Mid-Major Madness - Speeding Through Thursday Night"So what are they going to call it? NonPower5Madness.com?"https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50397/midmajor-fav.png2012-11-15T21:06:13-08:00http://www.midmajormadness.com/rss/stream/34162312012-11-15T21:06:13-08:002012-11-15T21:06:13-08:00Drexel Drops Home Opener to Illinois State in OT
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<figcaption>Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>After a tightly contested game featuring lax defense and high-flying offensive performances from both teams' stars, Jackie Carmichael's Illinois State Redbirds outlasted Frantz Massenat's Drexel Dragons in overtime. What's next for Drexel?</p> <p>Playing in their second consecutive overtime contest to kick off the season, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/drexel-dragons">Drexel Dragons</a> are facing a tough road to the NCAA Tournament after losing another nail-biter, this time to Illinois State, 86-84.</p>
<p>The Redbirds trailed for the majority of the game, but always found a way to keep the score close, and Drexel was never able to extend its lead to double digits. Whether it was senior <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100647/jackie-carmichael">Jackie Carmichael</a> putting up two of his team-leading 21 points or Tyler Brown dropping buckets in overtime, Illinois State just wouldn't go away.</p>
<p>Fueled by junior guard <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/123460/frantz-massenat">Frantz Massenat's</a> superb foul shooting (14-for-18 from the line) and attacking drives, the Dragons' offense kept near the basket early. The Illinois State defense decided to try and eliminate the 3-ball early, but when Drexel's offense successfully adapted, the Redbirds reverted to a more well-rounded defense. That's when the Dragons started to rain 3s.</p>
<p>Drexel guard <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/52037/chris-fouch">Chris Fouch</a>, coming off a 6-for-12 3-point shooting performance against Kent State, hit his first three 3-pointers as the Dragons took a 43-37 lead into halftime.</p>
<p>When it came to game-changers, though, all eyes were on ISU's Carmichael. <br><br> While not absolutely shutting Carmichael down, Drexel big man <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100218/daryl-mccoy">Daryl McCoy</a> was decently effective in defending the all-star forward, who used his size and fantastic pump fakes to his advantage. McCoy contested a ton of Carmichael's shots, and managing to score a few blocks.</p>
<p>At the end of regulation, after a brilliant Fouch reverse layup fed by Massenat gave Drexel a two-point advantage, the Redbirds had the ball with the shot clock turned off. They naturally fed it ball down low to Carmichael, who posted up on McCoy and tried to create space with another of his slick turn-and-reverse moves.</p>
<p>After an initial separation, McCoy recovered and followed Carmichael's take to the hoop, albeit a tad late. When Carmichael overpowered his shot and missed long with two seconds left, Drexel fans rejoiced, believing they had sealed the deal. Except the refs called a foul on McCoy, a call that appeared questionable at best.</p>
<p>Carmichael hit his two foul shots (another strong point of his seemingly impenetrable game) to send the game to overtime. In OT, the Dragons dug themselves a deep hole by falling in love with the 3-pointer, and watched their chances slip away as the Redbirds refused to miss foul shots.</p>
<p>The loss drops the Dragons to 0-2, and marks the second season in a row that Drexel has dropped its home opener. The Redbirds are now 2-0 under first-year coach Dan Muller.</p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2012/11/15/3652530/illinois-state-drexel-dragons-college-basketball-recapAdam Hermann2012-11-15T20:21:04-08:002012-11-15T20:21:04-08:00Late Heave Falls Short for Valparaiso vs. Nebraska
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<p>Despite a late comeback, Valparaiso couldn't get past Big Ten opponent Nebraska. The Crusaders closed a double-digit Husker lead down to just two points, but a potential game-winning shot from three-quarter court fell short.</p>
<p>Valpo trailed by by 14 points just five minutes into the second half, and was still behind by 11 with 7:21 remaining in the game. But the Crusader defense held Nebraska scoreless for the next seven minutes before <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/99958/brandon-ubel">Brandon Ubel</a> made two free throws with 14 seconds remaining.</p>
<p>With the lead down to two points, the Crusaders put Andre "the Giant" Almeida on the line, and he missed the front end of a 1-and-1. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100441/matt-kenney">Matt Kenney</a> grabbed the rebound, but his heave at the buzzer just didn't have enough umph to reach the rim 65 feet away. Final score: Nebraska 50, Valpo 48.</p>
<p>The game could have been a lot different had <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100444/ryan-broekhoff">Ryan Broekhoff</a> not spent a good deal of time in the first half sitting on the bench. His shooting game wasn't there tonight, but his presence inside along with <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/124601/kevin-van-wijk">Kevin Van Wijk</a> was a lot for the Huskers to handle.</p>
<p>Broekhoff finished with just eight points on 2 of 11 shooting, but he still grabbed 10 rebounds, all on the defensive end.. Van Wijk led the Crusaders with 20 points and added six boards.</p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2012/11/15/3652594/nebraska-holds-off-broekhoff-valparaisoBenjamin Miraski2012-11-15T19:38:51-08:002012-11-15T19:38:51-08:00Stock Up: Canaan Dominates Auburn Defense
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<figcaption>Andy Lyons</figcaption>
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<p>Isaiah Canaan may seem undersized, but that shouldn't deter NBA scouts from taking a long look at the Murray State guard. His strength, vision and a quick second step could all work at the next level.</p> <p>You aren't going to see a lot of 6-1 guards having their names called next June in the NBA Draft. But there should be at least one.</p>
<p>Murray State's <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/53270/isaiah-canaan">Isaiah Canaan</a> showed Thursday night why he was a preseason All-American pick, and should get a nice long look from NBA scouts. The senior guard led the Racers with 26 points in a 79-59 win over Auburn, and spent a good portion of the second half resting on the bench as his teammates finished off the Tigers.</p>
<p>But he put on enough of a show in the first half, as he scored 20 points to the Tigers' 19. It was simply no contest from the opening tip.</p>
<p>What did we see from Canaan that made him special? At least a couple of things.</p>
<p>For one, Canaan is stronger than last season, which could be hard to believe. You could already tell that Canaan spends a lot of time off the court working on his strength. But he looks even bigger and stronger this season, able to take the ball in traffic and still finish despite getting fouled from bigger players. </p>
<p>His roster sheet weight lists him at 193 pounds. It could actually tip 200, but that is a solid muscle 200 on a small frame. He is basically a bowling ball coming at you.</p>
<p>That added weight hasn't affected his ability to move with the ball though. About midway through the first half, Canaan held the ball out on the wing and was dribbling against a Tiger defender. He acted as if to drive toward the basket, making a hard two-step cut around the outside.</p>
<p>But then he hit the brakes hard, reversed back the same two steps and dropped an open 3-pointer straight through the net. The defender had no chance. Canaan looked like he had committed hard to driving through to the rim. Any player on any level would have bit on that. </p>
<p>He had the body control though to absolutely stop that freight train momentum. And then he had enough control to set up for the shot. That is NBA skill.</p>
<p>The big knock is still going to be his size because at 6-1, he isn't going to be playing as a shooting guard at the next level. That should be fine for Canaan who already drives the Murray State offense, and added six assists to his scoring line Thursday. </p>
<p>His passing skill might be tested a little more at the next level, when he isn't the focal point of an offense, and won't be drawing defenders at the rate he currently does. That isn't to say he can't see the court well enough to overcome that. Canaan got at least two of those assists as a defender closed on him, narrowing the angle to the open man that he found to finish. </p>
<p>And his willingness to pass and find the open man in the offense will be important as he moves on from Murray State.</p>
<p><b><i>Bottom Line: </i></b>Nothing Isaiah Canaan did against Auburn should take away from his draft stock. He re-established himself as one of the top point guards available, albeit one that is a bit smaller than would normally draw attention.</p>
<p>But it is hard to ignore everything that Canaan can do, from scoring, to passing, to establishing his own space and shot within the offense. The talent is there no matter the level of competition, and that should pay dividends come June.</p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2012/11/15/3652370/scouting-2013-nba-draft-murray-state-isaiah-canaan--auburnBenjamin Miraski2012-11-15T18:43:38-08:002012-11-15T18:43:38-08:00Illinois State Burns Drexel in Overtime
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<p>Led by Jackie Carmichael, Illinois State overcame Drexel's difficult defense to score 76 points and drop the Dragons in overtime by two.</p>
<p>We will have more on this game later, but this is a disappointing loss for the Dragons who held the lead late in regulation, and had a nice look from 3 at the buzzer. Drexel has now dropped its first two nonconference games in difficult ways. </p>
<p>Kent State won by four points <a href="http://www.midmajormadness.com/opening-tip-2012/2012/11/9/3625666/drexel-dragons-fumble-away-kent-state-flashes-recap">after a mental miscue by the Dragons</a>, and now the vaunted defense has let down a Drexel team that allowed just 56 points per game last season.</p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2012/11/15/3652268/illinois-state-drops-drexel-in-overtimeBenjamin Miraski2012-11-15T18:34:20-08:002012-11-15T18:34:20-08:00Evansville's Ryan Leaves Game With Hip Injury
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<p>Evansville star Colt Ryan has left the Aces' game against Buffalo with a hip pointer according to Evansville's Lance Wilkerson.</p>
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<p>We have heard that Colt Ryan has suffered a hip pointer.</p>
— Lance Wilkerson (@LanceWilkerson) <a data-datetime="2012-11-16T02:17:53+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/LanceWilkerson/status/269262985892085762">November 16, 2012</a>
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<p>Wilkerson also <a href="http://twitpic.com/bdjyid">added a photo of Ryan standing outside the huddle with his waist heavily wrapped</a>.</p>
<p>Losing Ryan for two to four weeks, as <a href="https://twitter.com/ECP_Lintner/status/269264506285350912">Jonathan Lintner pointed out was the recommended recovery time</a> on WebMD.com, would be devastating to the Aces' chances to make some noise in the nonconference season.</p>
<p>He was one of the few bright spots in the Aces' loss to Notre Dame over the weekend, scoring 15 points against the Irish. He was having a tough night against Buffalo before the injury, shooting just 1-for-4 from the field, including missing all three of his 3-point attempts.</p>
<p>We will have more on his injury as we hear updates from the game, but safe to say that he will not be returning to the court tonight.</p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2012/11/15/3652232/evansvilles-colt-ryan-goes-out-with-hip-pointerBenjamin Miraski2012-11-15T18:10:32-08:002012-11-15T18:10:32-08:00Canaan Paces Racers Ahead of Auburn at Half
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<figcaption>Andy Lyons</figcaption>
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<p>Murray State has used team speed to race past Auburn and hold them to just 19 points in the first half in Charleston</p> <p>Murray State has picked up where they it left off last season, despite losing multiple players to graduation. Well, <a href="http://www.midmajormadness.com/2012/10/12/3495364/murray-states-zay-jackson-to-serve-30-days-in-jail">and this</a>.</p>
<p>But that hasn't changed how the Racers play on the basketball court. Led by <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/53270/isaiah-canaan">Isaiah Canaan</a>, Murray State has run out to a 45-19 lead over Auburn in the opening round of the Charleston Classic.</p>
<p>Canaan outscored the Tigers all on his own, going 6-for-9 from the floor and scoring 20 despite a defense focusing on the senior guard. Auburn's backcourt has just had no answer for the All-American.</p>
<p>Murray State never shifted its game plan despite holding a 20-plus point lead for most of the half. But the Racers did open up the offense and freed a number of other players to get theirs, including <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/145753/stacy-wilson">Stacy Wilson</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100258/dexter-fields">Dexter Fields</a>, who both hurt Auburn from deep.</p>
<p>The Tigers got six points each from <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/175855/asauhn-dixon-tatum">Asauhn Dixon-Tatum</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/53410/frankie-sullivan">Frankie Sullivan</a> to lead them at the half. That no one scored more than three field goals indicates how tough the Racers defense has been, forcing 15 turnovers and holding Auburn scoreless for almost four and a half minutes late in the half.</p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2012/11/15/3652076/speed-kills-murray-state-auburn-halfBenjamin Miraski