Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

The Morning Mix

Missouri Illinois Basketball

Missouri forward Laurence Bowers, lying on court, traps the ankle of Illinois forward Sam McLaurin which led to a brief scrum during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012, in St. Louis. Both players received technical fouls. Missouri won 82-73. (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Chris Lee) EDWARDSVILLE OUT ALTON OUT

AP

The Morning Mix hopes you all have a great start to your holiday week. Hopefully all of you survived the Mayan Apocalypse. I had my doubts, but having successfully navigated Y2K, I felt good about our chances.

Saturday featured a bevy of great action on the hardwood and with no games on the docket today, take the time to get caught up on the action.

And of course, enjoy the holidays.

Lets hit the links.

Read(s) of the Day:
Jeff Eisenberg provides the best stock report in the business. Here’s his take following a busy day of Saturday hoops. Read it. (The Dagger)

Read(s) of the Day:
Rob Dauster’s recap of all the Saturday games is must-read stuff. Read it. (Sports Illustrated)


Top Stories:
Marquette puts together its version of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’: The GOlden Eagles love to create music videos for their fans, and Buzz and his squad didn’t disappoint in their latest rendition of this Christmas classic.

Temple upsets No. 3 Syracuse behind career day from senior Khalif Wyatt: Khalif Wyatt scored a career-high 33 points, including 20 in the first half, en route to a 83-79 win over the Orange at Madison Square Garden.

No. 9 Jayhawks share the ball, beat No. 7 Buckeyes in Columbus: Ben McLemore scored 22 points and look like the best player on a floor loaded with stars, but he was hardly the only Jayhawk to show up in the 74-66 KU victory over Ohio State.

Christmas Wish List for New Mexico: The Lobos will need increased marksmanship and improved played from Demetrius Walker.

Amidst realignment, Mountain West restructures television deal: The Mountain West Conference is solidifying itself amidst constant conference realignment by restructuring its television deal.

Buzzer-beater carries Mason over Richmond in Governor’s Classic: With the score knotted at 64-all, George Mason’s Sherrod Wright hit a three-point buzzer-beater to knock off Richmond in the Virginia Governor’s Classic.

Suspension of Texas guard Myck Kabongo revised down to 23 games by NCAA: The NCAA suspension of Texas guard Myck Kabongo has been revised to 23 games, days after the NCAA ruled that the sophomore would be suspended for the rest of the season for receiving impermissible benefits.


Hoops Housekeeping
Siena has announced that sophomore Lionel Gomis is no longer with the men’s basketball team and has left Siena for personal family reasons. (4 Guys in a Blazer)

- Miami center Reggie Johnson jammed his thumb preparing for the Diamondhead Classic and was not able to play in the Hurricanes’ first two games of the event. (College Basketball Talk)

- Former-Louisville forward Angel Nunez will visit Gonzaga over the holidays. the Sophomore left the Cardinals early this month after averaging just under fiver minutes per game. (SNY.tv)


Observations & Insight:
- Missouri’s Phil Pressey missed 16 shots on Saturday against Illinois yet was still the game MVP. Why? because he just so happens to be the best facilitator in the country. (Eye on College Basketball)

- Temple was able to force Michael Carter-Williams into a shooter instead of a distributor, and was one of the big reasons the Owls defeated the Orange. (Syracuse Post-Standard)

- South Dakota State took a 1,200-mile bus-trip from Nashville to Albuquerque and promptly handed New Mexico their first loss of the season. (Argus Leader)

- A great-read on Rice head coach Ben Braun and the uncertain future he faces due to the Owls’ struggles. (Rush The Court)

- Oklahoma State has been a pleasant surprise this season. If the Cowboys are to continue their impressive play, they will need to get the right presents for Christmas (The Oklahoman)


Odds & Ends
- A solid Q&A session with Pittsburgh’s Tray Woodhall. (USA Today)

- ESPN play-by-play announcer Mitch Holthus made a racially sensitive remark regarding Kansas State guard Angel Rodriguez. The sophomore guard was also the target of racially charged jeers from the Southern Mississippi student section last season. (Deadspin)

- Maryland players sing “Frosty The Snowman”. These guys need to stick with basketball. (Testudo Times)

- Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford had no clue who he was playing last week. (Pistols Firing)

Picture of the Day:
Laurence Bowers and Sam McLaurin got tied up in the first half the the annual “Bragging Rights Game” between Missouri and Illinois. This tie-up led to a brief altercation between the two teams. Fortunately no punches were thrown and play resumed.

Missouri Illinois Basketball

Missouri forward Laurence Bowers, lying on court, traps the ankle of Illinois forward Sam McLaurin which led to a brief scrum during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012, in St. Louis. Both players received technical fouls. Missouri won 82-73. (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Chris Lee) EDWARDSVILLE OUT ALTON OUT

AP



Dunks(s) of the Day:
Iowa’s Eric May goes hard in the paint



UNC-Wilmington’s Keith Rendlemen goes hard in the paint as well

Oh, it’s nothing really, just a 360 ally-oop from Markel Brown



Do you like the new Morning Mix? Hate it? Have a suggestion or want something featured? Troy Machir will take all your praise, insults and inquiries via Twitter (@TroyMachir)