ESPN.com - ncb - Maui a little less predictable without Woods

The Wildcats easily got past Chaminade without their all-American center Monday. Their potential matchup with Connecticut Tuesday could have been a win, too, since the Huskies are missing forward Caron Butler and center Souleymane Wane for unrelated NCAA suspensions. But that idea was thwarted when Dayton drilled the 12th-ranked Huskies by 14.


	Terence Morris is one of five returning starters Maryland will feature on Maui.

But facing Maryland in the final could emphasize Arizona's frontcourt deficiencies in a potential Maui Invitational final.

This isn't meant to cancel out Illinois' chances of getting to Wednesday's championship game. A Dayton, Louisville or UNLV appearance would be a stunner in this field, especially since Louisville and UNLV are on the Illinois-Maryland side of the bracket. But the Terps are the deepest team at center in the field.

Maryland starts with the beefy 6-foot-8 junior Lonny Baxter and then can rotate in 6-10 sophomore Tahj Holden, 6-10 freshman Chris Wilcox or 7-foot senior Mike Mardesich. How many teams have one legit center, let alone four?

"Maryland's size could end up being a real problem," Arizona assistant Jay John said. The Wildcats will go with 6-8 Justin Wessel and 6-6 Eugene Edgerson in place of the 7-1 Woods.

"The good thing if we get to the final is that the other team could be tired from two games, too," John said.

Maryland has a tad more experience than Illinois, especially in relation to its coach. The Illini are still getting used to Bill Self, even with five returning starters. The Terps have five starters back, plus five reserves.

Maryland's starters have, or will, become household names in college basketball after this week with point guard Steve Blake, all-American forward Terence Morris and wings Juan Dixon and Danny Miller. Add Tulane transfer Byron Mouton and the Terps only have one player -- Wilcox -- who hasn't played Division I basketball.

"Last year, we were scared to death that we wouldn't be any good," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "We started a freshman and three sophomores and a junior last year, and we were scared we wouldn't be good enough in the ACC. This year we're confident and sometimes that leads to making it hard to get up for every practice."

But the Terps shouldn't have a hard time getting jazzed for this tournament. Woods' absence created a weakness in the Wildcats, one the Terps can pounce on in the middle.

Looking back

Team of the Week
Austin Peay: Forgive us for being giddy about the Governors. Austin Peay won the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, late Sunday with an overtime victory against Utah State. The Governors, the favorites in the Ohio Valley Conference, beat Jackson State and then Colorado before the Aggies. Now, the average fan might say, the field was weak. But the Governors still won and are proving to be one of the legit mid-majors. Austin Peay needs every edge it can get if it wants an eventual NCAA at-large berth with only one guaranteed top 25 school on its schedule (at Tennessee Nov. 27).

Player of the Week
Trenton Hassell, Sr., Austin Peay: The preseason all-American is on the NBA's first-round draft pick list for a reason: he can score. Hassell lit up Fairbanks with 33 points in 36 minutes in a semifinal victory against Colorado (he was 11 of 18, 5 of 7 on 3s). Hassell carried the Governors to the title over Utah State with 23 points to earn the tournament's MVP honors. Hassell scored five points to tie the game at 65 with 1:59 left to play in regulation. Teammate Nick Stapleton hit two 3s for the decisive overtime victory.

Climbing up
Temple: The Owls went 3-0 in a five-day span beating Delaware and New Mexico at home in the Preseason NIT and then winning at Memphis in a hostile Pyramid for John Calipari's debut. The matchup zone worked wonders in the first two games and then the Owls found a way to score in Memphis by an exhaustive effort from point guard Lynn Greer and center Kevin Lyde, neither of whom came out of the game. The Owls' three victories leaped them into the top 25 Sunday and gave new hope to the Atlantic 10's hopes to have a potential deep NCAA Tournament team.

Better watch out
Michigan: Opening the season with a loss at Oakland (Mich.) is probably the worst thing the Wolverines could do in-state. Especially after Jason Rozycki went from scoring 32 points against the Wolverines to a mortal three in a Sunday loss at Michigan State. The Wolverines got little help from center Josh Moore, who fouled out in seven minutes. Center Josh Asselin had one less foul but the same amount of points (four). The Wolverines face a must-win for in-state pride against Western Michigan Tuesday.

Top Five

Shane Battier, Sr., Duke: Battier began the week by hitting nine 3s in a victory against Princeton. The much-maligned offensive forward scored a more modest 18 in 40 minutes (two 3s) in a Preseason NIT second-round victory against Villanova. Battier can claim favorite status for player of the year.

Chris Owens, Jr., Texas: The stocky power forward had a stellar week by blocking eight shots against Cal in the second round of the Preseason NIT. He opened the week with 28 points and eight boards in a first-round victory against Navy. Owens is making the Longhorns forget Chris Mihm's defensive presence.

Michael Bradley, Jr., Villanova: While the Wildcats will watch the Preseason NIT at home this week, Bradley answered his pub with 22 points (10 of 12) and five blocks in a victory against Fairfield. The immovable center scored 28 and grabbed eight rebounds in the second-round loss at Duke.

Rodney White, Fr., Charlotte: A strong case can be made for White to be player of the week after he scored 43 points in victories against Fordham and N.C. State. He hit five 3s and, in the Fordham game, played only 24 minutes. The 49ers, No. 25 in ESPN.com's preaseason picks, made a strong case for a real top 25 slot with the victory against N.C. State.

Kirk Haston, Jr., Indiana: The Hoosiers got to New York for the Preseason NIT final four because of Haston's inspired play in the post. He scored 28 points and 14 boards in the Pepperdine victory. That preceded his 21 points and 11 rebounds against South Alabama.

Watch the scores
Wisconsin at Tennessee, Tuesday: The Badgers open the season at the 2-0 Volunteers without the Shoegate suspended Maurice Linton and Travon Davis. Tennessee needs to play more physical in the SEC, and the Badgers will provide the ultimate test to the new emphasis on rough play.

Preseason NIT Semifinals, Wednesday (Indiana vs. Temple; Duke vs. Texas); Finals, Friday; Madison Square Garden, New York, ESPN: The Owls aren't just a tough team to score against after their offense stunned Memphis with 3-pointers Friday. Memphis folded when it couldn't get penetration against the Owls' defense when Courtney Trask was out of the game. That puts plenty of pressure on the Hoosiers' committee of points, led by unheralded Tom Coverdale.

Texas will try to beat up Duke, but the Blue Devils shouldn't fret. The Longhorns could struggle to defend Shane Battier on the perimeter and Carlos Boozer is finally playing inspired ball in the post. But the difference is at the point where Texas can't begin to handle Jason Williams. If it's Temple-Duke Friday then it will be part one. The two teams play in Philadelphia Dec. 2.

Great Alaska Shootout, Wednesday-Saturday, Anchorage, Alaska, ESPN; (Valparaiso vs. Alaska-Anchorage, Rhode Island vs. Missouri; Wednesday: Florida State vs. Ohio State, Syracuse vs. DePaul, Thursday): Who made up these brackets? Someone from Missouri? The Tigers are in the easier bracket while favorite DePaul has to slug through Syracuse, Florida State and Ohio State.

The Blue Demons' big lineup should work against Syracuse's zone as long as Imari Sawyer can penetrate. If he does, then they don't have to shoot over the Orangemen. The unknown is Syracuse, which is out of New York before New Year's Eve for the first time in two years. Rhode Island got a win to start its season with, get this, a respectable, scoring backcourt of Brian Woodward (19 points) and Zach Marbury (21). Florida State and Ohio State would settle for 2-1 records in rebuilding years.

Puerto Rico Shootout, Thursday-Saturday, San Juan, Puerto Rico, ESPN: (Indiana State vs. Georgia, Utah vs. American University-Puerto Rico, Stanford vs. Old Dominion, Memphis vs. Miami of Ohio):Utah got the favorable bracket in this tournament. The Utes shouldn't have a problem getting by the host school, or the Sycamores, or winless Georgia. But they might need more out of Chris Burgess and Britton Johnsen.

Burgess scored four points in 15 minutes, while Johnsen scored two in 16 against Idaho State. Heralded point Travis Spivey had six turnovers off the bench.

The intriguing matchup could come in the semifinal if it's Stanford and Memphis. The Cardinal are starting to get more scoring out of point guard Mike McDonald, who had a career-high 19, including five 3s against San Francisco State. The Tigers don't have the frontcourt depth to match Stanford.

The Cardinal got Curtis Borchardt back from a leg injury a few weeks back. He opened the season with 14 points, eight boards, three blocks and a 12-for-12 mark at the line. Remember, he's the third option up front behind Jarron and Jason Collins.

What's at stake
Big 'Mo' for UMass: The Minutemen beat Iona without the suspended Monty Mack Saturday. UMass' leading scorer returns for Monday's road game at Marquette (ESPN). Marquette faces a critical game after being upset in the opener against South Alabama at home last week.

Respect at South Carolina: The Gamecocks were stunned by losing to Tennessee Tech at home and need to soundly beat an overmatched Wofford team Tuesday to feel good about their sleeper chances in the SEC.

A road pass for Hall freshmen: OK, so the terrific trio at Seton Hall blitzed through Rider. But they better be ready for a tussle at Clemson Tuesday where the Tigers are known to play physical.

A marquee win for Marshall: The Thundering Herd don't have many chances to pick up power rating points but they've got a shot at Cincinnati Tuesday. Kenny Satterfield scored 27 points in his debut as the main man, but the Bearcats could have their hands full with Marshall's dynamite duo Tamar Slay and J.R. VanHoose.

Power points for Fresno State: The Bulldogs desperately need to beat N.C. State Wednesday at the Hall of Fame Tipoff Classic for future RPI credit because their schedule is devoid of high-major teams.

TCU's sleeper status: Billy Tubbs loaded up the Horned Frogs' schedule with the usual soft serve games. But the Honolulu Shootout provides decent comp with the chance to play College of Charleston after an expected victory against Siena in round one Friday in Hawaii. Waiting on the other side of the bracket is likely either Georgetown or Minnesota. TCU could use a victory against the Hoyas come March.

Oklahoma's expectations: While TCU could surprise with an early-season tournament win, anything short of a three-game sweep for the Sooners in the Big Island Invitational in Hilo, Hawaii, Friday-Sunday would be a disappointment. The Sooners open with Montana State, play likely Tulane but could get a dangerous team in either Oregon State (against Appalachian State) or Long Beach State (against San Francisco) in the final.

A realistic gauge on the Irish: Notre Dame got 19 points from Ryan Humphrey in his Irish debut but that was against Sacred Heart. He'll need to be a physical force against Cincinnati in the first of two John Wooden Tradition games (Arizona-Purdue is the other) Saturday at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Mike Krzyzewski's good status as an Army alumnus: No the Army won't disassociate themselves from Coach K but the Cadets might want to think twice about going back to Durham. The Blue Devils could make it downright embarrassing for the Cadets at Cameron Saturday.

What's working
The Seton Hall freshmen: The tender trio of Eddie Griffin (22 points, 14 rebounds), Marcus Toney-El (13) and Andre Barrett (17) lit up Rider in the Pirates' convincing season-opening win.

Cookie Belcher's wrist: The Nebraska guard sat out last season with a broken wrist. While the Huskers lost to Oral Roberts, Belcher proved he hasn't lost his touch by scoring 27 points in 37 minutes.

Dan Dickau at the point: The Washington transfer is Matt Santangelo's replacement at Gonzaga and he didn't disappoint. Dickau led the Bulldogs to a 2-0 start with four 3s against Wisconsin-Green Bay and 13 points and five assists against Eastern Washington.

Sean Connolly replacing Michael Redd at Ohio State: One game doesn't make a season but the Providence transfer helped his P.R. campaign to sub for the departed Redd with 18 points and four 3s in his Buckeyes' debut victory against Yale.

Darius Rice as a go-to guy in Miami: The late-signing Rice has the Canes still cooking with 26 points in 31 minutes in his freshman debut -- a victory against Florida Atlantic.

What needs fixing
Fresno State's game without Tito Maddox: The Bulldogs floundered while they waited for their point guard to be deemed eligible (a problem with who paid for a Vegas airline ticket). The Maddox-less 'Dogs lost to St. Bonaventure in Fresno in the final of the Hispanic College Fund tournament. The Bulldogs had no defensive answer for Bonnie newcomer Kevin Houston (23 points and eight rebounds in 26 minutes).

Northwestern's talent pool: Bill Carmody has his work cut out for him to improve the ability of the Wildcats' personnel. Northwestern was humbled from the start by losing its opener to Arkansas-Little Rock. The hometown 'Cats shot 6 for 30 overall in Carmody's Princeton offense.

Jeff Trepagnier's foot: USC is adamant that Trepagnier is sitting out because of a stress fracture in his foot instead of for his Vegas travels with Maddox in late September. The Trojans were fine without him against Bradley (Sam Clancy had 31) but Trepagnier needs to be back before Utah at the John Wooden Classic Dec. 2 in Anaheim.

South Florida's shooting: The Bulls desperately needed to come out of the Top of the World Classic at least 2-1. Instead, South Florida limps home 1-2 after losing to Utah State and Colorado. It didn't help that the Bulls shot 24 percent on 3s against the Aggies. They didn't defend them either as Utah State made 10 of 13 3s.

Georgia's mindset: The Bulldogs lost to Georgia State in the opener and at Minnesota in game two. Puerto Rico is next where the Bulldogs could go winless. Do you think it's too late for the president to change his mind on Kenny Brunner? Probably.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. His Weekly Watch on the week ahead and the previous week in college basketball is updated Mondays throughout the seasons.

ALSO SEE

Arizona hopes for reduction in Woods' suspension

Woods' absence to test Wildcats' depth at Maui

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