18 Dec17 - The Carousel
Volume XXIII, No. 7 - 18 Dec17 - [] Top 25 Ballot
The Carousel
Duke's Opening Night destruction of Kentucky at the CHAMPIONS CLASSIC gave the false impression that one team was head-and-shoulders above all the rest. Six weeks in, what's more apparent is that more than a half dozen elite teams all have little more than a neutral-site endplay's difference between them (... and Kentucky isn't one of them, at this point).
Top-ranked Kansas has squeak wins over Michigan State (at CHAMPIONS) and Tennessee (NIT SEASON TIP-OFF) and had to hang on to edge Villanova this week (@74-71 as both bLagerald Vick[29p7r] and cDedric Lawson[28p12r] starred). It was Tenn who previously edged Gonzaga (JERRY COLANGELO) and outran "Little Brother" Memphis on the road this week (102-@92 as xAdmiral Schofield[29p11r] dueled 31p11r from xKyvon Davenport). North Carolina put its hat in the ring this week with a win of its own over Gonzaga (at home) in a rematch of the 2017 National Championship final (@103-90 led by cLuke Maye[20p16r]). Remember, it was (now two-loss) Gonzaga who showed the Blue Devils to be human with its own squeak win (MAUI). Only Michigan has shown legitimate separation with its (home) rout of UNC. Throw in Virginia (with its win over Wisconsin [ATLANTIS]) and Nevada (who beat Arizona State [HALL OF FAME-LOS ANGELES]), not to mention Texas Tech, Houston, Buffalo and St. John's (all unbeaten but without a Grade-A win as yet) and what you don't get is a season in which Duke is going to run away and hide. What you have is a Carousel of teams at the top and which one shines brightest varies from week to week.
Syracuse inexplicably fell at home to revamped Old Dominion (which had no starters returning from last year's winning team), @62-68.
Villanova's record-setting streak of dominance within the BIG 5 - - 25 STRAIGHT WINS OVER MORE THAN FIVE YEARS - - came to an end (fittingly in The PALESTRA) at the hands of Penn, 75-@78. (At 3-1, 'Nova still has a chance, at least, to share this year's title if Penn can't go 4-0.)
The results from specialty events were less than earth-shattering this week.
At the CROSSROADS CLASSIC double-header in Indianapolis, Purdue fell to unheralded Notre Dame (@80-@88) while Indiana edged Butler (@71-@68 on Juwan Morgan[35p1a]'s star turn).
In the HALL OF FAME-CT HOLIDAY SHOWCASE triple-header at the MOHEGAN SUN in Uncasville,CT, Rhode Island handled West Virginia (83-70) while Tulsa edged Dayton (72-67) and Drexel beat "host" Quinnipiac (92-@83).
At the HALL OF FAME-BOARDWALK CLASSIC quadruple-header in Atlantic City,NJ, Virginia Tech handled Washington (73-61), North Carolina State handled disappointing "host" Penn State (89-@78), "host" Temple edged in overtime over Davidson (@77-75[OT] as pShizz Alston Jr.[24p11a] starred, on Quinton Rose's game-winner) and "host" Princeton edged Iona (@8-81).
In the SANFORD SHOWCASE at the PENTAGON in Sioux Falls,SD, Nebraska dumped Oklahoma State (79-56 as pJames Palmer Jr.[29p5a] starred).
At the new LAS VEGAS-NEON HOOPS SHOWCASE double-header at T-MOBILE Arena, LSU edged St. Mary's (78-74) while host UNLV edged BYU in overtime (@92-90[OT] despite 25p11r from bYoeli Childs).
At the DAM CITY CLASSIC in Portland,OR, Texas A&M edged host Oregon State on the road (67-@64).
At this year's HV/IOWA-BIG FOUR CLASSIC double-header at Des Moines,IA, it was B-Major's 2, MISSOURI VALLEY 0: Iowa routed Northern Iowa (@77-@54) while Iowa State beat host Drake (77-@68).
At the MIKE SLIVE INVITATIONAL, Auburn edged host UAB in overtime (75-@71[OT] on 5-10 gJared Harper[31p3a]'s star turn).
At the SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER HOLIDAY CLASSIC, Northwestern State edged Southern (@69-@66 behind 15 steals).
In their annual GARDEN STATE CLASSIC State Title showdown, Seton Hall beat Rutgers (@72-66).
Several teams have paired up for home-and-home series that aren't necessarily built around regional grudges. Buffalo beat Southern Illinois (@73-65) to sweep the Salukis 2-0. McNeese thumped North Carolina Central (@77-61) to salvage a 1-1 split. Meanwhile, Oregon handled Boise State (@66-54) in the first leg between those two.
Elsewhere, Mississippi State earned its best win of the season, handling Cincinnati (@70-59). Houston had a strong week, beating LSU (@82-76) and edging St. Louis (@68-64). Visiting Belmont shocked host UCLA (74-@72 on pKevin McClain's game-winner). Louisville was able to hold off upset-minded Lipscomb (@72-68).
South Dakota State turned in two strong team performances (even though xMike Daum only managed one, individually). First, SDakSt crushed lowly Savannah State (@139-72 SINKING 25-FOR-34 THREE-POINTERS on 32 ASSISTS as xMike Daum[37p17r] was the star of stars). Then, the Jackrabbits took Nevada to an endplay on the road, falling (68-@72 as bDaum was totally shut down: [5p8r;1/10fg,0/5 3s]).
- - - - - -
The final two major preseason tournaments take place this week. TCU should have no trouble claiming the DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC (Saturday through Tuesday week). Take your pick between San Diego and Washington State in the LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC at ORLEANS Arena (Monday through Sunday).
At the specialty CB/SPORTS CLASSIC (Saturday at the UNITED CENTER in Chicago), North Carolina gets another tough test against Kentucky while Ohio State faces reeling UCLA.
The WAC already leads 6-2 with one game left in its head-to-head CHALLENGE with the SUMMIT (Thursday). Look for the SUMMIT push its 3-2 lead to a 5-3 win in the conclusion of its head-to-head CHALLENGE with the BIG SKY (Monday through Saturday).
"Host" Duke gets a strong test from unbeaten Texas Tech in the AI CLASSIC at MADISON SQUARE GARDEN (Thursday). Arizona State will have all it can handle when top-ranked Kansas comes to town (Saturday). "Host" Florida State faces disappointing St. Louis as part of the ORANGE BOWL CLASSIC in Sunrise,FL (Saturday). Unbeaten Buffalo faces its toughest week with two big road games: visiting upstate "Big Brother" Syracuse (Tuesday) and tough Marquette (Friday). Unbeaten Furman tries to keep the magic going when it visits LSU (Friday).
Both teams look to earn their best win on the season when North Carolina State hosts Auburn (Wednesday). Maryland can get a top-quality win when it hosts Seton Hall (Saturday). Cincinnati hosts UCLA (Wednesday). Disappointing teams clash when Alabama hosts Penn State (Friday).
Belmont looks to keep its great preseason rolling with a home win over disappointing Western Kentucky (Wednesday).
-- Ron
P.S. Happy Holidays, everybody!
Top 25 - 18 Dec17 - [] Column
The Carousel
Duke's Opening Night destruction of Kentucky at the CHAMPIONS CLASSIC gave the false impression that one team was head-and-shoulders above all the rest. Six weeks in, what's more apparent is that more than a half dozen elite teams all have little more than a neutral-site endplay's difference between them (... and Kentucky isn't one of them, at this point).
Top-ranked Kansas has squeak wins over Michigan State (at CHAMPIONS) and Tennessee (NIT SEASON TIP-OFF) and had to hang on to edge Villanova this week (@74-71 as both bLagerald Vick[29p7r] and cDedric Lawson[28p12r] starred). It was Tenn who previously edged Gonzaga (JERRY COLANGELO) and outran "Little Brother" Memphis on the road this week (102-@92 as xAdmiral Schofield[29p11r] dueled 31p11r from xKyvon Davenport). North Carolina put its hat in the ring this week with a win of its own over Gonzaga (at home) in a rematch of the 2017 National Championship final (@103-90 led by cLuke Maye[20p16r]). Remember, it was (now two-loss) Gonzaga who showed the Blue Devils to be human with its own squeak win (MAUI). Only Michigan has shown legitimate separation with its (home) rout of UNC. Throw in Virginia (with its win over Wisconsin [ATLANTIS]) and Nevada (who beat Arizona State [HALL OF FAME-LOS ANGELES]), not to mention Texas Tech, Houston, Buffalo and St. John's (all unbeaten but without a Grade-A win as yet) and what you don't get is a season in which Duke is going to run away and hide. What you have is a Carousel of teams at the top and which one shines brightest varies from week to week.
Syracuse inexplicably fell at home to revamped Old Dominion (which had no starters returning from last year's winning team), @62-68.
Villanova's record-setting streak of dominance within the BIG 5 - - 25 STRAIGHT WINS OVER MORE THAN FIVE YEARS - - came to an end (fittingly in The PALESTRA) at the hands of Penn, 75-@78. (At 3-1, 'Nova still has a chance, at least, to share this year's title if Penn can't go 4-0.)
The results from specialty events were less than earth-shattering this week.
At the CROSSROADS CLASSIC double-header in Indianapolis, Purdue fell to unheralded Notre Dame (@80-@88) while Indiana edged Butler (@71-@68 on Juwan Morgan[35p1a]'s star turn).
In the HALL OF FAME-CT HOLIDAY SHOWCASE triple-header at the MOHEGAN SUN in Uncasville,CT, Rhode Island handled West Virginia (83-70) while Tulsa edged Dayton (72-67) and Drexel beat "host" Quinnipiac (92-@83).
At the HALL OF FAME-BOARDWALK CLASSIC quadruple-header in Atlantic City,NJ, Virginia Tech handled Washington (73-61), North Carolina State handled disappointing "host" Penn State (89-@78), "host" Temple edged in overtime over Davidson (@77-75[OT] as pShizz Alston Jr.[24p11a] starred, on Quinton Rose's game-winner) and "host" Princeton edged Iona (@8-81).
In the SANFORD SHOWCASE at the PENTAGON in Sioux Falls,SD, Nebraska dumped Oklahoma State (79-56 as pJames Palmer Jr.[29p5a] starred).
At the new LAS VEGAS-NEON HOOPS SHOWCASE double-header at T-MOBILE Arena, LSU edged St. Mary's (78-74) while host UNLV edged BYU in overtime (@92-90[OT] despite 25p11r from bYoeli Childs).
At the DAM CITY CLASSIC in Portland,OR, Texas A&M edged host Oregon State on the road (67-@64).
At this year's HV/IOWA-BIG FOUR CLASSIC double-header at Des Moines,IA, it was B-Major's 2, MISSOURI VALLEY 0: Iowa routed Northern Iowa (@77-@54) while Iowa State beat host Drake (77-@68).
At the MIKE SLIVE INVITATIONAL, Auburn edged host UAB in overtime (75-@71[OT] on 5-10 gJared Harper[31p3a]'s star turn).
At the SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER HOLIDAY CLASSIC, Northwestern State edged Southern (@69-@66 behind 15 steals).
In their annual GARDEN STATE CLASSIC State Title showdown, Seton Hall beat Rutgers (@72-66).
Several teams have paired up for home-and-home series that aren't necessarily built around regional grudges. Buffalo beat Southern Illinois (@73-65) to sweep the Salukis 2-0. McNeese thumped North Carolina Central (@77-61) to salvage a 1-1 split. Meanwhile, Oregon handled Boise State (@66-54) in the first leg between those two.
Elsewhere, Mississippi State earned its best win of the season, handling Cincinnati (@70-59). Houston had a strong week, beating LSU (@82-76) and edging St. Louis (@68-64). Visiting Belmont shocked host UCLA (74-@72 on pKevin McClain's game-winner). Louisville was able to hold off upset-minded Lipscomb (@72-68).
South Dakota State turned in two strong team performances (even though xMike Daum only managed one, individually). First, SDakSt crushed lowly Savannah State (@139-72 SINKING 25-FOR-34 THREE-POINTERS on 32 ASSISTS as xMike Daum[37p17r] was the star of stars). Then, the Jackrabbits took Nevada to an endplay on the road, falling (68-@72 as bDaum was totally shut down: [5p8r;1/10fg,0/5 3s]).
- - - - - -
The final two major preseason tournaments take place this week. TCU should have no trouble claiming the DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC (Saturday through Tuesday week). Take your pick between San Diego and Washington State in the LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC at ORLEANS Arena (Monday through Sunday).
At the specialty CB/SPORTS CLASSIC (Saturday at the UNITED CENTER in Chicago), North Carolina gets another tough test against Kentucky while Ohio State faces reeling UCLA.
The WAC already leads 6-2 with one game left in its head-to-head CHALLENGE with the SUMMIT (Thursday). Look for the SUMMIT push its 3-2 lead to a 5-3 win in the conclusion of its head-to-head CHALLENGE with the BIG SKY (Monday through Saturday).
"Host" Duke gets a strong test from unbeaten Texas Tech in the AI CLASSIC at MADISON SQUARE GARDEN (Thursday). Arizona State will have all it can handle when top-ranked Kansas comes to town (Saturday). "Host" Florida State faces disappointing St. Louis as part of the ORANGE BOWL CLASSIC in Sunrise,FL (Saturday). Unbeaten Buffalo faces its toughest week with two big road games: visiting upstate "Big Brother" Syracuse (Tuesday) and tough Marquette (Friday). Unbeaten Furman tries to keep the magic going when it visits LSU (Friday).
Both teams look to earn their best win on the season when North Carolina State hosts Auburn (Wednesday). Maryland can get a top-quality win when it hosts Seton Hall (Saturday). Cincinnati hosts UCLA (Wednesday). Disappointing teams clash when Alabama hosts Penn State (Friday).
Belmont looks to keep its great preseason rolling with a home win over disappointing Western Kentucky (Wednesday).
-- Ron
P.S. Happy Holidays, everybody!
- Key games this week:
- Monday:
- Monday:
- (None).
- Monday-Saturday:
- (new)SUMMIT[0-0]/BIG SKY[0-0] CHALLENGE on-campus - - SUMMIT leads 3-2
[Idaho State, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Portland State, Sacramento State, Southern Utah and Weber State all do not play;
Denver, Oral Roberts, Purdue-Ft. Wayne, South Dakota and Western Illinois all do not play.]
-(@Omaha-MontanaSt;
@MontanaSt-NDakota;
@NDakota-Idaho;
@NDState-EaWashington;
@Idaho-Omaha;
Mon: @Montana-NDState;
Tue: @EaWashington-SDState;
Sat: @SDState-Montana),
- Monday-Sunday:
- LAS VEGAS-E-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC 2x4 3rd/Semis @ LasVegasNV/ORLEANS/; RndRob2 on-campus
-(A: SanDiego, WashingtonSt; SIUEdwardsville, CalStNorthrige;
B: Drake, NewMexicoSt;Rider, NoColorado),
- Tuesday:
- Buffalo-@Syracuse(NY), @
UNCGreensboro-Radford, @GeorgiaSo-Bradley,
ROCKET CITY CLASSIC 1Off @ HuntsvilleAL
-(@Alabama-Liberty),
- Wednesday:
- @NCState-Auburn, @Cincinnati-UCLA, @StLouis-
NCCentral, @Belmont-WeKentucky, @Delaware-DelawareSt(DE),
- Thursday:
- NYC-B AI CLASSIC 1Off @ NewYorkNY/MSG/
-(@Duke-TexasTech),
(new)WAC[0-0]/SUMMIT[0-0] CHALLENGE on-campus - - WAC leads 6-2
-(@SDState-GrandCanyon, @NewMexicoSt-NDState;
@OralRoberts-{CalBaptist};
@UTValley-Denver, @SDakota-CalStBakersfield, @PurdueFW-MOKansasCity;
@TXRGValley-NDakota;
@Seattle-Omaha;
Thu: @WeIllinois-ChicagoSt),
- Thursday-Friday:
- DON HASKINS/SUN BOWL INVITATIONAL Semis @ ElPasoTX/UTEP/
-(Wyoming-ETennesseeSt, @UTEP-NorfolkSt),
- Friday:
- @Marquette-Buffalo, Furman-@LSU, @Alabama-PennSt, @MidTennessee-Mississippi(@NashvilleTN), @
Radford-GeorgiaSo,
- Friday-Saturday:
- (new)BOARDWALK-B BATTLE Semis @ AtlanticCityNJ/BOARDWALK/
-(Tulane-Towson, @LaSalle-AlabamaA&M),
(new)ST. PETERSBURG SHOOTOUT Semis @ St.PetersburgFL
-(AustinPeay-Campbell, Liberty-AlabamaSt),
- Saturday:
- Kansas-@ArizonaSt, @Wisconsin-
GramblingSt, Arkansas-TexasSt, SetonHall-@Maryland, @MississippiSt-WrightSt(@JacksonMS), @SCarolina-Clemson(SC), @GeorgiaTech-Georgia(GA), @Drexel-Temple(PhiladelphiaPA)(/PALESTRA/), @Lehigh-StFrancisPA(PA),
CHICAGO-A CB/SPORTS CLASSIC DblHdr @ ChicagoIL/UNITED/
-(@NCarolina-@Kentucky, @OhioSt-@UCLA),
ORANGE BOWL CLASSIC DblHdr @ SunriseFL
-(@FloridaSt-StLouis, @Florida-@FLGulfCoast[FL]),
WILDCAT CLASSIC @ KansasCityMO/SPRINT/
-(@KansasSt-Vanderbilt),
NYC-D BIG EAST TUNE-UP 1Off @ New YorkNY/MSG/
-(@Villanova-Connecticut),
BRAGGIN' RIGHTS 1Off @ St.LouisMO
-(@Illinois-@Missouri),
MAYOR'S CUP 1Off on-campus
-(@OralRoberts-Tulsa[TulsaOK]),
(new)DC-HOLIDAY HOOPSFEST DblHdr @ WashingtonDC/EAS/
-(Richmond-HighPt, @Howard-Hampton[DC/VA]),
- Saturday-Sunday, Tuesday week:
- HAWAII-B DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC 8Bracket @ HonoluluHI/Hawaii/
-(TCU-Charlotte, RhodeIsland-Bucknell; Colorado-IndianaSt, @Hawaii-UNLV),
- Sunday:
- (None).
- - - - - - -
- Monday week:
- Monday week:
- (None).
Top 25 - 18 Dec17 - [] Column
- Kansas (9-0) (@@CHAMPS) [2v2:NIT.T-O]
- Michigan (10-0) (@BIG.E) [2v2:HOF-CT TO] (vACC)
- Tennessee (7-1) (:COLANGELO)
- North Carolina (8-2)
- Gonzaga (9-2) [v3:MAUI] (@JESUIT)
- Virginia (9-0) [v3:ATLANTIS] (@BIG10)
- Duke (9-1) (@@CHAMPS) (vBIG10)
- Nevada (10-0) [2v2:LV-HOLDAY] (@MVC) (:HOF-LA) (@COLANGELO)
- Ohio State (9-1) [4rrvOS/BUCKEYE]
- Marquette (8-2) (vWI)
- Wisconsin (9-2) (@BIG.E) (vACC)
- Arkansas (7-2) [4rrvROUND/HARD]
- Indiana (9-2) (vBIG.E) (vCOUNTDN) (@@XROADS)
- Louisville (8-3) (vBIG10)
- Arizona State (8-1) [2v2:LV-MAIN]
- Michigan State (9-2) [2v2:LVI-THANX]
- Seton Hall (7-3) [3:WOODEN] (@@C/HOOPS) (vGARDEN)
- Texas Tech (10-0) [2v2:CBE] (:HOF-MIAMI)
- Houston (10-0)
- Florida State (8-1) (vFL) (vBIG10)
- Buffalo (9-0) [2v2:HOF-BELFAST]
- St. John's (10-0) (@BIG10) [2v2vLEGENDS] (:HOF-MIAMI) (vNYC-HOLDAY)
- Virginia Tech (9-1) [3:CHARLESTON] (:HOF-BOARDWK)
- Furman (9-0)
- Mississippi State (9-1) (:NVR.FGT)
- Honorable Mention:
- Old Dominion (8-3),
Pennsylvania(8-2).
posted by Ron @ Wednesday, February 13, 2019
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