Rod Odom

“I am an Arizona Wildcat,” the 6-foot-8, 210-pound Odom, a senior from Long Island who plays at Concord (Mass.) Middlesex, said by text.

Reach by phone a little after 6 p.m., Odom said he made the decision “about 10 minutes ago.”

Odom chose Arizona over Vanderbilt, West Virginia and Boston College. He is ranked No. 88 overall in the Class of 2010 and No. 19 among small forwards.

“I was real close to going to Vanderbilt last night but I’ve been talking it over with my mom and my dad and we made that decision,” Odom said.

Odom is a long, athletic wing who is also a strong student. He considered some elite academic schools, including Harvard and Vanderbilt. On the court, he can guard multiple positions and play several on offense.

“I’m just looking to do whatever it takes to win,” he said. “Just come in and be ready. I’ll probably play the three or the four and that’s pretty much it.”

Odom becomes the latest New York player drawn to the West Coast by head coach Sean Miller and assistant Book Richardson, a New York native.

“The faith that the coaching staff had in me was a big factor,” Odom said. “Arizona is a prestigious school in terms of basketball. Those two things put together is what did it for me.”

He added: “Book, he was a big factor. It wasn’t just him. It was all the coaches. I liked every single one of the coaches. I would say it was all of the coaches.”

Last year, Richardson and Miller persuaded New York natives Kevin Parrom and Lamont “Momo” Jones to sign with the Cats, and more recently Harlem junior wing Sidiki Johnson committed. Johnson is now at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark.

“I say it’s a testament to the coaches to be able to get someone like Sidiki or myself or Kevin or Momo to come out there because it’s not exactly a car ride out there,” Odom said. “The New York guys who are there defintely have faith in the coaching staff.”

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The 6-foot-8, 195-pound Odom out of Concord (Mass.) Middlesex says he will choose one of the following four schools: Arizona, Boston College, Vanderbilt or West Virginia.

“I’m pretty much done taking visits,” Odom said Sunday afternoon. “I’m just looking to talk things over with my family the next couple of days.”

Odom, a Long Island native, says there is no favorite.

“I wouldn’t say there’s any favorite,” he said. “Every school has real good things to offer. At this point they’re all pretty much even.”

Harvard is out of the mix because the Ivy League school cannot offer scholarships and the financial aid package offered was more than Rod Odom Sr. expected.

Odom visited BC this weekend and ran with the basketball team. He also watched along with former BC quarterback Doug Flutie as the Eagles beat Florida State in football.

“It was exciting,” Odom said.

As for BC coach Al Skinner told him about his role, Odom said. “He just said they’d use me at the three and I’d fit into his style of offense. It would be good to play with them because they don’t have a player like me.”

ARIZONA SCHOOLS IN THE MIX FOR BEJARANO

Arizona and Arizona State are now in the mix for Daniel Bejarano, a 6-5, 200-pound shooting guard from Phoenix ranked No. 13 at his position in the Class of 2010.

Bejarano just decommitted from Texas.

Ray Arvizu Jr., Bejarano’s mentor, told the Arizona Daily Star that Wildcats coach Sean Miller met with Bejarano for three hours Thursday night.

“I was there and I think it went really, really well,” Arvizu told the newspaper. “Daniel was impressed with his energetic style and his desire to bring Arizona back. … Sean came by himself, and he expressed to Daniel the importance of getting to know him as a head coach.”

Arizona State coach Herb Sendek is also recruiting Bejarano.

“I think that U of A is the better fit,” Arvizu told the Daily star, “but at the same time, ASU is right here.”

LAMB MAY VISIT ARIZONA

Doron Lamb spent this weekend at Oklahoma, along with Ames Iowa wing Harrison Barnes.

Lamb also plans to visit Kansas Oct. 16 and possibly Arizona as well.

 ”Of course, Arizona is still in the running,” Calvin Lamb told the Daily Star. “I was just telling the [Arizona] coach, don’t go by the order” of visits.

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Trevor Releford,

“Yes. I liked the campus, the players and the coaches,” he said by phone.

Releford, the younger brother of Kansas guard Travis Releford, previously said he likes Alabama because of his relationship with new head coach Anthony Grant.

“Alabama is the top because they’ve been there the longest,” Releford said. “I talk to coach a lot and I was his first guy. He started recruiting me.”

ODOM ENJOYING ARIZONA VISIT

Rod Odom, the 6-8 wing from Concord (Mass.) Middlesex, is enjoying his visit to Arizona this weekend, his first official.

“We are still in the midst of the visit,” Rod Odom Sr. said by phone Saturday. “Everything is going fantastic. Rod loves Arizona, he loves the ‘Cats.”

After the Arizona visit, Odom will take an official to Harvard next weekend and then  Boston College Oct. 3.

Odom is also considering Vanderbilt, West Virginia and Georgia Tech but has yet to plan official visits to those schools. He has visited every school except Arizona unofficially.

COACHES VISITING IRVING

After we broke the news Friday that Indiana was out of the Kyrie Irving Sweepstakes, we have this update for Sunday.

Coaches from Kentucky, UConn and Duke are expected to visit Irving during a workout at St. Patrick on Sunday.

We’re hearing Orlando Antigua and Rod Strickland, Irving’s uncle and Godfather, will be there for the ‘Cats; Andre LaFleur from UConn; and I’m not sure who’s coming for Duke.

Funny story on this: I was driving home the other day and my phone rings from a restricted number. Guy on the other end tells me, “It’s Jay-Z, Sean Carter. Do you have a number for Kyrie Irving? I want to go watch him work out at St. Patrick.”

“Come on, bro. Who is this?” I asked.

He insisted it was Jay-Z and that he got my number from Irv Gotti.

I told him I’m not in the habit of giving out kid’s numbers and could I call him back? He said he was in London and he should call me later.

He never did and Jay-Z was on the Jay Leno show that night. In L.A.

FREE THROWS

Brandon Knight is on Kentucky’s campus this weekend, while Cory Joseph and Tristan Thompson are at Texas…UConn did not come to visit Tobias Harris today. Harris said the coaches may come back Wednesday for what would be his last home visit. After that he and his family will cut the list to five…J.J. Moore, the 6-5 wing out of South (Conn.) Kent, is in the process of scheduling visits to Louisville and Florida.

Fordham hosted Myles Mack and Jamel Flash. Fordham assistant Jared Grasso has done a terrific job tapping into Paterson Catholic and St. Anthony, landing Lance Brown (PC), Jio Fontan (SA) and Alberto Estwick (SA).

If the Rams land Mack as well, it would be a quite a get.

Mack also recently visited St. John’s and enjoyed it.

He’s still planning some other visits to Virginia Tech, Rice and Providence.

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“I’m in the airport waiting to go,” Odom, the No. 19 small forward in the Class of 2010, said Friday morning.

After the Arizona visit, Odom will take an official to Harvard next weekend and then  Boston College Oct. 3.

Odom is also considering Vanderbilt, West Virginia and Georgia Tech but has yet to plan official visits to those schools. He has visited every school except Arizona unofficially.

“I don’t really have a favorite right now,” Odom said. “I’ll probably have one after this visit because this [Arizona] is the only school I haven’t been to.”

Odom knows Arizona assistant coach Book Richardson and is also familiar with Arizona freshmen Lamont “Momo” Jones and Kevin Parrom – both from New York.

“I knew him [Richardson] from Xavier,” Odom said.

“I used to play with Momo with the Metrohawks so I know him pretty well,” Odom said. “I worked out with Kevin a couple times.”

Odom said he may wait until mid- or late-October before making a decision.

“I’m just looking for a good playing opportunity and make sure I’m comfortable and make sure it’s a good fit,” Odom said.

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“Yes, I did about an hour ago,” Wright said by phone.

Wright chose Pitt over an impressive slate of schools including Indiana, UCLA, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Cleveland State. Florida and West Virginia also showed interest.

“Pitt was constant,” Wright said. “Their system fits  my style perfectly. I’m a-pass first team player. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win.”

As a junior, Wright averaged 20.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 4.5 steals.

“He’s a really good defender,” said Rob Stircula, Wright’s coach with Benedictine. “He’s a slasher. He scores in contact. He’s a great passer. His basketball IQ is really, really high. We reconstructed his shot last summer. I think he’s going to be a good shooter.”

SELBY, ODOM, LESLIE TO VISIT UCONN

UConn will get a couple of key visits this week.

Josh Selby, who decommitted from Tennessee and is being courted by Kentucky, UConn and Louisville, will visit Connecticut on Wednesday, according to a source with knowledge.

Selby, the No. 2 point guard in the Class of 2010 out of Baltimore (MD) Lake Clifton, dropped 30 points on 8-17 shooting Saturday night as the USA East beat Brazil 89-74 Saturday at the Nike Global Games in Portland, Ore.

Rod Odom, a 6-9, 205-pound wing out of Concord (MA) Middlesex School, picked up an offer from UConn over the weekend and also plans to visit this week.

“Coach [Pat] Sellers called my dad on Friday [to offer],” Odom said by phone. “It was good. It’s definitely a great opportunity. It’s a great school and they a have a winning tradition so it’s a good look.

“I’m going up to UConn sometime this week, Tuesday or Wednesday.”

Odom, the No. 18 small forward in the Class of 2010, said his list currently consists of UConn, Louisville, Boston College, Michigan, Vanderbilt, Arizona, Miami, Georgia Tech and Harvard.

He has already visited Harvard, Boston College and Georgia Tech.

“I’m cutting it down to five by later this month,” he said.

Asked when he might decide, Odom said, “Probably middle to late September.”

Another player who plans to visit UConn is C.J. Leslie, the No. 8 power forward out of Raleigh (NC) Word Of God Christian Academy.

The 6-8 Leslie told Rivals the schools showing him the most love are Kentucky, North Carolina, Florida, Maryland and UConn.

“UConn, they’d love to have me,” he said by phone recently. “They think highly of me. I probably will take a visit there.”

Asked when he might cut his list, Leslie said: “I’m gonna narrow it down in August.”

LAURY OUT AT WESTERN KENTUCKY

Alex Schwartz of Northstar Basketball got a nice update with David Laury last week at St. John’s.

The 6-8 Laury said he wasn’t cleared to play at Western Kentucky and then felt homesick, which is why he came home.

“When I got to Western Kentucky, I wasn’t really comfortable,” he told Schwartz. “I withdrew and they gave me my release. . . I wasn’t interacting with the coaches and players enough. . . They asked me what was wrong and I told them I wasn’t comfortable.”

Laury, 19, said he may spend another year at NIA Prep and is hearing from Southeastern Missouri State, Iona, and UMES.

HARRIS HASN’T COMMITTED

Despite rumors that Tobias Harris has committed to Georgia Tech, his father said it’s not true. “No, we haven’t committed. We’re a long way from committing,” Torrel Harris said Sunday night. “Torrel also said Tennessee wants Tobias to visit Sept. 12, but no official visit date has yet been nailed down…

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Virtually every Big East assistant I spoke with had interest in Moore.

Now he is in the process of planning his visits.

“This week we’re going to set up a schedule to start planning visits,” said Hunt Bresky, Moore’s mentor. “Nothing has been scheduled, although we’re hoping that by the end of August we’ll do a few unofficial visits.”

Bresky said the list looks like this right now: UConn, Pittsburgh, Louisville, St. John’s, Providence, Marquette, Rutgers, Florida and Oklahoma. Seton Hall was “just getting in on it.”

Gary Charles, Moore’s AAU coach with the New York Panthers, added: “We’re going to try to do an unofficial to a couple of places like Marquette and Pitt and get to these other schools also.”

How good can Moore be?

“I think J.J. has the chance to make money one day,” Charles said. “I think he has all the tools. He just needs time and I think it’ll happen for him.”

Here are a few more Panthers updates:

**6-8 Ryan Rhoomes of Cardozo High has strong interest from Virginia Tech, Pitt, Cincinnati, Temple, George Mason, VCU and Drexel.

**6-8 SF Rod Odom of Concord (MA) Middlesex School recently picked up an offer from Louisville and told CardinalSports.com he’s considering Boston College, Vanderbilt, UConn, Louisville, Michigan, Georgia Tech, Arizona and Harvard. Odom said he plans to take an unofficial to Louisville soon.

**6-foot junior point guard Sterling Gibbs of Seton Hall Prep has offers from Villanova, Oklahoma, Seton Hall, Rutgers and St. John’s.

“Sterling is wide open,” Charles said. “Obviously, he’s only a rising junior so he can take his time.”

(Photo courtesy Minick Photography)

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Bruce Pearl

Rumors flew that coaches from other programs were whispering into Selby’s ear and taking advantage of Pearl’s absence.

Selby is now being recruited by everyone from Kentucky to Kansas to UConn to Maryland.

“I think as coaches, we want to ethically make sure that if a guy’s got a commitment, leave him alone,” Pearl told ESPN’s Andy Katz on Monday in Orlando in a segment that appeared on ESPNU. “Now, student-athletes have a right to do what’s in their best interests.

“And if they think it’s in their best interests to open up their recruiting and look at something else, then they should do that because I don’t want somebody that doesn’t want to  necessarily  play for us. And I think every mother or father wants what’s best for their kids.

“And if I’m not what’s best for their kids…then that’s fine. Then you go find somebody that is. I think the big thing is…Once I see a guy committed, that’s it. No more phone calls.  You don’t put it out there, ‘In case we had interest, would you open up your recruiting?’

“It’s over, leave him alone.”

Translation: Pearl thinks some coaches tampered with Selby and he’s pissed.

HARRIS NAMED MVP IN ORLANDO

Long Island native Tobias Harris scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to earn MVP honors as the Albany City Rocks downed Mike Gilchrist and Team Final 68-64 at the Supershowcase in Orlando. The game was shown live on ESPNU.

“We got to show people that Gilchrist is a young fellow but Tobias is the old brother,” said Torrel Harris, Tobias’ dad.

Harris’ list of potential colleges includes: Tennessee, UConn, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Maryland, Oklahoma, Georgia Tech, Rutgers, St.John’s, Virginia, Louisville and West Virginia.

Memphis, Kentucky, Florida and UCLA are also trying to get involved.

Harris and his father  say they will cut the list in August and reward those programs that have been most loyal and whose head coaches have been watching him in person.

COACHES FEELING EXTORTED FOR PACKAGES

One of the big stories coming out of Vegas is that college coaches felt “extorted” by the costs of some of the player packets they must buy to follow the teams.

The coaches have to pay several hundred bucks. In cash.

“The tough thing is some of these packets are $275-$300 and a lot of them are misinformation,” Xavier coach Chris Mack told ESPNU. “You get the packet and there’s no numbers, the rosters are wrong. I don’t know how to fix it, I think the NCAA may have to step in and say coaches aren’t allowed to pay for packets that are more than $100. Otherwise, they can’t go.

“Disney’s done it right. We’re here…I asked the lady if she had an extra roster how much would it cost me, and she said, ‘No, everything’s free.’ So I knew I was in DisneyWorld.”

The New York Times reported Tuesday that Kevin Weiberg, the chief executive  of the newly formed IHoops, a joint venture between the NCAA and NBA to help clean up youth basketball, said his group would look into the issue.

PAUL HEWITT HAS HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR FAVORS

Georgia Tech adds 6-9 forward Derrick Favors , the No. 1 big man in the Class of 2009, and Coach Paul Hewitt said he can be a factor immediately.

“The expectations are very high,” Hewitt told ESPNU. “He won the MVP of the McDonald’s All-American Game. He won the MVP of the Jordan Classic. The best thing about Derrick I can tell you, he’s been very, very well taught. His mom is a no-nonsense lady and it’s about taking care of school and making sure he’s a good citizen. And his coaches…they’ve all prepared him to just keep the game simple. Rebound, run the floor, score around the basket. I don’t think Derrick is one of these guys who’s going to try and shoot 3’s and put the ball behind his back.”

FREE THROWS

Pearl said the talent at Kentucky, Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Florida makes the SEC East “the toughest division in all of college basketball” this year. The core of seniors Tyler Smith (17.4 ppg),  Wayne Chism (13.7 ppg) and JP Prince (9.9 ppg), plus the development of Bobby Maze and Scotty Hopson, should make the Vols competitive in the division.  ”This is a big opportunity year for the Vols,” Pearl said…Bryant College went 8-21 last year as an independent but won’t be eligible for Division 1 competition for three more years. “We’re going to redshirt some kids and continue to build and hopefully when we become fully eligible we’ll have a veteran team that can compete right away for an NEC championship,” Bryant coach Tim O’Shea told ESPNU…Boston College lost Tyrese Rice (to the Washington Wizards summer league team) but returns Joe Trapani (13.4 ppg), Rakim Sanders (12.9 ppg) and Corey Raji (9.9). Coach Al Skinner says his team has “enough ingredients to have success and win close ballgames.”…Siena coach Fran McCaffery says Ronald Moore “is the guy that makes it all go” and Clarence Jackson, the league’s sixth man of the year a year ago, ”is the key to our season.” Jackson must replace departed star Kenny Hasbrouck….Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey told ESPNU the arrival of transfers Ben Hansbrough and Scott Martin “keeps us older. I’m excited to work with those guys.” As for the league itself, Brey said: “Cincinnati and Seton Hall are teams that aren’t being talked about enough, have very good personnel.”…Pitt coach Jamie Dixon says Greenburgh, N.Y. native Dante Taylor can potentially replace DeJuan Blair. “We think he’s going to be a real good player,” Dixon told ESPNU. “We recruited him with that in mind. We anticipated DeJuan wasn’t going to be back after his sophomore year. It’s a natural replacement. We think he’s a guy that can really give us good minutes and replace DeJuan. You’re not going to replace DeJuan…but then again DeJuan came out of nowhere, too. People didn’t expect that out of him.”…Dixon also said he thinks Seton Hall and St. John’s have a chance to move up in the Big East rankings next year.

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Mike Rosario

Rosario, the freshman out of St. Anthony in Jersey City, scored 16 of his team-high 22 points in the second half before fouling out in the final seconds of an 81-76 loss.

“It’s just very difficult to dig yourself a hole like that,” said Rutgers coach Fred Hill, whose team was down 21 points. “It takes so much energy and there’s no margin for error. I’m very, very proud of the kids and the way they battled and the way they kept coming and the things that they did. But it’s very difficult to put yourself in a 21 point hole and think you’re going to come back and ultimately overtake a really good team to win the game.”

Rutgers (9-7, 0-3) entered the game having lost to the No. 1 (North Carolina), 2 (UConn) and 3 (Pitt) teams in the nation in an unprecedented seven-day span.

But nine Big East teams are ranked in the Top 25, so every night can present a major obstacle.

Behind a game-high 23 points from Wesley Matthews, 16 from Jerel McNeal and 15 from Dominic James, Marquette improved to 14-2 overall, 3-0 in the Big East. The Golden Eagles made 17 of 24 free throws, while Rutgers shot 8 of 11 from the stripe. Rutgers outrebounded Marquette 35-22.

Rosario drove the lane and put up an off-balance runner with 37 seconds left to cut the lead to 73-71.

“He’s really, really good, and a very a talented player,” Marquette coach BUzz Williams said of Rosario. “He shot 24 shots and I think that he was 0-for-6 at halftime from three point land. I guess we guarded him well in the first half and didn’t guard him well enough in the second half.”

Lazar Hayward then made two foul shots to extend the Golden Eagles’ lead to 75-71 with 34.2 seconds remaining.

Rosario, showing his youth and intense desire to win, then fired a long, long 3-pointer from the block ‘R’ near midcourt that was off the mark. On the sideline, Hill then threw up his hands in frustration but later put his arm around Rosario on the sideline.

McNeal made two free throws to push the lead to 77-71.

Rosario followed his own miss and scored on an off-balance shot off the glass for a 77-73 Marquette advantage, but then fouled out with 8.4 seconds left.

McNeal added two more foul shots for a 79-73 lead.

Corey Chandler (19 points, 7 rebounds) hit a 3 for Rutgers to cut it to 79-76, but Hayward hit two free throws for an 81-76 score.

Senior JR Inman finished with nine points, giving him 1,002 for his career. He became the 36th Scarlet Knight to reach the 1,000-point plateau.

Rutgers must face another ranked team on Saturday night at the RAC when Jonny Flynn and No. 11 Syracuse come to town.

Syracuse downed DePaul 85-68 behind 17 points and 5-of-10 3-point shooting from Andy Rautins. Paul Harris and Arinze Onuaku added 14 points apiece. Rautins and Eric Devendorf went a combined 8-of-13 from 3.

Earl Clark had 22 and 9 and Edgar Sosa added 12 points as No. 23 Louisville won at South Florida 71-57.

Providence beat Cincinnati 87-79 behind 18 points from Weyinmi Efejuku and 15 from Sharaud Curry.

Mike Williams and Deonta Vaughn tallied 20 apiece for Cincy.

HARVARD 82, BOSTON COLLEGE 70

How about Tommy Amaker’s Harvard club upsetting Boston College just days after BC toppled then-No. 1 North Carolina?

Jeremy Lyn tallied 27 points, 8 assists and 6 steals as the Crimson stunned BC, 82-70.

It was Harvard’s first ever win over a ranked team, the Crimson’s first win over BC since the 1998-99 season and it was the Ivy League’s first win over an ACC team since Yale beat Clemson in 2002.

“We recognize that they went through some incredibly emotional ride with a great win over the No. 1 team in the country,” Amaker told ESPN. “And we told our kids that we just wanted to play our brand of basketball, very similar to what Al Skinner mentioned that he wanted his club to do down in Chapel Hill.

“We wanted to see if we can do what we’re capable of doing, which is defend, box out, spread the floor, be unselfish and have some fun. And that’s been the identity of our ball club.”

Boston College star Tyrese Rice, who had 25 against UNC, shot just 4-of-10 for 14 points.

“To be very honest, they didn’t play as well as they’re capable of,” Amaker said. “I’m sure it was a letdown, the emotion of the previous game. And then Tyrese didn’t play his normal game in terms of how productive he has been. So we were a little bit lucky…but we understand that we were fairly lucky as well.”

What does this mean for Harvard’s program?

“We’re hopeful that we can build on this win,” Amaker said. “We’re hopeful that we can take this and use it in the proper way and not get too excited or too giddy about anything….We open up at Dartmouth on Saturday but we’re hopeful that we can use this in the proper way to get better.”

(Photos courtesy Rutgers, Harvard athletics)

**I was at MSG, where the Johnnies routed Marist 65-44 to advance to Sunday’s title game against Virginia Tech in the Holiday Festival. St. John’s, playing without injured stars Anthony Mason Jr. and Justin Burrell, is now 9-1, its best start since 1990-91. Read my game story here on SNY.tv.

**In Seattle, A.J. Price had 24 points and 10 rebounds to lift No. 2 UConn over No. 8 Gonzaga, 88-84, in OT. Jerome Dyson scored six of his 21 in the extra period. Price drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer in regulation to send it to OT. Read that story here.

**Forty-eight hours after beating Mississippi in Cincinnati, No. 9 Louisville was upset by Minnesota, 70-64, in Glendale, Ariz.

Terrence Williams scored 17 points and Earl Clark had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Louisville.

Tubby Smith got the win over Rick Pitino, who replaced him at Kentucky.

**In Syracuse, No. 11 Syracuse played its first game without suspended guard Eric Devendorf and beat No. 23 Memphis, 72-65, behind 24 points and 6 assists from Jonny Flynn. Flynn had missed practice Friday with an injured hip suffered in the Canisius game. Paul Harris added 15 points and 8 rebounds and Rick Jackson had 14 and 7.

Devendorf could petition to be readmitted prior to the start of the spring semester on Jan. 12 if he finishes the community service. Devendorf could play on Dec. 30 against Seton Hall if he meets the terms of Friday’s decision.

Doneal Mack and Pierre Niles had 12 apiece for Memphis, which shot 7-for-33 from beyond the arc. This team desperately needs a point guard. Wesley Witherspoon, who started in that spot, had 0 assists.

**No. 13 Georgetown beat Mount St. Mary, 69-58, with Chris Wright posting 19 points and 7 rebounds.

**No. 14 Notre Dame hammered Delaware State, 88-50, behind 20 points and 8 boards from Luke Harangody.

**In Piscataway, N.J., Mike Rosario , sporting a new mohawk, scored 18 points, and fellow freshman Gregory Echenique posted his fourth double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, to lead Rutgers (8-3) to a 67-37 victory over Bryant (1-8) Saturday afternoon at the RAC.

The Scarlet Knights led from start to finish and were stifling on defense, limiting the Bulldogs to just 11 field goals and 22.4 percent (11-49) shooting.

“I liked our defensive energy and our defensive execution,” said head coach Fred Hill. “We have played pretty consistent defense all year long. We talked about getting leads and putting people away. Today was the first that we have been able to do that all year. In the second half we held them to 17 points and 18.5% shooting. That means that we are playing with energy and we’re executing our game plan defensively.”

**In Cincinnati, Cincinnati outscored Eastern Kentucky 12-6 in the extra period to win it, 85-77, after trailing by 14 points.

Mike Rose hit two foul shots with 4.6 seconds in regulation left to give Eastern Kentucky a 73-71 lead. After a timeout, Deonta Vaughn raced downcourt and put up an alley-oop pass to Yancy Gates, who flushed with two hands to tie the game and send it into OT.

Mike Williams finished with 13 points and a career-high 16 boards for Cincy, now 9-2.

“The guys stepped up,” Bearcats coach Mick Cronin said on SNY. “We never quit. It’s a great win for us. Some night you’re supposed to lose…Our kids hung in there. You’re not going to blow everybody out. This is a great win for a young team.”

Cincinnati beat Mississippi State a few days ago and Cronin took a shot at the Cincinnati Enquirer for calling Eastern Kentucky, which had won six of its last seven games, a “cupcake.”

“Eastern Kentucky reads that stuff,” Cronin said. “They’re a good team. They’re 7-3, they’ve won six of their last seven, they have a great young coach and they can shoot the basketball… so it was a great win.”

Cincy has a fascinating slate coming up. After playing Arkansas Pine Bluff Dec. 22, the Bearcats are at No. 23 Memphis Dec. 29; at No. 24 Marquette Jan. 4; home to Providence Jan. 7; and home to No. 2 UConn Jan. 10.

**West Virginia downed Miami of Ohio, 82-46, behind 28 points and 5 rebounds from Da’Sean Butler, a former New Jersey prep star.

**Seton Hall, playing without senior big man John Garcia, out with a knee injury, lost at home to IUPUI, 67-65, on a last-second layup by Leroy Nobles.

It was just the second loss of the season for the Pirates (8-2). It remains unclear how long Garcia will be out.

Read the writeup from SHU here.

IUPUI is 6-4.

**Boston College beat Providence, 81-76, behind 20 points and 6 assists from Tyrese Rice.

“He went down there Tuesday,” said Rod Odom Sr., whose family lives on Long Island. “His coach brought him down to take another look at the campus. He played some pickup with the guys. He sat down with (Coach Al) Skinner for a while. Coach Skinner gave me a call yesterday to offer the scholarship.

“The academics at Boston College are great. Coach Skinner has a great record, and it’s an ACC school so there are a lot of attractive things about Boston College that we like. He definitely has an opportunity to play there away and they have had a knack for finding talent and developing that talent.”

Odom, who projects as a 6-8 shooting guard, now holds offers from Boston College, Seton Hall, West Virginia, William & Mary, Holy Cross, with Princeton, Harvard and Columbia also interested.

“Most of the coaches that have seen him liked what they see and I expect more offers down the road as more coaches see him,” Odom Sr. said.

He plans to visit Georgetown for Midnight Madness on Oct. 17 and may try to squeeze in another visit to Marquette this month, “but I don’t think he’s going to be able to do Marquette,” Odom Sr. said.

Odom Sr. added that his son will also visit Rutgers over Thanksgiving week.

“Rutgers is going to offer, but Fred Hill likes to sit down with the recruit and offer the scholarship,” Odom Sr. said. “When he gets home for Thanksgiving we’re definitely going to make it up to try to see those guys.”