COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (1-2)
Nickname: Cougars
Conference: Southern Conference
Location: Charleston, S.C.
2008-09 record: 27-9

In the Cougars’ opener, Andrew Goudelock scored a game-high 29 points, but the team shot only 37 percent from the floor, falling to Hawai'i, 84-71. The Cougars went nearly six minutes before recording their first field goal and trailed by 12 at intermission. Their deficit grew to 21 and never got closer than 8. The Cougars won a 72-71 thriller in their next game, beating SMU, as Donavan Monroe went the length of the court, bobbled the ball, recovered it, then buried a 15-foot baseline jumper with 1.1 remaining. Jeremy Simmons led four double-digit scorers with a game-high 18. In the fifth-place game, Charleston fell to Western Michigan, 66-63. Goudelock and Simmons each had 17 as the Cougars battled back from 9 down in the second half to take a 58-56 lead before Western Michigan closed on a 10-5 run.

HAWAII (1-2)
Nickname: Rainbow Warriors
Conference: WAC
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
2008-09 record: 13-17

The Rainbow Warriors shot a sizzling 60 percent (71.4 from three) and led wire-to-wire in routing College of Charleston, 84-71, in their opener. UH led by 12 at the half and by 21 in the second half. Petras Balocka recorded 19 points, 13 rebounds and a game-high six assists. In their next game, Hawai’i shot a season-low 34 percent in losing 77-53 to No. 20 UNLV. Dwain Williams had a game-high 20 points off the bench. Hawai'i missed its first 10 shots, trailed by 23 at the half and got no closer than 17 in the second half. In the ’Bows’ finale, Williams scored 29 of his career-high 36 points in the second half, but UH fell, 84-75, to St. Mary's. Without its star Roderick Flemings, the Rainbow Warriors hung around, shooting 58 percent in the first half. In the second half, Williams hit four 3-pointers and made 16 of 18 free throws to get the Warriors to within six. He was named to the All-Tournament team.

NORTHEASTERN (1-2)
Nickname: Huskies
Conference: Colonial Athletic Association
Location: Boston, Mass.
2008-09 record: 19-13

The Huskies lost to St. Mary's, 78-67, in their opener, despite Matt Janning and Manny Adako each scoring 20 points, and Nkem Ojougboh adding 17. Northeastern shot 50 percent but went without a three (0-for-8) for the first time in 13 years. A 14-5 second-half run by St. Mary’s turned a 49-47 lead into a 61-54 deficit, and the Gaels put the game away at the foul line. Against Western Michigan, the Huskies hit a three on their first possession, but lost 75-60. Chaisson Allen led the Huskies with 16 and Janning added 13, but was only 1-for-7 from three. Northeastern shot a season-best 56.6 percent in their finale, a 73-62 victory over SMU. The Huskies forced 10 first-half turnovers, and closed the half on a 23-10 run to lead 40-27 at intermission. SMU pulled within 7 before an 8-0 run put the game away. Janning led four Huskies in double figures with 16.

SMU (0-3)
Nickname: Mustangs
Conference: Conference USA
Location: Dallas, Texas
2008-09 record: 9-21

The Mustangs ran into a buzz saw in No. 20 UNLV, dropping their opener, 67-53. Derek Williams scored a game-high 18, but SMU was held to 23 percent shooting in the first half, and trailed 42-19 at halftime. Mouhammad Faye pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds for SMU, which trailed by as much as 28. The Mustangs lost a heartbreaker to College of Charleston in their next game, 72-71. Faye hit a three-pointer and Paul McCoy scored on a lay-up with 6.6 seconds left as a late 5-0 run gave SMU the lead, but Charleston guard Donavan Monroe went the length of the court and hit a baseline jumper with 1.1 seconds left. Faye had 17 to lead the Mustangs, who dominated points in the paint (40-22) and rebounding (44-23, 18-0 on the offensive glass). In their finale, Williams scored a game-high 19 points but the Mustangs lost, 73-62, to Northeastern. SMU never led, trailing 40-27 at halftime despite shooting 58 percent. In the second half, SMU limited the Huskies to one basket over nearly eight minutes, and cut an 18-point lead to 7, but got no closer.

ST. MARY’S (2-1)
Nickname: Gaels
Conference: West Coast Conference
Location: Moraga, Calif.
2008-09 record: 28-7

St. Mary’s used 10 three-pointers to beat Northeastern, 78-67, in their opener. Center Omar Samhan’s 19 led four double-figure scorers. Matthew Dellavedova and Jorden Page combined to shoot 7-for-10 from three as the Gaels actually shot better from three (47.6) than from inside the arc (44.8). St. Mary’s led 35-31 at halftime, then took the lead for good on a Ben Allen three-pointer. The Gaels went cold in their next game, shooting only 30 percent and losing 60-49 to eventual champion USC. Mickey McConnell had a team-high 17 and Samhan recorded his 23rd consecutive double-double (13 points and 10 rebounds), but an early 27-5 run did in the Gaels, who trailed 33-23 at halftime and by 16 early in the second half. They cut the lead to four, but USC ended the game on a 13-6 run. St. Mary’s returned to form, beating Hawai’i 84-75, in its finale. Samhan, who would make the All-Tournament team, had a team-high 24 points, and all five Gael starters reached double figures. St. Mary’s shot 47 percent overall and made 29 of 31 free throws, including 12 of 14 down the stretch, to ice the game after Hawai’i pulled to within four.

UNLV (2-1)
Nickname: Runnin’ Rebels
Conference: Mountain West
Location: Las Vegas, Nev.
2008-09 record: 21-11

The 20th-ranked Runnin’ Rebels scored a 67-53 victory against SMU in an opener that that had Vegas leading 42-19 at the half and by as much as 28. UNLV held SMU to 23 percent shooting, made 11 steals and forced 21 turnovers. Tre'Von Willis and Anthony Marshall each had 12 points as Vegas had a 32-5 edge off the bench, with the starters getting an early night off. UNLV again jumped out early in their next game against Hawai’i, in a 77-53 victory. The Rebels held the Rainbow Warriors scoreless over the first six minutes and forced 11 first-half turnovers, taking a 44-21 halftime lead. They led by 20 most of the second half. Every UNLV player scored, with Derrick Jasper scoring a team-high 14. In the championship game against USC, Vegas scored a season-low 56 points and shot only 5-for-22 from three, losing 67-56. Oscar Bellfield scored a team-high 17. A 5:35 scoreless drought sunk the Rebels, who fell behind by 19 with 9:35 left and never got closer than 9. Willis was named to the All-Tournament team despite scoring only 4 points—he shot 0-for-6, 0-4 from three—against USC.

USC (Champs; 3-0)
Nickname: Trojans
Conference: Pac 10
Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
2008-09 record: 22-13

USC overcame a cold-shooting first half (22.7 percent) to beat Western Michigan, 55-51, in its opener. Mike Gerrity scored 15 of his team-high 17 points in the second half, including a three-point play with 1:28 left that broke a 50-50 deadlock as the Trojans overcame a 27-18 halftime deficit. Southern Cal shot 53.7 percent in the final 20 minutes, outscoring the Broncos, 37-24. Gerrity and a smothering defense led the Trojans over St. Mary’s, 60-49, in their next game. After spotting the Gaels the game’s first five points, the Trojans went on a 20-5 run and took a 33-23 halftime lead. St. Mary’s closed to within 4, with 4:48 remaining, but Gerrity made his only three of the game to quell the uprising. In the championship game, Marcus Johnson went for 19 points and nine boards as USC upset No. 20 UNLV, 67-56. Dwight Lewis scored 5 straight points in a 12-0 run that opened up a 17-point first-half lead. Southern Cal led by as much as 19 in the second half. Johnson and Gerrity were named to the All-Tournament team, with Gerrity, who averaged 15.7 points on 62 percent shooting (67 percent from three), being named tournament MVP.

WESTERN MICHIGAN (2-1)
Nickname: Broncos
Conference: Mid-American
Location: Kalamazoo, Mich.
2008-09 record: 10-21

Despite Martelle McLemore’s game-high 21 points, the Broncos dropped a 55-51 heart-breaker in their opener to eventual tournament champion USC. The Broncos shot 40 percent in the first half and used a 12-1 run to take a 27-18 halftime lead. After USC rallied, McLemore tied the game at 50 with 1:50 left on a three-point play. But USC’s Mike Gerrity scored a decisive three-point play on the ensuing possession and David Kool’s game-tying three-point attempt rimmed out with eight seconds left. In their next game, the Broncos nailed 10 of 16 three-point attempts in topping Northeastern, 75-60. Alex Wolf, who came into the game with 11 career points, scored 15, going 4-for-4, all from three (he was 3-for-4 from the line). Kool added 13, with seven assists and three steals. WMU shot 52 percent, 70 percent from three (7-of-10), and led by 16 at the half. That lead would grow to 22 in the second half. In their finale, WMU earned its first winning streak of the season, knocking off College of Charleston, 66-63. McLemore had 15 on five 3- pointers, and Kool scored a team-high 16, including a three-pointer, which gave WMU the lead for good with 3:24 to play.