Articles
November 21, 2011
Posted by: Cary Estes and Filed Under: General
The old adage was correct in the 5-hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip-Off. Defense won this championship.
Alabama held a Purdue team that had averaged nearly 90 points per game through the first two rounds of the tournament to more than 30 points below that mark in Sunday night’s championship, emerging with a 65-56 victory. It was the third consecutive suffocating defensive performance by the Tide in the tournament. Alabama held Maryland to only 42 points in the opening round and then gave up a modest 60 points to Wichita State in the second round.
The Boilermakers had beaten Alabama each of the past two seasons, but Purdue coach Matt Painter said this is a vastly different Alabama team. “They’ve really improved defensively,” Painter said. “With their size and athleticism and ability to change defenses, it really caused us some problems. And then when we did have open looks I thought we rushed it a little bit. You work so hard to get a clean look that when you finally get one, you sometimes press a little bit. We have some guys who have really shot it well for us who didn’t do that tonight.”
Namely, Robbie Hummel and Lewis Jackson. Those two players combined to average 43.5 points per game in the tournament’s first two rounds. Against the Crimson Tide they managed a total of 25 points on 8-of-23 shooting. As a team the Boilermakers were 20-of-57 from the field (35.1 percent) and a dismal 5-of-22 from 3-point range (22.7 percent). Hummel and guard Ryne Smith, the team’s two best 3-point shooters, were a combined 2-for-12 from outside the arc.
It was all part of Alabama’s game plan, according to tournament Most Valuable Player Tony Mitchell. “We wanted to come in and shut down the 3-point line and take away some of their cuts to the basket,” Mitchell said. “That’s the main stuff that they run on offense, and we took that away with our defensive pressure.”
While defense was the key, Alabama also had several solid performances offensively. In addition to Mitchell’s 14 points and 10 rebounds, Trevor Releford scored 20 points, JaMychal Green had 14 and Levi Randolph added 12. Those four combined to score 60 of the Tide’s 65 points.
“It wasn’t just one or two guys. We had contributions from a lot of different people,” Alabama coach Anthony Grant said. “We had guys step up and make big plays on both ends of the floor. That’s how you win games.”
It’s also how you win a tournament championship.
November 21, 2011
Posted by: Cary Estes and Filed Under: General
The Temple Owls apparently enjoy their time at the 5-hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip-Off so much that they don’t want to leave. There have been three overtime games in the five-year history of the tournament, and the Owls have been involved in two of them. Both games took place on the final day of the tournament, and Temple ended up winning both by four points.
Temple’s most recent Puerto Rico overtime triumph was made possible when Juan Fernandez sank a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left to tie the game 64-64 and force the extra session. The Owls then scored the first seven points of overtime in less than two minutes on the way to a 78-74 victory. Temple also defeated Marist by four points in overtime on the final day of the 2007 tournament.
“This is a great win for us,” Temple coach Fran Dunphy said. “Anytime you can find a way to scratch and claw and win a game like this, it definitely helps your team.”
The game was close throughout, with 10 ties and 10 lead changes. Neither team led by more than three points during the final five minutes of regulation. That also happened to be the largest lead of the game for the Shockers, which they took with only 1:03 on the clock when Toure Murry drained a jumper to make the score 64-61.
So after Temple tied the game it was no surprise that Murry, who finished with 24 points, would attempt a game-winning shot. The surprise came that he attempted it with still 17 seconds left on the shot clock, and with Fernandez guarding him closely enough that he got a piece of the ball. The shot never reached the rim.
“I guess he felt he was wide open,” Wichita coach Gregg Marshall said. “He had made a lot of shots and done a great job offensively. He felt like that was the open shot. It’s not the exact thing that we’re looking for on that play, but if he’s wide open I want him taking it.”
November 20, 2011
Posted by: Cary Estes and Filed Under: General
Iona is heading home from the 5-hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip-Off with two victories and plenty of good memories, not of all which took place on the court. Iona coach Tim Cluess said his players “had a great bonding experience” during a trip to visit Old San Juan on Saturday. Of course, it helped that they happened to stumble onto an outdoor photo shoot featuring models from the trendy Express clothing store.
“That was a good event. We had a lot of fun,” Iona senior guard Scott Machado said with a smile.
Cluess said the time in Puerto Rico has helped his players learn more about another culture, and about their teammates.
“It’s great for our guys to see a different lifestyle, how people live in other places and seeing what life is like in other areas. I love to see them culturally grow and spread some goodwill,” Cluess said. “And as a team they got to live together without everything else around them. They’re not depending on their friends or their family, their depending on each other. Their time being here together is only going to make them closer going forward.”
November 20, 2011
Posted by: Cary Estes and Filed Under: General
Iona's Scott Machado had 15 assists in victory over Maryland
In the post-game interview room following his team’s 89-63 victory over Maryland in the final round of the 5-hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip-Off, Iona coach Tim Cluess was asked whether his team had made a statement with such a convincing win over an ACC team.
Before Cluess could answer, junior guard Lamont Jones chimed in, “Yes. It was a statement. Absolutely.”
It was a statement that was delivered loud and clear in the second half, as Iona broke open a three-point game by outscoring Maryland 52-29, capped by a game-closing 33-14 run over the final 10 minutes. After making 62 percent of their shots in the first half (13-of-21), the Terps plummeted to 35.5 percent in the second half (11-of-31), including 3-of-14 from 3-point range. In addition, the Gaels forced Maryland into 10 second-half turnovers while allowing only two assists.
“I’m extremely excited about how hard our team played, especially in the second half,” Cluess said. “We had our best defensive effort of the tournament against a very formidable opponent who can get it going when they’re hot. Our guys were scrambling defensively all over the place.”
Of course, Maryland coach Mark Turgeon had a different perspective of the second half. It took approximately 30 minutes after the game’s conclusion before he emerged from the Maryland locker room, and he did not try to hide his frustration at what he had witnessed on the court.
“It was a bad day,” Turgeon said. “We got in foul trouble, turned the ball over. We were confused, selfish, we quit running back. I don’t know how many times we can ask these guys to run back and they still don’t do it. We just gave up in the second half, which was really disappointing. After it was 56-49 (with 10 minutes left), I’m not sure how many stops we got and how many good offensive possessions we had. You can probably count on one hand both those things combined.
“This team’s lack of commitment to running the plays the right way is mind-boggling. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s the biggest challenge I’ve ever had.”
November 20, 2011
Posted by: Cary Estes and Filed Under: General
Matt Stainbrook
It is hard not to notice Western Michigan sophomore center Matt Stainbrook. He is 6-foot-9 and 300 pounds, with a hair-and-glasses combo that makes him look like a bulked-up Napoleon Dynamite. But for those who did not recognize Stainbrook before now, his performance in the 5-hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip-Off is likely to gain him some attention.
Stainbrook averaged 15.3 points and 9.0 rebounds and made 61 percent of his shots in the Broncos’ three tournament games. Against Colorado on Sunday he went 8-for-10 from the field, scored 20 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked two shots.
“I didn’t know who he was coming into this tournament, but I sure do now,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. “That kid is a good player. He’s not very athletic, but he’s crafty. He can step out and shoot it. You can’t move him off the block. And he really knows his game. There are a lot of guys who try to do things they can’t do, but he doesn’t. He just does what he does well. He gets to the rim, and you’re not going to move him.”
Or, as Colorado guard Carlon Brown said, “He’s like a big refrigerator out there.”
November 20, 2011
Posted by: Cary Estes and Filed Under: General
Colorado's Carlon Brown scores 2 of his game-high 23 points
Three possessions in less than two minutes was all it took for Colorado to establish a bit of breathing space in Sunday’s game against Western Michigan in the final round of the 5-hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip-Off. It wasn’t a lot, but in a close contest that included nine lead changes and 13 ties, it was enough.
Western Michigan came up empty on each of those three possessions, while the Buffaloes scored four points, turning a 71-71 tie game with 3:48 remaining into a 75-71 Colorado lead at the two-minute mark. The Buffs held on from there for an 81-76 victory. The five-point margin of victory also was Colorado’s largest lead of the game.
“I told our guys that when the game gets tight, we have to be the team that executes,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. “A lot of games are going to come down to the last three or four minutes. We made stops today that we didn’t make against Maryland (in Friday’s second round) and we made free throws in the second half (16-of-18). When you make stops and free throws, it’s a pretty easy game. But when you don’t do either of them, it’s tough.”
The Broncos are off to an 0-4 start this season, with three of the losses coming by six points or less. WMU coach Steve Hawkins said it is easy in such situations to point at mistakes that the team made down the stretch, but he said against Colorado there were errors in the first half that led to the team losing a 12-point lead.
“You can talk about the last four minutes, but the first 36 are just as important,” Hawkins said. “I can think back to the first half where we had some empty possessions or where we gave up some transition baskets we should have prevented that would have kept us out of that position at the end.
“It’s another two-possession game, and that’s getting old. You can point to any number of things. There wasn’t any one single thing or one area of the game. It’s a little of this and a little of that. It’s tough to take.”
November 20, 2011
Posted by: Cary Estes and Filed Under: General
As we begin the final day of the 5-hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip-Off, here is a quick look at the top 10 leading candidates for the all-tournament team through the first two rounds:
Alabama forward Tony Mitchell: 21.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 5 blocks, 59.3 shooting percentage.
Purdue forward Robbie Hummel: 22 ppg, 8.5 rpg.
Purdue guard Lewis Jackson: 21.5 ppg, 14-of-16 free throws.
Iona forward Taaj Ridley: 14.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg.
Iona guard Scott Machado: 15.5 ppg, 13 assists per game
Temple guard Ramone Moore: 21 ppg, 4-to-1 assists-to-turnovers
Maryland guard Terrell Stoglin: 19 ppg, 10-of-11 free throws
Wichita State guard Toure Murry: 19 ppg, 5 rpg
Alabama guard Trevor Releford: 12.5 ppg, 12-of-13 free throws
Colorado guard Andre Roberson: 12.5 ppg, 11.5 rpg
November 19, 2011
Posted by: Cary Estes and Filed Under: General
Different season, different tournament, different country. And a different result.
Alabama avenged last season’s loss to Wichita State in the championship game of the NIT by defeating the Shockers 70-60 late Friday night in the second round of the 5-hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The victory sends the 15th-ranked Crimson Tide into Sunday’s championship game, where they will play Purdue.
Alabama had a block party against the Shockers, rejecting 14 of Wichita’s shots. That set a single-game tournament record for blocked shots, breaking the mark of 12 set by Ole Miss against Indiana in 2009.
The Shockers became so rattled by the sheer number of blocked shots that they appeared to start rushing their shots in the second half. The result was a 27 percent shooting performance after halftime (10-of-37) and a total of 18 turnovers in the game.
“I think the cumulative effect of our defense over 40 minutes had an impact on their shot selection and some of the decisions they made,” Alabama coach Anthony Grant said. “Our size and physicality was a factor in the game.”
Wichita State coach Gregg Mitchell agreed.
“You have to beat the pressure of their press, but if you do they have some guys in the back who can block shots or at least alter them,” Mitchell said. “When we got past the pressure, we didn’t make the plays that you have to make to hurt the pressure, but credit goes to them for that.”
In the closing seconds of the game, Wichita State fans tried to take a few jabs at the celebrating Alabama fans. First they chanted “NIT, NIT,” and then followed that with chants of “LSU, LSU,” a reference to the team that beat Alabama in football two weeks ago.
But the fact is, in the year 2011 Alabama and Wichita State are now tied
1-1 in basketball.
“I’d love to play them again in the NCAA Tournament,” Mitchell said, “so we can break the tie.”
November 19, 2011
Posted by: Cary Estes and Filed Under: General
Terrell Stoglin
Maryland defeated Colorado 78-71 in the second round of the 5-hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip-Off, thanks in large part to a 32-point performance by Terrell Stoglin. It was a career high for the sophomore guard, and it tied for the second-highest single-game point total in tournament history. With Maryland trailing 60-59 with eight minutes to play, Stoglin scored 10 consecutive points for the Terps, spurring a 10-1 run that basically was the difference in the game.
Those are impressive numbers, at least to everybody except Maryland coach Mark Turgeon. He agreed that Stoglin had a standout performance, but it wasn’t because of his point total.
“I know he can score. I like all the other stuff he was doing,” Turgeon said. “He was doing all the little things that he hadn’t been doing. Guarding, rebounding, helping a teammate up off the floor. That’s what was good to see.”
Still, there is no doubt that Turgeon’s scoring output was a primary factor in the Terps’ victory. He scored 25 points in the second half alone, helping Maryland overcome a 34-26 halftime deficit.
“He just caught fire,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. “We tried a lot of different guys on him. In the last five minutes we were trying ball screens, we were trying to double him. But he was refusing ball screens and just driving in and making shots. He made a lot of tough shots.
“The one thing we don’t have is a defensive stopper, and that was evident tonight. We didn’t have a lock-down guy who could stop him when we needed to.”
November 19, 2011
Posted by: Cary Estes and Filed Under: General
Scott Machado drives against Western Michigan
Iona point guard Scott Machado has already set the three-game record for most assists in the 5-hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip-Off after only two games. Machado had 15 assists Friday against Western Michigan, one day after dishing out 11 assists against Purdue. His 26 total assists betters the previous tournament record of 22 set by USC’s Daniel Hackett in 2008. His 15 assists against WMU tops the old single-game mark of 10 set last year by West Virgina’s Joe Mazzulla in the championship game against Minnesota.
Backcourt teammate Kyle Smith scored 24 points against Western Michigan, with a majority of his baskets coming off passes from Machado. When asked about Machado having 15 assists in a game, Smyth said, “It’s definitely an impressive number, but it’s not the first time I’ve seen it. He’s a great passer. I made a couple of shots early, and after that every time I came down I felt like he was looking for me. That’s something that’s great about him. He’s always trying to find the hot hand, it doesn’t matter who it is. He’s trying to find assists. It’s very fun to play with a point guard like that. He’s a great teammate.”
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The old adage was correct in the 5-hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip-Off. Defense won this championship.
Welcome to the 5-hour ENERGY® Puerto Rico Tip-Off blog. This is the fifth year of the event. We are looking forward to a wonderful three days at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico as well as some great play from this year’s field (Alabama, Colorado, Iona, Maryland, Purdue, Temple, Western Michigan and Wichita State). Each school will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format. Veteran sportswriter Cary Estes will post exclusive content throughout the tournament. We welcome your feedback—feel free to send your questions and comments.