2009 FIELD
By Jon Cooper
The third annual 76 Classic featured a loaded, eight-team field, with four teams ranked in the top 25 (No. 8 West Virginia, No. 10 Butler, No. 16 Minnesota and No. 19 Clemson), and four teams that were out gunning for respect (Long Beach State, Portland, Texas A&M and UCLA). After three days of going head-to-head, the highest-ranked team, West Virginia, topped the West Coast Conference’s burgeoning powerhouse Portland. Here is a team-by-team rundown of this year’s intriguing 76 Classic.
BUTLER (1-2)
Nickname: Bulldogs
Conference: Horizon League
Location: Indianapolis, Ind.
2008-09 record (post-season result): 26-6 (NCAA 1st round)
No. 10 Butler got 23 points from Matt Howard and 20 from Shelvin Mack, but lost to No. 16 Minnesota, 82-73. The Bulldogs whittled a 10-point, second-half lead to four with 1:40 left, but got no closer. In their next game, against UCLA, Butler let a 16-point lead slip away in the first half, and an eight-point lead with five minutes left. But Gordon Hayward hit a pair of free throws with less than a second remaining to pull out the 69-67 victory. It was the school’s first win against UCLA in nearly 50 years. Mack scored a game-high 21 points. In their finale against Clemson, the Bulldogs again squandered a double-digit lead, this time losing on a pair of free throws in the final seconds, 70-69. Hayward, named to the All-Tournament team, had 20 points and 12 rebounds, both game-highs.
CLEMSON (2-1)
Nickname: Tigers
Conference: ACC
Location: Clemson, S.C.
2008-09 record (post-season result): 23-9 (NCAA 1st round)
The 19th-ranked Tigers dropped their 76 Classic opener (69-60) to Texas A&M, managing only 20 points in the first half and shooting only 34 percent. Trailing by 13 at the half and by as much as 17, the Tigers roared back. Sparked by center Trevor Booker’s 12 second-half points, they closed to within two, but got no closer. Against Long Beach State in their next game, the Tigers shot 58 percent and scored 20 points off turnovers, winning 87-79. Tanner Smith's 17 led the way, while Demontez Stitt added 16 with five assists. Clemson saw an 11-point lead cut to one but fended off the Niners. In its finale, Clemson won a thriller, 70-69, over No. 10 Butler. Stitt’s two free throws with 3.3 seconds left capped the Tigers’ second-half rally from a 12-point deficit. Stitt scored 19 points, with Andre Young and Trevor Booker each adding 12.
LONG BEACH STATE (1-2)
Nickname: 49ers
Conference: Big West
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
2008-09 record: 15-15
Long Beach State had a tough time in their opener, with an 85-62 loss to No. 8 West Virginia. The 49ers had no answer for the Mountaineers’ three-point shooting or their pressure defense, committing 22 turnovers, 15 in the first half. LBSU trailed by 16 and by as much as 27. Stephan Gilling and Greg Plater each had 14 for the Niners. In their next game, Dan Monson's squad battled before losing to Clemson, 87-79. The 49ers went on a 13-2 second-half run, to cut Clemson’s lead to one, but could never take the lead. T.J. Robinson had game-highs, with 25 points and 15 rebounds. The 49ers made history in their finale, beating UCLA, 79-68; they’d been 0-for-11 against the Bruins. The Niners shot 64 percent in the second half and led by as much as 17. Robinson had game-highs of 25 points and 13 rebounds, and was named to the All-Tournament team.
MINNESOTA (1-2)
Nickname: Golden Gophers
Conference: Big Ten
Location: Minneapolis, Minn.
2008-09 record (post-season result): 22-11 (NCAA 1st round)
No. 16 Minnesota used 50 percent shooting and a 50-point second half to top No. 10 Butler, 82-73. Damian Johnson led the way with 18 points, and the Golden Gophers’ bench outscored the Bulldogs’ reserves 46-8. Colton Iverson led the Gophers’ reserves, going for 13 points and 11 assists. Tubby Smith’s squad shot a season-low .333 in its next game, when the Gophers lost their first game of the season to Portland, 61-56. Al Nolen topped Minnesota’s scoring chart with 13. The Gophers, who never led, cut an 11-point, second-half deficit to two with 3:14 remaining but could get no closer. The Golden Gophers nearly pulled off a miracle finish in their final game, but fell short, 66-65, against Texas A&M. Down seven with 1:11 left, Minnesota, which was held under 40 percent shooting for the second straight game, went on a 6-0 run and had the ball, but Paul Carter's short jumper was blocked.
PORTLAND (2-1)
Nickname: Pilots
Conference: West Coast
Location: Portland, Ore.
2008-09 record (post-season result): 19-13 (CollegeInsider.com Tournament)
Portland opened the 76 Classic with a wire-to-wire thrashing of UCLA, 76-47, the Pilots’ first 4-0 start in 14 years. T.J. Campbell and Jared Stohl each scored 15, and Nik Raivio had 13, as Portland shot 75 percent from three and led by as much as 31 in the second half. Eric Reveno's squad went wire-to-wire again in upending No. 16 Minnesota, 61-56. Campbell scored a game-high 23 points, and Robin Smeulders chipped in with 13. The Pilots saw an 11-point second-half lead cut to two, but Campbell hit four straight foul shots to seal the deal. In the championship game, Portland fell, 84-66, to No. 8 West Virginia, as the Pilots hit only 21 percent from three for the game. Raivio had a team-high 15 for Portland, which trailed by 14 at intermission, and by as much as 22. Campbell, who was named to the All-Tournament team, had 12 points, five assists and three boards.
TEXAS A&M (2-1)
Nickname: Aggies
Conference: Big 12
Location: College Station, Texas
2008-09 record (post-season result): 24-10 (NCAA 2nd round)
Texas A&M used a 15-2 first-half run to stun 19th-ranked Clemson, 69-60, in its 76 Classic opener. B.J. Holmes scored a game-high 20 points, and David Loubeau added 12 and nine boards. The Aggies saw their 17-point second-half lead cut to two, but held on, overcoming woeful free-throw shooting (20 for 35). A&M battled No. 8 West Virginia next, falling short with a final score of 73-66. Holmes and Donald Sloan each had 18, and Bryan Davis added 10 rebounds. A&M led 34-32 at halftime, despite committing 16 turnovers and struggling at the line, missing 8 of 17 second-half tries. A&M finished the Classic on a high, as Derrick Roland's 19 points keyed a 66-65 upset of No. 22 Minnesota. A&M used a 19-2 first-half run to open an 11-point halftime lead, then, despite more bad second-half foul shooting (11 of 26), held on, when Davis blocked a potential game-winning shot by UM's Paul Carter.
UCLA (0-3)
Nickname: Bruins
Conference: Pac 10
Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
2008-09 record (post-season result): 26-9 (NCAA 2nd round)
The Bruins were never in their opener against Portland, losing 74-47. Malcolm Lee led the Bruins with 14 and Drew Gordon added 10, but UCLA’s cold shooting, and a 22-12 run at the end of the half, doomed the Bruins, who trailed 36-19 at intermission and never got any closer. In its next match-up, UCLA lost a heartbreaking 69-67 game to No. 12 Butler. Nikola Dragovic led the Bruins with 14 points and six boards. UCLA tied the game on a Jerime Anderson three with 8.6 seconds left, but Gordon Hayward's two free throws won the game for the Bulldogs. In their final game, Michael Roll scored a season-high 23 points, and Reeves Nelson added 11 and eight rebounds off the bench, but Long Beach State prevailed, 79-68. The Bruins trailed 32-31 at the half, but LBSU shot 64 percent in the second half to pull away.
WEST VIRGINIA (Champs; 3-0)
Nickname: Mountaineers
Conference: BIG EAST
Location: Morgantown, W.V.
2008-09 record (post-season result): 23-12 (NCAA 1st round)
Eighth-ranked West Virginia won the 76 Classic with superb pressure defense and great shooting. Led by Casey Mitchell's 18 points and Da'Sean Butler's 13, they dominated Long Beach State, leading by as much as 28 and never trailing in the 85-62 victory. Bob Huggins' squad hit 12 of 24 from three and frustrated the 49ers, forcing 22 turnovers. In the 73-66 win over Texas A&M, Devin Ebanks scored 14 points and made two key steals late. Butler led the way with 17 points, 15 in the second half, and West Virginia started the second half on a 15-2 run to take the lead for good. In the championship game against Portland, WVU rode Kevin Jones’ 13 first-half points (he finished with 17) and built a 14-point halftime edge, which they’d expand to 22 before winning 84-66. Jones and Butler were named to the All-Tournament team, with Butler earning MVP honors.
University of Maryland alum Jon Cooper is an Atlanta-based freelance writer.
VIDEO RECAP 2009
