Game 233 - Wright State at Georgia State

November 30 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA

Things haven't been pretty for Georgia State through its first six games, but after Wednesday's 81-74 win, I'm OK with a 4-2 record.

Horrifying ending in West Lafayette aside, not a bad 2 1/2 weeks.

Still, the Panthers need to address one big thing: what is going on in the paint?

Who can they depend on if senior center Willie Clayton can't stay out of foul trouble (and he doesn't appear to be able to)?

It isn't Jordan Session.

It isn't.....oh no. No, no, no!

Oh goodness, there isn't anyone else.

Yikes, can we talk about more pleasant things? Like the back court, which includes my favorite current Panther, Isaiah Williams. He was fantastic Wednesday, scoring 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting (3-of-4 from behind the arc) without a turnover. That's exactly what you're looking for from your lead guard.

Jeremy Hollowell isn't considered a guard - being 6-8 doesn't help - but he only gets four or five rebounds per game and he's best when scoring (22 points, 6-of-11 shooting Wednesday). If not able to find his shot, the second-year Panther is best when utilizing his above-average passing eye. That sounds like a guard to me and if we can consider Hollowell a tall 2, then Georgia State has to have one of the best 1-2 guard combinations in the Sun Belt Conference. I'd take a Williams-Hollowell back court over any other in the league.

Game 232 - Chattanooga women at Connecticut

November 29 at XL Center in Hartford, CT
espn3.com

Game 231 - Presbyterian at The Citadel

November 28 at McAlister Field House in Charleston, SC
espn3.com

The Citadel leads the nation in scoring (averaging 102.7 points) and it's easy to see why after this 97-83 victory. The Bulldogs take up very little of the shot clock and shoot very well from behind the arc (second nationally in made threes per game), which includes hitting half of their 24 three-point attempts on Monday. Preston Parks and Quayson Williams knocked down four 3-pointers each while sophomore center Zane Najdawi was one off his career high with 27 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

Play-by-play man Kevin Fitzgerald on Najdawi:

"Whenever he's around the basketball, something good may happen."

Thanks, Kevin!

Scoochie Smith All Stars

We had a new addition to the team in Citadel senior guard Warren Sledge.

Games 229-230: MABC Classic

November 25 at Nutter Center in Fairborn, OH
espn3.com

(229) North Dakota vs. North Florida

Good win for North Florida, which got a Dallas Moore runner with 7.7 seconds left to hang on, 76-75 in the first game of the MABC Classic.

Moore, the reigning Atlantic Sun player of the year and UNF's all-time leading scorer, finished with a team-high 20 points for the Ospreys. That helped offset a fine night for another conference player of the year - Big Sky preseason POY Quentin Hooker, who poured in 29 points.

Hooker had given North Dakota a 75-74 lead when he scored the last of his points on a 1-of-2 trip to the free throw line with 18 seconds to go.

Geno Crandall finished the game with 13 points and five assists, but also four turnovers and the sophomore guard for North Dakota forced a shot he didn't really have along the baseline as time expired.

I like Crandall's game - he's quick with a nice mid-range jumper and seems to have the kind of crazy vision that all great point guards have. It was a disappointing end to my first time seeing Crandall and Hooker play, but I'll make sure and watch a couple more North Dakota games this year.


Scoochie Smith All Stars

We're excited to add our second official to the team in Owen Short.


(230) Cal State Bakersfield vs. Wright State

Despite the 68-64 win we have Sad Wright State Fan

Game 228 - Michigan at South Carolina

November 23 at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC
ESPNU

Game 227 - Eastern Kentucky vs. Georgia State

November 23 at Hard Rock Riviera Maya in Cancun, Mexico
Triple Crown Sports

Really nice, 82-65 win for Georgia State, considering its best player, Jeremy Hollowell, didn't contribute much (six points) and the Panthers looked terrible early on and trailed 16-6 just 5:15 into the game.

But several players stepped up for GSU.

* Isaiah Williams was excellent, leading the way with 18 points off the bench, including a couple nice runners in the first half that helped get GSU going and grab the lead back for good before halftime.

* Justin Seymour also came off the bench and hit five of his six three-point attempts and added three assists. Not much else to say about that type of performance.

* Also coming off the bench was Malik Benlevi, who had 11 points and four assists.

* Starter Willie Clayton had 15 rebounds (nine offensive) to go along with nine points.

The Cancun Challenge was an interesting one for GSU, which lost road games to Auburn and Purdue, the last of which they led by 12 with about seven minutes to go, but were out-scored 20-0 to close the game against the nationally-ranked Boilermakers. The Atlanta school closed with a pair of double-digit wins against NJIT and Wednesday's win over the Colonels of the OVC.

Game 226 - Georgetown vs. Oregon

November 21 at Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, HI
ESPN2

Bill's back with some more things he loves.

William?

"Mental discipline"
"Maui" (repeat from game 1)
"The way Georgetown is playing"/"Loved the first half"
"Rainbows"
"Waterfalls"
"Volcanos"
"Clay Jamison...love that guy"
"Turtles...I love turtles"
"Hummus"
"The way that Oregon comes completely into their press"
"Continental tires...I love my gator skins"
"I love this tournament"

And let's leave Bill in Maui, where I'm assuming at some point in the next few days he's going to rent a two-bedroom apartment with Rick Barnes.

Bill!

1. "I've had my nose broken 14 times."

2. [after a second half foul call] "I'm embarrassed for the sport...I'm embarrassed for humanity."

Game 225 - Tennessee vs. Wisconsin

November 21 at Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, HI
ESPN2

This was game No. 225 at this site, but amazingly, the first time we've had a chance to listen to Bill Walton.

All I can say is: wow!

Bill Walton has upwards of 400,000 thoughts going through his mind at all times, and the only thing that stops him from saying all 400,000 is that there's another announcer. Otherwise, he's the first sports announcer in history to go a perfect 400,000-for-400,000.

Walton started the game - a 74-62 Wisconsin win - by talking about the things he loves, which are as follows:

1. His bike
2. Maui
3. Rick Barnes
4. "all those guys" when referring to a bunch of authors, including
5. Robert Louis Stevenson
6. Banana bread

Throw in several mentions of Tennessee native Davy Crockett while the Volunteers erased an early, 12-0 deficit and actually led by two points early in the second half, including -

"The spirit of Davy Crockett!"
"Davy Crockett, here we come!"

- and asking play-by-play man Roxy Bernstein if he'd ever been to

- Nashville
- Canada
- the state of Tennessee
- the state of Wisconsin
- Maui

and asking him who is his favorite "Hawaii author" (?) (Bernstein chose Stevenson, perhaps out of confusion/fear)

and we've got a thoroughly enjoyable broadcast.

Well done, Bill.

Game 224 - Tulsa at Wichita State

November 16 at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, KS
espn3.com

A whole bunch of basketball phrases and assorted silliness from the broadcast team of Mitch Holthus and Rich Zvosec during this 80-53 Wichita win.

1. Wichita plays in the Missouri Valley Conference, but if you didn't know that, just listen to these two for 40 minutes.

They said "the Valley" 24 total times, 11 in the first half, 13 in the second.

2. What is Mitch Holthus Talking About

[on Tulsa staying close] "they need to keep this thing at least on Google Maps through the first 20 minutes."

"Tekele Cotton was instant oatmeal."

"When [head referee] blew his whistle, everybody was waiting on the election returns."

"Two tasty games are on the horizon."

3. And speaking of deliciousness and horizons, the broadcast was sponsored by Casey's General Store, "famous for pizza".

4. Also,

Game 223 - Georgia State at Auburn

November 14 at Auburn Arena in Auburn, AL
SEC Network

Justin Seymour (20 points, 8-of-16 shooting) and Jeremy Hollowell (20 points, 6-of-14, four assists) showed up, but unfortunately no one else did for GSU in a 83-65 loss.

The rest of the team shot just 8-of-30 from the field and the Panthers turned the ball over 18 times. They still haven't defeated an SEC team since a 77-72 win over this same Auburn program in December, 2003 (eight consecutive losses against the conference).

Auburn freshman Jared Harper, who I've covered for a long time, was great in his second collegiate game, joining Danjel Purifoy with a team-high 19 points. Harper hit four of his six three-point attempts and added three steals.

The Tigers, 2-0 for the first time since 2011-2012, should be much improved after going 11-20 a year ago.

Game 222 - New Hampshire at Temple

November 14 at Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA
ESPN

We've got a handful of things to get to from this 57-52 New Hampshire win.

1. The Wildcats have been playing basketball for a long time, but didn't have a 20-win season until last year and have never been to the NCAA Tournament. So Monday's victory had to have been one of the biggest in school history. NH trailed 52-51 with just under two minutes to play, but Jaleen Smith followed with a jumper in the paint and the visitors never trailed again.

New Hampshire, which lost in the semis of the America East tournament in March, then won a game in the CIT, should once again be a factor in the league race.

2. Temple junior Obi Enechionyia led everyone with 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting, and his baseline post game, which included a number of pretty jump shots, looked especially good. Keep polishing that jumper & add some more bulk and Enechionyia could be a late-first round draft pick if he decides to come out after this year.

3. The Scoochie Smith All Stars added a pair of new members in Temple sophomore guard Shizz Alston Jr., and our first referee, Doug Shows.

4. A couple other "firsts" for the new season:

* First "glue guy" came at the 9:42 mark of the first half
* First "pick and pop" at 7:07 of first half

5. Also said: "he's a long offensive product."

Game 221 - Jacksonville State women at Kennesaw State

November 14 at KSU Convocation Center in Kennesaw, GA
espn3.com

Lacey Buchanon didn't have a very memorable Jacksonville State debut, but game No. 2 went much better for the senior guard.

The Troy transfer, who sat out last year, was one of three in double figures, scoring 10 points and adding a pair of assists as the Gamecocks won 65-59.

Buchanon was held without a field goal in seven attempts and went scoreless in Jacksonville State's season-opening loss to Florida State on November 11.

Monday, Destany McLin led the way with 11 points and three assists and Rayven Pearson picked up a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) for the hosts. That helped to offset a great night from KSU sophomore Allison Johnson, who finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds.

Game 220 - Thomas University at Georgia State

November 11 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
espn3.com

Yes, it was an NAIA team, and yes, it was just game No. 1 of a 30-game regular season, but it was exactly what I was hoping to see from GSU in its opener.

GSU, off a run to the Round of 32 in '14, but also a disappointing postseason-less '15, shot 51 percent from the field and held its in-state foe to just 31 percent. In a 111-69 victory, the Panthers scored their most points since collecting 115 in the 2014 opener.

Charlotte transfer Willie Clayton was huge all night (11 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks) and Jeremy Hollowell, in his second season since transferring from Indiana, led the way with 23 points.

Things get much tougher in a hurry for GSU, which travels to Auburn Monday, then visits West Lafayette on the 18th to take on Purdue.

Game 219 - Alabama State women at North Carolina

November 11 at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, NC
espn3.com

Season 2 got underway with an 84-54 win for the host Tar Heels over the two-time SWAC champion Hornets. UNC, which got 22 points from Paris Kea (Vandy transfer) in her team debut, is trying to return to the NCAA Tournament after last year's absence.

I didn't get the play-by-play man's last name, only first (Walter), but he did have this to say in the second quarter:

"Usually the scoreboard's not working this first game of the season, but it is today."

Pardon?