Texas Christian was a win at Saint Louis away from being tied for a share of the conference lead. The task was easier said than done, and its 56-48 setback Saturday dampened the team's confidence after impressive wins at Memphis and versus Houston.
SLU, who appears to have stopped the bleeding from its early season woes, limited the Horned Frogs to 30 percent shooting. Upcoming games at Charlotte and DePaul in the next eight days may further diminish TCU's ambition.
Not all bad in the Lonestar state
Veteran coach Tom Penders has re-vitalized Houston in his first year. Victories over Missouri, LSU and Louisville raised eyebrows, and the team has already surpassed last season's win total by three.
The outside shooting of guards Andre Owens and Lanny Smith have provided the bulk of the offense, but the production of Ramon Dyer has been a surprise. The junior forward, who averaged just 3.1 ppg last season, leads the team in rebounds (5.6 per game) and is third in points (10.2).
Scandalous
Memphis forward Sean Banks, a preseason John Wooden Award candidate who had endured a tumultuous season both on and off the court, is out for the remainder of the season due to academic ineligibility. The warning signs appeared last summer when Banks skipped tryouts for USA Basketball's Under-21 team. Coach John Calipari suspended Banks for one game in December as a wake-up call, but Banks would later get into a scuffle with teammate Arthur Barclay after the team's Jan. 6 loss at Texas.
Memphis fans will hope Banks' absence will help the team get away from the rec-league mentality of chucking up threes every time down the floor.
Slammin' Sammy
When DePaul guard Sammy Mejia took a leave of absence from the team in December for personal issues, his action reminded basketball fans of the enormous pressure put on varsity athletes in major collegiate athletics. Mejia, whose 6'6" frame presents match-up difficulties for opposing teams, has since returned to the team and regained his starting spot at the point. He averaged 20 points per game in his last three matches, including 26 in a mesmerizing performance against Marquette. If he continues to put up these numbers, it will force opposing teams to take some of their defensive resources away from DePaul's star forward, Quemont Greer.
Cinci's new option
Guard Nick Williams started over Armein Kirkland in Cincinnati's 80-58 rout of Charlotte Jan. 19. Williams' hot shooting from the outside (6-for-8 from 3-point land) in the loss against Louisville prompted the lineup switch, and Williams took advantage of his opportunity. With Charlotte leading 28-24 at halftime, Williams hit four three-pointers in a 20-5 run to start the second half and Cincinnati seized control of the game.