Hoop, Line And Sinker

12 Jan30 - Guard-Happy (MIDCONFERENCE)

2012-01-31T19:53:00.003-05:00

Volume XVI, No. 13 - 12 Jan30 : MIDCONFERENCE - [] Top 25 Ballot

Guard-Happy

Florida handled Mississippi State, @69-57, to stay in contact with Kentucky in the SEC. The Gators lead the nation, making 11 three-pointers per game and were spot-on their average (11-for-24); but they were outrebounded 25-30 and only shot 4-for-7 on free throws. Vanderbilt, by contrast, shot 24-for-30 from the line in its @84-77 handling of upstart Middle Tennessee.
Wisconsin kept Indiana on its downward slide, winning @57-50, as the deliberate Badgers only committed 4 turnovers while the Hoosiers only managed 4 assists.
Syracuse escaped with a @63-61 win over West Virginia, thanks to game-winning free throws from gBrandon Triche(18p) (and a missed goal-tending call in their favor). Ohio State routed Michigan, @64-49; and Baylor held off Texas, @76-71, thanks to 27-for-34 on free throws (and despite 32p5a from pJ'Covan Brown).

Point-forward pfRoyce White(18p9r5a) controlled things well enough for Iowa State to hand Kansas a @72-64 defeat -- it may not come together completely this year, but the Cyclones could be something quite special with him as the focus. 25p12r from cRicardo Ratliffe wasn't enough as Missouri stumbled on the road at Oklahoma State, 72-@79, thanks to 27p from freshman tLeBryan Nash. Kansas State was tripped up at home by Oklahoma, @60-63, thanks to 30p from gSteven Pledger. Wichita State fell out of first place in the MVC, losing 86-@93(3OT) at Drake. San Diego State fell back into a tie for first place in the MWC after getting blown out at Colorado State, 60-@77.

Massachusetts claimed a share of the A-10 lead with a @72-59 win over St. Louis. Likewise, Southern Mississippi co-leads C-USA after handling Central Florida, @78-65.
And pause to give a hand to Towson, which ended its D-I record 41-game losing streak with a @66-61 win over UNC-Wilmington.

More conferences made it the midpoint of the regular season. Ohio State and Michigan State led the BIG 10 (with two head-to-head clashes yet to come); Michigan and Wisconsin were tied for third; Purdue was fifth. Syracuse led the BIG EAST with Marquette alone in second; Notre Dame, Georgetown and South Florida were all tied for third; West Virginia, Louisville and Cincinnati tied for sixth place. California and Washington shared the PAC-12 lead; Oregon and upstart Colorado tied for third; UCLA, Stanford and Arizona hung in, all tied for fifth.
In the SUN BELT, Middle Tennessee made it through undefeated with a two-game gap. In the WCC, St. Mary's was unbeaten ahead of Gonzaga. Davidson had been undefeated with a THREE-GAME GAP in the SOUTHERN, (but gave one back with a 74-@77 loss at Samford).
Bucknell's @67-61 win over American made it undefeated with a two-game gap in the PATRIOT. Likewise, unbeaten Nevada had a two-game gap lead in the WAC. In the ATLANTIC SUN, Belmont and Mercer shared first place. Norfolk State led the MEAC, undefeated with a gap.

Ohio State has a tough trip on the road at Wisconsin (Saturday). Kansas visits Missouri (Saturday) with first place in the BIG 12 on the line. Florida State gets another chance to prove it's really the best ACC team when Virginia comes to visit (Saturday). Florida hosts Vanderbilt (Saturday) in a battle to hang on to second place in the SEC. Memphis hosting Xavier (Saturday) looked a lot better on paper when the season started than it does now that the game is upon us. Southern Mississippi looks for payback against visiting Memphis (Wednesday) in a showdown for first place in C-USA. Only the winner remains in first place in the METRO ATLANTIC when Manhattan hosts Iona (Saturday). Texas-Arlington hosts Texas-San Antonio (Wednesday) in the first of two meetings with first place in the SOUTHLAND at stake.

-- Ron

Key games this week:
Monday:: Missouri-@Texas, @WVirginia-~~Pittsburgh~~, @~~NorfolkSt~~-CoppinSt,
(BRACKETBUSTERS PAIRING SELECTION) [142 teams/71 games],
Tuesday:: MichiganSt-@Illinois, Vanderbilt-@Arkansas, @IowaSt-KansasSt,
Wednesday:: @UNLV-ColoradoSt, Indiana-@Michigan, @Georgetown-Connecticut, @StLouis-StBonaventure, @SoMississippi-Memphis, @Northeastern-Drexel, @~~TXArlington~~-~~TXSanAntonio~~(TX), @BostonU-Vermont,
Thursday:: @MurraySt-SEMissouri, @California-~~Arizona~~, Gonzaga-@BYU, @NTexas-MidTennessee, @Washington-~~UCLA~~, @~~SDState~~-OralRoberts, @Campbell-CharlestonSo,
Friday:: BATTLE OF THE BOULEVARD II -(@Lipscomb-~~Belmont~~(TN)),
Saturday:: OhioSt-@Wisconsin, Kansas-@Missouri, @FloridaSt-Virginia, UNLV-@Wyoming, @Florida-Vanderbilt, Marquette-@~~NotreDame~~, Indiana-@Purdue(IN), @Georgetown-SFlorida, @StLouis-Dayton, @Denver-MidTennessee, @Memphis-Xavier, @Alabama-Mississippi, @Connecticut-~~SetonHall~~, @GeoMason-OldDominion(VA), @Tulsa-Marshall, @LaSalle-@StJosephs(PhiladelphiaPA)(/PALESTRA/)(BIG_5), @~~Colorado~~-~~Oregon~~, @~~Stanford~~-~~Arizona~~, @Akron-EaMichigan, @Manhattan-~~Iona~~(NY), @NDState-~~OralRoberts~~, @VCU-Northeastern, @~~CoCarolina~~-CharlestonSo, @~~LongIsland~~-CConnecticutSt, @Wagner-~~RobertMorris~~, @MontanaSt-~~Montana~~(MT), @Mercer-SCUpstate, @MorganSt-CoppinSt(BaltimoreMD), @~~Albany~~-~~StonyBrook~~(NY),
Sunday:: @MichiganSt-Michigan(MI),
Monday week:: @Louisville-Connecticut, @~~TexasA&M~~-Texas(TX), @~~Davidson~~-Wofford,

Top 25 - 12 Jan30 : MIDCONFERENCE - [] Column

Kentucky (21-1)
Ohio State (19-3)
Syracuse (22-1)
Michigan State (16-4)
Kansas (16-4)
Missouri (19-2)
Florida State (14-6)
Duke (17-3)
Baylor (18-2)
UNLV (18-3)
North Carolina (18-3)
Florida (17-4)
Creighton (19-2)
Murray State (17-0)
St. Mary's (19-2)
Vanderbilt (16-5)
Marquette (18-4)
Wisconsin (17-5)
Indiana (17-5)
San Diego State (16-3)
California (17-5)
Georgetown (15-4)
Harvard (16-2)
Virginia (16-3)
Gonzaga (17-3)

Honorable Mention:: Iowa State (15-6), Oklahoma State (10-11), Drake (13-9), Oklahoma (13-7), Colorado State (14-6), Middle Tennessee (19-3), ~~Davidson~~ (13-5), ~~Bucknell~~ (16-6), ~~Nevada~~ (16-3), ~~Belmont~~ (14-7), ~~Norfolk State~~ (16-5).

12 Jan23 - Burned

2012-01-25T12:34:00.003-05:00

Volume XVI, No. 12 - 12 Jan23 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Burned

Notre Dame used its ball-control "Burn" offense to slow down Syracuse and hand the Orange its first loss, @67-58; 'Cuse played the game without cFab Melo (ineligible for the moment) and had trouble in a halfcourt game without its usual fill of transition points-off-turnovers.
Baylor's come-uppance was even worse. Kansas throttled the Bears, @92-74, behind 27p14r from cThomas Robinson and 28p6a5to from pTyshawn Taylor. It didn't get any better when Missouri came to town -- BU had to scramble back to make it close, @88-89, as Quincy Miller(29p) and pPierre Jackson(20p15a6to) almost cancelled fRicardo Ratliffe(27p8r) and pPhil Pressey(18p7a5r6s). BU is tall but thin and its finesse big men had trouble stopping power players inside and quality guards outside.
So who had Murray State pegged as The Last Team Standing for 2011-12? The Racers had to scrap back on the road to win 66-@60 at Morehead State. They're very much for real, having beaten A-10 leader Dayton as well as C-USA's Memphis and Southern Mississippi. Like Harvard, the worry for them is that they'll go soft inside their weak league schedule; but unlike Harvard, they'll have the reality check of a BRACKETBUSTERS home game in February against a nationally ranked opponent (either Creighton or St. Mary's).

Florida State proved it was no One-Hit Wonder with a stunning 76-@73 win at Duke on bMichael Snaer's game-winning three. Don't forget this squad has three starters back from last year's Sweet 16 run -- it's the home loss to Princeton that's the anomaly, not these big time wins over the ACC elite. Give 'em full credit this week for one of the top wins of the season (but be on the lookout for any signs of turning back into a pumpkin against the also-rans). tRodney McGruder had 33p8r for Kansas State in its @84-80 win over Texas.
     Mississippi State beat Vanderbilt, 78-@77(OT), on bDee Bost(24p5r4a)'s game-winner, but that was after the Bulldogs lost on the road at Ole Miss, 68-@75. Alabama dropped a pair: @59-69 vs Vandy, and 71-@77 at Kentucky.
     New Mexico couldn't handle either San Diego State at home (@70-75) or UNLV on the road (63-@80). Surprisingly, it was 3-4 Washington State (not 5-2 Washington) who swept Stanford (@81-69) and California (@77-75); but Cal beat Washington, 69-@66, in what was supposed to be the PAC-12 first-half showdown. Dayton crushed Xavier, @87-72, to take the lead in the A-10. The top teams in Conference USA can't seem to sort things out -- all they've done so far is trade squeak home wins: Central Florida beat Memphis, @68-67, on tKeith Clanton(23p8r)'s game-winner and Southern Mississippi beat Marshall, @67-63.
     Davidson trounced College of Charleston, @87-69, behind 29p14r from cJake Cohen. Bucknell won at Lehigh, 68-@61, to take control of the PATRIOT race. Long Island won at Wagner, 73-@66, to take over the lead in the NEC.

The SEC pulled off two midseason interconference wins: 9-10 Tennessee upset Connecticut, @60-57, and young Arkansas held off Michigan's comeback, @66-64.

It's already midway through conference play for a some of the MM and 1BC leagues. Creighton and Wichita State have opened a THREE-GAME GAP on the rest of the MVC. Valparaiso and Cleveland State lead Butler, Youngstown State and Milwaukee in the HORIZON. Iona leads the METRO ATLANTIC. Murray State is unbeaten inside-and-outside the OVC with a two-game gap.
Oral Roberts is undefeated in the SUMMIT with South Dakota State hanging on for second. George Mason leads the COLONIAL, but Drexel, VCU and Old Dominion are right behind tied for second (and Georgia State is still in contact in fifth). Despite losing at home, @88-93, vs Charleston Southern, UNC-Asheville leads the BIG SOUTH ahead of Campbell and Coastal Carolina. Long Beach State is undefeated in the BIG WEST with a gap. So too is Weber State undefeated in the BIG SKY.
Boston University and Stony Brook lead Vermont in the low-down AMERICA EAST.

Two teams heading in opposite directions clash Thursday when rising Wisconsin hosts falling Indiana. Harvard's toughest game for the rest of the season is Friday (at Yale). Middle Tennessee's gaudy record (18-2) will be put to the test when it visits Vanderbilt (Saturday). Iowa State's terrific point-forward pfRoyce White has it all on his shoulders (Saturday) when Kansas comes to town. Under-the-radar N.C. State can join the conversation with a couple of wins: at North Carolina (Thursday) and vs Virginia (Saturday). It's more fun on the C-USA merry-go-round on Saturday: Memphis hosts Marshall; Central Florida hosts Southern Mississippi.
Ball State can seize control of the MID-AMERICAN if it can conquer its toughest week: vs Akron (Tuesday) and at Ohio University (Saturday). Bucknell can open a gap in the PATRIOT with a home win over American (Wednesday). It's the WAC Game of the Year on Thursday when Nevada travels to New Mexico State. Stony Brook hosts Boston University (Friday) in a fight for first place in AMERICA EAST. Mississippi Valley State's toughest SWAC game is Monday at Texas Southern.

-- Ron

Key games this week:
Monday:: @Kansas-~~TexasA&M~~, Syracuse-@Cincinnati, @ETennesseeSt-Belmont(TN), @TexasSo-~~MSValleySt~~,
Tuesday:: SanDiegoSt-@Wyoming, @Marquette-SFlorida, @Purdue-Michigan, @Texas-IowaSt, @BallSt-Akron(BG),
Wednesday:: @MississippiSt-LSU, @Xavier-StLouis, @NewMexico-ColoradoSt, @Drexel-~~GeorgiaSt~~, @~~Bucknell~~-American, @NorthwesternSt-~~Lamar~~,
Thursday:: @NCarolina-NCState(NC), Indiana-@Wisconsin, @UCRiverside-LongBeachSt(CA), @Milwaukee-~~Butler~~, @NewMexicoSt-~~Nevada~~, @~~RobertMorris~~-~~LongIsland~~,
Friday:: @Yale-Harvard, @~~Fairfield~~-~~Iona~~, @~~StonyBrook~~-BostonU,
Saturday:: Kentucky-@LSU, Kansas-@IowaSt, @Syracuse-WVirginia, @Duke-~~StJohns~~, @Baylor-Texas(TX), SanDiegoSt-@ColoradoSt, StMarys-@BYU, MississippiSt-@Florida, @Vanderbilt-MidTennessee(TN), @~~Pittsburgh~~-Georgetown, @NCState-Virginia, @Alabama-Arkansas, @OhioU-BallSt(BG), @Memphis-Marshall, @LongBeachSt-CalStFullerton(CA), @Northwestern-Purdue, @CFlorida-SoMississippi, @YoungstownSt-ClevelandSt(OH), @Arizona-Washington, @ARLittleRock-Denver, @~~GeorgiaSt~~-VCU, @~~UNCAsheville~~-Campbell(NC), @~~UTValley~~-NJIT,
Sunday:: @OhioSt-Michigan, @California-Stanford(CA), @~~Oregon~~-OregonSt(OR),
Monday week:: Missouri-@Texas, @WVirginia-~~Pittsburgh~~, @~~NorfolkSt~~-CoppinSt,
(BRACKETBUSTERS PAIRING SELECTION) [142 teams/71 games].

Top 25 - 12 Jan23 - [] Column

Kentucky (19-1)
Ohio State (17-3)
Kansas (15-3)
Missouri (18-1)
Michigan State (15-4)
Syracuse (20-1)
Florida State (13-6)
Duke (15-3)
Baylor (16-2)
North Carolina (16-3)
Indiana (16-4)
Creighton (17-2)
Wichita State (16-3)
Kansas State (14-4)
San Diego State (15-2)
UNLV (16-3)
Murray State (16-0)
St. Mary's (17-2)
Mississippi State (16-4)
Vanderbilt (14-5)
Florida (15-4)
Marquette (16-4)
California (16-5)
Wisconsin (16-5)
West Virginia (15-5)

Honorable Mention:: Notre Dame (12-8), Michigan (14-5), Virginia Tech (12-7), Cincinnati (15-5), Dayton (14-5), Washington State (11-8), ~~Davidson~~ (12-4), ~~Bucknell~~ (14-6), UNC-Asheville (10-7), Long Island (14-6).

12 Jan16 - Gael Force

2012-01-18T03:07:00.005-05:00

Volume XVI, No. 11 - 11 Jan16 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Gael Force

St. Mary's made the most of its home showdown with Gonzaga, thumping the Bulldogs @83-62 behind 26p6a from pMatthew Dellavedova as cRob Jones turned passer (2p11r8a) and freshman cBrad Waldow supplied the inside punch (17p10r). The 6-0 Gaels have already handled new conferencemate BYU (@98-82) as well. Depending on how things play out, they'll either get a BRACKETBUSTERS road game at Creighton or at a still undefeated Murray State. (Gonzaga doesn't have much room for error now if it wants to claim a share of a twelfth straight regular season title -- the 'Zags still have BYU twice plus the return game with SMC.)
     It's only the first game of conference play, but San Diego State won a big one, @69-67, over visiting UNLV as xJamaal Franklin (24p10r) scored the game-winner (foiling tAnthony Marshall's[26p8r] one-man show).
     Mississippi State righted the ship in SEC play with a @56-52 home win over Alabama, thanks to 25p13r from cArnett Moultrie.
     Akron edged Ohio University, @68-63, to open 3-0 in the Mid-American. Iona fell at home, @72-75, to Manhattan but beat Loyola(Maryland), @75-63, to take the early lead in the Metro Atlantic. 6-0 Davidson already has a two-game gap over second-place College of Charleston in the Southern Conference. 6-0 Weber State handled Montana, @80-64, to take control of the Big Sky race. Texas-Arlington won 91-@82 at Lamar to start 4-0 in the Southland.

North Carolina managed to out-flop itself, topping its previous disastrous road loss against UNLV with an even more pitiful performance at Florida State, getting blown out, 57-@90, as gDelvidas Dulkys had 32p on 8-for-10 three-point shooting (while the Tar Heel team shot 4-for-21). UNC's toughness isn't just in question -- it's non-existent (and no amount of blowouts over scrub teams will fix the problem).
Less humiliating, but also surprising were Michigan State's 74-@81 loss at Northwestern, Indiana's @74-77 loss at home to Minnesota, and Ohio State's 74-@79 loss at Illinois as the Illini shot 60% from the floor and tBrandon Paul had 43p8r7to on another 8-for-10 on three-pointers performance. Slumping Georgetown fell @64-68 at home to Cincinnati; Louisville was pounded 59-@90 at Providence; Michigan was routed 59-@75 at Iowa; Dayton lost 73-@81 at St. Bonaventure as cAndrew Nicholson had 30p13r; and Seton Hall slipped up 55-@56 at South Florida.

Ohio State paid back its earlier road upset by hammering Indiana, @80-63, behind hot shooting from gLenzelle Smith Jr. (28p7r;10/12fg). Baylor stayed unbeaten with a tough 75-@73 road win at Kansas State (despite 30p6r from bRodney McGruder). Duke held off Virginia at home, @61-58. Connecticut regrouped at home to handle West Virginia, @64-57 as tJeremy Lamb had 25p8r (and, more importantly, cAndre Drummond added 20p11r inside).

Syracuse has a better shot at staying undefeated longer than Baylor. The Bears visit Kansas (Monday) and host Missouri (Saturday) [and thanks to the new balanced scheduled in the BIG 12 this year, they'll have to face both of them back-to-back again next month]. The Orange face Pittsburgh at home (Monday) and Notre Dame on the road (Saturday) [and the top BIG EAST teams are all spinning their wheels at the moment]. It'll be a disappointment if Murray State doesn't make it all the way through its OVC schedule until its home BRACKETBUSTERS game in February game (where either Wichita State, St. Mary's or Long Beach State will come calling).
Vanderbilt finds out if its resurgence is for real at Alabama (Thursday) and vs Mississippi State (Saturday). New Mexico gets both San Diego State (at home, Wednesday) and UNLV (away, Saturday). Washington can take control of the PAC-12 race if it can sweep California (Thursday) and Stanford (Saturday). Kent State has a tough road double: at Ohio University (Wednesday) and at Akron (Saturday). The Battle of West Virginia, WVU vs Marshall at Charleston (Wednesday), has more juice than usual this year.
In 1BC showdowns, SOUTHERN: Davidson hosts College of Charleston (Thursday); PATRIOT: Lehigh hosts Bucknell (Wednesday); BIG SOUTH: UNC-Asheville hosts Coastal Carolina (Tuesday); NORTHEAST: Wagner hosts Long Island (Saturday); and SWAC: Texas Southern hosts Mississippi Valley State (Saturday).

-- Ron

Key games this week:
Monday:: Baylor-@Kansas, @Syracuse-~~Pittsburgh~~, @Missouri-~~TexasA&M~~, @Marquette-Louisville, @~~MSValleySt~~-Southern,
Tuesday:: MichiganSt-@Michigan(MI), @Purdue-Iowa, @~~UNCAsheville~~-~~CoCarolina~~,
Wednesday:: Creighton-@MissouriSt, @KansasSt-Texas, SanDiegoSt-@NewMexico, @Connecticut-Cincinnati, @Wisconsin-Northwestern, @WVirginia-@Marshall(WV)(@CharlestonWV), @OhioU-KentSt(OH), @CFlorida-Memphis, @Temple-LaSalle(PhiladelphiaPA), @~~Lehigh~~-~~Bucknell~~(PA), @~~TXSanAntonio~~-NorthwesternSt,
Thursday:: Vanderbilt-@Alabama, California-@Washington, @Gonzaga-SanFrancisco, @CalPolySLO-LongBeachSt(CA), @~~Davidson~~-ColofCharleston, @SacredHeart-Quinnipiac(Connecticut_6),
Friday:
Saturday:: @Kentucky-Alabama, @Baylor-Missouri, Syracuse-@~~NotreDame~~, @Duke-FloridaSt, Kansas-@Texas, @MichiganSt-Purdue, @Creighton-~~IndianaSt~~, @UNLV-NewMexico, @Vanderbilt-MississippiSt, @Florida-LSU, @Cincinnati-WVirginia, @SAlabama-MidTennessee, @~~Pittsburgh~~-Louisville, @Arkansas-Michigan, @Washington-Stanford, @SoMississippi-Marshall, @UCSantaBarbara-LongBeachSt(CA), @Dayton-Xavier(OH), @Akron-KentSt(OH), @Penn-@StJosephs(PhiladelphiaPA)(/PALESTRA/)(BIG_5), @VCU-OldDominion(VA), @~~Bucknell~~-HolyCross, @Wagner-~~LongIsland~~(NY), @SacredHeart-CConnecticutSt(Connecticut_6), @~~TXArlington~~-StephenFAustin(TX), @~~UTValley~~-{NDaktota}, @TexasSo-~~MSValleySt~~,
Sunday:: @Illinois-Wisconsin, @ClevelandSt-Milwaukee, @NoIowa-Drake(IA_BIG_4),
Monday week:: Syracuse-@Cincinnati, @Kansas-~~TexasA&M~~, @ETennesseeSt-Belmont(TN).

Top 25 - 12 Jan16 - [] Column

Kentucky (17-1)
Baylor (16-0)
Syracuse (19-0)
Ohio State (16-3)
Duke (14-2)
Kansas (13-3)
Michigan State (14-3)
Indiana (15-3)
Missouri (16-1)
North Carolina (15-3)
Creighton (15-2)
Wichita State (14-3)
Kansas State (12-4)
San Diego State (13-2)
UNLV (14-3)
Vanderbilt (13-4)
Murray State (15-0)
Virginia (13-2)
St. Mary's (15-2)
Mississippi State (15-3)
Connecticut (14-3)
Illinois (14-3)
Florida (14-4)
California (15-4)
Marquette (14-4)

Honorable Mention:: Florida State (11-6), Northwestern (12-5), Minnesota (14-5), Cincinnati (14-4).

12 Jan 9 - Marq'ed Down

2012-01-11T18:42:00.003-05:00

Volume XVI, No. 10 - 12 Jan 9 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Marq'ed Down

The second week of conference play was particularly rough on a few teams. None more than Marquette, which dropped two road games: 70-@73 at Georgetown (as the Hoyas came back from down 17, on 63 percent shooting, 26p5r from bJason Clark, and yet another game-winning three from gHollis Thompson[16p]) and then 66-@73 at still unbeaten Syracuse.
The wheels have come off the Badger Bus -- Wisconsin also lost twice: @60-63(OT) at home to surging Michigan State (despite 28p1a5r from bJordan Taylor) and a 41-@59 blowout loss at Michigan. bTaylor was the only player in double-figures in either game for UW.
Connecticut double-dipped as well: 63-@75 at surprising Seton Hall (as the Pirates' pJordan Theodore had 19p11a) and 60-@67 at Rutgers. pShabazz Napier and gJeremy Lamb have been fine, but the Huskies haven't been getting much production in the front court.

Duke fell on the road at Temple, 73-@78 (as the Owls' gKhalif Wyatt had 22p5s) and needed 14-for-14 free-throw shooting from tRyan Kelly(21p5r) to escape with a 81-@74 win in Atlanta against lowly Georgia Tech. The Blue Devils' backcourt is supposed to be their strength, but they are far from dominant on the perimeter.
     Missouri finally tasted defeat for the first time, and did so in a big way. Kansas State (fresh off its own 49-@67 loss at Kansas) turned the tide on the Tigers with a @75-59 home win. Louisville stumbled at home, @65-67(2OT) against feisty Notre Dame.
     Mississippi State dropped its conference opener, 88-@98, at Arkansas. Florida turned in an even more puzzling performance, losing 56-@67 at reconstructed Tennessee. Purdue couldn't keep a good thing going, falling 45-@65 at Penn State. Harvard lost 54-@60 at lowly Fordham. (The Crimson won't see the rankings again this year, but don't forget about their first-round splash potential come tourney time.)
     Towson set a new Division I record for consecutive losses (35 and counting) when it fell 38-@75 at Old Dominion.

On the up side, West Virginia's tough preseason schedule finally paid dividends with a @74-62 win over Georgetown (as gTruck Bryant[25p1a] and cKevin Jones[22p16r] both played well in the same game for once). 12-3 Iowa State got off to a 2-0 start in the BIG 12 with a @77-71 win over Texas and a 74-@50 drubbing of slumping Texas A&M (behind tRoyce White's triple-double: 10p18r10a).
Northern Iowa sewed up this year's IOWA BIG 4 title with a 83-@68 win at Drake. Oral Roberts is already 6-0 in the SUMMIT with wins over Oakland (89-@80) and second-place South Dakota State (@97-75).

California, Stanford, Oregon State and Oregon all split 1-1 with each other, including Stanford's wild 103-@101(4OT) win at Oregon State. Surprising Colorado leads the PAC-12 at 3-0 thanks to a @87-69 routh of Washington. (The Buffaloes run the gauntlet on the road in northern California this week, though.)
The closest thing to a Player of the Year performer so far this year has been xDoug McDermott of Creighton -- he put up 44p8r on 18-for-23 shooting in a 92-@85 win at Bradley. (But no one team has taken early control of the tough MVC race.)
George Mason won 63-@54 at Old Dominion and @61-58 vs Georgia State in what qualifies as The Game of the Year in the declining COLONIAL.

Baylor's unbeaten record will be in jeopardy with two huge road games: at Kansas State (Tuesday) [and at Kansas (Monday week)]. Count on Extreme Payback when Ohio State gets to host Indiana on Sunday. Duke could be ripe for the picking if Virginia can hold its nerve in Cameron (Thursday).
It's The Game of the Year upcoming on Thursday for St. Mary's when it hosts Gonzaga. If the Gaels can't win at home, it'll be an uphill climb needing to win at Gonzaga, or likely at Creighton in BRACKETBUSTERS, or in the WCC tourney in order to make it to the NCAAs -- but cRob Jones is outperforming cRobert Sacre and gMatthew Dellavedova is having a better season than any of the young 'Zag guards. (GU has more on its resume and can survive a loss.)
Alabama gets to rub it in the face of visiting LSU (Wednesday) -- expect a celebration of the football national championship during the game.

-- Ron

[P.S. In this year's Pigskin Pool Party, Ronald Days tied with the expert picks by ESPN College Bowl Mania's (Robert Smith) to take this year's title. The second straight year an "expert pick" got at least a share of the win -- it's never happened in the Hoops Contest.]

Key games this week:
Monday:: WVirginia-@Connecticut, @Georgetown-Cincinnati,
Tuesday:: @NCarolina-~~MiamiFL~~, OhioSt-@Illinois, Baylor-@KansasSt, @Creighton-NoIowa, @WichitaSt-IllinoisSt, @VirginiaTech-FloridaSt, @Penn-@LaSalle(PhiladelphiaPA)(/PALESTRA/)(BIG_5),
Wednesday:: Missouri-@IowaSt, @Michigan-Northwestern, @Alabama-LSU, @StLouis-Temple, @Marquette-~~StJohns~~, @OhioU-Buffalo, @Memphis-SoMississippi, @~~Lehigh~~-American,
Thursday:: @Duke-Virginia, Gonzaga-@StMarys, @Purdue-Wisconsin, @California-Colorado, @Arizona-OregonSt, @Drexel-GeoMason, @Campbell-~~UNCAsheville~~(NC),
Friday:: Creighton-@IllinoisSt, @~~Butler~~-ClevelandSt(BG), @NoIowa-MissouriSt,
Saturday:: NCarolina-@FloridaSt, MichiganSt-@Northwestern, @Kansas-IowaSt, UNLV-@SanDiegoSt, @Missouri-Texas, @Dayton-LaSalle, Alabama-@MississippiSt, @Charlotte-StLouis, @Marquette-~~Pittsburgh~~, @~~NotreDame~~-Connecticut, @Wyoming-NewMexico, @Akron-OhioU(OH), @Stanford-Colorado, @Marshall-CFlorida, @Arizona-~~Oregon~~, @KentSt-BowlingGreen(OH), @Arkansas-LSU, @Columbia-~~Princeton~~, @~~Nevada~~-Hawaii, @Wagner-CConnecticutSt, @~~WeberSt~~-~~Montana~~, @~~Lamar~~-TXArlington(TX), @StephenFAustin-~~TXSanAntonio~~(TX), @MorganSt-~~NorfolkSt~~, @~~Albany~~-Maine,
Sunday:: Indiana-@OhioSt(BG), WichitaSt-@~~IndianaSt~~,
Monday week:: @Kansas-Baylor, @Syracuse-~~Pittsburgh~~, @Marquette-Louisville.

Top 25 - 12 Jan 9 - [] Column

Kentucky (15-1)
North Carolina (14-2)
Michigan State (13-2)
Indiana (15-1)
Kansas (11-3)
Ohio State (15-2)
Syracuse (17-0)
Duke (12-2)
Baylor (14-0)
UNLV (14-2)
Kansas State (12-2)
West Virginia (12-4)
Georgetown (12-2)
Missouri (14-1)
Louisville (13-3)
Murray State (13-0)
Virginia (14-1)
Vanderbilt (11-4)
Gonzaga (13-2)
Creighton (12-2)
Wichita State (11-3)
Michigan (12-3)
Dayton (12-4)
Alabama (12-3)
Seton Hall (13-2)

Honorable Mention:: Arkansas (12-3), Iowa State (12-3), Northern Iowa (12-4), Oral Roberts (13-4).

11 Jan 2 - (Second) Season's Greetings

2012-01-04T02:10:00.003-05:00

Volume XVI, No. 9 - 11 Jan 2 - [] Top 25 Ballot

(Second) Season's Greetings

Conference play got under way for most everyone last week. Some teams were able to greet the new season with a change in play from disappointing form; others continued the same level (for the good and for the bad).
     Michigan State's only two losses are to North Carolina and Duke at the very start of the season, so it's been hard to judge what the Spartans have going for them. tDraymond Green has had some individual brilliance, but lately the emergence of pKeith Appling has started to define their personality. pAppling had 25p7a6r as they handed Indiana its first loss, @80-65. The Hoosiers bounced back with another stunner, though: a @74-70 win over a full-strength Ohio State. (Ordinarily, a week with a blowout loss at MSU and a home win over OSU might be a net plus and cause for moving IU up in the rankings -- instead, they'll fall from No.1 [but stay inside the elite group at the top].)
     Georgetown heads the group of no-name overachievers -- added to their two wins over Memphis and road buzzer-beater at Alabama, the Hoyas snatched an early road win in conference at Louisville, 71-@68. Wisconsin found a way to lose at home to Iowa, @65-72, no-thanks to awful 3-for-28 shooting on three-pointers. Purdue handled Iowa, 79-@76, and beat Illinois, @75-60.
     A strong preseason for the Missouri Valley overall led to a scramble start inside the league. Missouri State, which has had mixed results while retooling with four new starters, broke out of the gate 2-0, keyed by a 77-@65 win at Creighton behind 31p7r from star fKyle Weems and 26p5a from pAnthony Downing. The Bluejays responded with a road win of their own at Wichita State, 68-@61. Indiana State was blown out at Drake, 64-@79. Meanwhile, Northern Iowa (which had settled it SOUTH PADRE tie with Iowa State) dropped its first two league games (but gets the chance to sweep this year's IOWA BIG 4 on Saturday at Drake).
     The PAC-12 seemed to have established a pecking order in the first season: California, Stanford and Oregon State were good; Arizona hung in there; Washingtona and Oregon floundered. So, of course, the start of conference play meant that UW trounced both Oregon schools right away: @95-80 over Oregon State behind 26p9r from freshman tTony Wroten Jr., and @76-60 over Oregon on 24p from C.J. Wilcox.

In leftover preseason matchups, Kentucky handled Louisville, @69-62, behind 24p19r from freshman xMichael Kidd-Gilchrist -- and the Wildcats still aren't anywhere close to being an efficient offensive team. Before things got started, Vanderbilt's road blowout of Marquette, 74-@57, wouldn't have looked out of place; but the way those teams performed the first two months makes it a surprising result now. Maybe the Commodores have finally put things together now that they're at full strength; the Golden Eagles' lack of a true post player didn't hurt them earlier, but they may no longer be able to hide that vulnerability. Baylor escaped @54-52 over Mississippi State at THE SHOWCASE in Dallas in a hideous game from both teams. Once again, gPierre Jackson saved the day at crunch time, making the game-winner on a drive to the basket. Gonzaga kept Xavier in the doghouse, winning 72-@65 on the road, thanks to 20p10r from cSam Dower. Solid New Mexico held off St. Louis, @64-60.
In the inexplicable category: Florida couldn't put away Rutgers on the road, losing 83-@85(2OT) as pElijah Carter(31p7a) outshone gKenny Boynton(26p). 7-7 Princeton managed to win at Florida State, 75-@73(3OT), behind 25p15r6to from cIan Hummer and 25p0a from gDoug Davis.
The last round of showcase tournament produced three non-BCS Unwelcome Guest winners: Wagner[NEC] beat Air Force and then host Santa Clara, 64-@62 to take the CABLE CAR crown; Colorado State[MWC] beat host UTEP, 56-@53, en route to winning the SUN BOWL; and San Jose State[WAC] beat host Seattle in the ELGIN BAYLOR final.

Wisconsin tries to get back on track at home against streaking Michigan State (Tuesday). Marquette needs to regroup in a hurry: it visits Georgetown (Wednesday) and Syracuse (Saturday). Kansas State has a big week ahead: visiting Kansas (Wednesday) and hosting Missouri (Saturday). Michigan visits Indiana (Thursday) and hosts Wisconsin (Sunday). Dayton hosts St. Louis (Wednesday) and visits Temple (Saturday). Indiana State gets its turn to make a mark at Northern Iowa (Wednesday) and vs Missouri State (Saturday).
A big shakeup is in store one way or another in the PAC-12 as California and Stanford each visit Oregon State and Oregon (Thursday, Saturday and Sunday).

-- Ron

Key games this week:
Monday:: @Baylor-TexasA&M(TX), Virginia-@LSU, @OhioU-~~RobertMorris~~, @Campbell-~~CoCarolina~~,
Tuesday:: MichiganSt-@Wisconsin, Louisville-@~~StJohns~~, Connecticut-@SetonHall, @~~UTValley~~-Wyoming, @~~Oakland~~-OralRoberts,
Wednesday:: Duke-@Temple(/WELLS_FARGO/), @Kansas-KansasSt(KS), @Georgetown-Marquette, @Dayton-StLouis, @Northwestern-Illinois, @CFlorida-Tulane, @OldDominion-GeoMason(VA), @NoIowa-IndianaSt, @VCU-~~GeorgiaSt~~,
Thursday:: @Indiana-Michigan, @OregonSt-California, @~~Oregon~~-Stanford, @LongBeachSt-CalPolySLO(CA), @CharlestonSo-Campbell,
JOHN WOODEN CLASSIC @ Anaheim CA /HONDA/
-(@~~UCLA~~-Arizona),
Friday:: BATTLE OF THE BOULEVARD - I
-(@Belmont-Lipscomb(NashvilleTN)),
Saturday:: (12N):Duke-@~~GeorgiaTech~~(/PHILIPS/),
@Syracuse-Marquette, Georgetown-@WVirginia, Missouri-@KansasSt, @Louisville-~~NotreDame~~(BG), @Virginia-~~MiamiFL~~, @Texas-~~OklahomaSt~~, @OregonSt-Stanford, @Temple-Dayton, @Buffalo-KentSt, @GeoMason-~~GeorgiaSt~~, @IndianaSt-MissouriSt, @Drake-NoIowa(IA_BIG_4), @SAlabama-Denver, @~~SDState~~-OralRoberts, @~~CoCarolina~~-CharlestonSo(SC), @UtahSt-~~Nevada~~, @AlabamaSt-~~MSValleySt~~,
Sunday:: Wisconsin-@Michigan, Purdue-@Minnesota, @~~Oregon~~-California,
Monday week:: @Georgetown-Cincinnati, @Connecticut-WVirginia, @AlabamaA&M-~~MSValleySt~~.

Top 25 - 12 Jan 2 - [] Column

Kentucky (13-1)
North Carolina (13-2)
Duke (11-1)
Michigan State (12-2)
Indiana (13-1)
Kansas (9-3)
Ohio State (13-2)
Syracuse (13-0)
Georgetown (11-1)
Baylor (12-0)
Missouri (13-0)
Marquette (12-2)
Wisconsin (11-3)
UNLV (13-2)
Louisville (12-2)
Connecticut (12-1)
Mississippi State (13-2)
Florida (11-3)
Kansas State (11-1)
Harvard (11-1)
Murray State (11-0)
Virginia (12-1)
Vanderbilt (9-4)
Gonzaga (11-2)
Purdue (12-3)

Honorable Mention:: Iowa (9-6), Rutgers (8-6), Missouri State (8-5), New Mexico (11-2), Washington (7-5), Princeton (7-7),
Wagner (10-3) [2@CABLE],
Colorado State (9-4) [2@SUN BOWL],
San Jose State (6-8) [2@E.BAYLOR].

11 Dec26 - "Items May Have Shifted During The Flight" (PRECONFERENCE)

2011-12-28T19:39:00.003-05:00

Volume XVI, No. 8 - 11 Dec26 : PRECONFERENCE - [] Top 25 Ballot

"Items May Have Shifted During The Flight"

Baylor [LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAST] and Kansas State [DIAMOND HEAD] claimed the last two major preseason tournaments for the BIG 12, bringing the conference total to 3 1/2 (good for fourth behind the BIG 10[6], SEC[4 1/3] and BIG EAST[4], and ahead of the A-10[3]). The Bears are deeper and much more dangerous than last year's edition (when everyone stood around waiting for [bLaceDarius Dunn] to make something happen). In their thrilling 83-81(OT) win over West Virginia in the final, gBrady Heslip's outside shooting brought them back from an early deficit; then, fQuincy Acy's inside power staked them to a lead; finally, 5-10 gPierre Jackson's late heroics got them into overtime -- (and they needed all of that to counter xKevin Jones' 28p17r performance for the Mountaineers).
Meanwhile, the no-name Wildcats took advantage of Xavier's woes. The undermanned Musketeers went 1-2 in Honolulu, losing 58-68 to Long Beach State and 82-@84(OT) to host Hawaii. K-State blew out the 49ers in the final, 77-60 behind 28p from bRodney McGruder.

LSU put it together after trailing 0-13 at the start to stun Marquette @67-59. Davidson pulled off a shocker, knocking off Kansas 80-@74 in Kansas City (despite 21p18r from cThomas Robinson). North Carolina had no trouble with young Texas, winning @82-63 behind 26p from tHarrison Barnes.
Missouri won BRAGGIN' RIGHTS over Illinois, @78-@74, in St. Louis. Creighton handled Northwestern, @87-79, behind 27p from xDoug McDermott (despite 34p from bDrew Crawford). UNLV spanked California, @85-68. Florida routed Florida State, @82-64. Georgetown handled Memphis for the second time, @70-59.

The headline from the preseason as a whole has to be Kentucky's classic @73-72 win over North Carolina -- as good a game as you could want. Technically, Indiana's own @73-72 win over Kentucky tops that (on paper). UNLV's @90-80 win over UNC in the final of LAS VEGAS-THANKSGIVING, Ohio State's @85-63 blowout of Duke (BIG 10/ACC CHALLENGE), and Marquette's 61-@54 road win and UNC's @60-57 home win over Wisconsin round out the elite results. (Kansas' @78-67 win over Ohio State gets an asterisk since cJared Sullinger didn't play.)
     The biggest disappoints so far are the complete flop of UCLA (and the failure of the PAC-12, in general, to make any kind of mark), the struggling preseason of veteran Vanderbilt and the inability of veteran Belmont to break through from 1BC-Land (only to be outshown by the likes of Harvard). Butler and VCU figured to have a letdown after last year's whirlwind NCAA tournament runs (but both have started to play better of late). The ugly brawl between Xavier and Cincinnati (CROSSTOWN SHOOTOUT) was the low point of the season.
     The ATLANTIC-10's tournament performances by St. Louis (76/ANAHEIM) and Dayton (OS/ORLANDO) head the list of surprises, along with Murray State (GREAT ALASKA). Marquette (PARADISE), Mississippi State (2KS/COACHES VS CANCER), Georgetown, Kansas State and Virginia have all been better than expected. Oregon State, Ohio University, Iona (and even Georgia State) are all having unforeseen success.
     Shocking splashes came from Davidson (80-@74 over Kansas), Central Florida (over Connecticut in ATLANTIS), LSU (@67-59 over Marquette) and Wagner (59-@54 over Pittsburgh).
     We haven't seen any particular individual emerge as the frontrunner for Player of the Year. The elite teams are sharing the load more than usual so far. No one GC player has been far and above all the rest, either.
     There may have been some shifting among the main contenders from the start of the season; but, mostly, we're still where we were at the beginning: North Carolina, Kentucky and Ohio State still remain the teams to beat on the road to the Final Four.

Here's how the conferences look after the preseason:

BIG 10 - Won 8-4 in its CHALLENGE with the ACC. Indiana [rr4vHOOSIER] was undefeated with the biggest win. Ohio State [rr4vGS-A] was impressive (as long as cJared Sullinger was in the lineup); Wisconsin [2v2:CHICAGO], Michigan State [rr4@SPARTAN] and Illinois [2v2:CANCUN-T] all made noise; Northwestern [3:CHARLESTON], Michigan and Minnesota all had excellent records. Purdue made noise; Nebraska was also a winner.
BIG EAST - Won 8-4 in its CHALLENGE with the SEC. Syracuse [2v2vNIT-TO] and Louisville [rr4vGS-B] were undefeated. Marquette [3:PARADISE], Georgetown, Connecticut had big wins; Seton Hall made noise; Pittsburgh [rr4@PHILLY] and Providence all had excellent records. West Virginia, Cincinnati and DePaul were winners. Notre Dame lost its star. Villanova and young St. John's struggled.
BIG 12 - Baylor [2v2:LVC-X] and Missouri [2v2vCBE] were undefeated with impressive wins; Kansas State [3:DIAMOND] made a splash and Oklahoma was excellent as well. Kansas (fThomas Robinson) had big wins, Texas (bJ'Covan Brown) made noise; Iowa State [1/2 2v2:S.PADRE] and Texas A&M were also winners. Oklahoma State struggled against a tough schedule.
MOUNTAIN WEST - Tied 4-4 in its CHALLENGE with the MVC. UNLV [2v2vLVI-T] had a huge win; San Diego State made noise; New Mexico and Wyoming were excellent as well. TCU and Boise State made splashes; Air Force and Colorado State were also winners.
MISSOURI VALLEY - Tied 4-4 in its CHALLENGE with the MWC. Creighton (xDoug McDermott) [rr4vGS-E/DH], Northern Iowa [1/2 2v2:S.PADRE], Wichita State and Indiana State all made splashes with excellent records. Illinois State, Missouri State and Drake were winners (but made no noise).
SEC - Lost 4-8 in its CHALLENGE with the BIG EAST. Kentucky [rr4:HALL.FAME] won its summit with UNC; Mississippi State (pDee Bost) [2v2:2KS/CVC] made a splash; Florida had good wins and an excellent record overall. LSU, Alabama [3:P.RICO] and Vanderbilt [2v2:LEGENDS] all had big wins; Arkansas [1/3 rr4SOUTHWEST], Mississippi and Auburn were winners as well.
ACC - Lost 4-8 in its CHALLENGE with the BIG 10. Duke [3:MAUI] had good wins and one huge loss; North Carolina (cJohn Henson) had big wins and losses; Virginia was excellent overall as well. Florida State made a splash; Virginia Tech, Maryland, Wake Forest, N.C. State and Miami(Florida) were all winners (without making noise).
CONFERENCE USA - Marshall [rr4@GS-D] made a splash; Southern Mississippi and Tulane were excellent as well. Central Florida and Rice were noisy winners. Memphis (fWill Barton) was up-and-down against a tough schedule; Houston [1/3 rr4@SOUTHWEST] struggled overall.
ATLANTIC 10 - St. Louis [3:76/ANAHEIM] was excellent. Xavier (pTu Holloway) made lots of noise (but an ugly brawl knocked them off course). Dayton [3:OS/ORLANDO], Temple and St. Joseph's all made noise; Massachusetts, Charlotte and La Salle were all winners as well.
PAC-12 - Oregon State made the only splash; Stanford was quietly excellent. California, Oregon, Arizona, Washington State and Colorado were all winners (but nobody made noise). Colorado was solid; UCLA was a disappointment (but avoided being a total flop). Washington struggled.
IVY - Harvard [3:ATLANTIS] had some big wins; Yale was excellent as well. Columbia [rr3@CENTENNIAL] was also a winner.
SUN BELT - Middle Tennessee made noise and Denver was excellent as well. South Alabama was solid.
MID-AMERICAN - Ohio U was excellent; Kent State and Buffalo were winners; and Akron was solid -- and they all made big splashes on the road. Toledo [rr4@UTPA] and Ball State were solid as well. (Northern Illinois was winless.)
WEST COAST - Gonzaga made some noise against a tough schedule; St. Mary's was quietly excellent. BYU, San Francisco and Santa Clara were winners.
HORIZON - Cleveland State [rr3@LEGENDSconsA] was excellent. Milwaukee was a winner. Valparaiso was solid. Butler was up-and-down against a tough schedule.
METRO ATLANTIC - Iona was excellent. Loyola(Maryland) was a winner. Fairfield struggled against a tough schedule.
SOUTHERN - College of Charleston was excellent. Wofford and Furman were solid. Davidson made a big splash, but struggled overall.
OHIO VALLEY - Murray State [3:GREAT.AK] was undefeated with splashes to boot. Austin Peay was a bust.
SUMMIT - South Dakota State [rr3@CBEconsB] made a splash; Oral Roberts, North Dakota State and IPFW were also winners. Oakland [1/3 rr4@SOUTHWEST] struggled against a tough schedule.
COLONIAL - George Mason [rr2vNIT-TOconsA], VCU and surprising Georgia State were all winners, but nobody made any noise. (Towson was winless.)
PATRIOT - Lehigh [rr3@2KS/CVCconsB] was a winner. Bucknell and American were solid.
BIG SOUTH - Coastal Carolina and Campbell were winners. UNC-Asheville couldn't break through.
WAC - Nevada and Utah State (and even Idaho) made noise; New Mexico State was also a winner.
NORTHEAST - Wagner made a splash and Robert Morris was also a winner. Long Island couldn't break through.
BIG WEST - Cal State-Fullerton and Cal Poly-SLO were winners. Long Beach State made a splash.
ATLANTIC SUN - Mercer was a winner. Belmont [rr2@MAUIcons] couldn't break through against a tough schedule.
BIG SKY - Weber State was a winner. Montana was solid.
SOUTHLAND - Lamar was a winner. Texas-San Antonio struggled.
MEAC - Norfolk State was solid. Hampton was a bust.
GREAT WEST - Utah Valley skirted .500. (Chicago State was winless.)
AMERICA EAST - Albany and Maine were winners. Stony Brook struggled. (SUNY-B and Hartford were winless.)
INDEPENDENTS - Cal State-Bakersfield managed .500. Longwood struggled.
SWAC - No team was even close to .500. Prairie View A&M was the least bad of (by far) the worst league. Mississippi Valley State was a bust. (Grambling State was winless.)

Indiana's stay at No.1 will likely come to an end this week. You can't expect the Hoosiers to win both at Michigan State (Wednesday) and at home against Ohio State (Saturday) as well (and they might not win either one). Louisville also has a rough week: at home vs Georgetown (Wednesday) and at Kentucky (Saturday). Wednesday's SHOWCASE in Dallas (Baylor vs Mississippi State) should be a great matchup of athletes in the paint (but MSU's pDee Bost may be the best player on the floor). Don't expect Vanderbilt to cure what ails it at Marquette (Thursday); same for Gonzaga at Xavier (Saturday) -- both home teams are coming off losses with lots to prove. Wichita State hosts Creighton (Saturday) in a big early showdown in the MVC.
South Dakota State can get the early jump on the SUMMIT race with home wins over IPFW (Wednesday) and Oakland (Friday).

-- Ron

P.S. Have a safe and Happy New Year!

Key games this week:
Tuesday:: @Illinois-Minnesota, @~~NotreDame~~-Pittsburgh,
Wednesday:: Indiana-@MichiganSt, @OhioSt-Northwestern, @Syracuse-SetonHall, Georgetown-@Louisville, @Creighton-MissouriSt, @SDState-IPFW,
THE SHOWCASE @ Dallas TX
-(@Baylor-MississippiSt),
Thursday:: @Marquette-Vanderbilt, @~~Washington~~-OregonSt, @Belmont-Marshall, @Memphis-RobertMorris,
Thursday-Friday:: UCF HOLIDAY CLASSIC 1st/Semis @ Orlando FL
-(@CFlorida-Stetson(FL), RhodeIsland-JamesMadison),
CABLE CAR CLASSIC 1st/Semis @ Santa Clara CA
-(AirForce-Wagner, @SantaClara-EaMichigan),
DP CLASSIC 1st/Semis @ Chattanooga TN
-(@Chattanooga-~~Longwood~~, ~~Hampton~~-~~UTValley~~),
Friday:: @ColofCharleston-GeoMason, @SDState-~~Oakland~~,
Saturday:: @Indiana-OhioSt(BG), @Kentucky-Louisville(KY), @Florida-Yale, @Connecticut-~~StJohns~~, @WichitaSt-Creighton, @NewMexico-StLouis, @California-~~UCLA~~(CA), @Purdue-Illinois, @Texas-Rice(TX), @Xavier-Gonzaga, @~~Washington~~-~~Oregon~~, @~~Butler~~-Milwaukee,
Sunday (NEW YEAR'S):: @Marquette-~~Villanova~~, @Pittsburgh-Cincinnati, @Michigan-Minnesota,
Monday week:: @Baylor-TexasA&M(TX), Virginia-@LSU, @OhioU-RobertMorris, @CoCarolina-Campbell,

Top 25 - 11 Dec26: PRECONFERENCE - [] Column

Indiana (12-0) [rr4vHOOSIER]
Kentucky (11-2) [RR4HALLoFAME]
North Carolina (11-2)
Ohio State (12-1) [RR4G.S-A]
Duke (9-1) [3:MAUI]
Syracuse (13-0) [2v2vNIT TIP-OFF]
Kansas (8-3)
Marquette (11-1) [3:PARADISE JAM]
Missouri (12-0) [2v2vCBE]
Wisconsin (11-2) [2v2:CHICAGO]
Baylor (11-0) [2v2:LAS VEGAS C-XMAS]
Michigan State (10-2) [rr4SPARTAN]
Florida (10-2)
Georgetown (9-1)
Louisville (12-0) [RR4G.S-B]
Connecticut (10-1)
Mississippi State (12-1) [2v2:2KS/COACHESvCANCER]
Wichita State (8-2)
UNLV (11-2) [2v2:LAS VEGAS-THANX]
Kansas State (10-1) [3:DIAMOND HEAD]
Alabama (9-3) [3:PUERTO RICO]
Harvard (9-1) [3:ATLANTIS]
Murray (10-0) [3:GREAT ALASKA]
Virginia (10-1)
Creighton (9-1) [rr4GS-E/DALE HOWARD]

Honorable Mention:: St. Louis (10-1) [3:76/ANAHEIM],
Vanderbilt (8-4) [2v2:LEGENDS],
Belmont (7-5) [2@MAUIcons],
Dayton (9-4) [3:OS/ORLANDO],
Northwestern (10-2) [3:CHARLESTON],
Houston (6-5)/Oakland (6-6)/Arkansas (8-3) [rr4SOUTHWEST],
Northern Iowa (10-2)/Iowa State (9-3) [2v2:SOUTH PADRE],
Marshall (8-2) [RR4G.S-D],
Illinois (10-2) [2v2:CANCUN-THANX],
Columbia (7-4) [rr3@CENTENNIAL],
Cleveland State (10-2) [rr3@LEGENDSconsA],
Pittsburgh (11-2) [rr4@PHILLY],
George Washington (4-7) [rr3@CBEconsA],
Lehigh (8-4) [rr3@2KS/CVCconsB],
South Dakota State (7-4) [rr3@CBEconsB],
Toledo (7-5) [rr4@UTPA].

11 Dec19 - Not So Wonderful

2011-12-20T10:21:00.005-05:00

Volume XVI, No. 7 - 11 Dec19 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Not So Wonderful

Life's not so wonderful without your star players. Ohio State and Xavier learned that the easy way and the hard way.
cJared Sullinger was back in the lineup for the Buckeyes at South Carolina (after missing two games with back spasms) only to have his heel stepped on by a Gamecock player. He left the game (and the facility -- he did return, but was ineffective). He's listed as "day-to-day" after nothing serious showed up on X-ray (but it's yet another worry about a possible chronic injury-filled season for him. His teammates struggled against SCar for a while, but perked up when they got news he was OK and won 74-@66 [behind a career-high 30p from bDeShaun Thomas]).
pTu Holloway, pMark Lyons and bDezmine Wells all sat suspended for Xavier at home against 8-4 Oral Roberts and watched their teammates be humiliated, 64-@42. bWells will miss the entire trip; pLyons will miss the first game; but pHolloway will play all three games at this week's DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC in Honolulu where the Musketeers are the favorites (ahead of Long Beach State and rising Kansas State). It would take some instant maturity it's not apparent that they have in order for them to take the right lesson from this debacle. Here's hoping they do more than use it to rally behind an "Us vs Them" mentality.

UNLV proved it wasn't just a one-hit/hometown wonder by beating Illinois in Chicago, 64-@48, holding the Illini to 25 percent shooting. 7-1 Kansas State added to slumping Alabama's troubles with a @71-58 win in Kansas City.
     So far, there's enough ball to go around (in the backcourt, at least) for Florida -- the Gators routed Texas A&M in the ORANGE BOWL CLASSSIC behind the triumvirate of gKenny Boynton(22p1a), pErving Walker(16p6a) and freshman gBradley Beal(16p). (If UofF can consistently involve its frontcourt players, we're talking Final Four.) Texas handled Temple, @77-65 -- gJ'Covan Brown (23p6to;10/21fg) is doing his best to have a bKemba Walker-type season to lead his young teammates to a higher level of play. (It's been mixed results so far, though; and the Longhorns have a huge test on the road at North Carolina [Wednesday].) Louisville placed seven players in double-figures in its @95-87 HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE win over Memphis (despite 28p16r from cWill Barton) -- both teams combined for 83 free throws.
     Gonzaga finally beat somebody of note -- a @71-60 win over Arizona behind 25p8r from fElias Harris -- (only five turnovers is great, but the Bulldogs won't get far on 3-for-20 three-point shooting.) The woes continued for the PAC-10 as Oregon lost at home to solid Virginia, @54-67, while Washington managed to get blown out at home, @73-92, at the hands of 7-4 South Dakota State. (Ugh! At least, Oregon State, Stanford and California have come through the preseason with impressive records.)
     Indiana State finally made a splash this season with a road win over underachieving Vanderbilt, 61-@55. (The Commodores have fFestus Ezeli back, but he hasn't made the instand difference they were expecting. They already have three home losses this season.) 5-6 Butler took the first step towards salvaging a bust preseason with a @67-@65 win over Purdue in the CROSSROADS double-header in Indianapolis. (The Bulldogs have it even tougher this week with road games at Gonzaga [Tuesday] and Stanford [Thursday].) Middle Tennessee paid back its earlier double-OT home loss with a @65-62 home win over stumbling Belmont.

Baylor can only damage its reputation if it fails to dominate the LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC (West Virginia, St. Mary's, Missouri State) [Monday, Thursday-Friday]; likewise for Xavier at the DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC (Long Beach State, Kansas State) [Thursday-Friday, Sunday]. Illinois probably isn't ready to deal with Missouri in Thursday's BRAGGIN' RIGHTS game. Georgetown hosting Memphis (Thursday), Creighton hosting Northwestern (Thursday) and UNLV hosting California (Friday) are the kind of games that will have you on the outside looking in come bubble time for the loser.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everybody!

-- Ron

Key games this week:
Monday:: @Kansas-~~Davidson~~(@KansasCityMO), @Florida-~~MSValleySt~~, @Marshall-Belmont, @Vanderbilt-~~Longwood~~,
Monday, Thursday-Friday:: LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC RndRob on-campus; Semis @ Las Vegas NV /ORLEANS/
-(A: Baylor, StMarys, BethuneCookman, TexasA&MCC, {PaulQuinn};
B: WVirginia, MissouriSt, TennesseeTech, ~~KennesawSt~~),
Tuesday:: @Syracuse-~~Bucknell~~, @Louisville-ColofCharleston, @NoIowa-OhioU, @Gonzaga-~~Butler~~, @Arizona-~~Oakland~~,
Tuesday-Thursday:: AIA CLASSIC RndRob @ Logan UT
-(KentSt, StPeters, TXArlington, @UtahSt),
GS-C SHOWCASE RndRob @ Eugene OR
-(@Oregon, NCCentral, StephenFAustin, PrairieViewA&M),
Wednesday:: @NCarolina-Texas, @~~AustinPeay~~-Belmont(TN), @Alabama-Oklahoma St(@BirminghamAL),
Thursday:: @Connecticut-~~Fairfield~~(CT), @MichiganSt-~~Lehigh~~, @Florida-FloridaSt(FL), @Georgetown-Memphis, @Harvard-~~FLAtlantic~~, @Stanford-~~Butler~~, @Creighton-Northwestern, @WeberSt-Utah(UT), @CoCarolina-ColofCharleston(SC), @~~Montana~~-~~UTValley~~,
BRAGGIN' RIGHTS @ St. Louis MO
-(@Missouri-@Illinois),
LAS VEGAS-HOLIDAY CLASSIC 1Off @ Las Vegas NV /SOUTH POINT/
-((2P):SanDiego-SAlabama),
Thursday-Friday, Sunday:: DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC Qtrs @ Honolulu HI
-(Xavier-LongBeachSt, @Hawaii-Auburn, KansasSt-SoIllinois, Clemson-UTEP),
Friday:: @Wisconsin-~~MSValleySt~~, @UNLV-California,
Tuesday week:: @~~NotreDame~~-Pittsburgh.

Top 25 - 11 Dec19 - [] Column

Indiana (10-0)
Kentucky (9-1)
Marquette (10-0)
North Carolina (9-2)
Duke (8-1)
Kansas (7-2)
Ohio State (10-1)
Wisconsin (10-2)
Syracuse (11-0)
Connecticut (9-1)
Baylor (9-0)
Missouri (11-0)
Michigan State (8-2)
Mississippi State (11-1)
Florida (8-2)
Georgetown (8-1)
Murray State (9-0)
Harvard (8-1)
Louisville (10-0)
Wichita State (8-2)
UNLV (9-2)
Virginia (9-1)
Xavier (8-1)
Oregon State (8-2)
Texas (9-2)

Honorable Mention:: Kansas State (7-1), Butler (5-6), Indiana State (7-2), South Dakota State (7-4).

11 Dec12 - Twits

2011-12-13T17:33:00.002-05:00

Volume XVI, No. 6 - 11 Dec12 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Twits

The lead story should have been the toppling of the last two juggernauts with a shot at going unbeaten. Instead, it's the ugly brawl that broke out at the end of the CROSSTOWN SHOOTOUT between Xavier and Cincinnati.
Preseason rivalry games -- (BORDER WARS, like the Missouri/Illinois BRAGGIN' RIGHTS game in two weeks; STATE TITLE games, like the Top-10 matchup Marquette-@Missouri already played; and CITY SHOWDOWNS, like the well behaved @VCU-Richmond BLACK & BLUE game last Friday) -- can be great because of the increased intensity level. But only if the players (and fans) are mature enough to handle it. The Musketeers paid back last year's blowout loss to the Bearcats with a @76-53 home rout this year; but that wasn't enough. Fueled by interviews ("Tu Holloway wouldn't even start if he played for Cincinnati.") and Twitter wars before the game ever took place inflamed the emotions, out-of-control trash talk during the game, and a final hard foul at the end exploded into a melee with players being punched and stomped -- ridiculously immature behavior if this were high school boys, inexcusable from college men. (These children are a long way from the adult realization that beating up the other guy isn't the definition of manhood.) Numerous player suspensions from each school, the ATLANTIC-10 and BIG EAST, and the NCAA as well will no doubt follow. (XU thinks it's a Final Four-calibre squad; but this performance will only undermine its prospects.)

Once again, the Basketball Gods have been appeased -- both Kentucky and Ohio State went down, leaving no more unbeaten teams with a credible shot at running the table. (Neither a collection of GC All-Stars nor a quality team [that isn't as good as last year's squad] belongs on that short list of Undefeated National Champions.) It's probably good news for the Wildcats in the long run, but it's a heartbreaker in the short run as unbeaten Bluegrass rival Indiana sank UK, @73-72, on a buzzer-beater three-pointer from bChris Watford(20p5r). Kentucky still needs a lot of work on team offense -- maybe this will make the players wake up to realize they have some things to work on.
Kansas' @78-67 win over Ohio State was mostly due to the fact that the Buckeyes' cJared Sullinger sat out with back spasms. (It's one thing to skip the Texas-Pan American game, but missing the game against the JayHawks is a major worry -- who knows when it might happen again down the line?) Without the big man in the paint, KU shot 58 percent from the field while OhSU only shot 39 percent. For a no-name squad, Bill Self's squad is doing just fine, thank you.

They missed each other in ATLANTIS, but Connecticut handled Harvard pretty comfortably at home, @67-53.
     The BIG 10 got a couple of great one-man-show performances: Michigan State's gDraymond Green had 34p (on 11-for-13 shooting) to lead a 74-@67 road win at splashless Gonzaga; meanwhile, Wisconsin's gBen Brust had 27p; 7-for-7 on threes) to lead a @62-51 win over giant-killer UNLV.
     The ATLANTIC-10 had a strong week: Dayton beat Alabama, @62-54, (on 61 percent shooting); St. Joseph's upset Creighton, @80-71, behind 29p5a from 5-11 pCarl Jones (despite 26p10r from xDoug McDermott); and Temple took control of the BIG 5 race with a @78-67 win over Villanova, thanks to 32p6r from bRamon Moore (as the Wildcats shot 3-for-20 on threes).
     The PAC-10 was down: Arizona lost at Florida, 72-@78(OT); and Washington lost twice in New York City, 77-79 to Marquette in the JIMMY V CLASSIC (on bJae Crowder's game-winning three-pointer), and 80-86 to Duke in the CQAP CLASSIC.
     Murray State struck a blow for 1BC-land, controlling Memphis on the road, 76-@72 (despite 27p from fWill Barton); and Marshall furthered CONFERENCE USA's woes with a road loss at Syracuse, 56-@62.

Things are thinning out for the next two weeks. Illinois and UNLV fight it out to stay in the rankings on Saturday; Texas A&M (with fKhris Middleton back) hopes to make its mark on the season against Florida in the ORANGE BOWL CLASSIC (Saturday); Gonzaga and Arizona try to avoid another blemish in the BATTLE IN SEATTLE (Saturday); Belmont tries to win at Middle Tennessee for the second time this season on Tuesday.

-- Ron

P.S. Don't forget: the deadline for this year's Pigskin Pool Party [http://www.RonNcBay.US/Pigskin/] (Ron's free College Football Bowl Season Pool) is THIS SATURDAY, 17-DECEMBER (2PMet).

Key games this week:
Monday:: @Iowa-Drake(IA_BIG_4),
Tuesday:: @MidTennessee-Belmont(TN),
Wednesday:: @CoppinSt-Towson(BaltimoreMD), @~~NorfolkSt~~-~~LongIsland~~, @MDBaltimoreCo-MorganSt(BaltimoreMD),
Wednesday-Saturday week; Thursday week-Friday week;: LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC RndRob on-campus; Semis @ Las Vegas NV /ORLEANS/
-(A: Baylor, StMarys, BethuneCookman, TexasA&MCC, {PaulQuinn};
B: WVirginia, MissouriSt, TennesseeTech, ~~KennesawSt~~),
Saturday:: (PIGSKIN POOL PARTY ENTRY DEADLINE [2PMet]),
Alabama-@KansasSt(@KansasCityMO), @Illinois-UNLV, @Texas-Temple, @Vanderbilt-IndianaSt,
CROSSROADS CLASSIC DblHdr @ Indianapolis IN /CONSECO/
-(@Indiana-@~~NotreDame~~(IN), @Purdue-@~~Butler~~(IN)),
HALL OF FAME SHOOTOUT on-campus -(@Louisville-Memphis),
ORANGE BOWL CLASSIC DblHdr @ Sunrise FL
-(@Florida-TexasA&M, @MiamiFL-@~~FLAtlantic~~(FL)),
BATTLE IN SEATTLE @ Seattle WA -(@Gonzaga-Arizona),
ALL-COLLEGE CLASSIC DblHdr @ Oklahoma City OK
-(@OklahomaSt-NewMexico, @Oklahoma-Houston),
THE HOLY WAR on-campus -(@StJosephs-Villanova(PhiladelphiaPA)(BIG_5)),
MSG HOLIDAY FESTIVAL DblHdr @ New York NY /MSG/
-(@~~StJohns~~-@Fordham(NewYorkNY), @~~StonyBrook~~-Rutgers),
Sunday:: Virginia-@Oregon,
Monday week:: @Kansas-~~Davidson~~(@KansasCityMO), @Florida-~~MSValleySt~~, @Marshall-Belmont, @Vanderbilt-~~Longwood~~,

Top 25 - 11 Dec12 - [] Column

Indiana (9-0)
Kentucky (8-1)
Marquette (9-0)
North Carolina (8-2)
Duke (8-1)
Kansas (7-2)
Ohio State (8-1)
Georgetown (7-1)
Wisconsin (8-2)
Syracuse (10-0)
Xavier (8-0)
Connecticut (8-1)
Baylor (7-0)
Missouri (9-0)
Michigan State (7-2)
Alabama (8-2)
Mississippi State (9-1)
Murray State (7-0)
Harvard (8-1)
Louisville (9-0)
Illinois (9-0)
Florida (7-2)
Wichita State (7-2)
Virginia (8-1)
UNLV (7-2)

Honorable Mention:: Dayton (7-3), St. Joseph's (7-3), Temple (6-2).

11 Dec 5 - Meeting At The Summit

2011-12-05T23:39:00.003-05:00

Volume XVI, No. 5 - 11 Dec 5 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Meeting At The Summit

If the national championship game in March is anywhere near as good as Saturday's showdown between Kentucky and North Carolina at Rupp Arena, we'll be oh so lucky. The Tar Heels didn't hold up their part to make this officially #1 vs #2, but they sure played like it on the court. The flaws they'd shown before this (even in their ACC/BIG 10 struggle to beat Wisconsin at home, @60-57, earlier in the week) were gone -- they hit from outside (11-for-18 on threes), they guarded individually, and they held their own on the boards. UNC led by nine, 34-@25, in the first half; but young UK hung in and gradually took control down the stretch. Even then, it took a blocked shot in the closing seconds by Wildcat freshman 6-10 cAnthony Davis on 6-10 cJohn Henson to preserve the 73-72 UK win. Beyond the 34-14 difference on points in the paint, Kentucky's edge was having more players who could take their man off the dribble. North Carolina probably can't play much better than this -- (you can't expect that kind of outside shooting from them every night); but Kentucky can still get a lot better offensively with more team-oriented offense. Here's hoping we get a rematch in New Orleans. (With this game behind them, the "U"-word is a real possibility for this Kentucky squad.)
That game was so impressive from both squads that it pushed Ohio State's @85-63 massacre of Duke to second billing. The Buckeyes led 11-0 at the start, were up 47-28 at halftime, and cruised home to victory. 21p8r from fJared Sullinger and 20p5r from bWilliam Buford paced OhSU; 22p from gAustin Rivers led the Blue Devils (who were only 3-for-15 on threes).

The BIG 10, in fact, dominated the ACC head-to-head, 8-4, as Michigan State routed Florida State, @65-49 (behind 16p5a10r from xBrandon Wood); Purdue handled Miami(Florida), @76-65; and Northwestern throttled host Georgia Tech, 76-@60 (behind 25p8r from tJohn Shurna). A bright spot for the ACC was Virginia's upset of Michigan, @70-58.
Even without the likes of Marquette and Villanova participating, the BIG EAST crushed the SEC head-to-head, 8-4 as well. tHollis Thompson's game-winning-three-pointer shocked host Alabama as Georgetown stole a 57-@55 victory on the road; Syracuse held off Florida at home, @72-68; and Louisville got the game-winner from pPeyton Siva in its thrilling @62-60(OT) win over Vanderbilt.
The marquee games went the way of the MVC over the MWC, but things wound up tied 4-4 after all was said and done. Wichita State pounded giant-killer UNLV, @89-70, (behind 31p5r;8-for-9 on threes from bJoe Ragland); Creighton came back from 17 down on the road to win 85-@83 at San Diego State (thanks to 25p12r from xDoug McDermott).

Elsewhere, Marquette outlasted host Wisconsin, 61-@54, in a brutal defensive struggle for state supremacy (and Top-5 status to boot). The nation's best backcourt belongs to Xavier as pTu Holloway and pMark Lyons staged come-from-behind wins at Vanderbilt, 82-@70(OT), and vs Purdue, @66-63 (after trailing by 19). Like Kentucky, low assist totals (8 and 9) mean the guards did all the work themselves with individual scoring ability -- that's a great quality to have in the short run, but it'll get you in trouble relying on it over the long run. Baylor and its huge front line man-handled finesse Northwestern, 69-@41, (shooting 60% while holding the Wildcats to 24% shooting); new-look Illinois handled same-old-same-old Gonzaga, @82-75.
You knew it wouldn't last (but you at least thought it could last longer than a week!): St. Louis fell to Loyola Marymount, 68-@75; Marshall lost at home to Ohio University, @68-70; and Dayton lost to Buffalo at home, @55-84, and then again on the road at splash-worthy Murray State, 58-@75. (Let's hear it for the Ivy League, as Columbia claimed an Unwelcome Guest crown over host Loyola Marymount in the 3-day round-robin CENTENNIAL CLASSIC in Los Angeles.)

Kentucky (Saturday at Indiana) and Ohio State (Saturday at Kansas) have trap road games that could possibly derail the "U"-train (but won't); Harvard and Connecticut get the meeting they missed at ATLANTIS in Storrs (Wednesday); it's the BIG 5 Game of the Year on Saturday as Temple hosts Villanova. Beware Greeks bearing gifts -- dangerous visitors come to town: Long Beach State at Kansas (Tuesday) and at North Carolina (Saturday), Marshall at Syracuse (Tuesday), Oakland vs Michigan (at Auburn Hills, Saturday), Iona at Marshall (Sunday) and Murray State at Memphis (Sunday). Unfortunately, the events at Madison Square Garden all look to be mismatches: JIMMY V (Marquette over Washington, Missouri over Villanova) and CQAP (Duke over Washington, Pittsburgh over Oklahoma State).

-- Ron

P.S. Look for the official invitation for the 5th Annual Pigskin Pool Party (Ron's College Football Bowl Season Pool) shortly.

Key games this week:
Monday:: @SacredHeart-Yale(Connecticut_6),
Tuesday:: @Kansas-LongBeachSt, @Syracuse-Marshall, Virginia-@GeoMason(VA), @MiamiFL-Memphis, @Iowa-NoIowa(IA_BIG_4), @UtahSt-~~UTValley~~(UT), @Hartford-Quinnipiac(Connecticut_6),
JIMMY V CLASSIC DblHdr @ New York NY/MSG/
-(Marquette-Washington, Missouri-Villanova),
Wednesday:: Xavier-@~~Butler~~(BG), Alabama-@Dayton, @Florida-Arizona, @~~Davidson~~-Vanderbilt, @Toledo-Temple, @MissouriSt-Oklahoma St,
(7P):@~~Georgia~~-~~GeorgiaTech~~(GA),
@Rutgers-~~Princeton~~(NJ), @~~Oakland~~-OhioU,
Thursday:: Harvard-@Connecticut,
Friday:: @IowaSt-Iowa(IA_BIG_4),
HALL OF FAME HOLIDAY SHOWCASE ?1Off? @ Springfield MA
-(@Massachusetts-Siena),
Saturday:: Kentucky-@Indiana(BG), OhioSt-@Kansas, @NCarolina-LongBeachSt, @Wisconsin-UNLV, MichiganSt-@Gonzaga, @Temple-Villanova(PhiladelphiaPA)(BIG_5), @Michigan-@~~Oakland~~(MI)(@AuburnHillsMI/PALACE/), @Towson-MDBaltimoreCo(BaltimoreMD), @~~Montana~~-~~Nevada~~,
CQAP/MSG CLASSIC DblHdr @ New York NY/MSG/
-(Duke-Washington, Pittsburgh-OklahomaSt),
CROSSTOWN SHOOTOUT 1Off @ Cincinnati OH
-(@Xavier-Cincinnati(CincinnatOH)),
BLACK & BLUE CLASSIC 1Off @ Richmond VA
-(@VCU-Richmond(RichmondVA)),
Sunday:: @Marshall-Iona, @Memphis-MurraySt,
Monday week:: @Iowa-Drake(IA_BIG_4).

Top 25 - 11 Dec 5 - [] Column

Kentucky (8-0)
Ohio State (8-0)
Marquette (7-0)
North Carolina (6-2)
Duke (6-1)
Kansas (5-2)
Georgetown (6-1)
Xavier (6-0)
Alabama (7-1)
Syracuse (8-0)
Baylor (7-0)
Missouri (7-0)
Mississippi State (8-1)
Harvard (7-0)
Louisville (7-0)
Connecticut (7-1)
Wisconsin (6-2)
Creighton (7-0)
Illinois (7-0)
Florida (5-2)
Indiana (8-0)
Wichita State (5-2)
UNLV (7-1)
Michigan State (5-2)
Virginia (7-1)

Honorable Mention:: Loyola Marymount (4-4), Ohio University (4-1), Murray State (6-0), Buffalo (4-1), Columbia (3-4) [rr3@CENTENNIAL].

11 Nov28 - Fair To Middlin'

2011-11-29T14:50:00.004-05:00

Volume XVI, No. 4 - 11 Nov28 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Fair To Middlin'

Except for a couple of Christmas events -- DIAMOND HEAD (Xavier's to lose) and LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS (Baylor's to lose) -- we're done with the major preseason tournaments. As expected, the BCS leagues grabbed the lion's share of the titles, but the Mid-Majors and 1BCs were able to claim a healthy third or so of the crowns as their own.
     The biggest result of all was UNLV's stunning home-away-from-home win over No.1 North Carolina, @90-80, in the final of the LAS VEGAS-THANKSGIVING INVITATIONAL at Orleans Arena. Yes, when he left for Oklahoma, Lon Kruger left a solid, veteran Runnin' Rebels team for first-year coach Dave Rice to work with; but the experienced Tar Heels should have been able to handle this game. Instead, they couldn't stop the threes from falling (13) and couldn't match them with their own (4); worse, UNC looked helpless and down right panicky as it was unable to turn the game around in the second half. xChace Stanback(28p10r) and xMike Moser(16p18r6a) did anything they wanted.
     If Roy Williams expects to make it to the Final Four with this squad, he's going to have to make dramatic changes this year just like he did last year. cJohn Henson and cTyler Zeller on the court together are too stiff and it's not worth it if they aren't going to dominate the boards (which ain't happening so far). Better to platoon those two at center and put both freshmen fJames Michael McAdoo and gP.J. Hairston on the floor to improve the overall athleticism ... and even then, everybody has to play a lot better individual defense than they've shown so far.
     So one shot at an undefeated season never really got rolling. That leaves two more juggernaut clubs who still have a reasonable chance at making an extended run at it. For Ohio State, hosting Duke (BIG 10/ACC) on Tuesday is the big hurdle; a road game at Kansas next week isn't as scary as it might have been in years past; the Big 10 has been strong in the preseason, so the conference schedule is more dangerous after all than it looked at first glance. After UNC at home this week, Kentucky has the one tricky grudge game at Indiana next week; but after that, the big road games in the SEC don't come until the second week of February -- they could easily still be undefeated by then.

The BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS in the Bahamas was supposed to finish with a showdown between last year's national champ, Connecticut, and a Sweet 16 Florida State. Well, they did meet, but they were playing for third place. (UConn won, 78-74(OT), behind 26p5a6to from pShabazz Napier.) The championship game wound up as Central Florida vs Harvard. It was UCF that handed the Huskies their first loss since last February, 68-63, as pMarcus Jordan had 20p7a7r and bKeith Clanton had 20p6r while UConn couldn't hit from outside (2-for-18 on three-pointers). Meanwhile, the Crimson's physical defense and deliberate offense barely allowed the Seminoles to score at all. (It was 7-0 after the first nine minutes and 14-14 at halftime as FSU had shot 27% and had no players in double-figures in the 46-41 Harvard win. More stifling D from the Ivy Leaguers in the final as they won, 59-49, holding CFla to 33% overall, 1-for-11 on threes.

Duke scrapped its way to the MAUI crown, knocking off Tennessee (77-67), Michigan (82-75; limiting the Wolverines to just 6/9 on free throws) and Kansas (68-61; harassing gTyshawn Taylor into 1 assist/11 turnovers while Blue Devil reserve gTyler Thornton hit two big 3s late in the game). This isn't the prettiest or smoothest Duke team, but they had just enough streak shooting from the outside and just enough banging big men inside to claim the victories. A juggernaut they're not.

On neutral ground, Marquette had a much tougher go of it the second time around against Norfolk State in the PARADISE JAM final. The Golden Eagles had won @99-68 a week earlier at home on the mainland, but it took bJae Crowder's game-winner to survive 59-57 in St. Thomas. Wisconsin had no trouble winning CHICAGO, trouncing Bradley 66-@43 in the semis and BYU 73-56 (behind 7 threes from gBen Brust). Vanderbilt needed a game-winner from gBrad Tinsley to beat Oregon State 64-62 in the LEGENDS final in East Rutherford. The Atlantic 10 pulled off a couple of shockers -- St. Louis won 76/ANAHEIM (hitting 14 threes to knock off Villanova 80-68 in the semis, and shooting 60% overall to beat Oklahoma 83-63 in the final); Dayton was the surprise winner of OS/ORLANDO (beating Fairfield 56-49 in the semis, and Minnesota 86-70 in the final [behind 12 threes and 15 steals]). Iowa State and Northern Iowa both went 4-0, thanks to SOUTH PADRE's pre-set final pairings (as both handled Providence and Rice) -- those two will settle the score between them on Wednesday at ISU in their annual state-title grudge match. Illinois won in CANCUN (70-61 over Richmond and then 63-59 over Illinois State). Murray State made a mark for 1BC-land with three thrillers at GREAT ALASKA (64-@62 over host {{Alaska-Anchorage}}, 70-67 over San Francisco, and then 90-81(2OT) over Southern Mississippi as MSU's iIsaiah Canaan[36p8r] out-dueled SMU's gAngelo Johnson[29p3a]).
     At home-away-from-home, Missouri was mighty impressive at CBE in Kansas City (routing Notre Dame @87-58 in the semis and California @92-53 in the final) -- the Tigers were stronger and quicker to the ball on defense and offense against their overmatched opponents. Less spectacular was Syracuse, once again taking advantage of home-state support in New York City at the NIT TIP-OFF (beating Virginia Tech @69-58 and then athletic Stanford @69-63).
     The round-robin showcases were mostly foregone conclusions -- Louisville (GS-B) didn't exactly blow out Ohio University (@59-54); Indiana (HOOSIER) did blow out struggling Butler (@75-59); Michigan State (SPARTAN) wasn't bothered by Milwuakee (@68-55); Pittsburgh (PHILLY) edged La Salle (@73-69), pounded Penn (78-@58) and handled Robert Morris (@81-71). Mid-Major Creighton (GS-E/DALE HOWARD) had no trouble at Iowa (82-@59) or at home over Campbell (@104-81; shooting 70%, getting 31p11r from xDoug McDermott; despite 29p14r from xEric Griffin); likewise, Marshall (GS-D) won 73-@69(OT) at Cincinnati. Houston, Oakland and Arkansas each went 3-1 overall and split 1-1 with each other to share billing as SOUTHWEST champs. Toledo was the road winner of UTPA (including 64-@54 over host Texas-Pan American).
     The consolation round-robins are only of note when Unwelcome Guests were able to spoil the party for the hosts -- Cleveland State (LEGENDS Cons A) won at Rhode Island (67-@45); George Washington (CBE Cons A) drubbed Bowling Green (77-@56); South Dakota State (CBE Cons B) won at Mercer (74-@61).

The final tally is 6 crowns for the BIG 10, 4 1/3 for the SEC, 4 for the BIG EAST and 3 for the A-10. The BIG 12 and MVC (1.5) as well as C-USA and SUMMIT (1 1/3) managed multiple showings. Beyond that, it's the MWC, IVY, ACC, A-SUN, OVC, HORIZON, PAT and MAC all with one each. Shut out were the PAC-10, WCC and COLONIAL.
You might expect the conference CHALLENGES to follow the same show of strength. The ACC is in decline (but don't worry -- Pittsburgh and Syracuse come next year, with Connecticut and Rutgers possibly to follow). It might be as bad as 10-2 in favor of the BIG 10 this year. The MVC may edge the MOUNTAIN WEST 5-3. With some strong teams not playing, the BIG EAST looks to go to wire 6-6 against the SEC in the newly expanded format.

Duke has its work cut out for it on Tuesday trying to hand No.1 Ohio State its first (only?) loss, in Columbus to boot. It's good that North Carolina has something prove when it travels to Kentucky (Saturday) -- it'll need a huge effort to derail the UK U-train. Go with the home team in a tightly refereed game when physical Marquette visits physical Wisconsin on Saturday in a Top-10 clash with state supremacy on the line as well. Xavier (Monday at Vanderbilt, Saturday vs Purdue) and Gonzaga (Wednesday vs depleted Notre Dame, Saturday at Illinois) both have a big week coming up.

(Notre Dame's season appears to be a lost cause after tTim Abromaitis injured his knee in practice and is out for the season.)

-- Ron

Key games this week:
Monday:: @Louisville-LongBeachSt, Xavier-@Vanderbilt, @Iona-~~LongIsland~~(NY),
Tuesday-Wednesday:: ACC/BIG 10 CHALLENGE on-campus; ACC leads 10-2 all-time
-(Tue: @OhioSt-Duke, Michigan-@Virginia, @Purdue-MiamiFL, @Maryland-Illinois, @Iowa-Clemson,
(7:15P):@~~GeorgiaTech~~-Northwestern(/PHILIPS/);
Wed: Wisconsin-@NCarolina, Indiana-@NCState, @MichiganSt-FloridaSt, @Minnesota-VirginiaTech, @BostonCol-PennSt, @Nebraska-WakeForest),
Wednesday:: @Gonzaga-~~NotreDame~~, @Marshall-OhioU, @Pittsburgh-@Duquesne(PittsburghPA), @Kansas-~~FLAtlantic~~, @GeoMason-~~Bucknell~~, @Arkansas-~~MSValleySt~~, @IowaSt-NoIowa(IA),
Wednesday,Saturday-Sunday:: MVC/MWC CHALLENGE on-campus; tied 1-1 all-time
(Illinois State and Southern Illinois do not play.)
-(Wed: Creighton-@SanDiegoSt;
Sat: @BoiseSt-IndianaSt, @NewMexico-MissouriSt, @NoIowa-ColoradoSt, @Evansville-TCU, @Wyoming-Bradley, @Drake-AirForce;
Sun: UNLV-@WichitaSt),
Thursday-Saturday:: BIG EAST/SEC CHALLENGE on-campus; tied 1-1;2 all-time
(Marquette, ~~Notre Dame~~, South Florida and Villanova don't play.)
-(Thu: @Kentucky-StJohns, @Alabama-Georgetown, @DePaul-Mississippi, @SCarolina-Providence;
  Fri: @Syracuse-Florida, @Louisville-Vanderbilt, @SetonHall-Auburn,
       (7P):@~~Georgia~~-Cincinnati;
  Sat: @MississippiSt-WVirginia, @Connecticut-Arkansas, @Tennessee-Pittsburgh, @Rutgers-LSU),
Friday:: @~~Nevada~~-Washington, @Northwestern-~~MSValleySt~~,
Saturday:: @Kentucky-NCarolina, Marquette-@Wisconsin(WI), @Xavier-Purdue(BG), Gonzaga-@Illinois, @~~UCLA~~-Texas, @Detroit-ClevelandSt, @Villanova-Penn(PhiladelphiaPA)(BIG5), @Memphis-~~AustinPeay~~(TN),
Sunday:: Baylor-@Northwestern, Dayton-@MurraySt, @OregonSt-~~Montana~~, @SanDiegoSt-California(CA),
BB&T CLASSIC DblHdr @ Washington DC
-(@GeoWashington-VCU(DC/VA), @Maryland-~~NotreDame~~),
BIG APPLE CLASSIC ?1Off? @ New York NY
-(~~Hampton~~-Howard(VA/DC)).

Top 25 - 11 Nov28 - [] Column

Ohio State (6-0) [rr5vGS-A]
Kentucky (6-0) [2v2:HALL.FAME]
UNLV (6-0) [2v2vLVI-THANX]
Duke (6-0) [3:MAUI]
Marquette (5-0) [3:PARADISE]
Wisconsin (6-0) [2v2:CHICAGO]
Alabama (7-0) [3:P.RICO]
Harvard (5-0) [3:ATLANTIS]
Mississippi State (7-1) [2v2:2KS/CVC]
Missouri (6-0) [2v2vCBE]
Syracuse (6-0) [2v2vNIT.T-O]
North Carolina (5-1)
Connecticut (6-1)
Florida (4-1)
Louisville (5-0) [rr4vGS-B]
Xavier (4-0)
Gonzaga (4-0)
Vanderbilt (5-1) [2v2:LEGENDS]
St. Louis (6-0) [3:76/ANAHEIM]
Michigan (4-1)
Baylor (5-0)
Indiana (6-0) [rr4vHOOSIER]
Creighton (5-0) [rr4:GS-E/D.HOWARD]
Marshall (5-0) [rr4@GS-D]
Dayton (5-1) [3:OS/ORLANDO]

Honorable Mention:: Central Florida (3-2),
Belmont [rr2@MAUIcons],
Northwestern (5-0) [3:CHARLESTON],
Houston(3-2)/Oakland(3-2)/Arkansas(4-1) [rr4@SOUTHWEST],
Iowa State(5-1)/Northern Iowa(5-1) [2v2:S.PADRE],
Illinois (5-0) [2v2:CANCUN-THANX],
Murray State (4-0) [3:GREAT.AK],
Michigan State (4-2) [rr4@SPARTAN],
Cleveland State (5-1) [rr3@LEGENDSconsA],
Pittsburgh (5-1) [rr4@PHILLY],
George Washington (4-1) [rr3@CBEconsA],
Lehigh (4-2) [rr3@2KS/CVCconsB],
South Dakota State (4-3) [rr3@CBEconsB],
Toledo (4-1) [rr4@UTPA].

11 Nov21 - WxSE

2011-11-22T01:12:00.003-05:00

Volume XVI, No. 3 - 11 Nov21 - [] Top 25 Ballot

WxSE

What a week for the SEC -- make that "what a week for the SEC West"! Not only did two teams from the same conference's "division" win holiday tournaments -- Alabama(PUERTO RICO) and Mississippi State(2KS-COACHES VS CANCER) -- but three teams claimed the top three spots in the BCS Football Standings -- (LSU, Alabama and Arkansas)!
The Crimson Tide used a physical defense to rout Maryland(62-42) and hold off Wichita State(70-60) and Purdue(65-56) -- smooth halfcourt offense is still to come, though. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs took full advantage of their pre-set semifinal berth in New York, handling undermanned Texas A&M[playing without injured fKhris Middleton](69-60) and Arizona(67-57) -- [Akron flopped in its consolation games, anyway, falling 59-@62 at Valparaiso and 76-81 to Duquesne.]
The SEC is off to a great start in the preseason. Kentucky took care of Kansas, 75-65, in its CHAMPIONS CLASSIC pairing, and beat Penn State(85-47) and Old Dominion(62-52) in the feature matches of the HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF in Uncasville, CT (with one more round-robin game to go) -- gDoron Lamb(26p vs the Nittany Lions) is doing the heavy lifting early as the young freshmen haven't quite been instant superstars just yet. Vanderbilt gets a surprise opponent in the LEGENDS final in Oregon State [which knocked off Texas, 100-95(OT), in a superstar shootout between the Ducks' tJared Cunningham(37p9r;20/23ft) and the closest thing to gKemba Walker so far this year, the Longhorns' bJ'Covan Brown(25p9a6r6to)].

Duke's 74-69 win over Michigan State in the CHAMPIONS CLASSIC gave coach MIKE KRZYZEWSKI the record for MOST CAREER WINS ALL-TIME (903 and counting), surpassing his former mentor, Bob Knight. Among the coaching giants at the top of the list, Adolph Rupp(Kentucky) and John Wooden(UCLA) dominated their eras with the best players around and no real comparable rival in their way. Dean Smith(North Carolina) and Bob Knight(Indiana) came in at the tail end and were contemporaries throughout. Mike Krzyzewski had those two at the start and the likes of Jim Calhoun(Connecticut) and Roy Williams(North Carolina) at the end ot contend with. Smith, Calhoun, Williams and most certainly Krzyzewski all had top-flight blue chip players to work with. Knight -- [as much as I don't like his personal style] -- stands apart from all of the others in my mind as having done more with far less talent. How many of his players became NBA stars compared to all of the others?]

Ohio State beat Florida State in the feature game of the GS-A SHOOTOUT for the second year running, @81-74 this time, behind 21p6r from bWilliam Buford; the Buckeyes were outrebounded 25-34 but made their way at the free throw line (27/34 to the Gators' 13/21).
Long Beach State pulled off a shocker, knocking off Pittsburgh on the road, 86-@76, behind 28p6a from pCasper Ware -- [but the 49ers couldn't keep it going, falling 73-@77(OT) at San Diego State later in the week]. Kent State was a surprise road winner at West Virginia, 70-@60. Still reclassifying {Presbyterian} won at Cincinnati, 56-@54.
Louisville kept struggling Butler struggling, with a road rout: 69-@52 (even playing without pPeyton Siva[ankle]). Memphis crushed the upset hopes of visiting Belmont, @97-81, as the Bruins couldn't keep pace with the three-guard attack of bWill Barton(23p5r), bWesley Witherspoon(22p5r) and pJoe Jackson(20p7a).

xShabazz Napier had a triple-double (22p13a12r) for Connecticut against Coppin State (but its still gJeremy Lamb[25p1a] who's the No.1 scoring threat). pJ'Covan Brown is trying to do it all for young Texas, (and nearly did against Rhode Island: 35p6a6r). Freshman pKevin Pangos hit 9 three-pointers for Gonzaga against Washington State, finishing with 33p6a in his first start. bJohn Shurna had 37p7r for Northwestern in the CHARLESTON semi vs LSU [and the Wildcats went on to take the crown, 80-73 over Seton Hall (despite 32p8r from fHerb Pope)].

Marquette, paced by bJae Crowder on offense, has routed the field in PARADISE so far. They've already whipped their surprise final opponent, Norfolk State, once on the mainland. MAUI has the deepest field of all of the preseason tournaments (Duke, Memphis, Michigan and Kansas plus UCLA, Georgetown and Tennessee) -- it's no automatic win for the Blue Devils. A supportive crowd should push Syracuse past Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech [and Stanford] in the NIT TIP-OFF; the same should go for Missouri past Notre Dame and California [and Georgia] at CBE in Kansas City. Not even a home crowd will help UNLV upset North Caroilna at LAS VEGAS-THANKSGIVING (and woeful South Carolina has already lost at home to Tennessee State). No one in CHICAGO should trouble Wisconsin. Illinois (CANCUN-THANKSGIVING) and Providence (SOUTH PADRE) shouldn't have any trouble, either. Villanova should have its way in 76/ANAHEIM, but ATLANTIS (Connecticut, Florida State) and OS/ORLANDO (Indiana State, Minnesota, Fairfield) aren't quite so certain.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

-- Ron

Key games this week:
Monday:: @~~Davidson~~-{Presbyterian},
PARADISE JAM Finals @ StThomasVI
-(Marquette-NorfolkSt, 3rd:Mississippi-TCU, 5th:Virginia-Drake, 7th:Drexel-Winthrop),
Monday; Friday-Sunday:: LEGENDS CLASSIC Finals @ EastRutherfordNJ; 2nd/ConsRndRob @KingstonRI @LewisburgPA
-(OregonSt-Vanderbilt, 3rd:Texas-NCState;
Cons A: ClevelandSt, @RhodeIsland, Hofstra, BostonU;
Cons B: @~~Bucknell~~, ~~Princeton~~, MoreheadSt, {WAlabama}),
Monday-Tuesday; Monday-Wednesday:: CBE CLASSIC 3rd/Semis @ KansasCityMO; 2nd/ConsRndRob @BowlingGreenOH @MaconGA
-(Semis: NotreDame-@Missouri, California-~~Georgia~~;
Cons A: GeoWashington, Detroit, ~~AustinPeay~~, @BowlingGreen;
Cons B: Niagara, SDState, @Mercer, SamHoustonSt),
Monday-Wednesday:: MAUI INVITATIONAL 2nd/Qtrs @ LahainaHI
-(Duke-Tennessee, Memphis-Michigan, Kansas-Georgetown, UCLA-@{{Chaminade}}),
Monday-Friday:: GS-A SHOOTOUT RndRob on-campus
-(OhioSt, Florida, WrightSt, NFlorida, JacksonSt),
GS-D CLASSIC RndRob on-campus
-(Fri: @Cincinnati-Marshall; AlabamaSt, JacksonvilleSt, NorthwesternSt),
GS-E/DALE HOWARD CLASSIC RndRob on-campus, @ DesMoineIA
-(Iowa, Creighton, Campbell, ChicagoSt, NCA&T),
Monday-Tuesday; Wednesday,Friday:: NIT SEASON TIP-OFF
ConsRndRob @FairfaxVA @TulsaOK @FtCollinsCO; Semis,Finals @NewYorkNY/MSG/:
-(Semis: @Syracuse-VirginiaTech, OklahomaSt-~~Stanford~~;
  Cons A: @GeoMason, Brown, Albany, Monmouth;
  Cons B: SMU, FLInternational, @OralRoberts, ARPineBluff;
  Cons C: @ColoradoSt, FresnoSt, Manhattan, ~~TXSanAntonio~~),
Monday-Sunday:: HOOSIER INVITATIONAL RndRob on-campus, @ ChattanoogaTN
-(Sun: @Indiana-Butler;
Fri-Sun: @Chattanooga, GardnerWebb, SavannahSt),
UTPA INVITATIONAL RndRob on-campus, @ EdinburgTX
-(Toledo, @TXPanAmerican, SCUpstate, @TexasSt, {VictoryU}),
Tuesday:: @ClevelandSt-KentSt(OH), @~~Nevada~~-~~Longwood~~,
Tuesday-Wednesday:: CANCUN-THANKSGIVING CHALLENGE 2x4 @ CancunMEXICO
-(Illinois-Richmond, Rutgers-IllinoisSt; Lipscomb-{SIUEdwardsville}, SacredHeart-~~Hampton~~),
Tuesday-Friday:: GS-B INVITATIONAL RndRob on-campus
-(Louisville, TNMartin, OhioU, ArkansasSt, Lamar),
Tuesday-Saturday:: SOUTHWEST CLASSIC RndRob on-campus
-(Houston, Arkansas, ~~Oakland~~, GramblingSt, ~~UTValley~~),
Tuesday; Friday-Saturday:: LAS VEGAS-THANKSGIVING INVITATIONAL 2x4 on-campus, @ LasVegasNV/ORLEANS/
-(A: NCarolina, SCarolina, TennesseeSt, ~~MSValleySt~~;
B: @UNLV, USC, MorganSt, CalPolySLO),
CHICAGO INVITATIONAL CHALLENGE 2x4 on-campus, @ HoffmanEstatesIL
-(A: Wisconsin, @Bradley, MOKansasCity, Wofford;
B: BYU, ~~Nevada~~, ~~Longwood~~, PrairieViewA&M),
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND INVITATIONAL 2x4 on-campus, @SouthPadreIslandTX
-(Fri: Providence-IowaSt, NoIowa-Rice; WeCarolina-NoColorado, Southern-FloridaA&M),
Tuesday-Sunday;: PHILLY CLASSIC RndRob(4) on-campus, @ PhiladelphiaPA/PALESTRA/
-(Sat @PhiladelphiaPA/PALESTRA/: @Penn-Pittsburgh, @LaSalle-RobertMorris(PA), JamesMadison-Rider),
Wednesday:: HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF RndRob3/3 2x4 on-campus
-(@Kentucky-Radford, @OldDominion-Vermont),
Wednesday-Saturday:: GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT 1st/Qtrs @ AnchorageAK
-(SanFrancisco-Dartmouth, MurraySt-@{{AKAnchorage}}, SoMississippi-UCIrvine, NewMexicoSt-CMichigan),
Wednesday-Sunday:: SPARTAN INVITATIONAL RndRob(4) on-campus
-(MichiganSt, Milwaukee, EaMichigan, ARLittleRock, TexasSo, IUPUI),
Thursday-Saturday:: BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS 1st/Qtrs @ ParadiseIslandBAHAMAS
-(Connecticut-~~UNCAsheville~~, CFlorida-ColofCharleston, FloridaSt-Massachusetts, Utah-~~Harvard~~),
Thursday-Friday, Sunday:: 76/ANAHEIM CLASSIC 1st/Qtrs @ AnaheimCA
-(Villanova-@UCRiverside, BostonCol-StLouis, Oklahoma-WashingtonSt, SantaClara-NewMexico),
OS/ORLANDO CLASSIC 1st/Qtrs @ OrlandoFL
-(IndianaSt-TexasTech, Minnesota-DePaul, ArizonaSt-~~Fairfield~~, WakeForest-Dayton),
Friday:: @Xavier-~~Georgia~~,
Saturday:: @~~Montana~~-LongBeachSt, @~~AustinPeay~~-MidTennessee(TN),
Sunday:: @Alabama-VCU.

Top 25 - 11 Nov21 - [] Column

North Carolina (3-0)
Ohio State (3-0)
Kentucky (4-0)
Connecticut (4-0)
Syracuse (4-0)
Louisville (3-0)
Florida (2-1)
Marquette (4-0)
Wisconsin (3-0)
Duke (3-0)
Alabama (5-0) [3:P.RICO]
Mississippi State (4-1) [2v2:2KS/CVC]
Notre Dame (4-0)
Memphis (1-0)
Missouri (3-0)
Xavier (3-0)
Gonzaga (3-0)
Villanova (3-0)
Michigan (2-0)
California (3-0)
Cleveland State (2-0)
Oregon State (3-0)
Vanderbilt (3-1)
Florida State (4-0)
Kansas (1-1)

Honorable Mention:: Long Beach State (2-1), Kent State (2-0), {Presbyterian} (2-2), Northwestern(4-0) [3:CHARLESTON], ~~Norfolk State~~ (2-1).

11 Nov14 - Meet The New Boss*

2011-11-15T00:46:00.003-05:00

Volume XVI, No. 2 - 11 Nov 14 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Meet The New Boss*

The first week of the season doesn't really offer a lot to analyze, so it's always a stretch to try to read much into the few results that there are. With the mismatch routs, the best thing to see is the emergence of new stars (either improved players from last year or newcomers altogether); with the few hefty meetings, the thing to look for is whether a team has shored up its weaknesses from last year (or whether it's the same old story.)
With North Carolina, the New Boss is the same as the Old Boss. With the same starting lineup from last year, the Tar Heels struggled to pull away from a completely rebuilt Michigan State team, 67-55, at the CARRIER CLASSIC on the deck of the U.S.S. Carl Vinson. The lane is still too crowded with trees cTyler Zeller and cJohn Henson and (all-shoot/no-pass) fHarrison Barnes; pKendall Marshall is still all-pass/no-shot; and gDexter Strickland is still not enough of anything to be of much use. The same lineup as last year isn't what makes them the #1 team for this year; it's the promise of fixing those flaws with new blood. It's way early, but fJames Michael McAdoo seems more forward than 'tweener, so the savior is going to have to be gP.J. Hairston. The good news is that Roy Williams proved last year that he wasn't afraid to make a bold adjustment in favor of a freshman in order to improve the team. It worked last year when he inserted pMarshall into the lineup (and gLarry Drew II quit the team and transferred); and it may take the same boldness again this year to insert gHairston over gStrickland. Until that happens (and there's enough outside shooting and ball movement to unclog the lane), the full potential of this team won't be realized.

Belmont nearly ruined the party for Duke and Mike Krzyzewski (and CITE>ESPN), falling just short of a huge upset, 76-@77, at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The follow-up (@96-55) rout of (still reclassifying) {Presbyterian} was the 902nd career win for Coach K, tying Bob Knight for the all-time record. (Tuesday's CHAMPIONS CLASSIC matchup with the aforementioned MichSt Spartans [as part of the TIP-OFF MARATHON] is still on track to be the record-breaking game.) For the long term, the Blue Devils will have their hands full keeping up with the Tar Heels behind just the young backcourt of gSeth Curry and GC gAustin Rivers (16p each vs the BU Bruins) and all those fM.Plumlees up front.

Renovations to Pauley Pavilion have UCLA playing all of its home games this year either at the L.A. Sports Arena or the Honda Center in Anaheim. So far so bad. Despite a frontcourt most would envy (fReeves Nelson and twin transfers [ex-UNC] fDavid Wear and fTravis Wear), the UCLA Bruins were humbled "at home" by Loyola Marymount, @58-69. (And the LMU Lions are no world-beaters, mind you -- they lost next time out at home to Middle Tennessee, @51-58.)
Vanderbilt looked pretty good holding off a solid Oregon team [last year's CBI champ], @78-64, behind its dynamic duo, gJohn Jenkins(24p) and xJeffery Taylor(21p11r4a). But then, Cleveland State came to Nashville and led wire-to-wire on the road, handling the Commodores, 71-@58. The Vikings are a prime example of the "Year After" Rule, having lost only 40p20r-man xNorris Cole from last year's conference tri-champ. But it's really even more than that, though, because they've welcomed back former star bD'Aundray Brown(18p8r), who missed last year with a medical redshirt. (Coupled with Butler's 77-@80(OT) stumble at state-rival Evansville, a shift of power in the Horizon may be well on the way this season.)

CSU's win over Vandy was technically just a "WarmUp" game in the LEGENDS CLASSIC. The pre-set semifinals still slate Vanderbilt vs N.C. State on Saturday in East Rutherford (opposite Texas-Oregon State) while Cleveland State is relegated to the pre-set consolation round-robin Friday week at Rhode Island (along with Hofstra and Boston University).
And it's the same for Akron, which won at Mississippi State, 68-@58, in the "WarmUp" round of COACHES VS CANCER. MissSt still gets to face Texas A&M on Thursday in New York (opposite St. John's and Arizona) while the UofA Zips go to Valparaiso (along with Duquesne).
(The "Rich Stay Rich" while the "Poor Stay Poor" with this kind of guaranteed strength-of-schedule arrangement [and guaranteed RPI advantage come tournament selection time] that makes you want to ... Occupy something!)

Pittsburgh has found a new star in 5-11 pTravis Woodall -- (25p10a6r and 17p10a7r in two games, @89-56 over Albany and @86-78 over Rider). Likewise, pMark Lyons(22p6a7r stepped it up for Xavier (@74-63 over Morgan State) while pTu Holloway sits out an NCAA suspension. Transfer (ex-Rutgers) gMike Rosario(19p) is already fitting in nicely at Florida (@99-59 over Jackson State). pEric Atkins(27p6a) starred for Notre Dame (@80-67 over Mississippi Valley State) in the absence of tTim Abromaitis (NCAA suspension). bDominic Cheek(27p6r) and cMouphtaou Yarou(24p10r) were both much improved in Villanova's @106-70 win over Monmouth.

It's one of the busiest weeks of the season with many Thanksgiving tournaments getting into the thick of things -- (not to mention ESPN's 24-hour TIP-OFF MARATHON [overnight Monday and all day Tuesday]).
Ohio State and Florida meet once again in the GS-A SHOOTOUT feature game on Tuesday (but both teams start the year less intimading than last year). The new CHAMPIONS CLASSIC (Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, Michigan State) will feature the same four teams in a double-header format for the next 3 years (New York City this year, Chicago next year, Atlanta the year after) -- Tuesday's edition features the expected coronation of coach Mike Krzyzewski as the new all-time leader in career wins. Louisville's visit to Butler (Saturday) has lost some of its luster (but, then again, last year's UofL rout of BU wasn't much of a predictor of their postseason fortunes.) The PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF semis and finals on Friday and Sunday (hopefully Temple-Purdue, and then -Alabama) should be top notch. The COACHES VS CANCER semis and finals on Thursday and Friday aren't bad (Texas A&M-Mississippi State, @St. John's-Arizona). CHARLESTON's semis and finals, also Friday and Sunday, don't hold as much hype (at best VCU-Georgia Tech vs LSU/Tulsa). Belmont gets another shot at an upset, visiting Memphis (Tuesday) in another MAUI WarmUp. Marquette doesn't figure to have any trouble in PARADISE (against Mississippi, Virginia, Drexel) from Friday through Monday week.

The rest of the schedule is either early round WarmUp or round-robin mismatches (LAS VEGAS-THANKSGIVING INVITATIONAL [North Carolina, UNLV], HALL OF FAME [Kentucky], NIT TIP-OFF [Syracuse], PHILLY [Pittsburgh], GS-B INVITATIONAL [Louisville], CHICAGO [Wisconsin], MAUI [Duke, Michigan, Memphis, UCLA], CBE [Notre Dame, Missouri, California], LEGENDS [Vanderbilt, Texas], SOUTHWEST [Arkansas], HOOSIER [Butler, Indiana], SPARTAN [Michigan State], SOUTHWEST [Arkansas], CANCUN-THANKSGIVING [Illinois], GS-D CLASSIC [Cincinnati, Marshall], GS-E/DALE HOWARD [Iowa, Creighton] and SOUTH PADRE [Providence, Northern Iowa]
or consolation round makework games MAUI (Belmont, at Middle Tennessee) and COACHES VS CANCER (Duequesne, at Valparaiso).

Lots to pick from. Choose your viewing time wisely.

-- Ron

Key games this week:
Monday:: @Temple-@Penn(PhiladelphiaPA)(BIG5)(/PALESTRA/), (TUE_12Aet):@Gonzaga-WashingtonSt(WA)(TIPOFF_MARATHON), @Alabama-~~Oakland~~, @FloridaSt-CFlorida(FL), @UNLV-~~Nevada~~(NV), (TUE_2Aet):@StMarys-NoIowa(TIPOFF_MARATHON), (TUE_4Aet):@Hawaii-CalStNorthridge(TIPOFF_MARATHON), @LoyolaMD-CoppinSt(BaltimoreMD),
WV CLASSIC RndRob3/3 @ SeattleWA
-(@Washington-Portland, ~~GeorgiaSt~~-~~FLAtlantic~~),
Monday-Wednesday; Saturday-Sunday; Wednesday week:: HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF 2x4 on-campus, @ Uncasville CT
-(A: @Kentucky, @PennSt, Radford, ~~LongIsland~~;
B: @SFlorida, @OldDominion, Marist, Vermont),
Monday-Tuesday; Friday-Monday week:: PARADISE JAM WarmUp on-campus; 1st,2nd/Qtrs @ StThomasVI
-(Marquette-Winthrop, Mississippi-Drake, Virginia-TCU, Drexel-Norfolk),
Monday-Wednesday; Saturday,Monday week; Friday-Sunday week:: LEGENDS CLASSIC WarmUp on-campus, 3rd/Semis @ EastRutherfordNJ; 2nd/Cons @ KingstonRI @LewisburgPA
-(A: @Texas, @OregonSt;
  B: @Vanderbilt, @NCState;
  A Cons: ClevelandSt, @RhodeIsland, Hofstra, BostonU;
  B Cons: MoreheadSt, ~~Princeton~~, @~~Bucknell~~, {WAlabama}),
Monday-Thursday; Monday-Tuesday week; Monday-Wednesday week:: CBE CLASSIC WarmUp on-campus, 3rd/Semis @ KansasCityMO; 2nd/Cons @BowlingGreenOH @MaconGA
-(A: @NotreDame, @Missouri;
  B: @California, @~~Georgia~~;
  A Cons: GeoWashington, Detroit, ~~AustinPeay~~, @BowlingGreen;
  B Cons: Niagara, SDState, @Mercer, SamHoustonSt),
Monday-Tuesday; Saturday-Sunday; Monday-Wednesday week:: MAUI INVITATIONAL WarmUp on-campus; 2nd/Cons @ MurfreesboroTN; 2nd/Qtrs @ LahainaHI
-(Duke-Tennessee, Michigan-Memphis, Kansas-Georgetown, UCLA-@{{Chaminade}};
Cons: Belmont-Towson, @MidTennessee-UNCGreesboro),
Monday-Sunday; Tuesday-Wednesday week:: CANCUN-THANKSGIVING CHALLENGE 2x4 on-campus, @ Cancun MEXICO
-(A: @Illinois, @Richmond, Lipscomb, {SIUEdwardsville};
B: @Rutgers, @IllinoisSt, ~~Hampton~~, SacredHeart),
Monday-Wednesday; Monday-Tuesday week, Wednesday,Friday week:: NIT SEASON TIP-OFF 16s @SyracuseNY @StillwaterOK @StanfordCA @BlacksburgVA, Semis @ NewYorkNY/MSG/, Cons TBD:
-(@SyracuseNY: @Syracuse-Manhattan(NY), Brown-@Albany;
  @StillwaterOK: @OklahomaSt-ARPineBluff(TIPOFF_MARATHON),   @OralRoberts-~~TXSanAntonio~~;
  @BlacksburgVA: @VirginiaTech-Monmouth, @GeoMason-FLInternational;
  @StanfordCA: @~~Stanford~~-FresnoSt(CA), ColoradoSt-SMU),
Monday-Friday week:: GS-E/DALE HOWARD CLASSIC RndRob on-campus, @ DesMoineIA
-(Iowa, Creighton, Campbell, ChicagoSt, NCA&T),
Monday-Saturday week:: SOUTHWEST CLASSIC RndRob on-campus
-(Arkansas, Houston, ~~Oakland~~, GramblingSt, ~~UTValley~~),
Tuesday:: @Villanova-LaSalle(PhiladelphiaPA)(BIG5),
CHAMPIONS CLASSIC DblHdr @ NewYorkNY/MSG/
-(@Kentucky-Kansas(TIPOFF_MARATHON), Duke-MichiganSt(TIPOFF_MARATHON)),
ESPN TIP-OFF MARATHON
- (12Aet):@Gonzaga-WashingtonSt(WA),
- (2Aet):@StMarys-NoIowa,
- (4Aet):@Hawaii-CalStNorthridge,
- (6Aet):@Rider-Drexel,
- (8Aet):@ColofCharleston-MoreheadSt,
- (10Aet):@WVirginia-~~KentSt~~,
- (12Net):@Memphis-Belmont(MAUI_INVITAITONAL),
- (2Pet):@Baylor-SanDiegoSt,
- (4Pet):@Texas-RhodeIsland(LEGENDS_CLASSIC),
- (6Pet):@VirginiaTech-GeoMason/FLInternational(NIT_TIP.OFF),
- (7Pet):Duke-MichiganSt(CHAMPIONS_CLASSIC@NewYorkNY/MSG/),
- (4/7?Pet):@Syracuse-Brown/@Albany(NY)(NIT_TIP.OFF),
- (8Pet):@OhioSt-Florida(GS.A_SHOOTOUT),
- (8Pet):@OklahomaSt-ARPineBluff(NIT_TIP.OFF),
- (9Pet):@Kentucky-Kansas(CHAMPIONS_CLASSIC@NewYorkNY/MSG/),
- (10Pet):@California-~~AustinPeay~~(CBE_CLASSIC),
- (11Pet):@~~Stanford~~-ColoradoSt/SMU(NIT_TIP.OFF),
Tuesday-Friday week:: GS-A SHOOTOUT RndRob on-campus
-(OhioSt, Florida, WrightSt, NFlorida, JacksonSt),
Tuesday-Friday week:: GS-B INVITATIONAL RndRob on-campus
-(Louisville, TNMartin, OhioU, ArkansasSt, Lamar),
Tuesday-Friday week:: GS-D CLASSIC RndRob on-campus
-(Cincinnati, Marshall, AlabamaSt, JacksonvilleSt, NorthwesternSt),
Tuesday-Sunday week:: HOOSIER INVITATIONAL RndRob on-campus, @ ChattanoogaTN
-(Butler, Indiana, @Chattanooga, GardnerWebb, SavannahSt),
Tuesday-Sunday week:: SPARTAN INVITATIONAL RndRob(4) on-campus
-(MichiganSt, Milwaukee, EaMichigan, ARLittleRock, TexasSo, IUPUI),
Wednesday:: @Pittsburgh-~~LongBeachSt~~,
Thursday:: @MDBaltimoreCo-LoyolaMD(BaltimoreMD),
Thursday-Friday, Friday-Sunday:: COACHES VS CANCER CLASSIC 3rd/Semis @ NewYorkNY/MSG/, Cons @ValparaisoIN LynchburgVA
-(Semis: TexasA&M-MississippiSt, @StJohns-Arizona;
A Cons: Duquesne, @Valparaiso, Akron, {UDistrictOfColumbia}, {INKokomo};
B Cons: William&Mary, EaKentucky, Lehigh, @Liberty),
Thursday-Friday,Sunday:: PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF Qtrs @ SanJuanPR
-(Temple-WeMichigan, Purdue-Iona, Alabama-Maryland, Colorado-WichitaSt),
CHARLESTON CLASSIC Qtrs @ CharlestonSC
-(VCU-SetonHall, LSU-Northwestern, ~~GeorgiaTech~~-StJosephs, Tulsa-WeKentucky),
Thursday-Sunday week; Tue 10 Jan;: PHILLY CLASSIC RndRob on-campus
-(Pittsburgh, LaSalle, Penn, Rider, RobertMorris),
Thursday-Tuesday week; Friday-Saturday week;: SOUTH PADRE ISLAND INVITATIONAL 2x4 on-campus @SouthPadreIslandTX
-(A: Providence, Rice, FloridaA&M, Southern;
B: IowaSt, NoIowa, WeCarolina, NoColorado),
Friday:: @Duke-~~Davidson~~(NC),
Friday-Tuesday week, Friday-Saturday week:: LAS VEGAS-THANKSGIVING INVITATIONAL 2x4 on-campus, @ LasVegasNV/ORLEANS/
-(A: NCarolina, SCarolina, TennesseeSt, ~~MSValleySt~~;
B: @UNLV, USC, MorganSt, CalPolySLO),
CHICAGO INVITATIONAL CHALLENGE 2x4 on-campus, @ HoffmanEstatesIL
-(A: Wisconsin, @Bradley, MOKansasCity, Wofford;
B: BYU, ~~Nevada~~, ~~Longwood~~, PrairieViewA&M),
Friday-Sunday week:: UTPA INVITATIONAL RndRob on-campus, @ EdinburgTX
-(Toledo, @TXPanAmerican, SCUpstate, @TexasSt, {VictoryU}),
Saturday:: Louisville-@Butler(BG), @~~FLAtlantic~~-GeoMason, @~~OralRoberts~~-~~AustinPeay~~.

* - ["-- Same as the Old Boss." -- The Who]

Top 25 - 11 Nov 14 - [] Column

North Carolina (2-0)
Ohio State (1-0)
Kentucky (1-0)
Connecticut (1-0)
Pittsburgh (2-0)
Syracuse (1-0)
Xavier (1-0)
Florida (1-0)
Louisville (2-0)
Wisconsin (1-0)
Duke (1-0)
Notre Dame (1-0)
Michigan
Temple
Purdue (1-0)
Missouri (1-0)
Gonzaga (1-0)
Villanova (1-0)
Memphis
Texas (1-0)
Cleveland State (1-0)
Vanderbilt (1-1)
Marquette (1-0)
Kansas (1-0)
California (2-0)

Honorable Mention:: Loyola Marymount (1-1), Evansville (1-0).

11 Nov 7 - Ten'll Get You Twelve (PRESEASON)

2011-11-07T18:24:00.003-05:00

Volume XVI, No. 1 - 11 Nov 7 : PRESEASON - [] Top 25 Ballot

Ten'll Get You Twelve

Last year's NCAA tournament told the story of the season. The Big East was so dominant that its 9th-place team, Connecticut, rolled to 11-straight wins in March to take the conference tournament and the NCAA crown (behind the stellar individual performance of Player of the Year, gKemba Walker). Great. Spectacularly entertaining. But it also says something about the overall quality of the field. Did I mention that a bubble team from the Colonial, VCU, made a run from the new "First Four" Play-In game all the way to the Final Four? How about the previous year's Cinderella national runner-up repeating its run to the final game in an even more improbable fashion? Then, there was the loaded juggernaut Kentucky, led to the Final Four by GC gBrandon Knight. A veteran superstar, a veteran blue-collar team, a team lucky to even be invited, and a superfrosh. Crazy, but it's a healthy sign that all of those different team personas were able to succeed.

This year, we're back to another two or three teams with The "U"-Word on their minds -- going Undefeated. Start with North Carolina -- all five starters are back, led by fHarrison Barnes, trees cTyler Zeller and cJohn Henson, and pure-passer pKendall Marshall. (What they lacked last year was outside shooting, and they got it -- a "McAdoo" to boot!) Ohio State is back for another run, led by cJared Sullinger, bWilliam Buford and pAaron Craft. Kentucky lost gKnight, but added four new GC players, led by fAnthony Davis. It would be fun to watch all three of these teams try to run the table, but the Tar Heels and the Wildcats meet (December 3rd in Lexington), so only one of those two will even get the chance.
If it weren't such an impossible ending to top, you might think that Connecticut had a chance to be better this year with its very young team now battle tested. The "Year After" Rule is in effect for them, and they can certainly improve on their conference play performance from last year. (More likely, a team like Baylor will be able to make that jump after do-everything bLaceDarius Dunn's departure.)
Duke has a lot riding on its new GC star, gAustin Rivers; (with three brothers on the roster this year, you might as well refer to it as "Plumlee U"). (Last year, pKyrie Irving stepped into a team with veteran stars and thrived; this year, besides gSeth Curry, gRivers will have to make them great all by himself right away. That's a tough ask.)

Having five returning starters can be a double-edged sword. You should be able to hit the ground running to start the season, for sure, but it's sometimes easier to improve when there's new blood pushing for its place in the lineup. Which way will Vanderbilt, Missouri, Memphis and Central Florida (now featuring two "Jordan"s) go?
Or would you rather have no returning starters? Who knows what's in store for Texas, St. John's and Illinois?

The Mid-Majors look to be strong this year (and their lead teams play each other quite a bit). Last year, the Mountain West stepped up to play at a true BCS level with two powerhouse teams whose Sweet 16 finishes were underachievements. Alas, after the best season in school history, everyone at San Diego State has departed; and BYU (with superstar pJimmer Fredette gone) has itself departed from the MWC altogether. BYU is now a member of the West Coast (with Gonzaga, St. Mary's and Santa Clara); it's the WCC's turn to try and rise to a BCS-calibre season. Xavier (led by All-America pTu Holloway) figures to have a strong season for the Atlantic 10. Memphis has everybody back (and more) to lead Conference USA. The Colonial (George Mason [now led by ex-Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt], Old Dominion, not to mention VCU) is solid. The Horizon is in good shape with Butler, Detroit and Cleveland State.
In 1BC land, there are only a couple of teams that seem capable of making a splash at season's end. Belmont (Atlantic Sun), Harvard (Ivy) and Long Beach State (Big West) have veteran teams that have the talent to make some noise.

It's just the first year of a multi-year process -- call it the "Great Conference Migration" -- but the conference landscape is going through a tumultuous change. The main driving force is non-BCS teams' wanting in on an automatic qualifying path to the big football payoffs. (Utah left the Mountain West for the new Pac-12 this year; Pittsburgh and Syracuse are leaving the Big East for the ACC next year.) The other driving force was Texas' power play to forge its own individual TV network deal (in the mold of Notre Dame) and then its demand of more than an equal share of Big 12 revenues. That's sending teams packing from the Big 12 (Colorado to the Pac-12 this year; Missouri and Texas A&M to the SEC next year.)
For now, not too much has changed ... except even more conference names don't match their head count! The Big "12" only has 10 members this season. The Big "10" is up to 12 teams (in a single-division alignment for basketball). [The Atlantic 10 is still setting the standard with 14 members.] For this season also, the SEC has decided to align as a single division (even though the scheduling still reflects the old "East"/"West" divide -- great news for Alabama).

The annual coaching shuffle has some interesting faces in new places. Paul Hewitt was fired from Georgia Tech, but is now in a better position taking over at George Mason; Jim Larranaga (ex-George Mason) has a veteran squad to work with at Miami(Florida); ditto for Frank Haith (ex-Miami[Florida]) in as the new coach of Missouri; Mike Anderson (ex-Missouri) is back at Arkansas (after John Pelphrey was fired); Sydney Johnson (ex-Princeton) has a good team to lead at Fairfield; Geno Ford (ex-Kent State) is now at Bradley (after Jim Les was fired).
&bnsp (Brian Gregory [ex-Dayton] has his work cut out for him at cupboard-bare Georgia Tech; ditto for Cuonzo Martin [ex-Missouri State] who has to clean up the mess Bruce Pearl made at Tennessee; Mark Turgeon [ex-Texas A&M] doesn't have much to work with at Maryland [after Gary Williams retired]; Mark Gottfried [former Alabama] has a total rebuild as well at N.C. State [after Sidney Lowe's disappointing tenure]; Lon Kruger [ex-UNLV] is starting from scratch at Oklahoma [after Jeff Capel III was fired]; Ron Hunter (ex-IUPUI) tries his luck at Georgia State [after Rod Barnes was fired].)
New coach Bryce Drew takes over at Valparaiso (for dad Homer, who retired); Mitch Henderson takes over at Princeton; King Rice now heads Monmouth; Paul Lusk leads Missouri State.

Not much on tap this first week of the season.
North Carolina and Michigan State play Friday on an aircraft carrier (to celebrate Veteran's Day)! More interesting will be Duke hosting Belmont (Friday) and Vanderbilt hosting Oregon (Friday).

(ESPN's 24-hour TIP-OFF MARATHON is still a week away [overnight next Monday and all day next Tuesday]. Lots of headliner teams will be on display throughout the day.)

We're on the road to New Orleans this year, folks.

-- Ron

Key games this week:
Monday:: (7P):@Kentucky-{MorehouseCol}
Monday,Wednesday,Saturday; Thursday week-Sunday week:: COACHES VS CANCER CLASSIC WarmUp on-campus, 3rd/Cons @ ValparaisoIN, LynchburgVA; 3rd/Semis @ New York,NY /MSG/
-(A: @Arizona, @StJohns;
  B: @TexasA&M, @MississippiSt;
  A Cons: Duquesne, @Valparaiso, Akron, {UDistrictOfColumbia}, {INKokomo}, {Hiram};
  B Cons: William&Mary, @Liberty, EaKentucky, Lehigh),
Friday (VETERAN'S DAY):: @Vanderbilt-Oregon,
CARRIER CLASSIC 1Off @ San DiegoCA /U.S.S. CARL VINSON/
-(NCarolina-MichiganSt),
Friday-Monday 21 Nov:: GS-A SHOOTOUT RndRob(4) on-campus
-(@OhioSt, @Florida, WrightSt, NFlorida, JacksonSt),
Friday-Wednesday 23 Nov:: HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF RndRob on-campus, @ UncasvilleCT
-(A: @Kentucky, @PennSt, Radford, ~~LongIsland~~;
B: @SFlorida, @OldDominion, Vermont, Marist),
Friday-Tuesday week; Saturday week-Sunday-week; Monday 21 Nov-Wednesday 23 Nov:: MAUI INVITATIONAL WarmUp1/1,2 on-campus, 3rd/Cons @ MurfreesboroTN, 2nd/Qtrs @ LahainaHI
-(Fri: @Duke-Belmont,
Main: @Duke, @UCLA, @Michigan, @Memphis, @Michigan, @Kansas @Georgetown, @Tennessee, @{{Chaminade}};
Cons: Belmont, Towson, @MidTennessee, UNCGreensboro);
Friday-Monday 28 Nov:: GS-B INVITATIONAL RndRob(5) on-campus
-(Fri: @Louisville, ~~LongBeachSt~~, OhioU, ArkansasSt, TNMartin, Lamar),
CONNECTICUT 6 CLASSIC TrplHdr @ UncasvilleCT
-(@~~Fairfield~~-@Quinnipiac, @Yale-@CConnecticutSt, @Hartford-@SacredHeart),
Saturday:: @NotreDame-~~MSValleySt~~,
Saturday-Monday:: WV CLASSIC RndRob(3) @ SeattleWA
-(@Washington, Portland, ~~GeorgiaSt~~, ~~FLAtlantic~~),
Sunday:: NCarolina-@~~UNCAsheville~~(NC),
Sunday-Monday 21 Nov:: LEGENDS CLASSIC WarmUp1/2 on-campus, Cons @KingstonRI, @LewisburgPA, Semis @EastRutherfordNJ
-(A: @Vanderbilt, @NCState;
  B: @Texas, @OregonSt;
  A Cons: @~~Bucknell~~, ~~Princeton~~, MoreheadSt;
  B Cons: @RhodeIsland, Hofstra, {WAlabama}),
Sunday-Sunday 27 Nov:: PHILLY CLASSIC RndRob(4) on-campus
-(@Pittsburgh, LaSalle, Penn, Rider, RobertMorris),
Sunday-Wednesday 23 Nov:: CBE CLASSIC WarmUp1/2 on-campus, Cons @BowlingGreenOH, @MaconGa, Semis @KansasCityMO
-(A: @NotreDame, @Missouri;
  B: @California, @~~Georgia~~;
  A Cons: Niagara, SDState, @Mercer, SamHoustonSt;
  B Cons: GeoWashington, Detroit, ~~AustinPeay~~, @BowlingGreen),

Top 25 - 11 Nov 7 : PRESEASON - [] Column

North Carolina
Ohio State
Kentucky
Connecticut
Duke
UCLA
Vanderbilt
Syracuse
Pittsburgh
Xavier
Butler
Louisville
Wisconsin
Florida
Michigan
Temple
Purdue
Notre Dame
Gonzaga
Missouri
Arizona
Memphis
Texas
George Mason
Belmont

Worth keeping an eye on:: Washington, California, Texas A&M, Baylor, St John's, Oregon, Miami(Florida), Indiana State, Central Florida, Alabama, Harvard, ~~Fairfield~~, ~~Long Beach State~~, ~~UNC-Asheville~~.

11 Apr 5 - The Black Lion (POSTSEASON)

2011-04-05T20:44:00.003-05:00

Volume XV, No. 22 - 11 Apr 5: POSTSEASON

The Black Lion

Well, a terrible year for College Basketball got the championship game it deserved, I guess. What a lousy spectacle to watch. [SE8]Butler set an all-time record for bad shooting in a final: 12-for-64 from the floor. Some of it was good D by [W3]Connecticut, some of it was built-in difficulty judging jump shots in a cavernous dome; but a lot of it was just plain ineptitude when you can't make a point-blank layup. 53-41 UConn? Yikes. ("My name is Leonard Pince Garnell and welcome to Bad Basketball.")
Give Connecticut (and coach Jim Calhoun) credit for raising its own lousy play in the second half enough to take control of the game. With a pair of players as versatile as Final Four Most Outstanding Player tKemba Walker(16p9r) and fJeremy Lamb(12p7r) (whose second-half spurt keyed the win), the Huskies had lots of options of how to give those two scoring opportunities. The high screen and drives through the lane were well shut down by the Bulldogs, so they switched to running the baseline and scoring on the wings against BU's man-to-man and zone. That was well conceived and executed.

The quality of play aside, what Connecticut and Butler achieved this year are both noteworthy more than a normal year. bKemba Walker's final month of play -- winning five games in five days to win the Big East tournament followed up by a run to the NCAA title -- is as good as any "One-Man Team" runs anyone has had: Larry Bird, Danny Manning -- it's easily as impressive as that considering how young and untested his supporting cast was. And Butler's back-to-back runs to the national final by a Mid-Major team only trail the championship runs of Cincinnati(MVC) '61-63 and San Francisco(CBA) '55-56.

What a special treat the ride has been this past month watching Kemba and The Kids keep finding ways to win. How many ways did we see gWalker make game-winning plays? Clutch three-pointers, drives to the basket for three-point plays, that Jordanesque step-back jumper to bury Pittsburgh in the Big East tournament, cutting backdoor for layups as the #2 guard, running the baseline coming off low picks for jumpers on the wing, clutch steals, clutch blocked shots, all-out hustle diving to save balls from going out of bounds -- what a month-long highlight reel. He's not the greatest of all time, but no one has ever had that kind of a showcase of his skills: 11 games in the month of March with the national spotlight on him and he came up with something special and beautiful in every one of them.
I haven't been much of a Jim Calhoun fan at all over the years -- an abrasive personality, hints of minor violations, teams that relied on brute force as much as talent and finesse -- but here, with this young team that wasn't especially physical or talented (with one major exception), his coaching intellect was really on fine display moreso than ever before. The halftime adjustments he made to turn games around, great set plays after timeouts -- pulling off this ride to the national championship with a team completely different than any other he's ever had. My respect for his coaching ability has jumped immensely in just this past month. He's now the oldest coach (68) to ever win the national championship and joins the elite company of coaches with 3 titles: John Wooden(10), Mike Krzyzewski(4), Adolph Rupp(3), Bob Knight(3), Jim Calhoun(3). Hats off.

In the semifinals, neither [E4]Kentucky (4/12) nor Connecticut (1/12) could hit very well from three-point land. tBrandon Knight(17p5a8r;6/23fg) battled through a tough night. The Huskies maintained a narrow lead in the second half and seemed to have things locked away up 54-48 with two minutes to go, but UConn miscues and a late flurry from UK made it a nervous escape for a 56-55 win.
bJamie Skeen(27p6r) did his best to extend [SW11+b]VCU's run from the First Four to the Final Four, but bShelvin Mack(24p6r;5/6 3s) outside and fMatt Howard(17p8r;11/12ft) inside proved too much as Butler battled its way to a 70-62 win.

Overall, for the NCAA tournament, last year's blip became this year's trend as Mid-Major teams again made their mark with a national runner-up and a Final Four team to go along with 3 Sweet 16s and 3 first-round splashes. 1BCs coudn't match last year's Sweet 16 result, but the OVC managed to make a splash for the second straight year. The new First Four format didn't produce compelling bubble games the first two days, but it did provide the ultimate Cinderella story as VCU (which would have been the first team out under last year's 65-team draw) made an unexpected run all the way to the Final Four. The expanded television coverage (from CBS to TBS, TNT and Tru-TV) gave us all the ability to tune into any game we wanted and watch it in its entirety -- what a bonus! -- and it gave us the added commentary/analysis from TNT's Charles Barkley. His perspective as a Hall of Fame NBA player was a valuable edition. (But it was President Barack Obama's bracket who edged him out as the "Top Celebrity/Expert" in this year's Hoops Contest.)

In the NIT, the (m4)Wichita State claimed the title for the MM MVC with a 66-57 win over (s1)Alabama in the final (after blowing out (e2)Washington State 75-44 while 'Bama escaped 62-61 past (w1)Colorado in the semis).
In the CBI, coach Dana Altman had the bittersweet joy of leading his new team, Oregon, to a 2-1 series win over his old team (of 16 years) Creighton. In the final game, a @71-69 win, fE.J. Singler -- (Kyle's younger brother) -- scored the game-winning basket on a late drive to the hoop. Creighton had just committed a controversial over-and-back violation at halfcourt where the player couldn't see the halfcourt line because of Oregon's designer floor (a silhouette of trees that covers the entire length of the court). So a BCS filler squad -- (7-11 in conference) -- prevented the MM MVC from claiming a second postseason crown.
In the CIT, Santa Clara claimed a 76-@69 road win at Iona to hand the Mid-Majors their second postseason crown (and shutting out the 1BCs for the year).

With Ohio State's cJared Sullinger making first team All-America, Kentucky's youth-led squad making Final Four (and even Connecticut starting three freshmen), perhaps we can't completely close the book on the Golden Child Era -- but experienced Mid-Major teams have shown they can still more than compete with green blue chip stars. (And I don't see anybody, not even cSullinger, going one-and-done as a "can't miss" prospect for the next level.) Moreover, the departure of talent from last year was evident this year, especially with so many top-seeded teams going down early in the tournament.

What seemed like a down year on paper for the Big East at the start of the season turned out to be anything but. The conference dominated the preseason with (?an unprecedented?) 7 preseason tournament crowns; it had as many as 10 teams ranked simultaneously in the Top 25 throughout the regular season; it received a record 11 bids into the NCAA tournament and backed that up with 7 teams through to the Round of 32; a couple of knockout games led to just two teams advancing to the Sweet 16; but its conference champion -- the 9th seed from the regular season -- came away with the national title. The only thing the league could have done to make it better was place more teams in the Final Four.
Since the last GCS II (Great Conference Shuffle) prior to the '06 season, this megaconference has only gotten stronger. Next year's Western Conference Shuffle (spurred by football motivations) may eventually counterbalance this trend. (But, for sure, the days of the ACC's claim to be the best basketball conference bar none are fading into a distant memory.)

The drop in talent that was apparent on paper at the start of the season did, in fact, prove itself in the lack of quality play that was seen at the end of the season in the NCAA tournament. The mega-Big East was able to fill much of that void by its sheer depth and associated level of competition. But the official stamp on this season belongs to one player and his majestic display of his many talents throughout the final month of play -- when it mattered most and when the national spotlight was shining the brightest. The Player of the Year -- not even co-Player at this point; (Sorry, Jimmer.) -- and Most Outstanding Player for his national champion Connecticut Huskies is gKemba "The Black Lion" Walker. What a show he put on.

- -

This was a tough season to get through for me, emotionally and logistically. I always feel like I'm playing catch-up, but things were in crisis mode the entire last month of the season (all the way through the final day). Hopefully, I put out something that was worth reading. Thanks, as always, for all the feedback and support.

See y'all next year!

-- Ron

11 Mar 28 - Muscle And Hustle

2011-04-05T20:28:00.003-05:00

Volume XV, No. 21 - 11 Mar 28

Muscle And Hustle

The mantra for the NCAA tournament is normally "Guards Matter". Usually, a good perimeter game trumps a good inside game. Most of the eye-popping uspets come from lower-seeded guard-oriented teams who hit some early threes to gain the lead and then sink their free throws down the stretch to seal the win. For sure, we've got our share of Hustle upsets, but this tournament has been called to allow such physical play in some cases that we also had some Muscle upsets as well.

Things seemed to be going OK in West Regional in Anaheim at the half when [W1]Duke led [W5]Arizona 44-38 with the Wildcats' fDerrick Williams sitting on the bench with foul trouble. But when he returned, he keyed a 55-33 second half domination that let the Blue Devils know they weren't in their cushy Charlotte Pod anymore. xWilliams finished with 32p13r in UofA's 93-77 win. The return of pKyrie Irving(28p) probably threw off Duke's chemistry as ACC Player of the Year bNolan Smith only had 8p5r;3/14fg. The presence of fBrandon Davies wouldn't have made the difference for [SE3]BYU against [SE2]Florida. The physical Gators knocked around pJimmer Fredette -- (bruised his calf, bloodied his chin) -- he finished with 32p5a, but he only shot 11-for-29 (including 3-for-15 on three-pointers). The Cougars had no answer for cAlex Tyus(19p17r) in the lane as UoF prevailed 83-74(OT). [SE8]Butler's hard play hounded [SE4]Wisconsin into 17 straight missed field goals during one stretch as fJon Leuer finished with 3p6r;1/12fg as the Bulldogs advanced 61-54. The Regional Final with [SE2]Florida was rough all around. The Gators' fVernon Macklin(25p5r) had his way in the paint, but Florida's perimeter game was non-existent (3-for-15 on threes). Meanwhile, BU's gShelvin Mack(27p) did what he wanted. The Gators extended to a 10-point lead in the first half and again to an 11-point lead in the second half by pounding it inside, but the Bulldogs fought back. UoF had the last possession in regulation and in overtime, but couldn't hit desperation three-pointers in either case as Butler came through 74-71(OT) in a slugfest to advance to an even-more-improbable-than-last-year second-straight Final Four.

[SW11+b]VCU hustled its way to a 72-71(OT) win over [SW10]Florida State in a competitive (if not pretty) struggle. gBradford Burgess(26p;6/7 3s) scored on a layup on an out-of-bounds play for the game-winner. In the Regional Final, [SW1]Kansas led 6-0 right away scoring point-blank in the post, but that was about all that went right for the Jayhawks. Yes, cMarcus Morris got his (20p16r), but the KU guards were completely outplayed as tJamie Skeen had 26p9r for VCU and Kansas shot 2-for-22 on threes trying to play catchup in VCU's stunning 71-61 victory.

[W2]San Diego State shot itself in the foot with a couple of game-changing technical fouls that keyed runs by superstar gKemba Walker(36p; 14-straight points down the stretch in the second half) as [W3]Connecticut pulled away and then hung on for a 74-67 win. [W5]Arizona's muscle inside saw it jump to a quick 9-1 out of the blocks against UConn, but foul trouble on fDerrick Williams turned the tide to give the Huskies control at the half, 32-25. Another quick Wildcat burst after the break tied things up at 34-34 and, in a game that was tight down the stretch, it was actually freshman gJeremy Lamb(19p) who made the biggest plays to key Connecticut's 65-63 win.

[E4]Kentucky-[E1]Ohio State and [E4]Kentucky-[E2]North Carolina were a couple of elite matchups that the exception rather than the rule for this year's tournament. Against the Buckeyes, it was cJosh Harrelson(17p10r) who counterbalanced cJared Sullinger's 21p16r inside and the two-way play of fDeAndre Liggins(15p6r) who made the biggest difference. For the second time in three games, though; pBrandon Knight stole the show with the game-winning jumper as UK upset OSU @62-60 (in front of a strong Wildcat Nation crowd in Newark, NJ). In the Regional Final against the Tar Heels, the Wildcats were able to keep UNC from pushing the pace and forced them into a halfcourt game. bHarrison Barnes(18p6r) put on a late flurry to tie the game at 67-67 with 3 minutes to go, but pBrandon Knight(22p7r) and then DeAndre Liggins hit big three-pointers to seal UK's @76-69 win.

The four losing teams in the Regional Finals -- Arizona (4/21), Florida (3/15), North Carolina (3/16), Kansas (2/22) -- were a combined 12-for-74 [16%!!!] shooting threes. (Yes, a lot of that is playing catch-up and late desperation, but it still isn't anywhere close to acceptable.) Kentucky's freshman trio was able to make the Final Four when last year's SuperFrosh were not; but that's more a statement on the relative weakness of the competition this year as compared to last year. Butler lost its best player from a year ago and still found a way to make it back to the Final Four. VCU didn't deserve an invitation based on its credentials (and would have been the first team out with last year's 65-team field), but found a way to parlay the negative press into a trip to the Promised Land. Only one of the "One-Man-Gang" teams made it through to Houston, but even that's a measure of the (lack of) quality of this year's competition. Two Mid-Major teams have made the Final Four. Wow.

In the consolation prize tournaments, the story is mixed on depth from below. A MM near-miss team did crash the NIT semis against the BCS also-rans -- that's a good sign. You'd like to see the CBI feature an all-MM final series (but, instead, it's a squatter BCS filler team against an MM opponent). Likewise, you want the CIT final to be all-1BC (but a MM squatter is facing a 1BC opponent):

The NIT completed its second-round and quarterfinal games at campus sites. [s1]Alabama(SEC) advanced to the semis with a @79-64 win over [s2]Miami(Florida). [w1]Colorado(Big 12) stopped [w7]Kent State's run of road upsets with an @81-74 win. [e2]Washington State(Pac-10) won twice at home: @74-64 over [e3]Oklahoma State and then @69-66(OT) over road warrior [e4]Northwestern. Road-tested [m4]Wichita State(Horizon) beat likewise [m6]College of Charleston @82-75. For the semifinals at Madison Square Garden in New York, it's [s1]Alabama vs. [w1]Colorado and [e2]Washington State vs. [m4]Wichita State.

In the CBI, the home team has won all but one first-round game. In the quarters and semis, Oregon(Pac-10) held off Duquesne (@77-75) and then Boise State (@79-71). Creighton(MVC) beat Davidson (@102-92) and then Central Florida (@82-64). For the best-of-3 championship series, Creighton hosts Oregon in the first game on Monday; Oregon hosts the second game on Wednesday, and will also host the rubber-game (if necessary) on Friday.

In the CIT, Santa Clara(WCC) won twice on the road: 95-@91 at conferencemate San Francisco and then 72-@55 at SMU. Meanwhile, Iona(MAAC) handled Buffalo (@78-63) and then came back to win at East Tennessee State (83-@80). Iona hosts Santa Clara (Wednesday) in the final.

My heart says "Kemba", but my head says "Kentucky" . . . (but, then again, the SEC is the only BCS scalp that VCU is missing after running through the Pac-10, Big East, Big 10, ACC and Big 12 so far.)

-- Ron

Key games this week:
NCAA
Saturday: FINAL FOUR @ Houston TN /RELIANT/ [W3]Connecticut v [E4]@Kentucky [SE8]Butler v [SW11+b]VCU
Monday week: NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP @ Houston TN /RELIANT/ [W3]Connecticut/[E4]@Kentucky v [SE8]Butler/[SW11+b]VCU
NIT
Tuesday: Semis @ New York NY /MSG/ (s1)Alabama v (w1)~~Colorado~~ (e2)Washington St v (m4)Wichita St
Thursday: Final @ New York NY /MSG/ (s1)Alabama/(w1)~~Colorado~~ v (e2)WashingtonSt/(m4)WichitaSt
CBI (COLLEGE BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL) Finals (Best of 3) on-campus
Monday: @ (s)Creighton v (w)Oregon
Wednesday: @ (w)Oregon v (s)Creighton
(Friday, if necessary): (@ (w)Oregon v (s)Creighton)
CIT (COLLEGEINSIDER.COM TOURNAMENT) Final on-campus
Wednesday: @ Iona v Santa Clara

11 Mar21 - The Big Bubble

2011-03-24T17:36:00.003-05:00

Volume XV, No. 20 - 11 Mar 21

The Big Bubble

Was it worth it to expand to 68 teams? (Besides complicating prep and participating in tourney pools), the FIRST FOUR games didn't offer much. [11]VCU-[11]USC was miserable to watch; [12]UAB only proved it didn't belong by getting blown out by [12]Clemson, 52-70. The NCAA Seeding Committee rated those last four teams [11a]USC, [11b]VCU, [12a]UAB, [12b]Clemson (in that order based on which teams wore white as the higher seed). (Personally, I found the two 11/11 and 12/12 "Bubble" games less entertaining than the two traditional 16/16 "Play-In" games ... although, I could do without all of them, frankly.) [11b]VCU certainly made the best of the opportunity it was given by slogging past [11a]USC (59-46), then knocking off slump~~ing~~ed [6]Georgetown (74-56) and stunning highly regarded [3]Purdue (94-76).
The Colonial did itself proud placing one team in the Sweet 16; [8]George Mason made a late run to knock off slump~~ing~~ed [9]Villanova (61-57); and [9]Old Dominion played well, only to lose at the buzzer to [8]Butler (58-60).

The top MM/1BC "upset special" teams (that everybody could see coming) -- [12]Utah State, [13]Belmont, [13]Oakland -- weren't able to break through: [5]Kansas State handled USU 73-68; [4]Wisconsin didn't let BU speed them up, 72-58; [4]Texas held off a late close by OU, 85-81.
Instead, it was Jack Dawson [13]Morehead State who provided the one major "second-round" surprise, stunning [4]Louisville 62-61 on a late three-pointer and a final defensive stand. (It's the second straight year for the 1BC Ohio Valley making a splash -- last year, it was Murray State shocking Vanderbilt.)

[1]Ohio State looked very much like the best team in the tournament, having no problem with [16b]Texas-San Antonio (75-46) and not much more of a worry against [8]George Mason (98-66). (Thank goodness all four sites are nationally broadcast now so we had the option of switching away from that 30-point blowout!) [1]Kansas was solid in two games: 72-53 over [16]Boston University, and 73-59 past [9]Illinois. [2]Florida cruised past [16]UC-Santa Barbara, and held off [7]UCLA 73-65.
[1]Pittsburgh had no problem with [16]UNC-Asheville, but had to stage a second-half comeback only to lose at the end to [8]Butler, 71-70, in a horrendous Comedy Of Errors ending where both teams committed bonehead fouls that gave away control of the game. [1]Duke (@73-71 vs [8]Michigan) and [2]North Carolina (@86-83 vs [7]Washington) can once again thank their cushy [Charlotte],NC Pod placement for helping them avoid "third-round" upsets. (Both NC teams go down on a neutral floor, or even in a Pod that wasn't right in their backyard.)

The depth of the Big East was validated by having 7 teams move through to the Round of 32 (an even higher percentage than 11/68 to at the start) and having its 9th- and 11th-place teams ([3]Connecticut and [11]Marquette) advance to the Sweet 16. But the bubble burst, however, as the quality of the performance of its top teams left a lot to be desired. Pitt had to battle back just to make the Butler game a close loss; same for Louisville against Morehead State; [2]Notre Dame was soundly whipped, 57-71, by [10]Florida State. For [3]Syracuse, it may just be a bad matchup as they fell 62-66 to [11]Marquette (who also beat them in conference play). Overachieving [6]St. John's couldn't handle tournament veteran [11]Gonzaga (71-86); [6]Georgetown couldn't compete with FIRST FOUR VCU; [9]Villanova let the game slip away against George Mason. No shame in [5]West Virginia's 63-71 loss to [4]Kentucky, or [6]Cincinnati's 58-69 loss to conferencemate [3]Connecticut. Depth, yes; greatness, no.

The Player of the Year debate continued on into the tournament as both pJimmer Fredette(34p6a in [3]BYU's 89-67 "third-round" win against [11]Gonzaga) and pKemba Walker(33p5a5r in [3]Connecticut's 69-68 win over [6]Cincinnati) led their teams through to the Sweet 16. They're both putting on a spectacular show. (It's still quite a long way off; but if they both make it to the national final game, it would be this generation's "Bird vs Magic".)

[5]Arizona's 70-69 win over [4]Texas was determined by a questionable referee decision. With the ball and a 2-point lead, the Longhorns were trying to throw the ball in bounds but couldn't; the ref wouldn't grant a timeout (even though his hand signal had only counted "4") and he whistled a turnover on a 5-second violation. Arizona got the ball, and fDerrick Williams made a fluke basket and converted the free throw on a traditional three-point play to claim a 1-point win.

As befits their core talent pools, the second rounds of the NIT (BCS: 10, MM: 4, 1BC 2), CBI (BCS: 1, MM: 6, 1BC: 1) and CIT ([BCS]: 1, MM: 5, 1BC: 6) all served their purposes of giving teams who had some semblance of a good season some kind of "postseason" experience.

Maybe Ohio State would be a different team if someone could get cJared Sullinger in foul trouble and then there'd be pressure to make shots on the wing players. Don't see Kentucky or Marquete able to do that -- maybe North Carolina if everything is flowing.
     Kansas has a cakewalk to the Final Four in the Southwest with all of the heavyweights having been upset in that region.
     The return of pKyrie Irving for Duke may be not just a game-changer, but a tournament-changer. Arizona's frontcourt should hurt the Blue Devils inside, but no way can the Wildcat perimeter players handle Duke's guards. San Diego State already has experience facing BYU's one-man-gang, so it won't be quite as much of a shock to deal with UConn and pKemba Walker (but if KW doesn't get in foul trouble, it's goodbye Aztecs).
     Florida is the most solid team in the Southeast (but if BYU could handle Gonzaga's physical team, it might just be able to sneak by the Gators as well). Wisconsin should welcome Butler's style of play and the Badgers' height should be the difference.

It says here: Ohio State, Kansas, Duke, Florida (but I'm fervently hoping for UConn and BYU to break through behind their spectacular stars).

-- Ron

[P.S. In a bizarre twist, the leader at the Sweet 16 break of my Hoops Contest is the bracket of President Barack Obama!]

Key games this week:
NCAA
Thursday, Saturday: NCAA WEST REGIONAL Semis,Finals @ Anaheim CA [W1]Duke v [W5]Arizona [W2]San Diego St v [W3]Connecticut NCAA SOUTHEAST REGIONAL Semis,Finals @ New Orleans LA [SE2]Florida v [SE3]BYU [SE4]Wisconsin v [SE8]Butler
Friday, Sunday: NCAA EAST REGIONAL Semis,Finals @ Newark NJ [E1]Ohio St v [E4]Kentucky (BG) [E2]N Carolina v [E11]Marquette NCAA SOUTHWEST REGIONAL Semis,Finals @ San Antonio TX [SE1]Kansas v [SE12]Richmond [SE10]Florida St v [SE11+b]VCU
Sat 2 Apr, Mon 4 Apr: NCAA FINAL FOUR,NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP @ Indianapolis, IN (1/[EAST]) v (4/[WEST]) (2/[SOUTHWEST]) v (3/[SOUTHEAST])
NIT
Monday: 16s on-campus @ (s1)Alabama v (s4)New Mexico @ (e2)Washington St v (e3)~~Oklahoma St~~ @ (s2)Miami-FL v (s3)Missouri St
Tuesday: Qtrs on-campus @ (w1)~~Colorado~~ v (w7)~~Kent St~~
Wednesday: Qtrs on-campus @(s1)Alabama/(s4)NewMexico v @(s2)MiamiFL/(s3)MissouriSt @ (e2)WashingtonSt/(e3)~~OklahomaSt~~ v (e4)Northwestern @ (m4)Wichita St v (m6)~~Col of Charleston~~
Tuesday week, Thursday week: Semis, Finals @ New York NY /MSG/ ([s]/Alabama) v ([w]/~~Colorado~~) ([e]/Washington St) v ([m]/Wichita St)
CBI
Monday: Qtrs on-campus (w): @ Oregon v Duquesne (s): @ Creighton v ~~Davidson~~ (e): @ ~~C Florida~~ v Rhode Island (m): @ Boise St v Evansville
Wednesday: Semis on-campus (re-seeded)
Monday week, Wednesday week, (if necessary: Friday week): Finals on-campus (Best of 3)
CIT
Monday: Qtrs on-campus @ Northern Iowa v SMU
Tuesday: Qtrs on-campus @ ~~E Tennessee St~~ v ~~Ohio U~~ @ Iona v Buffalo (NY) @ San Francisco v Santa Clara (CA)
Friday: Semis on-campus (re-seeded)
Wednesday week: Final on-campus

11 Mar14 - Frenzy

2011-03-16T01:17:00.003-05:00

Volume XV, No. 19 - 11 Mar 14

Frenzy

Championship Week is always frenetic and this year was no exception. With bids on the line decided by buzzer-beaters (and refs going AWOL at the end of games), it's no wonder we've wound up with a weakened field (in an already weakened season).

Hardly any teams looked good all the way through their conference tournaments.
     Duke [in Greensboro] rolled to the ACC crown past Maryland (@87-71), Virginia Tech (@77-63) and North Carolina (@75-@58) ... and they get two more free passes with a cushy NCAA POD in Charlotte. [Insert Perennial Rant #87 here.] Kentucky, freed from having to play in hostile environments now that the Wildcat Nation can turn every venue into a UK "home game" -- [The SEC tournament crowd was 85% pro-Kentucky by text message vote.] -- handled "M-I-crooked letter-crooked letter-I-crooked letter-crooked letter-I-hump back-hump back-I" (@75-66), overrated Alabama (@72-58) and overseeded Florida (@70-54) to take the SEC crown in Atlanta ... and Tampa will be a "home crowd" as well. [Not the same situation as Duke. Kentucky's "home crowd advantage" is due to the loyalty and willingness to travel by its fan base; for Duke and North Carolina, it's preferential close-to-home Pod placement by the NCAA year after year.] But even those two stand-out performances had help from supportive crowds.
     Pittsburgh lost right away in the Big East (albeit on the last play to Connecticut and the splendid bKemba Walker); Ohio State needed overtime to beat [8]Northwestern (67-61(OT)) in the Big 10; Kansas did handle [2]Texas @85-73 in the Big 12 final, but it had to escape @63-62 over [9]Oklahoma State earlier; Arizona lost the Pac-10 final 75-77(OT) on a buzzer-beater by Washington's pIsaiah Thomas. Yes, San Diego State paid back BYU 72-54 in the Mountain West final, but not before gD.J. Gay's layup saved the day 74-@72 against host [3]UNLV. Utah State squeaked by [8]San Jose State 58-54 in the WAC; George Mason was routed by host [4]VCU 63-@79 in the Colonial; Gonzaga did win the rubber match with St. Mary's (75-63) in the West Coast final (but not before escaping 71-67 against [3]San Francisco).
     Only Butler (an impressive 59-@44 winner over host [1a]Wisconsin(Milwaukee) in the Horizon final), Belmont (handy winners in the dominated Atlantic Sun) and Oakland (even easier winners in the Summit tourney) took on all comers without showing vulnerability.
     Particular no-shows: Purdue, Wisconsin, Kansas State, UCLA, UAB (and Utah Valley) all lost right away in their tournaments.
     So we've got the proverbial "WIDE OPEN TOURNAMENT FIELD" this year moreso than ever.

Star of Stars from last week's play is a no-brainer. bKemba Walker's phenomenal run through the Big East tournament -- 26p6b4a for 5 games in 5 days as Connecticut took the crown -- re-elevated him to Player of the Year status. You can't fault gJimmer Fredette individually for teammates' injury and suspension that have demoted the quality of Brigham Young in the last two weeks -- he still had 52p against New Mexico and 30p against San Diego State. So proclaim them Co-Players Of The Year.

Weird "might have been" endings: Florida State's would-be game-winner over Virginia Tech in the ACC quarterfinal was late by 0.1 second. Georgia's would-be game-winner against Alabama in the SEC quarterfinal was disallowed because the Dogs' coach Mark Fox called for a timeout before the shot was released (and then they lost in OT). (But the losers won and the winners lost: FlaSt and UGa got NCAA bids; VaTech and Bama didn't.) It's time to retire when you miss a blatant travel and :01.7 seconds left on the clock and declare the game over, as the refs did in St. John's 65-63 win over Rutgers in the Big East 16s. (Upon further review, they didn't work the rest of the tournament.)

The Ivy League got the game it deserved after all the hype that had built up surrounding "Harvard-vs-Princeton-at-Yale" -- (you can't imagine how all those in tweed were a-twitter over that scenario) -- as the Tigers' gDouglas Davis sank the game-winner for PU in a 63-62 nail-biter. Rivals Akron and Kent State nearly had a rumble after their Mid-American title game finished 66-65(OT) for the Zips. Boston University sank Stony Brook @56-52 on two free throws by John Holland in the America East final. Solomon Bozeman's three-pointer sank North Texas 64-63 for the Sun Belt's automatic bid.

One way to measure the strength of the field is to count up the Tito champions vs. the bid-stealing spoilers and Jack Dawsons who are attending the Dance under false pretenses. Here we go:

TiTo	Spoiler	Jack Dawson
BIG 10: [1]+2 Ohio State MWC: [1b]+3 San Diego State BIG 12: [1] @Kansas WAC: [1]+5 Utah State A-SUN: [1]+3 Belmont WCC: [1b] Gonzaga HORIZ: [1b] Butler@ SUMMIT: [1]+4 Oakland NEC: @[1]+3 Long Island IVY: [1a]+4 Princeton PAT: @[1]+2 Bucknell SKY: @[1] Northern Colorado SOCON: [1b]+2 Wofford	C-USA: [4]Memphis	OVC: "[1] Murray State" ([2a] Morehead State) MEAC: "[1]+2 Bethune-Cookman" (2-[2a] Hampton) AMER E: "[1] Vermont" ([2]Boston University) MAC: "[1/1E] @Kent State" ([5b] @Akron) BIG W: "[1]+4 @Long Beach State" ([4b]UC-Santa Barbara@) MAAC: "@[1]+2 Fairfield" ([4]St. Peter's@) MVC: "[1] @Missouri State" ([3]Indiana State@) BIG S: "@[1]+3 Coastal Carolina" ([3]UNC-Asheville@) SLAND: "[1]McNeese State" ([5c] @TX-San Antonio) [GREAT W: "@[1]+2 UT Valley" ({North Dakota})] SWAC: "[1]+4 Texas Southern" (Alabama State) SUN B: "[1/1E]+2 Florida Atlantic" ([4bW]@AR-Little Rock)

Duke(ACC/North Carolina), Kentucky(SEC/Florida), Connecticut(Big East/Pittsburgh), Washington(Pac-10/Arizona), Old Dominion(Colonial/George Mason) and Richmond(Atlantic 10/Xavier) didn't steal any bids by winning their conference tournaments instead of the regular season titleholder -- all of those teams were safely in regardless of those results. Only one team, Memphis, could rightfully be called a "bid-stealing spoiler" in that it wouldn't have received a bid had it not won the Conference USA tournament (and the league likely wouldn't have received two bids had regular season champ UAB gone TiTo). But giving that league two bids isn't Memphis' fault -- blame the NCAA Selection Committee because an at-large bid to UAB was a shock to most everyone. All I can chalk that up to is a political pick not wanting to upset 12 Mid-Major schools versus one overlooked one (e.g., St. Mary's, whom I'd have taken instead). 11 out of 21 1BC bids went to Jack Dawson teams (and 7 of those were at the expense of gap regular season champs, mostly disappointingly: Coastal Carolina(Big South) and Fairfield(Metro Atlantic)).

The NCAA picked a bad year to expand the field by three more at-large bids ... and then, the Selection Committee made bizarre, unexplainable choices with the last few "bubble" spots. Can't make an argument for UAB to have gotten a bid and St. Mary's not to have. VCU-yes/Virginia Tech-no and Georgia-yes/Alabama-no probably sting but they're less problematic for me. The nice wins don't outweigh the terrible losses in USC's case in my book; same for Penn State. I'd rather have seen Missouri State or Colorado instead of those two.
As far as seeding, I don't get Florida as a #2 and Texas as a #4; don't get Richmond and Utah State as #12 or Belmont as #13. Those are all way off in my book.

-- Ron

Key games this week:
NCAA
Tuesday: 1stRd/128s FIRST FOUR @ Dayton OH [E12+]Clemson v [E12+]UAB [SE16+]~~UNC-Asheville~~ v [SE16+]~~AR-Little Rock~~
Wednesday: 1stRd/128s FIRST FOUR @ Dayton OH [SW11+]VCU v [SW11+]USC [E16+]~~TX-San Antonio~~ v [E16+]~~Alabama St~~
Thursday, Saturday: 2ndRd/64s POD @ Washington DC [SE1]Pittsburgh v [SE16+]~~UNCAsheville~~/[SE16+]~~ARLittleRock~~ [SE8]Butler v [SE9]Old Dominion [W3]Connecticut v [W14]~~Bucknell~~ [W6]Cincinnati v [W11]Missouri 2ndRd/64s POD @ Tucson AZ [W2]San Diego St v [W15]~~No Colorado~~ [W7]Temple v [W10]Penn St (PA) [SE4]Wisconsin v [SE13]Belmont [SE5]Kansas St v [SE12]Utah St 2ndRd/64s POD @ Tampa FL [SE2]Florida v [SE15]~~UC-Santa Barbara~~ [SE7]UCLA v [SE10]~~Wofford~~ [E4]@Kentucky v [E13]Princeton [E5]W Virginia v [E12+]Clemson/[E12+]UAB 2ndRd/64s POD @ Denver CO [SE3]BYU v [SE14]~~Wofford~~ [SE6]St John's v [SE11]Gonzaga [SW4]Louisville v [SW13]~~Morehead St~~ [SW5]Vanderbilt v [SW12]Richmond
Friday, Sunday: 1stRd/64s POD @ Cleveland OH [E1]@Ohio St v [E16+]~~TXSanAntonio~~/[E16+]~~AlabamaSt~~ [E8]Geo Mason v [E9]Villanova [E3]Syracuse v [E14]~~Indiana St~~ [E6]@Xavier v [11]Marquette 1stRd/64s POD @ Tulsa OK [SW1]Kansas v [SW16]~~Boston U~~ [SW8]UNLV v [SW9]Illinois [W4]Texas v [W13]Oakland [W5]Arizona v [W12]Memphis 1stRd/64s POD @ Charlotte NC [W1]@Duke v [W16]~~Hampton~~ [W8]Michigan v [W9]Tennessee [E2]@N Carolina v [E15]~~Long Island~~ [E7]Temple v [E10]Penn St (PA) 1stRd/64s POD @ Chicago IL [SW2]Notre Dame v [SW15]~~Akron~~ (BG) [SW7]Texas A&M v [SW10]Florida St [SW3]Purdue v [SW14]~~St Peter's~~ [SW6]Georgetown v [SW11+]VCU/[SW11+]USC
NIT
Tuesday: 1stRd/32s on-campus @ (s1)Alabama v (s8)~~Co Carolina~~ (e1)Boston Col @ (e8)~~McNeese St~~ @ (w2)St Mary's v (w7)~~Kent St~~ @ (m2)Cleveland St v (m7)~~Vermont~~ @ (s3)Missouri St v (s6)~~Murray St~~ @ (w3)Colorado St v (w6)~~Fairfield~~ @ (e3)~~Oklahoma St~~ v (e6)~~Harvard~~ (m3)~~Dayton~~ @ (m6)~~Col of Charleston~~ @ (s4)New Mexico v (s5)UTEP
Wednesday: 1stRd/32s on-campus @ (m1)Virginia Tech v (m8)~~Bethune-Cookman~~ @ (w1)~~Colorado~~ v ~~Texas So~~ @ (e2)Washington St v (e7)~~Long Beach St~~ @ (s2)Miami-FL v (s7)~~FL Atlantic~~ (FL) @ (m4)Wichita St v (m5)Nebraska @ (w4)~~California~~ v (w5)Mississippi @ (e4)Northwestern v (e5)WI-Milwaukee
Friday-Monday week: 16s on-campus @(m1)VirginiaTech/(m8)~~BethuneCookman~~ v @(m4)WichitaSt/(m5)Nebraska @(m2)ClevelandSt/(m7)~~Vermont~~ v (m3)~~Dayton~~/@(m6)~~ColofCharleston~~ @{s1)Alabama/(s8)~~CoCarolina~~ v @(s4)NewMexico/(s5)UTEP @(s2)MiamiFL/(s7)~~FLAtlantic~~ v @(s3)MissouriSt/(s6)~~MurraySt~~ @(w1)~~Colorado~~/~~TexasSo~~ v @(w4)~~California~~/(w5)Mississippi @(w2)StMarys/(w7)~~KentSt~~ v @(w3)ColoradoSt/(w6)~~Fairfield~~ (e1)BostonCol/@(e8)~~McNeeseSt~~ v @(e4)Northwestern/(e5)WIMilwaukee @(e2)WashingtonSt/(e7)~~LongBeachSt~~ v @(e3)~~OklahomaSt~~/(e6)~~Harvard~~
Tuesday-Wednesday week: Qtrs on-campus
Tue 29 Mar, Thu 31 Mar Semis,Final @ New York NY /MSG/ (m/Virginia Tech) v (e/Boston Col) (s/Alabama) v (w/~~olorado~~)
CBI
Tuesday: 1stRd/16s on-campus (sA): @ ~~Davidson~~ v James Madison (sB): @ Creighton v San Jose St (mA): @ Boise St v ~~Austin Peay~~ (mB): @ Evansville v Hofstra
Wednesday: 1stRd/16s on-campus (wA): @ ~~Montana~~ v Duquesne (wB): @ Oregon v Weber St (eA): @ ~~C Florida~~ v St Bonaventure (eB): @ Rhode Island v Miami-OH
Monday week: Qtrs on-campus (by region) (s): @~~Davidson~~/JamesMadison v @Creighton/SanJoseSt (w): @~~Montana~~/Duquesne v @Oregon/WeberSt (e): @~~CFlorida~~/StBonaventure v @RhodeIsland/MiamiOH (m): @BoiseSt/~~AustinPeay~~ v @Evansville/Hofstra
Wednesday week: Semis on-campus (re-seeded)
Mon 28 Mar, Wed 30 Mar, (if necessary: Fri 1 Apr): Finals on-campus (Best of 3)
CIT
Monday: 1stRd/32s on-campus @ ~~Quinnipiac~~ v Buffalo
Tuesday: 1stRd/32s on-campus @ ~~E Tennessee St~~ v Furman @ Air Force v ~~{N Dakota}~~ @ Santa Clara v No Arizona @ Hawaii v Portland @ No Iowa v Rider @ E Carolina v Jacksonville @ Marshall v Ohio U
Wednesday: 1stRd/32s on-campus @ Valparaiso v Iona @ SMU v ~~Oral Roberts~~ @ San Francisco v Idaho @ We Michigan v Tennessee Tech
Friday-Saturday: 2ndRd/16s on-campus
Monday-Tuesday week: Qtrs on-campus [re-seeded] (4 first-round winners will receive a bye directly into the quarters.)
Friday week: Semis on-campus [re-seeded]
Wed 30 Mar Final on-campus

11 Mar 7 - Jack Dawsons (PRETOURNAMENT)

2011-03-09T14:59:00.004-05:00

Volume XV, No. 18 - 11 Mar 7: PRETOURNAMENT - [] FINAL TOP 25 BALLOT

Jack Dawsons

No sooner did Brigham Young hit heights never before achieved in the program's history than the air was let out of its balloon. fBrandon Davies was dismissed from the team and his absence was immediately felt in a @64-82 home blowout loss to a New Mexico squad that had been slipping further and further from relevance. The Cougars regrouped and routed Wyoming @102-78, but their darkhorse shot at making a run to the Final Four has definitely taken a blow.
Not only did Duke fall out of contention for a No. 1 seed with last week's loss at Virginia Tech, but this week they lost at North Carolina, 67-@81, in a rivalry game that also had the ACC regular season title on the line. Give Roy Williams full credit for making the bold move mid-January to insert freshman pKendall Marshall as a starter -- they've only lost once since then (the giveback loss at Duke where they controlled the first half); they've gone from NIT-bound to Sweet 16+. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils have degraded into bNolan Smith scoring on his own, gSeth Curry shooting jumpers and tKyle Singler struggling with his shot.
Texas fell at home, @70-75, to suddenly surging Kansas State. It wound up costing them the BIG 12 title as Kansas handled Texas A&M, @64-51, and Missouri, 70-@66, at the Jayhawks earned their SEVENTH STRAIGHT REGULAR SEASON TITLE.

Along with Kansas State, Gonzaga and Butler, Florida has regrouped the last few weeks to look like the powerhouse they were expected to be before the season started. The Gators blitzed second-place Alabama, @78-51, and then won at Vanderbilt, 86-@76, to take the SEC regular season title.

COLONIAL regular season gap champ [1]George Mason was blitzed, 63-@79, by [4]VCU (playing in front of a home crowd, and reversing a @51-71 regular season home rout loss); but this multi-bid league has several splashworthy contenders so it's no harm done in the big picture.
Harvard's @79-67 win over Princeton earned the Crimson at least a share of the IVY LEAGUE title; the Tigers can still earn their share with a road win at Penn on Tuesday night (and force a one-game playoff [Saturday 4PM at Yale] for the automatic NCAA bid).

In the movie Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio's character wins his ticket in a card game and makes his passage under the name of the original ticketholder, "Jack Dawson". As usual this year, we've got our fair share of Jack Dawsons who've won their tickets and will go to the NCAAs under the guise of the "proper" owners who "should have" represented their leagues.
     [1]Missouri State won the regular season MISSOURI VALLEY title in its last game, a win over second-place Wichita State; but the Bears fell in the MVC tournament final, @56-60. Meet "Missouri State" (aka [3]Indiana State), who will represent the league in the NCAAs (while the real MoSt could very well miss the Dance).
     METRO ATLANTIC regular season gap champ [1]Fairfield was blown out at home in the semis, @48-62, by [3]St. Peter's; meet "Fairfield" (aka the SPU Peacocks).
     Instead of regular season 3-game gap champ, [1]Coastal Carolina, the BIG SOUTH champ is [3]North Carolina-Asheville, who knocked off the top seeds in their own gym, 60-@47, in the conference tournament final.
     In AMERICA EAST, regular season champ [1]Vermont was blitzed 47-69 in the semis by [5]Stony Brook; meet "Vermont".
     SUN BELT regular season gap champ [1/1E]Florida Atlantic never got going, losing 64-78 right away in the conference tournament to [4aW]North Texas. Meet "Florida Atlantic".

The final standings for the BCS and MM conferences give an idea of which teams are locks for at-large NCAA bids:

BIG EAST(9) - Pittsburgh + (lock: Notre Dame, Louisville, Syracuse, St. John's, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Connecticut, Villanova; not: Marquette)
BIG 12(4) - Kansas + (lock: Texas, Texas A&M, Kansas State, Missouri; not: Colorado)
MWC(2) - BYU + (lock: San Diego State, UNLV; not: Colorado State, New Mexico)
BIG 10(2) - Ohio State + (lock: Purdue, Wisconsin; not: Illinois, Michigan State, Michigan, Penn State)
ACC(2) - North Carolina + (lock: Duke, Florida State; not: Virginia Tech, Clemson, Boston College)
SEC(2) - Florida + (lock: Kentucky, Vanderbilt; not: Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia)
PAC-10(2) - Arizona + (lock: UCLA, Washington; not: USC, California, Washington State)
A-10(2) - Xavier + (lock: Temple, Richmond; not: Duquesne)
COLONIAL(1/2) - Old Dominion/VCU + (lock: George Mason, Old Dominion; not: VCU, Hofstra, Drexel, James Madison)
WCC(1) - Gonzaga/St. Mary's - (lock: St. Mary's/Gonzaga)
HORIZON(0) - Butler/Wisconsin(Milwaukee) + (not: Wisconsin(Milwaukee)/Butler, Cleveland State, Valparaiso)
MVC(0) - Indiana State + (not: Missouri State, Wichita State)
C-USA(0) - UAB + (not: UTEP, Southern Mississippi, Tulsa, Memphis, Marshall)
WAC(0) - Utah State + (not: Boise State)

That's 27 lock bids, which leaves a whopping 10 soft bids. Only Utah State is a true Anti-Spoiler; (maybe Butler if they lose to Wisconsin(Milwaukee)). Marquette, Colorado State, Illinois, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Alabama, VCU, Cleveland State, Missouri State and UTEP are the ones I'd take.

There's plenty to prove in the BCS conference tournaments. The BIG EAST is its own show again this year -- who cares if it wears out teams for the NCAAs? Kansas' BIG 12 title won't quite be legit without a win over Texas. Don't expect anyone to challenge Ohio State in the BIG 10 on a neutral floor. Has BYU's margin over San Diego State shrunk to nothing in the MOUNTAIN WEST? Can Duke respond to the new North Carolina's stunning roll in the ACC? How strong will young Kentucky be in the SEC (and beyond) with no more road crowds to face? Can Washington rebound in the PAC-10? Will anybody step up in CONFERENCE USA?

-- Ron

P.S. Look for the official Hoops Contest invite Sunday overnight!!!

Key games this week:

Monday:

COLONIAL TOURNAMENT Final @ Richmond VA /VCU/
- ([2a]@OldDominion-@[4]VCU(VA)),
WCC TOURNAMENT Final @ Las Vegas NV /ORLEANS/
- ([1a]StMarys-[1b]Gonzaga),
SOCON TOURNAMENT Final @ Chattanooga TN /Chattanooga/
- ([1a/1aS]~~ColofCharleston~~-[1b/1bS]~~Wofford~~),
MAAC TOURNAMENT Final @ Bridgeport CT /Fairfield/
- ([2a]Iona-[4]StPeters),

Monday-Tuesday:

SUN BELT TOURNAMENT Semis,Final @ Hot Springs AR
- ([2E]MidTennessee-[4bW]@ARLittleRock, [3E]~~WeKentucky~~-[2aW]~~NTexas~~),
SUMMIT TOURNAMENT Semis,Final @ Sioux Falls SD
- ([1]~~Oakland~~-[5]@SDState, [2]~~OralRoberts~~-[3]IUPUI),

Tuesday:

@Penn-~~Princeton~~,
HORIZON TOURNAMENT Final on-campus
- (@[1a]WIMilwaukee-[1b]Butler),

Tuesday-Wednesday:

BIG SKY TOURNAMENT Semis,Final @ #1-seed[No Colorado/Greeley CO]
- (@[1]~~NoColorado~~-[4]NoArizona, [2]~~Montana~~-[3]WeberSt),

Tuesday-Saturday:

BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York NY /MSG/
- (Tue 1st/32s: [9a]Connecticut-[16]DePaul, [9b]Villanova-[15]SFlorida, [9c]Marquette-[14]Providence, [12]SetonHall-[13]Rutgers;
Wed 2nd/16s: @[3c]StJohns-([12]Rutgers), [6a]WVirginia-([9c]Marquette), [6b]Cincinnati-([9b]Villanova), [8]Georgetown-([9a]Connecticut);
Thu 3rd/Qtrs: [1]Pittsburgh-([8]Georgetown), [2]NotreDame-([6b]Cincinnati), [3a]Louisville-([6a]WVirginia), [3b]@Syracuse-(@[3c]StJohns)),
MEAC TOURNAMENT @ Winston-Salem NC
- ([1]~~BethuneCookman~~),

Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday:

MAC TOURNAMENT on-campus, @ Cleveland OH
- ([1/E1]@~~KentSt~~),

Tuesday, Friday-Sunday:

A-10 TOURNAMENT on-campus, @ Atlantic City NJ
- (Tue on-campus 1st/16s: @[4b]GeoWashington-[12]StJosephs, @[6]RhodeIsland-[10b]StLouis, @[7]StBonaventure-[10a]LaSalle, @[8a]~~Massachusetts~~-[8b]~~Dayton~~;
Fri @AtlCtyNJ 2nd/Qtrs: [1]Xavier-([8a]~~Massachusetts~~), [2]Temple-([7]StBonaventure), [3]Richmond-([6]RhodeIsland), [4a]Duquesne-([4b]GeoWashington)),

Wednesday:

NEC TOURNAMENT Final on-campus
- (@[1]~~LongIsland~~-[3]RobertMorris),

Wednesday-Thursday, Saturday:

SOUTHLAND TOURNAMENT @ Katy TX
- ([1]~~McNeeseSt~~),

Wednesday, Friday-Saturday:

GREAT WEST TOURNAMENT @ Orem UT /UT Valley/
- (@[1]~~UTValley~~),

Wednesday-Saturday:

BIG 12 TOURNAMENT @ Kansas City MO
- (Wed 1st/16s: [5a]~~Colorado~~-[12]IowaSt, [5b]Missouri-[10b]TexasTech, [7a]Baylor-[10a]Oklahoma, [7b]Nebraska-[9]~~OklahomaSt~~;
Thu 2nd/Qtrs: [1]@Kansas-([7b]Nebraska), [2]Texas-([7a]Baylor), [3a]TexasA&M-([5b]Missouri), [3b]@KansasSt-([5a]~~Colorado~~)),
MWC TOURNAMENT @ Las Vegas NV /UNLV/
- (Wed 1st/16s: [8]Wyoming-[9]TCU;
Thu 2nd/Qtrs: [1a]BYU-([8]Wyoming), [1b]SanDiegoSt-[6b]Utah, @[3]UNLV-[6a]AirForce, [4]ColoradoSt-[5]NewMexico),
PAC-10 TOURNAMENT @ Los Angeles CA
- (Wed 1st/16s: [7a]Oregon-[10]~~ArizonaSt~~, [7b]~~Stanford~~-[9]OregonSt;
Thu 2nd/Qtrs: [1]Arizona-([7b]~~Stanford~~), [2]@UCLA-([7a]Oregon), [3]Washington-[6]WashingtonSt(WA), [4a]@USC-[4b]~~California~~),
WAC TOURNAMENT @ Las Vegas NV /ORLEANS/
- ([1]UtahSt),
C-USA TOURNAMENT @ El Paso TX /UTEP/
- (Wed 1st/16s: [5a]SoMississippi-[12]Tulane, [5b]Marshall-[11]Houston, [7a]SMU-[10]Rice(TX), [7b]ECarolina-[9]~~CFlorida~~;
Thu 2nd/Qtrs: [1]UAB-([7b]ECarolina), [2a]Tulsa-([7a]SMU), @[2b]UTEP-([5b]Marshall), [4]Memphis-([5a]SoMississippi)),
SWAC TOURNAMENT @ Garland TX
- ([1]@TexasSo),

Thursday-Saturday:

BIG WEST TOURNAMENT @ Anaheim CA
- ([1]@~~LongBeachSt~~),

Thursday-Sunday:

BIG 10 TOURNAMENT @ Indianapolis IN
- (Thu 1st/16s: [4c]PennSt-[11]@Indiana, [4d]MichiganSt-[10]Iowa, [8]Northwestern-[9]Minnesota;
Fri 2nd/Qtrs: [1]OhioSt-([8]Northwestern), [2]@Purdue-([4d]MichiganSt, [3]Wisconsin-([4c]PennSt), [4a]Michigan-[4b]Illinois),
ACC TOURNAMENT @ Greensboro NC
- (Thu 1st/16s: [4b]BostonCollege-[12]@WakeForest, [4c]VirginiaTech-[10b]~~GeorgiaTech~~, [7a]Maryland-[10a]@NCState, [7b]Virginia-[9]MiamiFL;
Fri 2nd/Qtrs: [1]@NCarolina-([7b]Virginia), [2]@Duke-([7a]Maryland), [3]FloridaSt-([4c]VirginiaTech), [4a]Clemson-([4b]BostonCollege)),
SEC TOURNAMENT @ Atlanta GA /GADOME/

Thursday 1st/16s

(1:00P): [3bE]Georgia v [5W]Auburn
(3:30P): [3aW]Mississippi v [6E]S Carolina
(7:30P): [3bW]Arkansas v [5E]Tennessee
(10:00P): [3aE]Vanderbilt v [6W]LSU

Friday 2nd/Qtrs

(1:00P): [1W]Alabama v ([3bE]Georgia)
(3:30P): [2E]@Kentucky v ([3aW]Mississippi)
(7:30P): [1E]Florida v ([3bW]Arkansas)
(10:00P): [2W]Mississippi St v ([3aE]Vanderbilt)

Saturday Semis

(1:00P): ([1W]Alabama) v ([2E]@Kentucky)
(3:30P): ([1E]Florida) v ([2W]MississippiSt)

Sunday Final

(1:00P): (([1E]Florida)) v (([1W]Alabama))

Friday:

PATRIOT TOURNAMENT Final on-campus
- (@[1]~~Bucknell~~-[4c]Lafayette(PA)),

Saturday:

IVY PLAYOFF [if necessary] @ New Haven CT /Yale/
- ((4P):[1a]~~Harvard~~-[1b]~~Princeton~~),
AMERICA EAST TOURNAMENT Final on-campus
- (@[2]BostonU-[5]~~StonyBrook~~),

Sunday:

(NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET SELECTION),
(NIT BRACKET SELECTION),
(CBI BRACKET SELECTION),
(CIT BRACKET SELECTION).

FINAL TOP 25 - 11 Mar 7: PRETOURNAMENT - [] Column

Ohio State (28-2) BIG 10+2
Pittsburgh (27-4) BIG E
Kansas (29-2) BIG 12
Texas (25-6)
BYU (27-3) coMWC+3
Notre Dame (25-5)
Purdue (25-6)
San Diego State (27-2) coMWC+3
Duke (27-4)
Louisville (23-8)
Wisconsin (21-7)
Florida (24-6) SEC
Syracuse (25-6)
North Carolina (24-6) ACC
Arizona (25-6) PAC-10
Kansas State (21-9)
Connecticut (21-9)
West Virginia (20-10)
Kentucky (22-8)
St. John's (20-10)
Vanderbilt (21-9)
Utah State (26-3) WAC+5
Xavier (24-6) A-10
George Mason (26-6) COLON+2
Belmont (27-4) A-SUN+3(TiTo)

Honorable Mention:: Cincinnati (24-7).

11 Feb28 - Bulldogs Bounce Back

2011-03-01T22:46:00.003-05:00

Volume XV, No. 17 - 11 Feb 28 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Bulldogs Bounce Back

Still in crisis mode with my system problems. For the past week (and a couple more days) I'm driving 80 miles round trip from Mayberry RFD just to get on the Internet!!! Too many things went wrong at the wrong moment on top of less than perfect execution from vendors I was counting in my emergency recovery plan. [I have to replace my replacement system!!! Unbelievable.]

More stumbling at the top: Virginia Tech upset Duke, @64-60, as cJeff Allen(18p15r) led 5 players in double-figures. Louisville no-names won in OT at home against Pittsburgh, @62-59(OT). Texas stumbled at Colorado, 89-@91, allowing Kansas to tie for first place in the Big 12.
     BYU completed the sweep of San Diego State, 80-@67, as Player of the Year pJimmer Fredette had 25p9a. With the elite teams faltering all around them, the Cougars could win up as a #1-seed for the NCAAs. (If they can make the Final Four, this might go down as one of the great "one-man team"s ever.)
     Arizona stumbled at USC, 57-@63, and then was pounded by UCLA, 49-@71 (behind 27p16r from cReeves Nelson), as the Bruins moved up to tie for the Pac-10 lead.
     Syracuse righted the ship with two road wins over slumping teams: 69-@64 at Villanova and 58-@51 at Georgetown. The Hoyas (who also fell at home @46-58 to Cincinnati) have lost gChris Wright with a hand injury; the Wildcats (who were also beaten at home @68-81 by St. John's) don't have the same excuse.

Utah State(WAC) and George Mason(Colonial) quietly clinched their regular season titles with comfortable wins.
     The Gonzaga Bulldogs won an epic battle, 89-@85(OT), at St. Mary's and wound up sharing their 11TH-STRAIGHT West Coast title (trailing only UCLA's 13 straight AAWU/PAC-8/PAC-10 titles from 1967-79).
     Meanwhile, Cleveland State stumbled at home, @83-87, vs Wisconsin(Milwaukee), allowing the Butler Bulldogs to earn a share of the Horizon League title.
     Missouri State won the showdown with Wichita State, @69-64, to claim the Missouri Valley title (but it's only good for an NIT bid at this point).

Murray State won its showdown with Morehead State, @70-62, to win the Ohio Valley. Bucknell(Patriot) and Florida Atlantic(Sun Belt) also clinched their regular season titles.

It's conference tournament time for half the field as mostly 1BC and a few prime MM leagues (West Coast, Colonial, Horizon, Missouri Valley) get going this week.

-- Ron

Key games this week:
Monday:: @Texas-KansasSt, @NotreDame-Villanova,
Tuesday:: @Purdue-Illinois, @Kentucky-Vanderbilt, @Florida-Alabama, @BowlingGreen-~~KentSt~~(OH),
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday:: BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT on-campus, @ #1-seed(Co Carolina/Conway SC), on-campus
- (@CoCarolina, Liberty),
Tuesday, Friday-Saturday:: OVC TOURNAMENT on-campus, @ Nashville TN (Tennessee St)
- (~~MurraySt~~, MoreheadSt, ~~AustinPeay~~, TennesseeTech, @TennesseeSt),
Tuesday, Friday-Saturday, Tuesday week:: HORIZON TOURNAMENT on-campus, @ #1-seed, on-campus
- (WisconsinMilwaukee, Butler, ClevelandSt, Valparaiso),
Wednesday:: @WVirginia-Connecticut, @Kansas-TexasA&M, @BYU-NewMexico, @~~NewMexicoSt~~-UtahSt, @FloridaSt-NCarolina, @SoMississippi-UAB, @~~StephenFAustin~~-SamHoustonSt(TX),
Wednesday-Saturday:: A-SUN TOURNAMENT @ Macon GA (Mercer)
- (Belmont, ~~ETennesseeSt~~, ~~Lipscomb~~, ..., @~~Mercer~~),
Wednesday, Sunday, Friday week:: PATRIOT TOURNAMENT on-campus
- (~~Bucknell~~, ~~American~~),
Thursday:: @Washington-UCLA,
Thursday-Sunday:: MVC TOURNAMENT @ St. Louis MO
- (MissouriSt, WichitaSt, IndianaSt, NoIowa, Creighton),
Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday week:: NEC TOURNAMENT on-campus
- (~~LongIsland~~, ~~Quinnipiac~~, RobertMorris, CConnecticutSt),
Thursday, Saturday-Sunday, Saturday week:: AMERICA EAST TOURNAMENT @ Hartford CT (Hartford), Finals on-campus
- (~~Vermont~~, BostonU),
Friday-Monday week:: WCC TOURNAMENT @ Las Vegas NV /OHA/
- (StMarys, Gonzaga),
COLONIAL TOURNAMENT @ Richmond VA (VCU)
- (GeorgeMason, OldDominion, Hofstra, @VCU, Drexel, JamesMadison, ..., ~~GeorgiaSt~~),
SOCON TOURNAMENT @ Chattanooga TN (Chattanooga)
- (ColofCharleston, Wofford, Furman, WeCarolina, @Chattanooga),
MAAC TOURNAMENT at Bridgeport CT (Fairfield)
- (@Fairfield),
Saturday:: @Pittsburgh-Villanova(PA), @Connecticut-NotreDame, @WVirginia-Louisville, @NCarolina-Duke(NC), @Missouri-Kansas, @Baylor-Texas(TX), @Vanderbilt-Florida, @Richmond-Duquesne, @Temple-LaSalle(PhiladelphiaPA)(BIG5), @WashingtonSt-UCLA, @~~Harvard~~-~~Princeton~~, @BowlingGreen-Buffalo,
Saturday-Tuesday week:: SUN BELT TOURNAMENT @ Hot Springs AR
- (~~FLAtlantic~~, ArkansasSt, LALafayette, MidTennessee),
SUMMIT TOURNAMENT @ Sioux Falls SD
- (~~Oakland~~),
Saturday, Tuesday week-Wednesday week:: BIG SKY TOURNAMENT on-campus, @ #1-seed(Northern Colorado/Greeley Co)
- (@~~NoColorado~~, ~~Montana~~, WeberSt),
Sunday:: @OhioSt-Wisconsin, @Tennessee-Kentucky,
Sunday, Thursday week-Saturday week:: MAC TOURNAMENT on-campus, @ Cleveland OH
- (~~KentSt~~, MiamiOH, ~~BallSt~~, WeMichigan, ~~OhioU~~, Akron).

Top 25 - 11 Feb 28 - [] Column

Ohio State (26-2)
BYU (26-2)
Pittsburgh (25-4)
Texas (24-5)
Purdue (24-5)
Kansas (27-2)
Duke (26-3)
Louisville (22-7)
San Diego State (25-2)
Notre Dame (23-5)
Connecticut (21-7)
Wisconsin (20-6)
Syracuse (24-6)
Florida (22-6)
Arizona (23-6)
St. John's (19-9)
Villanova (21-8)
Georgetown (21-8)
Vanderbilt (21-7)
Kentucky (20-8)
North Carolina (22-6)
Utah State (24-3)
George Mason (25-5)
Xavier (22-6)
UCLA (21-8)

Honorable Mention:: Virginia Tech (18-8), Colorado (18-11), Gonzaga (20-9), Missouri State (22-7), Murray State (19-7).

11 Feb21 - Boilers Make The Gap

2011-02-22T21:49:00.004-05:00

Volume XV, No. 16 - 11 Feb 21 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Boilers Make The Gap

I've had a major system crash over the weekend -- on top of having to travel out of town !!! So, this week's column is only available over the web for the moment.
Best case scenario: I'll be restored to full capability sometime on Thursday.
Worst case: I don't even want to think about right now. Ugh!!!

Need further evidence that this is a down year for College Hoops? How about: Last week's Top 4 teams (and 9 of the Top 12) ALL LOST.
Texas led by 7 at halftime but stumbled on Desperation Trail, losing 67-@70 at Nebraska -- no big deal in the greater scheme of things. Pittsburgh lost at the buzzer on gDwight Hardy's layup, 59-@60 at surging St. John's (up to a tie for fourth place in the standings now) -- hey, everybody knocks each other off in the rough Big East; it was finally Pitt's turn ... um, where are they holding the Big East tournament? Oh, yeah: MADISON SQUARE GARDEN! If you could have looked into a crystal ball at the start of the season and seen the result of Kansas' trip to Kansas State, you might not have been shocked by an @84-68 Wildcat rout (behind 38p5a from pJacob Pullen); but the way the season has unfolded for those two, it's pretty stunning. Not a surprise that the Wildcats would get up for this, their best chance in years to handle the Jayhawks, but more disturbing that KU couldn't seem to respond to the challenge.
The unbalanced schedule in the Big 10 isn't as much of a factor this year -- among the elite teams, only Ohio State/Michigan State, Wisconsin/Minnesota and Illinois/Minnesota don't play twice. Purdue's big week of home games finally came ... and they delivered. The Boilermakers handled Wisconsin, @70-62, in a game where both teams had only 10 turnovers combined (and the Badgers struggled 3-for-19 on three-pointers). Then, PU held Ohio State at bay, @76-63, thanks to 38p5a from pE'Twaun Moore (despite 25p6r from fJared Sullinger). For most of the season, 7 teams (Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Kansas, Duke, Texas, BYU, San Diego State) have performed head-and-shoulders above the rest with a gap in the power ratings between them and the field. With these two wins, the Boilermakers have bridged the gap (and stand alone in second place in the Big 10 to boot).

A huge blocked shot by fDerrick Williams at the buzzer preserved Arizona's @87-86 win over Washington, and pushed them closer to the Pac-10 title (with a Saturday trip to UCLA the final obstacle).
St. Mary's suffered its own Desperation Trail upset at 6-21 San Diego, 66-@74. Now, they've let Gonzaga back in the WCC race (with a showdown in Moraga set for Thursday) -- GU's streak of 10 straight league titles may yet be extended.

The BRACKETBUSTERS event lived up to its name. Utah State manhandled St. Mary's on the road, 75-@65, in the marquee game. The Utes are still the biggest Anti-Spoiler out there, but the WAC did manage to go 8-1 overall. The Metro Atlantic posted a 9-1 record, headlined by Iona over Liberty (77-@57), Fairfield over Austin Peay (@76-69) and Siena over Maine (@71-60). College of Charleston (@85-70 over Vermont) and Wofford (@66-61 over Ball State) led the Southern Conference [5-0].
Even though the league was only 7-5 overall, the top of the Colonial went 5-1: including VCU's 68-@67 win at Wichita State (on gJoey Rodriguez' game-winner), George Mason's impressive 77-@71 win at Northern Iowa and Old Dominion's @74-63 win over Cleveland State (despite 35p5a from pNorris Cole). The Horizon [3-5] managed a couple of noteworthy results: Valparaiso over Missouri State (@80-67) and Wright State over Hofstra (@82-56). Individually, Murray State (@72-47 over Evansville) and Long Beach State (@74-56 over Montana) impressed.
The Missouri Valley compounded its woeful 1-8 debacle head-to-head with the Mountain West in the preseason with a 3-7 performance in BRACKETBUSTERS (including 0-6 at the top). The league is strong enough to deserve two bids, but the teams keep blowing their chances to make to a case for it.

San Diego State has just kept on winning since its only loss of the season (58-@71 at BYU), and the Aztecs finally get their return shot at the Cougars (who lost at New Mexico in the meantime) on Saturday. (Look for SDgoStU to get its payback at home ... but reserve your full judgment until the inevitable MWC final in Las Vegas for the true measure of which team is the conference's best this year.)
Wichita State and Missouri State stage their MVC showdown (in Springfield) on Saturday.

-- Ron

Key games this week:
Monday:: @Kansas-~~OklahomaSt~~, @Villanova-Syracuse, @Chattanooga-Furman, @WeMichigan-~~KentSt~~, @~~TexasSo~~-MSValleySt,
Tuesday:: @OhioSt-Illinois, @Vanderbilt-Tennessee(TN), @Minnesota-MichiganSt, @NoIowa-IndianaSt,
Wednesday:: @Duke-Temple, @BYU-ColoradoSt, @Georgetown-Cincinnati, @Missouri-Baylor, @NewMexico-UNLV, @Maryland-FloridaSt, @Chattanooga-Wofford,
Thursday:: @Pittsburgh-WVirginia, @Connecticut-Marquette, @Florida-Georgia, @StMarys-Gonzaga, @JamesMadison-OldDominion(VA), @~~KentSt~~-Buffalo, @~~MurraySt~~-MoreheadSt(KY),
Saturday:: Duke-@VirginiaTech, BYU-@SanDiegoSt, Arizona-@UCLA, @Georgetown-Syracuse, @Villanova-StJohns, Florida-@Kentucky, Missouri-@KansasSt, @Baylor-TexasA&M(TX), @UTEP-Memphis, @MissouriSt-WichitaSt, @VCU-JamesMadison(VA), @Yale-~~Harvard~~, @~~NTexas~~-Denver, @Furman-Wofford(SC), @CalStBakersfield-~~{Seattle}~~,
Sunday:: Pittsburgh-@Louisville, Purdue-@MichiganSt, Connecticut-@Cincinnati, @NCarolina-Maryland, @Washington-WashingtonSt(WA), @~~Vermont~~-BostonU, @Iona-~~Fairfield~~,
Monday week:: @Texas-KansasSt, @NotreDame-Villanova.

Top 25 - 11 Feb 21 - [] Column

Duke (25-2)
Pittsburgh (24-3)
Texas (23-4)
Ohio State (24-2)
Kansas (25-2)
BYU (24-2)
San Diego State (25-1)
Purdue (22-5)
Louisville (20-7)
Connecticut (20-6)
Notre Dame (21-5)
Arizona (23-4)
Wisconsin (18-5)
Georgetown (21-6)
Villanova (21-6)
Florida (21-5)
Vanderbilt (20-6)
Syracuse (22-6)
Kentucky (19-7)
North Carolina (20-6)
Utah State (23-3) @BB
George Mason (23-5) @BB
Missouri (20-6)
Xavier (20-6)
St. John's (17-9)

Honorable Mention:: Nebraska (18-8), Kansas State (17-9), Cincinnati (21-6), San Diego (6-21), VCU (21-8) @BB, Old Dominion (21-6) BB, Valparaiso (18-8) BB, College of Charleston (21-7) BB, Long Beach State (15-10) BB.

11 Feb14 - Thanks From The Gods

2011-02-15T10:06:00.003-05:00

Volume XV, No. 15 - 11 Feb 14 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Thanks From The Gods

[... that Justin Bieber didn't win "Best New Artist".]

I got to be a "guest expert" by phone on a talk radio sports show out of Tampa, Florida co-hosted by Mark Schreiber. Great fun -- (Thanks, Mark!) -- and it may be a regular gig for the rest of the season. If I'm on again, it would be a little after 10AM on Sundays. You should be able to listen online at tampa.cbslocal.com/station/1010-sports/.

The Basketball Gods owe a debt of thanks to Wisconsin for its comeback home win to beat Ohio State, @71-67, handing the Buckeyes their first loss. OhSU is still the most talented team in the country, but its undefeated run owed more to this being a down year for College Basketball than all-time greatness from this squad. They may well still win it all, but no way was this team special enough to have belonged on a short list of Undefeated National Champions. (There are only seven, and it's been 35 years since the last one.) Ohio State led 47-32 in the second half, but a 15-0 run keyed by pJordan Taylor(27p7a) tied things up in the knick of time and the home crowd carried on the surge from there.
Even without injured gAshton Gibbs, Pittsburgh managed two tough road wins (71-@66 at West Virginia; 57-@54 at Villanova behind 22p from gBrad Wanamaker) to maintain its two-game gap lead in the Big East. They're 11-1 in the roughest league in the land. Give 'em some love.
Surprising North Carolina led by 14 points at the half in Cameron Indoor Stadium against Duke behind cTyler Zeller(24p13r) and cJohn Henson(14p12r) inside, but gNolan Smith(34p) and pSeth Curry(22p5a6r) saved the day as the Blue Devils put up a 50-30 second half to win @79-73 in the battle for first place in the ACC; (tKyle Singler[10p8r] struggled mightily on 3-for-17 shooting).

Vanderbilt posted duplicate @81-77 squeak home wins over SEC West-leading Alabama and Kentucky (thanks to 52p from gJohn Jenkins in two games); Bruce Pearl's return to the Tennessee bench bore witness to two road losses: 61-@73 at Kentucky and 60-@61 at SEC East-leading Florida.
St. John's routed Connecticut @89-72 behind 33p from gDwight Hardy and 20p11r5a from cD.J. Kennedy; (pKemba Walker(15p7a)'s shooting slump continued with a 4-for-16 performance). After edging Cincinnati 57-@55, the Red Storm is now tied for fifth place in the Big East [single-bye territory for the upcoming conference tournament]. Meanwhile, Syracuse lost at home to Georgetown (@56-64) and on the road at Louisville (69-@73) to drop to ninth place in the standings [five-day terrority].
In a game with Bubble implications, Colorado State earned a split with New Mexico, @68-62, and opened a gap on fourth-place UNLV in the Mountain West.

Xavier's 71-@63 win (on 20p7r from bTu Holloway) at Duquesne gave the Musketeers the outright lead in the Atlantic 10, (but the Dukes, along with Richmond and Temple, are all still only a game back with a gap on the rest of the field).
Cleveland State fell out of first place in the Horizon in a 78-@81 loss at Detroit -- but that's not the big news of the week for this team. In its @86-76 win over Youngstown State, 6-2 xNorris Cole turned in a 41 point, 20 rebound, 9 assist performance. (Only Oklahoma's cBlake Griffin had posted 40p20r in the past 15 years.) The Vikings' loss was Valparaiso's gain -- they're the new league leaders.

Squeak wins continued to shape the Ivy standings: 7-0 Princeton led at the midconference break after edging Penn @62-59(OT) and Cornell 57-@55; meanwhile, Harvard opened a gap on third-place Yale by winning @78-75. (But PU has it tougher in the second half, having to go on the road against its top two rivals.)
     Vermont is loaming over second-place Boston University in America East with a two-game gap with two games left. Fairfield is in the same position in the Metro Atlantic, up three with three to play on a group in second place. (But both teams are only NIT-bound if they don't win their conference tourneys.)
     Montana (behind 22p13r from cBrian Qvale) returned the favor, beating Northern Colorado @55-42 (despite 22p from gDevon Beitzel), to tie things up in the Big Sky with three games to go.
     Bucknell opened a gap in the Patriot standings by completing the sweep of second-place American, @66-60, behind 21p10r from cMike Muscala. Same story in the SWAC for Texas Southern over Jackson State, 70-@67, thanks to 22p13r from cTravele Jones.

Purdue has a big week ahead, hosting Wisconsin (Wednesday) and Ohio State (Sunday). Arizona's push for the Pac-10 title is on the line with home games against Washington State (Thursday) and Washington (Saturday). Louisville hosts Connecticut in an oddly scheduled Friday night clash.

With three extra at-large bids up for grabs this year, BRACKETBUSTERS gains more importance than ever. St. Mary's, Utah State and George Mason have probably done enough to be Anti-Spoilers who could survive both a BB loss and a loss in their conference tourney and still get into the expanded NCAAs. For everybody else, this figures to be a knockout game -- especially for the upper eschelon in the Colonial (VCU, Old Dominion, Hofstra), Horizon (Valparaiso, Cleveland State, Butler) and Missouri Valley (Wichita State, Missouri State, Northern Iowa). [We're probably down to 20 or so teams vying for 10 soft bids at this point.]
Half of those teams will rise in esteem while the likes of Gonzaga and the top of the Atlantic 10 (Xavier, Richmond, Temple, Duquesne) and Conference USA (UTEP, UAB, Memphis, Southern Mississippi) all stand still. [In particular, C-USA could wind up being squeezed down to 1BC while the BB-participating leagues expand to muliple bids.]
Belmont, Coastal Carolina, Princeton/Harvard, Oakland and East Tennessee State all could have used the exposure (if not to earn an NCAA bid, to at least build the reputation of their leagues -- don't forget, there are 4 postseason tournaments now!)

-- Ron

Key games this week:

Monday:

Kansas-@KansasSt(KS), @Syracuse-WVirginia, @McNeeseSt-SamHoustonSt,

Tuesday:

@OhioSt-MichiganSt, GeoMason-@VCU(VA), @Marquette-StJohns, @VirginiaTech-Maryland,

Wednesday:

@SanDiegoSt-NewMexico, Georgetown-@Connecticut, Wisconsin-@Purdue, Louisville-@Cincinnati,
(7P):Vanderbilt-@Georgia,
@SoMississippi-UTEP, @WrightSt-ClevelandSt(OH), @Memphis-UAB, @TXSanAntonio-McNeeseSt, @~~Maine~~-~~Vermont~~,

Thursday:

@Arizona-WashingtonSt, @Belmont-~~ETennesseeSt~~(TN), @Temple-Richmond, @~~UTValley~~-{SDakota},

Friday:

@Louisville-Connecticut, @Yale-~~Princeton~~,

Friday-Sunday:

(Fri:

BRACKETBUSTERS on-campus [114 teams/57 games]
@WichitaSt-VCU(TV), @Drexel-~~Kent St~~(TV);

Sat:

@StMarys-UtahSt(TV), Geo Mason-@NoIowa(TV),

@~~Fairfield~~-~~AustinPeay~~(TV),

@Valparaiso-MissouriSt(TV),

@~~LongBeachSt~~-~~Montana~~(TV), @~~ColofCharleston~~-~~Vermont~~(TV), @Liberty-Iona(TV), @WrightSt-Hofstra(TV), @~~MurraySt~~-Evansville(BG), @Buffalo-WIMilwaukee, @Rider-Delaware, @JamesMadison-MiamiOH, @Akron-Creighton, @~~UCSantaBarbara~~-BoiseSt, @LoyolaIL-StPeters,

@Wofford-~~BallSt~~, @~~NewMexicoSt~~-~~NoColorado~~, @IndianaSt-MoreheadSt(BG), @~~MorganSt~~-VMI, @TennesseeSt-DelawareSt, @TennesseeTech-GardnerWebb, @MontanaSt-Idaho, @CalPolySLO-~~NoArizona~~, @Winthrop-~~OhioU~~, @WeMichigan-IllinoisSt, @{Presbyterian}-~~Davidson~~, @PortlandSt-LoyolaMarymount, @UNCAsheville-Northeastern, @UNCWilmington-CharlestonSo, @SanJoseSt-WeberSt, @SoIllinois-WIGreenBay, @LouisianaTech-~~GeorgiaSt~~,

@~~Siena~~-~~Maine~~, @~~OralRoberts~~-Pacific, @UCDavis-Hawaii, @Nevada-UCIrvine, @BostonU-Canisius, @WeCarolina-EaKentucky, @EaWashington-CalStNorthridge, @NoIllinois-~~{Seattle}~~, @~~StonyBrook~~-Manhattan(NY), @HighPt-AppalachianSt(NC), @FresnoSt-UCRiverside(CA), @Drake-Detroit, @TNMartin-Bradley,

@SEMissouriSt-SacramentoSt, @YoungstownSt-BowlingGreen(OH), @IdahoSt-CalStFullerton, @Toledo-EaIllinois, @Marist-NewHampshire, @William&Mary-Radford(VA), @EaMichigan-JacksonvilleSt, @Niagara-CMichigan, @Towson-LoyolaMD(MD);

Sun:

@OldDominion-ClevelandSt(TV)),

Saturday:

Pittsburgh-@StJohns, NotreDame-@WVirginia, @Arizona-Washington, @MichiganSt-Illinois, @ColoradoSt-UNLV, @Tennessee-Georgia, @~~StephenFAustin~~-TexasSt(TX), @McNeeseSt-NorthwesternSt(LA), @Wagner-~~LongIsland~~(NY), @~~Lipscomb~~-~~ETennesseeSt~~(TN), @~~Hampton~~-BethuneCookman, @~~Longwood~~-CalStBakersfield, @~~UTValley~~-{NDakota},

Sunday:

OhioSt-@Purdue(BG), @Temple-StJosephs(PhiladelphiaPA)(BIG5),

Monday week:

@Kansas-~~OklahomaSt~~, @Villanova-Syracuse, @Chattanooga-Furman, @WeMichigan-~~KentSt~~, @~~TexasSo~~-MSValleySt.

Top 25 - 11 Feb 14 - [] Column Texas (22-3) Pittsburgh (23-2) Ohio State (23-1) Kansas (24-1) Duke (23-2) BYU (23-2) San Diego State (23-1) Notre Dame (21-4) Georgetown (20-5) Wisconsin (17-5) Louisville (19-6) Connecticut (19-5) Syracuse (20-6) Villanova (19-6) Arizona (21-4) Purdue (20-5) Florida (20-5) Vanderbilt (18-6) Kentucky (17-7) Missouri (18-6) North Carolina (18-6) St. Mary's (20-4) George Mason (21-5) Xavier (18-6) Utah State (22-3) Honorable Mention: St. John's (15-9), Montana (16-7), Texas Southern (12-10).

11 Feb7 - The Curd Sinks

2011-02-08T08:51:00.002-05:00

Volume XV, No. 14 - 11 Feb 7 - [] Top 25 Ballot

The Curd Sinks

The last major conferences reached the halfway point. There are gaps in some of the division standings, but it isn't so much a case of the cream rising to the top as it is the curd sinking to the bottom that's at the cause of it.
     For sure, 8-0 Texas and 7-1 Kansas are playing well atop the Big 12, but there was a three-game gap down to third place where a logjam of teams were 4-4: (Texas A&M, Baylor, Missouri, Oklahoma and Colorado). Preseason favorite Kansas State went 3-5 in the first half and is only still in contention because everyone else struggled. Missouri's pressure defense is a lot more intimidating at home (4-0) than on the road (0-4). Texas A&M's 4-out-5 skid has more to do with a bad schedule (two blowout losses to Texas in five games); the Aggies have it a bit easier in the second half with three games out of eight against Texas Tech and Iowa State. (Still, Texas' toughest remaining game is at Baylor; so look for the Longhorns to roll to the regular season title.)
     In the SEC, the surprise leader at the midpoint is Alabama at 7-1. Yes, they've got it easier in the West, but they're 2-0 against Kentucky and Tennessee after their 65-@60(OT) win over the Volunteers; coach Anthony Grant has turned a corner with the Crimson Tide in his second year since coming over from a successful run at VCU. Young Kentucky had two squeak losses (69-@71 at Mississippi, 68-@70 at Florida) to fall to 4-4 at the break (but there's nothing terribly wrong with the Wildcats, who only play in front of "home-away-from-home" crowds in the postseason, anyway). A @65-61(OT) win over Vanderbilt helped Florida push to 6-2 at the break for first place in the East. Give Tennessee lots of credit for going 5-3 in the first half during the 8-game suspension for coach Bruce Pearl; there's plenty of time (and room) for them to gather momentum in the second half and be a dangerous team on the national stage.
     What else is new? It's Duke and North Carolina tied for the ACC lead at the break at 7-1. UNC is on an upswing since its disatrous blowout loss at Georgia Tech three weeks back. Coach Roy Williams made a change at point guard, sitting junior pLarry Drew II and starting freshman pKendall Marshall. Drew saw the writing on the wall and has since quit the team and made plans to transfer. Meanwhile, it's been "addition by subtraction" as pMarshall has blossomed, culminating with his 16 assist performance in the Tar Heels' @89-69 rout of third place Florida State. [It's a good thing there are 3 extra at-large bids in play this year, especially with 10 bids slated for the Big East. Otherwise, with their poor out-of-conference record this year (including losing the CHALLENGE with the Big 10) would have the ACC also-rans up against it. Even so, the BRACKETBUSTERS event in two weeks might squeeze out the likes of fourth-place Virginia Tech or the fifth-place bunch: Boston College, Maryland and Clemson.]

Princeton's front line wore down Harvard -- [that doesn't even sound right!] -- as the Tigers came back from an early deficit to hold on for @65-61 win, taking the lead in the Ivies (5-0). They've still got a big game hosting 3-1 Penn on Tuesday before they can truly claim the midconference lead.
The Southland is a muddy mess at the break. No fewer than 9 teams are within one game of first place between 5-3 and 4-4.
In the Great West, Utah Valley is halfway done at 5-1, but {North Dakota} and New Jersey Tech also only have one loss but haven't reached the midpoint of their schedules yet.

Michigan State, which started the season with five returning starters from a Final Four team, has sunk so far now (after road drubbings at lowly Iowa, 52-@72, and Wisconsin, 59-@82) that the NCAAs are out of the picture all together. (Maybe Georgia Tech '05 was a similar disappointment, recently -- but even that team made the NCAA second round.)
     Washington sank 56-@68 at Oregon State and 76-@81 at Oregon -- its third straight road loss -- and fell to third in the Pac-10 as Arizona and UCLA surged ahead.
     Missouri State sank at Evansville (65-@77) out of first place in the MVC, leaving Wichita State to take over the lead.
     Maine sank 78-@88 at Boston University and @79-84 vs Maryland(Baltimore Count), allowing Vermont to resume the lead in the America East.

Tim Floyd (who left USC after the O.J. Mayo scandal) has landed on his feet at UTEP, now in first place in Conference USA at 6-2. That league may be headed for 1BC territory, though, as it has perennially chosen to skip BRACKETBUSTERS, which may really work against it this season.
Murray State actually earned back the lead in the OVC with a 67-@58 road win at Austin Peay.

Cleveland State could only manage a split of its two big home games, a @76-65 win over Valparaiso and a disappointing @61-73 loss to Butler. The Vikings are the best overall team in the league, but they still have work to do to sew up the regular season title and an NCAA bid. Things could still go a lot of different ways for the Horizon League teams with the Missouri Valley (smarting from its wipeout loss in its CHALLENGE with the Mountain West) and the powerful Colonial (with its top teams all playing well at the right time) all needing a big showing in BRACKETBUSTERS.

If anyone can stop Ohio State's run at an undefeated season, it'll be Wisconsin at home on Saturday -- (the Buckeyes only have two road games left after that: at Purdue, at Penn State). Pittsburgh has two road games (at West Virginia, Monday; at Villanova, Saturday) threatening its gap lead in the Big East standings. It's a lot to expect for North Carolina's surge to continue with a road game at Duke (but the Tar Heels are actually better in the paint than the Blue Devils). Bruce Pearl hits the ground running on his return (at Tennessee, Tuesday; at Florida, Saturday). Xavier visits Duquesne on Sunday in a showdown for first place in the Atlantic 10.

-- Ron

Key games this week:
Monday:: @Kansas-Missouri, Pittsburgh-@WVirginia, @BethuneCookman-~~MorganSt~~,
Tuesday:: @Kentucky-Tennessee, @Clemson-BostonCol, @~~Princeton~~-~~Penn~~,
Wednesday:: @Duke-NCarolina(NC), @NotreDame-Louisville(BG), Georgetown-@Syracuse, @Drexel-JamesMadison, @BowlingGreen-~~BallSt~~(BG), @~~Bucknell~~-~~American~~, @~~{Seattle}~~-~~UTValley~~,
Thursday:: Connecticut-@StJohns, StMarys-@SantaClara(CA), Alabama-@Vanderbilt, @Minnesota-Illinois, @Butler-WrightSt(BG), @Denver-~~FLAtlantic~~,
Friday:: @~~ETennesseeSt~~-Jacksonville, @Columbia-~~Princeton~~,
Saturday:: OhioSt-@Wisconsin, @Texas-Baylor(TX), Pittsburgh-@Villanova(PA), SanDiegoSt-@UNLV, @Louisville-Syracuse, Kentucky-@Vanderbilt, @Florida-Tennessee, NCarolina-@Clemson, StMarys-@SanFrancisco(CA), @GeoMason-JamesMadison(VA), @NoIowa-WichitaSt, @ColoradoSt-NewMexico, @VCU-OldDominion(VA), @Memphis-SoMississippi, @Valparaiso-WrightSt(BG), @~~StephenFAustin~~-TXSanAntonio(TX), @~~Oakland~~-IPFW, @~~WeKentucky~~-~~NTexas~~, @~~AustinPeay~~-TennesseeSt(TN), @~~Montana~~-~~NoColorado~~, @CalStNorthridge-~~LongBeachSt~~(CA), @SavannahSt-~~Longwood~~, @~~JacksonSt~~-~~TexasSo~~,
Sunday:: @Georgetown-Marquette, Purdue-@Illinois, @Cincinnati-StJohns, @Duquesne-Xavier,
Monday week:: Kansas-@KansasSt(KS), @Syracuse-WVirginia, @McNeeseSt-SamHoustonSt.

Top 25 - 11 Feb 7 - [] Column

Ohio State (23-0)
Texas (20-3)
Kansas (22-1)
Pittsburgh (21-2)
Duke (21-2)
BYU (21-2)
San Diego State (21-1)
Notre Dame (19-4)
Connecticut (18-4)
Georgetown (18-5)
Villanova (19-4)
Syracuse (20-4)
Louisville (18-5)
Wisconsin (15-5)
Arizona (20-4)
Kentucky (16-6)
Missouri (17-5)
Purdue (18-5)
Florida (18-5)
North Carolina (17-5)
Utah State (21-2)
St. Mary's (18-4)
George Mason (19-5)
Alabama (15-7)
Wichita State (19-4)

Honorable Mention:: ~~College of Charleston~~ (17-7), ~~Princeton~~ (15-4), ~~Murray State~~ (13-6).

11 Jan31 - The Fine Print (MIDCONFERENCE)

2011-02-01T17:05:00.003-05:00

Volume XV, No. 13 - 11 Jan 31: MIDCONFERENCE - [] Top 25 Ballot

The Fine Print

Several teams made major statements to take control of their league races, but the fine print revealed itself when they gave back some of the lustre with bad showings the next time out.
     Ohio State turned in the finest performance by any team all season in its comprehensive thrashing of talented Purdue, @87-64 -- [and it wasn't even that close]. Freshman pAaron Craft is nominally the fifth option on offense, but he broke down the Boilermakers off the dribble (embarrassing tJuJuan Johnson[22p7r] more than once). But the Buckeyes must have read their own press and played a lazy game on the road against undermanned Northwestern (playing without its star fJohn Shurna, out with a concussion) -- the Wildcats had the ball in a tie game but threw it away as OhSU escaped 58-@57 thanks to a game-winning free throw from superfrosh fJared Sullinger(21p8r).
     gJimmer Fredette had another Player of the Year performance with 43 points as Brigham Young handed San Diego State its first loss of the season, @71-58 (despite 22p15r from cKawhi Leonard), in one of the rare Top-10 clashes ever not to involve at least one BCS team. You have to guard him tight because of his deep range, but his handle is so good he makes you pay for that as well with the blow-by, and his teammates do a very good job of spotting up and moving off the ball while he penetrates. But the Cougars succumbed to the hype and were beaten 77-@86 the next time out by New Mexico to fall back into a tie for first place with SnDgoSU.
     St. Mary's had a seminal win at Gonzaga, 73-@71 on a game-winning jumper by pMickey McConnell(27p6a), knocking the 'Zags to fourth place in the West Coast race (putting in major jeopardy GU's quest to extend its streak of 10 straight WCC titles). But the Gaels stumbled the next time out as well, falling 70-@85 at Portland (despite 32p more from gMcConnell).

On the flip side, some teams on their way out of relevance saved their seasons with big wins:
     St. John's -- that's right, eleventh place St. John's -- thrashed Duke @93-78 in Madison Square Garden behind gDwight Hardy(26p) and fJustin Brownlee(20p8r6a). bNolan Smith(32p7r4a) and tKyle Singler(20p) are scoring and it's still not enough. Steve Lavin's combination of smarts and charisma has the Redmen way overacheiving -- it's the same personnel that went 17-16/6-12 last year. Not only is it yet another blow in favor of the Mighty Big East (which has every right to all top 11 teams' receiving bids); but it knocks the Blue Devils out of #1 seed for the NCAAs (for the moment, at least), and it's a blow against the ACC in terms of getting at-large bids. Yikes. (At least, their cushy Charlotte Pod isn't in any danger.)
     The Pac-10 race was slipping away but Washington State's @87-80 win over first-place Washington (paced by 25p from gKlay Thompson) keeps them in the conversation in fourth place (and drops UWa into a first-place tie with Arizona).
     New Mexico's win over BYU brought the Lobos back from the brink of elimination in the Mountain West race. It's a multi-bid league, to be sure, but they've struggled all season and the likes of Colorado State look better for the fourth spot at this point.

Notre Dame doesn't have Top-10 talent, but thanks to the brutal Big East schedule, they've had ample opportunity to pull off major brand-name wins, most notably their 56-@51 road win at Pittsburgh (thanks to 19p7a from pBen Hansbrough) -- one of the best results of the entire season. Coach Mike Brey is pulling the right strings with this squad that's having somewhat of a Year After effect with the departure of all-everything cLuke Harangody.
     Syracuse's early season overachieving may have come to an end. The Orange were crushed, @68-90, by lowly Seton Hall (thanks to 28p9r from tJeremy Hazell) and also fell 70-@76 at scrappy Marquette. The 2-3 zone is great for establishing a lead, but once they get behind and need to switch to man-to-man or a press to catch up, they're in trouble.
     Xavier blew open a close game and went on to rout host Richmond, 85-@62, behind an impressive performancy by bTu Holloway: 33p7r5a (including 17-for-17 free throws). (Still, the Musketeers only share the Atlantic 10 lead at 7-0 with surprising Duquesne. It's still another week away before those two meet.)
     Lipscomb came back from down 18 at home to hand Belmont its first Atlantic Sun loss, @73-64, thanks to 26p from nimble bear cAdnan Hodzic, earning a split in their annual BATTLE OF THE BOULEVARD [Nashville] city series. It's still the BU-Bruins' race (and they can make a first-round splash if they can get to the NCAAs); but the likes of East Tennessee State(tMike Smith), Jacksonville and the LU-Bison are all good enough for the NIT if they don't spoil the party in the A-Sun tournament.

More conferences hit the midpoint of the regular season schedule:
     In the Big East, Pittsburgh lead the way at the break; Louisville was second; Notre Dame was third; Connecticut, Villanova and West Virginia were all tied for fourth; Marquette, Syracuse, Cincinnati and Georgetown were tied for seventh. St. John's struggled to stay in contact in eleventh.
     Ohio State is the last undefeated team (with a two-game gap). Purdue and Wisconsin follow second and third. Scrappy Penn State, Michigan State and Minnesota were all tied for fourth; Illinois hung on in seventh.
     BYU and San Diego State are tied for the MWC lead, with Colorado State and UNLV third and fourth; Air Force, Utah and New Mexico are hanging on, tied for fifth.
     In the Pac-10, Washington and Arizona were tied for first; UCLA was alone in third; California and Washington State were tied for fourth.
     In the West Coast: St. Mary's leads the WCC at the break; San Francisco and Santa Clara are tied for second; Gonzaga (in trouble in its bid for an eleventh straight conference title) and Portland are tied for fourth.
     Utah State is undefeated in the WAC (with a three-game gap).
     In the Atlantic 10, surprising Duquesne and Xavier are tied for first, undefeated (with a two-game gap); Temple, Richmond and Massachusetts are all tied for third.
     In Conference-USA, Memphis, UAB and UTEP were all tied for first place; Southern Mississippi was fourth; Marshall has made noise but is only ninth. Central Florida (which started 14-0 and has since gone 0-6) has been a complete bust in conference play.
     The MAC is a muddy mess with four teams tied for first place at the break: Buffalo, Ball State, Kent State and Bowling Green. Surprising Bethune-Cookman led Hampton and Morgan State by one game each in the MEAC. Bucknell led American by a game in the Patriot. Long Beach State lead the way in the Big West. Texas Southern and Jackson State were tied for lead in the SWAC.

Cleveland State can take control of the Horizon race with two big home wins this week: Valparaiso (Thursday), Butler (Saturday) -- only a road game at Wright State looms after that.
     It's the Game of the Year (Part I) in the Ivies when Princeton hosts Harvard (Friday).
     Coastal Carolina can seal the deal in the Big South (and host the conference tournament) with a home win vs Liberty (Thursday).
     College of Charleston's 64-@75 loss at Davidson dropped them back into a three-way tie for the Southern Conference lead; a couple of wins this week at home against Wofford (Thursday) and Furman (Saturday) could set them up to roll the rest of the way to the league title. (No Anti-Spoilers -- they'll still have to win the SoCon tourney [at Chattanooga] -- but senior bAndrew Goudelock could lead them to a NCAA first-round splash win.)

Gonzaga needs every win it can get at this point, but even a win Saturday vs Memphis (RMHC CLASSIC) may not be enough to warrant at-large consideration. (A loss could squeeze either team out of the picture in The Year of the Big East.)
North Carolina is filling the void in the ACC and could actually be relevant by week's end if it can sweep at Boston College (Tuesday) and vs Florida State (Sunday).

-- Ron

Key games this week:
Monday:: Texas-@TexasA&M(TX), Louisville-@Georgetown,
(BRACKETBUSTERS PAIRING SELECTION),
Tuesday:: Purdue-@Wisconsin, @Florida-Vanderbilt, @IndianaSt-WichitaSt, @BostonCol-NCarolina,
Wednesday:: @Connecticut-Syracuse, SanDiegoSt-@ColoradoSt, @Villanova-Marquette, @UtahSt-Nevada, @GeoMason-Hofstra, @UAB-SoMississippi,
Thursday:: @Jacksonville-Belmont, @ClevelandSt-Valparaiso(BG), @~~CoCarolina~~-Liberty, @~~NTexas~~-~~FLAtlantic~~, @Hartford-~~Vermont~~, @~~ColofCharleston~~-Wofford(SC), @TennesseeSt-~~MurraySt~~,
Friday:: @~~Princeton~~-~~Harvard~~, @~~Fairfield~~-Iona,
Saturday:: @Pittsburgh-Cincinnati, @BYU-UNLV, @Villanova-WVirginia, Kentucky-@Florida, @TexasA&M-Baylor(TX), @UtahSt-BoiseSt, @GeoMason-OldDominion(VA), @MissouriSt-IndianaSt, @Gonzaga-Memphis(RMHC_CLASSIC), @BostonCol-VirginiaTech, @JamesMadison-VCU(VA), @SoMississippi-Marshall, @ClevelandSt-Butler(BG), @~~StephenFAustin~~-McNeeseSt, @IUPUI-~~Oakland~~, @SanFrancisco-SantaClara(CA), @~~LongIsland~~-~~Quinnipiac~~, @Jacksonville-~~Lipscomb~~, @~~ColofCharleston~~-Furman(SC), @~~BallSt~~-Buffalo, @~~AustinPeay~~-~~MurraySt~~, @{SDakota}-{NDakota},
Sunday:: OhioSt-@Minnesota, @Wisconsin-MichiganSt, @NCarolina-FloridaSt, @~~Fairfield~~-Rider,
Monday week:: @Kansas-Missouri, @WVirginia-Pittsburgh, @BethuneCookman-~~MorganSt~~.

Top 25 - 11 Jan 31: MIDCONFERENCE - [] Column

Ohio State (21-0)
Texas (18-3)
Kansas (20-1)
Pittsburgh (20-2)
Connecticut (17-3)
Duke (19-2)
Notre Dame (17-4)
Louisville (17-4)
BYU (19-2)
Georgetown (16-5)
San Diego State (19-1)
Villanova (17-4)
Kentucky (16-4)
Missouri (16-4)
Purdue (18-4)
Syracuse (18-4)
Washington (15-5)
Texas A&M (16-3)
Wisconsin (13-5)
Illinois (14-7)
Arizona (18-4)
Utah State (19-2)
West Virginia (14-6)
St. Mary's (16-4)
Xavier (15-5)

Honorable Mention:: St. John's (12-8), New Mexico (13-7), Washington State (15-6), Duquesne (13-5), George Mason (17-5).

11 Jan24 - Self-Spoilage

2011-01-25T11:37:00.002-05:00

Volume XV, No. 12 - 11 Jan 24 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Self-Spoilage

Syracuse travelled to Pittsburgh without its best player (tKris Joseph) and was ambushed -- down 19-0 only eight minutes into the game; but the Orange put on a 17-0 run of their to make it a 2-point game with six minutes left in the first half; Pitt had little trouble finding holes in the vaunted 2-3 zone, though, and won @74-66 behind 21p from fNasir Robinson. 'Cuse was at full strength (and got 23p from tJoseph) when Villanova's guards shot over the zone and won 83-@72 in the Carrier Dome behind 21p from gMaalik Wayns.

Having twin power forwards (fMarcus and fMarkieff Morris) is the ultimate redundancy and very definition of depth, which is Kansas' best asset. The Jayhawks crushed Baylor, 85-@65, on the road while manhandling the tallest front line in the nation; and it looked like business as usual when the Jayhawks bolted to an 18-3 lead five minutes into the game against visiting Texas. But the Longhorns' individual stars took over as gJ'Covan Brown (23p) led the way to a stunning 74-@63 upset in Lawrence, snapping KU's 69-game home win streak. UTx's earlier @81-60 drubbing of Texas A&M set it up for sole possession of first place in the Big 12 at 4-0.

27p16r from freshman cJared Sullinger kept Ohio State's undefeated season intact in its 73-@68 road win at Illinois. Meanwhile, Michigan State fell twice on the road: 62-@71 at Illinois, and 76-@86 at Purdue. Washington pulled away from Arizona, @85-68, to stay in control of the Pac-10 race.
Stumbling against unheralded opponents: Kentucky (66-@68 at Alabama), Louisville (67-@72 at Providence), West Virginia (@71-@75 in its annual State Title game with Marshall in Charleston, WV). UNLV was drubbed at home by Colorado State, @63-78. Colorado's week in the sun faded with two road losses: 67-@79 at Nebraska and 60-@67 at Oklahoma.

At this point, Player of the Year is a two-man race. Do you like gKemba Walker's game-winning tear drop field goal to cap his 24p5a6r performance as Connecticut beat Villanova (@61-59) or gJimmer Fredette's 42p burst in BYU's 94-@85 win at Colorado State? gWalker is arguably doing it against better competition night-in/night-out in the Big East, but the top of the Mountain West is as good as any league (and gFredette tore up the NCAAs last year just the same).

UConn's @72-61 win over Tennessee (with coach Bruce Pearl back on the bench against a non-conference opponent) helps cement the Big East's reputation as the nation's best conference. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt's surprisingly easy @89-70 drubbing of St. Mary's saved face for the SEC and dealt a blow to West Coast teams looking for respect.
     High-profile inter-league matchups are few and far between the rest of the way. The NCAA picked a bad year to expand the tournament. Coincident with the strong year the Big East is having, the Mid-Majors are struggling, in general.
     Two flagship Anti-Spoiler programs, Butler and Gonzaga, are fighting for their lives in conference play. The BU-Bulldogs are tied for third in the Horizon -- they may need to rely on their win at DIAMOND HEAD (Florida State, Washington State) to get an at-large NCAA bid. The GU-Bulldogs (aka 'Zags) are tied for third in the West Coast, two games back of unbeaten St. Mary's (who comes to Spokane on Thursday) -- a win over Baylor is all they have to recommend an at-large bid.
     Memphis escaped with two big road wins, 76-@75 at Southern Mississippi and 76-@73(OT) at UAB, to move into a tie with UTEP for the first place in Conference USA. The Tigers' season could be a whole lot different, though, if not for their 8-0 record in endplay games.

It's the midpoint in conference play already for nearly half of the leagues out there. The Mid-Majors haven't resolved much as whole. A handful of 1BC teams are playing first-round splash-worthy ball (even if they don't quite have the resume to make them can't-miss Anti-Spoilers).
Missouri State battled its way to first place in the Missouri Valley at the halfway point with its big road games all done; Wichita State's @93-83(3OT) win over Indiana State earned the Shockers a tie for second place with the Sycamores; Northern Iowa and Creighton may still a lot to say in the second half, though.
Belmont won at second-place East Tennessee State, 72-@62, to complete a dominant first half of its Atlantic Sun campaign (10-0 with a two-game gap). In the Western Athletic, Utah State was undefeated at the break (with a two-game gap). Oakland (which made noise in the preseason) has run away with the Summit League race -- undefeated with a three-game gap at the break. In the Big South, Coastal Carolina was undefeated at the break (with a road win over second-place Liberty in hand).

The Colonial is having a tight race. VCU and Hofstra lead George Mason by a game; but James Madison, Old Dominion and Delaware are all only two games back, tied for fourth. (But as competitive as they are in conference, this is a 1BC league this year.)
In the Southern Conference, College of Charleston and Wofford led Furman in the South; and Chattanooga led the field by two games in the North. In the Metro Atlantic, Fairfield is in first place at the break (but still has two games to play against second-place Iona). In the Northeast, Long Island is barely ahead of a pack of teams right behind. In the America East, Maine has won at Vermont (which hosts third-place Hartford on Tuesday to close the first half). In the Big Sky, unbeaten Northern Colorado has handled second-place Montana and third-place Montana State easily in two home games. In the Sun Belt, Florida Atlantic is undefeated (with a three-game gap) in the East; Denver leads North Texas by a game in the West. Tennessee State and Austin Peay lead the competitive Ohio Valley with Murray State a game back; Morehead State heads another group one more game back in fourth.

Ohio State's unbeaten record will be tested again Tuesday vs Purdue. It's the Game of the Year (Part I) in the Mountain West on Wednesday when undefeated San Diego State visits once-beaten BYU. It doesn't get any easier for reeling Kansas State (Monday vs Baylor, Saturday at Kansas). Gonzaga gets a chance to get back in the WCC race when it hosts St. Mary's on Thursday -- and the same goes for Butler, who visits Valparaiso on Saturday. Hofstra has a big week in the Colonial (Monday vs James Madison, Thursday at VCU, Saturday vs Drexel).

-- Ron

Key games this week:
Monday:: @Pittsburgh-NotreDame, @KansasSt-Baylor, @Hofstra-JamesMadison, @Delaware-GeoMason, @Wofford-Furman(SC),
Tuesday:: @OhioSt-Purdue(BG), Connecticut-@Marquette, Kansas-@Colorado,
Belmont-@~~Lipscomb~~(NashvilleTN)(BATTLE_OF_THE_BOULEVARD),
@Georgia-Florida, @~~Dayton~~-Richmond, @~~Vermont~~-Hartford,
Wednesday:: Texas-@OklahomaSt, @BYU-SanDiegoSt, @Louisville-WVirginia, @Georgetown-StJohns, @Memphis-CFlorida,
@StJosephs-LaSalle(PhiladelphiaPA)/Palestra/(BIG5), @SamHoustonSt-~~StephenFAustin~~(TX), @NoIowa-Creighton, @Pacific-~~LongBeachSt~~(CA), @~~Lehigh~~-Bucknell(PA),
Thursday:: @Duke-BostonCol, @Gonzaga-StMarys, @Arizona-UCLA, @VCU-Hofstra, @~~BallSt~~-~~KentSt~~, @MoreheadSt-TennesseeSt, @Iona-Rider,
Friday:: @~~Harvard~~-Columbia,
Saturday:: @Connecticut-Louisville, @Texas-Missouri, @Villanova-Georgetown, @Kansas-KansasSt(KS), Syracuse-@Marquette, BYU-@NewMexico, @Purdue-Minnesota, @Kentucky-Georgia, @Cincinnati-WVirginia, @Baylor-Colorado, @Richmond-Xavier, @Valparaiso-Butler(IN), @Marshall-Memphis, @SamHoustonSt-TXSanAntonio(TX), @~~Harvard~~-Columbia, @Denver-~~NTexas~~, @MoreheadSt-~~AustinPeay~~, @MontanaSt-~~Montana~~(MT), @~~Longwood~~-SavannahSt,
Sunday:: Duke-@StJohns, Washington-@WashingtonSt(WA), @MissouriSt-NoIowa, @Duquesne-~~Dayton~~,
Monday week:: @TexasA&M-Texas(TX), @Georgetown-Louisville,
(BRACKETBUSTERS PAIRING SELECTION).

Top 25 - 11 Jan 24 - [] Column

Ohio State (19-0)
Pittsburgh (19-1)
Connecticut (16-2)
Duke (18-1)
Texas (16-3)
Villanova (17-2)
Kansas (18-1)
Syracuse (18-2)
BYU (18-1)
San Diego State (18-0)
Missouri (16-3)
Notre Dame (16-4)
Purdue (17-3)
Washington (15-4)
Kentucky (15-4)
Texas A&M (16-2)
Wisconsin (13-4)
Illinois (14-6)
Louisville (15-4)
Georgetown (14-5)
Florida State (15-5)
Vanderbilt (14-4)
Missouri State (16-4)
Utah State (17-2)
Belmont (16-3)

Honorable Mention:: Oakland (14-8), Coastal Carolina (13-2), Maine (12-7), Northern Colorado (11-7).

11 Jan17 - "Durham, We Have A Problem"

2011-01-18T15:13:00.003-05:00

Volume XV, No. 11 - 11 Jan 17 - [] Top 25 Ballot

"Durham, We Have A Problem."

Duke's dream of an undefeated run came to an end at Florida State, 61-@66, thanks to 22p10r from xDerwin Kitchen. Give the Seminoles credit for the win (and their first-place status in the ACC along with the Blue Devils and Boston College). The bigger problem for Duke is that they have lost their inside game. When pKyrie Irving went down, their focus was on "replacing a guard"; bNolan Smith has been just fine scoring as a lead guard in his stead, but feeding the post has been forgotten in the process. They have at least as much talent on the front line as last year, but it's a little unclear whether there is enough talent at getting the ball to the big men. They're still head-and-shoulders better than the rest of their league by comparison to any other lead BCS team; but they've shown that they can be had.
With No. 1 up for grabs, the obvious contenders didn't exactly set the world on fire. Both Ohio State (@69-66 over Penn State) and Kansas (@63-60 over Nebraska) barely escaped with victories at home. Syracuse (76-@59 at St. John's and @67-52 over Cincinnati) and Pittsburgh (72-@57 at Georgetown) were much more impressive on the week. (If Pitt didn't have a loss already, they'd have been #2 in this week's poll.) Those two only meet once, so Monday's clash between the Orange and the Panthers might be the highest-ranked matchup we see all year.

San Diego State remained unbeaten after surviving at home against UNLV, @55-49, and then handling New Mexico on the road, 87-@77. (The first of their two big regular season showdowns with BYU, is still another week away.)
Villanova handled Louisville, @88-74, to remain unbeaten in Big East play. (The Wildcats have two big road games coming up: Monday at Connecticut, Saturday at Syracuse). Texas A&M still only has one loss as well after a thrilling @91-89(OT) win over visiting Missouri.

Road blues hit the likes of Notre Dame (lost 57-@79 at Marquette, 54-@72 at St. John's), Purdue (lost 67-@70 at Minnesota, 64-@68 at West Virginia) and Illinois (lost 55-@57 at Penn State, 66-@76 at Wisconsin); but all three get two big games at home this week.
Surprising Colorado went to 3-0 in the Big 12 after a road win at Kansas State, 74-@66, and a home squeaker over Oklahoma State, @75-71.

Below the rankings, Southern Mississippi got its biggest win of the season, @86-69 over Central Florida. The same goes for Duquesne (3-0 in the Atlantic 10) after a @78-66 win over Temple. Utah State stayed unbeaten in the WAC, brushing back Boise State on the road, 68-@59.
Belmont continued to pound Atlantic Sun pretenders with two more drubbings, @88-52 over Lipscomb and @90-55 over Campbell -- their closest league game so far (after an 8-0 start) is a 17-point road win at Stetson; if second-place East Tennessee State can't stop them at home on Sunday, the Bruins may well run the table in conference. Morgan State stayed unbeaten in the MEAC with a @78-72 win over Hampton. Texas Southern knocked off Jackson State, @66-62, to take an early lead in the SWAC race.

Syracuse and Villanova have it rough this week with two Top-10 matchups: on Monday 'Cuse travels to Pittsburgh while 'Nova visits Connecticut; then those two clash with each other on Saturday at the Carrier Dome. Texas hosts hot Texas A&M on Wednesday and then travels to Kansas on Saturday.
Good Grief! It's time for Charlie Brown, Lucy and the football again -- Clemson has one of its best chances to break its oh-for-Chapel Hill streak (0-54 and counting) on Tuesday when it visits struggling North Carolina.

-- Ron

Key games this week:
Monday:: Syracuse-@Pittsburgh, Kansas-@Baylor, Connecticut-Villanova, @Missouri-KansasSt, @Chattanooga-~~ColofCharleston~~, @~~Hampton~~-NCA&T, @Rider-~~Fairfield~~,
Tuesday:: MichiganSt-@Illinois, @Georgia-Tennessee,
@NCarolina-Clemson (0-for-54 and counting),
Wednesday:: TexasA&M-@Texas(TX), @Louisville-StJohns, @NotreDame-Cincinnati(BG), @UNLV-ColoradoSt, @WichitaSt-NoIowa, @OldDominion-JamesMadison(VA), @SoMississippi-Memphis, @Temple-~~Penn~~(PhiladelphiaPA)(BIG5), @VCU-~~GeorgiaSt~~, @Buffalo-~~KentSt~~,
Thursday:: @Washington-Arizona, @UtahSt-LouisianaTech, @SDState-~~Oakland~~, @Wagner-~~Quinnipiac~~,
Friday:: @~~ETennesseeSt~~-~~Lipscomb~~(TN),
Saturday:: @Syracuse-Villanova, OhioSt-@Illinois, @Kansas-Texas, @Connecticut-Tennessee, BYU-@ColoradoSt, @TexasA&M-KansasSt, @NotreDame-Marquette, MichiganSt-@Purdue, @UNLV-NewMexico, @FloridaSt-BostonCol, @Vanderbilt-StMarys, @StJohns-Cincinnati, @WashingtonSt-Arizona, @UtahSt-~~NewMexicoSt~~, @Baylor-OklahomaSt, @~~Massachusetts~~-Richmond, @Xavier-Temple, @ClevelandSt-WrightSt(OH), @OldDominion-VCU(VA), @StJosephs-@~~Penn~~(PhiladelphiaPA)/Palestra/(BIG5), @{SDakota}-~~UTValley~~,
Sunday:: @~~ETennesseeSt~~-~~Belmont~~(TN),
Monday week:: @Pittsburgh-NotreDame, @KansasSt-Baylor, @Drexel-~~GeorgiaSt~~.

Top 25 - 11 Jan 17 - [] Column

Syracuse (18-0)
Ohio State (17-0)
Kansas (17-0)
Pittsburgh (17-1)
Connecticut (14-2)
Duke (16-1)
Villanova (16-1)
BYU (16-1)
Texas A&M (15-1)
Kentucky (14-3)
Texas (14-3)
San Diego State (17-0)
Missouri (14-3)
Louisville (14-3)
Washington (13-4)
Notre Dame (14-4)
West Virginia (12-4)
Georgetown (13-5)
Michigan State (11-5)
Purdue (15-3)
Wisconsin (11-4)
Illinois (13-5)
UNLV (14-4)
Florida State (13-5)
Colorado (12-4)

Honorable Mention:: Southern Mississippi (12-3), Duquesne (9-5), Texas Southern (6-9).

11 Jan10 - Roadsick

2011-01-12T08:15:00.004-05:00

Volume XV, No. 10 - 11 Jan 10 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Roadsick

"It's a typical situation in these typical times." We were saying exactly the same thing this time last year -- (last year's column for this week was entitled "Road Worriers") -- so don't read too much into any scores that seemed surprising. The first solid week of conference play always brings "shocking results" with ranked teams losing on the road to unranked opponents who pull off noisy upsets. Some bad losses are more bad than others; some good wins are more meaningful in the long run than others.
12-2 Georgia beat Kentucky @77-70; the Dogs weren't completely healthy in the preseason (but still managed an elite record); it's the best result so far in the Mark Fox Era, and with two superstar talents (bTravis Leslie and fTrey Thompkins) this year's UGa squad just might have lasting power in conference play and beyond. Colorado beat Missouri @89-76 (behind 36p from bAlec Burks) -- the Big 12 is too tough for the Buffaloes to remain a factor. South Carolina knocked off Vanderbilt @83-75(OT) in a result that won't mean much in the long run. 9-6 Penn State's @66-62 win over Michigan State says more about the Spartans' inability to control winnable games. 12-2 Oklahoma State's @76-62 win over Kansas State says a little about both squads: OkSU can still get things done without the scariest roster in the land, and KSU's chemistry/personnel problems continue to dog a team that had too high expectations at the start of the season.

Cincinnati posted an impressive @66-46 throttling of rival Xavier in its annual CROSSTOWN SHOOTOUT before losing for the first time at Villanova, 61-@72; cYancy Gates had been a dominating presence against a weak preseason schedule, but he was no factor against the guard-oriented Wildcats.
9-6 Houston handed Central Florida its first loss, @76-71; but UCF (led by Michael Jordan's son, 6-3 sophomore gMarcus Jordan) is still the team most likely to knock Memphis out of the top spot in Conference USA.

Notre Dame had a good week with two home wins (@73-70 vs Connecticut, @76-61 over St. John's), but both opponents were just as impressive in other contests: UConn won a thrilling 82-@81(OT) at Texas on Player of the Year-leader gKemba Walker's game-winner; StJnU earlier knocked off suddenly shaky Georgetown @61-58. Gtown also lost at home to West Virginia @59-65.

BYU won a big early road game at UNLV 89-@77 (behind 39p5a from pJimmer Fredette, who enters the conversation for Player of the Year with that performance); the Mountain West is too strong and deep for one win to give them "control" of the race, but they've made the first move.
     Butler was pounded at Wisconsin-Milwaukee 52-@76 but turned around and pasted Cleveland State @79-56 before finishing the week by escaping 6-9 Youngstown State @84-79. Five teams (Butler, Cleveland State, Valparaiso, Wright State and Detroit) are off to strong starts in league play -- the Bulldogs have their hands full trying to maintain their hold on things in their own backyard.
     Missouri State won the two toughest games on its conference schedule, 67-@55 at Creighton and 59-@56 at Wichita State, to take an early stranglehold on the Missouri Valley race.
     Austin Peay is already 5-0 with a two-game gap on the field in the Ohio Valley conference, thanks to an @86-80(OT) win back in December over Morehead State and a 66-@64 win this week at Murray State. Wagner struck an early blow of its own with a 63-@58 win at Quinnipiac, to get a jump in the Northeast (but Long Island is off to a strong start as well). American's @81-75 win over Lehigh gives the Eagles an early edge in the Patriot.

The Colonial looks deeper this year so far; Old Dominion and surprising Georgia State have continued good form from the preseason into conference play while Hofstra and VCU have made their mark (both at the expense of Drexel).
The Atlantic Sun looks headed for another multi-team Battle Royale as Jacksonville, East Tennessee State and Belmont have continued to look strong in league play (at the expense of Lipscomb).

It's way early, but three #1-seeds are already glaringly obvious: Duke, Ohio State and Kansas (each with cushy "2nd-" and "3rd-"round Pods awaiting them come tourney time [Charlotte, Cleveland and Tulsa]). Whoever comes out of the Big East will be the automatic fourth #1-seed, but that league is so jammed with solid teams this year that the unbalance schedule and a favorable draw will have more to do with who emerges as regular season and tournament champ this year than any clear-cut determination of the best squad -- a non-bye Big East team could easily still be strong enough to reach the Final Four.

San Diego State's undefeated record gets a strong test this week with a home game Wednesday vs UNLV and a road game Saturday at New Mexico. St. John's has two big home games (Wednesday vs Syracuse, Sunday vs Notre Dame) that might finally get a national bandwagon going for them -- (remember coach Steve Lavin is legitimately good and he has his so-so personnel overachieving big time). Tennessee's 8-game stretch without coach Bruce Pearl got off to a rocky start at Arkansas (65-@68), but at least the Volunteers get two games at home this week (Tuesday vs Florida, Saturday vs Vanderbilt).

-- Ron

[P.S. In this year's Pigskin Pool Party, the POINT SPREADS from USA Today wound up doing a better job picking the bowl games than any of the actual contestants -- first time an "expert" entry has outdone everyone in either the PPP or Hoops Contest.
Yours Truly finished an agonizing second by just one tiebreaker point in the highest scoring Pool of its young 4-year history.]

Key games this week:
Monday:: NotreDame-@Marquette,
Tuesday:: Wisconsin-@MichiganSt, Florida-@Tennessee,
Wednesday:: Syracuse-@StJohns(NY), Pittsburgh-@Georgetown, Louisville-@Villanova, @SanDiegoSt-UNLV, @TexasA&M-OklahomaSt, @Vanderbilt-Georgia, @NewMexico-ColoradoSt, @Xavier-~~Massachusetts~~, @LaSalle-~~Penn~~(PhiladelphiaPA)(BIG5),
Thursday:: Washington-@~~Stanford~~, Purdue-@Minnesota, @NCarolina-VirginiaTech, @Drexel-OldDominion, @Belmont-~~Lipscomb~~(NashvilleTN), @~~UTValley~~-~~{Seattle}~~,
Friday:: @Detroit-Butler,
Saturday:: @Syracuse-Cincinnati, @TexasA&M-Missouri, SanDiegoSt-@NewMexico, Illinois-@Wisconsin, @Tennessee-Vanderbilt(TN), @SoMississippi-CFlorida, @Memphis-Marshall, @Hofstra-OldDominion, @Xavier-~~Dayton~~(OH), @~~Stanford~~-WashingtonSt, @Jacksonville-~~ETennesseeSt~~, @~~OhioU~~-~~KentSt~~(OH),
Sunday:: NotreDame-@StJohns, Purdue-@WVirginia, @WrightSt-Butler.

Top 25 - 11 Jan 10 - [] Column

Duke (15-0)
Ohio State (15-0)
Kansas (15-0)
Syracuse (16-0)
Pittsburgh (15-1)
Notre Dame (14-2)
Connecticut (12-2)
BYU (15-1)
Kentucky (12-3)
Texas (12-3)
Louisville (13-2)
Georgetown (12-4)
Missouri (13-2)
San Diego State (15-0)
Texas A&M (13-1)
Washington (12-3)
Villanova (14-1)
Purdue (15-1)
UNLV (13-3)
Illinois (13-3)
Wisconsin (10-3)
St. John's (10-4)
Florida (12-3)
Cincinnati (15-1)
West Virginia (10-4)

Honorable Mention:: Georgia (12-2), Colorado (12-4), South Carolina (10-4), Houston (9-6), Penn State (9-6), Oklahoma State (12-2).

11 Jan3 - Postiviely Charged

2011-01-04T07:43:00.004-05:00

Volume XV, No. 9 - 11 Jan 3 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Positively Charged

As it turns out, I've seen more live college hoops games out of town than in town. I've seen Georgia Tech play, but haven't caught my usual share of Georgia State and Kennesaw State games.
Last month, I caught Baylor-Arizona State (@68-54) in Waco -- huge front line, bLaceDarius Dunn can shoot them into or out of a game, how quickly freshman cPerry Jones III asserts his stardom will determine whether they can break through to the Sweet 16 or beyond. This past week, I was able to see UNLV at home against Central Michigan (@73-47), and St. Mary's play a home-away-from-home game in Las Vegas against Mississippi State (@94-72). [They were getting used to Orleans Arena which will host this year's WCC tournament.] The Rebels had a bad day shooting from outside, but their defense is solid -- Sweet 16, but no further. The Gaels' strength is their backcourt -- slow, but good shooters and scorers; they'll give struggling Gonzaga a run inside the WCC, but a first-round splash would be an overachievement.

After a preseason of neutral-site matchups, it's on to the positively charged environments of conference play. Results that you might expect in November and December can be quite different in January and February. Pittsburgh handled Connecticut with relative easy in front of a home crowd, @78-63. Notre Dame let Georgetown shoot itself out of the game from deep in its surprising @69-55 win; but the Fighting Irish had just as much trouble on the road themselves, falling at Syracuse 58-@70. Minnesota lost two road games: 62-@71 at Michigan State, and 60-@68 at Wisconsin; but Wisconsin lost 61-@69 on the road at Illinois.
You'd expect the home wins and road losses to all even out -- except that ractically no league plays a complete balanced schedule anymore, so you have to do a bit more reading of tea leaves in this era. Losing a single-digit decision on the road isn't a major cause for concern; but double-digit (15+)-point losses or losing at home is a real worry. (Only Pitt over UConn counts as decisive in that respect.) West Virginia lost at home to St. John's, @71-81, as well as on the road at Marquette, 74-@79. Arizona fell 75-@76 at 7-6 Oregon State (coached by the President's brother-in-law, Craig Robinson).

Some few rivalry games are still going on. Kentucky completed the sweep of its Bluegrass Quartet rivals with an impressive road blowout of Louisville, 78-@63. The youngsters (pBrandon Knight, gDoron Lamb and fTerrence Jones) as well as senior cJosh Harrellson are coming into their own nicely.

Villanova has already wrapped up this year's Big 5 title, completing the sweep of the other D-I Phildadelphia schools with a @78-74 win over Temple. They don't play the sixth [non-BIG 5] Philly school, Drexel, though (which is a pretty good squad this year, actually.)

College of Charleston was the latest team to post a not-so-shocking-anymore upset of Tennessee, winning 91-@78 in Knoxville; but their celebration didn't last as they fell to Morehead State next time out, 49-@69.

Colorado State was the best among three 2-1 teams in the HILLTOP CHALLENGE at San Francisco (USF, Hampton); it's the Rams' second tourney win after taking the CANCUN GOVERNOR'S CUP in December.
Didn't see it coming, but Georgia State registered an Unwelcome Guest victory, taking the DP CLASSIC crown over host Chattanooga, 81-@76 in the final.

In some of the few remaining out-of-conference clashes, Connecticut travels to Texas on Saturday; unbeaten Cincinnati hosts arch-rival Xavier on Thursday in the latest edition of the CROSSTOWN SHOOTOUT; and Memphis gets to pile on to careening Tennessee on Wednesday.
In conference play, UNLV hosts BYU on Wednesday in the first of this season's MWC Wars. (San Diego State and New Mexico are also tourney-worth, and more). Cleveland State gets its chance to challenge Butler's supremacy in the Horizon League when the Vikings travel to Indianapolis on Friday. St. John's (Monday vs Georgetown, Saturday at Notre Dame), Notre Dame (Tuesday vs Connecticut, Saturday vs St. John's) and Georgetown (Monday at St. John's, Saturday vs West Virginia) get double-duty this week in the rough-and-tumble Big East.

-- Ron

[P.S. Couldn't be happier that it was Stanford who stopped UConn's (admittedly great) 90-game win streak.]

Top 25 - 11 Jan 3 - [] Column

Duke (13-0)
Ohio State (13-0)
Pittsburgh (13-1)
Syracuse (15-0)
Kansas (13-0)
Kentucky (11-2)
Notre Dame (12-2)
Georgetown (12-2)
Connecticut (11-1)
Missouri (13-1)
Texas (11-2)
Louisville (11-2)
UNLV (12-2)
San Diego State (13-0)
Texas A&M (11-1)
Washington (10-3)
Villanova (12-1)
Purdue (13-1)
BYU (13-1)
Vanderbilt (11-2)
Central Florida (12-0)
Illinois (12-3)
Michigan State (8-4)
Wisconsin (9-3)
St. John's (9-3)

Honorable Mention:: Oregon State (7-6), Morehead State (9-6), Georgia State (6-5) [2@D.P.]

10 Dec27 - Big E, Mids (PRECONFERENCE)

2010-12-28T17:55:00.003-05:00

Volume XV, No. 8 - 10 Dec 27: PRECONFERENCE - [] Top 25 Ballot

Big E, Mids

Mid-Major teams racked up 3 of the last 4 holiday tournaments, bringing their total for the preseason to a whopping 11 (compared to 15 by the BCS schools). That's good enough to share the headline for the year so far with the fantastic performance by the Big East (7 by itself).
Butler got some of its swagger back by beating Utah (74-62), outmuscling Florida State (67-64), and then manhandling soft Washington State (84-68) to take the second annual DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC. Northern Iowa showed it still has some life left by taking the LAS VEGAS[-CHRISTMAS] CLASSIC crown at Orleans Arena over New Mexico (66-60). Colorado State beat Mississippi (68-61) and Southern Mississippi (63-58) to take the inaugural CANCUN[-CHRISTMAS] GOVERNOR'S CUP. What turned out to be the second annual LAS VEGAS[-HOLIDAY HOOPS] CLASSIC at South Point Arena was only a part of a 13-day "Basketball Central" extravaganza featuring as many as 5 games a day of men's, women's, D-I, D-II, D-III and high school teams. Miami(Florida) won 4 round-robin games among its 6-team "B" group (Rice, Akron, Oral Roberts et al.) while San Diego State won 2 round-robin games among its 3-team "A" group (San Francisco and IUPUI).

Oklahoma State's @79-68 win over Stanford completed an 8-4 win for the Big 12 in its final HARDWOOD SERIES with the Pac-10.

Texas snapped slumping Michigan State's home non-conference win streak with a 67-@55 road win. Tennessee continued its struggles with two more home squeakers: a @64-65 loss to USC, and a @66-65 win over a Belmont team they had beaten by 9 back in November. 7-3 Jacksonville made noise for the Atlantic Sun with a 71-@68(OT) road win at up-and-down Florida. gJacob Pullen and fCurtis Kelly sat out suspensions as Kansas State lost @59-63 to UNLV in Kansas City. Missouri won its annual split-crowd BRAGGIN' RIGHTS showdown with Illinois, @75-@64. Georgetown won going away at Memphis, 86-@69. Syracuse drubbed upstart Drexel @93-65 while Ohio State handled giant-killer Oakland @92-63.

Looking back on the preseason as a whole, gKemba Walker(Connecticut) stands head-and-shoulders above anyone else in Player of the Year consideration so far; cJuJuan Johnson(Purdue) is one of the few other veteran stars who has turned in any kind of POY-calibre performance. It's tough to classify cJared Sullinger(Ohio State), pKyrie Irving(Duke) and bJosh Selby(Kansas) as total GC players since they're all three on teams that are Top-10 even without them.

Here's how the conferences look after the preseason:

BIG EAST - Forget the departed star power. This league had as dominant a preseason as it ever has. The only blemish was losing 1-3 in the INVITATIONAL double-headers with the SEC. Syracuse [2v2:LEGENDS], Connecticut [3:MAUI] (gKemba Walker) and Cincinnati came through undefeated; Pittsburgh [2v2:COACHES VS CANCER], Georgetown (gAustin Freeman) [3:CHARLESTON], Notre Dame [3:ORLANDO], Louisville [RR4G.S-C], Villanova and West Virginia all had just one loss; rejuvenated St. John's (coach Steve Lavin) [3:GREAT ALASKA] made noise as well.
BIG 12 - Won 8-4 in its final HARDWOOD SERIES with the PAC-10. Kansas [2v2:LAS VEGAS.I-THANX] (GC gJosh Selby, fMarcus Morris) was unbeaten; Missouri [2v2:CANCUN.C-THANX], Texas A&M and Oklahoma State lost once; Texas had big wins; Kansas State and Baylor (bLaceDarius Dunn) didn't live up to overhyped expectations; Iowa State [RR4G.S-C/H.V] made noise.
BIG 10 - Won its CHALLENGE with the ACC 6-5 for the second straight year. Ohio State [RR4G.S-A] (GC cJared Sullinger) was unbeaten; Minnesota [3:PUERTO RICO], Purdue (cJuJuan Johnson) and Northwestern had one loss; Illinois (pDemetri McCamey) and Michigan State disappointed; Wisconsin and Michigan were strong as well.
SEC - Won its INVITAIONAL double-headers with the BIG EAST 3-1. Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Florida were solid; Tennessee [2v2:NIT TIP-OFF] was alternately great and terrible (and faces conference play with coach Bruce Pearl suspended for the first 8 games).
CONFERENCE USA - Unbeaten Central Florida made noise; Memphis [RR4G.S-B], Southern Mississippi, UAB, UTEP and Marshall were impressive against weak schedules.
MOUNTAIN WEST - Crushed the MVC 8-1 in their CHALLENGE. San Diego State was unbeaten; Nevada-Las Vegas [3:ANAHEIM] and Brigham Young [2v2:SOUTH PADRE] (pJimmer Fredette) were great; Colorado State [3:CANCUN.G-XMAS] made noise; New Mexico and Air Force were solid.
COLONIAL - Drexel had a big win; Old Dominion [3:PARADISE JAM] was great; James Madison, George Mason and Virginia Commonwealth were solid.
ACC - Lost 5-6 in its CHALLENGE with the BIG 10. Duke [2v2:CBE] (GC pKyrie Irving, tKyle Singler) was unbeaten; but only Boston College and Florida State were solid; North Carolina and Virginia Tech were disappointments; Miami(Florida) [RR4:LAS VEGAS HOLIDAY-B] made noise.
ATLANTIC 10 - Temple and Richmond [2v2:CHICAGO] made big splashes; Massachusetts [RR4HALLoFAME], Xavier, Dayton and St. Bonaventure were solid; even lowly St. Joseph's [RR3PHILLY] won a tournament.
PAC-10 - Lost 4-8 in its final HARDWOOD SERIES with the BIG 12. Arizona and Washington State were solid; Washington was overhyped but still good; UCLA, California, Arizona State and Southern California were all spoiler-quality.
SOUTHLAND - Stephen F. Austin and Texas-San Antonio had good preseasons; Northwestern State, Sam Houston State and McNeese State showed promise. Nicholls State was a disappointment.
WAC - Utah State and Hawaii were good; San Jose State, Louisiana Tech and Boise State followed close behind. New Mexico State was a bust.
HORIZON - Cleveland State [RR4W.V.C-OHIO] was a surprise; Illinois-Chicago had a splash win; Loyola(Illinois) was solid; Butler [3:DIAMOND] struggled early but came on late.
SUMMIT - Oakland made a splash against a murderous schedule; South Dakota State and Missouri-Kansas City posted good records against much easier competition. Oral Roberts couldn't get it together. Centenary was winless.
WEST COAST - St. Mary's and Portland had good preseasons; Gonzaga was up-and-down against a tough schedule.
MISSOURI VALLEY - Drubbed 1-8 in its CHALLENGE with the MWC. Wichita State was good but made no noise; Northern Iowa [2v2:LAS VEGAS C-XMAS] came through late; Missouri State and Illinois State were solid.
BIG SOUTH - Coastal Carolina was good; Virginia Military was OK.
NORTHEAST - Quinnipiac was quietly very good; Long Island may be its only rival.
ATLANTIC SUN - Jacksonville made a splash; Belmont and Lipscomb were solid; Campbell was OK.
IVY - Harvard was quietly solid; Princeton showed more scoring punch than usual; Penn was a disappointment.
MEAC - Hampton was solid. Morgan State disappointed.
SUN BELT - North Texas was solid. Western Kentucky was a bust.
AMERICA EAST - Vermont was solid. Stony Brook was a bust; Maryland-Balitmore County was winless.
SOUTHERN - College of Charleston was solid; Furman and Samford were good. Davidson was a disappointment. North Carolina-Greensboro was winless.
MID-AMERICAN - Kent State and Buffalo were the best of a sorry bunch. Ohio University was a bust.
OHIO VALLEY - Murray State was sort of OK; Morehead State (cKenneth Faried) is right with them.
BIG SKY - Northern Arizona was good; Montana will challenge.
METRO ATLANTIC - Fairfield led a disappointing preseason for all. Siena was a bust. Marist was winless.
BIG WEST - California-Santa Barbara made noise.
PATRIOT - Lehigh was as good as any among a weak group. Colgate was winless.
INDEPENDENTS - {Seattle} had the closest thing to a real win. Longwood was a bust.
GREAT WEST - Utah Valley was OK at best.
SWAC - Jackson State was the least bad of the worst league. Alcorn State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff were winless.

-- Ron

P.S. Have a safe and Happy New Year!

Top 25 - 10 Dec 27: PRECONFERENCE - [] Column

Duke (10-0) [2v2:CBE]
Ohio State (11-0) [RR4G.S-A]
Connecticut (10-0) [3:MAUI]
Georgetown (11-1) [3:CHARLESTON]
Pittsburgh (12-1) [2v2:COACHESvCANCER]
Syracuse (13-0) [2v2:LEGENDS]
Kansas (11-0) [2v2:LAS VEGAS-THANX]
San Diego State (13-0)
Missouri (11-1) [2v2:CANCUN.C-THANX]
Kentucky (9-2)
Louisville (10-1) [RR4G.S-C]
Notre Dame (11-1) [3:ORLANDO]
UNLV (11-2) [3:ANAHEIM]
Purdue (11-1)
Minnesota (11-1) [3:PUERTO RICO]
Texas (10-2)
BYU (12-1) [2v2:SOUTH PADRE]
Texas A&M (10-1)
Villanova (10-1)
Temple (9-2)
West Virginia (8-2)
Vanderbilt (9-2)
Central Florida (10-0)
Washington (8-3)
Arizona (11-2)

Honorable Mention:: Richmond (10-3) [2v2:CHICAGO], Tennessee (8-3) [2v2:NIT TIP-OFF], Butler (8-4) [3:DIAMOND HEAD], Northern Iowa (6-3) [2v2:LAS VEGAS C-XMAS], Colorado State (9-3) [3:CANCUN.G-XMAS], St. John's (7-3) [3:GREAT ALASKA], Massachusetts (7-4) [RR4HALLoFAME], Old Dominion (8-2) [3:PARADISE JAM], St. Joseph's (3-8) [RR3PHILLY], Memphis (9-2) [RR4G.S-B], Iowa State (11-2) [RR4G.S-D/H.V], Miami(Florida) (10-3) [v3:LAS VEGAS HOLIDAY-B], Cleveland State (10-1) [RR4W.V.C-OHIO].

10 Dec21 - Holiday Hiccups

2010-12-21T07:20:00.003-05:00

Volume XV, No. 7 - 10 Dec 20 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Holiday Hiccups

Just when you lavish praise on a team, they turn around and lay an egg. Tennessee did it twice!!! First, they lost @82-89 at home to a 6-5 Oakland team that has played a tough schedule with mixed results. But that didn't wake them up as they fell again 48-@49 to a 5-6 Charlotte team on the road. You figured they'd have some bad losses during the first 8 games of the SEC schedule when coach Bruce Pearl will have to sit out a suspension; but not now.
Meanwhile, Louisville lost at home to 7-1 Drexel, @46-52. BYU's schedule caught up to them in the JOHN WOODEN CLASSIC, as they couldn't handle 6-4 UCLA, 79-@86. Illinois' woes scoring easy points hasn't been rectified by an influx of talent -- it can be a bad thing for a point guard to dominate the ball as much as pDemetri McCamey does -- as they lost to 5-7 Illinois-Chicago, @54-@57. UNLV lost at home to 5-4 UC-Santa Barbara, @62-68.

Generally speaking, these preseason hiccups don't mean a lot. Teams are looking forward to the holidays and the upcoming conference schedule and can look past a pesky squad playing the biggest game on its schedule. Don't read too much into those results.
More troubling, though, are the losses where you can clearly see the quality of the opponent coming. Baylor (which has Final Four talent) couldn't handle struggling Gonzaga in front of a Dallas crowd at THE SHOWCASE, falling @64-68. Kansas State got worse and worse as the game went on in its 44-@57 loss to Florida in the ORANGE BOWL CLASSIC; pJacob Pullen is having a tough time being a scoring point guard and the Wildcats are absolutely horrible on the free throw line.

Kansas barely squeaked by USC, @70-68, but the game-winning three-pointer came from freshman gJosh Selby (21p), who was making his debut after sitting out a preseason suspension.

The last four major preseason tournaments are on tap this week. No major fields, but a win is worth taking notice. The 8-bracket DIAMOND HEAD (Washington State, Baylor, Butler, Mississippi State with newly eligible fRenardo Sidney) is the best of the bunch. The new 8-bracket CANCUN GOVERNOR'S CUP (Southern Mississippi, Mississippi) could wind up with an in-state final.
There are actually two tournaments going on in Las Vegas this week. The 10th annual 2x4 LAS VEGAS[-CHRISTMAS] CLASSIC (New Mexico, Northern Iowa, Indiana) concludes at Orleans Arena on Wednesday and Thursday. Meanwhile, the new LAS VEGAS "HOLIDAY HOOPS" CLASSIC (Miami(Florida), Rice) -- a 6-choose-4 round-robin -- features three double-headers at South Point Arena on Tuesday through Thursday. [Too bad my trip's still another week away!]

(Geno Auriema is far from my favorite personality, but hats off to the Connecticut women's program for tying UCLA's all-time win streak at 88 games. It's probably a better accomplishment by comparison, too. They've done it in the face of well established rival powerhouse programs [Tennessee, Stanford]. The '71-74 Bruin men didn't have rivals with national championships to their name and Hall of Fame coaches on their benches.)

Happy Holidays, everybody!

-- Ron

Top 25 - 10 Dec 20 - [] Column

Duke (10-0)
Ohio State (9-0)
Connecticut (8-0)
Georgetown (10-1)
Pittsburgh (11-1)
Syracuse (11-0)
Kansas (10-0)
San Diego State (11-0)
Missouri (10-1)
Kentucky (8-2)
Louisville (9-1)
Notre Dame (10-1)
UNLV (10-2)
Purdue (10-1)
Minnesota (10-1)
Michigan State (7-3)
Tennessee (7-2)
Central Florida (9-0)
Florida (8-2)
Kansas State (8-2)
BYU (10-1)
Texas A&M (9-1)
Villanova (9-1)
Temple (8-2)
West Virginia (8-2)

Honorable Mention:: Drexel (7-1), UCLA (6-4), Oakland (6-6), Charlotte (5-6), UC-Santa Barbara (5-4), IL-Chicago (5-7).

10 Dec13 - Don't Look Back

2010-12-16T13:52:00.003-05:00

Volume XV, No. 6 - 10 Dec 13 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Don't Look Back

SEC suspension on the horizon, NCAA sanctions certain to come ... who cares!!?? CARPE DIEM! Why not grab the best win of the season so far (on the road at Pittsburgh)!? That's what Tennessee pulled off on Saturday, 83-@76. With the Vols undefeated, the only thing keeping them from a #1-ranking is their scoring margin. The likes of Kansas, Duke, Ohio State, Louisville and Brigham Young (20+ppg) are way above UTn (12ppg) in that department -- a sign of less than complete domination of their schedule. Still, it's hard to make the Panthers quit in front of their own crowd, which is exactly what happened.
Earlier in the week, Kentucky borrowed Louisville's home floor to post a @72-58 win over Bluegrass Quartet rival Notre Dame. Arkansas' @71-62 win over Seton Hall gave the SEC a 3-1 win over the BIG EAST in their double-double-header INVITATIONAL. (Rutgers beat Auburn @63-54 in Pittsburgh.)
Texas A&M held on for a @63-62 win over double-dipping Washington to clinch the final HARDWOOD SERIES for the BIG 12 over the PAC-10. (The last remaining game, Stanford at Oklahoma State on 21 December, can't topple a 7-4 lead.)

At the JIMMY V CLASSIC in New York, Syracuse kept Michigan State in a funk with a @72-58 "home" win. Kansas handled Memphis 81-68 in the other double-header game.

Louisville doesn't have the star power from other years, but a solid @77-69 win over tough UNLV in the BILLY MINARDI CLASSIC is worth taking notice. (The early season win over Butler has lost its lustre, but UofL hasn't looked back.)
Missouri pulled out an OT win at home this time, over Vanderbilt @85-82(OT). Meanwhile, Temple knocked off Georgetown at home, @68-65. BYU pounded a talented Arizona squad, @87-65.

It's mostly showcase double-headers on tap for the week coming up.

-- Ron

P.S. Don't forget: the deadline for this year's Pigskin Pool Party (Ron's free College Football Bowl Season Pool) [http://www.RonMcBay.US/Pigskin/index.html] is THIS SATURDAY, 18 DECEMBER 2010 (2PMet).

Top 25 - 10 Dec 13 - [] Column

Duke (10-0)
Louisville (8-0)
Kansas (9-0)
BYU (10-0)
Ohio State (8-0)
Tennessee (7-0)
Connecticut (8-0)
Syracuse (10-0)
Kansas State (8-1)
UNLV (9-1)
Pittsburgh (10-1)
San Diego State (9-0)
Baylor (6-0)
Georgetown (9-1)
Kentucky (7-2)
Notre Dame (9-1)
Illinois (10-1)
Purdue (9-0)
Minnesota (9-1)
Missouri (8-1)
Michigan State (6-3)
Vanderbilt (7-2)
Texas A&M (8-1)
Villanova (8-1)
Temple (7-2)

Honorable Mention:: Washington State (7-1).

10 Dec 6 - Challenging Days

2010-12-10T14:49:00.003-05:00

Volume XV, No. 5 - 10 Dec 6 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Challenging Days

The BIG 10 won its head-to-head CHALLENGE against the ACC 6-5 for the second straight year (after 10 straight losses). Worse for the ACC, it was 5-2 at the top (with only Duke beating Michigan State, @84-79, and Virginia upsetting Minnesota, 87-@79).
With its biggest preseason game behind it in the win column (and no other league team even ranked in the Top 25), it's time for Duke to start seriously thinking about the "U"-word. (Florida '07 lost its preseason showdown and goofed around in conference before regrouping for a TiTo repeat national title; the Blue Devils are already ahead of that pace.)
Freshman pKyrie Irving is actually leading the way for DU. It's no coincidence that the two most impressive first-year players so far (pIrving and Ohio State's cJared Sullinger) are also the ones who have stepped into the situations with the most talent around them among all the newcomers.

The BIG 12 got off to a commanding 5-0 lead on the PAC-10 in its head-to-head HARDWOOD SERIES, but with Washington getting to play twice, things might actually wind up tied by the end if Stanford could pull off a road upset at Oklahoma State in the final game Dec 21st.

The MWC reversed its 5-4 loss last year with a dominant 8-1 rout of the MVC (with only Northern Iowa's road win at TCU avoiding a complete sweep).

This week's BIG EAST/SEC INVITATIONAL double-headers are highlighted/marred by virtual home games in the marquee matchups: Pittsburgh hosting Tennessee, and Kentucky hosting Notre Dame in Louisville.

-- Ron

P.S. I'll get the 4th Annual Pigskin Pool Party (http://www.RonMcBay.US/Pigskin/index.html) [Ron's College Football Bowl Season Pool] ready to accept entries next (before I get back to hoops).

Top 25 - 10 Dec 6 - [] Column

Duke (8-0)
Ohio State (6-0)
Connecticut (7-0)
Pittsburgh (9-0)
Baylor (6-0)
Kansas (7-0)
Kansas State (6-1)
UNLV (8-0)
Tennessee (6-0)
Notre Dame (8-0)
BYU (8-0)
Vanderbilt (7-1)
Purdue (7-1)
San Diego State (7-0)
Illinois (8-1)
Louisville (6-0)
Georgetown (8-0)
Michigan State (5-2)
Kentucky (5-2)
Washington (5-2)
Syracuse (8-0)
Minnesota (7-1)
Arizona (7-1)
Memphis (7-0)
Villanova (6-1)

Honorable Mention:: Central Florida (6-0).

10 Nov29 - Kemba Lives!

2010-11-30T21:56:00.003-05:00

Volume XV, No. 3(wk4) - 10 Nov 29 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Kemba Lives!

Kemba Walker had a tremendous week, averaging 30+ in three games at the MAUI INVITATIONAL, as Connecticut surprised veteran Michigan State 70-67 and then ran away from young Kentucky 84-67. On paper, it seems like the Big East has lost a lot of talent from last year, but the league has dominated the preseason so far, taking 7 tournament crowns. (That'll be it, alas, as they don't have any teams entered in either DIAMOND HEAD or the new CANCUN-CHRISTMAS GOVERNOR'S CUP.
Richmond pulled off a shocker, knocking off Purdue 65-54 in the final of the CHICAGO INVITATIONAL CHALLENGE. Notre Dame held off Wisconsin in the final to win the ORLANDO CLASSIC. St. John's made some noise, taking the GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT over disappointing Arizona State in the final. Old Dominion was the surprise winner of the PARADISE JAM past the likes of Clemson, Alabama, Seton Hall, and Xavier in the final.

As if pre-set semifinals wasn't annoying enough -- San Diego State went 5-0 at the CBE CLASSIC, but can claim no better than fifth place -- now the 2x4 tournaments are proclaiming the actual fifth place finisher as the "champion of the consolation bracket". The HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF round-robin didn't even bother to make sure all the teams played the same number of games.
I counted five separate groups of teams all claiming to be playing in some kind of GS CHALLENGE, INVITATIONAL or SHOOTOUT. Four groups of five teams played a four-game round-robin among themselves, and the fifth group of four teams played three round-robin games each. (Not confusing at all!)

Only four years in, this is the final go around for the BIG 12/PAC-10 HARDWOOD SERIES. (Probably no love lost between those two leagues after all of the membership swapping coming next year driven by football. They didn't even seem to bother matching up placement in the standings to make the pairings like is done for the ACC/BIG 10 CHALLENGE; all they seem to have done is repeat the same matchups from last year but swap the home team.)
The ACC has more home games in its head-to-head challenge, but the BIG 10 teams have looked better so far this early season. Not having Missouri State makes a second straight win for the MVC over the MWC unlikely. Kentucky vs Notre Dame in Louisville is an attractive game all on its own, but it's carrying the banner of the SEC/BIG EAST INVITATIONAL to boot this year.

-- Ron

Top 25 - 10 Nov 29 - [] Column

Duke (6-0) [2v2:CBE]
Ohio State (5-0) [RR4GS-A]
Connecticut (5-0) [3:MAUI]
Pittsburgh (7-0) [2v2:CVC]
Baylor (4-0)
Kansas (6-0) [2v2:LAS VEGAS-THANKS]
Kansas State (5-1)
Michigan State (4-1)
Kentucky (4-1)
Richmond (6-1) [2v2:CHICAGO]
Minnesota (6-0) [3:PUERTO RICO]
UNLV (6-0) [3:UNLV]
Tennessee (5-0) [2v2:NIT TIP-OFF]
Notre Dame (7-0) [3:ORLANDO]
BYU (6-0) [2v2:SOUTH PADRE]
Vanderbilt (5-1)
Texas (5-1)
Purdue (5-1)
Washington (3-2)
San Diego State (5-0)
Illinois (6-1)
Louisville (4-0) [RR4GS-C]
Georgetown (6-0) [3:CHARLESTON]
Missouri (5-0) [2v2:CANCUN-THANX]
Syracuse (6-0) [2v2:LEGENDS]

Honorable Mention:: St. John's (4-1) [3:GREAT ALASKA], Massachusetts (6-0) [RR4HALL OF FAME], Old Dominion (5-1) [3:PARADISE JAM], Memphis (5-0) [RR4GS-B], Iowa State (5-0) [RR4GS-D/HV].

10 Nov22 - Old Blood

2010-11-23T22:42:00.002-05:00

Volume XV, No. 2(wk3) - 10 Nov 22 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Old Blood

A handful of the new stars have made an instant impact, but for the most part, the first two weeks' major wins have come from veteran leadership from experienced teams.

ESPN's Larry Conley pointed out that, out of 10,000 college basketball games last year, only 12 involved a matchup of Top-10 teams. Hard to believe, but it highlighted the significance of Ohio State's visit to Florida as part of the TIP-OFF MARATHON. Can you lose the Player of the Year and be better? The answer might be "yes". The Buckeyes (with everybody back except tEvan Turner) throttled the Gators (with all five starters back), 93-@75. The replacement starter is freshman 6-9 cJared Sullinger, who may not be better overall than tTurner, but by giving them a real post presence in the paint, it makes the OSU a more balanced team than last year. (Still, winning the Big 10 TiTo with a Sweet 16 finish is no automatic feat for any team.)

Illinois figured to hit the ground running (also with all five starters returning plus some talented additions), but last year's trouble finding easy offense is still a problem at the start of this year. Texas edged them 90-84(OT) in the semis of COACHES VS CANCER in New York and they couldn't put away Maryland (80-76) in the third-place game, either. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh's veteran blue-collar squad ground its way to the title, clipping the Longhorns 68-66 in the final (thanks to the inside presence of redshirt freshman 6-9 cTalib Zanna).
Gonzaga missed the leadership of last year's lead guard bMatt Bouldin, as tSteven Gray has had to do too much in the early going. Veteran San Diego State handled the Bulldogs in Spokane, 79-@76, in a Warmup game for the CBE CLASSIC. Unfortunately, CBE isn't set up as a pure elimination bracket, so Gonzaga gets to play in the pre-set semifinals in Kansas City despite the loss (while the Aztecs are relegated to the consolation round-robin hosted by Miami(Ohio)). (Makes it a lot tougher to keep straight which is the stronger team when the loser advances [and gets to augment its strength of schedule to boot].)
The issue for Kansas State is how will pJacob Pullen fare without his backcourtmate tDenis Clemente from last year. So far so good (despite the bashing Bob Knight gave him on TV). The Wildcats thrashed veteran Virginia Tech @73-57 in their TIP-OFF MARATHON feature game. KSU is plenty physical inside, but outside shooting may be a problem if pPullen struggles.

Butler couldn't handle a revamped Louisville squad, falling 73-@88. Veteran Murray State couldn't keep last year's magic going, falling badly at Mississippi, 61-@77.

North Carolina is vastly improved at one spot, small forward, with the addition of freshman 6-7 fHarrison Barnes; but Minnesota punished them inside (winning 72-67) and Vanderbilt handled them outside (in a 72-65 win) as they dropped two games in PUERTO RICO. The veteran Golden Gophers went on to win the crown, outlasting West Virginia, 74-70, in the final.
Georgetown cruised to the CHARLESTON crown, with runaway wins past Coastal Carolina, Wofford and N.C. State. (Their best win, though, was a 62-@59 dogfight on the road at tough Old Dominion.)
VCU pounded host Wake Forest 90-@69 to earn a spot in New York in the semifinals of the NIT SEASON TIP-OFF.

tLaceDarius Dunn will be back on court for Baylor this week, returning from his suspension for legal problems. Coach Bruce Pearl's problems have only just begun at Tennessee, as the SEC suspended him for the first 8 conference games (after the school barely reprimanded him at all for recruiting violations and covering them up on top of that). (The NCAA's punishment is yet to come, however.)

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

-- Ron

[P.S. Check the Key Games and Scores page on the official HLS website ( http://www.ronmcbay.us/HLS/hoops.scores-frame.html ) for an overview of the season's schedule.

Top 25 - 10 Nov 22 - [] Column

Duke (3-0)
Ohio State (3-0)
Michigan State (2-0)
Kansas State (3-0)
Pittsburgh (5-0) [2v2:CVC]
Purdue (3-0)
Baylor (3-0)
Washington (2-0)
San Diego State (4-0)
Florida (3-1)
Kansas (3-0)
Kentucky (2-0)
Gonzaga (2-1)
BYU (3-0)
Minnesota (5-0) [3:P.RICO]
West Virginia (2-1)
Vanderbilt (3-1)
UNLV (3-0)
Tennessee (3-0)
Texas (3-1)
Illinois (4-1)
Louisville (2-0)
Georgetown (5-0) [3:CHARLESTON]
Missouri (2-0)
Syracuse (4-0)

Honorable Mention:: VCU (3-0), Villanova (4-0), Memphis (4-0).