College Basketball: November '08

[Bored 0]

Hey look, the college basketball season start tomorrow! I know I just remembered just about two seconds ago. Personally I'm not looking forward to this season as Stanford is going to struggle just to make the NIT and meanwhile I have to deal with the Benedict Montgomery taking over Cal this year. But maybe your favorite team's outlook is brighter so feel free to make some preseason prognostications.

 

There's two preseason tournaments of note starting this week, first Coaches vs. Cancer tournament tips off tomorrow. Here's the opening round match-ups:

 

MONDAY

Georgia Southern vs. Houston

Presbyterian at #8 Duke, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPNU

 

TUESDAY

Arkansas-Monticello vs. Massachusetts

California (PA) at Southern Illinois

 

Miami of Ohio vs. Weber State

Prairie View A&M at #4 UCLA, 10:00/7:00 PM, ESPNU

 

WEDNESDAY

Northeastern vs. IUPUI

Michigan Tech at Michigan, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPNU

 

Obviously the tournament field is set up to get a Duke/UCLA match-up in the finals but I suppose stranger things have happened.

 

And the other tournament of note is the CBE Classic which will begin on Friday. Now the interesting thing about this tournament is they aren't even going to pretend that the opening two round games mean anything and are just going to play round robin where everyone will play two games. The four host schools are Syracuse, Florida, Kansas, and Washington and they have already "advanced" to the semi-finals. I know the opening round games in preseason tournaments are there just to be tune ups for the host schools but this is really lame. Full schedule is here.

[MFer 0]

Well hopefully Michigan can at least beat Michigan Tech for Christ's sake. Maybe UM can make a NCAA tournament run, but based on recent history, I'd probably be happy with 14-15 wins this season.

[MFer 0]

So Kentucky lost at home yesterday to VMI...yikes.

[Psycho Penguin 0]

Anyone getting the idea Kentucky made a mistake with their coaching situation?

[Broward83 0]

Hmm..how will teams I follow do this year?

 

Duke..top two in the ACC. Will split the series with UNC and lose in either the ACC Semi or ACC Championship game. Maybe a run to the Elite 8 but nothing further.

 

Texas..uhm...could be top of the Big 12 or somewhere in the middle of the pack. OU / AnM have always been a thorn in our side but OK State's been good as of late. We'll make the tourny but I think we'll bow out in the semi's. Maybe a top 5 national seed and getting boucned in the Sweet 16.

 

My current school..Univ. of Houston? Maybe NIT..we're long gone from the Phi Slamma Jamma days and peope caring about UH basketball. *shrug* Oh well..I'll still go to a few games and be a part of the "Redvolution"

[Bored 0]

Duke had a scare today against Rhode Island, 82-79.

 

As usual the second of the week of the season is when we start to see some meaningful games. Preseason NIT starts tomorrow with Boston College, Purdue, Oklahoma, and Arizona as the host schools. We could get our first Top 25 match-up of the year on Tuesday between Davidson and Oklahoma.

 

Puerto Rico Tip Off begins Thursday which features two Top 25 teams in Memphis and USC but the tournament organizers have the brackets set up where they would meet in the semis. Good planning there. Xavier and Virginia Tech are the other teams of note.

 

The Coaches vs. Cancer tournament wraps up on Friday where there is the possible Duke/UCLA final for what would be the first Top 10 match-up of the year.

 

Full T.V. Schedule for Week of 11/17 - 11/23

 

ESPN's has their first game of the year tomorrow night with Purdue's opening round NIT game. If you are an unemployed, insomniac, college basketball fan then Tuesday is your day as ESPN will have games on almost all day long.

 

ESPN Schedule

 

MONDAY

NIT First Round: Eastern Michigan at #11 Purdue, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN2

 

LATE MONDAY/TUESDAY

Massachusetts at #13 Memphis, Midnight/9:00 PM, ESPN

Fresno State at St. Mary's, 2:00 AM/11:00 PM, ESPN

Idaho State at Hawaii, 4:00/1:00 AM, ESPN

Penn at Drexel, 10:00/7:00 AM, ESPN

Liberty at UNC-Asheville, 2:00 PM/11:00 AM, ESPN

Centenary at Baylor, 4:00/1:00 PM, ESPN

Richmond at Syracuse, 6:00/3:00 PM, ESPN

NIT Quarterfinal: Cornell/St. John's vs. Boston College/Loyola (MD), 7:30/4:30 PM, ESPN2

Kentucky at #1 North Carolina, 9:00/6:00 PM, ESPN

NIT Quarterfinal: #20 Davidson/James Madison vs. #12 Oklahoma/Mississippi Valley State, 9:30/6:30 PM, ESPN2

NIT Quarterfinal: UAB/Santa Clara vs. Arizona/Florida Atlantic, 11:30/8:30 PM, ESPN2

 

THURSDAY

Puerto Rico First Round: Chattanooga vs. #13 Memphis, 4:30/1:30 PM, ESPN2

Coaches vs. Cancer Semifinal: #8 Duke vs. Southern Illinois, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN2

Coaches vs. Cancer Semifinal: #4 UCLA vs. Michigan, 9:00/6:00 PM, ESPN2

 

FRIDAY

Coaches vs. Cancer Consolation Game, 5:00/2:00 PM, ESPN2

Coaches vs. Cancer Finals, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN2

 

SUNDAY

Puerto Rico Finals, 7:30/4:30 PM, ESPN2

[Guest Smues]

"COLLEGE HOOPS TIP-OFF MARATON PRESENTED BY SAMSUNG BEHOLD"

 

Damn I wish I wasn't going to work so I could stay home and watch the maraton.

[BradyQuinnManCrush 0]

Notre Dame Irish!!!!!! Luke Harangody Preseason Big East POY will lead the Irish to a top 3 finish in the big east and a 3 seed in the tourney. Outside of their Big East schedule they have a tough schedule at the Maui invitational and a February battle at UCLA. At least a sweet 16 bid should be theirs. How far they go will depend upon match ups.

 

The other team I watch....Dayton Flyers have a tough year a head of them. Outside chance of a tourney bid, but since they barely beat Wofford in their first match it doesn't look likely. They better pick it up.

 

Can't wait to get deep into this season!!!

[cabbageboy 0]

No shock tonight with UNC beating UK down by 19. This was without Hansbrough and a couple other guys too. This seriously might be the year where UK's tourney streak comes to an end. Hard to imagine this bunch making it to the Big Dance.

[Bored 0]

Wow, bizarre finish in the UAB/Arizona game. With the game tied U of A had the ball for the final shot in regulation. They miss the shot with about three seconds left, UAB gets the rebound and looks like they only have a chance for a halfcourt shot but Arizona's Jamelle Horne intentionally fouls the UAB player with 0.8 seconds on the clock. Free throw, ball game and UAB advances to the NIT semis.

[cabbageboy 0]

That UAB/Zona finish reminds me of that Georgetown game last season where there was a foul call at the buzzer against Villanova. Wasn't intentional though. Do some of these guys think an 80 foot hail mary is a high percentage shot?

 

As far as UK goes, let's not kid ourselves. Billy Gillispie was hired for one reason: He beat U of L in the 2nd round of the tourney at Rupp Arena while at Texas A & M. Once Billy Donovan turned them down UK was left without a real viable alternative. So instead they turn to a guy with a history of DUIs with no record of major conf. success that didn't involve Acie Law.

 

Watching that UNC/UK game last night put it all in perspective. Carolina got Roy Williams to come back (Dean Smith disciple), while UK couldn't lure back Donovan (the Pitino disciple). UNC was fortunate that Williams never won a title at Kansas and thus looked at UNC as a step up, whereas Donovan has already won 2 at Florida so why leave?

[Damaramu 0]

Did anybody see the All-American duel in Norman last night? Blake Griffin vs. Stephen Curry(sp?)? Neither disappointed. Griffin had 25 points and 21 rebounds while Curry dropped in 44 points.

[bob_barron 0]

Xavier Henry is going to Memphis! I think I caused my friend to go deaf with my reaction to the news

[MFer 0]

Looks like the Michigan basketball team plans to make up for the football team's dismal season. HUGE win over UCLA, we'll see how they fare against Duke (who they get to play twice now). I'm sure UCLA was overrated at #4, but this is still a big-time win for the Wolverines.

[bob_barron 0]

Memphis looked pretty bad today. I'm happy USC lost, as I don't think they would've won that one.

[CanadianChris 0]

Looks like the Michigan basketball team plans to make up for the football team's dismal season. HUGE win over UCLA, we'll see how they fare against Duke (who they get to play twice now). I'm sure UCLA was overrated at #4, but this is still a big-time win for the Wolverines.

I thought the Michigan-Duke game was an ACC-Big 10 Challenge game, but it's not. Weird that Michigan would schedule an OOC opponent that they could potentially face in a preseason tournament.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Did I see that Texas Tech hung 167 points on someone?

 

*checks*

 

I DID! I'm by no means a college basketball fan (tournament only, basically), but that's insane.

[cabbageboy 0]

Beilein is a really good coach and he'll get Michigan turned around at some point. He worked some minor wonders at WVU.

 

As far as UCLA goes, I have no idea why these guys are #4 other than tradition. They lost a lot off last year's team and at the end of the day that boring Ben Howland style will always keep them from winning a national title.

 

Since I haven't commented much allow me to take a look at the current top 25 and give thoughts on each team:

 

1. North Carolina. Obviously really, really good. Hanbrough is banged up, but if these guys are healthy they are clearly #1. Will they win the title? I don't know. There's just something about them that I can't pinpoint, like they sometimes don't play to their capability.

 

2. UConn. Plenty of talent, but I don't think they have any guts. Somehow I don't see a team that lost in the first round to San Diego going to the Final 4.

 

3. Louisville. I don't know what to think yet from my guys. Terrence Williams has been out so these exhibitions have told me nothing. Samardo Samuels could be a dominant inside force, but I still don't know if U of L has the outside shooting. We'll see.

 

4. UCLA. Lost Kevin Love and some others off the FF team, can't really score any points consistently. Honestly I can't see the Bruins getting past the Sweet 16.

 

5. Michigan State. Neitzel is finally gone! Not sure why they are this high, but the Spartans will be a solid enough team. I like Purdue better in the Big 10 though. Sweet 16 team.

 

6. Pitt. Bleh. Same old Pitt. Same bunch of guys that do what they do. Still can't really shoot the ball consistently. 2nd round and done.

 

7. Texas. I enjoy watching the Longhorns and they seem to reload and keep going. They could be a solid Elite 8 team again.

 

8. Notre Dame. Thrilling to watch and Harangody is awesome, but they play absolutely zero defense. If they get matched up with another slow down opponent like Washington St. in the tourney, they'll be gone.

 

9. Gonzaga. Sweet 16 and that's about it. Gonzaga plays well, they look good, but at the end of the day Mark Few can't really coach for shit in the big games (see Texas Tech 2005, UCLA 2006).

 

10. Duke. Meh. Duke will win a bunch of games. Duke will be overrated. Duke will get a #2 or 3 seed. Duke will be gone in the 2nd round.

 

11. Purdue. Robbie Hummel may well develop into a superstar this year. In fact I think the Boilermakers will be the best team in the Big 10. Sweet 16 or Elite 8.

 

12. Oklahoma. I know they beat Davidson, but Davidson is little more than a 1 man circus sideshow. Not buying OU, sorry. Still can't get that 2nd round assrape from U of L out of my head.

 

13. Memphis. Lost a lot from last year obviously, but still with that mediocre C-USA schedule they should have no trouble running up a 27-4 type record and getting a 3 seed. Elite 8.

 

14. Tennessee. Best team in the SEC, which is like being the smartest kid on a short bus. Likely a top 4 seed, but I have no idea how they will replace Lofton. Should be fun to watch at least.

 

15. Arizona State. Haven't seen a whole lot from them, but there's a power vacuum in the Pac 10 right now and someone has to take advantage. That said, don't these guys just feel like a 4/13 type upset pick?

 

16. Marquette. Well, Tom Crean is gone so we'll see if they can keep it up in years to come. This might be the last time they make the tourney for a while. 5 seed, 2nd round or Sweet 16 depending on the breaks.

 

17. Miami. Wow, the ACC must be down if Miami is the #3 team in it. They might pull an upset or two over Duke or even UNC, but at best they'll be a Sweet 16 team that is a tough out for a 1 seed.

 

18. Florida. Should be back in the tourney at least, and will vye with the Vols for the SEC. Still, if anyone is looking for a 5/12 upset pick come March, Florida could be it.

 

19. USC. Eh, they just lost to Seton Hall last night so who knows why the Trojans are even ranked, particulary minus OJ Mayo.

 

20. Wake Forest. Probably a solid pick out of the ACC to get to the tourney, might even be able to spring a 6 over 3 type upset in the 2nd round.

 

21. Davidson. Sorry, but Curry even needed a bit of help last year to reach the Elite 8 and there's no evidence now that he has any. Probably another 7/10 type seed, but this time won't go past the 2nd round.

 

22. Georgetown. I dunno, they might end up being a little better than this. John Thompson's Princeton style assures competence but prevents greatness. Solid 4/5 seed.

 

23. Villanova. This however is just about right for Nova. Might pull an upset or two in the Big East, but a 6 seed is about right. Sweet 16 run last year was mostly just luck rather than them being all that great.

 

24. Kansas. Basically lost everything off the title team, so if they can even do this well that's saying something. I think they'll take some lumps but end up as a dangerous 8/9 team that is a dangerous 2nd round game for a 1 seed.

 

25. Wisconsin. Does it matter if they lost anybody really? Bo Ryan will have them back in the Big 10 hunt, dominant home court advantage as well. Won't do anything in March though.

 

 

[MFer 0]

Decent effort by Michigan tonight. Duke didn't look overly impressive, but they were good enough. It'll be nice when Lucas-Perry can play for UM next semester, because they need another shooter badly.

[Damaramu 0]

Loved hearing Dukie V moan about JJ Reddick not getting enough time in the NBA.

[Bored 0]

It's Thanksgiving Week so that means a ton of preseason tournaments. The big one is the Maui Invitational which begins tomorrow and features three Top 10 teams in North Carolina, Texas, and Notre Dame. The CBE Classic also finally gets to the actual tournament phase of the, um, tournament after the bogus round robin play where the results didn't matter.

 

After that there is the Preseason NIT semis and finals on Wednesday and Friday. On Thanksgiving Day there are the two Disney tournaments that will run all day on ESPN2 with the Old Spice Classic in Orlando (Michigan State, Gonzaga, Tennessee, Georgetown) and the 76 Classic in Anaheim (Arizona State and Wake Forest).

 

Full T.V. Schedule for Week of 11/24 - 11/30

 

ESPN & FSN Schedule

 

MONDAY

Maui First Round: St. Joseph's vs. #6 Texas, 3:00 PM/Noon, ESPN2

Maui First Round: Indiana vs. #8 Notre Dame, 5:30/2:30 PM, ESPN2

Paradise Jam Third Place: #22t Miami vs San Diego, 6:00/3:00 PM, FSN

CBE Semifinal: Syracuse vs. #17 Florida, 7:30/4:30 PM, ESPN2

Paradise Jam Finals: #2 Connecticut vs. #25 Wisconsin, 8:30/5:30 PM, FSN

CBE Semifinal: Washington vs. #22t Kansas, 10:00/7:00 PM, ESPN2

Maui First Round: Oregon vs. Alabama, 11:59/8:59 PM, ESPN2

 

TUESDAY

Maui Loser's Bracket Game, 4:00/1:00 PM, ESPN2

Maui Semifinal #1, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN

Maui Semifinal #2, 9:30/6:30 PM, ESPN

CBE Finals, 10:00/7:00 PM, ESPN2

 

WEDNESDAY

Maui Fifth Place Game, 2:00 PM/11:00 AM, ESPN2

Maui Third Place Game, 4:30/1:30 PM, ESPN2

NIT Semifinal: Boston College vs. #10 Purdue, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN2

NIT Semifinal: UAB vs. #12 Oklahoma, 9:00/6:00 PM, ESPN2

Maui Finals, 10:00/7:00 PM, ESPN

 

THURSDAY

Old Spice First Round: #12 Tennessee vs. Siena, Noon/9:00 AM, ESPN2

Old Spice First Round: Wichita State vs. #21 Georgetown, 2:00 PM/11:00 AM, ESPN2

76 First Round: #19 Wake Forest vs. Cal State Fullerton, 4:30/1:30 PM, ESPN2

Old Spice First Round: Maryland vs. #5 Michigan State, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN2

Old Spice First Round: Oklahoma State vs. #9 Gonzaga, 9:00/6:00 PM, ESPN2

76 First Round: Providence vs. Baylor, 11:30/8:30 PM, ESPN2

 

FRIDAY

Old Spice Semifinal #1, 1:00 PM/10:00 AM, ESPN

NIT Consolation Game, 1:30 PM/10:30 AM, ESPN2

Duquense at #7 Duke, 3:00 PM/Noon, ESPN

NIT Finals, 3:30/12:30 PM, ESPN2

Old Spice Semifinal #2, 5:30/2:30 PM, ESPN

76 Semifinal, 12:30 AM/9:30 PM, ESPN2

 

SATURDAY

Las Vegas Finals: West Virginia/Iowa vs. Kentucky/Kansas State, 10:30/7:30 PM, ESPN2

Colorado at Stanford, 10:30/7:30 PM, FSN

 

SUNDAY

Old Spice Third Place Game, 5:30/2:30 PM, ESPN2

UNC-Asheville at #1 North Carolina, 6:30/3:30 PM, FSN

Old Spice Finals, 7:30/4:30 PM, ESPN2

76 Finals, 10:30/7:30 PM, ESPN2

Edited November 25, 2008 by Bored

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Bored, I'm changing my vote for the name of the 10th bowl in your pick-em. "Old Spice Third Place Game" is clearly the best of all possible worlds.

[Psycho Penguin 0]

Maryland's hanging around with your SIXTH RANKED Michigan State Spartans!

[Psycho Penguin 0]

Maryland vs Georgetown! WOOO!!!

[cabbageboy 0]

WKU 68, U of L 54. Ugh, I thought U of L was overrated at #3 but that was just ugly and embarrassing. From watching these first few games this may well be like 2006 for the Cards in terms of being highly ranked, but in reality not very good.

 

Imagine what WKU would have done today if they still had Courtney Lee and Tyrone Brazelton.