College Basketball 2006-2007

[Warpticon]

Arkansas takes the inaugral Old Spice Classic against a very tough West Virginia team, and goes to 5-0. Sonny Weems is the truth, and is taking the Ronnie Brewer role from last year, only as a better shooter and not as much of a distributor. Next stop: Mizzou, in a huge game for both teams that brings coach Mike Anderson back to where he got his start: as assistant to Nolan Richardson at Arkansas.

[Flames24Rulz]

Arkansas takes the inaugral Old Spice Classic against a very tough West Virginia team, and goes to 5-0. Sonny Weems is the truth, and is taking the Ronnie Brewer role from last year, only as a better shooter and not as much of a distributor. Next stop: Mizzou, in a huge game for both teams that brings coach Mike Anderson back to where he got his start: as assistant to Nolan Richardson at Arkansas.

 

For SIU's sake, I hope you guys have a great season and win a lot of ballgames :)

[Warpticon]

They look to be in good shape.

 

I'm wondering where they'll be "ranked" when the new polls come out. They were basically #37 in this week's AP poll (no votes in teh ESPN/USA Today poll...funny). With a strong showing against the #27 SIU squad and a surprisingly strong West Virginia team, I have to think they're gonna get a lot more love this week. Wichita State should also be jumping significantly (they were #27 in the ESPN/USA Today poll and received no votes in the AP. Funny how that happens.)

[Mizzou]

Did I seriously just read that you guys (TT, Cubbies75) were rooting for kU? Umm, what?!

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Did I seriously just read that you guys (TT, Cubbies75) were rooting for kU? Umm, what?!

 

The higher they climb, the harder they fall. Plus it helps Mizzou for kU to win against a good non-con opponent(conference strength, strength of schedule, etc.). I want kU to be as highly ranked as possible for both our games against them.

 

On the upcoming schedule front, Mizzou hosts Coppin State tomorrow night. Hopefully they can take care of business and then let loose on Arkansas Thursday. First big game of the year, and should be the best crowd of the year as well. Opposite styles too, with Mizzou being a smaller team that pushes as much as possible, and Arkansas being bigger and playing a slower game.

Edited November 27, 2006 by Transmogrified Tiger

[Warpticon]

Did I seriously just read that you guys (TT, Cubbies75) were rooting for kU? Umm, what?!

 

The higher the climb, the harder they fall. Plus it helps Mizzou for kU to win against a good non-con opponent(conference strength, strength of schedule, etc.). I want kU to be as highly ranked as possible for both our games against them.

 

On the upcoming schedule front, Mizzou hosts Coppin State tomorrow night. Hopefully they can take care of business and then let loose on Arkansas Thursday. First big game of the year, and should be the best crowd of the year as well. Opposite styles too, with Mizzou being a smaller team that pushes as much as possible, and Arkansas being bigger and playing a slower game.

 

What are Mizzou's strengths this year?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Did I seriously just read that you guys (TT, Cubbies75) were rooting for kU? Umm, what?!

 

The higher the climb, the harder they fall. Plus it helps Mizzou for kU to win against a good non-con opponent(conference strength, strength of schedule, etc.). I want kU to be as highly ranked as possible for both our games against them.

 

On the upcoming schedule front, Mizzou hosts Coppin State tomorrow night. Hopefully they can take care of business and then let loose on Arkansas Thursday. First big game of the year, and should be the best crowd of the year as well. Opposite styles too, with Mizzou being a smaller team that pushes as much as possible, and Arkansas being bigger and playing a slower game.

 

What are Mizzou's strengths this year?

 

Relentless defensive pressure and surprisingly good outside shooting have been the big things thus far. They also share the ball very very well. In a couple games teams have hung with them for a while, but in the second half the difference in conditioning becomes more apparent and the press gains effectiveness. Mizzou also plays a very deep bench, with 9 players averaging at least 13 minutes a game.

 

On the downside, Mizzou is a small team with only a couple bigs. One of the tradeoffs of the "Fastest 40 Minutes" is that we often get outrebounded, but most times that is mitigated by the larger advantage in turnovers. The offense has been stalled for times, especially when our scoring oriented guards(Hannah, Keon Lawrence, Matt Lawrence when someone can get him the ball) aren't on the floor in lieu of defensive minded players like J.T. Tiller and Jason Horton. EDIT: The broken press can also lead to some mismatches in the half court and occasionally some easy buckets.

 

What about the Hogs? I saw the results of their performances on ESPN but didn't get a chance to see them in action.

[Andy]

ND against Lehigh tomorrow night as Luke Harangody continues to emerge as an impact player in the Big East.

 

BSU heads to DC to face Georgetown. The Cardinals have to play Butler and Oklahoma State in the next two weeks as well. But a brutal non-conference slate can only help the Cardinals grow quicker.

[snoodmonger]

this game will go far in helping me formulate my opinion of mizzou. Right now, I think they'll get hit pretty hard by Arkansas, who I think is a pretty solid team. But the great thing about Anderson's style is it might keep them in games they'll otherwise have no right to be in. Looking forward to seeing the game.

 

Is it televised?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

this game will go far in helping me formulate my opinion of mizzou. Right now, I think they'll get hit pretty hard by Arkansas, who I think is a pretty solid team. But the great thing about Anderson's style is it might keep them in games they'll otherwise have no right to be in. Looking forward to seeing the game.

 

Is it televised?

 

ESPN2, 9:00 EST

[Warpticon]

Did I seriously just read that you guys (TT, Cubbies75) were rooting for kU? Umm, what?!

 

The higher the climb, the harder they fall. Plus it helps Mizzou for kU to win against a good non-con opponent(conference strength, strength of schedule, etc.). I want kU to be as highly ranked as possible for both our games against them.

 

On the upcoming schedule front, Mizzou hosts Coppin State tomorrow night. Hopefully they can take care of business and then let loose on Arkansas Thursday. First big game of the year, and should be the best crowd of the year as well. Opposite styles too, with Mizzou being a smaller team that pushes as much as possible, and Arkansas being bigger and playing a slower game.

 

What are Mizzou's strengths this year?

 

Relentless defensive pressure and surprisingly good outside shooting have been the big things thus far. They also share the ball very very well. In a couple games teams have hung with them for a while, but in the second half the difference in conditioning becomes more apparent and the press gains effectiveness. Mizzou also plays a very deep bench, with 9 players averaging at least 13 minutes a game.

 

On the downside, Mizzou is a small team with only a couple bigs. One of the tradeoffs of the "Fastest 40 Minutes" is that we often get outrebounded, but most times that is mitigated by the larger advantage in turnovers. The offense has been stalled for times, especially when our scoring oriented guards(Hannah, Keon Lawrence, Matt Lawrence when someone can get him the ball) aren't on the floor in lieu of defensive minded players like J.T. Tiller and Jason Horton. EDIT: The broken press can also lead to some mismatches in the half court and occasionally some easy buckets.

 

What about the Hogs? I saw the results of their performances on ESPN but didn't get a chance to see them in action.

 

In other words, exactly what I'm accustomed to from the Richardson Hogs. No surprises there. Good outside shooting is a threat.

 

The Hogs's strength is in the frontcourt. They go four deep in guys 6-8 and up--Steven Hill (7'), Darian Townes (6'10"), Charles Thomas (6'8"), and Vincent Hunter (6'10")--who can play 4/5. Hill is an exceptional defender at 7-0 who has virtually nothing to offer offensively. He came into tonight's action with 22 points and 21 blocks. The other guys are a lot more adept. Thomas can take it out 20 feet and drain it, and the other two can take it out 12-15 feet and be threats. Townes has the best offensive post game on the team altogether.

 

Sonny Weems is a 6-6 swingman who was the top prospect in junior college ball after leading UA-Fort Smith to the JC title last season. He's a leaper with a good outside shot and the strength to play inside at times, and he's currently the leading rebounder. As I've said before, he doesn't have the passing skills, but he's essentially taking the Ronnie Brewer role on this team.

 

At guard, Gary Ervin, a MSU transfer, is the point. He was expected to be a penetrator and distributor and push the offense down the floor, but thus far he's shown a surprisingly soft shot from the outside. Patrick Beverley is the 2 guard, and he's been somewhat up and down. He shows extraordinary athleticism and plays vicious defense, and came into tonight's action leading the Hogs in scoring at 15.3 PPG. (Weems took over the lead after tonight.) He's a freshman, though, and has his freshman moments--tonight he was a turnover machine, and he got into foul trouble. Stefan Welsh, another freshman, provides outside shooting off the bench.

 

The Hogs have played tremendous defense thus far--Marist has shot the best against them at 42%, and they create turnovers. Arkansas will use the bench heavily--they currently have six players averaging 20+ minutes, nine averaging 12+ minutes, and only two averaging 30 minutes or more. The Hogs lost three double digit scorers from last season (all guards), so they don't really have an established go-to man. That man could be Weems, but he hasn't topped 12 shots in a game from the floor yet and has only reached double digits twice, so that's yet to be determined.

 

This game projects a LOT like Arkansas/SO ILL. Blanket, aggressive defense to overcome a lack of size. AR came out on top of that one, but it was very, very close until OT. If the Hogs can avoid the turnover monster, they should come out on top, but that's much, much easier said than done.

[Warpticon]

this game will go far in helping me formulate my opinion of mizzou. Right now, I think they'll get hit pretty hard by Arkansas, who I think is a pretty solid team. But the great thing about Anderson's style is it might keep them in games they'll otherwise have no right to be in. Looking forward to seeing the game.

 

Is it televised?

 

A lot of people around here wish we had just promoted Anderson when we let Richardson go. You got a good one.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

this game will go far in helping me formulate my opinion of mizzou. Right now, I think they'll get hit pretty hard by Arkansas, who I think is a pretty solid team. But the great thing about Anderson's style is it might keep them in games they'll otherwise have no right to be in. Looking forward to seeing the game.

 

Is it televised?

 

A lot of people around here wish we had just promoted Anderson when we let Richardson go. You got a good one.

 

Richardson was a mentor and father figure to Anderson, so considering the circumstances surrounding Richardson's departure, I doubt Anderson would have taken the job. In fact, some think that Richardson's departure pretty much killed any chance of Anderson ever returning to Arkansas, especially since his only connection there is as an assistant to Richardson(i.e. he didn't play there, grow up there, etc.)

 

 

And man is that a lot of frontcourt size. We start 1 guy over 6'6(although Marshall Brown plays bigger than his 6'6 frame), and only 2 guys taller than Brown get significant minutes, with both being only 6'9. Gonna need a frantic pace to cover for that, or Grimes and Lyons(and Volkus if needed) need to play out of their minds. EDIT: I lied, Butterfield is around 6'7-6'8 and plays 13 mpg, but he's not a post defender.

[Warpticon]

this game will go far in helping me formulate my opinion of mizzou. Right now, I think they'll get hit pretty hard by Arkansas, who I think is a pretty solid team. But the great thing about Anderson's style is it might keep them in games they'll otherwise have no right to be in. Looking forward to seeing the game.

 

Is it televised?

 

A lot of people around here wish we had just promoted Anderson when we let Richardson go. You got a good one.

 

Richardson was a mentor and father figure to Anderson, so considering the circumstances surrounding Richardson's departure, I doubt Anderson would have taken the job. In fact, some think that Richardson's departure pretty much killed any chance of Anderson ever returning to Arkansas, especially since his only connection there is as an assistant to Richardson(i.e. he didn't play there, grow up there, etc.)

 

It's not so absolute, though. He was the interim coach post-Richardson, and apparently was interested in keeping the job at the time, though I imagine he was fine with not getting it considering the circumstances, but I doubt if it had been offered that he would have turned it down.

 

And man is that a lot of frontcourt size. We start 1 guy over 6'6(although Marshall Brown plays bigger than his 6'6 frame), and only 2 guys taller than Brown get significant minutes, with both being only 6'9. Gonna need a frantic pace to cover for that, or Grimes and Lyons(and Volkus if needed) need to play out of their minds. EDIT: I lied, Butterfield is around 6'7-6'8 and plays 13 mpg, but he's not a post defender.

 

If you have any way of getting a copy of Ark/SO ILL, check it out, becuase that's very close to what you should expect. Same small team, same relentless defense. I suspect Mizzou is a little more offensive-minded, though.

[snoodmonger]

this game will go far in helping me formulate my opinion of mizzou. Right now, I think they'll get hit pretty hard by Arkansas, who I think is a pretty solid team. But the great thing about Anderson's style is it might keep them in games they'll otherwise have no right to be in. Looking forward to seeing the game.

 

Is it televised?

 

A lot of people around here wish we had just promoted Anderson when we let Richardson go. You got a good one.

 

UGH. Please never refer to me as a Missouri Tiger again. I'd prefer you insult my mother, kick me in the schwanz, or or do something else less offensive. (I went to Kansas.)

[Warpticon]

this game will go far in helping me formulate my opinion of mizzou. Right now, I think they'll get hit pretty hard by Arkansas, who I think is a pretty solid team. But the great thing about Anderson's style is it might keep them in games they'll otherwise have no right to be in. Looking forward to seeing the game.

 

Is it televised?

 

A lot of people around here wish we had just promoted Anderson when we let Richardson go. You got a good one.

 

UGH. Please never refer to me as a Missouri Tiger again. I'd prefer you insult my mother, kick me in the schwanz, or or do something else less offensive. (I went to Kansas.)

 

Oops. :lol: Unassociated spectator, not fan. Gotcha.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Who's #1 now? My vote goes to UCLA.

 

:)

Don't smile Ohio St will be number 1 even though you guys deserve it.

 

No matter, I only care about who's #1 at the end of the year. It's nice to see the team gelling together much earlier this year, playing so well and getting some attention.

[illiniguy]

Who's #1 now? My vote goes to UCLA.

 

:)

Don't smile Ohio St will be number 1 even though you guys deserve it.

 

No matter, I only care about who's #1 at the end of the year. It's nice to see the team gelling together much earlier this year, playing so well and getting some attention.

Touche, I think it will be Ohio State then as well. No one can touch Oden and Matta can coach. Plus Cook and Conley, they are loaded.

[illiniguy]

Doug Gottlieb is a POS. On Gamenight last night he talked about what a big win the Florida game was for Bill Self. I agree. But then he went on to say how Self has saved Illinois program. Hello there Doug do your homework. Lon Kruger won a Big Ten chmpionship with us and recuited four 5 stars and Corey Bradford for Bill to use to save us? Kruger saved our program, Self continued it.

[CuseCubFan69]

Doug Gottlieb is a POS. On Gamenight last night he talked about what a big win the Florida game was for Bill Self. I agree. But then he went on to say how Self has saved Illinois program. Hello there Doug do your homework. Lon Kruger won a Big Ten chmpionship with us and recuited four 5 stars and Corey Bradford for Bill to use to save us? Kruger saved our program, Self continued it.

 

Didn't Gottlieb get thrown out of school for stealing? I don't like this guy as he sounds like a little kid with a huge chip on his shoulder.

[bukie]

So, anyway, Big Ten-ACC challenge starts today.

 

Matchups:

 

Monday:

- Michigan @ NC State, 7pm EST

 

Tuesday:

- Maryland @ Illinois, 7pm EST

- Florida State @ Wisconsin, 7:30pm EST

- Penn State @ Georgia Tech, 8:00pm EST

- Indiana @ Duke, 9:00pm EST

- Miami @ Northwestern, 9:30pm EST

 

Wednesday:

- Michigan State @ Boston College, 7pm EST

- Virginia @ Purdue, 7:30pm EST

- Iowa @ Virginia Tech, 8:00pm EST

- Ohio State @ North Carolina, 9:00pm EST

- Clemson @ Minnesota, 9:30pm EST

 

Obviously, the marquee matchup is OSU @ UNC, and there are some bad mismatches among teams (PSU@GT, IU@Duke, FSU@UW). I'm really looking forward to watching Michigan/NC State, Maryland/Illinois, and MSU/BC, as those look like good matchups aside from OSU/UNC.

[snoodmonger]

Doug Gottlieb is a POS. On Gamenight last night he talked about what a big win the Florida game was for Bill Self. I agree. But then he went on to say how Self has saved Illinois program. Hello there Doug do your homework. Lon Kruger won a Big Ten chmpionship with us and recuited four 5 stars and Corey Bradford for Bill to use to save us? Kruger saved our program, Self continued it.

 

gottlieb is one of espn's best commentator's when he's talking about the Big XII, his specialty, but I'm not sure about the rest of his CBB knowledge.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Why does it seem that every year the Big 10 gets a bad draw for the challenge?

[illiniguy]

Why does it seem that every year the Big 10 gets a bad draw for the challenge?

Because Duke rarely plays true road games. They played Illinois in Chicago and Michigan State in Detroit. That and the bottom of our conference is terrible.

[illiniguy]

Doug Gottlieb is a POS. On Gamenight last night he talked about what a big win the Florida game was for Bill Self. I agree. But then he went on to say how Self has saved Illinois program. Hello there Doug do your homework. Lon Kruger won a Big Ten chmpionship with us and recuited four 5 stars and Corey Bradford for Bill to use to save us? Kruger saved our program, Self continued it.

 

gottlieb is one of espn's best commentator's when he's talking about the Big XII, his specialty, but I'm not sure about the rest of his CBB knowledge.

That's great Kruger is from KState a Big 12 school maybe Doug should have researched a bit before his annointed Bill Self basketball coach jesus. The guy has always done a nice job of following good coaches and building off of what they have done. Tubby, Lon, and Roy are all good coaches who set up his programs and then he ran with it.