A New College Hoops Thread.....

[cabbageboy 0]

Heh instead we get that epic DePaul/Memphis game over Ga Tech/Wake.

 

Va Tech wins yet again! Hell they are about 3rd right now in the ACC. I don't think they even finished that high back in the old school Metro, haha.

[Damaramu 0]

Well OU just took their first conference loss as the Big XII road proves to be a trap at ISU.

[Guest spidyfan77]

That was a puzzling loss for OU right there. It wasn't on TV but I would think they should have won that game.

 

Arizona had more of the trap letdown game though...and at HOME too. They got past Washington in the seemingly tough game the other night, but today turn around and job out to WASU. Dick Bennett also has played that ugly slow style and Zona seemed to have trouble with it. And so with losses by WA and AZ.....

 

All U of L has to do is squash Tulane tonight and we're back in the top 10, yo.

[Damaramu 0]

Well being away can always do funny things to a team. Not to mention Ames is a tough place to win.

I mean I think OU is still alright. They've won like 17 of 19 and were riding a 10 game win streak. I still think they'll protect home court and get a 4 seed.

[lomasmoney 0]

That was a puzzling loss for OU right there. It wasn't on TV but I would think they should have won that game.

 

Arizona had more of the trap letdown game though...and at HOME too. They got past Washington in the seemingly tough game the other night, but today turn around and job out to WASU. Dick Bennett also has played that ugly slow style and Zona seemed to have trouble with it. And so with losses by WA and AZ.....

 

All U of L has to do is squash Tulane tonight and we're back in the top 10, yo.

i know this isnt too related but why did Dick Bennett leave Wisconsin to go to Washington State, seems like a step down.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Pitt beat Syracuse! Woo!

[cabbageboy 0]

I figured Pitt would win that one at home...Cuse is soooo not as good as their ludicrously inflated 20-2 record. They have mostly played jobbers and barely gotten by even competent teams.

 

And yes, U of L did in fact squash Tulane by 36 tonight. Top 10 just in time for Cincy to roll into town.

 

I think Dick Bennett actually retired from Wisconsin and then came out of retirement to coach WASU?

[Damaramu 0]

Kansas beat the holy hell out of Texas in Lawrence tonight. The Big XII road is just murderous....

[Damaramu 0]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/stor...andy&id=1977915

 

A decent article here about how the Big XII is a 4-team race every year and it never changes.

I mean after evaluating it so far it looks like Kansas is going to run away with the conference with OU, OSU, and Texas following in that order.

OSU though.....what a dissapointment I think they are. They're nowhere near as good as they were last year. Oh well maybe they'll get hot.

OU's still hot right now IMO. I mean I think that you will definitely experience letdown after going through Texas and OSU like they did.

[Guest Ether]

Pitt beat Syracuse! Woo!

It's the second straight game Pitt has overcome a 17 point deficit. I guess the key to beating Pitt is to never have more than a 16 point lead.

[cabbageboy 0]

I like Pitt, they're kind of a guilty pleasure of mine.

 

Why is OSU such a huge disappointment? They've lost road games at Texas and OU, not really shocking upsets (they might have been underdogs in both). They lost to Gonzaga as well, that was kinda odd but Zaga is still ranked. I think OSU mainly won the conf. last year because it was a bit down, not much but just enough. Texas lost TJ Ford, Kansas wasn't that good, OU was mediocre, etc.

 

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention UK barely escaped Arkansas by 1 yesterday. Just another game that illustrates why UK isn't going anywhere this year, I don't care how well they do in the SEC. You cannot go around winning 68-67 games in the tourney, your luck will run out (a la UAB).

 

Anyone wanna take a guess on which C-USA JTTS team UK will lose to in the tourney this year? I'm thinking Charlotte in a 2/7 type matchup.

[Damaramu 0]

I say they're a dissapointment b/c they went to the Final Four last year and they ran away with the Big XII. Nobody could stand up to them in the conference and they beat Pitt and St. Joe's in the tourney.

This year they're just not as good as they were last year. I guess losing Tony Allen hurt a lot more than I thought it would.......but I guess this should make me happy since OU is way up as compared to last year.

[Damaramu 0]

Well UConn fell again this time to Notre Dame.

Meanwhile OSU went on the road and had a close first half with Colorado before beating the hell out of them in the second half. This second half team stuff is goign to get them in trouble in the tournament.

[iggymcfly 0]

i know this isnt too related but why did Dick Bennett leave Wisconsin to go to Washington State, seems like a step down.

 

Dick Bennett basically wanted to get his son Tony a head coaching job. So he agreed to come coach Wazzu for a while and turn around the program, all the while grooming Tony to take over, even letting him coach a couple games.

 

I think the plan is that Dick Bennett will stay about four or five years before handing over the reins.

[cabbageboy 0]

Is anyone else getting the vibe that UConn is on the bubble? Every time they seemingly have a shot at winning some sort of substatial game they are jobbing. I honestly can't think of a single notable win they have...hell their best win might be over INDIANA. Think about that!

 

Dear god, do you guys realize UK will be in the top 5 this week due to Wake and Cuse both losing? I think U of L will likely get to 9 or so due to OK St., Wash, and Zona all jobbing.

[iggymcfly 0]

Seeing as how I never get any response when I give them their own thread, here's my Top 25 for this week.

 

1. Illinois 21-0

2. Kansas 16-1

3. North Carolina 17-2

4. Duke 16-1

5. Boston College 18-0

6. Kentucky 16-2

7. Oklahoma State 15-3

8. Syracuse 20-2

9. Wake Forest 17-3

10. Oklahoma 16-3

11. Washington 17-3

12. Louisville 18-3

13. Cincinnatti 17-3

14. Michigan State 14-3

15. Alabama 17-3

16. Maryland 13-5

17. Gonzaga 15-4

18. Wisconsin 14-4

19. Texas 15-5

20. Villanova 12-4

21. Pittsburgh 14-3

22. Arizona 17-4

23. Georgia Tech 12-6

24. Texas A&M 14-4

25. Vermont 15-3

[Crimson Platypus 0]

1. Illinois 21-0

2. Kansas 16-1

3. North Carolina 17-2

4. Duke 16-1

5. Boston College 18-0

6. Kentucky 16-2

7. Oklahoma State 15-3

8. Syracuse 20-2

9. Wake Forest 17-3

10. Oklahoma 16-3

11. Washington 17-3

12. Louisville 18-3

13. Cincinnatti 17-3

14. Michigan State 14-3

15. Alabama 17-3

16. Maryland 13-5

17. Gonzaga 15-4

18. Wisconsin 14-4

19. Texas 15-5

20. Villanova 12-4

21. Pittsburgh 14-3

22. Arizona 17-4

23. Georgia Tech 12-6

24. Texas A&M 14-4

25. Vermont 15-3

 

 

That might be a bit high still for MSU. The big test comes tomorrow where I expect them to lose to Illinois by 10+. Anything under that and I will consider it a victory of sorts.

 

 

Also, didn't have a chance to give you shit for that game on Thursday lomas

[iggymcfly 0]

Cincinnatti, Michigan State, and Alabama are all kind of in that same are where they don't have any really good wins, but they don't have any bad losses either. One big game either way could clarify a lot for any one of them.

[Crimson Platypus 0]

The really frustrating thing about MSU is that this senior class of Alan Anderson, Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert had so much promise that they just have not realized. AA is a hell of a player, just terribly inconsistent. Chris Hill is one of the top ten pure shooters in the NCAA, unfortunately he plays defense like his feet are glued to the floor. Kelvin Torbert was the #1 player in the country coming out of H.S. and is now the 6th man. KT can jump out of the gym, has decent outside shooting ability, but simply doesn't exist when it really matters, in crunch time of a big game.

 

This team has a big problem with not being able to win big games. They choked against Wisconsin, missing a bunch of free throws down the stretch that would probably have clinched a win there. Duke demolished them, and I really don't think that the Blue Devils are that much better than them.

 

I really wish that Izzo would shorten his bench a bit. For example, against Oakland this past Saturday, he had 10 players with 12 or more minutes. Part of that I think was that Paul Davis sat out with an ankle injury, but then again against Michigan Thursday there were 8 players with 17 or more minutes.

 

I'd like to see them go with the starting line up of:

 

Chris Hill - PG

Maurice Ager - SG

Alan Anderson - SF

Matt Trannon - PF

Paul Davis - C

 

Matt Trannon is not getting nearly enough playing time, he gets tons of rebounds, plays solid defense, and hustles every play. Not bad for coming from the football team (WR, can't catch tho). Maurice Ager would average 30 points per on lots of teams in college, easily MSU's best player right now, and an unconscious shooter.

The bench should look like this:

(in order)

 

Shannon Brown - SG

Drew Neitzel - PG

Kelvin Torbert - SF

Delco Rowley - PF

Drew Naymick - C

 

10 guys still, however of those, only the first three would get more than 10 minutes per. Rowley and Naymick should only get 10 or more in the case of foul trouble or injury.

 

Anyway sorry about the long post, I got a bit carried away there...

[cabbageboy 0]

I think Pitt is kinda underrated in the polls. They have put some solid wins on the board of late, and I think they're the best team in the BE. I am SO not sold on BC. Take a look at their schedule and see why.

 

U of L not in either of those top 10s? We killed Marquette by 47 and Tulane by 36 this week and OU and Wash both lost. Actually that's ok with me since I'd rather U of L lurk under the radar rather than get overhyped like the past 2 years.

[iggymcfly 0]

Actually, the second top ten was just him quoting my top ten, but as for Louisville not being ranked higher, it's pretty simple. Conference USA's just down this year. Cincinnatti's really the only win that means anything as a feather in the cap for Louisville. With no big non-conference wins, that leaves only one big win all year for Louisville.

 

Now compare that to the three loss teams ranked above the Cardinals.

 

Oklahoma's beaten UConn, Texas, and OSU

Washington's beaten Utah, Oklahoma, and Alabama

Wake Forest's beaten Arizona, Texas, Maryland, North Carolina, and Cincinnatti

Oklahoma State's beaten Syracuse and Texas Tech

 

And that's not even getting into the loss to Houston. I think Louisville's right where they should be, but you could make a much better argument for moving them down to 17 or 18 than you could for moving them up to 9 or 10.

[Damaramu 0]

I don't know but I think Kansas may have pretty much won the Big XII with OU's loss to ISU over the weekend.

Now Kansas is undefeated in the conferenc eand I don't think that anyone can defeate them, especially not in Lawrence. They might lose at OU but OU will have more conference losses after going to Stillwater and Austin.

So the Big XII regular season title may just belong to Kansas. However I think the tourney is anyone's game.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Back to back wins over UConn and Syracuse = #19

 

Got it.

[iggymcfly 0]

Back to back wins over UConn and Syracuse = #19

 

Got it.

No one has Pitt ranked at 19. I have them ranked 21 and the coaches and media polls have them at 15 and 16 respectively.

 

If you're wondering why I don't have them ranked higher (since I have them ranked lowest), it's because those two good wins were counteracted by losses to Bucknell and St. Johns. Connecticut's not even a Top 25 team this year, and Villanova's win over Kansas is more impressive than anything that Pittsburgh's done. If you ask me, Pittsburgh's only fourth in their own conference, and the Big East is quite a ways from being as good as the ACC.

[Damaramu 0]

Missouri actually gave Kansas a good game earlier before Kansas pulled away in the end.

But seriously Mizzou isn't any good and Quinn Snyder needs to lose his job. He's bungled the talent he has for to long and he's a crook from what I hear.

[Damaramu 0]

And the real Top 25 looks like this:

 

AP:

 

1. Illinois 21-0

2. North Carolina 17-2

3. Kansas 16-1

4. Duke 16-1

5. Boston College 18-0

6. Kentucky 16-2

7. Wake Forest 17-3

8. Syracuse 20-2

9. Louisville 18-3

10. Oklahoma State 16-3

11. Alabama 17-3

12. Michigan State 14-3

13. Washington 17-3

14(t). Oklahoma 16-3

14(t). Arizona 17-4

16. Pittsburgh 14-3

17. Gonzaga 15-4

18. Cincinnati 17-3

19. Wisconsin 14-4

20. Texas 15-5

21. Utah 17-3

22. Maryland 13-5

23. Conneticut 12-5

24. Villanova 12-4

25. Georgia Tech 12-6

 

Coaches:

1. Illinois

2. North Carolina

3. Kansas

4. Kentucky

5. Boston College

6. Duke

7. Wake Forest

8. Syracuse

9. Louisville

10. Michigan State

11. Oklahoma State

12. Washington

13. Arizona

14. Alabama

15. Pittsburgh

16. Oklahoma

17. Cincinnati

18. Texas

19. Wisconsin

20. Conneticut

21. Gonzaga

22. Utah

23. Georgia Tech

24. Maryland

25. Villanova

 

Discuss, argue, flame.

[cabbageboy 0]

That loss to Houston was with Taquan Dean not playing due to back spasms and Otis George was hurt as well...and we of course were fucked by the refs, haha. I hope we get them again in the CUSA tourney so we can kill them by about 40.

 

Incidentally, how is CUSA all that down this year? I know Memphis is crap and Marquette has taken lumps with Diener hurting, but take a look...there are 5 teams that will likely get in from the league. U of L, Cincy, Charlotte, DePaul, and UAB.

 

You know with U of L finishing top 10 in football and now ranked top 10 in both basketball polls it made me think....is it possible U of L can become a real rarity, the program that is good in both? Right now there really aren't many like this, maybe Texas and Oklahoma is all I can currently think of.

[Damaramu 0]

Well Texas and OU have Top 10 football teams and Top 25 basketball teams. I dunno if you mean good as in Top 10 good in both or ranked good in both?

Because it seems typically a school will put it's everything and lifeblood into one sport.

The only reason I think OU is any good is because Kelvin Sampson knows how to coach and use Junior College players. If they didn't have him they wouldn't recruit shit and would be a bottom basement team. I think....I mean they almost won it all in 88 without him. But then they hit a rough period.

Without Kelvin I doubt they'd be anywhere.

I mean when you're a great basketball player OU and Texas don't exactly jump out and grab you as desirable locations.

[iggymcfly 0]

Incidentally, how is CUSA all that down this year? I know Memphis is crap and Marquette has taken lumps with Diener hurting, but take a look...there are 5 teams that will likely get in from the league. U of L, Cincy, Charlotte, DePaul, and UAB.

Those five teams you mention that should get in out of Conference USA? They're a combined 0-10 in nonconference games against ranked teams.

 

If Marquette hadn't beaten Wisconsin, the whole conference would be winless against ranked teams. Also, the bottom part of the conference is terrible, as teams like South Florida, St. Louis, East Carolina, Tulane, and Southern Miss are significantly worse than the bad teams by other power conferences.

 

You could make an argument that Conference USA was a better conference in football this year than it is in basketball.

[cabbageboy 0]

You know why I think all 5 get out of CUSA? Because there will likely be some god awful 4 way tie atop the conference. That's the reason jobbers like DePaul got in last year.

 

The best teams in CUSA can play with anyone. Yeah I know U of L lost to UK by 2 but anyway who saw that game knows the deal there. Cincy lost by 4 to Wake, close game. Charlotte lost in double OT to Bama by 1.

 

I do agree that the bottom feeders in CUSA significantly hurt the league.