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

The Secondary Break: Monday’s Links

lavin

St. John’s has work cut out to make NCAA tournament (New York Daily News)
Steve Lavin’s St. John’s Red Storm were thought to be the most talented team in the Big East when the season began. But there’s also the need to make good on said promise when games actually begin, and that’s been a struggle for the Red Storm. There are still opportunities to go on a run and reach the NCAA tournament, but that will likely come down to the Big East tournament.

Ochefu standing tall for Villanova (Delco Times)
During Jay Wright’s tenure at Villanova, guards have received most of the attention when the Wildcats rank among the nation’s best. But there’s also the need for rugged big men in the Villanova attack, from Dante Cunningham and Will Sheridan during the mid-2000s to Daniel Ochefu now. Yes, Ochefu, who has made immense strides throughout the 2013-14 season for Villanova.

Milestone reached as Oregon Tech’s Danny Miles gets 1,000th win (Oregon Tech Athletics)
Two of Division I’s winningest head coaches faced off at the Carrier Dome on Saturday night, with Jim Boeheim’s Syracuse Orange beating Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke Blue Devils in overtime. However there was also a milestone reached on Saturday, as Oregon Tech’s Danny Miles picked up his 1,000th win as a college head coach. He’s just the second coach in college basketball history to reach the 1,000 win mark.

Jordan Morgan leads the charge in Michigan’s turnaround (Michigan Daily)
With Mitch McGary out indefinitely after undergoing back surgery, Michigan needed its veteran big men to step up in order for the Wolverines to be a contender in the Big Ten. That has happened, with Jordan Morgan playing an important role for the Wolverines. His motivation: not seeing the floor much during Michigan’s run to the national title game last season.

Aaric Murray overcomes obstacles, now possible NBA prospect again (KTRK Houston)
Texas Southern senior center Aaric Murray arrived in Houston a man who had run out of chances. After seeing stints at La Salle and West Virginia come to a premature end, Murray sought out help from John Lucas and a fresh start at Texas Southern under Mike Davis. Thus far he’s taken advantage of the opportunity, and as a result Murray’s back on the mind of some pro scouts.

SDSU’s Quinn relished chance to start (San Diego Union-Tribune)
With Josh Davis having to miss Saturday night’s game against Colorado State for health reasons, No. 5 San Diego State needed someone to step into the starting lineup and be a productive replacement. Enter Aqeel Quinn, who scored eight points in 24 minutes of action as the Aztecs held off Colorado State.

Northwestern rallying around Collins (CBS2 Chicago)
After starting Big Ten play with three consecutive losses, the Northwestern Wildcats looked to be in serious trouble in the first season of the Chris Collins era. But the Wildcats have turned things around, reaching 5-5 in conference play and winning three straight league road games for the first time since 1960. The team’s head coach hadn’t even been born when the last streak occurred.

Follow @raphiellej