College Hoops Thread 2011-2012

[The Poet]

OK, to get firstly to those scores already mentioned above:


Duke 78 - N. C. State 73 = The 'Pack came into Cameron hot, but could not cool down the Curry to hold off the Blue Devils. NCSU led by 16 at the break, and got it up to 20 or so, yet could not keep Dook from surging back to steal it away from them. Well, they did play well, and have two more shots at that "upset" they want to follow, both in Raleigh. And congrats to Duke for playing tough when it really counted.

Florida State 48 - Virginia Tech 47 = The 'Noles dodged a bullet on their home court also, and the Hokies missed a shot at their best win since they got the Cavs in Charlottesville earlier. Again, good for them for playing tough, but I'm not going to give 'grats to the Semiholes for exhibiting more luck than skill. If they play that way in Raleigh Saturday, Jerry may have something to grin about.

Michigan State 69 - Wisconsin 55 = Long ago, in a galaxy far far away, the Spartans started off 0-2 and were predicted to crash and burn. Meanwhile, in a distant star system, the Badgers were supposed to be the singular challenge to The Evil Empire in Columbus OH for control of The Force in Big Ten+ play. How things can change when a Jedi like Tom Izzo gets his lightsaber humming. (Hell, I don't know why I went there, aside from being bored, unless I've been tempted by The Dark Side.)

West Virginia 66 - Pittsburgh 48 = It has stopped being surprising when the Panthers lose, but even against a decent Mountaineer squad this one puzzles. Pitt was only down 1 at the half, yet were still blown out . . . AT HOME! Pitiful.

Vanderbilt 102 - Mississippi 76 = Speaking of blowouts, the Comms got one I did not expect here. Sure, they had to be favored over the Rebels, but just as I said I'd about been convinced they are not for real, they just purely stomp their opponent, on the road.


Tonight gives me only a pair of games I've even the slightest interest in:


Cornell vs. Penn = With Harvard at 7-1 and Yale at 6-2, both Big Red (5-3) and the Quakers (5-2) are gonna need some help along the way to take the Ivy. Still, they have to win tonight to keep those hopes reasonably alive, and as they both can't do so this one's huge.

Valparaiso vs. Loyola-Marymount = One of ESPN's early Bracket Buster games, and it should be a pretty good one to boot.


And since I've got a little time, lemme also get some early Saturday action posted here now:


Drexel vs. Cleveland State = Another BB game, and with the same potential to be a Barn-Burner.

Louisville vs. DePaul = A pretty important game for the Cardinals in Rosemont, as at the least Pitino wants his kids gearing up for post-season play in hostile environments. As for the Blue Demons, it would be a huge upset for them were they to take this one, though its meaning over the long haul would be next-to-nothing. Unless they run the table in the Big East Tourney, they're already dead.

Marquette vs. U. Conn = The same might even hold true for the Huskies . . . kinda like it did last year. A win in Hartford would go some ways towards saving U Conn's season, though with the way they've played this last month deems that unlikely. And even though they are safely out of the cellar, another loss would put them 2 games under .500 in league play. Me, I'm expecting just that.

Wichita State vs. Davidson = Another Bracket Buster, but though I'd like to give the Wildcats a decent chance in Charlotte (well, its suburbs, anyway) here, I really think the Shockers are the better team. Would it be a shocker if Davidson won? No, but it would be at least a minor upset.

UCLA vs. St. John's = No, NOT a BB-matchup, though maybe it might as well be one. Much like DePaul, the Johnnies ain't going nowhere without a miracle. The Bruins might not either, although their play of late has improved . . . if that's really saying anything. Hey, even the Wear twins have contributed in big ways recently, and this Tar Heel has no problem saying "Good for them." This is in MSG, and it's a hard one to call. SJU has talented freshmen who show up to play about every 3rd or 4th game, and UCLA's seemingly played down to their opponents all year. Flip a coin over these two legendary programs.

Maryland vs. Virginia = The Terps haven't done much this year, while the Cavs have done a lot more than was expected of them. Yet they have also lost 3 or their last 4, which isn't a good sign. It's in Charlottesville, and UVA's only lost to VT there so far, and I'd lean towards them in this one.

Florida State vs. N. C. State = Here's the Wolfpack's second chance for that signature win they need to solidify that at-large they lust for, badly. I'm gonna give them at least as good a shot at it as I did last night against Duke, and you know how close that one was. Plus, of the 'Noles' 7 losses, 4 of them came on the road. On the other hand, 4 of State's losses have come at home, so there's that too.

UNLV vs. New Mexico = The Runnin' Rebels are coming off a big upset loss at TCU, while the Lobos are coming off a huge win at San Diego State. So one wants to turn things around, and the other wants to continue on its roll. I'm looking for a war in Albuquerque.

Tennessee vs. Alabama = Can the Vols continue to surprise people by finally winning some games, and will the Tide continue to recede by losing them? I'd say it's about 50/50.

Kansas State vs. Baylor = The 'Cats have dropped two in a row already now, and are likely to make that four, what with this one in Waco followed by a visit to Missouri. As I'm not a big fan of of Frank Martin, I'd have to say it couldn't happen to a much-nicer guy.


That's about all for the moment. If I don't see you here later today, I'll be back tomorrow with later weekend action. Until when then, enjoy.

[SD Beerman]

The NC State meltdown was bad. But not as bad as VT against FLA State. I expect SDSU to bounce back Sat.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by SD Beerman

The NC State meltdown was bad. But not as bad as VT against FLA State. I expect SDSU to bounce back Sat.

From the perspective of THIS Tar Heel, BOTH meltdowns sucked.

I've not looked yet - who's your Aztecs facing tomorrow Larry?

[Col. Kurtz]

Originally Posted by The Poet

..
Duke 78 - N. C. State 73 = The 'Pack came into Cameron hot, but could not cool down the Curry to hold off the Blue Devils. NCSU led by 16 at the break, and got it up to 20 or so, yet could not keep Dook from surging back to steal it away from them. Well, they did play well, and have two more shots at that "upset" they want to follow, both in Raleigh. And congrats to Duke for playing tough when it really counted.
..

The Pack played 30 minutes of great basketball. However, the last ten is what counted.. It looked like the Pack was worn out. Dook put the full court press on in the second half and just outran our guys. It's easy to do when you have three first strings. The pack seems to have about 4/5 of a first string. That and foul troubles were too much.... Perhaps next year...

Of course the local radio callers are saying the officials threw if for Duke.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by Col. Kurtz

The Pack played 30 minutes of great basketball. However, the last ten is what counted.. It looked like the Pack was worn out. Dook put the full court press on in the second half and just outran our guys. It's easy to do when you have three first strings. The pack seems to have about 4/5 of a first string. That and foul troubles were too much.... Perhaps next year...

Of course the local radio callers are saying the officials threw if for Duke.

I was rootin' for them, Jerry, though for somewhat selfish reasons.

And yeah, the zebras always get the blame . . . and even on rare occasions deserve some.

[jcruse64]

Speaking of "zebra blame"; I do not claim to know all the rules of the college game, so I will ask you guys. Saw a weird "call" at the last Racer home game. Racers are on D, and covering pretty good, when the ref blows the whistle. Everyone stands there for about 5 s, and the ref NEVER makes a signal or vocal call. After about 5s, he goes to the scorers' table without making the call and asks to see the display for a replay. Stands there with another ref and watches relay for a couple of minutes, and then walks back on-court and signals the foul (I don't even remember now, I was so shocked by the actions). Is that even LEGAL?!?!?!?!? I thought the rule was, you blow the whistle, you make your call, NOT "I think there's gonna be a foul here, so I'll blow, then go look and see".

I thought this on par with last year during the Racer's BracketBuster game, when the refs stopped play and actually went to the ESPN crew and ASKED THEM what they thought they saw. We have had some horrible refs the last few seasons, and I've seen some awful calls made against Racer opponents also, so I do not say this out of "homerism".

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by jcruse64

Speaking of "zebra blame"; I do not claim to know all the rules of the college game, so I will ask you guys. Saw a weird "call" at the last Racer home game. Racers are on D, and covering pretty good, when the ref blows the whistle. Everyone stands there for about 5 s, and the ref NEVER makes a signal or vocal call. After about 5s, he goes to the scorers' table without making the call and asks to see the display for a replay. Stands there with another ref and watches relay for a couple of minutes, and then walks back on-court and signals the foul (I don't even remember now, I was so shocked by the actions). Is that even LEGAL?!?!?!?!? I thought the rule was, you blow the whistle, you make your call, NOT "I think there's gonna be a foul here, so I'll blow, then go look and see".

I thought this on par with last year during the Racer's BracketBuster game, when the refs stopped play and actually went to the ESPN crew and ASKED THEM what they thought they saw. We have had some horrible refs the last few seasons, and I've seen some awful calls made against Racer opponents also, so I do not say this out of "homerism".

Having not seen it, I'd be foolish to comment specifically on that call brother. But off the top of my head I'd have to agree with the oddness of such a "replay" call. As far as I know, refs only consult replays to make a determination of time, not of fouls or possessions. As with baseball, what the official calls at the point of play IS WHAT IS, right or wrong. True, you do on occasion see refs consult with each other on the validity of the initial call, yet this is much more common in football than other team sports.

And as for refs in general, I myself have seen too many bad calls over the years to allow myself to agonize over them overly. If it goes against my team, I just say "What's that $#!+??", and move on. If it goes for them, I just say "Well, OK, I'll take it, thank you", and hope it does not determine the outcome of the game. This is one reason I, as a long-time Tar Heel, so valued the equally long-time radio announcer for UNC, Woody Durham, who retired after the end of last season. He always called it like he saw it, and if it was a bad call either way he'd say so. This seemed to me not only just, but vital for a radio play-by-play voice, since we then knew we could trust him to tell us exactly what had happened without any taint of "homerism" . . . which I consider a fault to be avoided at all costs.

Thanks for bringing up an interesting issue, Joe, and also thanks for exhibiting a balanced attitude about it.

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