College Hoops Thread '09-'10

[The Poet]

'Nova/Marquette very tight so far, which is what you'd expect. UK/Louisville not so much, which is also no shock.

[The Poet]

Dang, this Bluegrass battle is total crap so far. There have been more rebounds in the game than points, and by a big margin too. Judging from what's happened so far, they both suck.

[The Poet]

Well, that UK/Louisville game got a bit better in the 2nd half, with the Cardinals even taking a brief lead at one point - of one point. But the Wildcats held them off for a decent 71-62 victory. Other games of note not already covered, on Saturday:

Kansas 84 - Temple 52 = The Owls wisely spread the court and tried to slow things down, but could not hit from deep, which put them in deep.

Texas 76 - TAMU Corpus Christi 70 = Previously I've mentioned a number of "bad" wins. Well, this was just disgraceful for the Longhorns. OK, you can forgive their 35% shooting, as any team can have a cold night. But to be outrebounded 47-37 by the (then) 5-6 Islanders is a crime, and Rick Barnes would agree. Had TAMU not helped Texas with 25 turnovers, they may have had the upset.

Villanova 74 - Marquette 72 = Did I not say this could be a good one?

Michigan State 91 - Northwestern 70 = Did I not say N'western would lose their 2nd of the week?

Virginia Tech 103 - Seton Hall 94 (OT) = Did I not say . . . well, I don't recall. But this is the third tough loss for the Pirates in a week. Guess those priests aren't praying hard enough.

Oregon 90 - (formerly #17) Washington 79 = Did I not say the Pac-10 sucked?

USC 47 - Arizona State 37 = Did I not just say it? Hell, that's a football score.

On Sunday some games of note were:

Duke 74 - Clemson 53 = Anyone who didn't see this coming does not know the ACC.

Georgetown 67 - DePaul 50 = Well, the Blue Demons sure ain't the Blue Devils.

Kansas State 91 - South Dakota 69 = Oh, sorry . . . I said "games of note" didn't I.

Michigan 73 - Ohio State 64 = OK, here's one. The collapse of the Buckeyes continues apace.

Florida 62 - N. C. State 61 (OT) = Now here was one good contest for you.

Iowa State 82 - Houston 75 (2OT) = Now here was a second.

Wake Forest 96 - Xavier 92 (2OT) = Now here was a third, and precisely the war I predicted.

I see only four games tonight of interest to me, although there are some good matchups between .500-type teams that could be fun. The ones I mean, however, are:

UNC vs. College of Charleston = This is not a classic tough Charleston team, but the Heels ain't exactly been spot-on either. It should . . . SHOULD . . . be a spanking for Carolina's last tune-up prior to ACC play.

Florida State vs. TAMU Corpus Christi = If the Seminoles embarrass the Islanders, like I believe they shall, this will merely add to the embarrassment of the Longhorns (see above).

Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati = Two good teams with two great wins of late. Should be a blast.

Fairfield vs. Niagara = Two decent mid-major programs who both are playing as well as are capable.

Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Two more points of interest, in case you missed them:

1 - That Gator overtime win against the Wolfpack was on a 75-foot shot at the buzzer, off a rebound of a missed back-end freethrow with 2.6 seconds left. Whoa!

2 - Due to violations committed by Tim Floyd and O.J. Mayo, Southern Cal has imposed on themselves - yes, ON THEMSELVES! - some rather draconian sanctions, including the voiding of the season Mayo played for them, the return to the NCAA of tourney money, the banning of themselves from post-season play this year, the loss of a scholarship, and the limitation of recruitment for next year. Yes, you read right - they slapped themselves, and hard. Now, that is class.

[The Poet]

Well the boss has finally left, so I can get to this at last:

College of Charleston 82 - UNC 79 (OT) = I have been trying to tell you that my Tar Heels have been playing like crap. Roy Williams has been trying to tell them that they have been playing like crap. Maybe you have listened to me, and maybe you have not, but it's obvious that they have not been listening to Roy. With the conference season about to start, this could get even uglier, and fast.

Pittsburgh 74 - Cincinnati 71 = Yeah, I figgered this would be a good game, and it's another good win for the Panthers.

Florida State 94 - TAMU Corpus Christi 54 = This is only of interest because it is the kind of whipping that Texas should have laid on them in the previous game.

And I also figgered there might be some decent matchups between "meh" clubs last night, and there certainly was. Although the schedule was not overly crowded, I counted about 15 games that either ended as one-possession contests in regulation or ones that went to OT. There may be a few of those tonight also, but I don't see nearly as many. Games of possible note include:

Texas vs. Arkansas = The Razorbacks are not great this year, but Texas has not yet shown me they are as good as their ranking. I doubt if this will be a close one, but then again I KNEW the Corpus Christi game would not, so . . . .

Purdue vs. Minnesota = I cannot see Minnesota hanging around long here.

Georgia Tech vs. Georgia = Tech is a better squad, but these in-state fights are always tricky.

Marshall vs. Southern Mississippi = Two teams that play hard, so may be fun.

South Florida vs. Notre Dame = Yeah, pretty much the same here.

Mississippi vs. UCF = Nah, not so much here.

New Mexico vs. San Diego State = Nor here.

Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Scores of note from last night include:

Texas 96 - Arkansas 85 = The 'Hogs fought the 'Horns hard, but the bovine advantage down low overcame the porcine persistence.

San Diego State 74 - New Mexico 64 = For those Mountain West fans with expectations exceeding mid-major status, take that!

Georgia 73 - Georgia Tech 66 = I warned you about those in-state rivals. Guess whatever magic Bobby Cremmins had left the Ramblin' Wreck got used up the night before when his Charleston club beat the Heels.

Notre Dame 74 - South Florida 73 = Indeed, a fun game.

There's a fair number of games with good teams tonight:

Kansas vs. Cornell = This isn't even a decent scrimmage.

Duke vs. Iowa State = A little better, but not a lot.

Villanova vs. DePaul = I'm not gonna believe in the Demons again, until they prove me wrong.

Syracuse vs. Memphis = Ehhhh, could be interesting for a half or so.

West Virginia vs. Rutgers = Uhhhh, could be over by the half or so.

Michigan State vs. Wisconsin = Conference play with ranked teams, so 'nuff said.

Georgetown vs. Marquette = I can see this going down to the wire.

U. Conn. vs. Seton Hall = Huskies wanna bounce back, and Pirates wanna win one of these. Might be a lotta fun.

Tennessee vs. Charlotte = The 49er's are a good squad, and the Vols aren't out on bail yet. Don't be shocked if Charlotte knocks Knoxville off.

Temple vs. St. Joe's = The Hawks are flying pretty low this season, but with Philly ball you can never tell. However, Owls should prevail by a dozen or better.

BYU vs. UNLV = Monty, I'd like to buy a vowel and solve this puzzle . . . is either team for real?

Louisville vs. Providence = Here's one both teams need, so let's hope both show up.

Wichita State vs. Missouri State = OK, it has no national implications, but I do like the matchup.

Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Wow, was last night a great one for close games, such as:

Kansas 71 - Cornell 66 = And it was even closer than that, as Big Red held a 64-63 lead with 50 seconds left. Had Collins not carried the Jayhawks by himself all evening, this would have been the biggest upset since Chaminade beat Ralph Sampson's UVA team.

Michigan State 54 - Wisconsin 47 = Both teams shot well under 40% from the field, and I'd like to know how much was due to D and how much to crappy selection and execution.

U. Conn. 71 - Seton Hall 63 = Another tough loss for the Pirates. Again, considering this was in Storrs, that 8-point margin is no shame . . . but it's still an L on the books.

Marquette 62 - Georgetown 59 = Have you guys been paying attention? The Golden Eagles may be the best 10-5 team in the nation. Not only have they beaten Xavier and Michigan also, but of their losses it was by 1 to Florida State, 4 to N.C. State, 1 to West Virginia, and 2 to Villanova. Not too shabby.

Aside from these, games without as much national implication included:

BYU 77 - UNLV 73 = In a battle of Good vs. Evil, one prevailed. I'll let you choose which is which.

UCLA 76 - California 75 (OT) = Hey, the Pac-10 can play some real competitive ball . . . against each other, anyway.

Stanford 54 - USC 53 = See what I mean?

Bradley 91 - Indiana State 85 (OT) = Everybody loves a bonus session.

William & Mary 74 - Delaware 73 (OT) = Like this.

Grambling State 64 - Alabama A&M 62 (OT) = Or this.

Ohio 63 - IUPUI 62 = Close, but no seegar.

Jackson State 63 = Alabama State 62 = " " " .

ODU 74 - James Madison 72 = Not as close, but still.

Drexel 75 - VCU 72 = A blowout, relatively.

Wichita State 65 - Missouri State 62 = And another one.

As for action this evening, well, it's mostly a bunch of crap..Already today Coastal Carolina has edges N.C. Ashville 58-57 in the Manteo-to-Murphy (or is it Duck to Ducktown?) challenge, which is of interest only as it continues the "squeaker" trend. The other games which I find of note include:

Western Kentucky vs. South Alabama = A decent chance to be a decent game.

Michigan vs. Penn State = A conference game, at least.

Xavier vs. LaSalle = The X-men should continue their Yo-Yo season with a W.

St. Francis (PA) vs. St. Francis (NY) = This one's for all who believe basketball is Assisi game.

Enjoy.

[Col. Kurtz]

Originally Posted by The Poet

That Gator overtime win against the Wolfpack was on a 75-foot shot at the buzzer, off a rebound of a missed back-end freethrow with 2.6 seconds left. Whoa!

Grrrr

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by Col. Kurtz

Grrrr

Yepper! But hey - at least it wasn't Charleston in OT.

[The Poet]

Even though most of the games last night involved teams no one but their fans are involved with, the trend of squeakers did continue:

Western Kentucky 67 - South Alabama 64 (OT) = Hey, I told you this could be a good one.

Xavier 68 - LaSalle 62 = And I told you Xavier would win, though I expected a bigger margin.

Michigan 64 - Penn State 55 = The Loins let the Logans recover from a hideous first half to steal one and keep PSU winless in the Big 10.

Arkansas State 69 - Middle Tennessee State 67 = One of those aforementioned squeakers.

UC Irvine 65 - CSU Northridge 62 = Again.

Gardner-Webb 64 - Charleston Southern 61 = Also.

Jackson State 68 - Eastern Kentucky 65 = Ditto.

LA Lafayette 74 - North Texas 72 = Ibid.

Oakland 67 - Oral Roberts 64 = Another 1-possession game.

Quinnipiac 64 - Mount St. Mary's 63 = And a 1-point one.

Southern Utah 85 - North Dakota State 79 (OT) = And another OT.

There's not a whole lot happening tonight, as is fairly normal on Fridays once the season truly starts. I see only a few games to watch:

Butler vs. Wright State = Should be a real battle.

Washington State vs. Arizona = Should not be one.

Washington vs. Arizona State = Hey, do these Great NW schools share the same plane? Didn't they do this precise flop-flip with Oregon/Oregon State earlier? WTF?

There WILL be a ton of good games on Saturday, but as I'll be right here tomorrow I shall only mention those with an early tip-off time:

Georgetown vs. U. Conn = This is always an interesting matchup between the Hoya defensive philosophy and the Huskies offensive one.

Florida vs. Vanderbilt = These Commodores are not as good as past teams, but the Gators have been pretty bi-polar, so might be fun.

St. John's vs. Louisville = Neither team is outstanding, but both teams are pretty decent. I expect the Cardinals to open this one up in the second half.

More to follow tomorrow afternoon. Until then, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Boy, did I miss it last night! F'instance:

Butler 77 - Wright State 65 = I thought this would be close, but it was not very after all.

Washington State 78 - Arizona 76 = And I thought this would be a slaughter, as Arizona hasn't shown me much so far. They didn't win, but they came damn near.

Arizona State 68 - Washington 51 = The Huskies are not doing much to defend their Pac-10 championship, and that's a fact. But to me the more significant fact is how good a coach is Herb Sendek. In his 3+ seasons, his Sun Devils have beaten 7 ranked teams, while in the previous 11 campaigns they beat only five. I did not understand it when N.C. State let him go, and I've seen no reason yet to change that opinion.

There is much to much action going on today for me to post more than those games that pop for me, as this is the first weekend of full-tilt conference play. Regarding those games that have already started, U. Conn presently has a nice lead over Georgetown, but the Fla./Vandy and SJU/Louisville ones are both tight still. I'll keep you guys grounded at your keyboards updated. In the meantime, here's my picks for other games to note:

Purdue vs. Wisconsin = Could be a lot closer than the Boilermakers would prefer.

Texas vs. Colorado = Should not be.

Mississippi vs. Mississippi State = A better record only goes so far in state rival conference games like this one.

Duke vs. Georgia Tech = Almost always a fun matchup, though Dook should prevail.

Villanova vs. Marquette = Wow. I'd love to watch this one. Don't be shocked if 'Nova falls.

Kansas State vs. Missouri = Hey, this could be another upset.

New Mexico vs. UNLV = Or this one.

Kentucky vs. Georgia = This one, not so much. Stranger things have happened, however.

Michigan State vs. Iowa = No contest.

West Virginia vs. Notre Dame = The Irish are almost good enough to pull this out, and they need the W more. I don't expect it, but you never know.

BYU vs. UTEP = OK, who ordered the alphabet soup?

Gonzaga vs. California = Hmmm. The 'Zags often struggle in "prestige" games, so this may be another tough battle for them.

And the above is only the games with ranked teams involved. Other potential good ones today include:

Virginia vs. N. C. State = Both programs are attempting to improve, and here's a nice test.

Niagara vs. Siena = A mid-major war every year.

South Carolina vs. Auburn = A fight to stay respectable in the SEC.

Iona vs. Rider = See above re: mid-majors.

Ohio State vs. Minnesota = The Buckeyes appear lost without Turner, and need to figure out who they are now. Here's another shot at that.

Boston College vs. Clemson = Again, a fight to stay afloat in the ACC.

Nebraska vs. Texas A&M = A&M has slipped, and needs this to recover a bit.

Alabama vs. LSU = Conference floaties again.

Cincinnati vs. Seton Hall = And again. If the Hall has a fourth heartbreaker loss, Gonzalez may shoot himself.

Wake Forest vs. Miami = Wake need to show they can play with the ACC elite every night.

Oklahoma vs. Baylor = Don't look now, but Baylor is 12-1 so far. Their one loss was by 3 to Alabama, and they've beaten Iona, Xavier, Arizona State, Arkansas, and South Carolina. Yet do they get any love? No sir.

Rutgers vs. Providence = Hey, nobody wants to play in the cellar.

Texas Tech vs Oklahoma State = Tech's been embarrassed enough this week, what with that whole football fiasco, so they need this morale booster.


Wow, are my fingers tired! Yet I still need to report on the games coming up on Sunday:

Temple vs. Rhode Island = I can't see this being much of a fight.

Syracuse vs. South Florida = This may be more of one, but the Orange should squeeze one out.

Kansas vs. Tennessee = The Vols are pretty literally just that now, as they will play with benchwarmers and walk-ons. If KU doesn't win by 30, they should forfeit merely on principle.

Florida State vs. Maryland = The Seminoles have a slightly better club, but it ain't easy playing in College Park.

UNC vs. Virginia Tech = Carolina is 10-0 in Chapel Hill, but have not played well so far. Tech has played fairly well most nights, and are 3-0 on the road. Something's gotta give.

Xavier vs. George Washington = Didn't the X-men just win one? If things hold true, it's now time for them to lose again.

Butler vs. Detroit = Hey, if this pops up on your TV, catch a few minutes of it. I expect this to be tons of fun.

Washington State vs. Arizona State = Can Sendek get his boys onna roll?

Northwestern vs. Michigan = Both have been ranked, and both have slipped, so both need to win here.

Washington vs. Arizona = Now I am convinced . . . those guys from the upper right-hand corner of the nation share charters.

I'll be back in a few with updates on action in progress. Enjoy.

[The Poet]

Georgetown has made a strong comeback and now only trails by 4 early in the second half. The other games are still razor-close, except that N.C.State has a nice lead over UVA in the second.

[The Poet]

Vandy and Louisville have opened up OK leads respt., and Hoyas have slim one over Huskies. Wolfpack have let Cavs back into game. All still have plenty of time left.

[The Poet]

Final: G'town 72 - U. Conn. 69. Vandy, UVA, and Louisville all with healty leads with time slippin' away, slippin' away.

[The Poet]

More finals: UVA 70 - NCSU 62; Vandy 95 - Fla. 87; Louisville 75 - St. John's 68.

In other action, Purdue/Wisc., Miss/Miss. St., and Texas/Colo. all still close. Duke out early over Ga. Tech.

[The Poet]

Badgers up one over Boilermakers at the half. Texas and Ole Miss opening up leads, Tech back in it against Dook. Oh, and Gamecocks having a war with Auburn.

[The Poet]

At the half: Texas 57-42 up; Ole Miss 42-37 up; S.Caro. 32-29 up. Early 2nd half Wisc. 5 better than Purdue. Late 1st, Duke/Ga.Tech only 4-point Devil edge.

[The Poet]

Badgers up 9, and 8 minutes from giving Purdue its first L of the season. Duke 35-29 at the half, S. Caro. 58-52 with 10 left. Texas and Ole Miss in control, for the most part anyway.

[The Poet]

Miss. State just tied Ole Miss, and Dook only up two. Badgers up 11 with under 4 to play.

[The Poet]

Marquette had a crappy 1st half (19 points), and is down big to 'Nova. Kansas St. in a war with Missou. Purdue down 3 possessions with 1:18 left.