NBA scoring off this season
Here is a comparison of NBA scoring this season to last:
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NCAA Men’s Basketball: Most Shocking Blowouts of the Season so Far
If we’ve learned anything from this year’s college basketball season it’s this: Don’t expect anything to go as planned.
We’ve seen plenty of jumping around in the Top 25 and some crazy upsets that you would have never expected.
Conference play is just about hitting its mid-point right now, and there’s plenty more to come with March Madness beginning next month.
Let’s take a look at college basketball’s most shocking blowouts of the season so far.
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College Basketball: The 10 Most Shocking Blowouts so Far This Season
The college basketball season traditionally starts with powerhouse programs taking on tiny, under-matched schools in an effort to get teams ready for the tough season ahead.
Blowouts are expected and encouraged in the first few weeks of basketball season.
When conference games start, though, routs are few and far between. Every night poses a new challenge and every team plays hard in order to score a hard-fought upset or escape with an important win.
But every once in a while, one team has a hot hand or a school does not show up to play, resulting in embarrassingly one-sided losses.
This season has been full of them.
Undefeated teams have been shocked by unranked opponents, national championship contenders have been run off the floor and even at the beginning of the season when the games are supposed to be easy, some defeats have gone the wrong way.
So what have been the most shocking blowouts of this basketball season? Let’s take a look.
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Northwestern Wildcats Close out Season with Tough Big Ten Schedule
With 10 games remaining of conference play before the Big Ten Tournament, the Wildcats look to make a case for their first ever NCAA Tournament birth. They are currently 12-8 overall and 2-6 in conference heading into the final stretch of the season.
Three straight Big Ten losses after a signature win against Michigan State have nearly killed Northwestern’s Tournament hopes, and the ‘Cats now have 10 regular season games and the Big Ten Tournament to prove themselves ready.
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Arizona Wildcats Basketball: Guard/Forward Kevin Parrom Done for Season
Already coming off of a tough 69-67 defeat at home to the hands of the Washington Huskies, the Arizona Wildcats got some more bad news late Saturday night.
During Saturday’s game, Wildcats guard/forward Kevin Parrom suffered a broken bone in his right foot. The injury will require surgery, and the sophomore will miss the remainder of the season.
Before the injury took place, Parrom had seven points in 10 minutes of action. On the season, the New York product has averaged 4.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 20 games.
This injury news is the only the latest of a string of tough dealings that Parrom has had to face over the last several months. Last summer, his grandmother passed away. Just last September, he was shot in the right leg and left hand back in New York. Then in the middle of October, Parrom lost his mom to breast cancer.
Even as an alumnus of Arizona State, I still have to fill for the young man. No person deserves that much heartache in such a short time frame.
What remains to be seen is what the Parrom injury means for the ‘Cats rotation. Reserves Brendon Lavender and Angelo Chol could see a bump in minutes.
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Can Cleveland Cavaliers Compete in Tough Central Division This Season?
Led by early Rookie of the Year front-runner Kyrie Irving, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the most surprising teams a quarter into the NBA season.
After going a dismal 19-63 last year, the Cavaliers are not only well on their way to getting more wins this season, but they’re also competing for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and are competing in the Central Division. An assumed rebuilding year has actually been surprisingly successful for the Cavaliers, so it’s only fair to ask if the team can compete this year.
The Central Division is always tough, and this year has been no different. The Chicago Bulls have the best record in the Eastern Conference, even with injuries to many of their key players such as reigning MVP Derrick Rose and Luol Deng.
With their pick-up of free-agent power forward David West this offseason, the Indiana Pacers have also improved from last year, after making the playoffs for the first time in five years last season. Led by Danny Granger and the newly acquired West, the Pacers currently have the third-best record in the East.
This is all without mentioning the Milwaukee Bucks, who are also competing for a playoff spot after acquiring Stephen Jackson on draft day, and the Detroit Pistons, who are struggling but have great young pieces in Greg Monroe and Brandon Knight.
So, do the Cavs have what it takes to compete in this tough division this year? The answer, surprisingly, is yes, and it all starts with Irving. After only playing 11 games for the Duke Blue Devils last year, Irving has exceeded all of the expectations that come with being the No. 1 pick in the draft. Irving leads the Cavaliers in scoring with over 16 points per game, and also leads the team with close to five assists a game.
However, Irving’s scoring is even more impressive when compared to the rest of the league. He ranks 11th among all NBA guards in points per game, while ranking only 48th in minutes per game among guards.
It’s not just stats that make Irving impressive, though. His ability to take over games in the fourth quarter and lead the Cavaliers to victory has been very impressive this early in his NBA career. As the season continues and his confidence grows, he can only improve. Additionally, coach Byron Scott has been limiting Irving’s minutes thus far, but as the season goes on one can only assume Irving will see more playing time, especially if the Cavs are contending for a playoff spot.
Outside of Irving, many other Cavaliers have also been impressive.
Antawn Jamison may be on the downswing of his career, but he still puts up 15 points per contest and is the clear veteran leader of this squad, something very important for a young team that’s looking to contend. Center Anderson Varejao is having a career year for the Cavaliers, ranking fourth in the NBA in rebounds per game while playing stellar defense as usual. Anthony Parker has struggled thus far, but he also provides a great veteran presence for this young team.
Another key component to the Cavaliers success this year has been their bench. They’re getting stellar play from Ramon Sessions, who is able to take over when Irving isn’t on the court and be the leader and scorer of the second unit.
Alonzo Gee has made vast improvements from last season after spending the summer playing in Poland, and his defense has been very valuable. Daniel Gibson is able to nail three pointers at a high efficiency as he has his whole career, and rookie power forward Tristan Thompson has shown flashes of brilliance with his play on both sides of the ball.
So with a roster led by a future star in Irving, veteran stalwarts such as Jamison, Parker and Varejao, and a deep bench, there is no question that the Cavaliers can turn this assumed rebuilding season into a quest for the playoffs, and even a possible playoff appearance. Even in their tough division, the Cavs have what it takes to play with the big boys of the Eastern Conference.
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Dedmon latest Trojan out for season (AP)
Southern California forward Dewayne Dedmon has a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee and a bone bruise in his left leg, making him the fifth Trojans player to sustain a season-ending injury. The 7-foot sophomore hurt his knee early in a game against Colorado on Thursday night when a Buffs player fell back into Dedmon, hyperextending his leg.
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Medical issue ends Cremins’ season (AP)
Bobby Cremins’ assistant says the veteran basketball coach hasn’t looked well the past few weeks and Friday evening the College of Charleston announced Cremins will miss the rest of the season because of a medical problem. Yet, Mark Byington — who will take over as the Cougars’ coach — was still surprised when the 64-year-old Cremins called him Friday morning with the news.
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Andrew Bogut Injury: Milwaukee Bucks Dealt Huge Blow, Likely Done for the Season
It was just two seasons ago that the Milwaukee Bucks were on a roll late in the season when they were dealt a big blow when Andrew Bogut was lost for the season with a dislocated right elbow.
Well, the Bucks haven’t exactly been on a roll since then, but they were dealt that same blow today as they found out that have lost Bogut for 8-12 weeks with a fractured left ankle.
It’s bad timing for the Bucks, as they have been starting to play better as of late, winning three of their past four games to improve to 7-10 on the season.
The big thing is that all three wins have come on the road against the likes of New York, Miami and Houston. Before that, the Bucks were winless on the road this season.
In 12 games this season, Bogut averaged 11.3 points, a team-high 8.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, one steal and a team-high 2.0 blocked shots in 30 minutes per game.
In addition to missing the end of the 2009-10 season with the dislocated right elbow, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft also missed 43 games with an injured lower back in the 2008-09 season.
The injury also is a blow for Milwaukee, as point guard Brandon Jennings is really taking his game to another level and they need Bogut in the middle to make a run at the playoffs.
In his absence, rookie Jon Leuer and Jon Brockman will have to assume major minutes.
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Michael Redd a Non-Factor for Phoenix Suns so Far This Season
Three seasons ago, Michael Redd was considered one of the best shooting guards in the entire league. The 2004 All-Star and All-NBA Third Team member was a lock to average 20 points per game and was one of the better shooters in the game.
Then on Jan. 25, 2009, the Milwaukee Bucks found out that their star guard tore his ACL and MCL and would require season-ending surgery. Redd would return early the next season, but after only 18 games, he re-tore his ACL and MCL on the same knee that he did a year earlier.
After another round of rehab, the former Ohio State Buckeye would return in March of last season. In 10 games, Redd averaged only 4.4 points, which was by far a career low.
Despite coming off of two serious surgeries on the same knee and posting career-low totals across the board, the Phoenix Suns decided to sign Redd to a one-year contract right before the new year. At the time, Phoenix was struggling putting points on the scoreboard
After a few weeks of getting back into basketball shape, Redd made his Suns debut on Jan. 12 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he didn’t disappoint. In only 19 minutes in his first live action in more than eight months, Redd scored 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting.
Since that game though, Redd hasn’t played much. Those 19 minutes in the matchup against Cleveland were the most he has received from Alvin Gentry since putting on a Suns uniform. In three games, he hasn’t gotten off the bench, and he only played a little more than four minutes in Phoenix’s last game against the Toronto Raptors.
Of course, Redd hasn’t played really well when he has been on the court. He has scored only nine points since the Cleveland game, and his usually great shooting has been downright awful. Redd has made only two buckets in his last 14 attempts.
It is hard to see Redd getting a bump in minutes either. Jared Dudley will continue to see playing time due to his defensive intensity and the fact that he’s a favorite of Gentry’s. Shannon Brown has played much better in his last 10 games after struggling getting out of the gates.
If Redd was half the player he once was, he would steal minutes from both players, but that isn’t the case. You have to admire Redd for coming back from two difficult injuries, but he is no longer a quality basketball player.
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