College Hoops Thread '09-'10

[BryanB]

Originally Posted by The Poet

Hey, it is what it is, bro.

(For you others out there, you will never understand the love/hate relationship between the 4 NC ACC teams, and especially Dook/UNC, so don't even try.)

This is true. Kickin' em when their down is the best part.

[Col. Kurtz]

Yeah, well. We still own 1983.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by Col. Kurtz

Yeah, well. We still own 1983.

And Derek Wittenberg still claims that was a pass to LoRilla, not a shot.

Update to follow.

[The Poet]

There were a few good notable games last night, and half of them upsets:

Syracuse 75 - Georgetown 71 = Before tipoff, one could pick this one either way. By halftime, one would have said The Orange in a walkover. But then they went totally dead from the field and blew all but one point of what was once a 23-point bulge, and the Hoyas even had a shot to take a late lead . . . which they clunked.

Pittsburgh 58 - Marquette 51 = This is just about what I expected here, with Pitt taking a close one over a pretty good, and largely overlooked, Golden Eagles squad.

Vanderbilt 82 - Mississippi 78 = And this too is pretty much what you'd think too, with the Commodores juuuuust slightly better than Ole Miss.

Minnesota 68 - Wisconsin 52 = But not this one. Hey, the Badgers have not been great this year, but they have been better than their fellow Northern brothers. OK, so maybe you picked the Gophers, but not by deep double-digits I betcha.

Oregon State 80 - California 64 = And here the Pac-10 gets repacked again. The Bears could have grabbed the conference race by the throat, but they let the so-so Beavers spank them, and thus opened the door for the Sun Devils to steal the crown. Yes, those two WILL go head-to-head soon.

Loyola Marymount 74 - Gonzaga 66 = Now, this one isn't just an upset, it's a total stunner. LM's victory moved them up to .500 with a 13-13 record (and that's a SOFT 13 wins they have too), while it dropped the ranked 'Zags to 21-4 (which, to be honest, is a fairly soft 21 Ws for them too, as their schedule has NOT been a killer). And, much like that upset of the Hoyas by Rutgers last weekend, I don't care that the game was in LA and not Spokane . . . there's no excuse for Gonzaga to drop this particular popfly.

As with most Friday nights, there is light action this evening. Unlike most Friday nights, there are a few key games to be played:

Cornell vs. Harvard = The Big Red is 7-1 in the Ivy, and the Crimson is 6-2. Along with Princeton at 6-1, who should stomp Yale tonight in Jadwin, here is you Brainiac Conference race right here.

ODU vs. Northern Iowa = And here is a key non-conference game late in the season between two 20+ win schools, though perhaps more for ODU than NI. The latter seems to be the class of the Missouri Valley, and what's that worth? Well, an automatic bid, that's what! But if ODU can't take the Colonial, they will need every "quality" win they can get in order to score an at-large. Much the same can be said for . . .

William & Mary vs. Iona = . . . with the exception being that here BOTH teams (both with 19 wins) need that quality W to help their at-large hopes. This being given, both these games should be a total war.

As has become my usual, I shall only mention now those Saturday games which tip off early tomorrow:

Siena vs. Butler = If you enjoy good old-timey basketball between two damn decent programs, both of whom do a superior job year-after-year WITHOUT the benefit of NBA-bound talent, then this is the game for you to catch.

Florida vs. Mississippi = Neither of these teams are great, but both are capable of playing a good game, so it should be competitive.

UNC vs. Boston College = And this one should be competitive also . . . both teams pretty much suck. Yet it may have some bigger significance, since if the Tar Heels expect to have the slightest chance of getting a shot to defend their national championship they will need a few more wins to receive even a sympathy at-large bid. Here is one of their best opportunities left to get one.

A more complete weekend forecast will follow tomorrow. Until then, enjoy.

[Col. Kurtz]

Originally Posted by The Poet

And Derek Wittenberg still claims that was a pass to LoRilla, not a shot.

Update to follow.

It worked.

Sorry for the thread-jack. Maybe we need an ACC hoops '09-'10 thread

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by Col. Kurtz

It worked.

Sorry for the thread-jack. Maybe we need an ACC hoops '09-'10 thread

Yes indeed, Jerry . . . it did work. And nobody's stopping any other conference fans from jumping in, so if they don't like it, screw 'em.

[Col. Kurtz]

Originally Posted by The Poet

Yes indeed, Jerry . . . it did work. And nobody's stopping any other conference fans from jumping in, so if they don't like it, screw 'em.

And for the record, I think it was a lousy shot that got helped along; not a pass. That's how the Cardiac Pack rolled back then.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by Col. Kurtz

And for the record, I think it was a lousy shot that got helped along; not a pass. That's how the Cardiac Pack rolled back then.

There were a string of weird games back then. The year before there was Fred Brown's pass to James Worthy, then two years after the Cardiac Kids was 'Nova's near-perfect game against the Hoyas. There was three of the NCAA's most memorable ten championship games, all within four years.

[The Poet]

First, let's get last night's action out of the way:

Cornell 79 - Harvard 70 // Princeton 82 - Yale 58 = I put these two together because they belong there. The Big Red holds a slim 1/2-game lead over the Tigers for the Ivy, with Princeton having the game-in-hand, and they will go head-to-head next week. Meanwhile, the Crimson's hopes for reaching the Tourney for the first time since Naismith was a pup took a fatal hit.

Iona 69 - William & Mary 53 // Northern Iowa 71 - ODU 62 = And I put these two together because the losers most likely also lost their at-large hopes here . . . but hey, we won't know that for sure until Selection Sunday.

As is always the case, there are a slew of games today. And as is the case this time of year, many of them have little significance save for their fans, as they have no meaningful impact, win or lose, or they are likely blowouts by one of those teams involved. So I won't talk about games such as Wake/NC State, Stanford/Oregon State, or Kansas/Colorado. Of those games I feel DO have some juice, we have later today:

Baylor vs. Oklahoma State = Two pretty good teams, and a key game for the "also-rans" in the Big 12.

Texas vs. Texas Tech = What I just said, with the added spark that Rick Barnes really needs to get his boys' horns out of their hindquarters if he expects them to make much noise come March.

Xavier vs. Charlotte = As neither of these two are likely to jump over both Richmond and Temple in the A-10, here's the first of several more key "at-large" matchups.

Georgia Tech vs. Maryland = These two teams don't need any more victories for their at-large, but the Terps still have some hope that Dook will stumble and let them steal the ACC.

Fairfield vs. Vermont = Although Vermont will likely take their conference, Fairfield needs this one for a shot at their bid.

Purdue vs. Illinois = The casual fan may overlook this one, but take note: Purdue is ranked #4 in the nation, but at 10-3 are #2 in the Big 10 behind the Spartans. The unranked Illini are #4 just below the Buckeyes, yet at 9-4 still do have a prayer. This one should be fun.

UTEP vs. Tulsa = UTEP wants this one to grab the CUSA by the throat. Tulsa NEEDS this one to stay alive. Should be fun also.

Akron vs. VCU = Here's another of those key "at-large" games, for VCU anyway.

Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt = This is the marquee matchup of the day, and it's not an easy one to call, believe it or not. UK has only lost once all year, but they have pulled a number of wins out of the fire at the end. They are talented, but undisciplined at times. Vandy is disciplined, yet they sometimes don't show up to play. The Wildcats could blow the Commodores off the court, but Vandy could also edge them in a tight contest. Should be interesting.

Wichita State vs. Utah State = The last of those key "at-large" games of the day, for the boys from Wichita anyway. It's in Logan, so it won't be easy, but I think they will take it.

The schedule for Sunday is quite a bit slimmer, but it is nearly as heavy in big games:

Villanova vs. Pittsburgh = You'd have to give 'Nova the edge here, but the Panthers are totally capable of beating anyone on any given Sunday. Plus, 'Nova has proved they can lay the occasional rotten egg themselves. Don't put this down in ink already.

Ohio State vs. Michigan State = The Spartans have been more consistently good, but the Buckeyes have seemed to put their struggles behind them. I see a tight one.

Wisconsin vs. Northwestern = The Badgers are coming off a terrible loss to Minnesota, and want to recoup. Northwestern has fallen off the map after their over-hyped start, but still have a pretty good squad. Here's another tight one.

Arizona vs. Arizona State = And there's more than desert bragging rights at stake here, for the Sun Devils anyway. They want to remain in the hunt with California for the Pac-10, and Sendek will have them focused. Devils by 10.

Duke vs. Virginia Tech = This might be Devils by 10 also, though as I've noted before, they do struggle when their outside shots won't fall. Give them the advantage, but give the Hokies a boxer's chance to put a kink in Dook's plans for the ACC regular season crown. Of course, as any true ACC fan knows, that don't mean squat . . . it's the ACC Tournament, the gran'daddy of them all, that really matters.

I'll be back shortly with some scores. Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Final: Butler 70 - Siena 53 = Not surprised Butler takes it, but the blowout is a bit of a shock. Speaking of blowouts, at present both St. John's and West Virginia are blowing out South Florida and Seton Hall, respt. Temple/St. Joe's, Fla/Ole Miss and UNC/BC all too tight to call, with plenty of time left in all these games.

[The Poet]

Florida and Temple finally get some working margin, but it's still too early to call. South Florida making a move on the Johnnies, and UNC/BC still trying to figure out who sucks least.

[The Poet]

BC up 8 with just under 8 left, and Gators holding slim 3 over Ole Miss with 6+ to go.

[The Poet]

Whoa. Temple only up 2 over a crappy St. Joe's team, with 4 1/2 left. That's Philly ball for you!

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by The Poet

Whoa. Temple only up 2 over a crappy St. Joe's team, with 4 1/2 left. That's Philly ball for you!

Now it's tied @ 50 with 2 to play.

Heels and Ole Miss both need a trey to tie it up, with 3+ to go.

[The Poet]

Whoa # 2 = Seton Hall only 4 behind WVA with 3+ left.

[The Poet]

Boston College 71 - UNC 67 = And the hits just keep on coming.

Florida/Ole Miss a 1-point game with the clock running out, and Temple/St. Joe's going into OT.

[The Poet]

St. John's 74 - South Florida 58. WVA 75 - Seton Hall 63. Florida 64 - Mississippi 61. Well, one of them was an exciting game.

Temple trying to take charge in OT, and about damn time. And Oak State all over Baylor early - it was 22-11 last time I checked.

[The Poet]

Temple 75 - St. Joseph's 67 (OT) = Props to the Hawks for scaring the Owls.

Baylor has cut into Cowboys' lead. Other games too early to note any trends yet.

[The Poet]

Right off the bat in the 2nd half, Baylor has at last managed to catch Oak State. Texas looking to take double-digit lead into the break over Texas Tech, and N.C.State/Xavier looking to take a slimmer lead to the lockerromm against Wake/Charlotte, respt.

[The Poet]

Terps 2 points better than the Jackets at the break, and early second half Gamecocks holding tough against Volunteers.