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.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
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!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Maui Invitational Final Preview
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
Backcourt: The Irish backcourt is full of shooters with McAlarney, Jackson, and Ryan Ayers. These guys are not afraid to throw up threes and if they're on, ND is a very dangerous team offensively. Still, UNC has more guys that can not only shoot but create off the dribble, like Wayne Ellington, Danny Green, and Ty Lawson. Lawson is as quick a PG as there is in the nation, he's a great passer with good court vision, and he's a leader. Ellington wasn't completely on his game vs. Oregon but he's possibly the most dangerous guy on that team. Green has really come on offensively this year and gives UNC another weapon. As good as ND's backcourt is, they really can't match the Tar Heels in terms of backcourt athleticism.
Advantage: UNC
Frontcourt: With a fully healthy Hansbrough, this clearly goes to UNC. However, since I'm unsure how many minutes he can give them, I'll give the cautious nod to ND. Harangody is an absolute monster in the post and he can hit that outside jumper too. As far as the other forward spot, both Deon Thompson and Zach Hillesland play more support roles but both can score occaisionally if neccessary
Advantage: ND
Bench: Definitely UNC, who has All-Americans backing up All-Americans, while ND played only 5 guys more than 11 minutes against Texas.
Advantage: UNC
Experience: Both teams are returning a lot of players, but I'll go with UNC who has been in higher pressure situations later in the tournament.
Advantage: UNC
Teamwork/Unity: ND moves the ball better than UNC, but that's also because UNC has better 1-on-1 players. I'll go with ND on this one though
Advantage: ND
Prediction: UNC 90-75. The Tar Heels have issues stopping Harangody in the first half, then focus all their defensive attention on him in the 2nd half. ND's guards are unable to consistently make threes and UNC pulls away late on the back of Ellington and Green offensively
Backcourt: The Irish backcourt is full of shooters with McAlarney, Jackson, and Ryan Ayers. These guys are not afraid to throw up threes and if they're on, ND is a very dangerous team offensively. Still, UNC has more guys that can not only shoot but create off the dribble, like Wayne Ellington, Danny Green, and Ty Lawson. Lawson is as quick a PG as there is in the nation, he's a great passer with good court vision, and he's a leader. Ellington wasn't completely on his game vs. Oregon but he's possibly the most dangerous guy on that team. Green has really come on offensively this year and gives UNC another weapon. As good as ND's backcourt is, they really can't match the Tar Heels in terms of backcourt athleticism.
Advantage: UNC
Frontcourt: With a fully healthy Hansbrough, this clearly goes to UNC. However, since I'm unsure how many minutes he can give them, I'll give the cautious nod to ND. Harangody is an absolute monster in the post and he can hit that outside jumper too. As far as the other forward spot, both Deon Thompson and Zach Hillesland play more support roles but both can score occaisionally if neccessary
Advantage: ND
Bench: Definitely UNC, who has All-Americans backing up All-Americans, while ND played only 5 guys more than 11 minutes against Texas.
Advantage: UNC
Experience: Both teams are returning a lot of players, but I'll go with UNC who has been in higher pressure situations later in the tournament.
Advantage: UNC
Teamwork/Unity: ND moves the ball better than UNC, but that's also because UNC has better 1-on-1 players. I'll go with ND on this one though
Advantage: ND
Prediction: UNC 90-75. The Tar Heels have issues stopping Harangody in the first half, then focus all their defensive attention on him in the 2nd half. ND's guards are unable to consistently make threes and UNC pulls away late on the back of Ellington and Green offensively
College Basketball Recap - Nov 25th
Wow... some really, really good games last night. I wasn't able to catch as much as I wanted but I saw the ending to the ND-Texas and Kansas-Syracuse games and they were both excellent. Impressions about both games:
ND beat Texas, 81-80
ND - Well, this team's got some talent around Harangody. Tory Jackson's points per game is up almost 7 ppg from last year, McAlarney is one heck of a shooter, Ayers made some key shots for them last night. But back to the big man. Harangody is an absolute beast in the post. He's more athletic than he looks, he can shoot the open jumper (not that banked three from 35 feet, like a 12-14 footer) but he's an absolute monster on the boards. If that's not enough, this team has 3-4 guys that can hit the three when open, meaning Harangody's got plenty of people to pass out to on the wings. Their free throw shooting almost cost them the game, though. And I'm still concerned about the lack of depth for this team, particulary when taking on a team that plays as fast as UNC.
Texas - Very good team here. Abrams is one heck of a shooter. Mason had a career day with 16 points on 7-12 shooting. James will get his. Gary Johnson gave them some good minutes off the bench. Depth could also become a problem for Texas, as they only played 5 guys decent minutes (I'm assuming Varez Ward would've played more had he not fouled out). Also, down the stretch I felt like this team did not take good shots, settling for contested jumpers rather than taking the ball to the hoop and kicking out, giving it to Atchley and kicking it out, etc. That could be due to the fact that they have no real PG. Abrams is good and everything but I think he's much better for the team flying around the perimeter without the ball and getting in position for open threes. I don't see Texas winning too many big games with him firing up 26 shots. The Longhorns are not really going to run anyone out of the building offensively so they need to get stops, and they were unable to slow down Harangody. I think Texas will be very good in the Big 12, but I'm a little worried about picking them as the Big 12 champs. I will have to see how OU looks tonight.
Syracuse beat Kansas, 89-81 (OT)
Syracuse - Great performance by the Orange, roaring back from 13 down in the 2nd half against a partisan crowd. So much for this team struggling at neutral sites. Honestly, there's so many offensive weapons on this team it's not even funny. Think of the ways they can score... Flynn with the drive or the 3, Devendorf with the drive or the 3, Onuaku in the post or grabbing rebounds, Paul Harris in a variety of ways, Rautins with the 3... they have 3 really good three point shooters and that's more than most teams can say or handle. Once they started feeding the ball inside to Onuaku, though, that's when their offense took over. I really think he needs more touches. Defensively, they didn't do a great job, and they still don't cover shooters well in that zone (or the drive in man-to-man), but they really got into the passing lanes in the 2nd half and came up with some big steals. I think they need to stick with man-to-man with all the athletes they have (I'm changing my mind from yesterday lol). Overall, this team is very, very dangerous and I still don't think they've come near their potential yet. That's a scary thought
Kansas - They had a really good showing, sparked by the crowd and all, but came up short in the OT session. Cole Aldrich is a beast in the paint both offensively and defensively. He didn't shoot very well today but he does a lot of things on the other side of the ball, disrupting and blocking shots, getting rebounds, etc. Marcus Morris has the potential to become a very good wingman. Sherron Collins was good as expected. They had a problem with foul trouble and that probably disrupted their rotation but they went 7 deep solidly and they have a good mix of post players, wingmen, and guards but it's going to take some time to develop as they were somewhat sloppy offensively in the 2nd half and uncharacteristically turned it over a lot. I still feel they move the ball as well as anyone in the nation and will be tough on a lot of teams defensively but they need to limit those turnovers because like Texas, they're not going to run anyone off the floor
UNC beat Oregon, 98-69. This game was a joke from the beginning. I thought UNC would come out and dominate but not like this. Oregon tried to come out and run like they did against Alabama... problem is, UNC does it better. A lot better. In their halfcourt set, Oregon looked awful. Bad shot selection, didn't really move the ball very well... outside of dumping it to Michael Dunigan in the post, this team had nothing really. UNC meanwhile has so many weapons offensively. Danny Green continues to impress and has really stepped up his game offensively. Hansbrough had 16 points in 19 minutes and it will be interesting to see how much PT he gets against ND. Ellington didn't even have that good of a game, and Lawson can also score if neccessary. This is going to be a good Maui final:
ND v. UNC, 10 PM (ESPN)
In other top 25 news: Soon to be out of the top 25, Florida squeaked by Washington 86-84. The game was closer than it probably should've been as Florida led much of the 2nd half. Calathes is a player but Florida needs a lot of work defensively, particularly in the post. Pitt beat Belmont 74-60 on the back of Young's 33 points. Marquette annihilated Texas Southern, and Davidson stomped down on Loyola (MD) despite Stephen Curry's ZERO points. Seriously, watch the highlight. Loyola just stuck two guys on Curry the ENTIRE game. Interesting defensive strategy. Oh, and St. Joe's destroyed IU. Had to put that in there :)
ND beat Texas, 81-80
ND - Well, this team's got some talent around Harangody. Tory Jackson's points per game is up almost 7 ppg from last year, McAlarney is one heck of a shooter, Ayers made some key shots for them last night. But back to the big man. Harangody is an absolute beast in the post. He's more athletic than he looks, he can shoot the open jumper (not that banked three from 35 feet, like a 12-14 footer) but he's an absolute monster on the boards. If that's not enough, this team has 3-4 guys that can hit the three when open, meaning Harangody's got plenty of people to pass out to on the wings. Their free throw shooting almost cost them the game, though. And I'm still concerned about the lack of depth for this team, particulary when taking on a team that plays as fast as UNC.
Texas - Very good team here. Abrams is one heck of a shooter. Mason had a career day with 16 points on 7-12 shooting. James will get his. Gary Johnson gave them some good minutes off the bench. Depth could also become a problem for Texas, as they only played 5 guys decent minutes (I'm assuming Varez Ward would've played more had he not fouled out). Also, down the stretch I felt like this team did not take good shots, settling for contested jumpers rather than taking the ball to the hoop and kicking out, giving it to Atchley and kicking it out, etc. That could be due to the fact that they have no real PG. Abrams is good and everything but I think he's much better for the team flying around the perimeter without the ball and getting in position for open threes. I don't see Texas winning too many big games with him firing up 26 shots. The Longhorns are not really going to run anyone out of the building offensively so they need to get stops, and they were unable to slow down Harangody. I think Texas will be very good in the Big 12, but I'm a little worried about picking them as the Big 12 champs. I will have to see how OU looks tonight.
Syracuse beat Kansas, 89-81 (OT)
Syracuse - Great performance by the Orange, roaring back from 13 down in the 2nd half against a partisan crowd. So much for this team struggling at neutral sites. Honestly, there's so many offensive weapons on this team it's not even funny. Think of the ways they can score... Flynn with the drive or the 3, Devendorf with the drive or the 3, Onuaku in the post or grabbing rebounds, Paul Harris in a variety of ways, Rautins with the 3... they have 3 really good three point shooters and that's more than most teams can say or handle. Once they started feeding the ball inside to Onuaku, though, that's when their offense took over. I really think he needs more touches. Defensively, they didn't do a great job, and they still don't cover shooters well in that zone (or the drive in man-to-man), but they really got into the passing lanes in the 2nd half and came up with some big steals. I think they need to stick with man-to-man with all the athletes they have (I'm changing my mind from yesterday lol). Overall, this team is very, very dangerous and I still don't think they've come near their potential yet. That's a scary thought
Kansas - They had a really good showing, sparked by the crowd and all, but came up short in the OT session. Cole Aldrich is a beast in the paint both offensively and defensively. He didn't shoot very well today but he does a lot of things on the other side of the ball, disrupting and blocking shots, getting rebounds, etc. Marcus Morris has the potential to become a very good wingman. Sherron Collins was good as expected. They had a problem with foul trouble and that probably disrupted their rotation but they went 7 deep solidly and they have a good mix of post players, wingmen, and guards but it's going to take some time to develop as they were somewhat sloppy offensively in the 2nd half and uncharacteristically turned it over a lot. I still feel they move the ball as well as anyone in the nation and will be tough on a lot of teams defensively but they need to limit those turnovers because like Texas, they're not going to run anyone off the floor
UNC beat Oregon, 98-69. This game was a joke from the beginning. I thought UNC would come out and dominate but not like this. Oregon tried to come out and run like they did against Alabama... problem is, UNC does it better. A lot better. In their halfcourt set, Oregon looked awful. Bad shot selection, didn't really move the ball very well... outside of dumping it to Michael Dunigan in the post, this team had nothing really. UNC meanwhile has so many weapons offensively. Danny Green continues to impress and has really stepped up his game offensively. Hansbrough had 16 points in 19 minutes and it will be interesting to see how much PT he gets against ND. Ellington didn't even have that good of a game, and Lawson can also score if neccessary. This is going to be a good Maui final:
ND v. UNC, 10 PM (ESPN)
In other top 25 news: Soon to be out of the top 25, Florida squeaked by Washington 86-84. The game was closer than it probably should've been as Florida led much of the 2nd half. Calathes is a player but Florida needs a lot of work defensively, particularly in the post. Pitt beat Belmont 74-60 on the back of Young's 33 points. Marquette annihilated Texas Southern, and Davidson stomped down on Loyola (MD) despite Stephen Curry's ZERO points. Seriously, watch the highlight. Loyola just stuck two guys on Curry the ENTIRE game. Interesting defensive strategy. Oh, and St. Joe's destroyed IU. Had to put that in there :)
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
CBE Classic Final Preview
Syracuse Orange vs. Kansas Jayhawks
I will attempt to preview this game based on what I saw last night. And here we go:
Backcourt: Lots of options here for Syracuse. Jonny Flynn led this team in scoring last year and is averaging 20 a game this year. Paul Harris had 18 last night in the win over Florida. Devendorf is back after an ACL sidelined him last year and can score in a variety of ways. Andy Rautins lit it up from three last night. Between this group, there's a enough shooters and quick guys that scoring shouldn't be a problem. For Kansas, Sherron Collins has stepped up and become an offensive leader (19.7 pts a game). After that, it's a ragtag group of young guys who all share minutes and points. Freshman Tyshawn Taylor has started the past two games for the Jayhawks and had 10 last night in their win. In comparison, Kansas may be better as a group defensively but the offensive firepower gives this one to the Orange.
Advantage: Orange
Frontcourt: Arinze Onawaku anchors the frontline for the Orange. The junior is strong an athletic, and it shows in his rebounding and scoring. After that, there's not a lot. Kris Joseph's been playing good minutes for them but he isn't very big. Kristof Ongenaet started for them yesterday and gave good hustle minutes but isn't a big scoring threat. The Orange frontcourt (besides Onawaku) is mainly there for rebounding and defensive support (keep in mind the defense hasn't been stellar for the Orange this year). Kansas is somewhat thin on the frontline as well but they do have 6-11 center Cole Aldrich, who I believe is a star in the making. He can hit the 12-14 footer or score in the low post, and he's a good free throw shooter. He's also averaging over 3 blocks a game. Other than Aldrich, there's the Morris brothers, Markieff and Marcus, who average 37 minutes and almost 13 boards between them. The Kansas offense runs through Collins and Aldrich, and Aldrich's defensive presence gives Kansas the nod here
Advantage: Kansas
Bench: The benches were highlighted earlier on. Neither team appears to run a very deep bench. Kansas went 7 deep yesterday and Syracuse ran 8 deep, but typically Boeheim teams have a short bench. Syracuse probably has more offensive options off the bench and that's why the Orange get the advantage here
Advantage: Syracuse
Experience: Both teams are young. But at least Kansas has a couple of National Championship winners, whereas most of Syracuse's guys haven't even played in a NCAA tournament game.
Advantage: Kansas
Coaching: Both teams are well coached, obviously. I feel Kansas is the more disciplined of the two, while Syracuse still appears to be playing somewhat selfish basketball and is turning it over more (which could just be a product of a faster pace of play, but whatever)
Advantage: Kansas
FINAL VERDICT:
While I do feel Kansas is the more complete team at this point in the season, I'm picking Syracuse for two reasons. One, I picked them in the beginning of the season to win this tournament and I don't see a major reason to change now. Second, I think this team is more talented overall, particularly offensively, and Kansas hasn't faced this many guys who can beat you off the dribble or shoot yet this season. Syracuse wins 76-71.
I will attempt to preview this game based on what I saw last night. And here we go:
Backcourt: Lots of options here for Syracuse. Jonny Flynn led this team in scoring last year and is averaging 20 a game this year. Paul Harris had 18 last night in the win over Florida. Devendorf is back after an ACL sidelined him last year and can score in a variety of ways. Andy Rautins lit it up from three last night. Between this group, there's a enough shooters and quick guys that scoring shouldn't be a problem. For Kansas, Sherron Collins has stepped up and become an offensive leader (19.7 pts a game). After that, it's a ragtag group of young guys who all share minutes and points. Freshman Tyshawn Taylor has started the past two games for the Jayhawks and had 10 last night in their win. In comparison, Kansas may be better as a group defensively but the offensive firepower gives this one to the Orange.
Advantage: Orange
Frontcourt: Arinze Onawaku anchors the frontline for the Orange. The junior is strong an athletic, and it shows in his rebounding and scoring. After that, there's not a lot. Kris Joseph's been playing good minutes for them but he isn't very big. Kristof Ongenaet started for them yesterday and gave good hustle minutes but isn't a big scoring threat. The Orange frontcourt (besides Onawaku) is mainly there for rebounding and defensive support (keep in mind the defense hasn't been stellar for the Orange this year). Kansas is somewhat thin on the frontline as well but they do have 6-11 center Cole Aldrich, who I believe is a star in the making. He can hit the 12-14 footer or score in the low post, and he's a good free throw shooter. He's also averaging over 3 blocks a game. Other than Aldrich, there's the Morris brothers, Markieff and Marcus, who average 37 minutes and almost 13 boards between them. The Kansas offense runs through Collins and Aldrich, and Aldrich's defensive presence gives Kansas the nod here
Advantage: Kansas
Bench: The benches were highlighted earlier on. Neither team appears to run a very deep bench. Kansas went 7 deep yesterday and Syracuse ran 8 deep, but typically Boeheim teams have a short bench. Syracuse probably has more offensive options off the bench and that's why the Orange get the advantage here
Advantage: Syracuse
Experience: Both teams are young. But at least Kansas has a couple of National Championship winners, whereas most of Syracuse's guys haven't even played in a NCAA tournament game.
Advantage: Kansas
Coaching: Both teams are well coached, obviously. I feel Kansas is the more disciplined of the two, while Syracuse still appears to be playing somewhat selfish basketball and is turning it over more (which could just be a product of a faster pace of play, but whatever)
Advantage: Kansas
FINAL VERDICT:
While I do feel Kansas is the more complete team at this point in the season, I'm picking Syracuse for two reasons. One, I picked them in the beginning of the season to win this tournament and I don't see a major reason to change now. Second, I think this team is more talented overall, particularly offensively, and Kansas hasn't faced this many guys who can beat you off the dribble or shoot yet this season. Syracuse wins 76-71.
College Basketball Recap - Nov 24th
A bunch of important games today. I got a chance to see a few of them, so here's what I thought:
Syracuse beat Florida 89-83.
Syracuse - I really liked what I saw from the Orange offensively. They have a lot of weapons and a lot of guys that can score big on any given night. Having Devendorf back is huge, as it gives this team another offensive weapon (although he didn't do that well tonight) but Flynn is a stud, Onuaku is extremely strong and is an absolute beast in the post, Harris can score in bunches, and other guys like Andy Rautins and Kris Joseph can provide offensive support. Their biggest issue tonight was defensively. Tyus absolutely killed them in the post and they were getting beat a lot on the dribble from what I saw. I know Boeheim is trying to mix in some man to man, but if they're giving up so many drives and easy baskets in the post they're probably better sticking to the zone, especially against a relatively poor shooting team like Florida.
Florida - As far as the Gators are concerned, Calathes is going to be good, I saw some good things out of the freshman Erving Walker, and Tyus tore it up, but overall I thought they were very inconsistent offensively. They haven't shot well this year, especially from three, and that could become a huge problem vs. teams that primarily run a zone (like Syracuse). As of this point I'm feeling confident about my pick of Tennessee winning the SEC.
Kansas beat Washington 73-54
Kansas - I don't think anyone expected this Kansas team to be as good as last year's, and they're not. But that doesn't mean they won't turn some heads in the Big 12 this year. They have some very good players back, including Sharon Collins, who has taken over the scoring load nicely, Cole Aldrich, who I liked last year and looks to mature into a very, very good center, and a variety of freshman who gave them good minutes yesterday, like the Morris brothers and Tyshawn Taylor. This team shot horribly from three but they find other ways to score (like Aldrich in the post or Collins driving the lane) and they're disciplined on both offense and defense. They won't win the conference but they'll give Texas and OU some good games.
Washington - I think Bob Knight said it best when he said this is a game other teams will use as film tape to beat the Huskies. Kansas sat back in a zone and basically gave Washington open shots and threes all game long and Washington was unable to take advantage of that, making only 29% of their shots. Now with the exception of Taj Gibson and USC, teams in the Pac-10 won't punish Washington for driving the lane nearly as bad as Cole Aldrich (6 blocks) and Kansas did, but the strategy remains the same: pack it in and force this team to make shots from long distance. They're shooting under 30% from beyond the arc and they will have to manufacture other ways to score if they're going to want to keep up with the big three in the Pac-10.
UConn beat Wisconsin 76-57
UConn - Yea, they're good. They basically wore the Badgers down with their fullcourt press, forcing 20 turnovers, including 10 steals and several 10 second violations. All of the four guards that saw significant playing time are quick and disciplined defensively, and they all create havoc for the other team (even a Wisconsin team that emphasizes ball control and limits turnovers). Offensively, I still feel like this team runs through Adrien and Thabeet to a lesser extent in the post but all of those guards can shoot when open. They shot well from three but it never felt like they were forcing threes, just making open ones, so I think this team's pretty good at shooting in general. They turned it over a lot and sometimes looked uncoordinated offensively but they're still young and that will only get better with time. They will probably beat most of the teams on their schedule based on athleticism alone and the rest will depend on how this team meshes, particularly offensively
Wisconsin - Put up a good fight. Like a usual Bo Ryan team, this Badgers team is disciplined and rarely is sped up or put out of their element. In the halfcourt set Wisconsin was able to execute their offense and get points. The best thing about this Wisconsin team is the variety of guys and ways they can hurt you. They operated well in the post (although they're pretty undersized), they shot very well, and they moved the ball well. My concerns are two-fold. First, athletically this team just didn't compare. They had major problems vs. UConn's press and against quicker, more athletic teams in the Big 10 (like Purdue and Michigan St) they will have all kinds of problems offensively. Second, this team doesn't appear to have a guy who can take over a game offensively. I understand Trevon Hughes and Marcus Landry are good offensive players but they're not neccessarily the kinds of talent you'd like to have with the game on the line. They'll have to win with defense and discipline, something they will do a fair amount of the time. They'll get an unexpected win sometime this year but I don't think they'll compete for the Big Ten title.
Other games: Four fairly unexciting games in the Maui Inivational, setting up a Texas-ND and UNC-Oregon semifinals. Texas v. ND will be one of the best games so far this year, and Oregon could make things interesting vs. UNC but that's probably not happening. Miami (Fl) annihilated San Diego in the Paradise Jam consolation game, taking the Toreros off the list of "underappreciated teams the Chi Town Balla will constantly and obsessively hype." Wake Forest doubled up Winston Salem 62-31 in another cupcake game for them, and Davidson won on the back of Stephen Curry's 39 points. Seriously, this guy's starting to put up Pete Maravich-like numbers. It's kind of getting out of hand. Today should be a very exciting set of games, so tune in to the ESPNs for lots of college b-ball fun
Syracuse beat Florida 89-83.
Syracuse - I really liked what I saw from the Orange offensively. They have a lot of weapons and a lot of guys that can score big on any given night. Having Devendorf back is huge, as it gives this team another offensive weapon (although he didn't do that well tonight) but Flynn is a stud, Onuaku is extremely strong and is an absolute beast in the post, Harris can score in bunches, and other guys like Andy Rautins and Kris Joseph can provide offensive support. Their biggest issue tonight was defensively. Tyus absolutely killed them in the post and they were getting beat a lot on the dribble from what I saw. I know Boeheim is trying to mix in some man to man, but if they're giving up so many drives and easy baskets in the post they're probably better sticking to the zone, especially against a relatively poor shooting team like Florida.
Florida - As far as the Gators are concerned, Calathes is going to be good, I saw some good things out of the freshman Erving Walker, and Tyus tore it up, but overall I thought they were very inconsistent offensively. They haven't shot well this year, especially from three, and that could become a huge problem vs. teams that primarily run a zone (like Syracuse). As of this point I'm feeling confident about my pick of Tennessee winning the SEC.
Kansas beat Washington 73-54
Kansas - I don't think anyone expected this Kansas team to be as good as last year's, and they're not. But that doesn't mean they won't turn some heads in the Big 12 this year. They have some very good players back, including Sharon Collins, who has taken over the scoring load nicely, Cole Aldrich, who I liked last year and looks to mature into a very, very good center, and a variety of freshman who gave them good minutes yesterday, like the Morris brothers and Tyshawn Taylor. This team shot horribly from three but they find other ways to score (like Aldrich in the post or Collins driving the lane) and they're disciplined on both offense and defense. They won't win the conference but they'll give Texas and OU some good games.
Washington - I think Bob Knight said it best when he said this is a game other teams will use as film tape to beat the Huskies. Kansas sat back in a zone and basically gave Washington open shots and threes all game long and Washington was unable to take advantage of that, making only 29% of their shots. Now with the exception of Taj Gibson and USC, teams in the Pac-10 won't punish Washington for driving the lane nearly as bad as Cole Aldrich (6 blocks) and Kansas did, but the strategy remains the same: pack it in and force this team to make shots from long distance. They're shooting under 30% from beyond the arc and they will have to manufacture other ways to score if they're going to want to keep up with the big three in the Pac-10.
UConn beat Wisconsin 76-57
UConn - Yea, they're good. They basically wore the Badgers down with their fullcourt press, forcing 20 turnovers, including 10 steals and several 10 second violations. All of the four guards that saw significant playing time are quick and disciplined defensively, and they all create havoc for the other team (even a Wisconsin team that emphasizes ball control and limits turnovers). Offensively, I still feel like this team runs through Adrien and Thabeet to a lesser extent in the post but all of those guards can shoot when open. They shot well from three but it never felt like they were forcing threes, just making open ones, so I think this team's pretty good at shooting in general. They turned it over a lot and sometimes looked uncoordinated offensively but they're still young and that will only get better with time. They will probably beat most of the teams on their schedule based on athleticism alone and the rest will depend on how this team meshes, particularly offensively
Wisconsin - Put up a good fight. Like a usual Bo Ryan team, this Badgers team is disciplined and rarely is sped up or put out of their element. In the halfcourt set Wisconsin was able to execute their offense and get points. The best thing about this Wisconsin team is the variety of guys and ways they can hurt you. They operated well in the post (although they're pretty undersized), they shot very well, and they moved the ball well. My concerns are two-fold. First, athletically this team just didn't compare. They had major problems vs. UConn's press and against quicker, more athletic teams in the Big 10 (like Purdue and Michigan St) they will have all kinds of problems offensively. Second, this team doesn't appear to have a guy who can take over a game offensively. I understand Trevon Hughes and Marcus Landry are good offensive players but they're not neccessarily the kinds of talent you'd like to have with the game on the line. They'll have to win with defense and discipline, something they will do a fair amount of the time. They'll get an unexpected win sometime this year but I don't think they'll compete for the Big Ten title.
Other games: Four fairly unexciting games in the Maui Inivational, setting up a Texas-ND and UNC-Oregon semifinals. Texas v. ND will be one of the best games so far this year, and Oregon could make things interesting vs. UNC but that's probably not happening. Miami (Fl) annihilated San Diego in the Paradise Jam consolation game, taking the Toreros off the list of "underappreciated teams the Chi Town Balla will constantly and obsessively hype." Wake Forest doubled up Winston Salem 62-31 in another cupcake game for them, and Davidson won on the back of Stephen Curry's 39 points. Seriously, this guy's starting to put up Pete Maravich-like numbers. It's kind of getting out of hand. Today should be a very exciting set of games, so tune in to the ESPNs for lots of college b-ball fun
Monday, November 24, 2008
Games to Watch - Week of Nov. 24th
Know why they call it Feast Week on ESPN? Because it's Thanksgiving, that's why. But it's also because this week's chock full of great matchups. Let's check the slate:
Conference Tournaments:
Maui Invitational (Nov 24-26)
Teams to Watch: Texas, ND, UNC, Oregon, Alabama
Simply put, this tournament is loaded. 3 Top 10 teams, a bunch of team's looking for good wins to add to their tournament resumes, and Chaminade. Poor Chaminade... I really do feel bad for them. Anyway, there's all kinds of good potential matchups here
My pick: UNC. Can't really pick against the sure #1 team, with Hansbrough now back. Watch for Texas and ND to give them games though, especially Texas, who I think matches up fairly well against the Tar Heels and has athletic scorers to keep up with UNC's pace.
Old Spice Classic (Nov 27-30)
Teams to Watch: Tennessee, Georgetown, Michigan State, Gonzaga
And if you thought the Maui Invitational couldn't be topped, here's 2 more top 10 teams and a top 15 team in the Vols. And that's not even including power conference teams like Oklahoma St and Maryland who are looking for good out of conference wins and a very good small conference team, Siena.
My pick: Gonzaga. This tournament is more wide open than Maui, and I could go in a few directions on this one. Tennessee's looked very impressive thus far, even though they haven't really played anyone of note. Michigan State's a sexy pick, and Georgetown could give teams some issues if their young guys step up early and contribute. But my choice is the Zags. The experience, combined with Heytvelt and Daye in the post, will be sufficient to take down Michigan State in the semis and to slow down the Vols in the finals.
Anaheim Classic (Nov. 27-30)
Teams to Watch: St. Mary's, Wake Forest, Arizona St., Baylor If it wasn't for the Maui and Old Spice tournaments, this would be the highlight tournament of the week (geez, good thing I have nothing to do over Thanksgiving Break but watch college basketball!). This should be the most wide open of the three tournaments, with no clear cut favorite and plenty of small teams like UTEP and Providence that will be looking for upsets. Nobody's safe here
My pick: St. Mary's. Wake is athletically loaded but I don't think they'll win their first neutral site game vs. a good opponent (St. Mary's). If Arizona St. and Baylor advance that's going to be a very intriguing game... both teams returned plenty of starters from last year. I would say Arizona St.'s the favorite, but other than Harden, that team hasn't looked all that good this year. I'm going with Baylor and their set of guards in that game. In the final, look for Patrick Mills to take over and lead St. Mary's to the title.
Monday, Nov 24th
Paradise Jam Final:
UConn v. Wisconsin - A lot of people are saying this is a potential upset game for Wisconsin. And as much as I want to say that's silly, Wisconsin won both of their games in this tournament playing a slow, methodical pace and tough defense. That style could give UConn plenty of problems. However, I think there's too much size in the post for Wisconsin to handle with both Thabeet and Adrien, and I think UConn could easily dictate the tempo as well (and if this gets into a shootout, Wisconsin's done). I think it'll be close for a while but UConn will pull away late and win the tournament.
Consolation game:
Miami (Fl) v. San Diego - Okay, I'm going to keep pushing the Toreros for a tournament bid, but if they don't get some quality wins soon, I'm not going to have a choice. San Diego... back up my preseason hype... please
Maui Invitational First Round: St. Joseph's v. Texas - Trap game for the Longhorns. St. Joseph's isn't a great team, but they will be dangerous if Texas doesn't come to play. Oregon v. Alabama - A couple of potential bubble teams come March
CBE Classic Semifinals:
Kansas v. Washington - Much was expected of this Huskies team... then they fell on their face vs. Portland in their first game. Still plenty of time to make it up though... beating KU on a neutral court would certainly help
Syracuse v. Florida - Syracuse started out slow vs. Richmond but put them away in the end. Florida's won all three of their warm-up games. Both these teams are young and have something to prove this year. The hungrier team should win this one
Tuesday, Nov. 25th
CBE Classic Championship: Preview coming Monday night!
Maui Semifinals: Potential Matchups: Texas v. ND, UNC v. Alabama
Texas vs. Notre Dame should be very entertaining, as there will be all kinds of talent and hopefully lots of threes with McAlarney and Abrams on the court. Texas has more talent and depth, though, so I'm going with the Longhorns. Meanwhile, UNC gets another game against a mid-level SEC opponent
Wednesday, Nov. 26th
Maui Championship: Preview coming Tuesday night!
NIT Tip-Off Semifinals:
Purdue v. Boston College - This is a game my Boilers should win. Tyrese Rice will be difficult to stop but Purdue's never been one to let one guy beat them offensively, especially a guard. This is a young Boston College team that can be slowed down offensively, as St. Louis showed (BC lost to them 53-50) and I have no doubt Purdue's defense and variety of options offensively should get us the win.
UAB v. Oklahoma. A lot of people I've talked to are giving this game to Oklahoma. My thoughts? Hold up a second... UAB has a trio of guys averaging over 15 points a game: Robert Vaden, one of the best guards last year in the C-USA (and yes, I understand CDR and Rose were in that conference last year), Paul Delaney III, and Lawrence Kinnard, who has given the Blazers a much needed presence in the frontcourt. If OU's perimeter is unable to stop UAB's guard attack, Blake Griffin may not be able to win this one on their own. This is a real test for Oklahoma's perimeter.
Thursday Nov. 27th - Happy Thanksgiving!!
Old Spice Classic:
Tennessee v. Siena - Wait, isn't that the team that won the MAAC last year? The one that went to the Sweet 16? Oh... this may not be a lock game for the Vols after all...
Wichita State v. Georgetown - If G-Town seriously misses Wallace, Hibbert, and Ewing III, this tournament is the place they'll feel that the most.
Maryland v. Michigan State - Once again, no guarantees with this Michigan State team, and Maryland will be hungry to prove they belong in the ACC.
Oklahoma St. v. Gonzaga - Oklahoma State has a real shot at an at-large bid this season. A neutral site win over the Zags would look really, really good on that tournament resume.
Anaheim Classic:
Providence v. Baylor - If Providence is going to have any hope at getting an at-large bid, they need wins, and they need them now... mainly because they're going to be few and far between in the Big East schedule.
St. Mary's v. UTEP - Not going to be an easy game for the Gaels, but it shouldn't give them too many problems
Friday, Nov. 28th
NIT Tip-Off Final: Preview coming Thursday night!!
Old Spice Classic Semifinals
Projected Matchups: Tennessee v. Georgetown, Michigan St. v. Gonzaga
All likely ranked matchups if this is the semi-finals. It'll be interesting to see how the young Hoyas deal with the pressing, up-tempo Vols, while Michigan St. and Gonzaga is just oozing with talent and athleticism.
Anaheim Classic semifinals
Projected Matchups: St. Mary's v. Wake Forest, Arizona St. v. Baylor
Really, either of these matchups could go either way. Wake's got all the talent in the world but they haven't been tested yet. And I think the Pac-10 is wide open right now, but nobody on Arizona St. other than Harden wants to step up. They won't be able to slide past Baylor though.
Legends Classic Semifinals:
Washington State v. Mississippi State - a couple of teams that lost a lot of talent from last year but are well coached, disciplined, and will surprise some teams in conference games this year.
Texas Tech v. Pitt - I haven't heard a lot about Tech nationally (in basketball I mean) except for the 167 point performance they had earlier this season. They're 4-0 but haven't really been challenged yet this year. Neither has Pitt, but then again, Pitt's the better team. I expect Tech to give Pitt a fight but the more talented team should prevail... that and DeJuan Blair will probably have another beastly performance.
Saturday, Nov. 29th
Legends Classic final: Preview coming Friday night!!
Dayton v. Marquette - Easily the most intriguing game of the Top 25 matchups (except for the Legends Classic final). Marquette is good but still lacks an inside presence defensively. Enter 6-8 forward Chris Wright for Dayton, who probably would have led the Flyers to a tournament berth last year had he been healthy all season. With hin and guard Chris Johnson returning this year, expect a very competitive Dayton team that I think will give Marquette all they can handle.
Sunday, Nov. 30th
Cancun Challenge, Anaheim Classic, and Old Spice Classic Finals: Previews will be coming througout the week!!
Conference Tournaments:
Maui Invitational (Nov 24-26)
Teams to Watch: Texas, ND, UNC, Oregon, Alabama
Simply put, this tournament is loaded. 3 Top 10 teams, a bunch of team's looking for good wins to add to their tournament resumes, and Chaminade. Poor Chaminade... I really do feel bad for them. Anyway, there's all kinds of good potential matchups here
My pick: UNC. Can't really pick against the sure #1 team, with Hansbrough now back. Watch for Texas and ND to give them games though, especially Texas, who I think matches up fairly well against the Tar Heels and has athletic scorers to keep up with UNC's pace.
Old Spice Classic (Nov 27-30)
Teams to Watch: Tennessee, Georgetown, Michigan State, Gonzaga
And if you thought the Maui Invitational couldn't be topped, here's 2 more top 10 teams and a top 15 team in the Vols. And that's not even including power conference teams like Oklahoma St and Maryland who are looking for good out of conference wins and a very good small conference team, Siena.
My pick: Gonzaga. This tournament is more wide open than Maui, and I could go in a few directions on this one. Tennessee's looked very impressive thus far, even though they haven't really played anyone of note. Michigan State's a sexy pick, and Georgetown could give teams some issues if their young guys step up early and contribute. But my choice is the Zags. The experience, combined with Heytvelt and Daye in the post, will be sufficient to take down Michigan State in the semis and to slow down the Vols in the finals.
Anaheim Classic (Nov. 27-30)
Teams to Watch: St. Mary's, Wake Forest, Arizona St., Baylor If it wasn't for the Maui and Old Spice tournaments, this would be the highlight tournament of the week (geez, good thing I have nothing to do over Thanksgiving Break but watch college basketball!). This should be the most wide open of the three tournaments, with no clear cut favorite and plenty of small teams like UTEP and Providence that will be looking for upsets. Nobody's safe here
My pick: St. Mary's. Wake is athletically loaded but I don't think they'll win their first neutral site game vs. a good opponent (St. Mary's). If Arizona St. and Baylor advance that's going to be a very intriguing game... both teams returned plenty of starters from last year. I would say Arizona St.'s the favorite, but other than Harden, that team hasn't looked all that good this year. I'm going with Baylor and their set of guards in that game. In the final, look for Patrick Mills to take over and lead St. Mary's to the title.
Monday, Nov 24th
Paradise Jam Final:
UConn v. Wisconsin - A lot of people are saying this is a potential upset game for Wisconsin. And as much as I want to say that's silly, Wisconsin won both of their games in this tournament playing a slow, methodical pace and tough defense. That style could give UConn plenty of problems. However, I think there's too much size in the post for Wisconsin to handle with both Thabeet and Adrien, and I think UConn could easily dictate the tempo as well (and if this gets into a shootout, Wisconsin's done). I think it'll be close for a while but UConn will pull away late and win the tournament.
Consolation game:
Miami (Fl) v. San Diego - Okay, I'm going to keep pushing the Toreros for a tournament bid, but if they don't get some quality wins soon, I'm not going to have a choice. San Diego... back up my preseason hype... please
Maui Invitational First Round: St. Joseph's v. Texas - Trap game for the Longhorns. St. Joseph's isn't a great team, but they will be dangerous if Texas doesn't come to play. Oregon v. Alabama - A couple of potential bubble teams come March
CBE Classic Semifinals:
Kansas v. Washington - Much was expected of this Huskies team... then they fell on their face vs. Portland in their first game. Still plenty of time to make it up though... beating KU on a neutral court would certainly help
Syracuse v. Florida - Syracuse started out slow vs. Richmond but put them away in the end. Florida's won all three of their warm-up games. Both these teams are young and have something to prove this year. The hungrier team should win this one
Tuesday, Nov. 25th
CBE Classic Championship: Preview coming Monday night!
Maui Semifinals: Potential Matchups: Texas v. ND, UNC v. Alabama
Texas vs. Notre Dame should be very entertaining, as there will be all kinds of talent and hopefully lots of threes with McAlarney and Abrams on the court. Texas has more talent and depth, though, so I'm going with the Longhorns. Meanwhile, UNC gets another game against a mid-level SEC opponent
Wednesday, Nov. 26th
Maui Championship: Preview coming Tuesday night!
NIT Tip-Off Semifinals:
Purdue v. Boston College - This is a game my Boilers should win. Tyrese Rice will be difficult to stop but Purdue's never been one to let one guy beat them offensively, especially a guard. This is a young Boston College team that can be slowed down offensively, as St. Louis showed (BC lost to them 53-50) and I have no doubt Purdue's defense and variety of options offensively should get us the win.
UAB v. Oklahoma. A lot of people I've talked to are giving this game to Oklahoma. My thoughts? Hold up a second... UAB has a trio of guys averaging over 15 points a game: Robert Vaden, one of the best guards last year in the C-USA (and yes, I understand CDR and Rose were in that conference last year), Paul Delaney III, and Lawrence Kinnard, who has given the Blazers a much needed presence in the frontcourt. If OU's perimeter is unable to stop UAB's guard attack, Blake Griffin may not be able to win this one on their own. This is a real test for Oklahoma's perimeter.
Thursday Nov. 27th - Happy Thanksgiving!!
Old Spice Classic:
Tennessee v. Siena - Wait, isn't that the team that won the MAAC last year? The one that went to the Sweet 16? Oh... this may not be a lock game for the Vols after all...
Wichita State v. Georgetown - If G-Town seriously misses Wallace, Hibbert, and Ewing III, this tournament is the place they'll feel that the most.
Maryland v. Michigan State - Once again, no guarantees with this Michigan State team, and Maryland will be hungry to prove they belong in the ACC.
Oklahoma St. v. Gonzaga - Oklahoma State has a real shot at an at-large bid this season. A neutral site win over the Zags would look really, really good on that tournament resume.
Anaheim Classic:
Providence v. Baylor - If Providence is going to have any hope at getting an at-large bid, they need wins, and they need them now... mainly because they're going to be few and far between in the Big East schedule.
St. Mary's v. UTEP - Not going to be an easy game for the Gaels, but it shouldn't give them too many problems
Friday, Nov. 28th
NIT Tip-Off Final: Preview coming Thursday night!!
Old Spice Classic Semifinals
Projected Matchups: Tennessee v. Georgetown, Michigan St. v. Gonzaga
All likely ranked matchups if this is the semi-finals. It'll be interesting to see how the young Hoyas deal with the pressing, up-tempo Vols, while Michigan St. and Gonzaga is just oozing with talent and athleticism.
Anaheim Classic semifinals
Projected Matchups: St. Mary's v. Wake Forest, Arizona St. v. Baylor
Really, either of these matchups could go either way. Wake's got all the talent in the world but they haven't been tested yet. And I think the Pac-10 is wide open right now, but nobody on Arizona St. other than Harden wants to step up. They won't be able to slide past Baylor though.
Legends Classic Semifinals:
Washington State v. Mississippi State - a couple of teams that lost a lot of talent from last year but are well coached, disciplined, and will surprise some teams in conference games this year.
Texas Tech v. Pitt - I haven't heard a lot about Tech nationally (in basketball I mean) except for the 167 point performance they had earlier this season. They're 4-0 but haven't really been challenged yet this year. Neither has Pitt, but then again, Pitt's the better team. I expect Tech to give Pitt a fight but the more talented team should prevail... that and DeJuan Blair will probably have another beastly performance.
Saturday, Nov. 29th
Legends Classic final: Preview coming Friday night!!
Dayton v. Marquette - Easily the most intriguing game of the Top 25 matchups (except for the Legends Classic final). Marquette is good but still lacks an inside presence defensively. Enter 6-8 forward Chris Wright for Dayton, who probably would have led the Flyers to a tournament berth last year had he been healthy all season. With hin and guard Chris Johnson returning this year, expect a very competitive Dayton team that I think will give Marquette all they can handle.
Sunday, Nov. 30th
Cancun Challenge, Anaheim Classic, and Old Spice Classic Finals: Previews will be coming througout the week!!
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