College Hoops Thread 2011-2012

[The Poet]

Here are some early finals of note:


Duke 86 - Washington 80 = The Blue Devils tried several times to run away with this one, but the Huskies hung tough and made a real nice game of it. A quality win for Dook, though not that big a statement.

St. Joseph's 80 - Creighton 71 = But here's a statement for you. The Hawks stunk up the joint last year, and have already had some good victories this one. It's always nice to see programs with some history rebound.

Austin Peay 74 - Tennessee 70 = Wow. Who'd a thunk? The Governors lost their first nine games before finally winning one, and now they've made it two inna row, over the Vols. Maybe Bruce Pearl knew what he was doing when he "left" to become a bagboy at the grocery store.


Tomorrow's limited action has a few decent games scheduled:


Quinnipiac vs. Vermont = Both have some history, and both are fighting to stay above .500 early. Figure on a fight.

Iona vs. Marshall = These are two better teams here, both with post-season aspirations. This one ought to be a lot of fun.

N. C. State vs. N. C. Central = This one, not so much, but I gotta get Jerry's kids on here somehow.

Norfolk State vs. Virginia Tech = Not only does the game have some potential by itself despite the Hokies holding both the advantage and the home court, but it will be interesting (if maybe a bit morbid) to see how the team and crowd reacts following the latest tragedy there in Blacksburg.

Santa Clara vs. Washington State = I'm going with Santa Clara here, in a tight one.

# 21 Memphis vs. Murray State = Joe's Racers are 9-0. I figure it's about 70/30 they'll go 9-1 here. Still, the Tigers have shown they are vulnerable, so they do have a shot. Keep an eye on this one.

# 16 Alabama vs. Detroit = I give the guys from the Motor City less of a shot here, but as we've all seen, EVERY SEC-West team seems vulnerable. Keep maybe half-an-eye on this one.

Eastern Washington vs. CSU Fullerton = They seem to be fairly well-matched, so this could be decent also.

# 24 Illinois vs. Coppin State = And even though I'm still not sure about the Illini, I'd be stunned if they get their first loss in Champaign tomorrow.


That's about it for me. See you Monday, same time, same channel. Until then then, enjoy.

[jcruse64]

Yeah, I was shocked at The Peay winning the "in-state rivalry". Are to Vols that bad???

Nice try by Washington to come back on Dook, but not enough.

Rumble in the streets of Cincinnati-cross town rivals Xavier and Cincinnati go at it, and the bonus round is a round of MMA!!! Wow! Horrible, disappointing end to a game. Gonna be some suspensions from this one.

UK/IU just starting H2, and we got a game on here!!!

And...Go Racers!!!!!

[never_enough]

Originally Posted by jcruse64

Yeah, I was shocked at The Peay winning the "in-state rivalry". Are to Vols that bad???

Nice try by Washington to come back on Dook, but not enough.

Rumble in the streets of Cincinnati-cross town rivals Xavier and Cincinnati go at it, and the bonus round is a round of MMA!!! Wow! Horrible, disappointing end to a game. Gonna be some suspensions from this one.

UK/IU just starting H2, and we got a game on here!!!

And...Go Racers!!!!!

The Vols are confusing. They shouldn't be good, but some games they play really tough.

Cinci/Xavier fight didn't shock me. Anyone see the big white dudes eye after that? That bone might be broken.

[never_enough]

Well that sucked.

Umm freethrows, guard the 3 etc. UK didn't deserve that game. And Terrence Jones looked like his mom had just died before the game or something. Wonder what was wrong with him?

Good for IU. Still don't think they are that good, but that program needed this win big time.

[kelmac07]

UK looked horid today. IU looked very good...Zeller looks like a player.

[yourchoice]

Crazy fight tonight in the Xavier/Cinn game. There has to be a couple suspensions forthcoming and I wouldn't be surprised if a couple Bearcats get booted from their squad.

[jcruse64]

I agree with you; Cronin is way mad at the team. I think/hope that he does give one or two the boot.

UK showed the same problem in H1 of the UNC game-let 'em have the 3. I do NOT understand Calipari letting them do that, because they have shown that they can shut the 3 down, if they work at it. Don't even get me started on freebies. IU definitely deserved to win that game, and UK deserved to lose. They should have, and could have won it though. I hope a few guys are sitting at the freebie line today. You're right about Jones, too. Definitely not "there" for this game.

[never_enough]

Originally Posted by jcruse64

I agree with you; Cronin is way mad at the team. I think/hope that he does give one or two the boot.

UK showed the same problem in H1 of the UNC game-let 'em have the 3. I do NOT understand Calipari letting them do that, because they have shown that they can shut the 3 down, if they work at it. Don't even get me started on freebies. IU definitely deserved to win that game, and UK deserved to lose. They should have, and could have won it though. I hope a few guys are sitting at the freebie line today. You're right about Jones, too. Definitely not "there" for this game.

They hit their first 6 3's in the second half too!!! Thats just nuts. Just guard the damn 3. I'm with you and don't understand how this has gone on for two games in a row.

But in the end its their first road game and its a regular season game. I won't start to worry until losing on the road becomes a trend this year.

[jcruse64]

Woooooooooo!!!!!!!

Racers Win!!! 10-0!

Almost blew it!!!!

Work on the inbound and how to handle full court pressure this week, coach!!!



2 nice wins for the OVC this weekend.

[The Poet]

Three ranked teams were in action last night, but only one performed as I assumed:


# 14 Wisconsin 60 - Wisc. Milwaukee 54 = I figured the Badgers would win a relatively close one, and they did.

# 17 Mississippi State 75 - Florida Atlantic 68 = But despite my doubts about the Bulldogs, I never thought they'd have so much trouble here. Hey, a couple of 3s here or there, and this would have gone the other way. It's much the same with . . .

# 20 Michigan 63 - AR Pine Bluff 50 = OK, so a 13-point win is better than a 1-point loss, but if the Wolverines think they can challenge in the Big Ten by playing this poorly, they shall be sadly disappointed.


Other scores of some note:


South Carolina 66 - Presbyterian 58 = The Blue Hose held onto the 'Cocks for over a half, and actually led 25-19 at the break. I felt it would be a decent game, and it was OK at least.

Middle Tenn State 65 - Belmont 62 = Here's another I thought would be good, and it totally lived up to expectations.

UCSB 65 - San Diego 61 = Ditto.


Today Iona and Richmond are already in action against each other, with the Gaels starting to break open a tight one midway through the 2nd half, leading by 11 as I type. Other match-ups include:


Cincinnati vs. Wright State = I have learned not to expect the Bearcats to be either good or bad, since they've been both so far. WS may again give them a fight, and I'm just hoping it's not another brawl.

# 2 Ohio State vs. South Carolina Upstate = Despite the absence of Sully from the lineup, I give the Buckeyes a slim edge here.

# 6 Baylor vs. Bethune-Cookman = Much as with the Orange, I can't see how the Bears have shown us they deserve this high a ranking. Again, as with Syracuse, they may actually be good, but we have been given no reason to believe so. Their 7-0 record has decent wins against San Diego State and Northwestern, but nobody else of note. That situation does not change tonight.

South Florida vs. Auburn = The Tigers are 4-1, but that loss was a stomping by the Seton Hall Pirates. Even on their home court, I can see the Bulls goring them this evening.

Eastern Washington vs. UCLA = And I shall continue to keep my eye on the Bruins, just to see whether or not their start from hell turns around.


That's about all for me. I will update you by saying Iona's about sewed up a win over the Spiders in Richmond with only 2 minutes left, so they have responded well from that whuppin' they took from Marshall. Otherwise, enjoy.

[The Poet]

I got hammered at work today (Hey, if YOU worked in a likker store, you'd get hammered too, right?), and have no time to post much. Thank goodness nothing much happened of any real import last night, and nothing much seems likely tonight. Yeah, Joe, I know your Racers are going up against Lipscomb in hopes of holding onto that #24 ranking, but even though the game may be fairly close, they ought to win. And if they don't, then they've nobody to blame but themselves, right?

So maybe I can catch up a bit tomorrow, or certainly on Saturday. Until then then, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Aside from Joe's Racers handling Lipscomb fairly easily, 89-65, there were a few very close games last night but none of much import. And tonight the only game I see that interests me is the Cal/Weber State one, as I think the Wildcats have half-a-chance at giving the Golden Bears a good game.

There are a ton of contests tomorrow, yet none of the ones with an early tip-off seem to promise much. Michigan/Alabama A&M? Ohio State/South Carolina? Please. As my boss is here at the moment, and I cannot post for long, I guess that's a good thing too. He might even be here tomorrow, which will totally screw me up, but what's a guy to do? I can't lock him out . . . he has his own key. So if you don't hear back from me until next week, don't worry: I'm likely NOT back in the hospital. So until when then, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Hey, I finally get a chance to talk a little hoops again. I found no scores that much interested me last night, but today has a ton of fun in store for us. Already Miami/Florida Atlantic have gone to OT, with several others surviving scares too:


Ohio State 74 - South Carolina 66 = I never thought the 'Cocks could stand up so well. Sully went out of the game with a bad foot, but I've not heard what the X-Rays says.

Mississippi State 80 - Detroit 75 = And once again the SEC West demonstrates why I've little faith in any of them.

Iona vs. Vermont = This has tipped off, and I expect a good one.

Purdue vs. Butler = Here too. Neither team seems as good as they've been, so the potential is there.

# 6 Baylor vs. BYU = Finally, the Bears actually play somebody. This is out in Utah, but even if it was in Texas I'd give the Mormons a shot at the "upset". At last look, BYU had a slim lead, but it's awfully early.

# 13 Florida vs. # 22 Texas A&M = And also at last, the Aggies have an opponent on their schedule. Don't be surprised if the Gators snap their feet off at the knees.

Temple vs. Texas = Like Purdue/Butler above, these two are "down", so this could be a nail-biter.

Arizona vs. Gonzaga = To a somewhat lesser degree, it's the same story here . . . by which I mean they are not as "down", yet are fairly evenly matched.

# 4 Louisville vs. Memphis = And if the Tigers can manage to actually show up for a game, this could give the Cardinals a scare.

Mississippi vs. Southern Miss = And this is just another of those potential fun ones that pop out at me.

# 18 Indiana vs. Notre Dame = Here also, though I'm giving the Hoosiers the edge until they prove me otherwise.

# 19 Illinois vs. UNLV = And this is sort of like that Louisville/Memphis one, in that the Runnin' Rebels are capable of beating anybody . . . if they can get into that runnin' game. The Illini may have all they can handle here, if not more.

ODU vs. UCF = Just another of those "poppers" for me.

# 25 Vanderbilt vs. Indiana State = Here's another potential close one, more for the fact that Vandy's been so inconsistent. If they are today, they could easily lose this one.

# 5 North Carolina vs. Appalachian State = The Mountaineers come out of the boonies down the Catawba, forge the Yadkin, and visit Chapel Hill. It may not be much of a game, though the Heels haven't practices all week due to exams (yeah, they have them there and even take them seriously ), and may be a bit rusty. But Jason Capel returns home as head coach for ASU, so the crowd will be into that anyway.

# 1 Syracuse vs. N. C. State = Believe it or not, but this game's in Raleigh, and not in the Carrier Dome! I wonder who made that scheduling error! I wish I could give Jerry's Wolfpack a chance against the Orange, but I don't think they have the experience to handle that zone of Boeheim's. But hey, I could be wrong.

# 21 Michigan State vs. Bowling Green = The Falcons may be able to give the Spartans a good 10 minutes or so, but Izzo's got them playing so much better I can't see much more than that.

Lamar vs. Rice = Again, this one jumped out as being a pretty decent match-up.

Villanova vs. St. Joseph's = And these Big Five games are always fun. Both teams are fighting to earn a bit more respect, so look for a donnybrook in Philly tonight.

# 24 Murray State vs. Arkansas State = I don't believe Joe's Racers will have much of a problem here.

Oakland vs. Valparaiso = Just another one with the po' to be good.

# 23 Alabama vs. Kansas State = It's not in Manhattan, but it is in KC. That might be enough of an edge to push the struggling Wildcats over the Tide. After all, this IS another of those SEC West teams, remember?

New Mexico vs. Oklahoma State = These two teams have been making efforts to move up a notch in college hoops, and both have had some success at it. A win here helps either program, and I look for a tight one.


I'm breaking for lunch now, and hope to get back with more early finals, plus a glimpse at Sunday games. Later.

[The Poet]

A few more early finals:


Miami 93 - Florida Atlantic 90 (2OT) = The 'Canes hold on in a high wind by the skin of their teeth. A win's a win, but with ACC play starting soon this does not bode well for UM.

Iona 73 - Vermont 72 = Just about exactly the tight one I expected.


With time running out, both Purdue/Butler and Baylor/BYU are too close to call. But at the half the Gators are all over the Aggies, 50-25. Color me totally unsurprised.


Tomorrow has limited action, but a few games of interest include:


Wake Forest vs. Gardner-Webb = The Deacs have played better than was expected, but I can see them being tested here, believe it or not.

# 8 Xavier vs. Oral Roberts = I don't know how many Musketeers have been suspended for this game due to that fight with Cincy, which may affect the Preachers' odds. But either way, this could be decent for a while anyway.

# 9 U Conn vs. Holy Cross = Calhoun's home cooking continues, and Holy Cross should be crucified.

# 10 Missouri vs. William & Mary = This might last a half or so, but I'd not think much longer than that.

Loyola Marymount vs. Florida State = As the Semiholes have not played as well as was expected, this one may be more fight than they'd prefer. I give them an edge, but not a huge one.

Virginia vs. Oregon = Unlike FSU, UVA has played above all expectations so far. Even out in Eugene, they can give the Ducks a run for their money. The Cavs may not win, but they won't go down without a fight.

Eastern Illinois vs. Northwestern = This one may depend on how the Smarty 'Cats rebound from their poor showing today. I did not mention it above, but they just edged Central Conn. State by 6 points. EI's a better team, so if this game today did not focus NW they might just get knocked off.

Montana State vs. Pepperdine = These two teams are just above .500 now, and both want to stay there. It's in Malibu, so maybe the Waves have a slim advantage in that, but otherwise it has potential to be a blast.

Portland State vs. Oregon State = Though it is in Corvallis, I'm not sure what sort of home court advantage that means for OSU in this in-state game. I can see it lasting well into the 2nd half at least, and maybe going down to the last few possessions.


While typing this nonsense, two other finals happened:


Baylor 86 - BYU 83 = Like I said, BYU had a chance at the upset. They didn't pull it off, but they scared the Bears for sure.

Butler 67 - Purdue 65 = And like I said, I expected a good one here, and that's just what we got.

At last look, the Gators were still 18-up on the Aggies with 5 minutes gone in the 2nd, but I'm not gonna hang around here all damn day just to give you sports desk updates. So that's it from me for now. Have a great balance of the weekend, and enjoy.

[The Poet]

Swamped at work again today, and have no time for posting. Much of my time was spent getting a small Christmas order together for one customer. It is all liquor, mostly various types of scotch and vodka, with some Hennessy and a little gin and liquers thrown in. In total, it's about 140 liters of booze.

I'm glad I won't be at THAT party. Maybe I'll get a chance to catch up on the action tomorrow or the next day, but you can feel free to post your own comments. Sorry, but that's the holidays for you.

[The Poet]

I'm still too busy, and too pressed for time, but lemme take a few minutes to hit a couple of highlights over the last few days. On Saturday:


Florida 84 - Texas A&M 64 = The Aggies finally got around to playing somebody, and got their butts handed to them by the Gators.

Southern Miss 86 - Mississippi 82 = Another loss by an SEC West team.

UNLV 64 - Illinois 48 = I'm not surprised the Rebels beat the Illini, but the score seems awfully low to me.

Indiana State 61 - Vanderbilt 55 = The Comms continue to prove they were over-ranked.

St. Joseph's 74 - Villanova 58 = The Hawks continue their good season, and the Philly 'Cats continue to struggle.

Kansas State 71 - Alabama 58 = Again, I'm not shocked the Manhattan 'Cats beat the Tide, but the margin is a bit surprising. K-State's down. On the other hand, we're talking SEC West again, so there's that.


On Sunday:


Oral Roberts 64 - Xavier 42 = The Musketeers pay the price for their fight with Cincy, and get embarrassed. Good. Serves them right.

Seton Hall 80 - Mercer 77 (OT) = Why note this one? Well, the Pirates have been crowing that they're back, but this is NOT a good sign of that. Mercer? Please.

Virginia 67 - Oregon 54 = The Cavs have been playing very well, and this W got them back into the rankings for the first time since they spent one whole week there back during the 2007-08 campaign.


On Monday:


Marshall 87 - Belmont 86 = Just a great game between two good mid-majors.

Illinois 64 - Cornell 60 = Were I an Illini, I would not consider this much of a bounce-back victory after that UNLV loss. Hey, Cornell's not Harvard nor Princeton.

LSU 67 - Maraquette 59 = OK, so I give enough grief to SEC West teams, it's time I was able to give them some props. A very good win for the Tigers.

Davidson 80 - Kansas 74 = And speaking of good wins, this is the best one the Charlotte 'Cats have had since Curry left, at least.


Tonight's limited action has some with potential, but I'll limit myself to:


Oakland vs. Arizona = I have that feeling this could be damn good, or at least better than the Desert 'Cats would wish.

Ohio State vs. Lamar = And this one could stay fairly competitive for a half or more too.

Louisville ve. Charleston = I don't think Charleston's as good as in the past, but I do think they can give the Cardinals a decent game.


Sorry, that's all I have time for today. Maybe the Christmas rush will give me more of a break soon. Until then, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Forgive me for not getting to this yesterday, but hopefully the worst of the Christmas rush is over. Still, I'm pressed for time, so here's a short update:


On Tuesday, scores of note (to me, anyway);


Louisville 69 - Charleston 62 = I expected a good game, and we got one.

N. C. State 67 - St. Bonaventure 65 = Not a great win for the 'Pack, but a good one nonetheless.

Richmond 90 - ODU 82 (OT) = And a great in-state fight here.

Wright State 80 - Idaho 78 (OT) = And a great out-state one here, since one can't get much more out-state than Idaho.


On Tuesday:


North Carolina 82 - Texas 63 = OK, so the 'Horns are down this year. The Heels were down the last two years, and lost both games to UT, so this is sweet . . . especially when you consider that we also won the Battle of the Barnes, meaning Harrison over Rick.

Fresno State 68 - Arizona State 65 = The Sun Devils still struggle to find themselves, just as much of the Pac-12 has.

Middle Tennessee State 68 - Mississippi 56 = I can't prove it, but had I had the time yesterday I would have called this one. Ole Miss keeps up the poor rep of the SEC West.


Today's action includes a lot of games that might be pretty good, such as:


Kansas State vs. Southern Illinois = K-State's trying to get better, yet they may be tested here.

Charleston vs. Coastal Carolina = An in-state battle with potential.

Florida vs. Florida State = Here's another, if the 'Noles show up.

Syracuse vs. Tulane = Hey, would you believe I give the Green Wave half-a-shot in the Dome (of course, in the Dome) tonight? If nothing else, they are smart enough to recognize a zone defense.

Davidson vs. U. Mass = This is one of those that popped out for me.

Georgetown vs. Memphis = The Hoyas have done better than most expected, and the Tigers have done worse. Still, keep an eye on this one to see how things develop.

Gerogia Tech vs. Mercer = Yeah, one may think the Wreck will roll, but I'm not so sure of that.

Elon vs. San Diego State = And these two can maybe give us a close one also.

Miami vs. Charlotte = Ditto.

West Virginia vs. Missouri State = Dit-three.

Rice vs. Texas A&M = And dit-four for this in-stater.

Louisiana Tech vs. Arkansas = Don't ask me why, but I got that tickle here again.

South Florida vs. Southern Miss = Here, I'm more confident we'll have a game.

Creighton vs. Northwestern = Here too.

Boise State vs. Iowa = And here.

Illinois vs. Missouri = Perhaps the key match-up of the night, and one will drop in the rankings. The other may rise, or may not.

St. Mary's vs. Baylor = This one could be just about as tough on the Bears as that BYU game was. I'm not going to say the Gaels will win, but as we've seen too little of Baylor against good competition . . . well, anything is possible when you don't know what you got.


That, sadly, is all I've time for. Hopefully I'll be able to do a better job in the near future. Until then then, enjoy.

[jsnake]

How about my Missouri Tigers! These boys are on fire. Actually hurt themselves a bunch in tonight's game but a win is a win.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by jsnake

How about my Missouri Tigers! These boys are on fire. Actually hurt themselves a bunch in tonight's game but a win is a win.

So far so good for Missou, though they tried their best to give it back to the Illini. And even though they've not played all that tough a schedule, this win plus the ones over Cal and 'Nova are nice.

Enjoy your undefeated season while it lasts, because it ends eventually.


Too damn busy again today for any update, so maybe I can do some tomorrow.

[The Poet]

Internet problems today. I suspect my boss downloaded some malwear on my work computer. You know how bosses are . . . they think they know it all because they are bosses. So despite some interesting results last night (like Pitt losing again, and the X-Men losing their 3rd inna row, and Baylor getting sorely tested by WVA), there will be no good update today. Thank God there's not much action scheduled over the holiday weekend. And thank God the company laptop's still OK (so far), so I may be able to do some work here Monday, when I'm working here Monday all damn day.

Have a great Christmas everybody. As always, enjoy.