College basketball thread...

[Norman Stansfield]

Don't look now -- UConn wins again without Dyson and Wiggins, this time over Louisville.

Quite an impressive run the Huskies are on right now.

Tom Jurich is probably having second thoughts about moving UofL to the Big East. The Big East isn't the old Metro Conference.

You're joking, right?

 

[spinning27]

Don't look now -- UConn wins again without Dyson and Wiggins, this time over Louisville.

Quite an impressive run the Huskies are on right now.

Tom Jurich is probably having second thoughts about moving UofL to the Big East. The Big East isn't the old Metro Conference.

You're joking, right?

Tom Jurich may be happy, but Pitino hates it. As does Jim Boeheim, Jim Calhoun, and pretty much every coach who has to explain to his fans why 5 or 6 losses is a good thing in that cluster**** of a league.

 

[Angola!]

Wash. St. gets torched by a mediocre Arizona team and stays in the top 10 (coaches' poll).

You're mistaken about Az. If all hands stay healthy, you'll see . . .

Their record is at least mediocre. I think Arizona is pretty good actually, but I was slamming the Cougs. You can't get blasted like that an remain in the top 25. Didn't they get blown out against UCLA as well?

So, one bad loss on the road against a pretty good team means you should drop from No. 6 out of the top 25? Really? That is a ridiculous statement.
And they didn't get blown out by UCLA, they lost by 9 or so on the road.

 

[HejiraHenry]

I'm still scratching my head how Mississippi State whips Ole Miss by 20 and the Rebels stay in both polls ahead of the Bullies.

The computers sure do like Ole Miss better, though, with an RPI in the teens while MState is slogging along in the 50s.

 

[Hammer Pants]

I'm still scratching my head how Mississippi State whips Ole Miss by 20 and the Rebels stay in both polls ahead of the Bullies.

The computers sure do like Ole Miss better, though, with an RPI in the teens while MState is slogging along in the 50s.

Not nearly as stunning as Vandy being one ranked one spot ahead of Florida.

I've voted in these polls before. I know ... it's hard. But I still think some of these voters should be smacked in the face with a rolled-up newspaper and put in timeout for a while to think about what they've done.

 

[friend of a friend]

I'm still scratching my head how Mississippi State whips Ole Miss by 20 and the Rebels stay in both polls ahead of the Bullies.

The computers sure do like Ole Miss better, though, with an RPI in the teens while MState is slogging along in the 50s.

Not nearly as stunning as Vandy being one ranked one spot ahead of Florida.

I've voted in these polls before. I know ... it's hard. But I still think some of these voters should be smacked in the face with a rolled-up newspaper and put in timeout for a while to think about what they've done.

Where's the SportsJournalists.com basketball poll?

 

[Brooklyn Bridge]

Anybody else think Calhoun should've just let Wiggins go to St. John's? He's an ok player, but he seems to be more trouble than he's worth (he's had multiple infractions, drugs now alcohol), but Huskies seem to be doing fine.

 

[Mr. Homer]

Wash. St. gets torched by a mediocre Arizona team and stays in the top 10 (coaches' poll).

You're mistaken about Az. If all hands stay healthy, you'll see . . .

Their record is at least mediocre. I think Arizona is pretty good actually, but I was slamming the Cougs. You can't get blasted like that an remain in the top 25. Didn't they get blown out against UCLA as well?

So, one bad loss on the road against a pretty good team means you should drop from No. 6 out of the top 25? Really? That is a ridiculous statement.
And they didn't get blown out by UCLA, they lost by 9 or so on the road.

I didn't (mean to) say they should drop out of the top 25, just out of the top 10.Plus the 9-point loss wasn't that close.Wash. St. is a good team, I wasn't saying that.

 

[Angola!]

Wash. St. gets torched by a mediocre Arizona team and stays in the top 10 (coaches' poll).

You're mistaken about Az. If all hands stay healthy, you'll see . . .

Their record is at least mediocre. I think Arizona is pretty good actually, but I was slamming the Cougs. You can't get blasted like that an remain in the top 25. Didn't they get blown out against UCLA as well?

So, one bad loss on the road against a pretty good team means you should drop from No. 6 out of the top 25? Really? That is a ridiculous statement.
And they didn't get blown out by UCLA, they lost by 9 or so on the road.

I didn't (mean to) say they should drop out of the top 25, just out of the top 10.Plus the 9-point loss wasn't that close.Wash. St. is a good team, I wasn't saying that.

OK. I misread your post. Sorry.
Yeah, they should have dropped out of the top 10 for sure. You lose to an unranked team, even on the road, and you should definitely fall five spots or more.
Plus, I think they are a good team, but they don't have that great of a resume.

 

[Norman Stansfield]

Anybody else think Calhoun should've just let Wiggins go to St. John's? He's an ok player, but he seems to be more trouble than he's worth (he's had multiple infractions, drugs now alcohol), but Huskies seem to be doing fine.

I think it'd have to get to about crisis stage before Calhoun tells Wiggins get lost -- remember the huge ****storm he set off by getting him to commit to the UConn in the first place?

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

Epic moment last night in Norman -- two college basketball teams hitting all their free throws down the stratch.
Glorioski!

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Epic moment last night in Norman -- two college basketball teams hitting all their free throws down the stratch.
Glorioski!

Amazing, isn't it? I guess Jeff Capel will actually teach those guys the rudiments of basketball whereas Kelvin Sampson is only worried about trying play football on hardwood ... well, when he's not making dozens of illegal calls to recruits.

 

[NoCleverName]

Anybody else think Calhoun should've just let Wiggins go to St. John's? He's an ok player, but he seems to be more trouble than he's worth (he's had multiple infractions, drugs now alcohol), but Huskies seem to be doing fine.

I think Calhoun poached Wiggins because at the time it was unclear whether AJ Price would be able to recover from his brain hemorrhage. If I remember correctly, a UConn assistant "bumped" into Wiggins in a Hartford barbershop and Wiggins expressed interest in UConn (although he was committed to SJU). Price now looks pretty good and Wiggins is expendable. I wouldn't be surprised if he finds himself to see Wiggins at a mid major next year.

 

[Lester Bangs]

Wash. St. gets torched by a mediocre Arizona team and stays in the top 10 (coaches' poll).

You're mistaken about Az. If all hands stay healthy, you'll see . . .

Their record is at least mediocre. I think Arizona is pretty good actually, but I was slamming the Cougs. You can't get blasted like that an remain in the top 25. Didn't they get blown out against UCLA as well?

So, one bad loss on the road against a pretty good team means you should drop from No. 6 out of the top 25? Really? That is a ridiculous statement.
And they didn't get blown out by UCLA, they lost by 9 or so on the road.

I didn't (mean to) say they should drop out of the top 25, just out of the top 10.Plus the 9-point loss wasn't that close.Wash. St. is a good team, I wasn't saying that.

You're right to a degree, as both of their losses (at UCLA by 7 and at Arizona by 12) were not nearly as close as the final scores sound. They were blown out in both. I am a Wazzu alum and a huge fan of what Bennett has done, but they are kind of a mirage in that they can be blown the eff out of the building on any night by just about anybody. It's just not as easy as that.

There is a formula emerging on how to beat them ... great defense with great athletes who can drop the long three. Very few teams play that way, but most that do will be playing in the NCAA Tournament which is why, I think, Bennett will need to increase his team's athleticism in the future to be a real threat in March. As it is, getting past the Sweet 16 is going to be a struggle for this team because they don't blow anybody of consequence out so they always will be in close games and will leave themselves scant margin for error, as you saw at ASU on Saturday when they blew an 11-point lead and had to hang on by one.

The "Hoosiers" thing is cute and they are a fun team to watch for anybody who loves pure, old-school basketball, but against any team that does all the things they do well and adds better athletes, well, things get away from the Cougs in a hurry.

 

[Blitz]

The AP poll is nothing more than a midseason listing of some of the currently-accomplished teams around the country.
The listings CAN and DO help get you a better seeding in Dance, but even that system sees to it that you eventually run into some other team that's credible.
Thank goodness we have postseason tournaments.

Around the bottom of the AP poll, there's some debate for sure as to which teams are better.
21. St. Mary's (17-3)
* Last game: at San Diego, L 55-63 (1/28)
* Next game: Portland (2/2)
22. Kansas St. (14-4)
* Last game: vs Iowa St., W 82-57 (1/26)
* Next game: Kansas (1/30)
23. Texas A&M (16-4)
* Last game: at Oklahoma St., W 59-56 (1/26)
* Next game: Texas (1/30)
24. Ole Miss (15-3)
* Last game: at Mississippi State, L 68-88 (1/26)
* Next game: Vanderbilt (1/30)
25. Baylor (16-3)
* Last game: vs Oklahoma, L 71-77 (1/26)
* Next game: Texas (2/2)

Others Receiving Votes:
* Mississippi State 112,
* Connecticut 108,
* Arizona 102,

Baylor, St. Marys and KSU would lose most often (this season anyway) to Arizona and Connecticut, I'm thinking.
Polls are fun, but not worth a whole lot.

 

[93Devil]

Moddy's having a bad night. VCU down eight at Mason and time running out.

Oops. Down 10.

 

[Gutter]

Austin Peay and SEMO St. tied at 101, going to a third OT on the U.

And I wanted to watch the Missouri St.-Wichita St. game.

 

[Gutter]

Tan Cream's boys getting all they can handle from Webby's boys.

 

[Oz]

Bama down two against Tennessee with exactly three minutes to play. I didn't expect much from this game when it began, but it's been a fun one to watch.

 

[armageddon]

Wash. St. gets torched by a mediocre Arizona team and stays in the top 10 (coaches' poll).

You're mistaken about Az. If all hands stay healthy, you'll see . . .

Their record is at least mediocre. I think Arizona is pretty good actually, but I was slamming the Cougs. You can't get blasted like that an remain in the top 25. Didn't they get blown out against UCLA as well?

So, one bad loss on the road against a pretty good team means you should drop from No. 6 out of the top 25? Really? That is a ridiculous statement.
And they didn't get blown out by UCLA, they lost by 9 or so on the road.

I didn't (mean to) say they should drop out of the top 25, just out of the top 10.Plus the 9-point loss wasn't that close.Wash. St. is a good team, I wasn't saying that.

You're right to a degree, as both of their losses (at UCLA by 7 and at Arizona by 12) were not nearly as close as the final scores sound. They were blown out in both. I am a Wazzu alum and a huge fan of what Bennett has done, but they are kind of a mirage in that they can be blown the eff out of the building on any night by just about anybody. It's just not as easy as that.

There is a formula emerging on how to beat them ... great defense with great athletes who can drop the long three. Very few teams play that way, but most that do will be playing in the NCAA Tournament which is why, I think, Bennett will need to increase his team's athleticism in the future to be a real threat in March. As it is, getting past the Sweet 16 is going to be a struggle for this team because they don't blow anybody of consequence out so they always will be in close games and will leave themselves scant margin for error, as you saw at ASU on Saturday when they blew an 11-point lead and had to hang on by one.

The "Hoosiers" thing is cute and they are a fun team to watch for anybody who loves pure, old-school basketball, but against any team that does all the things they do well and adds better athletes, well, things get away from the Cougs in a hurry.

All due respect, great defense with great athletes who can hit the long three is a formula to beat a lot of teams -- including UCLA, Duke, UNC, Georgetown, etc.