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The Secondary Break: Monday’s Links

mustangs

If Marcus Smart is to learn, doesn’t somebody have to teach? (The Sporting News)
In the aftermath of Marcus Smart’s three-game suspension, one question that has been asked is how the sophomore will go about applying the lessons learned from his actions on Saturday night. In this particular column, the question asked is who will go about teaching Smart.

Watson making a case as Southern Miss’ best guard ever (Biloxi Sun Herald)
Donnie Tyndall’s Southern Miss Golden Eagles picked up another win on Sunday afternoon, moving into a tie for first place in Conference USA. And they did so with Neil Watson sitting out the second half with a sprained ankle. However, even with that being the case Watson may end up being the greatest guard in the history of the school.

Blame overzealous fans, not players, for college basketball’s woes (Kansas City Star)
The other angle of the Marcus Smart situation is the one of Texas Tech fan Jeff Orr, whose words led to Smart shoving him. Orr apologized for his role in the incident as well, but the events of Saturday (including a report of an Arizona State fan spitting on an Oregon assistant) leads to the question of whether or not fans are being held accountable for their actions.

SMU emerges as contender in and beyond American Athletic Conference (USA Today)
SMU picked up its biggest win of the season on Saturday, whipping No. 7 Cincinnati to pickup another quality result for its resume. And in Larry Brown’s second season in charge, the question now isn’t whether or not he can lead the Mustangs to prosperity but rather how far can he take them.

Wolfpack enjoys a moment in the sun (Raleigh News & Observer)
ACC play has been a bit of a roller coaster ride for N.C. State, with the Wolfpack being a young team working to become a factor within the conference with sophomore T.J. Warren leading the way. So while their 56-55 win at Miami may not seem like a big deal to many, the fact of the matter is that the result was a much-needed one for Mark Gottfried’s team.

Friars in need of the finishing touch (Providence Journal)
Providence dropped a key road game on Saturday afternoon, losing 59-53 at Xavier. And with that result Monday’s game at Georgetown becomes even more important for the Friars, who are looking to make their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2004.

Problems in the paint reemerge in Michigan’s loss at Iowa (MLive.com)
No. 10 Michigan didn’t put forth its best effort on Saturday afternoon, losing 85-67 at No. 17 Iowa. Iowa’s Roy Devyn Marble may get the majority of the attention due to his scoring 26 points, but another issue for Michigan was the fact that their front court was outplayed by Iowa’s bigs. And that’s something that can’t happen if the Wolverines are to win the Big Ten.

Packed Bramlage awaits young Jayhawks (Wichita Eagle)
Kansas was able to take care of business on Saturday afternoon, beating West Virginia 83-69. Next up they have a trip to Manhattan to take on Kansas State, with Bill Self’s young players expecting the worst from a venue some of them have never played in.

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