College Hoops Thread 2011-2012

The Poet · 02-27-2012, 04:39 PM

As Joe said above, a lot of close ones this weekend, and even a fair number of upsets too. And as Michael said, the Jayhawks knocked Mizzou down another peg in what may well be the last game in a storied rivalry that's over a century old. I'll address it more below.

So, aside from those close ones and upsets already noted Saturday afternoon (Dook, UK, SJU, Iowa St., Baylor) we had these I've cherry-picked for one reason or another:

Clemson 72 - N. C. State 69 (OT) = Two weeks ago Jerry's Wolfpack was primed to grab an at-large bid to The Dance. Maybe 3 straight losses to Duke, FSU, and UNC did not totally kill their chances, but this one maybe did. Their only chance now is a run to, at least, the finals of the ACC tourney, and that might even be one win too few. You can't stick a fork in them yet, but you might as well pick it up.

North Carolina 54 - Virginia 51 = Ugly, ugly, ugly win for the Heels, though better than an ugly loss. Neither team could shoot worth a damn from the field, with both having long droughts without a hoop. UNC at least could hit from the stripe, and won it on FTs., and so keep pace with Dook atop the ACC race.

Kansas 87 - Missouri 86 (OT) = I'm a little surprised the Jayhawks had so much trouble defending home court, considering their record in Allen Fieldhouse. But like my Heels above, a win's a win. This one may have gotten KU a #1-seed (and may not have, if they stumble once or twice down the stretch), but this 2nd loss in a row for the Tigers almost certainly cost them one. Hey, didn't I tell you so beforehand?

Texas 71 - Texas Tech 67 (OT) = Not all that important a game overall, though it does keep the 'Horns alive for a possible at-large . . . for now. But such a strugge against a crappy TT team, even in Lubbock, does not bode well for that potential future.

Georgia 76 - Florida 62 = But as poor as that performance was in Lubbock, this one in Athens was much worse. What in the hell is up with the Gators? There is no reason whatsoever for them to let the Bulldogs spank them like this.

Rutgers 77 - Seton Hall 72 (OT) = Though not quite as damning as that NCSU loss to Clemson, this one certainly has put the Pirates back in the bubble discussion.

Alabama 67 - Mississippi State 50 = As for these Bulldogs from the Delta, what has happened to them? OK, so the Tide has a decent team, but Miss. State was ranked for half the season, then pulled an "Illini" and just collapsed. This was their 5th loss in a row, putting them squarly into that bubble discussion.

VCU 89 - George Mason 77 = This win gives the Rams 2nd place in the CAC, with the Drexel Dragons taking the honors. With the automatic bid still to be determined in league tourney play, it will remain a question how many of these very good teams will get a chance to Dance.

Purdue 75 - MIchigan 61 = Though it may be too little too late, the Boilermakers continue to improve. As for the Wolverines, it's just a case of too little, as in scoring . . . which they've had upteen times now.

Penn 55 - Harvard 54 = The Quakers did what they had to do to give them a chance to do what Princeton did to Harvard last year . . . take the single NCAA bid for the Ivy away from the Crimson after they felt it was theirs all season long. Their 9-2 mark is still 1/2 back of Haa'vaad's 10-2, and their schedule is against them too (Brown, Yale, then @ Princeton vs. @ Columbia and Cornell), but we could see that 1-game-for-all-the-marbles game again this March.

St. Joseph's 82 - Temple 72 = Did this one by the Hawks over the Owls get St. Joe's into Dance mode? Well, it all depends on how deep into the A10 the Committee decides to dip. Me, I'd sooner see them get an extra bid or three than see them all go to Big Mouth teams that are sub.-500 in league play.

TCU 83 - New Mexico 64 = A week or so back the Lobos had a secure 2-game lead in the Mountain West race. Two Ls in a row, and they are now in a 3-way with UNLV and Larry's Aztecs. As that Committee likely will not (and probably should not) go any deeper in the MW as in the aforementioned A10, this could get real interesting . . . and maybe a little baitchy to boot.

Washington 59 - Washington State 55 = If the Huskies are as good as they seem to think, this one should never have been so tight. Still, they did do what they had to, and following a result which will appear below, they now hold a 1/2-game lead in the Pac-12 . . . for what that's worth.

Syracuse 71 - U Conn 69 = The Orange could have almost certainly lost this game and still not lost their #1-seed, and the Huskies could have won it and still not insured themselves an at-large bid. So in that regard the game was not important. But considering how many problems U Conn has had, and how much crowing has been coming out of the 'Cuse fandom, this result may at least may explain why I won't be putting Syracuse in MY Final Four bracket.

Nevada 79 - Fresno St. 76 (3OT) = It doesn't matter if this game matters or not. Any time two teams give you a fight like this, they deserve some props.

Sunday we saw:

South Florida 46 - Cincinnati 45 = When you consider the kind of season the Bearcats have had, it's far from certain this is a good enough win to help the Bulls get an at-large. But if Cincy gets one and they do not, I'd be a little cheesed . . . if I really cared, that is.

Louisville 57 - Pitt 54 = And even if the Panthers had managed to get over the hump late at take this one in the Bucket, it wouldn't have helped their post-season in the least. But it does maybe give all those rabid Big East fans out there some more evidence as to why MY opinion of their league is NOT on as elevated a level as too many claim.

Wisconsin 63 - Ohio State 60 = A great road win for the Badgers, and another somewhat surprising home loss by the Buckeyes. Me, I would have penciled them in as a #1-seed before the season started, but now it seems a #2 is slipping away. Yeah, sure, you could say much the same about my Heels, but they at least have kept themselves in the hunt late.

Colorado 70 - California 57 = Once again Rocky Mountain Fever strikes a visiting team, and this time it put the Golden Bears that 1/2-game back of Washington as referenced above. Here is another good win for the Buffs.

Miami 78 - Florida State 62 = And not only is this the Seminoles's 2nd loss in a row, thus putting them out of the ACC race for first (hey, the math means they can't win now, no matter what), but this win by the Hurricanes gives them TWO signature wins. Remember, they beat Duke in Cameron too. How in the world could the Selection Committe deny them an at-large now? Well, they still might, but it would not be right of them.

There's next to no action tonight, save for:

Notre Dame vs. Georgetown = These are two of the better teams in the Big East, and both are somewhat surprisingly so. I feel they both are safely Dancing, but another win or two is always better than another loss or three. I'm hoping for a good one here.

Kansas vs. Oklahoma State = I would not expect the Jayhawks to p!$$ away their season in Stillwater tonight, as the Cowboys are not all that good. But you never know, as after that Border War with Mizzou their chalk may be a bit rocky. I'd not bet on that, yet keep an eye on the score for a while anyway.

Texas Tech vs. Baylor = And the Bears have already had about as much of a collapse as I figured they'd have, so I'd expect them to defend the court in Waco against TT tonight. Hey, the putrid Red Raiders have lost something like 15 of 16 now. So me, I wouldn't even bother with this one.

Gonzaga vs. Longwood = Nor would I bother with this one either. In fact, I can't even figure out why Gonzaga would bother with this one. What idiot scheduled the last regular-season game of the year against a garbage Independent team like the Longwood Lancers anyway? WTF???

That's all for me today. Back tomorrow with more of my crap. Until later then, enjoy.

SD Beerman · 02-27-2012, 04:57 PM

The Mountain West is rough with all the altitude games and travel. A lot of good teams, I did sweat out the OT game but they came through against Colorado State. 3 way tie for first in MWC. I would have said SDSU had the advantage but now they have to go to TCU after they beat New Mexico.

The Poet · 02-28-2012, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SD Beerman

The Mountain West is rough with all the altitude games and travel. A lot of good teams, I did sweat out the OT game but they came through against Colorado State. 3 way tie for first in MWC. I would have said SDSU had the advantage but now they have to go to TCU after they beat New Mexico.

I'm close to becoming convinced the Mountain West is the cross-continent equivalent of the Atlantic 10, meaning it's a "Four A" league . . . better than Triple A, but not quite in The Majors yet. However, I am NOT YET convinced they deserve as many, or even more, bids than does their neighbors the Pac-12. I'm not saying the MW gets too much respect, but the performance of Pac-10 teams in last year's NCAAs, after the "experts" complained they got too many bids, should have shown people they are not as bad as the popular perception has become. Again, to make a similar transcontinental comparison, I feel the ACC has suffered nearly as badly from certain erroneous perceptions.

But aside from all that, I confess I do enjoy a nice tight conference race, with teams fighting for the crown down to the last second, as opposed to those that are over by Valentine's Day.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mase

The Hoyas defense was terrific last night. ND's Cooley was a non-factor in the game, after being the "go to" guy over the last 5 or 6 games.

Georgetown's past success was always built upon their D, which is a good thing . . . not only because defense wins you games, but because they have been notoriously poor offensively.

Hell, people always joke how the only man who held Michael Jordan below 20 points was Dean Smith, yet NOBODY'S ever complained that John Thompson was the man who kept Patrick Ewing from becoming the Wilt Chamberlain of his day.

, but them's the facts, Jacks.

Update soon.

02-27-2012, 04:39 PM	#1
The Poet Il megglior fabbro Join Date: Jun 2009 First Name: Thomas Location: Hickory, NC Posts: 8,420 Trading: (2)	Re: College Hoops Thread 2011-2012 As Joe said above, a lot of close ones this weekend, and even a fair number of upsets too. And as Michael said, the Jayhawks knocked Mizzou down another peg in what may well be the last game in a storied rivalry that's over a century old. I'll address it more below. So, aside from those close ones and upsets already noted Saturday afternoon (Dook, UK, SJU, Iowa St., Baylor) we had these I've cherry-picked for one reason or another: Clemson 72 - N. C. State 69 (OT) = Two weeks ago Jerry's Wolfpack was primed to grab an at-large bid to The Dance. Maybe 3 straight losses to Duke, FSU, and UNC did not totally kill their chances, but this one maybe did. Their only chance now is a run to, at least, the finals of the ACC tourney, and that might even be one win too few. You can't stick a fork in them yet, but you might as well pick it up. North Carolina 54 - Virginia 51 = Ugly, ugly, ugly win for the Heels, though better than an ugly loss. Neither team could shoot worth a damn from the field, with both having long droughts without a hoop. UNC at least could hit from the stripe, and won it on FTs., and so keep pace with Dook atop the ACC race. Kansas 87 - Missouri 86 (OT) = I'm a little surprised the Jayhawks had so much trouble defending home court, considering their record in Allen Fieldhouse. But like my Heels above, a win's a win. This one may have gotten KU a #1-seed (and may not have, if they stumble once or twice down the stretch), but this 2nd loss in a row for the Tigers almost certainly cost them one. Hey, didn't I tell you so beforehand? Texas 71 - Texas Tech 67 (OT) = Not all that important a game overall, though it does keep the 'Horns alive for a possible at-large . . . for now. But such a strugge against a crappy TT team, even in Lubbock, does not bode well for that potential future. Georgia 76 - Florida 62 = But as poor as that performance was in Lubbock, this one in Athens was much worse. What in the hell is up with the Gators? There is no reason whatsoever for them to let the Bulldogs spank them like this. Rutgers 77 - Seton Hall 72 (OT) = Though not quite as damning as that NCSU loss to Clemson, this one certainly has put the Pirates back in the bubble discussion. Alabama 67 - Mississippi State 50 = As for these Bulldogs from the Delta, what has happened to them? OK, so the Tide has a decent team, but Miss. State was ranked for half the season, then pulled an "Illini" and just collapsed. This was their 5th loss in a row, putting them squarly into that bubble discussion. VCU 89 - George Mason 77 = This win gives the Rams 2nd place in the CAC, with the Drexel Dragons taking the honors. With the automatic bid still to be determined in league tourney play, it will remain a question how many of these very good teams will get a chance to Dance. Purdue 75 - MIchigan 61 = Though it may be too little too late, the Boilermakers continue to improve. As for the Wolverines, it's just a case of too little, as in scoring . . . which they've had upteen times now. Penn 55 - Harvard 54 = The Quakers did what they had to do to give them a chance to do what Princeton did to Harvard last year . . . take the single NCAA bid for the Ivy away from the Crimson after they felt it was theirs all season long. Their 9-2 mark is still 1/2 back of Haa'vaad's 10-2, and their schedule is against them too (Brown, Yale, then @ Princeton vs. @ Columbia and Cornell), but we could see that 1-game-for-all-the-marbles game again this March. St. Joseph's 82 - Temple 72 = Did this one by the Hawks over the Owls get St. Joe's into Dance mode? Well, it all depends on how deep into the A10 the Committee decides to dip. Me, I'd sooner see them get an extra bid or three than see them all go to Big Mouth teams that are sub.-500 in league play. TCU 83 - New Mexico 64 = A week or so back the Lobos had a secure 2-game lead in the Mountain West race. Two Ls in a row, and they are now in a 3-way with UNLV and Larry's Aztecs. As that Committee likely will not (and probably should not) go any deeper in the MW as in the aforementioned A10, this could get real interesting . . . and maybe a little baitchy to boot. Washington 59 - Washington State 55 = If the Huskies are as good as they seem to think, this one should never have been so tight. Still, they did do what they had to, and following a result which will appear below, they now hold a 1/2-game lead in the Pac-12 . . . for what that's worth. Syracuse 71 - U Conn 69 = The Orange could have almost certainly lost this game and still not lost their #1-seed, and the Huskies could have won it and still not insured themselves an at-large bid. So in that regard the game was not important. But considering how many problems U Conn has had, and how much crowing has been coming out of the 'Cuse fandom, this result may at least may explain why I won't be putting Syracuse in MY Final Four bracket. Nevada 79 - Fresno St. 76 (3OT) = It doesn't matter if this game matters or not. Any time two teams give you a fight like this, they deserve some props. Sunday we saw: South Florida 46 - Cincinnati 45 = When you consider the kind of season the Bearcats have had, it's far from certain this is a good enough win to help the Bulls get an at-large. But if Cincy gets one and they do not, I'd be a little cheesed . . . if I really cared, that is. Louisville 57 - Pitt 54 = And even if the Panthers had managed to get over the hump late at take this one in the Bucket, it wouldn't have helped their post-season in the least. But it does maybe give all those rabid Big East fans out there some more evidence as to why MY opinion of their league is NOT on as elevated a level as too many claim. Wisconsin 63 - Ohio State 60 = A great road win for the Badgers, and another somewhat surprising home loss by the Buckeyes. Me, I would have penciled them in as a #1-seed before the season started, but now it seems a #2 is slipping away. Yeah, sure, you could say much the same about my Heels, but they at least have kept themselves in the hunt late. Colorado 70 - California 57 = Once again Rocky Mountain Fever strikes a visiting team, and this time it put the Golden Bears that 1/2-game back of Washington as referenced above. Here is another good win for the Buffs. Miami 78 - Florida State 62 = And not only is this the Seminoles's 2nd loss in a row, thus putting them out of the ACC race for first (hey, the math means they can't win now, no matter what), but this win by the Hurricanes gives them TWO signature wins. Remember, they beat Duke in Cameron too. How in the world could the Selection Committe deny them an at-large now? Well, they still might, but it would not be right of them. There's next to no action tonight, save for: Notre Dame vs. Georgetown = These are two of the better teams in the Big East, and both are somewhat surprisingly so. I feel they both are safely Dancing, but another win or two is always better than another loss or three. I'm hoping for a good one here. Kansas vs. Oklahoma State = I would not expect the Jayhawks to p!$$ away their season in Stillwater tonight, as the Cowboys are not all that good. But you never know, as after that Border War with Mizzou their chalk may be a bit rocky. I'd not bet on that, yet keep an eye on the score for a while anyway. Texas Tech vs. Baylor = And the Bears have already had about as much of a collapse as I figured they'd have, so I'd expect them to defend the court in Waco against TT tonight. Hey, the putrid Red Raiders have lost something like 15 of 16 now. So me, I wouldn't even bother with this one. Gonzaga vs. Longwood = Nor would I bother with this one either. In fact, I can't even figure out why Gonzaga would bother with this one. What idiot scheduled the last regular-season game of the year against a garbage Independent team like the Longwood Lancers anyway? WTF??? That's all for me today. Back tomorrow with more of my crap. Until later then, enjoy. __________________ Ninety percent of everything is crap - Theodore Sturgeon.

02-27-2012, 04:57 PM	#2
SD Beerman Have My Own Room Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Larry from Sunny S.D. Posts: 1,436 Trading: (3)	Re: College Hoops Thread 2011-2012 The Mountain West is rough with all the altitude games and travel. A lot of good teams, I did sweat out the OT game but they came through against Colorado State. 3 way tie for first in MWC. I would have said SDSU had the advantage but now they have to go to TCU after they beat New Mexico.