A New College Hoops Thread.....

[iggymcfly 0]

Well, when GT beat Wake, BJ Elder was still out, and I'd say that they're not any better than Maryland without him.

 

As for the Big XII, I'd say they get six teams as long as Iowa State and Texas Tech keep it together down the stretch.

[CanadianChris 0]

Kansas is down 37-22 at the half in Norman! This could be the Jayhawks first 3 game losing streak in 11 years.

Man this Kansas team has fallen apart.

One half does not a game make, as the Jayhawks are showing right now. If nothing else, this team has plenty of heart.

[Damaramu 0]

Kansas is down 37-22 at the half in Norman! This could be the Jayhawks first 3 game losing streak in 11 years.

Man this Kansas team has fallen apart.

One half does not a game make, as the Jayhawks are showing right now. If nothing else, this team has plenty of heart.

Two halves made as OU strung together 2 great halves and dealt Kansas their third straight loss! YES!

 

I don't understand this OU team. They lose to some bad teams but then seem to be able to take the great ones.

[CanadianChris 0]

Kansas is down 37-22 at the half in Norman! This could be the Jayhawks first 3 game losing streak in 11 years.

Man this Kansas team has fallen apart.

One half does not a game make, as the Jayhawks are showing right now. If nothing else, this team has plenty of heart.

Two halves made as OU strung together 2 great halves and dealt Kansas their third straight loss! YES!

 

I don't understand this OU team. They lose to some bad teams but then seem to be able to take the great ones.

They got killed for a good portion of the second half. They hung on late, but that was NOT a good half of basketball.

[Damaramu 0]

Kansas is down 37-22 at the half in Norman! This could be the Jayhawks first 3 game losing streak in 11 years.

Man this Kansas team has fallen apart.

One half does not a game make, as the Jayhawks are showing right now. If nothing else, this team has plenty of heart.

Two halves made as OU strung together 2 great halves and dealt Kansas their third straight loss! YES!

 

I don't understand this OU team. They lose to some bad teams but then seem to be able to take the great ones.

They got killed for a good portion of the second half. They hung on late, but that was NOT a good half of basketball.

It was enough to beat the Jayhawks and that's damn good for me. Beating the #7 team in the country is a nice feather in our cap.

[cabbageboy 0]

OU has had maybe one really bizarre loss, which was to TX Tech at home. They should have won that one. The Iowa St. loss doesn't look that bad really.

 

I have been telling everyone that Kansas is NOT that good this year, and they look to be right on track for my 1st/2nd round flame out prediction at this point. It might sound insane but I think they miss Christian Moody more than they did Simien. They worked around Simien's absence but without Moody they aren't so hot.

[Damaramu 0]

OU has had maybe one really bizarre loss, which was to TX Tech at home. They should have won that one. The Iowa St. loss doesn't look that bad really.

 

I have been telling everyone that Kansas is NOT that good this year, and they look to be right on track for my 1st/2nd round flame out prediction at this point. It might sound insane but I think they miss Christian Moody more than they did Simien. They worked around Simien's absence but without Moody they aren't so hot.

I still think Kansas will go deep. I worry about OSU's chances b/c OSU has the talent to beat them but honestly Kansas won't lose a 4th straight and not at home.

On top of that OSU can get Kansas on a neutral court in the conference tourney and probably beat them up.

I think that if anyone from the Big XII gets a #1 seed(which one of them will) it should be the Cowboys.

Kansas gets a #2 and OU gets a 4 or 5 probably 5.

 

OU has another puzzling loss and that's the loss to Mizzou. I mean Mizzou ain't shit.

But I mean the others I guess are ok. Texas Tech is getting hot. OSU at home is no shame. ISU is hot. Duke is top 10 and Washington is top 25.

 

Oh and I think OU will win all of there remaining games except the one at Tech. Hell they might win that one. But I mean they can take Baylor at home. It'd be hard to win in Austin but Texas isn't that great and OU can do it. So that'd make them either 22-7 or 23-6 heading and either 3 or 4 in the Big XII heading into the conference tourney. I think they'll be just fine.

[cabbageboy 0]

If that Mizzou game was at Mizzou then that's not a horrible loss either...they did beat Gonzaga as well, and also played Illinois pretty tough. As my friend Chris said of Mizzou "They don't really have anybody but on a given night they can cause trouble."

 

Dama, this Kansas team has all the earmarks of a typical Kansas tankjob. I think most of all they REALLY miss Christian Moody, moreso than when Simien was hurt. I don't know how exactly to explain this, but they were beating people by 5 pts. with or without Simien, heh. But take Moody out and they seem to be really struggling. But really, aside from the Iowa St. game KU hasn't had a terrible loss. Losing to Nova wasn't awful aside from getting killed by them the way they did. Losing by 1 in double OT to Tech wasn't a disgrace or anything, and losing at OU was sorta expected.

 

Here's something to ponder: What is the best program to never win it all? I think it is either OU or Illinois, though the Illini might win it this year.

[Damaramu 0]

I have no clue. Maybe OU. They were right there in 88 and they had beaten Kansas 3 times in the regular season and then Kansas just whalloped them in the National Title game.

Sampson has always put together good teams that make Elite 8-Final Four runs but never finish.

I dunno about best program to never win it but they're a good program that hasn't gotten it yet.

[CanadianChris 0]

Here's something to ponder: What is the best program to never win it all? I think it is either OU or Illinois, though the Illini might win it this year.

That's a question that needs redefining. Neither Oklahoma nor Illinois have had historically great programs on par with a UCLA, a Kansas, a North Carolina, etc. They're both currently good programs who have become good relatively recently.

 

I submit that the best team never to win a title is Houston.

[cabbageboy 0]

Houston is also a good pick, they were quite a top level program under Guy Lewis. It's easy to forget about them though since they have sucked for the past 20 years though.

 

I can think of two times that I thought OU was the best team. 1988 which Dama just mentioned (although they lost by about 2 to Kansas, hardly got walloped) and 2002 as well (when they had beaten both Kansas and Maryland but managed to lose to the lone remaining FF team: Indiana).

 

I also said Illinois because they were perhaps the best team in 89 but couldn't take care of Michigan a 3rd time. And you would think they would have won a title SOMEWHERE along the line, hell even Wisconsin did that in the Big 10.

[CanadianChris 0]

Houston is also a good pick, they were quite a top level program under Guy Lewis. It's easy to forget about them though since they have sucked for the past 20 years though.

And it's a shame too, because they're a casualty of the superconferences of today, and the fact that they were left out in the cold when the SWC disbanded. If they had joined the Big XII instead of Baylor, they could still be a top-level basketball power.

[cabbageboy 0]

CUSA isn't a bad conf. though really. I mean hell Marquette wasn't as big time as Houston used to be (although they DID win a nat. title in 1977) but they were revived in the late 90s and made a FF in 2003.

 

Now NEXT year, CUSA will start to seriously suck since everyone worth a damn is leaving. U of L, Cincy, Marquette, DePaul all to the BE, and I also think Charlotte is even going to the A 10.

[iggymcfly 0]

Yeah, I think that if Houston were in the Big XII instead of Baylor, they'd be about as competitive as...... Baylor. They're not competing in C-USA which is a four or five bid conference at the moment, so there's no reason to think that putting them in a slightly better conference would have helped at all.

[Damaramu 0]

Not to mention they wouldn't be worth shit in football if they had joined the Big XII.

Although I don't think Houston would make the bottom of the Big XII as bad as Baylor is.

I think Baylor in both sports brings the Big XII down farther.

B/c the bottom of other big b-ball and football conferences aren't as bad on the very bottom as the Big XII is with Baylor.

Well maybe Vanderbilt and a couple of other crappy teams but I think Baylor is the worst of the worst on big conference bottom.

[Damaramu 0]

OSU is currently losing to Nebraska so it looks like nobody is going to run away with the Big XII. When did the Big XII become the "We're all going to beat the hell out of one another!" conference?

[Damaramu 0]

Well with OSU pissing that away there goes the chances of the Big XII having a #1 seed.

I still think OSU or Kansas will be there in the NC game when all is said and done.

[Damaramu 0]

This is actually better. B/c now OSU and Kansas have the same conference Win/Loss record and the game in Lawrence on Saturday becomes a titanic battle for the Big XII.

[cabbageboy 0]

Kansas has been known for their tourney tankjobs in the past, and this year has all the earmarks of a KU early round exit. I've said all season they are this year's version of UK from last year, but even UK last year didn't lose 3 in a row. Then again KU hasn't been swept by a jobber like Georgia, haha.

 

OK St. is a nice Elite 8 team but losing to Nebraska last night is a very bad loss. But really, aside from Illinois does anyone not have a really bizarre loss? Ok maybe not BC either, just lost to ND.

[Damaramu 0]

Kansas has been known for their tourney tankjobs in the past, and this year has all the earmarks of a KU early round exit. I've said all season they are this year's version of UK from last year, but even UK last year didn't lose 3 in a row. Then again KU hasn't been swept by a jobber like Georgia, haha.

 

OK St. is a nice Elite 8 team but losing to Nebraska last night is a very bad loss. But really, aside from Illinois does anyone not have a really bizarre loss? Ok maybe not BC either, just lost to ND.

OSU is a Final Four team. I still think the Big XII will have National Title representation.

I think OSU was caught with their pants down looking at Kansas. Could happen to anyone with that big of a game down the road.

 

In the tournament OSU won't be looking ahead to anything but the next game. I think they have as much skill and talent as anyone in the country save maybe a UNC(who i think has more talent than anyone and could beat Illinois in the tourney).

 

Kansas I think has had a bizarre season but this has the makings of Kansas going all the way. Everyone is questioning them and then they hit you out of nowhere.

Before they've dominated the Big XII and then choked in the tourney. They will NOT make a 1st or 2nd round exit. Hell they won't even lose in the Sweet 16. If they lose anywhere it'll be the Elite 8 which I doubt.

 

Also on top of that I think the team that's going to choke and take an early round exit is Arizona. I mean they aren't really that great and they always choke, worse than Kansas.

[iggymcfly 0]

A quick heads up for fans of good basketball, we've got a Final Four preview going on on ESPN2 right now.

 

It's a pretty good game too, Duke's up 42-39.

[iggymcfly 0]

BJ Elder's still not back at all. He's only got 2 points tonight, and he just got a crucial traveling call. The Jackets are still only down two though. I think they're gonna get this done.

[Damaramu 0]

A Final Four preview!? Get this through your head. GT is not making it deep in the tourney at ALL!

I bet they end up with a 5 seed at that.

[iggymcfly 0]

Well, Duke held on. And for the record, if they don't make it deep in the ACC tournament, GT's probably looking at more like a 9 or 10 seed.

 

It's just frustrating to see this team play so far below their potential. They've got three of the most talented scorers in the country, and they couldn't even get the 61 points they needed to beat Duke tonight.

 

I still think that BJ Elder's the biggest problem. He's really not back in the flow of the game at all yet. I mean, he was the leading scorer on the national runner-up last year, and tonight he was 1-7, fouling out with a total of 2 points. Without that extra scorer, they just start to force things with Jack or Bynum throwing themselves at the basket, and they don't work the offense for open shots.

 

If they turn things around, they still have plenty of potential to make a run deep into the NCAAs. They've still got the scorers they had last year, and they've actually been playing even better defense lately. The thing is that they're running out of time to do that right now.

 

If they win two of their last three, and Maryland loses to Carolina and at VT, they'll still get a first round bye in the ACC tournament, and should be able to win a couple games there to get some momentum going into the NCAAs.

 

As soon as they start playing like their old selves, they'll pick up confidence in no time, playing in the tournament they came a game from winning last year. However, if they get stuck with say a 6 seed in the ACC tournament, they'll have to play a fresh Duke team on no rest, and then they'll probably get stuck playing someone like Illinois in the second round of the NCAAs if they even make it.

 

GT has to turn it around before the NCAAs start if they can realistically be expected to make a run deep into March.

[Guest Failed Mascot]

the Eagles aren't looking good at all

[Alro 0]

Kentucky is only up by 7 against freakin' Auburn. What happened to that team that played Miss. State on Saturday?

[Guest Mosaicv2]

Villonova def BC 75-70... well that sucks.

[Guest Failed Mascot]

Ted Sorandis is going to call into work tommorow saying he's too grief stricken to come in.

[Crimson Platypus 0]

My Spartans have a big game tonight at home against the monkey on their back that is Wisconsin. I wish I could figure out why the Badgers have MSU's nuts in a jar on their nightstand. It's just really frustrating to have one team that absolutely owns State like Wisconsin does...

[Alro 0]

Kentucky manages to pull out an 8 point win over Auburn, a team that only has 3 SEC wins. This habit of overlooking weaker teams needs to stop or there is going to be a repeat of last year when the UAB midgets knocked us out in the second round.

 

Tubby says Rondo is day-to-day with bruised ribs. Hopefully that will heal up quick and he won't miss any games.