Quote:
Originally Posted by tchariya
Scary what Bruce Weber landed as a recruiting class for the Fighting Illini during this past weekend.
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I looked for a "smilie" that said "THIS POST IS WORTHLESS WITHOUT NAMES", but I couldn't find one.
Give me a few of them, and I'll tell you if it scares me too. Regardless, I don't think they'll win Illinois many games THIS year.
Being early in the season, it is hard to tell what games have meaning, and which are meaningless. Hey, are you gonna tell me you foresaw the seasons Butler and Northern Iowa had last year . . . or the season U. Conn or my Tar Heels did? So I'm going to give a quick rundown now of the contests involving ranked teams tomorrow, then try to go back later to pick out a few that . . . at the least . . interest me.
As for "Name Games", we'll have:
# 2 Michigan State vs. Eastern Michigan = An in-state battle that won't be much of one.
# 3 Kansas State vs. James Madison = In past years, JMU may have given K-State a game. This is not a past year.
# 4 Ohio State vs. N.C. A&T = Do you really have to wonder?
# 6 Villanova vs. Bucknell = Were this one of those scholar's College Bowls, we'd have a contest. But as it's not in the boardroom, but on the hardwood, we won't.
# 7 Kansas vs. Longwood = It seems the Jayhawks still won't have Josh Selby for this game. They won't need him, either.
# 8 North Carolina vs. Lipscomb = The Heels should be better this season. They won't have to be to win this one.
# 9 Florida vs. N.C. Wilmington = Off the top of my head, I could name a dozen teams from the Old North State who could give the Gators a better test.
# 10 Syracuse vs. Northern Iowa = Were this last year's NI team, this would be interesting, with their tough man-to-man pitted against the Orange zone. But this isn't last year's Northern Iowa team. Yet it ain't last year's 'Cuse team either. This could be half a game, for a half or so.
# 11 Kentucky vs. East Tennessee State = This shouldn't be half a game after the first ten minutes, even if Enes isn't "freed" . . . or if somebody else isn't "bought" on his behalf.
# 12 Gonzaga vs. Southern = The Zags are much too cocky for their own good, and will likely never be as good as they think they are. But they don't lose games like this one.
# 16 Baylor vs. Grambling State = The Bears had, for them, a phenomenal season last year. I don't expect this one to be better, but it won't get worse with this type of competition.
# 19 Memphis vs. Centenary = And by contrast, the Tigers had a "bad" season in the C-USA, at least by their normal standards. If their young talent, and young coach, are as good as their reputations, they will start their turnaround with a total walkover.
# 20 Georgetown vs. Old Dominion = Hmmmmmm. HMMMMMMMMM! Now, wait a second here. Could we actually have a real game here? The Hoyas have not been world-beaters in recent years, and the Monarchs were pretty damn good last year . . . and might even be better this one. If you only have time to watch one game tomorrow, this could be the one to pick.
# 21 Virginia Tech vs. Campbell = And this might be the one to skip. No, the Hokies ain't that great, and the Camels ain't that bad, but thing is . . . who cares?
# 22 Temple vs Seton Hall = The Owls have a decided edge here, and would even IF the Pirates hadn't had such a soap-opera going on the last few months. Next year, or maybe the next, and this could be more fun. This year, I'd expect the Hall to play as though lost . . . spelled with a LOT of "L"'s.
# 23 Tennessee vs. Chattanooga = And speaking of soap-operas, the Vols have had their share too. As for the Mocs, they may be better than they were, and could hang for a good part of this match-up. But just because they are not the "Mocks" does not mean they can win in Knoxville.
# 24 BYU vs. Fresno State = BYU is another of those teams I refuse to bvelieve in, until they prove me otherwise. Fresno State lost some key players from last year's squad, but still have a pretty decent team. It would not shock me if the Cougars and the Bulldogs have a real fight here.
So this is a quick breakdown of the "haves", and tomorrow I hope to get back to you about the "have-less". As for the "hapless" . . . well, you're reading his post now. Enjoy.