Happy New Year everybody! Hope you all had a great 2008, and here's to a very exciting year in sports in 2009. I know this season's shaping up to be pretty good, and already we've had some very good games to close out 2008, so let's take a look:
Monday, Dec. 29th
Georgetown beat UConn, 74-63
I watched a bit of this game in the 2nd half, so I missed the G-Town onslaught at the beginning, but I owe this Hoyas team an apology. They were ready for the task. I think this team actually looks BETTER than last year's team in terms of execution offensively and overall talent level. In the segment I watched, Greg Monroe barely did anything, but whether it was Austin Freeman taking it to the rim, or Jessie Sapp hitting a three, or Summers, or someone else, somebody seemed to step up and come up with a huge play. When UConn tried to claw their way back in it, G-Town simply would not let it happen. That being said, UConn was NOT ready to play this game, and take the first few minutes out of the equation and this was a pretty even ball game, maybe even leaning UConn's way, for most of the contest. Still, Thabeet needs to be more of an offensive presence inside IMO and take some of the pressure off of these guards. Also, I didn't think Adrien got nearly enough touches either. Give credit to G-Town though. This team is the real deal, especially defensively, and although they're extremely thin, this starting 5 can play with anyone.
Memphis beat Cincinnati, 60-45
You're not going to win too many games shooting 26% from the field. That's what the Bearcats did on Monday, and it pretty much doomed them. Other than Deonta Vaughn (17 points) absolutely nobody showed up offensively. As for their resume entering conference play, well... they have a win @ UNLV, which all of a sudden looked a LOT better after Wednesday's results, and win at home vs. UAB. Losses to Xavier and Florida St. (neutral court) are understandable (sort of). I think .500 in Big East play is probably neccessary to get in the dance.
Memphis wasn't pretty, but they got the job done. They still can not shoot from beyond the arc, and the roster isn't dynamic enough to make up for it against good defensive teams, but they stepped it up on D and got a good non-conference win. With the way UAB's looking, I'm not sure anyone's going to give the Tigers much of a challenge in the C-USA, although I feel like they'll lose to someone at some point. But their three losses are all reasonable, and I think they've done enough that with a C-USA title, they should get in barring any catastrophe in the C-USA tournament.
ALSO on Monday... Davidson squeaked one out over Charleston, 79-75, on the back of Stephen Curry and his 29 points and 9 assists. Villanova got a decent win over Temple, 62-45, and everyone else pretty much took care of business.
Tuesday, Dec. 30th
Illinois beat Purdue, 71-67 (OT)
Purdue - To those of you who heard my reaction after the game, I overreacted a bit. Okay, a lot. This team will be better than .500 in conference (although it's still concievable IMO, I think we'll figure out how to finish games sooner of later). The frustrating thing is this: we can't hit shots the entire game, we finally make a small run and get over the hump and take a small lead, then we give it back and our offense goes into the crapper. Seriously, we can't even execute a play. It just bogs down into one guy taking it in against 4 defenders and getting the snot beaten out of him. It doesn't work. And this happened in the Oklahoma game as well. The other frustrating thing is, I think if we look back on this later in the season, this was a game we NEEDED to have. It's a winnable game at home against a good, but by no means unbeatable team, and looking at this Big Ten schedule, we MUST defend our home court. And we failed to do that. Okay, the positives. We still played fairly well defensively. Our shots weren't falling all game but I thought we did a much better job of getting the ball to the rim, even if we couldn't finish. We sucked at free throws but that's never been a chronic problem for us. I've learned over the past few years that I'm a very emotional fan, and my emotions swing back and forth a ton. I can also be very pessimistic about our team. So from now on: no expectations about this team. We are who we are. We'll win some, we'll lose some, and while I think we won't win the Big Ten, I'm going to enjoy having a good team at my school. There. That's my schpiel. Anyway,
Illinois - This is a very well coached, very disciplined team that looks much more calm and confident than they did last year. They won't overwhelm you with athleticism or difficult matchups (although having a 7' 1" guy that can shoot really helps) but they execute their offense well and they get open shots. They weren't hitting a lot on Tuesday, or else they would've ran us out of our own gym. They didn't have any one guy that really impressed me, but they have a lot of guys that can hurt you. In fact, minus the overall talent level and athleticism, this team reminds me very much of the '05 team... lots of options, similar offensive style, stout defensively. This team will be a tough out in Big Ten play. Will they compete for the Big Ten title? I'm not sure yet. I'm still not completely convinced this team will be able to take down the big boys night in and night out. But the more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards believing it could happen.
Arkansas beat Oklahoma, 96-88
Man, talk about an impressive win. Blake Griffin was "held" to 21 points and 13 rebounds, and 6 Razorbacks scored in double figures. They put up 96 on a team that I thought was pretty solid for the most part defensively in OU. So how do figure Arkansas into the equation? Well, for one, the SEC West is wide open, so this instantely makes them the favorites to win the division. It also gives me a legit reason to put in a second SEC team (yes, I said second... because beyond Tennessee the wins simply aren't there to justify putting anyone else in, although there will be eventually). As for OU, they'll be fine in conference, because Texas isn't going to run away from anybody, and Baylor has no one to match up with Griffin in the post.
ALSO on Tuesday... Syracuse went into triple figures on Seton Hall, 100-78. Yea... this whole 10th Big East thing? I don't see it happening. Clemson beat South Carolina, 98-87, despite 37 points from Devan Downey (who has to be one of the best players I've never heard of). Radford was beating Wake Forest early until the Demon Deacons shook off the cobwebs and obliterated them. And finally... San Diego got a legit win! Sure, it was Mississippi State, and it was overtimes, but still... baby steps here. Baby steps
Wed., Dec. 31st
Michigan St. beat Minnesota, 70-58
Minnesota suffers their first loss at the hands of the Spartans. I've been thinking about the Big Ten recently in terms of who will get in the NCAAs, and I have concluded the following: one of the teams that will be left out in the Big Ten will have at least one, possibly two, solid wins. Something like a home win over Wisconsin or Michigan State. Right now there's 7 teams you could make a case for to make the NCAAs, but 7 teams are not making it in. There's simply not enough wins to go around. Someone is going to get left out... and I'm guessing it's the Golden Gophers. Yes, they have a win v. Louisville (that win's looking worse as the days progress though) but other than that, there's simply nothing there. Their out of conference schedule is too weak to back them up and honestly, if they go 9-9 in conference or worse I could see them legitimately being left out. If they finish below .500 (which is what I think the 7th place team in the Big Ten will do) then they're definitely not getting in. Michigan State, on the other hand, appears to be slowly progressing to the form we all expected them to be in at the beginning of the season, and the conference schedule starts off relatively slow for them (no real tough road games until Jan 25th @ Ohio St). They could build some momentum early on and make a real run at the Big Ten title.
Wisconsin beat Michigan, 73-61
The AP called this an upset, but for us that follow college basketball, we know it's hardly an upset, as Wisconsin was very capable of winning this game. I like this team more and more every time I see them. Marcus Landry has taken over the role of go-to guy and seems to be handling the added pressure/defensive attention that comes with that very well. Trevon Hughes has stepped up, Jon Leuer has given them great minutes off the bench, and this team as a whole is a lot more skilled than I thought. In my opinion, this team is built to handle the daily grind of the Big Ten and they are my current pick to take the Big Ten title this year.
Michigan is a slightly different story. Actually, many of the things I said for Minnesota, you could say for Michigan as well. And yes, I understand this team has wins over UCLA and Duke but here's the thing: a mediocre conference record, maybe coupled with some bad losses, can erase those memories VERY quickly. I'm not saying this team should panic, because they're still good and 9-9 will probably be good enough to get in. But two good non-conference wins don't guarantee anything.
Couple of upset specials tonight as well.
UNLV beat Louisville, 56-55
Louisville is starting to lose that "Well, we're not great right now, but we will be, so put us in the tourney" tag. Take a look at what this team's done on the court. They pounded UAB in their house, but UAB might not even be a tournament team at this point. What's the next best win? Ole Miss? South Alabama? There really not much else there, and there's ZERO road wins because they haven't played a road game. I'm not saying this team's in danger of making the tournament, because they should and will get enough wins to get in. I'm just saying... time to be concerned. UNLV, though, is moving in the right direction. Add this win to their home win over Arizona a few weeks ago, and this team is probably dancing. Of course, splitting with BYU in conference wouldn't hurt either. But judging by the quality of at-large teams so far, I think the Rebels are safe at this point.
Utah beat Gonzaga, 66-65
The Zags are in free fall at this point. I can't possibly believe this team will get left out, because they have enough solid wins, like Tennessee, Maryland, Oklahoma State, but a couple of bad WCC losses and this thing could get ugly VERY quickly. Best take care of business, Gonzaga. Also, this team does play @ Tennessee next week, so if they want to put away any tournament debates, they can do that on Jan 7th.
We also need to start debating Utah's spot in the tournament. They're 8-5, which is as bad as any bubble team so far, and they have an ugly, ugly loss to a Division II team as well as losses to Idaho State and Utah State (but that one's not as bad as it looks), but they just picked up a marquee win of sorts over Gonzaga and they still have multiple shots at BYU and UNLV for big wins. As we've seen in the past, teams can put away bad non-conference resumes with good conference performances, so this thing's not set in stone by any means.
Most top 25 teams took care of business. The ones that didn't... Ohio State was neck and neck with Iowa until putting them away late 68-65. At home, that was not a game Ohio State could afford to lose. LSU squeaked by UL-Lafayette 80-78. They're not top 25 but that's still a game they had to win. Providence picked up a good win over St. John's (yes, I will stop talking about St. John's being a bubble team), ND handled DePaul 92-82 on Harangody's 26 points and 16 boards, and Pitt was down 18 at one point to Rutgers before clawing back into it and winning 78-72. Guess that shows that nobody is safe in the Big East, especially when you go on the road.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
Games to Watch - Week of Dec. 29th
Mon., Dec. 29th
Georgetown @ UConn - So... rumor is the Hoyas are 9-1 and 9th in the polls. My two cents... outside of winning against a sloppy, overrated Memphis team, this Hoyas team has done little to justify that ranking. Not saying they're not any good... they share the ball well, they're a very good team defensively, and they're definitely playing better than I or anyone thought they would this early... but I think reality hits today.
Temple @ Villanova - We still know next to nothing about this Villanova team, because they really haven't been tested. We know they're not on Texas' level, but that's a top 10 team and we already sort of knew that. Cunningham's a stud, that's for sure, but Scotty Reynolds needs to play more like he did against St. Joe's and not like he did against the Longhorns. This team still has a lot of room to go either way. Meanwhile, ESPN was talking about the Atlantic 10 potentially getting 4 teams in... I don't see it. I could see three, but that's if Rhode Island establishes themselves as a clear #3 in the conference, which, if last year is any indication, is probably not going to happen. I'm going with Xavier, Dayton, and maybe someone else, but that's it.
Portland State @ Baylor - Don't laugh. With the Gonzaga win, the Vikings go from "good looking, gaudy record mid-major school" to "legitimate upset possibility". Beware, Baylor.
Cincinnati @ Memphis - Here's the perfect spot for the Bearcats to pick up a good out of conference win.
Davidson @ Charleston - If anyone's taking down Curry in the Southern this year, it's probably the Charleston Cougars. They're 10-1, with wins over South Carolina, TCU, and Winthrop. I know, not an impressive resume, but I didn't say this team was going to win or anything. Just that they'd probably give the Wildcats as good a game as anyone in the Southern this year.
Tues, Dec. 30th
UMass @ Houston - I don't know about you, but I have a feeling we could be seeing this matchup again in March... in the NIT.
Seton Hall @ Syracuse - The Big East is starting to get tighter at the bottom. Villanova's surviving at the moment, and West Virginia got a big win on Saturday over Ohio State to put them on the right side of the bubble for now. Still, that pack at the bottom - Nova, WVU, Seton Hall, Cincinnati, and even Providence - is still very much in the air at this moment, and likely the two or three teams that make runs in the Big East will grab tournament bids. Will the Pirates be one of those teams?
UAB @ Butler - Well, the Blazers had their shot to make a non-conference statement... again. And they fell flat on their face... again. Outside of a win @ Arizona (which is looking better) they don't have much, and that includes losses to Cincinnati and Boston College that could be absolutely critical come bubble time. Opportunity knocks for the Blazers again... will they respond this time?
Illinois @ Purdue - Time for my Boilers to put their money where their mouth is. The Big Ten's been way up this non-conference season, and Purdue, as one of the "expected" teams, has to be ready for the inevitable charge these teams are going to make. Illinois played us tight every time we saw them last year, and this year they're for real. My thoughts... if we can play the way we're capable of... good, stout defense, create turnovers, move the ball and get good shots on the offensive end... we should win this game. We showed exactly what we're capable of vs. Davidson and we can do that again, starting Tuesday.
Clemson @ South Carolina - NCAA spots are for the taking in the SEC. Nobody outside of Tennessee has really established themselves from the pack. The SEC East is probably the hardest of the two divisions but I can't really look at this schedule and say "At Florida? Well, chalk that one up in the loss column". There is definitely the possibility of 10-11 wins in the SEC for a majority of these teams, and the Gamecocks count as one of them.
Oklahoma @ Arkansas - What I said above, but substitute "Gamecocks" for "Razorbacks". And they play in the easier division.
San Diego @ Mississippi State - What I said above... again.
Wed, Dec. 31st
Michigan State @ Minnesota - Now the other Big Ten favorite gets their first major test of the season... on the road at a very capable Minnesota team. I think this Spartans team has turned the corner and is ready to compete for the Big Ten title, but this is certainly a game that can set them back to square one.
Wisconsin @ Michigan - Yes, legitimate middle of the road Big Ten battles that actually mean something! Welcome back, Big Ten conference, to the legit b-ball conferences of the land.
St. John's @ Providence - Important game for bubble considerations.
UNLV @ Louisville - You know those times where a team that was expected to do well early falls on their face a few times, then gets a very winnable game against a team at home and they pummel them?
OR
You know those times where a team who appears to be a NC contender early in the year falls on their face a few times, then you realize they're not actually that good and they start losing games against teams they really shouldn't be losing to?
Yea, which one is it?
Gonzaga @ Utah - Utah, make your at-large bid statement... starting NOW.
Wyoming @ Utah State - Fun late night b-ball out West.
Thurs, Jan 1st
Happy New Year!
Fairfield @ Siena - Good MAAC battle, for anyone who cares.
Villanova @ Marquette - Yes, this is what the Big East schedule looks like. Every frickin day. Fun, huh?
Stephen F. Austin @ Texas Tech - If you're looking at making the NCAA Tournament, this is one of those games that you really can't lose, but you could lose. You listening, Tech?
South Carolina @ Baylor - South Carolina will either be 9-3 after this week, or they'll be in my bracket. I can pretty much guarantee that.
Centenary @ Oral Roberts - who was the ESPN exec that felt this game should be televised on an ESPN station? Just curious.
Arizona @ Cal - Pac-10 hoops heat up this week. This game could be very important for Pac-10 seeding down the road.
Arizona State @ Stanford - Hah, Stanford! Your run of crappy teams ends here. Now, it's time to justify that undefeated record.
UCLA @ Oregon State - Here's hoping the Beavers get one this year in conference.
Sat, Jan 3rd
Pitt @ Georgetown - Only in the Big East would you get two top 3 teams in back-to-back games. Sorry, Hoyas. As for analysis, the same stuff I said for UConn v. G-Town would pretty much apply here as well. Pitt has not been significantly tested this year but does have wins over Texas Tech and Florida State. If they can get this one, they should be good until Jan. 17th when they visit Louisville.
Ohio State @ Minnesota - Looking on their schedule... I don't see any easy wins until late January. Although Penn State at home could be considered an easy win... man, the Big Ten really is a legit conference again. As for Ohio State, outside of a random game vs. Houston Baptist and two meetings with IU their conference schedule isn't a cake walk either.
Xavier @ Virginia - Hey, the Cavaliers won an ACC game! Sure, it was Georgia Tech... in OT... but still!
Lamar @ Memphis - No, this can't happen... wait, could it?
Tennessee @ Kansas - Seriously... take away "Kansas" and "2008 National Champs" from the equation, look at their resume, and tell me this is an at-large team. Lot closer than you think, isn't it? Maybe this game means more than seeding for the young Jayhawks.
ND @ St. John's - Seriously, I need to stop putting every semi-meaningful Big East game on here... it's going to consume this section.
Wake Forest @ BYU - Lost in the confusion of the conference season is this VERY good non-conference matchup. Do NOT count out BYU in this one. This team's for real.
Sun, Jan. 4th
Kentucky @ Louisville - The annual nobody-cares-anymore-that-Rick-Potino-used-to-coach-Kentucky-and-now-coaches-Louisville game.
Cincinnati @ Marquette - Ok, really Matt... I need to stop this.
Boston College @ UNC - There should be a new category the NCAA should consider for their tournament considerations. "Wins", "Losses", and "Good losses to North Carolina". It would really help in the decision making.
Virginia Tech @ Duke - Dick Vitale's head just exploded.
Arizona State @ Cal - The last of the two Arizona visits. This one will also be good for pecking order. Is there any reason you can't see Cal winning the Pac-10? I mean, I know this team's not great and all, but there's no clear favorite... tell you what. They beat Arizona and Arizona St. this week, we'll talk about it. Cool?
Drake @ SIU - Fun in the Missouri Valley.
Cal State Bakersfield @ Loyola Marymount - Seriously... LMU's beginning to enter NJIT territory (0-14 so far this season). You do NOT want to enter NJIT's domain. This team can out-lose anyone in the country. The Lions need to start winning some basketball games... like right now. Please. And tell Miss Valley St. to start winning too.
Georgetown @ UConn - So... rumor is the Hoyas are 9-1 and 9th in the polls. My two cents... outside of winning against a sloppy, overrated Memphis team, this Hoyas team has done little to justify that ranking. Not saying they're not any good... they share the ball well, they're a very good team defensively, and they're definitely playing better than I or anyone thought they would this early... but I think reality hits today.
Temple @ Villanova - We still know next to nothing about this Villanova team, because they really haven't been tested. We know they're not on Texas' level, but that's a top 10 team and we already sort of knew that. Cunningham's a stud, that's for sure, but Scotty Reynolds needs to play more like he did against St. Joe's and not like he did against the Longhorns. This team still has a lot of room to go either way. Meanwhile, ESPN was talking about the Atlantic 10 potentially getting 4 teams in... I don't see it. I could see three, but that's if Rhode Island establishes themselves as a clear #3 in the conference, which, if last year is any indication, is probably not going to happen. I'm going with Xavier, Dayton, and maybe someone else, but that's it.
Portland State @ Baylor - Don't laugh. With the Gonzaga win, the Vikings go from "good looking, gaudy record mid-major school" to "legitimate upset possibility". Beware, Baylor.
Cincinnati @ Memphis - Here's the perfect spot for the Bearcats to pick up a good out of conference win.
Davidson @ Charleston - If anyone's taking down Curry in the Southern this year, it's probably the Charleston Cougars. They're 10-1, with wins over South Carolina, TCU, and Winthrop. I know, not an impressive resume, but I didn't say this team was going to win or anything. Just that they'd probably give the Wildcats as good a game as anyone in the Southern this year.
Tues, Dec. 30th
UMass @ Houston - I don't know about you, but I have a feeling we could be seeing this matchup again in March... in the NIT.
Seton Hall @ Syracuse - The Big East is starting to get tighter at the bottom. Villanova's surviving at the moment, and West Virginia got a big win on Saturday over Ohio State to put them on the right side of the bubble for now. Still, that pack at the bottom - Nova, WVU, Seton Hall, Cincinnati, and even Providence - is still very much in the air at this moment, and likely the two or three teams that make runs in the Big East will grab tournament bids. Will the Pirates be one of those teams?
UAB @ Butler - Well, the Blazers had their shot to make a non-conference statement... again. And they fell flat on their face... again. Outside of a win @ Arizona (which is looking better) they don't have much, and that includes losses to Cincinnati and Boston College that could be absolutely critical come bubble time. Opportunity knocks for the Blazers again... will they respond this time?
Illinois @ Purdue - Time for my Boilers to put their money where their mouth is. The Big Ten's been way up this non-conference season, and Purdue, as one of the "expected" teams, has to be ready for the inevitable charge these teams are going to make. Illinois played us tight every time we saw them last year, and this year they're for real. My thoughts... if we can play the way we're capable of... good, stout defense, create turnovers, move the ball and get good shots on the offensive end... we should win this game. We showed exactly what we're capable of vs. Davidson and we can do that again, starting Tuesday.
Clemson @ South Carolina - NCAA spots are for the taking in the SEC. Nobody outside of Tennessee has really established themselves from the pack. The SEC East is probably the hardest of the two divisions but I can't really look at this schedule and say "At Florida? Well, chalk that one up in the loss column". There is definitely the possibility of 10-11 wins in the SEC for a majority of these teams, and the Gamecocks count as one of them.
Oklahoma @ Arkansas - What I said above, but substitute "Gamecocks" for "Razorbacks". And they play in the easier division.
San Diego @ Mississippi State - What I said above... again.
Wed, Dec. 31st
Michigan State @ Minnesota - Now the other Big Ten favorite gets their first major test of the season... on the road at a very capable Minnesota team. I think this Spartans team has turned the corner and is ready to compete for the Big Ten title, but this is certainly a game that can set them back to square one.
Wisconsin @ Michigan - Yes, legitimate middle of the road Big Ten battles that actually mean something! Welcome back, Big Ten conference, to the legit b-ball conferences of the land.
St. John's @ Providence - Important game for bubble considerations.
UNLV @ Louisville - You know those times where a team that was expected to do well early falls on their face a few times, then gets a very winnable game against a team at home and they pummel them?
OR
You know those times where a team who appears to be a NC contender early in the year falls on their face a few times, then you realize they're not actually that good and they start losing games against teams they really shouldn't be losing to?
Yea, which one is it?
Gonzaga @ Utah - Utah, make your at-large bid statement... starting NOW.
Wyoming @ Utah State - Fun late night b-ball out West.
Thurs, Jan 1st
Happy New Year!
Fairfield @ Siena - Good MAAC battle, for anyone who cares.
Villanova @ Marquette - Yes, this is what the Big East schedule looks like. Every frickin day. Fun, huh?
Stephen F. Austin @ Texas Tech - If you're looking at making the NCAA Tournament, this is one of those games that you really can't lose, but you could lose. You listening, Tech?
South Carolina @ Baylor - South Carolina will either be 9-3 after this week, or they'll be in my bracket. I can pretty much guarantee that.
Centenary @ Oral Roberts - who was the ESPN exec that felt this game should be televised on an ESPN station? Just curious.
Arizona @ Cal - Pac-10 hoops heat up this week. This game could be very important for Pac-10 seeding down the road.
Arizona State @ Stanford - Hah, Stanford! Your run of crappy teams ends here. Now, it's time to justify that undefeated record.
UCLA @ Oregon State - Here's hoping the Beavers get one this year in conference.
Sat, Jan 3rd
Pitt @ Georgetown - Only in the Big East would you get two top 3 teams in back-to-back games. Sorry, Hoyas. As for analysis, the same stuff I said for UConn v. G-Town would pretty much apply here as well. Pitt has not been significantly tested this year but does have wins over Texas Tech and Florida State. If they can get this one, they should be good until Jan. 17th when they visit Louisville.
Ohio State @ Minnesota - Looking on their schedule... I don't see any easy wins until late January. Although Penn State at home could be considered an easy win... man, the Big Ten really is a legit conference again. As for Ohio State, outside of a random game vs. Houston Baptist and two meetings with IU their conference schedule isn't a cake walk either.
Xavier @ Virginia - Hey, the Cavaliers won an ACC game! Sure, it was Georgia Tech... in OT... but still!
Lamar @ Memphis - No, this can't happen... wait, could it?
Tennessee @ Kansas - Seriously... take away "Kansas" and "2008 National Champs" from the equation, look at their resume, and tell me this is an at-large team. Lot closer than you think, isn't it? Maybe this game means more than seeding for the young Jayhawks.
ND @ St. John's - Seriously, I need to stop putting every semi-meaningful Big East game on here... it's going to consume this section.
Wake Forest @ BYU - Lost in the confusion of the conference season is this VERY good non-conference matchup. Do NOT count out BYU in this one. This team's for real.
Sun, Jan. 4th
Kentucky @ Louisville - The annual nobody-cares-anymore-that-Rick-Potino-used-to-coach-Kentucky-and-now-coaches-Louisville game.
Cincinnati @ Marquette - Ok, really Matt... I need to stop this.
Boston College @ UNC - There should be a new category the NCAA should consider for their tournament considerations. "Wins", "Losses", and "Good losses to North Carolina". It would really help in the decision making.
Virginia Tech @ Duke - Dick Vitale's head just exploded.
Arizona State @ Cal - The last of the two Arizona visits. This one will also be good for pecking order. Is there any reason you can't see Cal winning the Pac-10? I mean, I know this team's not great and all, but there's no clear favorite... tell you what. They beat Arizona and Arizona St. this week, we'll talk about it. Cool?
Drake @ SIU - Fun in the Missouri Valley.
Cal State Bakersfield @ Loyola Marymount - Seriously... LMU's beginning to enter NJIT territory (0-14 so far this season). You do NOT want to enter NJIT's domain. This team can out-lose anyone in the country. The Lions need to start winning some basketball games... like right now. Please. And tell Miss Valley St. to start winning too.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Games to Watch - Week of Dec. 22nd
Mon, Dec. 22nd
Marquette @ NC State - The Wolfpack have quietly amounted a 7-1 record so far, with their only loss a 5 point loss at Davidson. Not many people are tossing around their name for an at-large bid, and they'll probably struggle in ACC play, but here's a golden opportunity to put their names in the bubble mix... for now.
Georgia Tech @ USC - I saw Gani Lawal in the Penn St. ACC/Big 10 challenge game and he looked pretty good. He'll have his hands full vs. an athletic frontcourt that includes Taj Gibson, who is currently averaging over 3 blocks per game.
Tues, Dec. 23rd
Butler @ Xavier - The Musketeers fell from the list of unbeatens Saturday under a 55 point 1st half barrage by Duke. The Blue Devils will do that on occasion. Xavier isn't as bad as they looked against Duke, but they aren't great by any means, and you know an underated, hard-working Butler team will give them a game.
Missouri @ Illinois - Wow... a Missouri-Illinois game that actually means something for both teams! The Tigers have some good wins but could really use a good road non-conference win. Meanwhile, after missing out on beating Clemson at home a few weeks ago, this is Illinois' last chance at notching a good non-conference win in a conference that already has plenty of good looking non-conference resumes (Michigan, Minnesota).
Texas @ Wisconsin - If you like up-tempo, high scoring basketball games... don't turn this one on. It's probably not going to be pretty.
Kansas @ Arizona - This is the Desert Diamond Fiesta Bowl Classic. Basically a fancy name for a good non-conference matchup. As for the teams, I couldn't see Kansas not making the tournament... but right now there's not a whole lot backing them up on paper other than beating Washington at a neutral site. Meanwhile, Arizona followed up their big upset over Gonzaga with a loss @ UNLV... they've been awfully tough at home this year though, and this team does have a good deal of talent. Should be a close game
Wed, Dec. 24th and Thurs., Dec. 25th
Merry Christmas everyone! No college basketball. Enjoy presents, family, and college football. And I think there's NFL games or something.
Fri., Dec. 26th
Fairfield @ UConn - Only game on the schedule. Fairfield has a good record but has been blown out vs. the 3 legit teams they've played... and by legit I mean Missouri, Virginia Tech, and Memphis. Huskies... have fun!
Sat., Dec 27th
Washington St. @ LSU - Only Washington St.'s 2nd road game of the year. The Cougars don't have any bad losses (all to tournament teams, two to top 10 opponents Pitt and Gonzaga) but don't have any good wins either outside of Miss. St. This win would really, really help.
UAB @ Louisville - The more I look at the Blazers' resume, the more I think they're probably a tournament team... want to convince me? Win on Saturday. It's definitely possible... Louisville's looked pretty mortal so far, especially against teams that can handle the press (and UAB's set of guards definitely can)
West Virginia @ Ohio State - Lighty's out for 6 to 12 weeks. Saturday, we'll find out how the Buckeyes handle it.
Sun., Dec. 28th
Texas Tech @ Stanford - At this point in the season, there's two reasons you're undefeated:
1. You're really good.
2. You've had a sucky schedule.
Stanford's toughest game so far has been home vs. Air Force. They did play road games though... at Colorado State and at Yale. Come on now. Texas Tech will at least be a semi-tournament worthy opponent.
Marquette @ NC State - The Wolfpack have quietly amounted a 7-1 record so far, with their only loss a 5 point loss at Davidson. Not many people are tossing around their name for an at-large bid, and they'll probably struggle in ACC play, but here's a golden opportunity to put their names in the bubble mix... for now.
Georgia Tech @ USC - I saw Gani Lawal in the Penn St. ACC/Big 10 challenge game and he looked pretty good. He'll have his hands full vs. an athletic frontcourt that includes Taj Gibson, who is currently averaging over 3 blocks per game.
Tues, Dec. 23rd
Butler @ Xavier - The Musketeers fell from the list of unbeatens Saturday under a 55 point 1st half barrage by Duke. The Blue Devils will do that on occasion. Xavier isn't as bad as they looked against Duke, but they aren't great by any means, and you know an underated, hard-working Butler team will give them a game.
Missouri @ Illinois - Wow... a Missouri-Illinois game that actually means something for both teams! The Tigers have some good wins but could really use a good road non-conference win. Meanwhile, after missing out on beating Clemson at home a few weeks ago, this is Illinois' last chance at notching a good non-conference win in a conference that already has plenty of good looking non-conference resumes (Michigan, Minnesota).
Texas @ Wisconsin - If you like up-tempo, high scoring basketball games... don't turn this one on. It's probably not going to be pretty.
Kansas @ Arizona - This is the Desert Diamond Fiesta Bowl Classic. Basically a fancy name for a good non-conference matchup. As for the teams, I couldn't see Kansas not making the tournament... but right now there's not a whole lot backing them up on paper other than beating Washington at a neutral site. Meanwhile, Arizona followed up their big upset over Gonzaga with a loss @ UNLV... they've been awfully tough at home this year though, and this team does have a good deal of talent. Should be a close game
Wed, Dec. 24th and Thurs., Dec. 25th
Merry Christmas everyone! No college basketball. Enjoy presents, family, and college football. And I think there's NFL games or something.
Fri., Dec. 26th
Fairfield @ UConn - Only game on the schedule. Fairfield has a good record but has been blown out vs. the 3 legit teams they've played... and by legit I mean Missouri, Virginia Tech, and Memphis. Huskies... have fun!
Sat., Dec 27th
Washington St. @ LSU - Only Washington St.'s 2nd road game of the year. The Cougars don't have any bad losses (all to tournament teams, two to top 10 opponents Pitt and Gonzaga) but don't have any good wins either outside of Miss. St. This win would really, really help.
UAB @ Louisville - The more I look at the Blazers' resume, the more I think they're probably a tournament team... want to convince me? Win on Saturday. It's definitely possible... Louisville's looked pretty mortal so far, especially against teams that can handle the press (and UAB's set of guards definitely can)
West Virginia @ Ohio State - Lighty's out for 6 to 12 weeks. Saturday, we'll find out how the Buckeyes handle it.
Sun., Dec. 28th
Texas Tech @ Stanford - At this point in the season, there's two reasons you're undefeated:
1. You're really good.
2. You've had a sucky schedule.
Stanford's toughest game so far has been home vs. Air Force. They did play road games though... at Colorado State and at Yale. Come on now. Texas Tech will at least be a semi-tournament worthy opponent.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
College Basketball Recap - Dec. 9th
Not much happened Monday. Louisville got their third win in three days as they beat Lamar, Georegtown was all over Savannah St., San Diego lost again to put them below .500 in non-conference play, and St. John's beat NJIT. Dickie V. mentioned the St. John's game on Tuesday and said they shouldn't be playing teams of NJIT's caliber. As if there's never been a power conference team in the history of college basketball that hasn't beaten a crappy D-I team. This was almost as bad as his whining and crying about how Virginia Tech didn't get in last year (which he STILL complains about from time to time). I love your passion, Dick Vitale, but seriously, you're an idiot sometimes.
Tuesday, however, was more fun. Some very good matchups, and we learned some important things about a few teams. Start with:
Texas beat Villanova, 67-58
Texas - This is the third game I've seen them in, the other two being their other top 25 games, vs. ND and UCLA, and they look to be a very dangerous team thus far. Their perimeter D is as good as anyone's I've seen all year. Villanova had major troubles getting the ball to the basket, and outside of Cunningham nobody really played that well offensively. Mason is one of the best on the ball defenders I've seen this year. Scotty Reynolds couldn't get anything going all night. Texas is an extremely physical team defensively, and they really wear you down over the 40 minutes. They have good depth and size too, although the defensive rebounding was suspect at times. Offensively, they're not going to run anyone out of the gym but they do have weapons. Mason is a very good PG for this team and he seems very comfortable running this offense. Abrams, as we all know, can shoot with the best of them. James continues to impress me with his offensive development and him and Abrams took over late. This is what a slow paced, defensive team needs... a couple of weapons who can hit big shots at the end of games.
Villanova - My first look at them. Looking over their stats coming into the game, I wasn't sure if this was just a team that spread the ball well or a team with a few decent offensive players and that's it. And yes, I understand it was Texas's defense they're going up against, but I'm leaning towards the latter. Remember, there's plenty of teams who can play good perimeter defense in the Big East. UConn, Pitt, Louisville, Syracuse (when they want to), Marquette, even Georgetown... Villanova's going to have to find ways to score consistently, especially in the paint. Cunningham was magnificent but he isn't going to be enough. Stokes was good in the first half but completely disappeared in the 2nd. Reynolds has to take over in situations and find ways to get to the bucket/score. Better movement without the ball would be nice too. Overall, I'm sure the fact that this was their first test of the season and that they were basically worn down by Texas contributed heavily to the loss but right now I can't peg them above 7th in the Big East at best (sorry, I believe Marquette's the better team at the moment).
Ah well, it could be worse. They could've had West Virginia's problems on offense. The Mountaineers shot 33% from the floor and 4-16 from three as they lost to Davidson 68-65. They were without Alex Ruoff and Joe Mazzoula, which is basically their starting backcourt, and that left Da'Sean Butler as their only legit scorer. He had a solid game, and Devin Ebanks helped, but overall it was not a good day for West Virginia offensively. As far as the future, they have @ Ohio State on Dec. 27th and then conference play starts. They don't have any awful losses but their best win so far is @ Ole Miss, which means they have some work to do in Big East play. Meanwhile, the Wildcats pick up a decent neutral site victory, which should keep them safe for the moment. This team has no offense when Curry is not playing well, but when he is, this team is capable of beating anyone simply because Curry is capable of scoring on anyone. They stepped it up at the end defensively as well. This is how this team needs to close out games against good opponents.
In other top 25 action, Purdue shut down Ball State to win 68-39. Outside of the top 25, the Hokies lost yet another tight game @ Georgia 67-66. I'm sure they'll win some decent games in conference, but at this point their out of conference resume is basically empty and in all 4 losses they had a real chance to win at the end. It has to be difficult for the players and fans to endure this game after game. And Wisconsin beat Idaho State, 60-58, making this the second bad team they've almost lost to this year. A win's a win, but come on now. The Big Ten is going to be WIDE open this year, and I could see any one of 5 or 6 teams winning it all and pretty much anyone beating anyone on any given night. Except for IU.
IU sucks. Ha.
Tuesday, however, was more fun. Some very good matchups, and we learned some important things about a few teams. Start with:
Texas beat Villanova, 67-58
Texas - This is the third game I've seen them in, the other two being their other top 25 games, vs. ND and UCLA, and they look to be a very dangerous team thus far. Their perimeter D is as good as anyone's I've seen all year. Villanova had major troubles getting the ball to the basket, and outside of Cunningham nobody really played that well offensively. Mason is one of the best on the ball defenders I've seen this year. Scotty Reynolds couldn't get anything going all night. Texas is an extremely physical team defensively, and they really wear you down over the 40 minutes. They have good depth and size too, although the defensive rebounding was suspect at times. Offensively, they're not going to run anyone out of the gym but they do have weapons. Mason is a very good PG for this team and he seems very comfortable running this offense. Abrams, as we all know, can shoot with the best of them. James continues to impress me with his offensive development and him and Abrams took over late. This is what a slow paced, defensive team needs... a couple of weapons who can hit big shots at the end of games.
Villanova - My first look at them. Looking over their stats coming into the game, I wasn't sure if this was just a team that spread the ball well or a team with a few decent offensive players and that's it. And yes, I understand it was Texas's defense they're going up against, but I'm leaning towards the latter. Remember, there's plenty of teams who can play good perimeter defense in the Big East. UConn, Pitt, Louisville, Syracuse (when they want to), Marquette, even Georgetown... Villanova's going to have to find ways to score consistently, especially in the paint. Cunningham was magnificent but he isn't going to be enough. Stokes was good in the first half but completely disappeared in the 2nd. Reynolds has to take over in situations and find ways to get to the bucket/score. Better movement without the ball would be nice too. Overall, I'm sure the fact that this was their first test of the season and that they were basically worn down by Texas contributed heavily to the loss but right now I can't peg them above 7th in the Big East at best (sorry, I believe Marquette's the better team at the moment).
Ah well, it could be worse. They could've had West Virginia's problems on offense. The Mountaineers shot 33% from the floor and 4-16 from three as they lost to Davidson 68-65. They were without Alex Ruoff and Joe Mazzoula, which is basically their starting backcourt, and that left Da'Sean Butler as their only legit scorer. He had a solid game, and Devin Ebanks helped, but overall it was not a good day for West Virginia offensively. As far as the future, they have @ Ohio State on Dec. 27th and then conference play starts. They don't have any awful losses but their best win so far is @ Ole Miss, which means they have some work to do in Big East play. Meanwhile, the Wildcats pick up a decent neutral site victory, which should keep them safe for the moment. This team has no offense when Curry is not playing well, but when he is, this team is capable of beating anyone simply because Curry is capable of scoring on anyone. They stepped it up at the end defensively as well. This is how this team needs to close out games against good opponents.
In other top 25 action, Purdue shut down Ball State to win 68-39. Outside of the top 25, the Hokies lost yet another tight game @ Georgia 67-66. I'm sure they'll win some decent games in conference, but at this point their out of conference resume is basically empty and in all 4 losses they had a real chance to win at the end. It has to be difficult for the players and fans to endure this game after game. And Wisconsin beat Idaho State, 60-58, making this the second bad team they've almost lost to this year. A win's a win, but come on now. The Big Ten is going to be WIDE open this year, and I could see any one of 5 or 6 teams winning it all and pretty much anyone beating anyone on any given night. Except for IU.
IU sucks. Ha.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Games to Watch - Week of Dec. 8th
Outside of some small conference tournaments and made-for-TV one-day basketball extravaganzas, there really isn't much on the schedule. Most teams appear to be slowing it down in preparation for the conference season. Still, there's meaningful college b-ball games to be played if you search. Take a look:
Mon, Dec. 8th
Marques Maybin Classic
Lamar v. Louisville - It's a slow day in college basketball when this game is the best game on the slate.
Tues, Dec 9th
Jimmy V Classic
Davidson v. West Virginia - The Mountaineers were somewhat of a question mark coming into the season, and their performance so far this year has made them... well... still a question mark. Expect questions to be answered Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Wildcats try again to get a good looking non-conference win. And if you think Davidson's a lock for the tourney at the moment... think again. With no signature out of conference win at the moment, any slip up in the Southern, particularly the tournament, and there may be no Stephen Curry in the NCAAs. But that's a long shot at best.
Texas v. Villanova - I enjoy watching Scotty Reynolds play, but him and the Wildcats have their work cut out for them against a very good Texas team, especially defensively on the perimeter. Villanova has a lot of guys that can score, and they've spread the wealth pretty well this year, but it will be interesting to see how they operate against the Longhorns. Villanova's first true test of the season.
Virginia Tech v. Georgia - The Hokies NEED this win to have a somewhat legit tourney resume. Otherwise, they're really going to have to take care of business in conference .
Wed., Dec 10th
Cal v. Utah - A battle of a couple of borderline tournament teams. Cal got blasted at Missouri on Sunday and really could've used a stronger performance. Utah has had some ugly losses so far this year but there are decent wins to be had in the Mountain West. Both teams have plenty of room to move up in terms of conference standing, so there's quality wins to be had. But they both could really use a decent non conference win as well.
Dayton v. Creighton - For Dayton, this would be the icing on the cake to a very good non-conference performance in a conference where nobody seems willing to get good non-conference wins. For Creighton, it's likely either win this or win the Missouri Valley. If I were the Bluejays, I'd go with the former. Just to be safe
San Diego St. v. Arizona - Okay, this is my one shameless plug for the year for the Aztecs. If they do well, more will be coming. But anyway... this team played Arizona St. well early in the year, they just beat San Diego, and it's not like anyone's running away with the Mountain West (well, maybe BYU, but nobody's unbeatable in this conference). If they win this game, could they make an at-large bid run? Meanwhile, this would be an important win for Arizona at the start of what looks like a brutal non-conference run (Gonzaga, @ UNLV, Kansas, then Weber State to close the non-conf season).
Gonzaga v. Washington St. - Hoops fun on the west coast. I don't see Washington St. hanging in this game for long, but if they can slow the game down and keep it in the 50s, anything is possible.
Thurs., Dec. 11th
St Joseph's v. Villanova - More non-conference tests for the Wildcats. And St. Joe's... I know you guys are under .500, but it's not like the Atlantic 10 is blowing anyone out of the water here. Or maybe they're just saving it all for Xavier and Dayton in conference play. Another possibility
Fri., Dec. 12th
Drake Invitational
Stephen F. Austin v. North Dakota St., Georgia Southern v. Drake - Okay, there are literally 8 games on the college b-ball schedule. Go out and party or something. But if you really want to know what's going on in college basketball, this tournament actually has some half-decent teams in it. Might be fun to check the scores afterward or something.
Sat., Dec. 13th
Tennessee v. Temple - You know, one of these days I'll stop talking about these Atlantic 10 teams as legit at-large teams.
Memphis v. Georgetown - The game where we found out Memphis was for real last year. Will we find out if one of these teams is for real this year?
Utah v. Oklahoma - Another opportunity for the Utes, in case they didn't get the Cal game. But if they have trouble beating Cal, how are they going to expect to stop Blake Griffin and the Sooners?
Xavier v. Cincinnati - The Bearcats just beat two NCAA tournament worthy opponents in back-to-back games (well, maybe UNLV and UAB won't be tournament teams, but they'll be borderline, and that's important for ranking purposes). The biggest issue standing in their way is their conference. At this point I'd say they're favored to win 9 games in the Big East, and that's giving them home v. Georgetown and Seton Hall. Wins will be hard to come by in conference, and if they end up 8-10, the committee might not give them the benefit of the doubt. A win over the Musketeers would make it awfully difficult for the committee to do that, though.
Texas A&M v. Alabama - We may be looking at only 3 bids from the SEC this year. Meanwhile, the Big 12 has as many as 9 teams that could make cases for the tournament (Nebraska and Oklahoma St. are probably stretching it, but at least they don't have any ugly losses at this point), including this Aggies team.
Butler v. Ohio State - Another battle of the unbeatens. I'm expecting Ohio State to run away with this one, but then again, people have been hating on Butler all season long and they just beat the Horizon League favorites Cleveland State on their floor, so this Bulldogs team is going to come ready to play.
St. Mary's v. San Diego State - Okay, I swear THIS is the last time I needlessly hype the Aztecs. Plus St. Mary's is playing, and they can use all the semi-decent non-conference wins they can get before WCC play starts up.
John Wooden Classic
UCLA v. DePaul - Probably won't be a close game, but how can I not recognize one the greatest college basketball coach of all time in a college basketball blog?
San Diego v. Oregon - NIT showdown if I ever saw one.
South Alabama v. Mississippi St. - See above
Miss Valley St. v. Houston - And in this week's episode of "Miss Valley St. gets annihilated by a major D-I basketball program," the Delta Devils lost to Creighton and Kentucky, both by over 20 points, to fall to 0-10 on the year. And if that wasn't bad enough, both Grambling State and Alcorn State picked up wins, meaning now only SEVEN of the ten teams in the conference have one win or less. Bottom line... this conference is starting to pull away from Miss Valley St. They need to get this thing under control before it's too late.
Sun., Dec. 14th
Gonzaga v. Arizona - Geez, Gonzaga knows how to assemble a non-conference schedule. They still have this game, UConn, Utah, and Tennessee left on their schedule after taking down Oklahoma St., Maryland, and Tennessee earlier in the year. And it's not their fault IU's program went down the tubes and that doesn't look like a "good win". And NONE of these games are at home. Teams are still scared to go play the Zags in Spokane. Give credit to Mark Few... this guy's not afraid to load up his non-conference schedule and take on the best, and his team is responding. He has to get mentioned as one of the best college coaches in the game today.
Mon, Dec. 8th
Marques Maybin Classic
Lamar v. Louisville - It's a slow day in college basketball when this game is the best game on the slate.
Tues, Dec 9th
Jimmy V Classic
Davidson v. West Virginia - The Mountaineers were somewhat of a question mark coming into the season, and their performance so far this year has made them... well... still a question mark. Expect questions to be answered Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Wildcats try again to get a good looking non-conference win. And if you think Davidson's a lock for the tourney at the moment... think again. With no signature out of conference win at the moment, any slip up in the Southern, particularly the tournament, and there may be no Stephen Curry in the NCAAs. But that's a long shot at best.
Texas v. Villanova - I enjoy watching Scotty Reynolds play, but him and the Wildcats have their work cut out for them against a very good Texas team, especially defensively on the perimeter. Villanova has a lot of guys that can score, and they've spread the wealth pretty well this year, but it will be interesting to see how they operate against the Longhorns. Villanova's first true test of the season.
Virginia Tech v. Georgia - The Hokies NEED this win to have a somewhat legit tourney resume. Otherwise, they're really going to have to take care of business in conference .
Wed., Dec 10th
Cal v. Utah - A battle of a couple of borderline tournament teams. Cal got blasted at Missouri on Sunday and really could've used a stronger performance. Utah has had some ugly losses so far this year but there are decent wins to be had in the Mountain West. Both teams have plenty of room to move up in terms of conference standing, so there's quality wins to be had. But they both could really use a decent non conference win as well.
Dayton v. Creighton - For Dayton, this would be the icing on the cake to a very good non-conference performance in a conference where nobody seems willing to get good non-conference wins. For Creighton, it's likely either win this or win the Missouri Valley. If I were the Bluejays, I'd go with the former. Just to be safe
San Diego St. v. Arizona - Okay, this is my one shameless plug for the year for the Aztecs. If they do well, more will be coming. But anyway... this team played Arizona St. well early in the year, they just beat San Diego, and it's not like anyone's running away with the Mountain West (well, maybe BYU, but nobody's unbeatable in this conference). If they win this game, could they make an at-large bid run? Meanwhile, this would be an important win for Arizona at the start of what looks like a brutal non-conference run (Gonzaga, @ UNLV, Kansas, then Weber State to close the non-conf season).
Gonzaga v. Washington St. - Hoops fun on the west coast. I don't see Washington St. hanging in this game for long, but if they can slow the game down and keep it in the 50s, anything is possible.
Thurs., Dec. 11th
St Joseph's v. Villanova - More non-conference tests for the Wildcats. And St. Joe's... I know you guys are under .500, but it's not like the Atlantic 10 is blowing anyone out of the water here. Or maybe they're just saving it all for Xavier and Dayton in conference play. Another possibility
Fri., Dec. 12th
Drake Invitational
Stephen F. Austin v. North Dakota St., Georgia Southern v. Drake - Okay, there are literally 8 games on the college b-ball schedule. Go out and party or something. But if you really want to know what's going on in college basketball, this tournament actually has some half-decent teams in it. Might be fun to check the scores afterward or something.
Sat., Dec. 13th
Tennessee v. Temple - You know, one of these days I'll stop talking about these Atlantic 10 teams as legit at-large teams.
Memphis v. Georgetown - The game where we found out Memphis was for real last year. Will we find out if one of these teams is for real this year?
Utah v. Oklahoma - Another opportunity for the Utes, in case they didn't get the Cal game. But if they have trouble beating Cal, how are they going to expect to stop Blake Griffin and the Sooners?
Xavier v. Cincinnati - The Bearcats just beat two NCAA tournament worthy opponents in back-to-back games (well, maybe UNLV and UAB won't be tournament teams, but they'll be borderline, and that's important for ranking purposes). The biggest issue standing in their way is their conference. At this point I'd say they're favored to win 9 games in the Big East, and that's giving them home v. Georgetown and Seton Hall. Wins will be hard to come by in conference, and if they end up 8-10, the committee might not give them the benefit of the doubt. A win over the Musketeers would make it awfully difficult for the committee to do that, though.
Texas A&M v. Alabama - We may be looking at only 3 bids from the SEC this year. Meanwhile, the Big 12 has as many as 9 teams that could make cases for the tournament (Nebraska and Oklahoma St. are probably stretching it, but at least they don't have any ugly losses at this point), including this Aggies team.
Butler v. Ohio State - Another battle of the unbeatens. I'm expecting Ohio State to run away with this one, but then again, people have been hating on Butler all season long and they just beat the Horizon League favorites Cleveland State on their floor, so this Bulldogs team is going to come ready to play.
St. Mary's v. San Diego State - Okay, I swear THIS is the last time I needlessly hype the Aztecs. Plus St. Mary's is playing, and they can use all the semi-decent non-conference wins they can get before WCC play starts up.
John Wooden Classic
UCLA v. DePaul - Probably won't be a close game, but how can I not recognize one the greatest college basketball coach of all time in a college basketball blog?
San Diego v. Oregon - NIT showdown if I ever saw one.
South Alabama v. Mississippi St. - See above
Miss Valley St. v. Houston - And in this week's episode of "Miss Valley St. gets annihilated by a major D-I basketball program," the Delta Devils lost to Creighton and Kentucky, both by over 20 points, to fall to 0-10 on the year. And if that wasn't bad enough, both Grambling State and Alcorn State picked up wins, meaning now only SEVEN of the ten teams in the conference have one win or less. Bottom line... this conference is starting to pull away from Miss Valley St. They need to get this thing under control before it's too late.
Sun., Dec. 14th
Gonzaga v. Arizona - Geez, Gonzaga knows how to assemble a non-conference schedule. They still have this game, UConn, Utah, and Tennessee left on their schedule after taking down Oklahoma St., Maryland, and Tennessee earlier in the year. And it's not their fault IU's program went down the tubes and that doesn't look like a "good win". And NONE of these games are at home. Teams are still scared to go play the Zags in Spokane. Give credit to Mark Few... this guy's not afraid to load up his non-conference schedule and take on the best, and his team is responding. He has to get mentioned as one of the best college coaches in the game today.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
College Basketball Recap - Dec. 4th-6th
Confused about college basketball yet? This is the time of year where we see games that make us think "Wait, Team A beat Team B, and Team B beat Team C, so why is Team C beating Team A?" It's pretty simple, actually. Teams have good and bad games. Teams have games where they match up well and games where they don't. The most difficult job I have is removing preseason expectations from the mix and judging teams on how they actually look. So without further ado, I am here to sort out the mess... hopefully. Start with thursday:
Oklahoma beat USC, 73-72
Oklahoma - Good win for the Sooners, again. Blake Griffin had 25 points but only 6 boards, but if he continues to get good performances from his guards, OU will continue to win games. Austin Johnson helped with the scoring load tonight, with 17 points on 7-12 shooting. Warren only took six shots but had 5 points. Cade Davis stil does not look right from beyond the arc. Taylor Griffin is better than I thought and seems to know his role offensively. Tony Crocker's offensive numbers are down this year but he isn't taking as many shots either. Overall, this Sooner team takes care of the ball offensively and generally doesn't rush shots. These guys know their roles in the offense and don't do anything they're not capable of offensively. It helps to have one of the best players in the nation too. This is a top 10 team right now.
USC - This was my first look at the Trojans and I can say they are very athletic at many positions. A lot of those guys can beat their man off the dribble and get to the basket. Taj Gibson is not a true center but he holds his own on both sides of the ball. This team is big enough at the wings that rebounding won't be a serious issue either. Now for the bad news... a team that normally shoots 34% from three shot 70% from three and they still were unable to win. DeRozan will be good one day but he still looks like he's forcing shots. In general, the Trojans look more like 5 guys on the court than a true team, as they turned the ball over at key times and looked undisciplined overall (i. e. that cheap shot on Griffin which is one of the most inexcusable things I have ever seen on a basketball court or any sports field in general). This could be a dangerous team come March though.
Texas beat UCLA, 68-64
These teams are about as even as it's going to get. One of the best games all year. But it did confim one of my scares for this Bruins team... who will step up and make shots for them at the end of games? They were unable to do that on thursday, even when Texas continued to give them extra looks via offensive rebounds.
Texas - I hope the Abrams at PG experiment is over, because it's fairly obvious to me Abrams is better off the ball. He excels at coming off screens and getting open looks from three, where he is one of the best in the nation. Mason took more of a backseat offensively in this one but he can score when neccessary. James continues to mature nicely as an offensive threat. Defensively this team challenges every shot taken and is physical. They need to do a better job on the boards (Aboya had 7 offensive rebounds, 16 total for UCLA) but otherwise they're pretty solid defensively, probably the best in the Big 10.
UCLA - This is UCLA's second loss, and just like the first one, nobody steps up offensively to help Collison and Shipp. Darren Collison has done a good job of recognizing an offensive need and filling it. He's taking more shots this year and stepping up when his team needs him. Shipp is doing the same, although to me he appears uncomfortable in a lead scoring role. Outside of that, Holiday had a rough game but will play better and continue to mature. He's shown against other teams he can be a scoring monster but he needs to do that more consistently. In the inside, Keefe and Aboya are nowhere near the level this UCLA front line used to be at. Defensively, this team is a typical phsycial, in-your-face Ben Howland unit. Overall this team has a lot of talent and a lot of good freshman but nobody is stepping up at the moment and until some of these role players do, UCLA will continue to remain a top 15 team at best
One other big games of note... Butler beat Cleveland State on a last-second three to win 50-48. That's a very important game which could go a long way to determining the Horizon league champ.
Friday
Texas A&M beat Arizona, 67-66. Arizona tore them apart on the boards, 29-17, but when you lose the turnover battle 15-4 it's difficult to win a game. Budinger had 15 and Jordan Hill had 20, and the Wildcats shot over 60% from three but they still couldn't win. As for the Aggies, this team has flown under the radar and has a semi-ugly loss at home vs. Tulsa but got a good win here. They have some key games coming up (@ Alabama, home vs LSU) and if they can get both of them an at-large tourney bid isn't out of the question.
Saturday
Lots of crazy college basketball games, beginning with:
Michigan beat Duke, 81-73. I think we all knew Duke would struggle vs. a team with good post players but I didn't think it'd be this bad. On the other hand, Michigan has proven to be a good team this year (beat UCLA earlier in the year if you remember) and Sims has really matured into a legit scoring threat to complement Manny Harris.
THE VERDICT: Duke isn't going to shoot 22% from three all year, but then again, this isn't a good 3 pt shooting team. Duke was overrated in the Top 5 but shouldn't fall that far. Michigan should be a borderline top 25 team and will be a threat in a Big 10 that is starting to become a bit more crowded at the top than everyone (including me) thought.
Ohio State beat ND, 67-62
This is the 2nd legit team Ohio State has beaten away from home, but are they for real? The ND guards had no answer for Evan Turner, who was getting the ball to the rim all day. The Irish is not an athletic team by any means, though. And Harangody, while his numbers were fine, had to be affected somewhat by the pneumonia.
THE VERDICT: Ohio State will be competitive. B. J. Mullins had his best game of his college career and will only continue to get better. Still, I'm not ready to label them as Big 10 championship contenders just yet. Meanwhile, ND will live and die by the three, and while McAlarney won't go 0-6 from three every game, he certainly won't shoot 60% from three every game either.
Miami beat Kentucky, 73-67
The U was on their way to another collapse after giving away a 2nd half lead in the Ohio State game, but luckily for them McClinton wasn't going to let that happen. This guy is really, really good, as he can score from a variety of spots on the floor and is obviously the leader of this team on both sides of the ball. Meanwhile, Kentucky continues to find ways to lose and outside of beating West Virginia on a neutral court hasn't done much to hide that loss to VMI.
THE VERDICT: Miami is solidly 4th best in the ACC but not any better than that. Kentucky is still on the outside looking in for the moment.
Marquette beat Wisconsin, 61-58.
Marquette has a lot of good guards. And they can all score. Despite a game played at the Badgers' pace, Jerel McNeal would not let his team lose, as he went off for 26 points off 10-18 shooting as the Golden Eagles got a solid home victory. The Badgers are a very disciplined, well coached team but are unfortunately undermanned and under-talented (if that's a word)
THE VERDICT: Wisconsin moves to 4th in the Big 10 for the moment. Marquette may challenge in the Big East but will most likely stay in the logjam right below the top tier and they'll all beat up on each other.
Cincinnati beat UAB, 87-80
Well, so much for all those preseason expectations for the Blazers. I'm beginning to regret picking this team to beat Memphis (but I'm sticking with it)
Other random thoughts: Southern Illinois continues to suck it up in the non-conference season for the second year in a row (lost to Charlotte on Saturday). Providence beat Rhode Island in a game they needed to win. Don't look now, but VMI is 2-0 in the Big South and just beat the supposed favorites UNC-Asheville. Nobody in the Atlantic-10 wants an at-large bid so far (URI, St. Joseph's, Temple, and UMass all lost). And Baylor beat Washington State on the road, something that is not easy to do by any means.
Yea, this is still a mess. And to think it's only going to get worse...
Oklahoma beat USC, 73-72
Oklahoma - Good win for the Sooners, again. Blake Griffin had 25 points but only 6 boards, but if he continues to get good performances from his guards, OU will continue to win games. Austin Johnson helped with the scoring load tonight, with 17 points on 7-12 shooting. Warren only took six shots but had 5 points. Cade Davis stil does not look right from beyond the arc. Taylor Griffin is better than I thought and seems to know his role offensively. Tony Crocker's offensive numbers are down this year but he isn't taking as many shots either. Overall, this Sooner team takes care of the ball offensively and generally doesn't rush shots. These guys know their roles in the offense and don't do anything they're not capable of offensively. It helps to have one of the best players in the nation too. This is a top 10 team right now.
USC - This was my first look at the Trojans and I can say they are very athletic at many positions. A lot of those guys can beat their man off the dribble and get to the basket. Taj Gibson is not a true center but he holds his own on both sides of the ball. This team is big enough at the wings that rebounding won't be a serious issue either. Now for the bad news... a team that normally shoots 34% from three shot 70% from three and they still were unable to win. DeRozan will be good one day but he still looks like he's forcing shots. In general, the Trojans look more like 5 guys on the court than a true team, as they turned the ball over at key times and looked undisciplined overall (i. e. that cheap shot on Griffin which is one of the most inexcusable things I have ever seen on a basketball court or any sports field in general). This could be a dangerous team come March though.
Texas beat UCLA, 68-64
These teams are about as even as it's going to get. One of the best games all year. But it did confim one of my scares for this Bruins team... who will step up and make shots for them at the end of games? They were unable to do that on thursday, even when Texas continued to give them extra looks via offensive rebounds.
Texas - I hope the Abrams at PG experiment is over, because it's fairly obvious to me Abrams is better off the ball. He excels at coming off screens and getting open looks from three, where he is one of the best in the nation. Mason took more of a backseat offensively in this one but he can score when neccessary. James continues to mature nicely as an offensive threat. Defensively this team challenges every shot taken and is physical. They need to do a better job on the boards (Aboya had 7 offensive rebounds, 16 total for UCLA) but otherwise they're pretty solid defensively, probably the best in the Big 10.
UCLA - This is UCLA's second loss, and just like the first one, nobody steps up offensively to help Collison and Shipp. Darren Collison has done a good job of recognizing an offensive need and filling it. He's taking more shots this year and stepping up when his team needs him. Shipp is doing the same, although to me he appears uncomfortable in a lead scoring role. Outside of that, Holiday had a rough game but will play better and continue to mature. He's shown against other teams he can be a scoring monster but he needs to do that more consistently. In the inside, Keefe and Aboya are nowhere near the level this UCLA front line used to be at. Defensively, this team is a typical phsycial, in-your-face Ben Howland unit. Overall this team has a lot of talent and a lot of good freshman but nobody is stepping up at the moment and until some of these role players do, UCLA will continue to remain a top 15 team at best
One other big games of note... Butler beat Cleveland State on a last-second three to win 50-48. That's a very important game which could go a long way to determining the Horizon league champ.
Friday
Texas A&M beat Arizona, 67-66. Arizona tore them apart on the boards, 29-17, but when you lose the turnover battle 15-4 it's difficult to win a game. Budinger had 15 and Jordan Hill had 20, and the Wildcats shot over 60% from three but they still couldn't win. As for the Aggies, this team has flown under the radar and has a semi-ugly loss at home vs. Tulsa but got a good win here. They have some key games coming up (@ Alabama, home vs LSU) and if they can get both of them an at-large tourney bid isn't out of the question.
Saturday
Lots of crazy college basketball games, beginning with:
Michigan beat Duke, 81-73. I think we all knew Duke would struggle vs. a team with good post players but I didn't think it'd be this bad. On the other hand, Michigan has proven to be a good team this year (beat UCLA earlier in the year if you remember) and Sims has really matured into a legit scoring threat to complement Manny Harris.
THE VERDICT: Duke isn't going to shoot 22% from three all year, but then again, this isn't a good 3 pt shooting team. Duke was overrated in the Top 5 but shouldn't fall that far. Michigan should be a borderline top 25 team and will be a threat in a Big 10 that is starting to become a bit more crowded at the top than everyone (including me) thought.
Ohio State beat ND, 67-62
This is the 2nd legit team Ohio State has beaten away from home, but are they for real? The ND guards had no answer for Evan Turner, who was getting the ball to the rim all day. The Irish is not an athletic team by any means, though. And Harangody, while his numbers were fine, had to be affected somewhat by the pneumonia.
THE VERDICT: Ohio State will be competitive. B. J. Mullins had his best game of his college career and will only continue to get better. Still, I'm not ready to label them as Big 10 championship contenders just yet. Meanwhile, ND will live and die by the three, and while McAlarney won't go 0-6 from three every game, he certainly won't shoot 60% from three every game either.
Miami beat Kentucky, 73-67
The U was on their way to another collapse after giving away a 2nd half lead in the Ohio State game, but luckily for them McClinton wasn't going to let that happen. This guy is really, really good, as he can score from a variety of spots on the floor and is obviously the leader of this team on both sides of the ball. Meanwhile, Kentucky continues to find ways to lose and outside of beating West Virginia on a neutral court hasn't done much to hide that loss to VMI.
THE VERDICT: Miami is solidly 4th best in the ACC but not any better than that. Kentucky is still on the outside looking in for the moment.
Marquette beat Wisconsin, 61-58.
Marquette has a lot of good guards. And they can all score. Despite a game played at the Badgers' pace, Jerel McNeal would not let his team lose, as he went off for 26 points off 10-18 shooting as the Golden Eagles got a solid home victory. The Badgers are a very disciplined, well coached team but are unfortunately undermanned and under-talented (if that's a word)
THE VERDICT: Wisconsin moves to 4th in the Big 10 for the moment. Marquette may challenge in the Big East but will most likely stay in the logjam right below the top tier and they'll all beat up on each other.
Cincinnati beat UAB, 87-80
Well, so much for all those preseason expectations for the Blazers. I'm beginning to regret picking this team to beat Memphis (but I'm sticking with it)
Other random thoughts: Southern Illinois continues to suck it up in the non-conference season for the second year in a row (lost to Charlotte on Saturday). Providence beat Rhode Island in a game they needed to win. Don't look now, but VMI is 2-0 in the Big South and just beat the supposed favorites UNC-Asheville. Nobody in the Atlantic-10 wants an at-large bid so far (URI, St. Joseph's, Temple, and UMass all lost). And Baylor beat Washington State on the road, something that is not easy to do by any means.
Yea, this is still a mess. And to think it's only going to get worse...
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Purdue vs. Duke thoughts
Yea... this game was pretty bad. It's upsetting to get that excited for a sports game and have it end so poorly. It's even worse when the game starts just as bad and your team never makes a run or makes you feel like they're going to make a run. It's even worse when you saw your team play earlier in the year and you saw things that you thought could definitely bite you in the behind in the future but you try and reason with yourself that you do other things well enough that it won't make a difference, and then those things are the very things that kill you. That was my experience on Tuesday. Simply put, it sucked. But despite that, there is hope. Here's why:
Duke is a top 5 team. Easily. The Paint Crew officers put together a scouting report which basically said "This is the same Duke team that is overrated by ESPN every year, and that's pretty much the case this year." I didn't really believe them when they put it out, and I don't think anyone believes that now. This team might have the best duo of starting wings in the country with Singler and Henderson. Nolan Smith is extremely fast with the ball and can hit shots. Scheyer is EXTREMELY underrated and, if he could consistenly make the three, could easily put up 20 on almost anyone in the country. Greg Paulus is a great veteran prescence off the bench. But you know what most impressed me about this team? They never panicked. At all. Not for one possession. They always played within their game, within their speed, they were never rushed or hurried to the point of turning it over. Anytime we got any momentum, Coach K called a timeout and calmed his team down. But they didn't really need it. One of the many reasons we lost that game: they played like they knew they were going to win that game the entire time. And we were scared to death.
We did not come ready to play, physically or mentally. Physically I knew we'd be slightly overmatched, but not this bad. I knew we'd have some problems stopping the drive to the hoop. I saw it in the Oklahoma game. But I thought our help defense would be good enough. Wrong again. It doesn't help when Duke shoots lights out from three. But seriously, we gave them plenty of open shots to do it. And even when they started 40 feet away from the basket, they'd still manage to get to the rim. Poor strategy? Yea, maybe we should've backed off a little. Undermanned a bit defensively? Most definitely. Offensively was even worse. Our movement away from the ball was horrible, and, having run a motion offense before, if you don't make good cuts, your offense won't work. Period. We never did that. That's why we never got open shots. Even if we hadn't had a poor game shooting I still think we'd have been hard-pressed to reach 40% from the field. We just simply were not working for open shots.
Even if this was a problem, teams face that issue all the time. The big reason we looked so bad was because we were defeated from the start. We came in way too amped up and missed some easy layups we shouldn't have missed. We looked rattled once we got down early and never made a serious run. Anytime we'd get any sort of positive momentum, we'd throw the ball away or commit a silly foul. Nobody took charge offensively until it was way too late. Overall, I don't think we truly believed we could win that game. I knew we had some poor starts earlier this year and I really didn't want to fall into that again, but we did.
So that turned out horribly. Here's the good news: we're still the best team in the Big 10. If you want to argue with me as to why Michigan St.'s better, be my guest, because I simply don't see it at this point. We will learn from this game, we will recover, and we will be better because of it. Tuesday taught me we're not at Duke's level yet, nor may we ever be. But there's no Duke in the Big 10. And all it takes is getting hot for six games in late March/early April. Who knows what can happen in the tournament. I fully believe we can beat all but the very best teams on a consistent basis... and that should be good enough to get us relatively deep in the tournament. And then maybe we can pull an upset or two.
Duke is a top 5 team. Easily. The Paint Crew officers put together a scouting report which basically said "This is the same Duke team that is overrated by ESPN every year, and that's pretty much the case this year." I didn't really believe them when they put it out, and I don't think anyone believes that now. This team might have the best duo of starting wings in the country with Singler and Henderson. Nolan Smith is extremely fast with the ball and can hit shots. Scheyer is EXTREMELY underrated and, if he could consistenly make the three, could easily put up 20 on almost anyone in the country. Greg Paulus is a great veteran prescence off the bench. But you know what most impressed me about this team? They never panicked. At all. Not for one possession. They always played within their game, within their speed, they were never rushed or hurried to the point of turning it over. Anytime we got any momentum, Coach K called a timeout and calmed his team down. But they didn't really need it. One of the many reasons we lost that game: they played like they knew they were going to win that game the entire time. And we were scared to death.
We did not come ready to play, physically or mentally. Physically I knew we'd be slightly overmatched, but not this bad. I knew we'd have some problems stopping the drive to the hoop. I saw it in the Oklahoma game. But I thought our help defense would be good enough. Wrong again. It doesn't help when Duke shoots lights out from three. But seriously, we gave them plenty of open shots to do it. And even when they started 40 feet away from the basket, they'd still manage to get to the rim. Poor strategy? Yea, maybe we should've backed off a little. Undermanned a bit defensively? Most definitely. Offensively was even worse. Our movement away from the ball was horrible, and, having run a motion offense before, if you don't make good cuts, your offense won't work. Period. We never did that. That's why we never got open shots. Even if we hadn't had a poor game shooting I still think we'd have been hard-pressed to reach 40% from the field. We just simply were not working for open shots.
Even if this was a problem, teams face that issue all the time. The big reason we looked so bad was because we were defeated from the start. We came in way too amped up and missed some easy layups we shouldn't have missed. We looked rattled once we got down early and never made a serious run. Anytime we'd get any sort of positive momentum, we'd throw the ball away or commit a silly foul. Nobody took charge offensively until it was way too late. Overall, I don't think we truly believed we could win that game. I knew we had some poor starts earlier this year and I really didn't want to fall into that again, but we did.
So that turned out horribly. Here's the good news: we're still the best team in the Big 10. If you want to argue with me as to why Michigan St.'s better, be my guest, because I simply don't see it at this point. We will learn from this game, we will recover, and we will be better because of it. Tuesday taught me we're not at Duke's level yet, nor may we ever be. But there's no Duke in the Big 10. And all it takes is getting hot for six games in late March/early April. Who knows what can happen in the tournament. I fully believe we can beat all but the very best teams on a consistent basis... and that should be good enough to get us relatively deep in the tournament. And then maybe we can pull an upset or two.
The state of ACC and Big Ten college basketball
So since I've been away for a few days, rather than try to catch up on daily recaps I decided to do an overall look at the big picture for both of these conferences. If you didn't know already, the ACC won 6-5. So here we go:
ACC
North Carolina - Smoked Michigan St. at Ford Field. Much has been said already about this team but if you didn't know... this team is stacked. They could probably put up 100 on all but the very best of teams... and by very best I mean all but UConn, Gonzaga, and maybe some teams that slow the pace of the game down way too much (like Texas and UCLA). This is the #1 team in the nation by far and I don't see any reason they can't run the table. Yes, that means go undefeated. I think they'll lose at some point but I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if they didn't.
Duke - I'll talk more about them here:
http://chitownballa.blogspot.com/2008/12/purdue-vs-duke-thoughts.html
As far as the ACC season goes, I think this team is VERY vulnerable in the post and would get eaten alive inside by Hansbrough and UNC. I also think Wake Forest would give them problems in the post as well. Everyone else in this conference, their backcourt and wings will be too much to handle.
Wake Forest - Trounced IU, which was no surprise. This is a very talented, very athletic team who I believe could mature into a top 5 team should they continue to develop. At the moment, I'll go with 3rd best in the ACC.
Miami (FL) - Losing McClinton made all the difference in the Ohio St. game. I would be more concerned with this team if this wasn't a road game, and if this wasn't a decent Ohio St. team, and if they hadn't lost McClinton due to a flagrant foul. All those things considered, I'll move that loss from the "Should have won" category to the "Toss up game where home court advantage made the difference" category. It is unsettling, though, that outside of McClinton and Hurdle the U really struggled against Ohio St.'s full court pressure, and that their defense looked as bad as it did in the 2nd half. Both of those will REALLY hurt Miami against Duke, UNC, and Wake and is the main reason they're 4th right now. But they should still make the tourney with relative ease.
This is where things get dicey. I said before if the ACC beats up on itself again and no 5th team emerges, they're going to only end up with 4 bids again. Will it happen this year? Early indications say... maybe.
Virginia Tech - That's the 2nd heartbreaking loss of the year for a school that's made a habit of heartbreaking losses over the past few years. Unfortunately for the Hokies, close loss does not equal win, and VT failed on every shot they had to get a good non-conference win. Seriously... they'll probably enter conference play with their best out of conference win being at Georgia. That's not going to get you in the tournament. To make matters worse... they only get one shot at UNC, Miami, and Wake Forest. You know what this means? Virginia Tech could be looking at as many as 11 ACC wins and a 21-7 record entering the tournament and STILL not have a quality win. Sounds a lot like last year
Clemson - Could the Tigers make a tournament run? They picked up a solid... not great, solid... win @ Illinois and are currently 8-0. This team had a fair amount of players return from last year's good, albiet overrated, team, but they've flown under the radar so far this season. After a couple more cupcake non-conference games this team will likely be 11-0 heading into Miami on December 21st. Other important games... January 17th Wake Forest comes to town, February 4th Duke comes to town, and February 25th they get a home game vs. Virginia Tech for which could make or break either team. Bottom line... the Tigers will pile a lot of wins but it's the quality ones that matter. Will they get enough of those?
Maryland - Took a ginormous step forward beating Michigan St. on a neutral floor, then took a ginormous step backward by getting killed by Georgetown in the same tournament, then took a mini-step forward beating Michigan at home. Michigan's not likely a tournament team, however, and one win in early November can only carry you so far. Vazquez is having a great season and is a difficult matchup at 6'6", but the rest of the team is nothing special. Their major tests will be January 31st at home vs. Miami and Valentine's Day at home vs. VT, and February 17th @ Clemson. Win all those swing games and the Terps are probably looking at 10 ACC wins, which that and the Michigan St. win could very well be enough to get in.
Florida State - Impressive win over Cal negated by not so impressive loss at Northwestern. They also had a win over Cincinnati earlier, which isn't great but at least it's not a cupcake team. Good chance to redeem themselves Sunday when they get Florida at home. Win that one and I will consider bumping them up a spot. Key conference games include home vs. Maryland on January 17th, home vs. Miami on February 18th, and home vs. Clemson on February 28th. They close their season with VT as well.
Boston College - The poor man's Maryland. Their preseason tournament win was less impressive (UAB), their ACC/Big 10 challenge win was less impressive (Iowa, at home, because a guy missed free throws), but unlike Maryland they have some decent non-conference games left, including @ UMass and home vs. Providence. If they don't win both of those I don't really see this team making a tournament run, as neither of those teams look like tournament teams at this point.
Georgia Tech - Lost what turned out to be a very good game vs. Penn St. This is a young team with some good players (like Gani Lawal) but this year they will likely take their lumps in the ACC.
Virginia - Three straight losses, two of them to teams that likely won't make the tournament (unless Liberty wins their conference which is entirely possible), including Minnesota in the challenge. It's not happening this year.
North Carolina State - Get back to me when you actually play someone legit.
OUTLOOK: Four teams are locks for the tournament. From what I've seen, I think it's highly unlikely the ACC doesn't get at least 1 more in unless absolutely nobody establishes themselves in conference (which I suppose is entirely possible). Virginia Tech, Clemson, Maryland, and even Florida State all have the talent to pick up some good conference wins, and the majority of those teams now have non-conference wins to fall back on a bit. At this point I think it's actually more probable that six make it in instead of four, but I'll settle for the middle and go with FIVE teams in the tournament. The 5th team? I have no idea, but I'll take Clemson based on the strength of their challenge win and the team outlook.
Purdue - See more here:
http://chitownballa.blogspot.com/2008/12/purdue-vs-duke-thoughts.html
This game was a tragedy but not a backbreaker by any means. Nobody in the Big 10 is going to have that kind of athletic ability across the board (except maybe Michigan State, and they have troubles of their own right now). At the moment they're still the Big 10 favorites in my mind.
Michigan State - Loss to UNC? Not particularly disturbing, since I kind of expected this. Loss to Maryland? Uh oh... This team is uber-talented but they haven't seemed to figure it out yet. Morgan looked better in the UNC game but the Spartans aren't going to win a lot of games with him taking only 4 shots like he did against Maryland. Hopefully a good game against the Tar Heels will get him back on track. Missing Suton hurts, but he's not the whole answer. The Spartans need to stop turning the ball over and start taking better shots if they're going to want to fix this offense for Big 10 play.
Wisconsin - They get 3rd in the Big 10 for the time being. This team lost a few key seniors from last year but there was no doubt in my mind this would still be a competitive team. They're very well coached, they're experienced on the perimeter, and they're one of the few teams who stick to their game plan for 40 minutes whether they're playing UConn or Cal State Fullerton. And it worked for a while against the #2 team in the nation, so why not? This team is somewhat undersized and not as talented or athletic as the two teams above them (or the one below) but the Badgers will find a way to stay competitive for a Big 10 title.
Ohio St. - I guess I have to start worrying about this team now, huh? They beat a Jack McClinton-less Hurricanes squad on the road to pick up a very, very good non-conference win. I didn't think this team was going to have any real struggle to make the tournament but especially with the Miami win, the pressure's off somewhat in Big 10 play. This is a very young team, as no seniors get any real playing time. Sophomores Evan Turner and Jon Diebler lead the way offensively, and David Lighty gives the team some veteran presence underneath. Defensively, their full court pressure gave the U all kinds of headaches and forced 18 turnovers. And this is with the major stars of this incoming freshman class - B. J. Mullins, William Buford, Anthony Crater - all struggling. Once these guys come around, this Buckeye team could be very, very dangerous.
Illinois - The Big 10 has a few options for a possible 5th team in the tournament. These best of those options is the Illini, who suffered a heartbreaking loss in the last possession vs. Clemson. That was a crucial loss that could have huge implications when it comes to ranking teams in March. They do have a good non-conference win at Vanderbilt, which is one of the more difficult places to win in college basketball. This team has a good mix of youngsters (Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis) and vets (Trent Meacham, Chester Frazier) and they play with a chip on their shoulder. The question is... will that Clemson loss come back to hurt them? They get shots at home vs. Ohio St. and Wisconsin on back-to-back games in mid-January, and Michigan St. comes to town in March.
Michigan - Another team that may be looking to one win to carry them to a tournament bid. The win over UCLA at a neutral court was very good, but unfortunately they couldn't follow it up against Duke or @ Maryland. Neither are bad losses, but especially the Maryland one is one that a tournament team should probably win. They get another shot at Duke on Saturday and then some cupcake games before conference play. If DeShawn Sims can step up in conference play like he has so far this year, Michigan has a chance to finish as high as 4th or 5th in the Big 10, and if they get some solid wins in conference, they might just sneak in the NCAAs.
Minnesota - Well, they're undefeated, but their best win so far is home vs. Virginia. But still, they're undefeated, and they won't be seriously challenged until December 20th vs. Louisville. They're probably on the outside looking in at the moment but if they can pick up wins on January 29th vs. Illinois, February 4th vs. Michigan St., or March 3rd vs. Wisconsin, they will be in the running.
Penn St. - Could the Nittany Lions make a Big 10 run? Taylor Battle is a very, very good player, and Stanley Pringle and Jamelle Cornley have been good secondary options offensively. There's nothing from their resume to suggest they can't be compeititive. So to answer the question... it's unlikely they'll make a serious tournament run, but they have the ability to steal a game or two from the tournament hopefuls of the conference.
Northwestern - Well... they beat Florida State... and they only lost @ Butler by four... maybe? Probably not. They're not talented enough t beat teams like Illinois and Michigan on a consistent basis, but like Penn St., they could steal a game or two.
Iowa - Got pounded by West Virginia and beat Kansas State by two, and lost to Boston College, which puts them solidly on the bubble... of the NIT.
Indiana - They're awful. Let's just leave it at that.
OUTLOOK: Four bids are likely, with Purdue, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State solidly in at the moment. Could a 5th team get in? Illinois could make a run, as could Michigan, but both are probably on the outside looking in right now. Minnesota hasn't been challenged yet. It depends a lot on the national picture, but if I had to guess right now, I'd say the Big 10 will probably just miss out on a 5th and get FOUR teams in the tournament.
ACC
North Carolina - Smoked Michigan St. at Ford Field. Much has been said already about this team but if you didn't know... this team is stacked. They could probably put up 100 on all but the very best of teams... and by very best I mean all but UConn, Gonzaga, and maybe some teams that slow the pace of the game down way too much (like Texas and UCLA). This is the #1 team in the nation by far and I don't see any reason they can't run the table. Yes, that means go undefeated. I think they'll lose at some point but I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if they didn't.
Duke - I'll talk more about them here:
http://chitownballa.blogspot.com/2008/12/purdue-vs-duke-thoughts.html
As far as the ACC season goes, I think this team is VERY vulnerable in the post and would get eaten alive inside by Hansbrough and UNC. I also think Wake Forest would give them problems in the post as well. Everyone else in this conference, their backcourt and wings will be too much to handle.
Wake Forest - Trounced IU, which was no surprise. This is a very talented, very athletic team who I believe could mature into a top 5 team should they continue to develop. At the moment, I'll go with 3rd best in the ACC.
Miami (FL) - Losing McClinton made all the difference in the Ohio St. game. I would be more concerned with this team if this wasn't a road game, and if this wasn't a decent Ohio St. team, and if they hadn't lost McClinton due to a flagrant foul. All those things considered, I'll move that loss from the "Should have won" category to the "Toss up game where home court advantage made the difference" category. It is unsettling, though, that outside of McClinton and Hurdle the U really struggled against Ohio St.'s full court pressure, and that their defense looked as bad as it did in the 2nd half. Both of those will REALLY hurt Miami against Duke, UNC, and Wake and is the main reason they're 4th right now. But they should still make the tourney with relative ease.
This is where things get dicey. I said before if the ACC beats up on itself again and no 5th team emerges, they're going to only end up with 4 bids again. Will it happen this year? Early indications say... maybe.
Virginia Tech - That's the 2nd heartbreaking loss of the year for a school that's made a habit of heartbreaking losses over the past few years. Unfortunately for the Hokies, close loss does not equal win, and VT failed on every shot they had to get a good non-conference win. Seriously... they'll probably enter conference play with their best out of conference win being at Georgia. That's not going to get you in the tournament. To make matters worse... they only get one shot at UNC, Miami, and Wake Forest. You know what this means? Virginia Tech could be looking at as many as 11 ACC wins and a 21-7 record entering the tournament and STILL not have a quality win. Sounds a lot like last year
Clemson - Could the Tigers make a tournament run? They picked up a solid... not great, solid... win @ Illinois and are currently 8-0. This team had a fair amount of players return from last year's good, albiet overrated, team, but they've flown under the radar so far this season. After a couple more cupcake non-conference games this team will likely be 11-0 heading into Miami on December 21st. Other important games... January 17th Wake Forest comes to town, February 4th Duke comes to town, and February 25th they get a home game vs. Virginia Tech for which could make or break either team. Bottom line... the Tigers will pile a lot of wins but it's the quality ones that matter. Will they get enough of those?
Maryland - Took a ginormous step forward beating Michigan St. on a neutral floor, then took a ginormous step backward by getting killed by Georgetown in the same tournament, then took a mini-step forward beating Michigan at home. Michigan's not likely a tournament team, however, and one win in early November can only carry you so far. Vazquez is having a great season and is a difficult matchup at 6'6", but the rest of the team is nothing special. Their major tests will be January 31st at home vs. Miami and Valentine's Day at home vs. VT, and February 17th @ Clemson. Win all those swing games and the Terps are probably looking at 10 ACC wins, which that and the Michigan St. win could very well be enough to get in.
Florida State - Impressive win over Cal negated by not so impressive loss at Northwestern. They also had a win over Cincinnati earlier, which isn't great but at least it's not a cupcake team. Good chance to redeem themselves Sunday when they get Florida at home. Win that one and I will consider bumping them up a spot. Key conference games include home vs. Maryland on January 17th, home vs. Miami on February 18th, and home vs. Clemson on February 28th. They close their season with VT as well.
Boston College - The poor man's Maryland. Their preseason tournament win was less impressive (UAB), their ACC/Big 10 challenge win was less impressive (Iowa, at home, because a guy missed free throws), but unlike Maryland they have some decent non-conference games left, including @ UMass and home vs. Providence. If they don't win both of those I don't really see this team making a tournament run, as neither of those teams look like tournament teams at this point.
Georgia Tech - Lost what turned out to be a very good game vs. Penn St. This is a young team with some good players (like Gani Lawal) but this year they will likely take their lumps in the ACC.
Virginia - Three straight losses, two of them to teams that likely won't make the tournament (unless Liberty wins their conference which is entirely possible), including Minnesota in the challenge. It's not happening this year.
North Carolina State - Get back to me when you actually play someone legit.
OUTLOOK: Four teams are locks for the tournament. From what I've seen, I think it's highly unlikely the ACC doesn't get at least 1 more in unless absolutely nobody establishes themselves in conference (which I suppose is entirely possible). Virginia Tech, Clemson, Maryland, and even Florida State all have the talent to pick up some good conference wins, and the majority of those teams now have non-conference wins to fall back on a bit. At this point I think it's actually more probable that six make it in instead of four, but I'll settle for the middle and go with FIVE teams in the tournament. The 5th team? I have no idea, but I'll take Clemson based on the strength of their challenge win and the team outlook.
Purdue - See more here:
http://chitownballa.blogspot.com/2008/12/purdue-vs-duke-thoughts.html
This game was a tragedy but not a backbreaker by any means. Nobody in the Big 10 is going to have that kind of athletic ability across the board (except maybe Michigan State, and they have troubles of their own right now). At the moment they're still the Big 10 favorites in my mind.
Michigan State - Loss to UNC? Not particularly disturbing, since I kind of expected this. Loss to Maryland? Uh oh... This team is uber-talented but they haven't seemed to figure it out yet. Morgan looked better in the UNC game but the Spartans aren't going to win a lot of games with him taking only 4 shots like he did against Maryland. Hopefully a good game against the Tar Heels will get him back on track. Missing Suton hurts, but he's not the whole answer. The Spartans need to stop turning the ball over and start taking better shots if they're going to want to fix this offense for Big 10 play.
Wisconsin - They get 3rd in the Big 10 for the time being. This team lost a few key seniors from last year but there was no doubt in my mind this would still be a competitive team. They're very well coached, they're experienced on the perimeter, and they're one of the few teams who stick to their game plan for 40 minutes whether they're playing UConn or Cal State Fullerton. And it worked for a while against the #2 team in the nation, so why not? This team is somewhat undersized and not as talented or athletic as the two teams above them (or the one below) but the Badgers will find a way to stay competitive for a Big 10 title.
Ohio St. - I guess I have to start worrying about this team now, huh? They beat a Jack McClinton-less Hurricanes squad on the road to pick up a very, very good non-conference win. I didn't think this team was going to have any real struggle to make the tournament but especially with the Miami win, the pressure's off somewhat in Big 10 play. This is a very young team, as no seniors get any real playing time. Sophomores Evan Turner and Jon Diebler lead the way offensively, and David Lighty gives the team some veteran presence underneath. Defensively, their full court pressure gave the U all kinds of headaches and forced 18 turnovers. And this is with the major stars of this incoming freshman class - B. J. Mullins, William Buford, Anthony Crater - all struggling. Once these guys come around, this Buckeye team could be very, very dangerous.
Illinois - The Big 10 has a few options for a possible 5th team in the tournament. These best of those options is the Illini, who suffered a heartbreaking loss in the last possession vs. Clemson. That was a crucial loss that could have huge implications when it comes to ranking teams in March. They do have a good non-conference win at Vanderbilt, which is one of the more difficult places to win in college basketball. This team has a good mix of youngsters (Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis) and vets (Trent Meacham, Chester Frazier) and they play with a chip on their shoulder. The question is... will that Clemson loss come back to hurt them? They get shots at home vs. Ohio St. and Wisconsin on back-to-back games in mid-January, and Michigan St. comes to town in March.
Michigan - Another team that may be looking to one win to carry them to a tournament bid. The win over UCLA at a neutral court was very good, but unfortunately they couldn't follow it up against Duke or @ Maryland. Neither are bad losses, but especially the Maryland one is one that a tournament team should probably win. They get another shot at Duke on Saturday and then some cupcake games before conference play. If DeShawn Sims can step up in conference play like he has so far this year, Michigan has a chance to finish as high as 4th or 5th in the Big 10, and if they get some solid wins in conference, they might just sneak in the NCAAs.
Minnesota - Well, they're undefeated, but their best win so far is home vs. Virginia. But still, they're undefeated, and they won't be seriously challenged until December 20th vs. Louisville. They're probably on the outside looking in at the moment but if they can pick up wins on January 29th vs. Illinois, February 4th vs. Michigan St., or March 3rd vs. Wisconsin, they will be in the running.
Penn St. - Could the Nittany Lions make a Big 10 run? Taylor Battle is a very, very good player, and Stanley Pringle and Jamelle Cornley have been good secondary options offensively. There's nothing from their resume to suggest they can't be compeititive. So to answer the question... it's unlikely they'll make a serious tournament run, but they have the ability to steal a game or two from the tournament hopefuls of the conference.
Northwestern - Well... they beat Florida State... and they only lost @ Butler by four... maybe? Probably not. They're not talented enough t beat teams like Illinois and Michigan on a consistent basis, but like Penn St., they could steal a game or two.
Iowa - Got pounded by West Virginia and beat Kansas State by two, and lost to Boston College, which puts them solidly on the bubble... of the NIT.
Indiana - They're awful. Let's just leave it at that.
OUTLOOK: Four bids are likely, with Purdue, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State solidly in at the moment. Could a 5th team get in? Illinois could make a run, as could Michigan, but both are probably on the outside looking in right now. Minnesota hasn't been challenged yet. It depends a lot on the national picture, but if I had to guess right now, I'd say the Big 10 will probably just miss out on a 5th and get FOUR teams in the tournament.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Purdue-Duke Preview
When I got Purdue's schedule, this was the game we all circled, and now it's finally here. You don't get shots at top 5 teams in your arena very often, especially a team with as much tradition and prestige as Duke. This would be a HUGE win for our program. With my innate bias in mind (which I will keep to a minimum) I'll give a preview of this game and what I think is going to happen.
Match-ups:
Backcourt -
Duke: Gerald Henderson, Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer
This backcourt, I think, is as good as any in the country. They can all score at the rim, they can all hit the three, and they all split shots, meaning you can't focus on one guy. This presents a lot of problems for most teams, as they don't have the guards defensively to match up to their athleticism and versatility. Henderson in particular can be difficult to deal with when he's on his game. These guys won't shoot a lot of threes but both Henderson and Smith are shooting over 38% from behind the line and we can't ignore that as a possible threat.
Purdue: E' Twaun Moore, Keaton Grant, Chris Kramer
I believe if there's a team that can match up defensively against this set of guards, this is it. All three are good defenders, especially Kramer, who was the Big Ten defensive player of the year last year. We play an aggressive defense on the perimeter, creating steals and turnovers. Of course, this leaves us vulnerable to the dribble drive as well. Offensively, Moore and Grant both consistently shoot over 40% from three and are not afraid to pull the trigger consistently from that range. Of the two, Moore is also adept at finishing at the rim, and particularly because Duke doesn't have a true low post presence, if he gets in the lane, he can get some baskets. Kramer is limited offensively but gets about one drive and lay-up a game.
Advantage: Duke, but they've been turnover prone this season so if we can creats some turnovers this will be a much more even matchup.
Frontcourt -
Duke: Kyle Singler is Duke's best option offensively. His combination of size and speed makes him a matchup nightmare. He can get into the lane and finish at the rim or from mid-range. He can get to the line, although he hasn't been doing that as much as of late. He can also knock down a three here and there. He also leads the team in rebounds and assists, so the Duke offense runs through him. After that, Duke gets a little thin. Brian Zoubek, the 7 footer, starts at center but he's limited on both ends of the floor.
Purdue: Robbie Hummel is probably Purdue's best player overall. He does a little bit of everything for the Boilers. He can create his own shot, he's a solid defender, he rebounds, he passes well and finds the open man. He has matured into a leader for this team, particularly on the offensive end. Like Singler, he's a matchup nightmare, but unlike Singler, his game is much more perimeter oriented. He shoots over 40% from three and is a threat to score anywhere on the court. Starting alongside Hummel is JaJuan Johnson. He's tall and athletic but soft underneath and needs to be a bigger presence in the post. When he's on his game, he can hit jumpers out to about 14 feet and score with a variety of options in the post, and he's a decent shotblocker, but he's gotten shoved around a lot recently. Expect to see a lot of Nemanja Calasan.
Advantage: Ever so slight edge to Duke. Even though I think the majority of our frontcourt is better, Singler makes this entire unit better for Duke.
Bench -
Duke: The Blue Devils have a number of options off the bench. Lance Thomas is their biggest scoring threat, as he averages over 9 points on the season and had 21 vs. Duquesne. Greg Paulus is a good backup PG and adds veteran leadership. Elliot Williams and David McClure also see decent minutes and aren't scoring threats but they give Dujke quality minutes. Overall this isn't a grouop that will wow anyone but they do a good job playing a support role.
Purdue: As mentioned before, expect to see Nemanja Calasan a lot this game. He's got good range and has a variety of moves in the post. Marcus Green provides rebounding an defense and an occaisional scoring punch. Lewis Jackson is our backup PG. He's very raw, but has a lot of speed and athleticism and showed vs. Oklahoma he can hit the jumper. Ryne Smith, another freshman, came off the bench for good minutes against the cupcake opponents but didn't play in New York.
Advantage: Purdue. While Duke's bench gives quality minutes, we have several scoring threats on our bench and there's less of a dropoff in talent from the starting 5 to the bench.
Leadership/Experience -
Both teams played in New York earlier this year in their respective tournaments. This is Duke's first real road test, as Purdue has already played a top 10 team away from home. Advantage to Purdue
Intangibles -
As a Purdue student I can guarantee you Mackey will be rocking, and the Boilers feed off that energy. Definite advantage to Purdue.
Overall Assessment:
These teams are very similar on paper. They match-up pretty much evenly at all the positions. However, there is a significant difference in terms of style and offensive strategy. Purdue looks for the three a lot more, while Duke likes to drive to the basket and finish inside. Both teams have had turnover problems earlier this year. Defensively, both teams aggressively guard the ball handler and get in passing lanes, looking for steals. This could end up being a very sloppy game overall, but also very high scoring due to its pace. In other words, it'll be fun to watch.
When Duke has the ball: They have so many options offensively in their starting 5, it's kinda scary. Henderson, Scheyer, Singler, Smith, and maybe even Paulus and Thomas all have the capability to go off on any given night. If anything, though, Purdue has been good at shutting down teams on the perimeter because we have so many good perimeter defenders. If Duke is able to beat us off the dribble and get into the lane, this could be a long day for my Boilers. I think our help defense is good but with so many options offensively it will be difficult to not leave a good scorer open on the rotation. If we can slow down the dribble drive, either by good man-to-man defense or turnovers, I believe we can stop this Duke attack... for the most part
When Purdue has the ball: A lot of the same things can be said for Purdue as well. Lots of scoring threats, lots of good perimeter defenders for Duke. The strategy is different, though, as Duke's pressure will lead to less open threes from the outside. Therefore, I think guys like Johnson and Calasan will be crucial inside, since Duke doesn't have a good prescence defensively in the post. Hopefully we'll incorporate some good movement off the ball and some back cuts on that pressure defense. Limit turnovers and good movement without the ball... if we can do that, then we just have to make shots, and hopefully we have enough guys who can do that that it won't be a problem.
PREDICTION: Obviously it won't go as easy as I'm making it sound. Winning the turnover battle is absolutely essential, and staying out of foul trouble is a must. The difference in this game? Home court advantage. On a neutral site this is pretty much a toss-up. At home, I know my guys are going to be fired up and ready to play. That makes the difference in this game.
Purdue 82, Duke 78
Match-ups:
Backcourt -
Duke: Gerald Henderson, Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer
This backcourt, I think, is as good as any in the country. They can all score at the rim, they can all hit the three, and they all split shots, meaning you can't focus on one guy. This presents a lot of problems for most teams, as they don't have the guards defensively to match up to their athleticism and versatility. Henderson in particular can be difficult to deal with when he's on his game. These guys won't shoot a lot of threes but both Henderson and Smith are shooting over 38% from behind the line and we can't ignore that as a possible threat.
Purdue: E' Twaun Moore, Keaton Grant, Chris Kramer
I believe if there's a team that can match up defensively against this set of guards, this is it. All three are good defenders, especially Kramer, who was the Big Ten defensive player of the year last year. We play an aggressive defense on the perimeter, creating steals and turnovers. Of course, this leaves us vulnerable to the dribble drive as well. Offensively, Moore and Grant both consistently shoot over 40% from three and are not afraid to pull the trigger consistently from that range. Of the two, Moore is also adept at finishing at the rim, and particularly because Duke doesn't have a true low post presence, if he gets in the lane, he can get some baskets. Kramer is limited offensively but gets about one drive and lay-up a game.
Advantage: Duke, but they've been turnover prone this season so if we can creats some turnovers this will be a much more even matchup.
Frontcourt -
Duke: Kyle Singler is Duke's best option offensively. His combination of size and speed makes him a matchup nightmare. He can get into the lane and finish at the rim or from mid-range. He can get to the line, although he hasn't been doing that as much as of late. He can also knock down a three here and there. He also leads the team in rebounds and assists, so the Duke offense runs through him. After that, Duke gets a little thin. Brian Zoubek, the 7 footer, starts at center but he's limited on both ends of the floor.
Purdue: Robbie Hummel is probably Purdue's best player overall. He does a little bit of everything for the Boilers. He can create his own shot, he's a solid defender, he rebounds, he passes well and finds the open man. He has matured into a leader for this team, particularly on the offensive end. Like Singler, he's a matchup nightmare, but unlike Singler, his game is much more perimeter oriented. He shoots over 40% from three and is a threat to score anywhere on the court. Starting alongside Hummel is JaJuan Johnson. He's tall and athletic but soft underneath and needs to be a bigger presence in the post. When he's on his game, he can hit jumpers out to about 14 feet and score with a variety of options in the post, and he's a decent shotblocker, but he's gotten shoved around a lot recently. Expect to see a lot of Nemanja Calasan.
Advantage: Ever so slight edge to Duke. Even though I think the majority of our frontcourt is better, Singler makes this entire unit better for Duke.
Bench -
Duke: The Blue Devils have a number of options off the bench. Lance Thomas is their biggest scoring threat, as he averages over 9 points on the season and had 21 vs. Duquesne. Greg Paulus is a good backup PG and adds veteran leadership. Elliot Williams and David McClure also see decent minutes and aren't scoring threats but they give Dujke quality minutes. Overall this isn't a grouop that will wow anyone but they do a good job playing a support role.
Purdue: As mentioned before, expect to see Nemanja Calasan a lot this game. He's got good range and has a variety of moves in the post. Marcus Green provides rebounding an defense and an occaisional scoring punch. Lewis Jackson is our backup PG. He's very raw, but has a lot of speed and athleticism and showed vs. Oklahoma he can hit the jumper. Ryne Smith, another freshman, came off the bench for good minutes against the cupcake opponents but didn't play in New York.
Advantage: Purdue. While Duke's bench gives quality minutes, we have several scoring threats on our bench and there's less of a dropoff in talent from the starting 5 to the bench.
Leadership/Experience -
Both teams played in New York earlier this year in their respective tournaments. This is Duke's first real road test, as Purdue has already played a top 10 team away from home. Advantage to Purdue
Intangibles -
As a Purdue student I can guarantee you Mackey will be rocking, and the Boilers feed off that energy. Definite advantage to Purdue.
Overall Assessment:
These teams are very similar on paper. They match-up pretty much evenly at all the positions. However, there is a significant difference in terms of style and offensive strategy. Purdue looks for the three a lot more, while Duke likes to drive to the basket and finish inside. Both teams have had turnover problems earlier this year. Defensively, both teams aggressively guard the ball handler and get in passing lanes, looking for steals. This could end up being a very sloppy game overall, but also very high scoring due to its pace. In other words, it'll be fun to watch.
When Duke has the ball: They have so many options offensively in their starting 5, it's kinda scary. Henderson, Scheyer, Singler, Smith, and maybe even Paulus and Thomas all have the capability to go off on any given night. If anything, though, Purdue has been good at shutting down teams on the perimeter because we have so many good perimeter defenders. If Duke is able to beat us off the dribble and get into the lane, this could be a long day for my Boilers. I think our help defense is good but with so many options offensively it will be difficult to not leave a good scorer open on the rotation. If we can slow down the dribble drive, either by good man-to-man defense or turnovers, I believe we can stop this Duke attack... for the most part
When Purdue has the ball: A lot of the same things can be said for Purdue as well. Lots of scoring threats, lots of good perimeter defenders for Duke. The strategy is different, though, as Duke's pressure will lead to less open threes from the outside. Therefore, I think guys like Johnson and Calasan will be crucial inside, since Duke doesn't have a good prescence defensively in the post. Hopefully we'll incorporate some good movement off the ball and some back cuts on that pressure defense. Limit turnovers and good movement without the ball... if we can do that, then we just have to make shots, and hopefully we have enough guys who can do that that it won't be a problem.
PREDICTION: Obviously it won't go as easy as I'm making it sound. Winning the turnover battle is absolutely essential, and staying out of foul trouble is a must. The difference in this game? Home court advantage. On a neutral site this is pretty much a toss-up. At home, I know my guys are going to be fired up and ready to play. That makes the difference in this game.
Purdue 82, Duke 78
Monday, December 1, 2008
Games to Watch - Week of Dec. 1st
It's December and while the weather's getting colder, the college basketball season is heating up! Okay, that was really dumb, but it's kinda true. Anyway, on with the games to watch:
Preseason Tourneys/Events:
ACC/Big 10 Challenge (Dec. 1st-3rd)
The annual ACC whipping of the Big 10 is upon us, but despite how the overall results may go the individual matchups should be really good. Rather than list all the matchups here, I'll preview them as we go depending on what day it is.
My Pick: Listed on Wednesday
Big 12/ Pac-10 Hardwood Series
Apparently this already started. Stanford beat Colorado on Saturday to give the Pac-10 a 1-0 lead. So much for organization. Seriously, take a page from the ACC/Big 10 challenge and just put every game on a three day window. It can't be that difficult. They've got series games in late December for crying out loud. I'm not going to remember this series by then. Anyway, I'll preview these games as well, as there's some good games to be found here as well.
My pick: Listed on Sunday
Mon Dec. 1st
ACC/Big 10 Challenge games:
Wisconsin v. Virginia Tech - The Big 10 might actually win this one. I like the Badgers more than most people I've heard from thus far. I think they execute their methodical style of basketball as well as anyone in the country, and they hung with UConn for a good portion of the Paradise Jam final. Meanwhile, people wonder why the Hokies haven't made the tournament the past few years and it's for this reason: they don't win these kinds of games. They've already lost to Xavier and Seton Hall and with some other ACC teams getting some good out of conference wins (Maryland, BC) Virginia Tech probably needs this one to keep pace, as it's their last shot at a good non conference win.
George Mason v. Liberty - Yes, it's a slow day in college hoops, but that means I get to talk some small conference b-ball! George Mason's back on top of the Colonial for the time being, and with VCU not blowing anyone out of the water, the conference could be up for the taking again. The Patriots already won @ East Carolina, who beat VCU, so they have this game and @ Dayton at the end of December before their conference schedule. Meanwhile, Liberty has the best overall record in the Big South but is in last because they already lost a conference game to favorites UNC-Asheville. They have @ Clemson and @ DePaul coming up before the conference season.
Tues, Dec. 2nd
ACC/Big 10 Challenge games:
Ohio State v. Miami (FL) - this is the beginning of a very difficult stretch for the Buckeyes which includes @ Notre Dame, Butler, and West Virginia at the end of the month. Ohio State hasn't been tested at all this year but they will be soon.
Iowa v. Boston College - I haven't seen Iowa play but I have seen BC and if that game was any indication, Iowa's going to have their hands full with this young Eagles team. Iowa already got smoked by West Virginia this year so it's not looking good for the Big 10 in this matchup.
Clemson v. Illinois - I think the Big 10 has a legit shot at winning this one as well. Clemson is undefeated but their best win is home vs. Temple which isn't anything to write home about. Meanwhile, Illinois showed what they're capable of this year by winning at Vanderbilt, which is not an easy thing to do by any means. At the beginning of the season I would've given this one to Clemson but now I think the young Illini players are growing up quicker than any of us expected.
Virginia v. Minnesota - Possibly the worst team in the ACC vs. an okay mid-level Big 10 team. Good matchup for the Big 10, but the Cavaliers did give Syracuse all they could handle at the Carrier Dome on Friday, so this one could go either way as well
Duke v. Purdue - This could be the most competitive game of the challenge, or it could be very one-sided. If Purdue can do a better job of limiting fouls, cut off driving lanes, and create turnovers, we're going to have a very entertaining game on our hands. However, Duke also has the firepower to run the Boilers out of their own gymnasium. If I was a betting man, I'd vote for the former, especially considering Purdue doesn't go down easily in Mackey.
Wed Dec 3rd
Indiana v. Wake Forest - Do I really need to say anything about this game?
Penn State v. Georgia Tech - Tech's played no one. State lost to Rhode Island but otherwise beat a bunch of cupcakes. Neither team has really done anything yet, and not much is expected out of either of them, so let's call this even.
Michigan v. Maryland - The battle of the mini-Cinderellas. Both have beaten top 10 teams so far this year, and both could surprise come conference play. Of the two, Maryland's win impressed me more. I feel like they dominated Michigan St. more, and UCLA simply couldn't execute offensively down the stretch vs. Michigan. Slight edge to the Terps but this one could go either way.
UNC v. Michigan St. - The Spartans had issues with a mid-level ACC team that probably won't make the tournament and a decent Missouri Valley team that probably won't make the tournament. I don't care that it's in Detroit, they're not beating the Tar Heels.
Florida St. v. Northwestern - The Seminoles have the advantage, but watch out for Coble and that screwy Princeton offense Northwestern runs.
MY PREDICTIONS: I'm picking UNC, Wake Forest, Florida State, and Boston College for sure in the ACC, and Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Purdue for the Big 10 (despite my belief that Purdue-Duke will be a close game that could easily go either way, I'm not picking against my team). The other matchups are toss-ups. Of the four, I'm leaning towards Miami (FL) and Maryland. Clemson-Illinois seems pretty even, and I have no idea on the Penn State-Georgia Tech game, so for kicks I'll take Illinois and Penn State and say the ACC wins 6-5.
West Virginia v. Ole Miss - Really, people. Anyone could win the SEC West at this point. Of the six Miss St. has looked the best but they lost to Washington St. and Texas Tech over the weekend so they're far from stellar. Meanwhile this is probably the Rebels best shot at beaing a good non-conference opponent this year (unless Louisville decides to cash it in again like against Western Kentucky)
Wichita State v. Texas Tech - Tech lost to Pitt but beat Mississippi State to take third place in the Legends Classic, which I would say is a success. They have a tricky non-conference game here vs. a Wichita State team who only went 1-2 in the Old Spice Classic but gave both Georgetown and Michigan St. problems offensively. If Tech wins this game, they only have @ UTEP standing in the way of a 14-1 non-conference slate, which is what they'll need to do to make a tournament run.
DePaul v. Cal - The Bears are in a similar situation to Texas Tech... and they have @ UNLV as a win on their resume. And in a Pac-10 which appears pretty wide open at this point, there will be decent wins to go around. I'd say 4th place in the Pac 10 is not an unreasonable goal, and that would give them some at-large consideration for the tournament.
Thurs, Dec. 4th
Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series
UCLA v. Texas - Actually, I take that back. Any series that can give us this good of a matchup early in the season is okay in my book. If you like slow-paced defensive basketball, this one's for you. Don't expect either team to run the other out of the water. It will likely come down to execution at the end... and this would be a good time for the UCLA freshman to start living up to the hype.
USC v. Oklahoma - Taj Gibson vs. Blake Griffin. Sounds like a matchup we'll be hearing more of in the NBA someday. But for now, we have a very talented but underachieving Trojan team taking on a very talented, overachieving Sooner team. On paper, this is a close matchup. Based on recent results, this definitely favors the Big 12 again.
Oklahoma St. v. Washington - Okay, Huskies... you're looking to get a good non-conference win for your tournament resume... well, how about Kansas? No? Too good for you? How about Florida? Still no? Well... uh... I'm kind of at a loss for options here... how about the Cowboys? Seriously, take it or leave it. You're going to need one of these at some point and this is your best option. Well?
Mt. St. Mary's v. Sacred Heart - Yay for ESPN showing two not-very-good small conference teams on national TV. Not being sarcastic or anything...
Fri, Dec. 5th
Arizona v. Texas A&M - Looking like a win for the Pac-10, but the Aggies have a good mix of senior leadership and young talent which could mesh later in the year during Big 12 conference play.
Sat, Dec. 6th
Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series
Baylor v. Washington State - If you want to stay up late, you might catch this sleeper of a basketball game. And by "sleeper" I mean "underrated", not actually sleeping
Oregon State v. Iowa State - Hey, at least the Beavers won a b-ball game!
Duke v. Michigan - No, this isn't a typo. They were already scheduled to play this season. So yes, they're playing each other twice. This isn't that difficult of a concept people
Ohio State v. Notre Dame - Game two of the out of the three game stretch that will define Ohio State's resume. At least, the non-conference part
Miami (FL) v. Kentucky - Last year, they started their tournament run during conference play. This year, with wins over Kansas State and West Virginia, they're trying to put away bad memories of ugly non-conference losses early. Want to get rid of it completely? Beat the U at home on Saturday.
Wisconsin v. Marquette - A lot of people believe this Wisconsin team shouldn't be ranked. If they want to justify their ranking, here's a good way to do it.
UAB v. Cincinnati - The Big East Campaign For 10 Tournament Teams rolls on. Chances in your house against strugging marginal tournament teams don't come around very often. If there is going to be a tenth Big East team in the tournament, they better have some good non-conference wins, and here's a possibility.
Rhode Island v. Providence - Same as above, except for the struggling part
Creighton v. St. Joseph's - The battle of the underachieving-at-large-mid-major-conference-hopefuls.
Dayton v. Akron - I'll let you in on a little secret. You know the Dayton Flyers? Yea, they're pretty good.
BYU v. Utah State - Both teams are undefeated. Go figure.
Sun, Dec. 7th
Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Classic:
Nebraska v. Arizona State - Good opportunity for a Cornhusker team that is fresh off a good win vs. Creighton. Get this win and their at-large stock would skyrocket.
Kansas St. v. Oregon - Should be a pretty even game, which hopefully means it's entertaining. Besides, if nothing else, you know the Ducks will be running the ball up and down the floor so it'll be entertaining if not sloppy.
Cal v. Missouri - This game could be very, very important for tournament selection purposes in March. And very important for the series.
MY PREDICTION: Other games in the series include Kansas @ Arizona on Dec. 23rd and Texas Tech @ Stanford on Dec. 28th. I'll take the Big 12 for two games on Thursday (Texas and Oklahoma), both games on Friday (Baylor and Iowa State), the Missouri game on Sunday, and Kansas and Tech to give the Big 12 a 7-5 win. I am also considering taking Kansas State over Oregon and REALLY wanted to pick Nebraska to upset Arizona State but both are on the road and not as likely.
Florida v. Florida State - Here's hoping this one's better than the football one.
Miss Valley St. v. Kentucky - Poor Mississippi Valley State. They're like the power conference punching bag this year. Already lost to Arizona St, Washington St, Oklahoma, Arizona, Georgia, and Iowa State. And if that isn't bad enough, their nickname is the Delta Devils. What does that even mean? But there is one saving grace. They play in the SWAC, where no team has a winning record and only one team has more than one win. So maybe they'll catch fire and win the conference. And then beat all those teams in the tournament who beat them in the regular season. That'll show them. Anyway, that seems like a good way to end this.
Preseason Tourneys/Events:
ACC/Big 10 Challenge (Dec. 1st-3rd)
The annual ACC whipping of the Big 10 is upon us, but despite how the overall results may go the individual matchups should be really good. Rather than list all the matchups here, I'll preview them as we go depending on what day it is.
My Pick: Listed on Wednesday
Big 12/ Pac-10 Hardwood Series
Apparently this already started. Stanford beat Colorado on Saturday to give the Pac-10 a 1-0 lead. So much for organization. Seriously, take a page from the ACC/Big 10 challenge and just put every game on a three day window. It can't be that difficult. They've got series games in late December for crying out loud. I'm not going to remember this series by then. Anyway, I'll preview these games as well, as there's some good games to be found here as well.
My pick: Listed on Sunday
Mon Dec. 1st
ACC/Big 10 Challenge games:
Wisconsin v. Virginia Tech - The Big 10 might actually win this one. I like the Badgers more than most people I've heard from thus far. I think they execute their methodical style of basketball as well as anyone in the country, and they hung with UConn for a good portion of the Paradise Jam final. Meanwhile, people wonder why the Hokies haven't made the tournament the past few years and it's for this reason: they don't win these kinds of games. They've already lost to Xavier and Seton Hall and with some other ACC teams getting some good out of conference wins (Maryland, BC) Virginia Tech probably needs this one to keep pace, as it's their last shot at a good non conference win.
George Mason v. Liberty - Yes, it's a slow day in college hoops, but that means I get to talk some small conference b-ball! George Mason's back on top of the Colonial for the time being, and with VCU not blowing anyone out of the water, the conference could be up for the taking again. The Patriots already won @ East Carolina, who beat VCU, so they have this game and @ Dayton at the end of December before their conference schedule. Meanwhile, Liberty has the best overall record in the Big South but is in last because they already lost a conference game to favorites UNC-Asheville. They have @ Clemson and @ DePaul coming up before the conference season.
Tues, Dec. 2nd
ACC/Big 10 Challenge games:
Ohio State v. Miami (FL) - this is the beginning of a very difficult stretch for the Buckeyes which includes @ Notre Dame, Butler, and West Virginia at the end of the month. Ohio State hasn't been tested at all this year but they will be soon.
Iowa v. Boston College - I haven't seen Iowa play but I have seen BC and if that game was any indication, Iowa's going to have their hands full with this young Eagles team. Iowa already got smoked by West Virginia this year so it's not looking good for the Big 10 in this matchup.
Clemson v. Illinois - I think the Big 10 has a legit shot at winning this one as well. Clemson is undefeated but their best win is home vs. Temple which isn't anything to write home about. Meanwhile, Illinois showed what they're capable of this year by winning at Vanderbilt, which is not an easy thing to do by any means. At the beginning of the season I would've given this one to Clemson but now I think the young Illini players are growing up quicker than any of us expected.
Virginia v. Minnesota - Possibly the worst team in the ACC vs. an okay mid-level Big 10 team. Good matchup for the Big 10, but the Cavaliers did give Syracuse all they could handle at the Carrier Dome on Friday, so this one could go either way as well
Duke v. Purdue - This could be the most competitive game of the challenge, or it could be very one-sided. If Purdue can do a better job of limiting fouls, cut off driving lanes, and create turnovers, we're going to have a very entertaining game on our hands. However, Duke also has the firepower to run the Boilers out of their own gymnasium. If I was a betting man, I'd vote for the former, especially considering Purdue doesn't go down easily in Mackey.
Wed Dec 3rd
Indiana v. Wake Forest - Do I really need to say anything about this game?
Penn State v. Georgia Tech - Tech's played no one. State lost to Rhode Island but otherwise beat a bunch of cupcakes. Neither team has really done anything yet, and not much is expected out of either of them, so let's call this even.
Michigan v. Maryland - The battle of the mini-Cinderellas. Both have beaten top 10 teams so far this year, and both could surprise come conference play. Of the two, Maryland's win impressed me more. I feel like they dominated Michigan St. more, and UCLA simply couldn't execute offensively down the stretch vs. Michigan. Slight edge to the Terps but this one could go either way.
UNC v. Michigan St. - The Spartans had issues with a mid-level ACC team that probably won't make the tournament and a decent Missouri Valley team that probably won't make the tournament. I don't care that it's in Detroit, they're not beating the Tar Heels.
Florida St. v. Northwestern - The Seminoles have the advantage, but watch out for Coble and that screwy Princeton offense Northwestern runs.
MY PREDICTIONS: I'm picking UNC, Wake Forest, Florida State, and Boston College for sure in the ACC, and Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Purdue for the Big 10 (despite my belief that Purdue-Duke will be a close game that could easily go either way, I'm not picking against my team). The other matchups are toss-ups. Of the four, I'm leaning towards Miami (FL) and Maryland. Clemson-Illinois seems pretty even, and I have no idea on the Penn State-Georgia Tech game, so for kicks I'll take Illinois and Penn State and say the ACC wins 6-5.
West Virginia v. Ole Miss - Really, people. Anyone could win the SEC West at this point. Of the six Miss St. has looked the best but they lost to Washington St. and Texas Tech over the weekend so they're far from stellar. Meanwhile this is probably the Rebels best shot at beaing a good non-conference opponent this year (unless Louisville decides to cash it in again like against Western Kentucky)
Wichita State v. Texas Tech - Tech lost to Pitt but beat Mississippi State to take third place in the Legends Classic, which I would say is a success. They have a tricky non-conference game here vs. a Wichita State team who only went 1-2 in the Old Spice Classic but gave both Georgetown and Michigan St. problems offensively. If Tech wins this game, they only have @ UTEP standing in the way of a 14-1 non-conference slate, which is what they'll need to do to make a tournament run.
DePaul v. Cal - The Bears are in a similar situation to Texas Tech... and they have @ UNLV as a win on their resume. And in a Pac-10 which appears pretty wide open at this point, there will be decent wins to go around. I'd say 4th place in the Pac 10 is not an unreasonable goal, and that would give them some at-large consideration for the tournament.
Thurs, Dec. 4th
Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series
UCLA v. Texas - Actually, I take that back. Any series that can give us this good of a matchup early in the season is okay in my book. If you like slow-paced defensive basketball, this one's for you. Don't expect either team to run the other out of the water. It will likely come down to execution at the end... and this would be a good time for the UCLA freshman to start living up to the hype.
USC v. Oklahoma - Taj Gibson vs. Blake Griffin. Sounds like a matchup we'll be hearing more of in the NBA someday. But for now, we have a very talented but underachieving Trojan team taking on a very talented, overachieving Sooner team. On paper, this is a close matchup. Based on recent results, this definitely favors the Big 12 again.
Oklahoma St. v. Washington - Okay, Huskies... you're looking to get a good non-conference win for your tournament resume... well, how about Kansas? No? Too good for you? How about Florida? Still no? Well... uh... I'm kind of at a loss for options here... how about the Cowboys? Seriously, take it or leave it. You're going to need one of these at some point and this is your best option. Well?
Mt. St. Mary's v. Sacred Heart - Yay for ESPN showing two not-very-good small conference teams on national TV. Not being sarcastic or anything...
Fri, Dec. 5th
Arizona v. Texas A&M - Looking like a win for the Pac-10, but the Aggies have a good mix of senior leadership and young talent which could mesh later in the year during Big 12 conference play.
Sat, Dec. 6th
Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series
Baylor v. Washington State - If you want to stay up late, you might catch this sleeper of a basketball game. And by "sleeper" I mean "underrated", not actually sleeping
Oregon State v. Iowa State - Hey, at least the Beavers won a b-ball game!
Duke v. Michigan - No, this isn't a typo. They were already scheduled to play this season. So yes, they're playing each other twice. This isn't that difficult of a concept people
Ohio State v. Notre Dame - Game two of the out of the three game stretch that will define Ohio State's resume. At least, the non-conference part
Miami (FL) v. Kentucky - Last year, they started their tournament run during conference play. This year, with wins over Kansas State and West Virginia, they're trying to put away bad memories of ugly non-conference losses early. Want to get rid of it completely? Beat the U at home on Saturday.
Wisconsin v. Marquette - A lot of people believe this Wisconsin team shouldn't be ranked. If they want to justify their ranking, here's a good way to do it.
UAB v. Cincinnati - The Big East Campaign For 10 Tournament Teams rolls on. Chances in your house against strugging marginal tournament teams don't come around very often. If there is going to be a tenth Big East team in the tournament, they better have some good non-conference wins, and here's a possibility.
Rhode Island v. Providence - Same as above, except for the struggling part
Creighton v. St. Joseph's - The battle of the underachieving-at-large-mid-major-conference-hopefuls.
Dayton v. Akron - I'll let you in on a little secret. You know the Dayton Flyers? Yea, they're pretty good.
BYU v. Utah State - Both teams are undefeated. Go figure.
Sun, Dec. 7th
Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Classic:
Nebraska v. Arizona State - Good opportunity for a Cornhusker team that is fresh off a good win vs. Creighton. Get this win and their at-large stock would skyrocket.
Kansas St. v. Oregon - Should be a pretty even game, which hopefully means it's entertaining. Besides, if nothing else, you know the Ducks will be running the ball up and down the floor so it'll be entertaining if not sloppy.
Cal v. Missouri - This game could be very, very important for tournament selection purposes in March. And very important for the series.
MY PREDICTION: Other games in the series include Kansas @ Arizona on Dec. 23rd and Texas Tech @ Stanford on Dec. 28th. I'll take the Big 12 for two games on Thursday (Texas and Oklahoma), both games on Friday (Baylor and Iowa State), the Missouri game on Sunday, and Kansas and Tech to give the Big 12 a 7-5 win. I am also considering taking Kansas State over Oregon and REALLY wanted to pick Nebraska to upset Arizona State but both are on the road and not as likely.
Florida v. Florida State - Here's hoping this one's better than the football one.
Miss Valley St. v. Kentucky - Poor Mississippi Valley State. They're like the power conference punching bag this year. Already lost to Arizona St, Washington St, Oklahoma, Arizona, Georgia, and Iowa State. And if that isn't bad enough, their nickname is the Delta Devils. What does that even mean? But there is one saving grace. They play in the SWAC, where no team has a winning record and only one team has more than one win. So maybe they'll catch fire and win the conference. And then beat all those teams in the tournament who beat them in the regular season. That'll show them. Anyway, that seems like a good way to end this.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
College Basketball Recap - Nov 28th
I'm not really in the mood to write this due to my team's outcome yesterday, but the show must go on so here we go:
Oklahoma beat Purdue, 87-82 (OT)
Oklahoma - Okay, so maybe this team isn't just Blake Griffin. But in reality, this would not be a top 25 team without him. He does so much for this team that doesn't show up on the stat sheet. He draws defensive attention and passes well, meaning his teammates open shots. He's a beast on the glass and he keeps possessions alive. But it was the other Oklahoma guys that killed Purdue yesterday. Willie Warren had 22 points to lead the Sooners. This guy is a stud. He's so quick off the dribble and is a gifted finisher at the rim. He made some freshman mistakes but once he gets some college experience the guy's going to be a star. Taylor Griffin had an excellent game as well. I still question the depth of this team, particularly against a squad more athletic than Purdue, but so far I've seen enough to move Oklahoma into my top 10 and possibly the favorite to win the Big 12.
Purdue - The Boilers had two major issues appear yesterday: foul trouble and offensive execution. They rely on the three point shot a ton, which is okay if you can make them, but if the perimeter shots aren't falling this team has a tough time generating offense. Their defense kept them in the lead for a while but eventually the foul problems caught up to them. They were also vulnerable to the dribble drive, especially against Warren. They'll be facing a ton of that vs. Duke, so we'll learn more about this team's defensive ability. They do play some of the best team defense I've seen so far this year, and I don't doubt they'll limit the Duke offense somewhat, but the question is: will this team score enough to beat teams more athletic than them?
Tennessee beat Georgetown, 90-78
Tennessee - They fell down early in the 2nd half after a 23-10 Georgetown run but rallied the troops and basically outworked the Hoyas. They had 8 guys play over 15 minutes, and only two guys played over 22 minutes (Tyler Smith and Bobby Maze) which is a testament to this team's depth and athleticism. For the second straight game the Vols had a starter in foul trouble (Chism this time) and they were able to rally with a small lineup. Once again I had a tough time determining whether or not this team won because they were simply more athletic than Georgetown or because they executed better overall but I do believe if this team ends up in a halfcourt game against someone like a Texas or Gonzaga (who they play Sunday) they will be in a lot of trouble
Georgetown - Solid team. I didn't expect a lot from the Hoyas but they put up a great fight vs. the favored Vols. John Thompson III said he didn't think depth was a factor but when you're playing a deep team like Tennessee who wants to push it for 40 minutes, I guarantee you it becomes a problem at some point. Early on the Hoyas we unable to hold it together vs. the pressure (10 turnovers in the first 15 minutes) but they calmed down and actually had a pretty decent offensive game, with 53% shooting. This Hoya team has a variety of guys that can put the ball in the bucket - DaJuan Summers, Chris Wright, Greg Monroe, Austin Freeman - but nobody that can really take over a game yet (Monroe can be that kind of a player but he was in foul trouble for most of the first half). Overall this team will rely on a methodical style of offense, good movement without the ball, and tight defense to win games but I'm just not sure it's going to be enough to get over .500 in a loaded Big East conference.
There were plenty of other top 25 games on Friday. Gonzaga disposed of Maryland somewhat easily 81-59 and they will meet Tennessee for the championship of the Old Spice Classic on Sunday. Michigan State recovered from their ugly loss to the Terps to beat Oklahoma St. 94-79. They get Wichita State, who beat Siena on Friday, in the 5th place game of that tournament.
Over in the Anaheim Classic, Wake Forest fended off a pesky UTEP team with two Jeff Teague free throws with 14 seconds left to win 82-79. The Demon Deacons were badly outrebounded but still managed to win by shooting 53% from the field compared to 33% for UTEP. The Miners really had no answer for Teague (29 points) or James Johnson (8-13 shooting, 18 points). They will go on to face Baylor, who upset Arizona State 87-78, in the finals. The Bears got great production from their many guards. Jarrels had 22, LaceDarius Dunn had 27 off the bench, and Dugat added 14. Baylor tore apart Arizona State both in their zone set and on the break. As for the Sun Devils, Harden had 32 and Pendergraph had 19 on 6-7 shooting and 7-7 from the line, but it's difficult to win a basketball game when you give up 57% shooting and only force 8 turnovers, especially for a team that plays at Baylor's pace.
Meanwhile, Pitt continues to get good offensive performances from Sam Young and DeJuan Blair as the Panthers beat Texas Tech 80-67. They get a tricky matchup on Saturday: Washington State, who beat Mississippi State 63-52 and I am VERY anxious to see how this Cougars team responds to a talented, athletic team after the pounding they took vs. UNC in last year's tournament. Marquette, Duke, Kansas, and Villanova all won their games on Friday as well.
One other side note: the Las Vegas Invitational may be worth watching tonight. It features West Virginia and Kentucky. I haven't gotten a good look at the Mountaineers this year, and I have an idea of where Kentucky stands, so it'll be good to find out where these two teams need to be ranked.
Oklahoma beat Purdue, 87-82 (OT)
Oklahoma - Okay, so maybe this team isn't just Blake Griffin. But in reality, this would not be a top 25 team without him. He does so much for this team that doesn't show up on the stat sheet. He draws defensive attention and passes well, meaning his teammates open shots. He's a beast on the glass and he keeps possessions alive. But it was the other Oklahoma guys that killed Purdue yesterday. Willie Warren had 22 points to lead the Sooners. This guy is a stud. He's so quick off the dribble and is a gifted finisher at the rim. He made some freshman mistakes but once he gets some college experience the guy's going to be a star. Taylor Griffin had an excellent game as well. I still question the depth of this team, particularly against a squad more athletic than Purdue, but so far I've seen enough to move Oklahoma into my top 10 and possibly the favorite to win the Big 12.
Purdue - The Boilers had two major issues appear yesterday: foul trouble and offensive execution. They rely on the three point shot a ton, which is okay if you can make them, but if the perimeter shots aren't falling this team has a tough time generating offense. Their defense kept them in the lead for a while but eventually the foul problems caught up to them. They were also vulnerable to the dribble drive, especially against Warren. They'll be facing a ton of that vs. Duke, so we'll learn more about this team's defensive ability. They do play some of the best team defense I've seen so far this year, and I don't doubt they'll limit the Duke offense somewhat, but the question is: will this team score enough to beat teams more athletic than them?
Tennessee beat Georgetown, 90-78
Tennessee - They fell down early in the 2nd half after a 23-10 Georgetown run but rallied the troops and basically outworked the Hoyas. They had 8 guys play over 15 minutes, and only two guys played over 22 minutes (Tyler Smith and Bobby Maze) which is a testament to this team's depth and athleticism. For the second straight game the Vols had a starter in foul trouble (Chism this time) and they were able to rally with a small lineup. Once again I had a tough time determining whether or not this team won because they were simply more athletic than Georgetown or because they executed better overall but I do believe if this team ends up in a halfcourt game against someone like a Texas or Gonzaga (who they play Sunday) they will be in a lot of trouble
Georgetown - Solid team. I didn't expect a lot from the Hoyas but they put up a great fight vs. the favored Vols. John Thompson III said he didn't think depth was a factor but when you're playing a deep team like Tennessee who wants to push it for 40 minutes, I guarantee you it becomes a problem at some point. Early on the Hoyas we unable to hold it together vs. the pressure (10 turnovers in the first 15 minutes) but they calmed down and actually had a pretty decent offensive game, with 53% shooting. This Hoya team has a variety of guys that can put the ball in the bucket - DaJuan Summers, Chris Wright, Greg Monroe, Austin Freeman - but nobody that can really take over a game yet (Monroe can be that kind of a player but he was in foul trouble for most of the first half). Overall this team will rely on a methodical style of offense, good movement without the ball, and tight defense to win games but I'm just not sure it's going to be enough to get over .500 in a loaded Big East conference.
There were plenty of other top 25 games on Friday. Gonzaga disposed of Maryland somewhat easily 81-59 and they will meet Tennessee for the championship of the Old Spice Classic on Sunday. Michigan State recovered from their ugly loss to the Terps to beat Oklahoma St. 94-79. They get Wichita State, who beat Siena on Friday, in the 5th place game of that tournament.
Over in the Anaheim Classic, Wake Forest fended off a pesky UTEP team with two Jeff Teague free throws with 14 seconds left to win 82-79. The Demon Deacons were badly outrebounded but still managed to win by shooting 53% from the field compared to 33% for UTEP. The Miners really had no answer for Teague (29 points) or James Johnson (8-13 shooting, 18 points). They will go on to face Baylor, who upset Arizona State 87-78, in the finals. The Bears got great production from their many guards. Jarrels had 22, LaceDarius Dunn had 27 off the bench, and Dugat added 14. Baylor tore apart Arizona State both in their zone set and on the break. As for the Sun Devils, Harden had 32 and Pendergraph had 19 on 6-7 shooting and 7-7 from the line, but it's difficult to win a basketball game when you give up 57% shooting and only force 8 turnovers, especially for a team that plays at Baylor's pace.
Meanwhile, Pitt continues to get good offensive performances from Sam Young and DeJuan Blair as the Panthers beat Texas Tech 80-67. They get a tricky matchup on Saturday: Washington State, who beat Mississippi State 63-52 and I am VERY anxious to see how this Cougars team responds to a talented, athletic team after the pounding they took vs. UNC in last year's tournament. Marquette, Duke, Kansas, and Villanova all won their games on Friday as well.
One other side note: the Las Vegas Invitational may be worth watching tonight. It features West Virginia and Kentucky. I haven't gotten a good look at the Mountaineers this year, and I have an idea of where Kentucky stands, so it'll be good to find out where these two teams need to be ranked.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
College Basketball Recap - Nov 27th
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Eat some turkey, reflect on what you're thankful for in life, and watch some college basketball. That's right, people. I mean seriously... those football games were blowouts. Who really expected Detroit to put up a fight? Anyway, here's what happened in college b-ball on Turkey Day:
Tennessee beat Siena, 78-64. This was a difficult game to judge the Vols in for two reasons: one, they were relatively up and down throughout the game so I don't know if their good stretches or their bad stretches are what to expect consistently. And two, I don't know if that was considered a good performance by Siena or a bad performance. So here's some reluctant observations. The Vols will obviously play at a high intensity but to me, it felt out of control at times. When they were at their best, they were forcing the issue, getting in passing lanes, getting turnovers and flying to the basket on the fast break. When they were at their worst, they struggled against the Siena press, made some awful looking passes that turned out well for them, and basically looked uncomfortable in the face of pressure. They did a good job in the half-court set defensively, cutting off driving lanes and forcing Siena to put up threes, and Chism and company looked very good in the post, but I don't know if Siena's just not that good offensively and I know Siena was a very small team. Overall a difficult game to judge, and honestly, I may not get that much more from their next game (Georgetown) if the Hoyas struggle offensively like they did today.
Georgetown beat Wichita State, 58-50. It's obvious this Hoyas team has a long way to go in terms of ball handling, turnovers, and overall shot selection but defensively they shut down Wichita State, holding them to 27% shooting. Austin Freeman led the Hoya charge with 18 points, DaJuan Summers had 14, and the star freshman Greg Monroe added 11. I figured with a young Hoya team they would struggle to find their groove early, especially offensively, and they did, but a lot of good defense (particularly in the paint) got the Hoyas the win they needed. Stopping Tennessee will prove to be a much more difficult task and I'm not sure Georgetown will be able to dictate tempo and limit turnovers enough to where they can keep the game manageable.
Maryland beat Michigan State, 80-62. Well, Spartans, I said you guys had something to prove. This isn't the way to do it. With Suton hurt, that does leave a gap in the middle of the Spartan defense but Maryland scored at will for many stretches in this game and Michigan St. simply didn't have a consistent answer. Morgan was plagued by foul trouble the entire game and the Spartans aren't winning too many games with him scoring 4 points. Senior Travis Walton was the only kind of consistent offense for the Spartans, scoring 16. I think it's important to remember at this point that this is still a very young Spartan team with lots of potential, but they will have their share of poor performances this year, especially offensively. As for Maryland, this team looked pretty darn good, and with Virginia Tech and Boston College not terribly impressive, I still believe the door is wide open for the 5th spot in the ACC and the Terps could be the team to take it. Greivis Vasquez led Maryland with 17 points and is a good offensive weapon. Guard Eric Hayes added 13 and senior Dave Neal had a surprising 17 points off the bench (6-10 shooting).
Gonzaga beat Oklahoma State, 83-71. Good win for the Zags as this is an Oklahoma St. team that could very well make the tournament this year. Gonzaga showed a bit of versatility, as Daye and Heytvelt scored the least of any of the starters but Gonzaga was still able to put up 83. Senior Micah Downs led the team with 17 points and 12 rebounds. He's become a legit scoring threat in his own right this year. Pargo was 6-15 from the field but did manage 15 points and 7 assists and made key plays down the stretch. I didn't watch the game, but from looking at scouting reports and box scores this team appears to be the most talented Mark Few has ever had and they seem poised to make a deep tourney run this season. Don't overlook Maryland though. As far as the Cowboys, they kept it close for much of the game but Gonzaga pulled away with around 6 minutes left in the game. 37% shooting and 19 turnovers was too much for Oklahoma State to overcome. Three guys (Terrel Harris, Obi Muonelo, and James Anderson) did much of the scoring, and Oklahoma St.'s four guard lineup will likely give teams matchup problems, but they need to take better care of the ball vs. Michigan State.
At the Anaheim Classic, Wake Forest fended off a late charge by Cal State Fullerton and won a sloppy game 75-69. They get UTEP today, who is no cakewalk either, so not an easy road for the Demon Deacons. Meanwhile, Arizona State took care of business vs. Charlotte and they get Baylor in the semis of the Anaheim Classic.
Tennessee beat Siena, 78-64. This was a difficult game to judge the Vols in for two reasons: one, they were relatively up and down throughout the game so I don't know if their good stretches or their bad stretches are what to expect consistently. And two, I don't know if that was considered a good performance by Siena or a bad performance. So here's some reluctant observations. The Vols will obviously play at a high intensity but to me, it felt out of control at times. When they were at their best, they were forcing the issue, getting in passing lanes, getting turnovers and flying to the basket on the fast break. When they were at their worst, they struggled against the Siena press, made some awful looking passes that turned out well for them, and basically looked uncomfortable in the face of pressure. They did a good job in the half-court set defensively, cutting off driving lanes and forcing Siena to put up threes, and Chism and company looked very good in the post, but I don't know if Siena's just not that good offensively and I know Siena was a very small team. Overall a difficult game to judge, and honestly, I may not get that much more from their next game (Georgetown) if the Hoyas struggle offensively like they did today.
Georgetown beat Wichita State, 58-50. It's obvious this Hoyas team has a long way to go in terms of ball handling, turnovers, and overall shot selection but defensively they shut down Wichita State, holding them to 27% shooting. Austin Freeman led the Hoya charge with 18 points, DaJuan Summers had 14, and the star freshman Greg Monroe added 11. I figured with a young Hoya team they would struggle to find their groove early, especially offensively, and they did, but a lot of good defense (particularly in the paint) got the Hoyas the win they needed. Stopping Tennessee will prove to be a much more difficult task and I'm not sure Georgetown will be able to dictate tempo and limit turnovers enough to where they can keep the game manageable.
Maryland beat Michigan State, 80-62. Well, Spartans, I said you guys had something to prove. This isn't the way to do it. With Suton hurt, that does leave a gap in the middle of the Spartan defense but Maryland scored at will for many stretches in this game and Michigan St. simply didn't have a consistent answer. Morgan was plagued by foul trouble the entire game and the Spartans aren't winning too many games with him scoring 4 points. Senior Travis Walton was the only kind of consistent offense for the Spartans, scoring 16. I think it's important to remember at this point that this is still a very young Spartan team with lots of potential, but they will have their share of poor performances this year, especially offensively. As for Maryland, this team looked pretty darn good, and with Virginia Tech and Boston College not terribly impressive, I still believe the door is wide open for the 5th spot in the ACC and the Terps could be the team to take it. Greivis Vasquez led Maryland with 17 points and is a good offensive weapon. Guard Eric Hayes added 13 and senior Dave Neal had a surprising 17 points off the bench (6-10 shooting).
Gonzaga beat Oklahoma State, 83-71. Good win for the Zags as this is an Oklahoma St. team that could very well make the tournament this year. Gonzaga showed a bit of versatility, as Daye and Heytvelt scored the least of any of the starters but Gonzaga was still able to put up 83. Senior Micah Downs led the team with 17 points and 12 rebounds. He's become a legit scoring threat in his own right this year. Pargo was 6-15 from the field but did manage 15 points and 7 assists and made key plays down the stretch. I didn't watch the game, but from looking at scouting reports and box scores this team appears to be the most talented Mark Few has ever had and they seem poised to make a deep tourney run this season. Don't overlook Maryland though. As far as the Cowboys, they kept it close for much of the game but Gonzaga pulled away with around 6 minutes left in the game. 37% shooting and 19 turnovers was too much for Oklahoma State to overcome. Three guys (Terrel Harris, Obi Muonelo, and James Anderson) did much of the scoring, and Oklahoma St.'s four guard lineup will likely give teams matchup problems, but they need to take better care of the ball vs. Michigan State.
At the Anaheim Classic, Wake Forest fended off a late charge by Cal State Fullerton and won a sloppy game 75-69. They get UTEP today, who is no cakewalk either, so not an easy road for the Demon Deacons. Meanwhile, Arizona State took care of business vs. Charlotte and they get Baylor in the semis of the Anaheim Classic.
College Basketball Recap - Nov 26th
Purdue beat Boston College, 71-64
Purdue - Well it wasn't pretty at times but my Boilers won last night. Our offense stalled at times and we got eaten up on the glass, but in the end we were able to slow down BC's offense enough and do just enough offensively to hold on. Expect these kinds of wins from Purdue... we're not going to blow anyone out of the water but we'll win close games. We shut down Tyrese Rice for the most part (4-12 from the field) and for the most part nobody else stepped up. Trapani cleaned the boards and had some good shots but that was about it. Offensively, we were good at times and horrible at others. We need to start moving better without the ball and finding the open man. Shot selection became an issue at times when we forced up threes rather than waiting for an opening. E' Twaun Moore stepped up and looked good today. He's a good finisher at the rim and we'll need a good performance from him to win on Friday. Hummel did it all, as always, Johnson showed some good athleticism and Keaton Grant had some good takes to the basket. Overall there's not one guy you can focus on for this Purdue offense and while none of them are excellent offensively, they can all score and you have to devote equal attention to all of them.
BC - They impressed me, but not enough to warrant a tournament bid. This team runs a funky offense (flex) and they were able to move the ball well but it's painfully obvious if Rice isn't scoring this team struggles offensively. They just don't have the skill at this point at any other position to really create their own offense. Trapani had some nice buckets but they survived today on offensive rebounding for the most part. And this is against a pretty crappy rebounding team in Purdue. We'll see how this young team progresses but they're probably not a tournament team.
Oklahoma beat UAB, 77-67
Oklahoma - They had major problems stopping UAB's guard attack but in the end it was too much Blake Griffin. This guy's a monster. He can score in a multitude of ways, he dominates the glass, he can dribble a bit... the Sooner offense runs solely through him and he's more than capable of handling the load. Without him, though, this isn't even a top 25 team. Warren, the freshman, was bogged down by foul trouble and he's probably the next best option offensively for them. Crocker hit some shots but was inconsistent overall. Cade Davis brings some offense off the bench but he caught fire from 3 today and that was mainly why he had 12 points. Defensively they simply didn't match up in terms of speed with UAB and they were consistently beat off the dribble. I don't think Purdue will be as effective at that, but I believe there are driving lanes, especially when OU runs that 2-3 zone. Griffin's not the best defender in the post either which doesn't help
UAB - I was encouraged by the Blazers' performance tonight. They really had no tools to stop Griffin but were the much more athletic team overall. Delaney and Vaden are both quick and can score from beyond the arc or at the bucket. Kinnard's not the biggest guy in the paint but he can score from all over the floor as well. Basically this team's personnel is exeplified in their offensive set, which is basically spread the floor, have a guy dribble-drive in, and dump to Kinnard in the paint or kick out to a shooter from three. They can run with pretty much anyone in the country and that makes them very dangerous. Defensively they obviously had no answer for Griffin but otherwise looked decent. They gave up 55% shooting but that's inflated because of how well Griffin shot
UNC beat ND, 102-87
UNC - So that was against the #8 team in the country. Yea... it's unbelievable how good this team is. Seriously, they have guys off the bench who would be stars for most of the teams in the game right now, and that includes power conference/top 25 teams. Hansbrough was a monster, as always. Ty Lawson has to be the quickest guy in the nation right now and ND had absolutely nobody to counter him. It says something about your team offensively when Ellington and Green can be held to 8 points each and they still win handedly against a top 10 team. I remember at times last year when Ellington struggled this team wasn't as dynamic offensively. But now with guys like Deon Thompson stepping up, this Tar Heels team has even more weapons. If there's any doubt who the #1 team in the nation is right now... well, there shouldn't be anymore
ND - Great team that was both overmatched athletically and exhausted from last night's battle with Texas. Harangody looked noticeably tired and he had a subpar game by his standards. Tory Jackson was held in check for the most part. McAlarney had a career game, but seriously, half of those points were in the final 3 minutes or so when he was just chucking up threes. It's apparent this team is very dangerous and will be a tough out in the tournament but it was also apparent they could not handle UNC's speed and were simply run off the floor.
Meanwhile, it was back to normal for Texas, who won a defensive contest 70-57 over Oregon in the 3rd place game at Maui. Abrams took a lot fewer shots and it's apparent Texas' offense is much better with Mason at PG and Abrams at another guard spot. Mason and James have matured into very talented offensive players. Atchley looked bad tonight and I still think he needs more touches late in games (but maybe not with the way Mason, James, and Abrams can score). Defensively is where this Texas team shines and they shut down Oregon tonight (33% shooting).
In non-top 25 news, Alabama picked up a much needed win over St. Joseph's in the 5th place game and IU barely beat Chaminade (darn it!) to avoid falling into even more major suckage. And Oregon St. lost in overtime to Montana State, meaning this team still has not won a game yet and has lost to the likes of Howard and Yale. Good times in Corvallis... at least your team has a shot at football glory on Saturday.
Remember, Old Spice Classic and Legends Classic quarterfinal games tonight!
Purdue - Well it wasn't pretty at times but my Boilers won last night. Our offense stalled at times and we got eaten up on the glass, but in the end we were able to slow down BC's offense enough and do just enough offensively to hold on. Expect these kinds of wins from Purdue... we're not going to blow anyone out of the water but we'll win close games. We shut down Tyrese Rice for the most part (4-12 from the field) and for the most part nobody else stepped up. Trapani cleaned the boards and had some good shots but that was about it. Offensively, we were good at times and horrible at others. We need to start moving better without the ball and finding the open man. Shot selection became an issue at times when we forced up threes rather than waiting for an opening. E' Twaun Moore stepped up and looked good today. He's a good finisher at the rim and we'll need a good performance from him to win on Friday. Hummel did it all, as always, Johnson showed some good athleticism and Keaton Grant had some good takes to the basket. Overall there's not one guy you can focus on for this Purdue offense and while none of them are excellent offensively, they can all score and you have to devote equal attention to all of them.
BC - They impressed me, but not enough to warrant a tournament bid. This team runs a funky offense (flex) and they were able to move the ball well but it's painfully obvious if Rice isn't scoring this team struggles offensively. They just don't have the skill at this point at any other position to really create their own offense. Trapani had some nice buckets but they survived today on offensive rebounding for the most part. And this is against a pretty crappy rebounding team in Purdue. We'll see how this young team progresses but they're probably not a tournament team.
Oklahoma beat UAB, 77-67
Oklahoma - They had major problems stopping UAB's guard attack but in the end it was too much Blake Griffin. This guy's a monster. He can score in a multitude of ways, he dominates the glass, he can dribble a bit... the Sooner offense runs solely through him and he's more than capable of handling the load. Without him, though, this isn't even a top 25 team. Warren, the freshman, was bogged down by foul trouble and he's probably the next best option offensively for them. Crocker hit some shots but was inconsistent overall. Cade Davis brings some offense off the bench but he caught fire from 3 today and that was mainly why he had 12 points. Defensively they simply didn't match up in terms of speed with UAB and they were consistently beat off the dribble. I don't think Purdue will be as effective at that, but I believe there are driving lanes, especially when OU runs that 2-3 zone. Griffin's not the best defender in the post either which doesn't help
UAB - I was encouraged by the Blazers' performance tonight. They really had no tools to stop Griffin but were the much more athletic team overall. Delaney and Vaden are both quick and can score from beyond the arc or at the bucket. Kinnard's not the biggest guy in the paint but he can score from all over the floor as well. Basically this team's personnel is exeplified in their offensive set, which is basically spread the floor, have a guy dribble-drive in, and dump to Kinnard in the paint or kick out to a shooter from three. They can run with pretty much anyone in the country and that makes them very dangerous. Defensively they obviously had no answer for Griffin but otherwise looked decent. They gave up 55% shooting but that's inflated because of how well Griffin shot
UNC beat ND, 102-87
UNC - So that was against the #8 team in the country. Yea... it's unbelievable how good this team is. Seriously, they have guys off the bench who would be stars for most of the teams in the game right now, and that includes power conference/top 25 teams. Hansbrough was a monster, as always. Ty Lawson has to be the quickest guy in the nation right now and ND had absolutely nobody to counter him. It says something about your team offensively when Ellington and Green can be held to 8 points each and they still win handedly against a top 10 team. I remember at times last year when Ellington struggled this team wasn't as dynamic offensively. But now with guys like Deon Thompson stepping up, this Tar Heels team has even more weapons. If there's any doubt who the #1 team in the nation is right now... well, there shouldn't be anymore
ND - Great team that was both overmatched athletically and exhausted from last night's battle with Texas. Harangody looked noticeably tired and he had a subpar game by his standards. Tory Jackson was held in check for the most part. McAlarney had a career game, but seriously, half of those points were in the final 3 minutes or so when he was just chucking up threes. It's apparent this team is very dangerous and will be a tough out in the tournament but it was also apparent they could not handle UNC's speed and were simply run off the floor.
Meanwhile, it was back to normal for Texas, who won a defensive contest 70-57 over Oregon in the 3rd place game at Maui. Abrams took a lot fewer shots and it's apparent Texas' offense is much better with Mason at PG and Abrams at another guard spot. Mason and James have matured into very talented offensive players. Atchley looked bad tonight and I still think he needs more touches late in games (but maybe not with the way Mason, James, and Abrams can score). Defensively is where this Texas team shines and they shut down Oregon tonight (33% shooting).
In non-top 25 news, Alabama picked up a much needed win over St. Joseph's in the 5th place game and IU barely beat Chaminade (darn it!) to avoid falling into even more major suckage. And Oregon St. lost in overtime to Montana State, meaning this team still has not won a game yet and has lost to the likes of Howard and Yale. Good times in Corvallis... at least your team has a shot at football glory on Saturday.
Remember, Old Spice Classic and Legends Classic quarterfinal games tonight!
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