ST. John Acquires Points Against Percent

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

Kansas has taken 17 of the 19 games all-time against Baylor.

Syracuse and Murray State remain the only unbeaten schools in Division I basketball.

"I chose St. John's because I think it's a perfect fit for me," said Branch in a statement from St. John's. "They have a great coaching staff who I feel can help me a lot with my game. Those guys are like teachers in a classroom, but teachers of the game. They know so much about the game. We have a really great team and I think we could compete with anyone in the future."

Branch averaged 4.2 points, 2.5 assists and 2.2 rebounds while playing 18.6 minutes during his brief stay at Texas A&M. He played against St. John's during the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in November and scored seven points with five rebounds in 24 minutes.

As for the Spartans, already 3-2 against ranked foes in 2011-12, they are coming off a loss of their own on Saturday as they bowed to Northwestern on the road in an 81-74 final. The defeat was just the third of the year for a program that had won 15 in a row since falling to top-ranked North Carolina in the season opener and then sixth-ranked Duke four days later.

Michigan took itself out of contention against Iowa by shooting just 34.8 percent from the field in the first half, including 3-of-16 behind the three- point line. Obviously things improved after the break for the visitors, but not enough so that the Wolverines could prevent defeat. Trey Burke was responsible for a team-best 19 points, and Zack Novak 14 to go along with his game-high eight rebounds, yet the Hawkeyes still beat Michigan on the glass by a 39-30 margin. Tim Hardaway Jr. accounted for nine points, but he shot just 2-of-13 from the field and failed on all eight of his three-pointers. As a starter in all 18 games, it only makes sense that Hardaway would be the top scorer for the Wolverines with his 15.7 ppg, although one might have to question his persistence in trying to become a perimeter threat with just 28.6 percent accuracy beyond the arc. Burke (14.3 ppg) has also put himself out there as a passing threat now that he has almost twice as many assists (89) as anyone else on the roster.

Arkansas's 13-4 overall record has given it its best start since the 2007-2008 campaign as first-year head coach Mike Anderson has infused a winning attitude back into the program. The Razorbacks improved to 2-1 in SEC play with a 69-60 win over LSU on Saturday, which was their eighth win in nine outings. Not only will Arkansas be attempting to hand the Wildcats their first conference loss of the year, it is also seeking its first road victory of the year in this one. A win would have an impact on the SEC standings, as the Razorbacks are tied for third place as they trail Vanderbilt and the Wildcats by one game.

John Calipari has won 45 straight at Rupp Arena since taking over the helm, which is the longest home-winning streak in the nation. Kentucky survived a close call with Tennessee its last time out, as it won 65-62 to make its overall record 17-1 and its SEC mark a perfect 3-0. Kentucky has outscored its opponents by a league-best 20.4 ppg this season, The Wildcats' high-powered offense is ranked second in the league with an average of 79.3 ppg, on a conference leading 48.3 percent shooting from the field. Kentucky is atop the SEC standings in rebounding margin and blocked shots as well.

The Wildcats have been racking up blocked shots behind Anthony Davis' NCAA leading average of 4.6 per game. Davis is just one block away from the program's single season record of 83. The freshman forward has contributed in other aspects as well, as he has tallied nine double-doubles already. Terrance Jones, Doron Lamb, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Marquis Teague all own scoring averages in double figures and have the ability to step into the spotlight and take over games which makes the Wildcats a nearly impossible team to stop.

Jason Clark is the go-to-guy for Georgetown so far. The senior guard leads the team in scoring, and seems to enjoy traveling as he carries an average of 17.6 ppg on 51.2 percent field goal shooting in games outside of Washington D.C. Hollis Thompson has been on a roll lately for the Hoyas. The junior forward has averaged 17.5 ppg in his last four games, which has brought his season total of double-digit outings to 15. Despite being the tallest player on the roster, Henry Sims is Georgetown's top assist man with 3.7 apg. Sims is the only player in the Big East in the top 15 in both assists and blocks.

Cleveland Melvin and Brandon Young combine to make one of the top scoring duos in the Big East. Each have scored at least 20 points on five different occasions and they combined to average 35.7 ppg heading into the Louisville game. Against the Cardinals, Young scored 14 and Melvin finished with just eight points. The team's third leading scorer, Jeremiah Kelly, has been in a funk as of late. Kelly has made just 8-of-26 attempts from the field in his last three outings combined.

comments

---

•    If you want to access Wikipedia use IE6. (or Lynx) This might be the first and last time I recommend using IE6.

  ---

•    Cerpen aku dah 8 page, dah boleh buat novel. I think I am 80 percent done, before I send it to my friends for editing. Heh!

  ---

•    Michigan weather a trip

  ---

•    I miss going on field trips

  ---

•    Just got some dates with St. Paul's-Wisconsin Rapids & St. John's-Milwaukee for the summer. :)

  ---