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Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
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Saturday / November 23.
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UConn

By ZACH SMART
Special Contributor to ZAGSBLOG.com

STORRS, Conn.—William & Mary entered Gampel Pavilion with a slew of 3-point snipers and quickly shed any fear of the No. 12 Huskies.

The Tribe, which lived and died beyond the arc all night, hit six 3-pointers before the Huskies could hit one.

That’s before William & Mary ran into a buzz saw in Jerome Dyson, who scored a game-high 27 points and dished eight assists to lead the Huskies to a 75-66 victory before an announced 9,719.

“Jerome played awful and good at the same time tonight,” said UConn coach Jim Calhoun.

On Dyson, Tribe coach Tony Shaver was singing a different tune.

Mississippi State, Rider

When I caught up with Rider coach Tommy Dempsey Saturday morning, he was enjoying a celebratory breakfast at Memphis International Airport.

Dempsey and the Rider Broncs pulled off the biggest win in program history Friday night when they went into Starkville and beat defending Southeastern Conference champion Mississippi State, 88-74.

The win happened on the same night the No. 18 Bulldogs raised the banner from their 2008-09 SEC championship.

“I have to say it’s got to rank up there,” Dempsey said by phone. “It’s the first win over a nationally-ranked program as far as we can tell. It’s certainly the biggest win in recent history.”

Florida International, Old Knicks

By BILLY DIAMOND
Special Contributor to ZAGSBLOG.com
 
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. —  On the same night his former team set a franchise record for ineptitude, Isiah Thomas dropped his first game in the metropolitan area as a college coach.

Facing a raucous anti-Isiah crowd, Florida International dropped to 0-2 after falling, 99-70, Friday at Monmouth’s new Multipurpose Activity Center.

Thomas, the former coach and president of the Knicks, was loudly booed as he walked onto the court to take his seat on the bench and one fan held up a sign that read “FIU: Fire Isiah University.”

“I’m used to being in hostile arenas,” Thomas said, according to The Associated Press. “As an athlete and as a former ‘Bad Boy,’ every place we went to was kind of this kind of environment. So I’m used to dealing with tough environments.”

NBA, Old Knicks

NEW YORK – Don Nelson has only been in New York for a short time Friday night and already he’s making headlines.

First, Nelson joked that he took rookie Stephen Curry out of the starting lineup because he doesn’t have enough ink.

“Stephen Curry, I took him out of the starting lineup because he doesn’t have enough tattoos,” Nelson said before Golden State trounced New York, 121-107, at MSG. “In fact, he doesn’t have any tattoos. How can a guy start in the NBA with no tattoos?”

Curry was drafted seventh overall by Golden State in this year’s NBA Draft, one spot ahead of New York, which chose Arizona forward Jordan Hill. Curry is averaging 8.7 points and 5.4 assists.

Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, UCLA

Harrison Barnes took his recruiting announcement to a new level.

In a press conference at Ames (Iowa) High School, the 6-foot-6 Barnes sat at a table showcasing the insignias of each of his final six schools. He then praised each program before calling his final choice via Skype.

After the connection appeared to briefly drop out, Barnes looked at the computer and said “Coach Roy Williams.”

A picture of Williams and his North Carolina players popped up on an oversized screen in the auditorium.

At that point the crowd at Ames let out a roar of applause. Duke fans probably dropped to the floor wherever they were.

“We’ve got the whole team here,” said Williams, coach of the defending NCAA champion Tar Heels.

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