskies just took too long. Perhaps there was some confusion among the players about what Auriemma wanted on UConn’s final possession. Regardless, it was unusual to see America’s premier women’s basketball program execute so poorly in the final seconds of a game that was still there to be taken.
Stock rising: Angel Rodriguez
Unlike other transfers who petition for a waiver to play immediately at their new school, Angel Rodriguez was happy to sit out last season at Miami. The Kansas State transfer wanted to have a year away from basketball to heal his injuries and give coach Jim Larranaga time to replenish the roster. Never has that decision looked smarter than Monday night when Rodriguez singlehandedly carried his team to a marquee victory over No. 8 Florida. Rodriguez scored 22 of his 24 points in the final nine minutes, rallying his team to a 69-67 road win in a game it trailed by as many as 14 points midway through the second half. What sparked Rodriguez’s spurt were back-to-back-to-back threes that fueled an 18-1 run. The point guard also sank the go-ahead 3-pointer over Hill’s outstretched hands with 18 seconds to go in the second half and drew a critical charge on Florida’s ensuing possession. It was a remarkable one-man barrage from a point guard already living up to the expectation that he’ll be one of this season’s impact transfers.
Stock falling: Chris Walker
How can the Florida forward’s stock tumble when he didn’t even play? Perhaps because the 6-foot-10 sophomore’s suspension for an undisclosed team rules violation contributed to the Gators’ collapse against Miami. With Walker unavailable and Dorian Finney-Smith sidelined by a fracture of his non-shooting hand, walk-on forward Jacob Kurtz had to start and log 36 minutes for the Gators. Kurtz put in yeoman’s work and finished with six points and eight rebounds, but he played many more minutes than what’s customary for him. It’s hard not to think that even a few minutes from a former McDonald’s All-American and potential NBA draft pick like Walker wouldn’t have helped Florida eke out a win. Walker’s absence certainly isn’t the only reason the Gators’ 33-game home win streak was snapped — stagnant second-half offense and Kasey Hill’s inability to either score himself or stick with Rodriguez also contributed. Still, Walker’s absence put Florida in a tough spot and ultimately contributed to the Gators’ first setback.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
