College Hoops Thread 2011-2012

[The Poet]

Dammit, for the third day in a row I'm pressed for time. Here's MY highlights:


# 2 Kentucky 75 - # 12 Kansas 65 = A sloppy first half left this tied at 28, with more total TOs than FGs. The 'Cats were slightly less sloppy in the 2nd, and won by a respectable, if not dominant, margin. But like I thought, the Jayhawks gave them game, and might have won had they not started the second stanza so poorly.

# 3 Ohio State 81 - # 7 Florida 74 = Pretty much what I thought it would be, with a Buckeye victory over a Gator team that played better this year on the road than they did last year at home against OSU.

# 6 Duke 74 - Michigan State 69 = You likely didn't need Bryan to tell you this was Coach K's 903rd win, taking the top spot from his old mentor Bobby Knight. Again, congratulations. And again, congratulations to the Spartans, who did what they did against Carolina by falling behind big but not giving up, and making a good game of it before the buzzer.

# 23 California 77 - Austin Peay 53 = As referenced above, A-P might have been able to steal this one, had they not scored a mere 13 points in the first half. Shoot, their FOOTBALL team could have done as well against the Golden Bears.

Middle Tennessee State 86 - UCLA 66 = Remember when the Bruins were good? No, I don't mean the Wooden era, I mean before the season started and they were ranked. A loss to Loyola-Marymount was bad. A spanking by MTSU is just wrong. So, Justin, if you want to hop on the Tar Heel bandwagon, feel free. The blue's about the same shade, anyway.

Charlotte 77 - Central Michigan 75 (2OT) = Aside from being a barn-burner, this interests me because the 49ers used to be pretty danged good. I'm not sure what this tells us, as I've no idea how good (or bad) Cent. Mich. is, so we'll have to wait another month or two.

Texas 100 - Rhode Island 90 = About the same situation here, though I do know the Longhorns are supposed to be a little down, while the Rams have been improving over the past few years. Again, wait and see applies.

Coastal Carolina 71 - LSU 63 // Elon 58 - South Carolina 53 = I lumped these two together to make a point about the SEC. What with earlier unexpected losses by Vandy and Mississippi State, these might foretell that the SEC is even more top-heavy than we expected.


Tonight's actions includes:


# 9 Pittsburgh vs. Long Beach State = Ehhh, I can see this lasting a half or so, but as I've said before, this is not the kind of game the Panthers lose.

# 14 Wisconsin vs. Colgate = As with the SEC, it's possible the Big Eighty-Six is top-heavy too. Yet the Badgers play a tough grind-'em-out style that's hard to beat, even if you AREN'T Colgate. If you ARE, then it's already over. I can see Wisconsin doing something it rarely can do . . . approach the century mark in scoring.

# 25 Florida State vs. Stetson = And I can't see Stetson cracking the Seminoles defense either. FSU needs to make a statement in this one, to start solidifying its claim as an ACC power.

N. C. State vs. Princeton = However, though the Wolfpack likely won't do the same, at least until next year's class of classy freshmen arrive, they do need to win some for their new coach while they can. The Tigers are not what they used to be, so this should give NCSU an opportunity to do so.

Creighton vs. UAB = And this is just another of those match-ups that pop out at me. This may have a shot at being a decent game.

Indiana vs. Evansville = This one too. Much like the Wolfpack, the Hoosiers aren't there yet, but they have been making steps back to where they were. And Evansville has already had a "signature" win over Butler, so that alone makes this interesting to me.

N. C. Asheville vs. Mars Hill = And this one is interesting to me because I'm wondering where in the hell these guys can find a place that's flat enough to play some hoops.


That's it for me. Keep those cards and letters coming fellas . . . and there's plenty of bandwidth for more of you to chip in also.

[jcruse64]

Billy Kennedy's Aggies are having a tough time with Miss St tonight. They are laying it n the Aggies early and often. Not looking good.

Also saw that the Terps got nailed by Bama.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by jcruse64

Billy Kennedy's Aggies are having a tough time with Miss St tonight. They are laying it n the Aggies early and often. Not looking good.

Also saw that the Terps got nailed by Bama.

Yeah, One big surprise to me, and one mild one:

Mississippi State 69 - # 19 (for now) Texas A&M 60 = The Bulldogs lost by ten at home to Akron, and I figured they'd have a long season. They may still, and this upset over the Aggies doesn't make their year. But it helps.

# 16 Alabama 62 - Maryland 42 = The Tide win doesn't shock me, as I knew the Terps were down again this year. But I did think they'd make more of a game of it. They didn't, following their 20-point first half with a 22-point second.

Other action I noted:

# 17 MIchigan 59 - Western Illinois 55 = Another bucket or two either way and here'd have been another stunner. Once again the Logans showed an inability to score the ball. They can't keep this up for long without taking one in the snout.

Penn 78 - Rider 72 (OT) = Aside from being a war, this one's a surprise because I did not think Rider could make this much of a game of it.

Seton Hall 69 - VCU 54 = And this one's one because I did not think the Pirates had a chance in hell. Yet not only did they prevail, they won handily.

# 15 Arizona 81 - St. John's 72 = But this one seems about right to me. As I've said, I'm not totally sold on the Desert 'Cats yet, while the Johnnies can play tough in MSG or the Louie Dome. If you're a 'Zona fan, be happy with it and move on.

San Diego State 56 - USC 54 = And this one was the struggle I expected, though I could not predict they'd both struggle so much offensively. A nice win for the Aztecs, and hopefully a learning loss for the Trojans.


As with yesterday, we already have some scores today:


Purdue 85 - Temple 77 = Not the nail-biter the Boilermakers had against the Gaels, but maybe a tighter fight with the Owls than they'd hoped for, I'd imagine.

Tulsa vs. Northwestern = With under 4 to play as I type, this one's still to close to call . . . which is what you'd think.

# 19 (for now) Texas A&M vs. St. John's = And closing in on the half, the Johnnies are hanging within 2 or 3 possessions with the Aggies. Maybe yesterday we'd not thought this, but it's easier to believe today.

# 6 Duke vs. Davidson = In Cameron, so these Wildcats only have a shot if they can borrow little brother Seth Curry for the night.

Seton Hall vs. St. Joseph's = Here's one of those that could be a damn nice tight contest.

TCU vs. Virginia = And this one too, if the Cav guards can hit a few open jumpers.

Maryland vs. Colorado = The Terps are likely cheesed at the way they stunk up the joint last evening, so hopefully they can give the Buffs a better showing.

# 15 Arizona vs. Mississippi State = Much like the Aggies/RedStorm one above, I wouldn't have given the 'Dogs much chance yesterday against these 'Cats. But that was yesterday, and they are playing today. Keep your eye on this one, as it could be interesting before it's all done.

# 13 Xavier vs. Miami OH = So could this one . . . save for the fact that it's all done before the tipoff.

Houston vs. Arkansas = Hmmmm. Again, this one popped out. I can see it being pretty damn close, wire to wire.

# 21 Marquette vs. Winthrop = And I can see this being pretty damn over by the half.

VCU vs. Georgia Tech = Two teams that need a victory now, and if they both show up this could be some fun.

Akron vs. Valparaiso = I'd give the Zips a definite edge here, but Valpo won't just roll over.

New Mexico vs. Arizona State = In Tempe. The Sun Devils may be on their way up a little, and the Lobos might be on their way down some from last season. Here's another one with potential.

# 16 Alabama vs. Wichita State = Here too, believe it or not. The Shockers may not be able to pull of the shocker, but I think they'll give the Tide some game.

# 3 Ohio State vs. Jackson State = And I think Jack State will show up for this game too . . . if their bus does not break down. Aside from that, it won't matter jack $#!+.


If I get a chance, I'll look at early match-ups on Saturday. If not, I'll get to them tomorrow. Either way . . . enjoy.