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The Secondary Break: Friday’s Links

Marcus Paige, Chris Jones

Louisville’s Chris Jones (3) pressures North Carolina’s Marcus Paige (5) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off tournament championship in Uncasville, Conn., Sunday, Nov. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

AP

Paige lighting it up for North Carolina - at off-guard (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
One of the biggest keys in North Carolina’s improvement since their loss to Belmont has been the play of sophomore guard Marcus Paige. A highly regarded point guard out of high school, Paige has done the majority of his damage off the ball for a team whose best perimeter scorer (P.J. Hairston) sits on the bench in a suit. And with no one knowing when (or if) Hairston will return to the court, that may have to be the case for the Tar Heels to factor into the ACC and national conversations.

Louisville basketball’s Chris Jones described as a “living trophy” (Louisville Courier-Journal)
One of the most important pieces in the Louisville attack is junior college transfer Chris Jones, who’s averaging 14.5 points and 3.2 assists per game for the ninth-ranked Cardinals. But he may not be in the position he’s in now if not for the help of Melrose HS (Memphis) coach Jermaine Johnson.

UTEP coach Tim Floyd addresses, explains altercation with USC’s Andy Enfield (Knoxville News Sentinel)
Following the Miners’ 78-70 win over Tennessee on Thursday night UTEP head coach Tim Floyd was asked about the altercation between he and USC head coach Andy Enfield (and assistants from both programs).

College basketball teams take bigger bite of Big Apple (USA Today)
With the addition of the Barclays Center, college basketball has seen its presence within the city’s two major arenas grow in the last couple of seasons. In 2013-14, counting conference and NCAA/NIT tournament action the Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden will host a total of 81 college basketball games. While this adds inventory for the facilities, New York also offers programs a stage you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else when considering factors such as media and recruiting.

Altercation with teammate during practice led to San Francisco PG Cody Doolin’s departure (San Francisco Chronicle)
Details are beginning to emerge regarding the circumstances surrounding the departure of San Francisco starting point guard Cody Doolin, and according to USF athletics director Scott Sidwell it was an altercation with an unnamed teammate that led to Doolin’s departure. Doolin will remain in school, as he’s scheduled to graduate with a degree in finance this spring.

Defense may hold key to season for No. 2 Kansas (Associated Press)
No. 2 Kansas has a number of offensive weapons to call upon, but if the Jayhawks are to win a national title they’ll have to get the job done on the defensive end as well. It certainly helps to have a freshman in Andrew Wiggins who takes pride in his ability as a defender, an area in which he feels a bit underrated.

Young Cats can’t count on intimidation, Raftery says (Lexington Herald-Leader)
The risk for many high-profile freshmen is that they step on the floor believing that their reputation and scholastic accolades will give them an edge over the opposition. Not to say that this has happened with No. 3 Kentucky, but it is something the Wildcats need to guard against according to Fox Sports color commentator Bill Raftery. Raftery will be on the call when the Wildcats take on Providence in Brooklyn on Sunday.

Friars know they need to improve on offensive end (Providence Journal)
As for Kentucky’s opponent on Sunday, Providence acknowledged that they’ve got some things to clean up on the offensive end after struggling in a loss to Maryland in the title game of the Paradise Jam. And with players such as guard Bryce Cotton and forward Kadeem Batts, the Friars have the talent needed to turn things around offensively.

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