Re: College Basketball 2008-2009

[Sammys Boombox]

Blake Griffin got Jordan rules treatment and still ran out of steam. I have no idea why they were having him help break the press, but he was done with about 10 minutes to play in the game.

 

It reminded me of the time my HS team (I was not a player) played against Hansborough. He could do no wrong. Any contact in his (Griffin's) general area was a Mizzou foul. Oh, and that jump ball call was one of the worst calls I have ever seen.

[snoodmonger]

Kinda a douche move by Knight.

 

What did he do? I turned it off.

[Guest]

UNC's clearly better than anyone in the Big Ten. They ran MSU off the floor and embarrassed them. MSU was without Suton, though obviously that isn't a 35 point difference. Regardless, a rematch certainly wouldn't be nearly the embarrassment. MSU played like ass and UNC played one of the best games I've seen them play.

 

As bukie said, it's a pace thing. Pretty much every Big Ten coach is content to only take shots with single digits on the shot clock, and since their opponents in conference want to do the same thing, you get the low scoring slug it out games. When they play teams who pick up the pace, they score more points, and allow more points. It's not rocket science.

 

More possessions = more points.

 

Less posesssions = less points.

 

Yeah, I've made the latter argument before. When you push the ball up the court as quick as you can, you're going to score more points unless you're an absolutely horrendous team.

 

I almost never watch Big 10 basketball so I'm not at liberty to say which teams are good and which aren't. I was just providing a couple examples of games in which UNC and Duke didn't have problems away from their own arenas in non-conference schedule (not that those two games are the be all end all, by any means).

[NeifiIsMyHomeBoy]

Kinda a douche move by Knight.

 

Apple didn't fall far from the tree

[SouthSideRyan]

Kinda a douche move by Knight.

 

What did he do? I turned it off.

 

He had that senior who was scoring all their points shooting 3s every possession after KU had given up. Then finally with 5 seconds and a 20 point lead he calls timeout to get him his standing O from the capacity 1,500 person crowd.

[snoodmonger]

Kinda a douche move by Knight.

 

What did he do? I turned it off.

 

He had that senior who was scoring all their points shooting 3s every possession after KU had given up. Then finally with 5 seconds and a 20 point lead he calls timeout to get him his standing O from the capacity 1,500 person crowd.

 

That's pretty lame, but we did beat them by like 40 points last year, so I suppose turnabout is fair play.

[Hosak8]

Winner of South Carolina vs. Tennessee probably gets in.

 

Probably? That game is for seeding, not inclusion.

[SouthSideRyan]

Winner of South Carolina vs. Tennessee probably gets in.

 

Probably? That game is for seeding, not inclusion.

 

Odds are they both make it, but South Carolina has a total of 0 wins over tourney teams. Tennessee has 1(or 2 if you count South Carolina) Neither are solid enough that they can afford losing out.

[Vanilla Ice]

Haha, Jimmy Dykes talks about how the low score is going to hurt the perception of the Big Ten, and gonna cost them.

 

They then ask him in or out and he puts Wisconsin and Minnesota in.

Jimmy Dykes is just awful. He called the Duke/Virginia Tech game last week. He said over 40 times that the way to stop Gerald Henderson was to stop his baseline drive.

[Derwood]

One more thing I noticed while looking at team information in putting together my locks...Michigan State is a LOT closer to a 1 seed than many of the ESPN pundits would care to admit, especially with Oklahoma losing tonight. UConn, UNC, Pitt, Louisville, Duke, MSU, Memphis is likely the group that has a shot at 1 seeds at this point, and I would put MSU currently 4th or 5th in the group, neck and neck with Louisville.

OU's case for a #1 seed rests entirely on how the committee treats the losses @Texas and to KU without Blake Griffin. But on your list I like MSU over both Louisville and Memphis. I'd probably favor MSU resume more than UConn's too.

 

Not that the committee looks at it, but Pomeroy has Memphis as the #1 team in the country right now.

[NeifiIsMyHomeBoy]

One more thing I noticed while looking at team information in putting together my locks...Michigan State is a LOT closer to a 1 seed than many of the ESPN pundits would care to admit, especially with Oklahoma losing tonight. UConn, UNC, Pitt, Louisville, Duke, MSU, Memphis is likely the group that has a shot at 1 seeds at this point, and I would put MSU currently 4th or 5th in the group, neck and neck with Louisville.

OU's case for a #1 seed rests entirely on how the committee treats the losses @Texas and to KU without Blake Griffin. But on your list I like MSU over both Louisville and Memphis. I'd probably favor MSU resume more than UConn's too.

 

Not that the committee looks at it, but Pomeroy has Memphis as the #1 team in the country right now.

 

I'm guessing it's because of their D efficiency. They hold those CUSA teams to 55 every night. I haven't seen Memphis play enough to pass judgment on whether they are FF caliber or not this year.

[Derwood]

Pomeroy HATES Penn State. They have PSU at #80 while Northwestern is at #61.

[Exile on Waveland]

This game is exactly why, no matter what happens, this KU team isn't ready to go far in the tourney. An off night for Collins, were in deep water. An off night by Collins AND Aldrich, we have no chance.

 

Sorry, but I see a second round loss in the future for Kansas. They've had a great season though.

 

 

On Oklahoma, I see nothing to suggest they should be a No. 1 seed at this point.

[snoodmonger]

This game is exactly why, no matter what happens, this KU team isn't ready to go far in the tourney. An off night for Collins, were in deep water. An off night by Collins AND Aldrich, we have no chance.

 

Sorry, but I see a second round loss in the future for Kansas. They've had a great season though.

 

 

On Oklahoma, I see nothing to suggest they should be a No. 1 seed at this point.

 

I think it depends on the seeding. I'd be "okay" with a second round loss. I'd love to make it to the second weekend, but this team can get rattled, and im not expecting it.

[Derwood]

I was pretty surprised to see the line for tonight's PSU vs. Illinois game set at "pick em'"

 

I know it's at home for PSU, but Illinois is still (on paper) the better team

[illiniguy]

I was pretty surprised to see the line for tonight's PSU vs. Illinois game set at "pick em'"

 

I know it's at home for PSU, but Illinois is still (on paper) the better team

You are kinda a matchup nightmare for us though. Even though every illini fan is convinced that Frazier is this great defensive stopper, he can't contain Battle at all. Also your big guy Cornley usualy gives us fits.

[Magnetic Curses]

i would have expected penn state to be a slight favorite.

[Derwood]

i would have expected penn state to be a slight favorite.

 

I was going to post what Pomeroy thought, but that Illini game is mysteriously gone from Penn State's page on his site

[mul21]

One more thing I noticed while looking at team information in putting together my locks...Michigan State is a LOT closer to a 1 seed than many of the ESPN pundits would care to admit, especially with Oklahoma losing tonight. UConn, UNC, Pitt, Louisville, Duke, MSU, Memphis is likely the group that has a shot at 1 seeds at this point, and I would put MSU currently 4th or 5th in the group, neck and neck with Louisville.

OU's case for a #1 seed rests entirely on how the committee treats the losses @Texas and to KU without Blake Griffin. But on your list I like MSU over both Louisville and Memphis. I'd probably favor MSU resume more than UConn's too.

 

Not that the committee looks at it, but Pomeroy has Memphis as the #1 team in the country right now.

 

It's a crime that they play their cupcake C-USA schedule and then get highly ranked and highly seeded in the tourney. I don't think they're any better than about 12-15 in the country right now but they haven't lost since the 1st Bush administration in conference so they keep climbing the rankings. If they played in the Big East, ACC, B10, or even the SEC as weak as it is this year, they'd have another 3-4 losses easily. Tough to get up for big games twice a week in those conferences where Memphis has like 3-4 decently tough games the entire conference schedule.

 

I may be biased by my irrational hate of Calipari, but whatever.

[bukie]

Pomeroy ratings are completely based on adjusted efficiency margin (adjusted for quality of opponent). So, even with that adjustment, Memphis still has the highest efficiency margin in the country.

[TruffleShuffle]

It's a crime that they play their cupcake C-USA schedule and then get highly ranked and highly seeded in the tourney. I don't think they're any better than about 12-15 in the country right now but they haven't lost since the 1st Bush administration in conference so they keep climbing the rankings. If they played in the Big East, ACC, B10, or even the SEC as weak as it is this year, they'd have another 3-4 losses easily. Tough to get up for big games twice a week in those conferences where Memphis has like 3-4 decently tough games the entire conference schedule.

 

a lot of people said that about them last year too. the problem is, i don't know if they're good, really good or great. it's so hard to get a read on them every year because cusa is such a joke.

[illiniguy]

It's a crime that they play their cupcake C-USA schedule and then get highly ranked and highly seeded in the tourney. I don't think they're any better than about 12-15 in the country right now but they haven't lost since the 1st Bush administration in conference so they keep climbing the rankings. If they played in the Big East, ACC, B10, or even the SEC as weak as it is this year, they'd have another 3-4 losses easily. Tough to get up for big games twice a week in those conferences where Memphis has like 3-4 decently tough games the entire conference schedule.

 

a lot of people said that about them last year too. the problem is, i don't know if they're good, really good or great. it's so hard to get a read on them every year because cusa is such a joke.

People that thought that last year were crazy. CDR and Rose made them a final four contender. Evans isn't that good. Sweet Sixteen maybe Elite Eight.

[Magnetic Curses]

penn state has been a thorn in our side since ever. even when they suck, not that they suck this year.

[Magnetic Curses]

meacham, stop shooting. you suck already.

[woodchip2153]

meacham, stop shooting. you suck already.

 

good thing Frazier can shoot.