Colleges

College hoops: USF, FSU up next

By MMCCARTERN
Published January 5, 2008

Today

USF men at Syracuse

When/where: Noon; Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.

TV/radio: Ch. 28; 1250-AM

Records: USF 10-4, 1-0 Big East; Syracuse 11-3, 1-0

Scouting report: Three of the Big East's top freshmen square off, with guard Dominique Jones leading the Bulls with 16.2 points a game, including 24 in a win against Rutgers on Wednesday. With star guard Eric Devendorf lost for the season, Syracuse has gotten strong starts from two freshmen: 6-foot-11, 226-pound forward Donte Greene leads the team with 18.9 points, and 6-foot guard Jonny Flynn isn't far behind at 14.6. The Orange has depth and size to challenge USF senior Kentrell Gransberry, who leads the Big East with 11.5 rebounds per game to go with 15.2 points; Syracuse has 6-9, 258-pound Arinze Onuaku (14.4 ppg ,7.9 rpg) and 6-5, 228-pound Paul Harris (9.4 rpg).

USF women vs. No. 17 W. Va.

When/where: 7; Sun Dome, Tampa

TV/radio: Catch 47; 1010-AM

Records: West Virginia 10-2, USF 10-3

Scouting report: It's the Big East opener for both teams. USF, fresh off a 75-48 loss at Vanderbilt, hasn't beaten a team with an RPI higher than 107, according to CollegeRPI.com; West Virginia hasn't beaten anyone rated higher than 83rd. The home team has won both meetings, and a win here would be huge as USF looks for quality victories to boost its NCAA resume. West Virginia is led by 6-foot-2 center Olayinka Sanni (17.2 points, 6.8 rebounds), along with 6-foot guard Meg Bulger, whose brother Marc once quarterbacked the Mountaineers. USF needs a big game from center Jessica Lawson, who went 0-for-4 against Vandy, limited to 14 minutes because of foul trouble.

Greg Auman, Times staff writer

FSU men vs. La Salle

When/where: 7; Donald L. Tucker Center, Tallahassee

Radio: 1470-AM

Records: FSU 11-4, La Salle 4-7

Scouting report: The Seminoles, fresh off a rare win in their ACC opener, play their final nonconference game. The Seminoles will continue to be short-handed with sophomore forward Ryan Reid out indefinitely for a violation of team rules and freshman post players Solomon Alabi, surgery Wednesday for a stress fracture in his right leg, and Julian Vaughn, additional tests for a medical condition. Guards Toney Douglas (13.9 ppg), co-ACC player of the week, Isaiah Swann (12.5 ppg) and Jason Rich (11.7 ppg) carry the scoring load for FSU. Guards Darnell Harris (16.3 ppg) and Rodney Green (12.0 ppg) lead the Explorers, who have lost their last three games.

Brian Landman, Times staff writer

[Last modified January 4, 2008, 21:22:14]