College Hoops Thread 2011-2012

[jcruse64]

Well, the Bearcats were playing 'Cuse pretty good, but now are down 6 with less than 1 minute.

The Cards surprised me; I really figured Pitt to try to make a turn there. Flat out stink this season.

Aggies against the Jayhawks up on the WWL next; hope the Aggies turn it on.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by jcruse64

Well, the Bearcats were playing 'Cuse pretty good, but now are down 6 with less than 1 minute.

The Cards surprised me; I really figured Pitt to try to make a turn there. Flat out stink this season.

Aggies against the Jayhawks up on the WWL next; hope the Aggies turn it on.

Syracuse 60 - Cincinnati 53 = Yeah, I thought it had a chance to be pretty close, though I also felt the Bearcats have been too inconsistent to actually get the W. The Orange bounce back from their first L, but it wasn't much of a statement for them.

Kansas 64 - Texas A&M 54 = And this wasn't all that big a statement for the Jayhawks either. I did not see the game, so have no idea if the Aggies turned it on or not, yet when you consider the problems they've had, it's not too terrible a loss in Lawrence.

And yes, Pitt has been the pits.


In limited action, here's the other few scores I note:


Belmont 82 - East Tennessee State 70 = A good win for the Bruins against a conference contender. The odd thing about this one is that it was a tale of two halves, for both squads. The score was 27-12 at the break, so 75% of the scoring was done in the second stanza . . . by both damn teams, not just collectively. What, did somebody take the lids off the buckets during while they were in the lockerrooms?

Siena 65 - Iona 62 = And this is notable to me because the experts told us before the season started that the Gaels would be the Butler this year, the mid-major who could kill the giants. OK, I guess it could happen, as they haven't stunk up the joint like, say, Pitt has done. But with this loss to the 9-10 and 4-5 Jaspers, they fall to 15-5 and 7-2 in the MAAC, which means they can't even dominate in their own league. As for me, I can easily see the Gaels going deep into the NCAA tournament. Yet those Gaels will be from St. Mary's, a continent away from Iona.


There are a few games of interest tonight:


Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt = While the Commodores have been disappointing expectations, the Volunteers have at least managed to give their fans a pair of stunning "upsets" over highly-ranked teams. But those have been in Knoxville, while this one's down Mighty I-40 from Malfunction Junction into the Music City. Yeah, Vandy's been unable to defend home court. However, the Vols stink on the road. If the Comms don't win this one, they should just quit athletics and go back to class.

Michigan vs. Purdue = This could be a pretty close one. True, the Wolverines have gotten more attention and respect, and the Boilermakers are not as good as they've been recently. Yet I still don't like how the Logans score . . . or, more accurately, do NOT score. That alone could keep this tight.

Akron vs. Ball State = And this fight between the Zips and the Lettermens could be a good one too. They are fairly well matched, though Akron gets more press. As they also have a more-experienced program that's been there before, I'll give them a slim edge.

Baylor vs. Oklahoma = The Bears have now lost two games, both on the road and at home also. This one in Norman might be their third, if their confidence has been destroyed by these losses . . . which is entirely possible, especially in a program that's not really been there before. However, the Sooners are not exactly the best competition in the Big . . . uh, how many teams have stuck around out there? So though a Bear loss would not shock me, I would not bet on it.

South Florida vs. Marquette = So if you're looking for an upset, look at this. The Bulls have had a habit of knocking off teams, sneaking up on those who overlook them,and the Golden Eagles are primed for such an error. Marquette's always had a 'tude about them, going back at least to Al McGuire's time, and thus can be subject to hubris.

San Diego State vs. Wyoming = And to be honest, with all due respect for the Aztecs, they have begun to show some early signs of this disease themselves. Perhaps a little "come to Jesus" out in Laramie can cure them, or at least arrest the spread of the infection.

Kentucky vs. Georgia = This game is in Athens, yet it takes no Delphic Oracle to predict the likely outcome. Yeah, true, the young 'Cats could always beat themselves on any given night, but the Bulldogs couldn't beat them to the concession stand, even on their home court.

Miami vs. Georgia Tech = Here's an early key game to decide the ACC race . . . for the cellar. There are presently 3 teams with only 1 conference win so far, and this is two of them. So, why bother? Well, it just my be a full-out war, for that reason alone.


That's what I got for you today. So until tomorrow then, enjoy.