College Hoops Thread '10-'11

[The Poet]

There were a few notable scores last night, including:


Minnesota 70 - Purdue 67 = Though this can be classed an upset, it does not qualify as a shock. The Gophers have played very well at time, and the Boilermakers have too often struggled to score. Against a team as deliberate on offense as Minnesota, with limited possessions available, this problem can be compounded. And so it was last evening. A good win for the distracted Gophers, in a tough spot against a tough conference foe.

Stanford 58 - Washington 56 = However, the Huskies could not overcome their off-court distractions, and dropped an important Pac-10 game against a Cardinal team which is decent, but supposedly not on the same level as Washington. This win might not make Stanford's season, but it just might spell the beginning of the end for the Huskies.

Oregon 68 - USC 62 = And speaking of distractions, the story here are the "on-court" distractions of the Ducks' new $230 million arena. Reportedly the reflections from the floor gave viewers headaches, and the players could not see the midcourt or three-point lines worth a doodly. So give the Ducks one point for the victory, and take two away for causing epileptic seizures all over the Northwest.

California 88 - Washington State 81 (OT) = Over the long haul, I expect this outcome will prove to mean little, but give both teams credit for an entertaining show.

Drexel 62 - ODU 57 = But as I said yesterday, this one was important for both teams. In this particular fairy tale, the Dragons top the Monarchs in a hard-fought battle.

Rhode Island 78 - Richmond 74 = And, as I said yesterday, this one was the same story . . . and the same sort of tight fight. A good win for the Rams, and a disappointing loss for the Spiders.

North Carolina 64 - Virginia Tech 61 = Not a great win for the Tar Heels, but better than a bad loss at home. Like too often last year, and like their previous game against UVA, UNC fell behind big (by 16 last night) and needed to fight back for the late lead. Unlike last year, they actually did so. Two positive signs, however, aside from the outcome. First, much-hyped then much-maligned freshman Harrison Barnes scored 8 of his 12 points in the final 3 1/2 minutes to help secure the victory. Second, another freshman Kendall Marshall garnered 9 assists. Not impressed? Well, 9 assists in a game where you scarcely break 60 is a monstrous effort, if you ask me.


Tonight has very few games on the slate, and only three of them interest me in the least:


Valparaiso vs. Wright State = These two are pretty evenly matched, and should give us a close contest right up until the end.

Iona vs. Rider = Same thing here.

Butler vs. Detroit = The profiles of these programs may be slightly higher than the previous ones, but my point is the same. I see a good game here, start to finish.


Now this weekend we have far too many games scheduled to give proper coverage to them all. I'll get a jump on the bigger ones now by giving you some which tip off early on Saturday:


Louisville vs. Marquette = Though the Cardinals have been getting better press, I see this as a pick 'em. The Golden Eagles may not win, but on any given day they can beat anybody.

Temple vs. Duquesne = And it's about the same story here. Well, OK, so the Dukes can't beat anybody (like Duke, f'instance), but they can beat the Owls. I don't think they will, but I don't think they'll be embarrassed either. Might actually be pretty tight.

Syracuse vs. Cincinnati = The Orange try to keep their streak alive, but it won't be easy, even in their Dome. The Bearcats have only lost one themselves, to Villanova, and if they can hit some shots over Boeheim's zone they can make a real battle of this one.

Georgetown vs. Rutgers = And the Hoyas need to do something now to turn their season around. All things being equal, I would not give the Scarlet Knights a snowball's chance, yet since Georgetown's not shown me much lately, who knows? Bet the Hoyas, but don't give too many points.

Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee = And here both teams have been up, then down, then up, then down. Though it would surprise me if both teams lost, it would not if neither actually tried to win. This one I'm curious about, just for that reason alone . . . not "which team will show up?", but "will one show up at all?"

Marshall vs. Memphis = The Memphis Tigers makes a third "name" team from the Volunteer State that has yo-yo'ed all over the place. Don't be surprised at all if the Thundering Herd tramples all over them.

Villanova vs. Maryland = 'Nova has only one loss so far, and I would not expect they will drop this one on their home court. However, the Terps do have a pretty good team, so give them a puncher's shot. This might be closer than Jay Wright would prefer, but figure it will be Gary Williams crying at the buzzer.

Northwestern vs. Michigan State = And here's another one that's hard to call. The Spartans are starting to prove the wrong thing . . . that they ain't all that good. The Wildcats aren't either, but they ain't garbage, and only lost to MSU by 3 in their first meeting. I would expect the Spartans to pull it out, yet Tom Izzo might just gain a few more gray hairs before it's over.

Missouri vs. Texas A&M = And here, without a doubt, we have us a tossup game. The # 15 Tigers (15-2, 1-1) are visiting the # 14 Aggies (15-1, 2-0) in a vital early conference game for both, and in a conference neither is favored to win. You think they won't be focused here?


That's it until tomorrow afternoon for me. I'll see you then. Enjoy.

[SD Beerman]

Always a good read.....Thanks

[jcruse64]

Louisville 71-Marquette 70. Wow!!! What a blaster for the last 5 minutes! Ricky's guys can play, when they focus.
I thought Marquette had them, but good. Comebacks like this are why college b'ball is such a blast to watch, and also sometimes so frustrating to watch .

Vandy on top of UT 46-41 right now, as UT is mounting its own comeback.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by SD Beerman

Always a good read.....Thanks

Thanks, Larry. I try to entertain, without p!$$ing off too many people. And if I do, well screw 'em if they can't take a joke.

Originally Posted by jcruse64

Louisville 71-Marquette 70. Wow!!! What a blaster for the last 5 minutes! Ricky's guys can play, when they focus.
I thought Marquette had them, but good. Comebacks like this are why college b'ball is such a blast to watch, and also sometimes so frustrating to watch .

Vandy on top of UT 46-41 right now, as UT is mounting its own comeback.

Yes, Joe, that was a great comeback. I too thought Marquette had it, but Louisville owned the end of the game and squeaked out a good win. Say what you want about Rick Pitino, the man can coach a little, no doubt.

Oh, and the Vols themselves made a great late comeback to edge Vandy 67-64. Here we have two teams that can't seem to figure out who they are, so what shot do we mere mortals have?

Other early finals:

Syracuse 67 - Cincinnati 52 = And again, the Bearcats managed to hang tough for much of the game, but the Orange took it to them in the second half to remain undefeated.

Memphis 71 - Marshall 61 = The outcome is no big surprise to me, as I knew the Tigers had better, albeit younger, talent. I did think the Herd could stick closer, but a bad first half killed them.

Georgetown 74 - Rutgers 65 = No surprise here at all. The Hoyas have been inconsistent, but Rutgers has been pretty consistent . . . consistently bad, that is.

Duquesnse 78 - Temple 66 = And if there is an upset so far today, here it is. Although I did not predict it, I did feel the Dukes could give the Owls a good game. Seems like they gave them a better game than Fran wanted.


There are many fewer games on Sunday, but still some with potential:


Notre Dame vs. St. John's = The Irish started off like a house afire, but the embers have begun to cool a bit. Meanwhile, the Johnnies have even surprised themselves at how well they have played. They actually have a shot at winning this one in MSG. I don't believe they will, but they can make it interesting.

Valparaiso vs. Detroit = And here just one more of those mid-major matchups both teams want on their resume. Expect a total war.

Creighton vs. Indiana State = Same thing here.

Purdue vs. West Virginia = The Boilermakers have played very well, but fell back into their scoring woes against the Golden Gophers. The Mountaineers were expected to take several steps backwards, yet have made some strides lately. This one could give the bookies fits.

Rhode Island vs. St. Bonaventure = If you've been paying any attention, you'll know both of these can hoop a little. Should be fun.

Butler vs. Wright State = And again. Should be fun, and could be even more fun.

North Carolina vs. Georgia Tech = The Heels have not played up to the level their talent is capable of doing. They are vulnerable, and will remain so until the prove otherwise. But the Jackets are not nearly as good as they were last season, and are playing precisely that way. UNC should be favored by a few possession, but road victories in the ACC are not easy to come by, and must be earned. Just ask Duke, if you don't believe me.

Washington vs, California = As was the case last year, the Huskies are supposed to be head-and-shoulders above all other Pac-10 teams. So far, they've only managed to get their pointy little ears up over the competition. On the other side, Cal has struggled and comes in barely better than .500 at 9-7 and 2-2. Yet they do have a few quality wins, over New Mexico, Temple, Iowa State, Arizona State, and Washington State. If they can hit their shots, they can keep it relatively close. And who knows? The police may haul off some more Huskies before gametime!


That's it for now. I might pop my head back in after I have some lunch, and I might not. In either case . . . enjoy.

[jcruse64]

Right now, it looks like the Cats have had their tails yanked, and are getting feisty. Pretty commanding lead at the half. Now we'll see if they are disciplined enough to keep the pedal down at the whistle.

Will be switching back and forth between this and the AFC matchup...the Steelers just made an uncharacteristic blunder that cost 7.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by jcruse64

Right now, it looks like the Cats have had their tails yanked, and are getting feisty. Pretty commanding lead at the half. Now we'll see if they are disciplined enough to keep the pedal down at the whistle.

Well, UK did spank LSU, bad . . . for what that's worth. Hey, be honest. The Tigers haven't been relevant in hoops for a long time.

Originally Posted by GoJBCuse98

Big 'Cuse fan! Going to have to say they win the Big East this year. Uconn I think is overrated, once the Big East really gets underway, they'll lose.

As for the other conferences, still undecided.

So far so good for the Orange. But were I you, brother, I'd worry less about how good or bad are the Huskies, and more about getting past Pitt tonight. Just , and worth every penny.

Oh, and as for the Big Mouth Conference, I am never undecided. Their traditional collapses in the NCAA Tourney long ago convinced me they are always overrated.

Originally Posted by SD Beerman

SDSU was impressive in The Pit this weekend @BYU next week, big game.....

Yes, another good win for your Aztecs. The Lobos gave them a good game, and your boys held up under some pressure. Plus, their 87 points was just slightly better than the 55 they scored against UNLV.


Weekend update to follow.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by The Poet

So far so good for the Orange. But were I you, brother, I'd worry less about how good or bad are the Huskies, and more about getting past Pitt tonight. Just , and worth every penny.

Did I warn you, or not?


Pitt 74 - Syracuse 66 = Though I feel certain the Orange faithful are disappointed, this should come as no big surprise. No only does Pitt have a good team, but Boeheim's zone has always, and will always, be vulnerable to the outside shot. Plus, when they push it out to pressure the shooters, it opens lanes for passing and penetration down low. Plus plus, as with all zones, it too often allows the opponent to outrebound you. Last night Pitt had 14 more than Syracuse, which more than made up for having 7 more turnovers also. So, one more undefeated team goes by the wayside.


In some other action:


Missouri 75 - Kansas State 59 = The outcome is no shock. The margin is a bit of one, but considering how the Wildcats have seemed to hit a wall, losing 3 of their last 4, maybe it should not be one. And when you look at their upcoming schedule (Texas A&M, Baylor, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa State, Colorado, and Kansas again), one could see things going from bad to worse.

Chattanooga 91 - Charleston 88 = I told you this would be a good one, didn't I?

Fairfield 65 - Rider 57 = And this one could have been a little better, but was still a pretty decent contest.


Tonight has a somewhat limited slate of games, yet there are still a few worth noting:


Colorado vs. Nebraska = These two are not getting the attention that several other Big 12 schools have received, but they are both doing quite well, and should give us a very nice game.

Michigan State vs. Illinois = And these two are perhaps receiving a bit TOO much attention in the Big Ten, as both have had their struggles. Still, it ought to be some fun in Champaign tonight.

Georgetown vs. Seton Hall = And there should be some fun in Newark also, though I would expect the Hoyas to have most of it.

Tennessee vs. Georgia = These two have demonstrated they can play with the best, and fold up like cheap suits . . . more so the Vols than the 'Dawgs, as Georgia's three losses (Notre Dame, Temple, and Vandy) are all "better" ones than UT's 6 Ls. So, as it is in Athens, give the Bulldogs the edge.

Maine vs. Vermont = I realize not many of you care all that much, but these are two pretty good teams (in their weight-class, anyway) fighting for the lead in the American East. If nothing else, it should be competitive.

Kentucky vs. Alabama = After Cal reamed out his players last week, the played at least one game with the focus and intensity he wants. I don't think they'll need to be Canute to hold back the Tide.

North Carolina vs. Clemson = But if anybody need to turn the tide, it is the Tar Heels. They got crushed by Georgia Tech on Sunday, and had their worst shooting night since 1955. On the other side, the Clemson Tigers visit the Smith Center in the hopes of ending an 0-54 streak on Carolina's court. Figure something's gotta give.

Michigan vs. Northwestern = Although neither of these two figure to do a whole lot in the Big Ten, both have played a few good games. So once again, something will give, one way or the other.

BYU vs. TCU = And although I do not believe for one second that the Cougars are a Top Ten team nationally, I really can't see the Horned Frogs being much more than road kill in Provo this evening. TCU's lost 5 of their last 6, and they will almost certainly fall to 10-10 tonight.


That's about all I see, though as always one of the "other" games (Texas Tech/Oklahoma? Evansville/Southern Ill.?) could turn into a barn-burner. So make your own choice, and enjoy.