Other people's basketball -- 2016-17 edition

[Troublemaker]

Is anyone else excited that the college basketball season starts today?!? I am. Anyway, this is the bball version of Other People's Football (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?38366-Other-people-s-football-2016-college-edition).

After the Duke game tonight, I'm looking forward to watching the Kansas-Indiana game. Before that, there will also be Michigan St-Arizona but it takes place during Duke-Marist. Anyway, I'll predict that the Hoosiers will upset the Jayhawks tonight despite being 6-point underdogs. I feel like Indiana's a bit underrated going into this season.

This thread should NOT replace Ultrarunner's "I'm not going to jinx it" thread (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?36859-The-quot-I-m-not-going-to-jinx-it-quot-thread-2016), which will be used for upset alerts. I'll wait for Ultrarunner to do the honors there and create this season's edition.

[UrinalCake]

I'm actually hoping for a big time Kansas win. It will add to the hype of our matchup next week and make it all the more sweeter when we beat them.

[Troublemaker]

I'm actually hoping for a big time Kansas win. It will add to the hype of our matchup next week and make it all the more sweeter when we beat them.

I'm with you. That's what I'd like to see happen, too. I just have a gut feeling Indiana gives them quite the game and pulls the upset.

[Tripping William]

Wagner (!) over UConn. Where's Ultrarunner and the "I don't want to jinx it 2016-17" thread??

[Ultrarunner]

Wagner (!) over UConn. Where's Ultrarunner and the "I don't want to jinx it 2016-17" thread??

It's too early. There are no upset until the teams get settled, just random noise.

I could change my mind if Tulane plays tough tonight. Sometimes exceptions are warranted. :)

[Troublemaker]

For those like me who like to keep an eye on the top teams, especially those who are our main competition for the East #1 seed (Madison Square Garden!).....

Villanova plays at Purdue tonight, 7pm ET, on the Big Ten Network.

Nova's a 2-pt favorite, and I'll be rooting hard for Purdue to hand them a loss.

Most of the other top contenders for the East #1 seed are actually in the ACC, so we'll have to take care of those cats ourselves.

[flyingdutchdevil]

...a Mason Makai-less Yale. Fultz is this year's Ben Simmons: awesome player on a terrrrrrrrrible team. I don't understand why recruits do this. Isn't winning an important part of the game? Isn't making the tourney a necessity when choosing a school? I am really confused by the Simmonses and Fultzes of the world and will be flabbergasted if Carter chooses Harvard.

[Ichabod Drain]

For those like me who like to keep an eye on the top teams, especially those who are our main competition for the East #1 seed (Madison Square Garden!)....

Villanova plays at Purdue tonight, 7pm ET, on the Big Ten Network.

Nova's a 2-pt favorite, and I'll be rooting hard for Purdue to hand them a loss.

Most of the other top contenders for the East #1 seed are actually in the ACC, so we'll have to take care of those cats ourselves.

This should be a really interesting matchup. Villanova's big question is their front line and Purdue has a really good one in Haas and Swanigan. Swanigan went for 23 and 20 in their opener.

[Troublemaker]

This should be a really interesting matchup. Villanova's big question is their front line and Purdue has a really good one in Haas and Swanigan. Swanigan went for 23 and 20 in their opener.

Nova 79, Purdue 76. Best game I've seen in this young season. Nova couldn't stop Isaac Haas down the stretch but kept Purdue at bay with clutch free throw shooting. So important to have those knock-down FT shooters at the end of games. That Purdue crowd was amped.

[Ultrarunner]

Nova 79, Purdue 76. Best game I've seen in this young season. Nova couldn't stop Isaac Haas down the stretch but kept Purdue at bay with clutch free throw shooting. So important to have those knock-down FT shooters at the end of games. That Purdue crowd was amped.

Hart is dangerous. You know he's going to drive and he still gets to the rim. Nova played really solid defense but they're vulnerable inside.

[Troublemaker]

At halftime, UCLA up 49-45 on Kentucky at Rupp. Intriguing game so far. Kentucky's defensive ball pressure has forced UCLA into a lot of turnovers, but on possessions when they've hung onto the ball, the Bruins shot and scored really well. Aaron Holiday came off the bench to give them a big lift. On the other end, UCLA's #58-ranked defense has competed by playing a very compact man-to-man and hoping Kentucky misses their outside shots. That will probably become a familiar script to the Wildcats.

In the 2nd half, UCLA will probably need to stop turning the ball over to pull off the upset at Rupp because the Bruins probably won't shoot it as well.

[YmoBeThere]

At halftime, UCLA up 49-45 on Kentucky at Rupp. Intriguing game so far. Kentucky's defensive ball pressure has forced UCLA into a lot of turnovers, but on possessions when they've hung onto the ball, the Bruins shot and scored really well. Aaron Holiday came off the bench to give them a big lift. On the other end, UCLA's #58-ranked defense has competed by playing a very compact man-to-man and hoping Kentucky misses their outside shots. That will probably become a familiar script to the Wildcats.

In the 2nd half, UCLA will probably need to stop turning the ball over to pull off the upset at Rupp because the Bruins probably won't shoot it as well.

Up 11 with 4:01 to go, the Bruins have cut down on the TOs. They've been able to respond to all of UK's runs.

[dukelifer]

Up 11 with 4:01 to go, the Bruins have cut down on the TOs. They've been able to respond to all of UK's runs.

UCLA is now looking like the best team in the country- at least for today. Almost blew a big lead at the end but pullled off a big win in Rupp.

[kAzE]

It's not easy to put up 97 points, much less as the road team in Rupp arena against an elite defensive unit like this UK team. Really impressed with UCLA. Leaf and Ball are studs.

[uh_no]

It's not easy to put up 97 points, much less as the road team in Rupp arena against an elite defensive unit like this UK team. Really impressed with UCLA. Leaf and Ball are studs.

apparently not so elite......

[kAzE]

apparently not so elite...

Still #5 on kenpom. UCLA might just be that good offensively.

[tbyers11]

Still #5 on kenpom. UCLA might just be that good offensively.

You very well might be right. Lonzo Ball is really good and helps "run" that team very well.

But at this point, I'd be more likely to think that UK's D rating is a bit inflated at this point from mostly beating up on far inferior schools that cannot match their athleticism.

Really too early to tell either way, though.

[dukejim1]

Leaf would look good in our limited lineup

[BD80]

Leaf would look good in our limited lineup

Does he play guard?

That's where we're a little thin today

[Saratoga2]

apparently not so elite...

The pundits will have to give up on ranting about how Kentucky is the best team in the country.

[BandAlum83]

The pundits will have to give up on ranting about how Kentucky is the best team in the country.

With UNC loss to Indiana and Kentucky losing will Duke move up to #3? Especially with Tatum and Bolden off the deck?

[BD80]

With UNC loss to Indiana and Kentucky losing will Duke move up to #3? Especially with Tatum and Bolden off the deck?

Perhaps the smallest nit ever picked on these boards (and therefore the smallest nit ever), wouldn't that be: with Tatum and Bolden ON the deck, i.e. "All hands on deck"

[BandAlum83]

Perhaps the smallest nit ever picked on these boards (and therefore the smallest nit ever), wouldn't that be: with Tatum and Bolden ON the deck, i.e. "All hands on deck"

Hmmmm, I don't know. I always thought off the deck meant they were back up after being down.

I'm gonna do some googling on this while there are commercials in the ACC championship game.

[BandAlum83]

Hmmmm, I don't know. I always thought off the deck meant they were back up after being down.

I'm gonna do some googling on this while there are commercials in the ACC championship game.

I can't find anything. But remember, I'm the guy who thought the getting out of the garage threa was a metaphor for our injured freshmen.

[Kfanarmy]

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/18195560/west-virginia-mountaineers-daxter-miles-jr-ejected-elbow-virginia-cavaliers-isaiah-wilkins

WVU bball under Huggins gets more and more physical. I expect more of this.

[burnspbesq]

If you have time, watch a replay of Gonzaga - Arizona. Zags are really good, but the best player on the floor was Zona's Finnish freshman, Lauri Markkanen. Maybe no this year, but Markkanen is going to be a lottery pick; imagine a seven-foot Brandon Ingram.

[Billy Dat]

UCLA is for real. They are a very fun team to watch...Ball, Hamilton, Leaf, Alford..a bunch of others, big win in Rupp. Lonzo Ball of UCLA is the definition of the kind of true PG any team would want. The Kentuck back court of Fox amd Monk is lethal but Cal doesn't have a good rotation in his frontcourt - Adebayo should be out there all the time, probably with Gabriel and then Briscoe. I think that's the best line-up for them.

[devildeac]

WVU 90
WCU 37

WCU had almost as many turnovers as points, 34 vs 37. :eek:

[sagegrouse]

Perhaps the smallest nit ever picked on these boards (and therefore the smallest nit ever), wouldn't that be: with Tatum and Bolden ON the deck, i.e. "All hands on deck"


Hmmmm, I don't know. I always thought off the deck meant they were back up after being down.

I'm gonna do some googling on this while there are commercials in the ACC championship game.

I defer to our expert on deckhands, Bob Green, on the proper terminology.

[whereinthehellami]

UNC 10 games in...

6927

I got to eat some early season crow on UNC. They are playing better than I thought they would. I knew Berry and Hicks were going to be good but I thought Jackson and Meeks might have already hit their ceilings last year. Both have stepped so far this year.

As a team UNC is shooting better this year, 49% from 2, 39% from 3, and 72% FT. Duke is 49% from 2, 36% from 3, and 75% FT.

Notables from UNC box;

Jackson is 48% from 2, 39% from 3, 89% FT, and their leading scorer at 16.4 ppg.

Berry is 49% from 2, 42% from 3, 91% FT, and their second leading scorer at 14.8 ppg.

Hicks is 65% from 2, 80% FT, and their third leading scorer at 13.4 ppg.

Meeks is 52% from 2, 59% FT, and averaging a double-double with 12.8 ppg and 9.9 rpg.

Bradley is 60% from 2, 59% FT, and averaging 9.2 ppg and 6.1 rpg.

Williams is 48% from 3 and averaging 7.1 ppg.

Bradley has been better than advertised IMO and Williams is showing more confidence in his shot. Looks like Williams has the potential to be a decent player for UNC as an upper-classman.

The key to stopping UNC is to get the ball out of Berry's hands as quick as possible and make Hicks uncomfortable. Berry is the heart and soul of this team, so you want to make somebody else beat you.

[TexHawk]

Speaking of eating crow, Carlton Bragg of KU arrested for domestic battery (http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/18242698/kansas-jayhawks-forward-carlton-bragg-jr-arrested-suspicion-domestic-battery). So much for my call that he'd easily replace Perry Ellis and be a lottery pick.

[Troublemaker]

Speaking of eating crow, Carlton Bragg of KU arrested for domestic battery (http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/18242698/kansas-jayhawks-forward-carlton-bragg-jr-arrested-suspicion-domestic-battery). So much for my call that he'd easily replace Perry Ellis and be a lottery pick.

If Bragg's suspension is permanent, who will Self use at the 4 when KU wants to play with 2 bigs? Coleby?

I'd assume KU will play small most of the time anyway, but every now and then, I'm sure Self will want to play big.

[flyingdutchdevil]

After a 1.5 hiatus, Luke Winn is back. This team, he breaks down Lonzo Ball, one of the 3-4 best players in college basketball: http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2016/12/14/ucla-bruins-steve-alford-lonzo-ball-offense

Worth reading, if only because Lonzo Ball has the best last name is college basketball.

[TexHawk]

KU big man Udoka Azubuike out for the year with torn ligaments in his wrist (http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/18329373/udoka-azubuike-kansas-jayhawks-season-left-wrist-injury). He's an inconsistent freshman, but he played well against you guys. I fear his rebounding + rim protection (+ 5 fouls) will be missed in a big tournament game.

I guess this means more 4 guard lineups with Josh Jackson as a PF, and more minutes for Dwight Coleby.

[OldPhiKap]

Sparty getting spanked by the gophers right now. Down 26-39 at half.

[OldPhiKap]

Wow, this game is great down the stretch. Worth turning on if you are looking. . . .

On The Deuce.

[tbyers11]

Wow, this game is great down the stretch. Worth turning on if you are looking. . . .

Agreed. Remember how good Nick Ward looked against us in short spurts. He looks like a cross between Elton Brand and Jahlil Okafor the last 5 minutes. Sparty up 3, 64-61, with 2:45 left after making a big comeback

[OldPhiKap]

Wow. Sparty don't quit.

[LasVegas]

Kent State beat Texas 63-58. "Kent Read, Kent Write, Kent State!!!" or if you prefer "Kent Read, Kent Write, Kent remember last night"

[JasonEvans]

Kent State beat Texas 63-58. "Kent Read, Kent Write, Kent State!!!" or if you prefer "Kent Read, Kent Write, Kent remember last night"

Northwestern's win over Texas, which looked like a quality victory a few weeks ago, doesn't look nearly as impressive with Texas at 6-6 and #74 in KenPom.

-Jason "hey Shaka, winning ain't as easy as it looks at these big schools with big expectations" Evans

[BD80]

Northwestern's win over Texas, which looked like a quality victory a few weeks ago, doesn't look nearly as impressive with Texas at 6-6 and #74 in KenPom.

-Jason "hey Shaka, winning ain't as easy as it looks at these big schools with big expectations" Evans

You sayin' Shaka ain't Smart?

[tbyers11]

Villanova up 1, 63-62, at home on DePaul with 37 sec left.

Depaul is BAD. This is the equivalent of us only being up on 1 on BC at home

UPDATE: Josh Hart hits a 3 for Nova with 10 seconds left. DePaul comes back and drives straight to the hole for old-fashioned 3 pt play. 66-65 with 5 sec

[Troublemaker]

Villanova up 1, 63-62, at home on DePaul with 37 sec left.

Depaul is BAD. This is the equivalent of us only being up on 1 on BC at home

UPDATE: Josh Hart hits a 3 for Nova with 10 seconds left. DePaul comes back and drives straight to the hole for old-fashioned 3 pt play. 66-65 with 5 sec

Nova's close win against a bad DePaul team has allowed Duke to momentarily recapture the #1 spot in KenPom. But I suspect UVA will be the new #1 soon once their win over Lville gets inputted.

[westwall]

Interesting evening in national and ACC games: Villanova, at home, squeeks by Depaul; Indiana, at home, loses to Nebraska and Louisville, at home, loses to UVA in a game that was not close. Will UCLA (later tonight) be next??

[Blue KevIL]

87 UCLA (2)
89 Oregon (21) FINAL

Bryce Alford missed front end of One & One with 0:08.0
Dillon Brooks hit the game winning 3 at 0:00.8

[OZ]

Wojo-Marquette got a nice win over Georgetown tonight 76-66. Important too, in that it was a conference game.

[duketaylor]

How does an Alford miss FTs?

[Ichabod Drain]

How does an Alford miss FTs?

No idea, very uncharacteristic. That was a fun game though, Oregon's arena was rockin!

[BD80]

87 UCLA (2)
89 Oregon (21) FINAL

Bryce Alford missed front end of One & One with 0:08.0
Dillon Brooks hit the game winning 3 at 0:00.8

Wow. Turned that one off when UCLA went on its second half run and Oregon couldn't even score from the free throw line. Looks like we have a chance to move up.


How does an Alford miss FTs?

Can't be the genes, must be the coaching ...

[JasonEvans]

Wojo-Marquette got a nice win over Georgetown tonight 76-66. Important too, in that it was a conference game.

Marquette is 10-3 and up to #35 in KenPom. The Big East will provide them plenty of opportunities for signature wins with Nova, Creighton, Butler, and Xavier all being top 20 teams. Marquette appears to be the next best team in the league after the top 4. Seems like they have a decent chance to get back to the Dance for the first time in 4 years.

-Jason "Wojo brought in several top 100 recruits this year and has a nice mix of good younger players as well as experienced ones" Evans

[Billy Dat]

87 UCLA (2)
89 Oregon (21) FINAL

Bryce Alford missed front end of One & One with 0:08.0
Dillon Brooks hit the game winning 3 at 0:00.8


How does an Alford miss FTs?

When I was a kid, I read a book about the history of Indiana basketball called "Hoosiers - the Fabulous Basketball Life of Indiana" by Phillip Hoose
http://www.philliphoose.com/books/hoosiers/

There was a chapter on Steve Alford and it included an anecdote about him missing 2 FTs at the end of a high school game where 1 would have tied it and 2 would have won it. The lede in the local paper was, "Well, Ida lost the farm....". That's how I felt watching Alford miss that front end in last night's game. The book says Steve stayed up all night shooting FTs. Something tells me Bryce did something similar.

Save for the stretch when neither team could make a shot, it was a really fun and exciting game. Both teams are chock full of highly athletic long players. Aside from the marquee names, UCLA's starting center, Thomas Welsh, had a whale of a game and seems automatic facing up from 15 and in. Oregon freshman PG, Peyton Pritchard, also had a great game and hit a huge 3 to set up Brooks' buzzer beater. The crowd was amazing, the lead changed hands numerous times - big swings where both teams had multiple 8 point leads. As an early-to-bed-early-to-rise type, I tend to DVR these west coast games and watch them with my morning coffee, which is what I did this AM.

[Olympic Fan]

Just got home from holiday travel and I wanted to post late about the UCLA-Oregon game.

Great game with a fabulous finish, but the best part was listening to Bill Walton flip out at the end.

If you saw it, you know how it ends. Alford misses the one-and-one with UCLA up one and eight seconds left. Brooks hits a contested three at the buzzer and the fans rush the floor.

But wait .. the officials check the replay and decide the clock should have stopped at 0.8 seconds. They clear the floor and give UCLA a final chance (which they don't even try and take advantage of -- they inbounds to Ball near the Oregon basket and he gets off a 85-foot sling that doesn't come close).

Here's Walton's problem -- he was sure that Oregon should have been penalized a technical foul for rushing the floor with the game not over. His compatriot tries to explain the rule -- this has come up before -- was that IF UCLA had been trying to inbounds when the students rushed the floor, it would have been a technical. But since the buzzer sounded and UCLA never tried to inbounds. It's not a technical. But Walton couldn't buy that, screaming that the fans "disrupted play" and it should have been a technical.

I find his rants amusing, although I get a little peeved with his frequent references to the Pac 12 as the "conference of champions". I know that's a official title -- but it's based on the Pac 12's success in volleyball, swimming, etc. It doesn't apply to basketball -- the Pac 12 has been the LEAST successful P6 conference in the last two decades ... the league has two titles since Wooden retired.

[JasonEvans]

Just got home from holiday travel and I wanted to post late about the UCLA-Oregon game.

Great game with a fabulous finish, but the best part was listening to Bill Walton flip out at the end.

If you saw it, you know how it ends. Alford misses the one-and-one with UCLA up one and eight seconds left. Brooks hits a contested three at the buzzer and the fans rush the floor.

But wait .. the officials check the replay and decide the clock should have stopped at 0.8 seconds. They clear the floor and give UCLA a final chance (which they don't even try and take advantage of -- they inbounds to Ball near the Oregon basket and he gets off a 85-foot sling that doesn't come close).

Here's Walton's problem -- he was sure that Oregon should have been penalized a technical foul for rushing the floor with the game not over. His compatriot tries to explain the rule -- this has come up before -- was that IF UCLA had been trying to inbounds when the students rushed the floor, it would have been a technical. But since the buzzer sounded and UCLA never tried to inbounds. It's not a technical. But Walton couldn't buy that, screaming that the fans "disrupted play" and it should have been a technical.

I find his rants amusing, although I get a little peeved with his frequent references to the Pac 12 as the "conference of champions". I know that's a official title -- but it's based on the Pac 12's success in volleyball, swimming, etc. It doesn't apply to basketball -- the Pac 12 has been the LEAST successful P6 conference in the last two decades ... the league has two titles since Wooden retired.

Yeah, I was watching too and noted the Walton rant. Absurd. He is a fine announcer much of the time but, unlike Jay Bilas and many other Dukies who do not display any bias when covering the Devils, Walton is a blatant UCLA homer much of the time.

-Jason "they should show this to audiences every time he does a UCLA game, to remind folks where his loyalties lie" Evans
http://ht.cdn.turner.com/ncaa/big/2012/11/05/2278824/waltonjpg-2278821_frame_01_640x360.jpg

[westwall]

I find (Walton's) rants amusing, although I get a little peeved with his frequent references to the Pac 12 as the "conference of champions". I know that's a official title -- but it's based on the Pac 12's success in volleyball, swimming, etc. It doesn't apply to basketball -- the Pac 12 has been the LEAST successful P6 conference in the last two decades ... the league has two titles since Wooden retired.

Agreed, but Walton's mention of the Lajolla Beach and Tennis Club did remind me of a pleasant stay there a few years ago, although my wife was unnerved by the middle-of-the-night earthquake we experienced.

[jv001]

Agreed, but Walton's mention of the Lajolla Beach and Tennis Club did remind me of a pleasant stay there a few years ago, although my wife was unnerved by the middle-of-the-night earthquake we experienced.

Is your last name Reddington? :cool: GoDuke!

[Indoor66]

I am trying to watch the Ole Miss - KY game but Bilas' commentary makes it, for me, a chore to have to listen to his incessant chatter. Why does he never shut up?

[MChambers]

Maybe Syracuse's loss to the Johnnies wasn't so bad. St. John's just beat Butler.

[arnie]

I am trying to watch the Ole Miss - KY game but Bilas' commentary makes it, for me, a chore to have to listen to his incessant chatter. Why does he never shut up?

Agree, as soon as I heard his voice I switched channels. I only hear him during Duke telecasts since I have no other options. ESPN has talented commentators that don't think so highly of themselves, wish we could get them exclusively.

[Ichabod Drain]

Maybe Syracuse's loss to the Johnnies wasn't so bad. St. John's just beat Butler.

St Johns beat Butler by three at home. They beat Syracuse by 33 at Syracuse. It was a very bad loss for the oranges.

[OldPhiKap]

Didn't Boeheim say that this was one of his best teams in years? What's gone on up there? Cannot say I've been able to sit through much of their games so far this year.

[devildeac]

Didn't Boeheim say that this was one of his best teams in years? What's gone on up there? Cannot say I've been able to sit through much of their games so far this year.

Meh. Let them keep losing so Boeheim can (keep throwing his jacket :rolleyes:) fall farther behind K on the all-time W list. ;)

[OldPhiKap]

Meh. Let them keep losing so Boeheim can (keep throwing his jacket :rolleyes:) fall farther behind K on the all-time W list. ;)

I don't disagree. I'm just wondering if B's analysis was off, or something happened, or B was misquoted, or what. It seems like a train wreck just looking at the scores and results, but I don't know the story.

[JasonEvans]

Meh. Let them keep losing so Boeheim can (keep throwing his jacket :rolleyes:) fall farther behind K on the all-time W list. ;)

Officially, he's almost 200 wins behind K. He does not matter.

-Jason "Bill Self -- 600 wins at age 54... 30 wins a season puts him at 1050 at age 69, which is K's current age -- is the biggest threat I see at the moment" Evans

[MChambers]

St Johns beat Butler by three at home. They beat Syracuse by 33 at Syracuse. It was a very bad loss for the oranges.

You raise a good point! I stand corrected. I had forgotten Syracuse lost that badly. Was focused more on Syracuse losing to an apparently bad group of Johnnies, who it turns out aren't all that bad.

[Olympic Fan]

Nightmare night for Butler, which blew a big lead in its Big East opener at St. John's and lost late. Then on the flight back home, their plane lost cabin pressure and had to make an emergency landing:

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/18376358/butler-bulldogs-team-plane-loses-cabin-pressure-coach-says-was-scary-had-guys-crying

As for the Boeheim quote, he definitely said that he expected this to be his best team since the 2003 national champs. He wasn't the only one -- we had a couple of preseason threads debating the prospects for Syracuse. Their was wild optimism up there ... I never did see it.

Mike Waters, the Syracuse beat writer for the Post-Standard, argued that Syracuse should be included in the Blue Ribbon Top 25. When that argument was rejected, he led his preview of the Orange:

If you are looking for a team from outside the Top 25 to make a deep NCAA Tournament run, stop flipping through these pages, You've found it.

The preseason optimism at Syracuse was very real -- and delusional.

[OldPhiKap]

Nightmare night for Butler, which blew a big lead in its Big East opener at St. John's and lost late. Then on the flight back home, their plane lost cabin pressure and had to make an emergency landing:

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/18376358/butler-bulldogs-team-plane-loses-cabin-pressure-coach-says-was-scary-had-guys-crying

As for the Boeheim quote, he definitely said that he expected this to be his best team since the 2003 national champs. He wasn't the only one -- we had a couple of preseason threads debating the prospects for Syracuse. Their was wild optimism up there ... I never did see it.

Mike Waters, the Syracuse beat writer for the Post-Standard, argued that Syracuse should be included in the Blue Ribbon Top 25. When that argument was rejected, he led his preview of the Orange:

If you are looking for a team from outside the Top 25 to make a deep NCAA Tournament run, stop flipping through these pages, You've found it.

The preseason optimism at Syracuse was very real -- and delusional.

Thanks. Have you seen them enough to know whether the talent just isn't as strong as projected, or are they missing a key piece?

[Olympic Fan]

Thanks. Have you seen them enough to know whether the talent just isn't as strong as projected, or are they missing a key piece?

Unlike a number of teams, Syracuse has not had significant injury issues. They've had all their players.

It's a matter of talent. My preseason skepticism was based on several points:

-- The perception that they were a great team in 2016 was based solely on a hot tourney run. The fact was that they had a very mediocre season -- 9-9 in the ACC (9-10 counting a first-round tourney loss) and a so-so non-conference mark. The truth is, they were lucky to get an NCAA bid at 18-13 on Selection Sunday.

-- They lost the three best player off that team -- all three perimeter players and their three best scorers.

What did they replace them with?

-- Tyler Battle, a four-star wing guard. A good, but not a great prospect. The added Tauren Thompson, a four-star forward late. Both are very good long-term prospects, but unfair to expect a huge immediate impact.

-- Three transfers (two grad students). Of the three, Andrew White, a 6-7 wing from Nebraska, looked good to me. Point guard John Gillon was mediocre player on a mediocre team in a mediocre league. Paschal Chukwu was nothing in his one season at Providence.

I don't see how anybody thought they replaced the talent lost off last year's 18-13 regular season team. I did expect rising soph Tyler Lydon to make a big jump from his freshman season. He was terrible early, but has had a few big games recently. Rising soph guard Frank Howard has been better than I expected. Veteran big men Tyler Roberson and DeJuan Coleman are okay, but limited.

I could see Boeheim getting this team to the middle of the ACC pack and earning at NCAA bid. But to me, that's the ceiling. Like all ACC teams (except BC and GT), I think they'll be dangerous at home. But after their November/December performance, I think this is an NIT team.

PS Don't get fooled if they get off to a good start in the ACC. Their early schedule is really soft -- at BC, Miami and Pitt at home, at VPI and BC a home.

[brevity]

I posted this link during today's BC-Duke in-game chat, but in light of our tragic 11-point near-loss, it needs to be repeated:

Missouri, Georgia Coaching Staffs Fight (http://screengrabber.deadspin.com/missouri-georgia-coaching-staffs-fight-1790933783)


The Missouri and Georgia coaching staffs got into an old-man brawl at the end of the first half of today’s game between the Tigers and Bulldogs in Athens, with referee Karl Hess even inserting himself into the ruckus and shoving people in what his mind we’re sure passes for an attempt to restore order.

Yes, there is video. Karl Hess gets bumped around on each side like an unprepared single lady at the Roxbury (http://snl.wikia.com/wiki/The_Roxbury_Guys).

[jipops]

I posted this link during today's BC-Duke in-game chat, but in light of our tragic 11-point near-loss, it needs to be repeated:

Missouri, Georgia Coaching Staffs Fight (http://screengrabber.deadspin.com/missouri-georgia-coaching-staffs-fight-1790933783)



Yes, there is video. Karl Hess gets bumped around on each side like an unprepared single lady at the Roxbury (http://snl.wikia.com/wiki/The_Roxbury_Guys).

I do find it interesting that I have not yet come across any hysteria over this on espn.

http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/news/missouri-georgia-fight-brawl-video-coaches-college-basketball-sec/ie20s8j2r5pr1czusencx37vl?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

[BD80]

I do find it interesting that I have not yet come across any hysteria over this on espn.

http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/news/missouri-georgia-fight-brawl-video-coaches-college-basketball-sec/ie20s8j2r5pr1czusencx37vl?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Well, was anyone tripped?

[devildeac]

I posted this link during today's BC-Duke in-game chat, but in light of our tragic 11-point near-loss, it needs to be repeated:

Missouri, Georgia Coaching Staffs Fight (http://screengrabber.deadspin.com/missouri-georgia-coaching-staffs-fight-1790933783)



Yes, there is video. Karl Hess gets bumped around on each side like an unprepared single lady at the Roxbury (http://snl.wikia.com/wiki/The_Roxbury_Guys).

And, in the aftermath, king karl has ejected Corchiani and Gugliotta and given Gerald Henderson a 1 game suspension for fighting.

[duke4ever19]

Officially, he's almost 200 wins behind K. He does not matter.

-Jason "Bill Self -- 600 wins at age 54... 30 wins a season puts him at 1050 at age 69, which is K's current age -- is the biggest threat I see at the moment" Evans

I agree. Boheim lost any chance to catch K when the NCAA lowered the hammer of justice.

Also, are we restricting the wins record to Men's Bball? If we add women's bball then it's irrelevant, because if Geno Auriemma coaches for another 6-7 seasons, he's going to pass both K and Summitt and probably put the record out of reach for good.

[PackMan97]

the school formerly known as UNC-CHeat is now known as UNC-CHicken.

In an unprecedented move, UNC postpones a game because they are afraid of State.

[devildeac]

the school formerly known as UNC-CHeat is now known as UNC-CHicken.

In an unprecedented move, UNC postpones a game because they are afraid of State.

Was this posted with a straight face?

(think back to a post a week or two ago...)

;)

[PackMan97]

Was this posted with a straight face?

(think back to a post a week or two ago...)

;)

Yes. The folks on Chicken Hill postponed the game until Sunday at 1p because they are afraid to play State in an empty Dean Dome.

I do not recall the post you reference.

[BD80]

Yes. The folks on Chicken Hill postponed the game until Sunday at 1p because they are afraid to play State in an empty Dean Dome. ...

Was it really empty?

There were probably many students there who can't read, so they were undeterred by written notice of the postponement.

Many of the blue-hairs had already scheduled the van from their elder-living communities and showed up.

Question is, did they ever realize no game was played today? The absence of excitement or cheering really wouldn't make it different than most games.

[DukeGirl4ever]

I don't post much anymore, but follow the board often.
I found this interesting: http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/18428543/dillon-brooks-oregon-ducks-gets-flagrant-2-foul-kicking-washington-state-cougars-player

After the media witch hunt with Grayson, I love that kid even more now. Wonder how much "play" this will get?

EDIT -I see this was posted in the BC Post Game thread. Sorry for the double post!

[devildeac]

Yes. The folks on Chicken Hill postponed the game until Sunday at 1p because they are afraid to play State in an empty Dean Dome.

I do not recall the post you reference.

Got it!

01-05-2017, 07:33 AM #47 PackMan97 PackMan97 is online now
Member

Join Date
Mar 2007
Quote Originally Posted by dukelifer View Post
What a shocker. Va Tech could not match the intensity they played with against Duke.
Or maybe State is actually that much better?



ok...I didn't say that with a straight face.

I knew I remembered it because it made me LOL. ;)

[duketaylor]

When was postponement of the Cheaters game announced?

[sagegrouse]

When was postponement of the Cheaters game announced?

About the time the Duke-BC game started.

[duketaylor]

Thank you, kind sir. I was at UMASS/VCU game today and couldn't figure out what was up. The NFL games made no mention of it.

Need to reinstate Bluegrouse:D

[OldPhiKap]

I seem to recall us postponing a game against UNC a few years ago because we did not think it was safe to do the eight miles. So not sure this is really a valid criticism. If there are safety concerns, play the game tomorrow. No worries.

[PackMan97]

I seem to recall us postponing a game against UNC a few years ago because we did not think it was safe to do the eight miles. So not sure this is really a valid criticism. If there are safety concerns, play the game tomorrow. No worries.

The Duke bus was unable to even get to campus to pick up your team. Traffic was a grade A cluster that day. A huge difference.

NC State was ready to go. We told the folks at Chicken Hill that we were ready to go and we'd be there.

Do you know what the difference is? The UNC students aren't in town yet, we'll technically the dorms opended back up today after winter break...but esentially it would have been an empty Dean Dome. No students, no fans. Just another example of cheaters cheating.

[OldPhiKap]

The Duke bus was unable to even get to campus to pick up your team. Traffic was a grade A cluster that day. A huge difference.

NC State was ready to go. We told the folks at Chicken Hill that we were ready to go and we'd be there.

Do you know what the difference is? The UNC students aren't in town yet, we'll technically the dorms opended back up today after winter break...but esentially it would have been an empty Dean Dome. No students, no fans. Just another example of cheaters cheating.

Perhaps. I'm not in the Triangle and don't know what the condition and forecast was at the time the game was called. But I have plenty to pile on UN(LV)C as is; if there is a potential for safety problems I have no problem bumping the game.

[PackMan97]

Perhaps. I'm not in the Triangle and don't know what the condition and forecast was at the time the game was called. But I have plenty to pile on UN(LV)C as is; if there is a potential for safety problems I have no problem bumping the game.

Except that an ACC game has never been postponed when all the parties could make it to the game. Conditions aren't great....but heck, BC made it to Duke, Lousiville's charter flight landed at a closed Atlanta-Hartsfield and had to get UPS of all companies to bring them some stairs so they could deplane (Brown delivered). So, everyone else had to deal with crap and they did. Unles you are telling me the only team that couldn't make it to their game was Carolina...and they were the home team?

LOL! A bunch of lying cheaters!

[duketaylor]

absolutely not a one. Very unusual. Would've thought there'd be a couple.

Hoping for at least one today:rolleyes:

[PackMan97]

Hoping for at least one today:rolleyes:

Keep hoping, I know one that isn't happening.

Would have won last night...fracking cheaters.

[jimsumner]

Keep hoping, I know one that isn't happening.

Would have won last night...fracking cheaters.

Umm, given the halftime score, this seems like just a tad of a reach to me.

Maybe, perhaps.

[PackMan97]

Umm, given the halftime score, this seems like just a tad of a reach to me.

Maybe, perhaps.

We'll never know. I can say anything I want because UNC didn't want to play the game last night. Thems the rules!

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

We'll never know. I can say anything I want because UNC didn't want to play the game last night. Thems the rules!
Far be it for me to defend the cheats but I thought it was the conference that decided the roads were too dangerous - not the cheats. Did they make it an issue and not the conference?

[arnie]

Far be it for me to defend the cheats but I thought it was the conference that decided the roads were too dangerous - not the cheats. Did they make it an issue and not the conference?

Uh, ACC = Swofford. Bubba makes a call and it's done. Debbie Yow wasn't happy with the decision, but her phone doesn't reach to G'boro.

[sandinmyshoes]

The Duke bus was unable to even get to campus to pick up your team. Traffic was a grade A cluster that day. A huge difference.

NC State was ready to go. We told the folks at Chicken Hill that we were ready to go and we'd be there.

Do you know what the difference is? The UNC students aren't in town yet, we'll technically the dorms opended back up today after winter break...but esentially it would have been an empty Dean Dome. No students, no fans. Just another example of cheaters cheating.

This post in light of the game this afternoon reminded me of Churchill's, "Some chicken! Some neck!'

:(

[PackMan97]

have I mentioned how much I hate UNC?

[jv001]

have I mentioned how much I hate UNC?

Now this is when I wish we didn't have to spread sporks around. GoDuke!

[OldPhiKap]

have I mentioned how much I hate UNC?

You are too subtle. Come out of your shell, man. Speak up!

[MChambers]

Do you know what the difference is? The UNC students aren't in town yet, we'll technically the dorms opended back up today after winter break...but esentially it would have been an empty Dean Dome. No students, no fans. Just another example of cheaters cheating.
With apologies to Sam Cassell, what is the difference between an empty Dean Dome and a wine and cheese crowd?

[MarkD83]

have I mentioned how much I hate UNC?

Here is the correct spelling. Uncheat

[duketaylor]

Why couldn't the Pack show up today versus last night?

No heart? No coach? Sour grapes? Very curious. I've played against the Holes several times-I showed up
regardless of conditions. No excuses, just try to beat them to a pulp-ALWAYS!!

Pathetic effort.

[OldPhiKap]

With apologies to Sam Cassell, what is the difference between an empty Dean Dome and a wine and cheese crowd?

Less pâté.

[duke4ever19]

Why couldn't the Pack show up today versus last night?

No heart? No coach? Sour grapes? Very curious. I've played against the Holes several times-I showed up
regardless of conditions. No excuses, just try to beat them to a pulp-ALWAYS!!

Pathetic effort.

Wait, what? Are you a former Duke player, or am I misreading your post?

I only know of Vince Taylor, who played back in the 80s and the transfer, Taylor King.

[devildeac]

Wait, what? Are you a former Duke player, or am I misreading your post?

I only know of Vince Taylor, who played back in the 80s and the transfer, Taylor King.

Think TaylorMade. ;)

[duketaylor]

Didn't say I played hoops. I played against all the ACC teams in golf, but never no-showed against anybody, like the Pack did today. Absolutely shameful. And I did room with Vince Taylor for a while. Great guy.

Sorry for the mis-information there, but which sport, to me, is not of consequence. I'm 9F9F9F9F9F allday, everyday!!!

Pack showed no heart or want!!

[PackMan97]

You are too subtle. Come out of your shell, man. Speak up!

I'd really rather I keep my posting privledges at the DBR, thanks though.

[OldPhiKap]

I'd really rather I keep my posting privledges at the DBR, thanks though.

No me ever got banned for trashing the Heels.

[duke4ever19]

Think TaylorMade. ;)

I'm a Callaway man myself. :)


Didn't say I played hoops. I played against all the ACC teams in golf, but never no-showed against anybody, like the Pack did today. Absolutely shameful. And I did room with Vince Taylor for a while. Great guy.

Sorry for the mis-information there, but which sport, to me, is not of consequence. I'm 9F9F9F9F9F allday, everyday!!!

Pack showed no heart or want!!

Thank you for the clarification, duketaylor, and no apology necessary.

As for State . . . that was one ugly performance. I can't wrap my head around the heels losing to G-Tech and then beating State (who I thought would win) by 51 points. I'm just glad I'm not a betting man.

[Indoor66]

I'm a Callaway man myself. :)

I thought you seemed a wee bit callow.

[duke4ever19]

I thought you seemed a wee bit callow.

cal·low

adjective

(especially of a young person) inexperienced and immature."earnest and callow undergraduates"
synonyms: immature, inexperienced, juvenile, adolescent, naive, green, raw, untried, unworldly, unsophisticated; informal wet behind the ears
"she toyed with the emotions of Laughton when he was a callow and insecure young man"

An appropriate use of the word, as it perfectly describes my golf game.

[fuse]

Hard to believe Kansas loses, Kentucky loses, Villanova loses to Wojo's Marquette and this thread was buried deep.
I missed it, last night was a good night for college basketball.

[Indoor66]

Hard to believe Kansas loses, Kentucky loses, Villanova loses to Wojo's Marquette and this thread was buried deep.
I missed it, last night was a good night for college basketball.

Parity?

[rsvman]

Hard to believe Kansas loses, Kentucky loses, Villanova loses to Wojo's Marquette and this thread was buried deep.
I missed it, last night was a good night for college basketball.

Some of this was discussed in the "I'm not going to jinx it" thread. Most of the time when a high-ranking school (especially one named Kentucky) is losing a game, you'll find some cryptic posts about it in the "not-jinx" thread.

[brevity]

I'm watching a rebroadcast of Rhode Island vs. Davidson on ESPNU.

Nothing earth-shattering, but Dan Hurley is coaching against Stephen Curry's alma mater, and Jason Capel is one of the announcers. I hadn't realized it was Non-Duke Brother Week.

[UrinalCake]

Total carnage in the top 10 today:

#2 Baylor loses to Kansas State
#3 Kansas loses to Iowa State
#5 Arizona loses huge to Oregon
#7 West Virginia loses to OK State
#9 Virginia loses to Syracuse

#8 Kentucky is down to Florida though it's very early. #4 Villanova is looking in control against St. John's and #6 Louisville had no trouble with BC.

With these sorts of upsets continuing to happen, I actually think we are still in play for a #1 seed if we can finish strong, win the ACCT, and get some consideration from the Selection Committee for our injuries including Coach K being out.

[unclsam1]

Good Grief - Oregon downed 16 3pt shots. 16 of 25 for 64%. At one time had a 37 point lead.

[Faustus]

Not sure we as fans should even be worrying overly much about seeding come March. Such a crazy year. More than any season of late, the emerging national champion very likely may depend mostly on the simple luck of the draw in the brackets come March. Match-ups could well matter far more than seedings as seemingly every top team this year has big weaknesses and disadvantages, as we're seeing every week now. Kentucky and Arizona not long ago seemed 1 seeds for sure - both lose by 20 points or more today, but probably will drub another good opponent by as much next week. Certainly the pundits of the press are useless in divining these matters. CBS has an article up within hours of the Pitt game declaring in essence Duke isn't very good because they only beat Pitt by 8, just days after declaring UNC back in the hunt for the national championship again, after pounding Pitt of course, by two.

[mgtr]

I would posit that there has been more churning among the top 10 or so than we normally see. It might be tricky to frame the hypothesis exactly right. As noted earlier, looks like more parity.

[Indoor66]

I would posit that there has been more churning among the top 10 or so than we normally see. It might be tricky to frame the hypothesis exactly right. As noted earlier, looks like more parity.

Isn't Parity a little town just west of Thomasville, GA?:p:cool:

[kmspeaks]

How mad are you right now if you play for St. Bonaventure? (http://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/watch-when-fans-rushed-the-court-too-early-they-caused-their-team-to-lose-game/)

[rasputin]

How mad are you right now if you play for St. Bonaventure? (http://http://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/watch-when-fans-rushed-the-court-too-early-they-caused-their-team-to-lose-game/)

Given that the link is no good, I don't know.

[OldPhiKap]

How mad are you right now if you play for St. Bonaventure? (http://http://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/watch-when-fans-rushed-the-court-too-early-they-caused-their-team-to-lose-game/)


Given that the link is no good, I don't know.

St. Bonnie appeared to hit the game-winner at home with 0.4 seconds left. The crowd stormed the court. Technical foul, opposing team gets free throws and eventually wins game.

Yeah, that would suck.

[brevity]

How mad are you right now if you play for St. Bonaventure? (http://http://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/watch-when-fans-rushed-the-court-too-early-they-caused-their-team-to-lose-game/)


Given that the link is no good, I don't know.

Even after I fixed the link on my browser, CBS Sports skipped over the video, so here's a different and better link (http://thebiglead.com/2017/02/05/video-st-bonaventure-lost-because-fans-stormed-the-court-too-early/) (not ESPN, if you care about such things).


St. Bonaventure appeared to have a dramatic win over VCU after Matt Mobley’s dramatic three-pointer with .4 seconds remaining. But appearances can be deceiving, and such deception can lead large groups of people to engage in self-destruction. Bonnies players and fans found that out the hard way thanks to a premature court-storming by the student body which resulted in a one-shot technical foul.

Rams’ JeQuan Lewis sank it, and VCU prevailed in overtime, 83-77.

[Indoor66]

St. Bonnie appeared to hit the game-winner at home with 0.4 seconds left. The crowd stormed the court. Technical foul, opposing team gets free throws and eventually wins game.

Yeah, that would suck.

The rules are the rules. No game at all without rules.

[OldPhiKap]

The rules are the rules. No game at all without rules.

Neitche says, out of chaos comes order.

[superdave]

Good Grief - Oregon downed 16 3pt shots. 16 of 25 for 64%. At one time had a 37 point lead.

Oregon was up 72-36 at one point. They remind of Villanova's teams from a decade a go - small lineup, fast guards, lotta steals and 3's. The problem is they cant adjust if you take any of that away.

This is kinda late in the season for a loss like this by Zona. Will be interesting to see if they can bounce back. Of course, NCAA hoops is a crapshoot these days, so not sure it matters. Just get hot in March, right?

[Indoor66]

Neitche says, out of chaos comes order.

You do that and YOU have to clean it up!👺👹😎

[brevity]

Flipping channels and came across the Kitten Bowl IV on Hallmark. Tennis announcing must not be paying well, because Mary Carillo is on set calling the game. I watched a brief segment where a kitten named Tony Slo-mo made a play while the defense was literally sleeping. Carillo's announcing partner missed the play because he, too, had nodded off.

All of this reminded me that the Wisconsin game is on.

[kmspeaks]

The rules are the rules. No game at all without rules.

Agreed, the refs have to make that call there. Still tough to swallow if you're a player because you did nothing wrong.

[Doria]

Neitche says, out of chaos comes order.

That may be true (although generally, I'd hold the reverse to be the usual state of the universe), but it deserves a mention that, depending on when he said that, he may have been certifiably insane (e.g., if it derives from the latter part of his life, such as Beyond Good and Evil). Sorry for the pedantic detour....

But I do feel sorry for the players, even if it's fair.

[BD80]

Agreed, the refs have to make that call there. Still tough to swallow if you're a player because you did nothing wrong.

Crowd= 6th man.

6 men on court = technical.

[Indoor66]

Agreed, the refs have to make that call there. Still tough to swallow if you're a player because you did nothing wrong.

It can be a harsh world. Sports is a place to learn that. No room for snowflakes.

[Olympic Fan]

Neitche says, out of chaos comes order.

Blow it out your a**, Howard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsHuNFEa8H4

[ipatent]

FSU puts up 109 against Clemson, could this be Hamilton's best team?

[buddy]

St. Bonnie appeared to hit the game-winner at home with 0.4 seconds left. The crowd stormed the court. Technical foul, opposing team gets free throws and eventually wins game.

Yeah, that would suck.

Good. Congratulations to the refs for enforcing the rules. Boo to the "fans" that cost their team a hard earned victory. Maybe schools will start to get serious to keep fans where they belong (in the stands) and away from where they don't belong. If you want to be on the court try out for the team. Sucks for the players. Seems they were let down not just by their "fans" but by the athletic administration that could not or would not provide adequate security.

[JetpackJesus]

Good. Congratulations to the refs for enforcing the rules. Boo to the "fans" that cost their team a hard earned victory. Maybe schools will start to get serious to keep fans where they belong (in the stands) and away from where they don't belong. If you want to be on the court try out for the team. Sucks for the players. Seems they were let down not just by their "fans" but by the athletic administration that could not or would not provide adequate security.

I just watched a clip (http://dai.ly/x5an9dt) of the St. Bonaventure game ready to blame the fans for screwing up. But then I noticed that they did not storm the until the clock read 0.0 and after VCU had inbounded the ball. Unfortunately, the inbound happens off screen, but according to the announcers the refs blew the whistle before VCU passed it so the entry did not count, and the clock should never have run.

So the fans saw VCU inbound the ball. They saw the clock go from 0.4 to 0.0. They stormed the court. I'm sure they could not hear the ref's whistles because it was definitely loud in there. I'm not for court storming, but I find it difficult to blame the fans for this one.

[UrinalCake]

Flipping channels and came across the Kitten Bowl IV on Hallmark. Tennis announcing must not be paying well, because Mary Carillo is on set calling the game. I watched a brief segment where a kitten named Tony Slo-mo made a play while the defense was literally sleeping. Carillo's announcing partner missed the play because he, too, had nodded off.

All of this reminded me that the Wisconsin game is on.

I think Carillo is bored. She did some announcing of the Kitten Games during this past Olympics. I watched Mary Lou Kitten eke out a classic win over Nadia Come-and-scratch-me. And yes, that was more captivating to me than watching Wisconsin play.

[Skydog]

So who do you think won this game? Yep.

7143

New Mexico with possession, up 16, 73 secs left and they pull a Falcon. :(

[MartyClark]

Pitino has suspended Adel and Mathiang for the game against Virginia tonight. Curfew violation.

[MartyClark]

Ah, I'm late on this and probably on the wrong thread. Others posted first on the ACC thread.

[ipatent]

Pitino has suspended Adel and Mathiang for the game against Virginia tonight. Curfew violation.

They should have been back in the dorm where they can't get into trouble. ;)

[BandAlum83]

They should have been back in the dorm where they can't get into trouble. ;)

Per agreement with the NCAA, all liaisons must now be conducted off campus.

[Saratoga2]

The polls are out and the ACC has 5 teams in the top 25. Louisville 4, UNC 8, Virginia 12, Florida St. 14 and Duke 18. We beat UNC and Clemson this week and we could close back in on the top 10. It's doable.

[Rich]

The polls are out and the ACC has 5 teams in the top 25. Louisville 4, UNC 8, Virginia 12, Florida St. 14 and Duke 18. We beat UNC and Clemson this week and we could close back in on the top 10. It's doable.

Unless there's carnage like this past week, I don't see us moving up 8 places. The UNC game is at home so it'll probably be pickem and beating Clemson at home is expected and not worth any additional poll points.

[TexHawk]

I just watched a clip (http://dai.ly/x5an9dt) of the St. Bonaventure game ready to blame the fans for screwing up. But then I noticed that they did not storm the until the clock read 0.0 and after VCU had inbounded the ball. Unfortunately, the inbound happens off screen, but according to the announcers the refs blew the whistle before VCU passed it so the entry did not count, and the clock should never have run.

So the fans saw VCU inbound the ball. They saw the clock go from 0.4 to 0.0. They stormed the court. I'm sure they could not hear the ref's whistles because it was definitely loud in there. I'm not for court storming, but I find it difficult to blame the fans for this one.

The official wording blames a fan (http://www.richmond.com/sports/college/schools/virginia-commonwealth-university/article_68751b9c-2fb1-54bc-9956-57980fa04762.html) for grabbing the ball and running with it after the made 3, with time still on the clock. The A10 trying their best to deflect blame from the fans for the court storming.

[arnie]

Twerps finding out they're not so hot after all. Didn't even play a Top 25 team until last week and now they've lost to Penn State. They thought the pollsters were unfair, now finding out otherwise. Luv it.

[devildeac]

Alabama and the non-cheating Carolina starting their 4th OT now tied at 82 :eek: .

That's some fugly MBB going on down there as the 2 teams have combined to shoot 13/54 from 3 land. :eek::eek:

[Owen Meany]

Marquette Butler tied at 53 all.
Iowa St. cutting Texas lead to 2. Shaka not setting the world on fire expected at Texas. A down year could help with Bamba (but might help UK).

[Owen Meany]

Butler and Texas win (by 3 and 2 respectively).

[JetpackJesus]

The official wording blames a fan (http://www.richmond.com/sports/college/schools/virginia-commonwealth-university/article_68751b9c-2fb1-54bc-9956-57980fa04762.html) for grabbing the ball and running with it after the made 3, with time still on the clock. The A10 trying their best to deflect blame from the fans for the court storming.

Thanks for posting this. That makes some sense based on what the announcers were saying in the clip I watched. That also supports what the video shows--the fans did not storm the court until no time remained on the clock. VCU even attempted a shot before time expired. If that doesn't suggest to the fans in attendance that the game was over, I don't know what they're supposed to wait for to find out. If the description in your link is accurate, the blame most definitely does not lie with the fans that stormed the court.

[kAzE]

Hoooooly crap Lonzo Ball is good. No brainer #1 pick for me. He's gonna be a star.

[Olympic Fan]

Thanks for posting this. That makes some sense based on what the announcers were saying in the clip I watched. That also supports what the video shows--the fans did not storm the court until no time remained on the clock. VCU even attempted a shot before time expired. If that doesn't suggest to the fans in attendance that the game was over, I don't know what they're supposed to wait for to find out. If the description in your link is accurate, the blame most definitely does not lie with the fans that stormed the court.

Amazing week for VCU ... first they beat St. Bonnie due to the court storming episode (whatever the details of the call).

Then Wednesday night, they beat George Washington in unbelievable fashion. GWU hits a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left to go up one. That's the game-winner right?

Wrong. VCU runs the old play where the inbounder runs the baseline, running the defender on the ball into a screener. The foul is called, the guy makes two free throws and VCU wins another miracle play.

The first time I ever saw that play run was in the 1971 ACC Tournament finals -- just after Kevin Joyce outjumped Lee Dedmon on a jump ball and tapped it to to Tom Owens for the go-ahead basket. Dean set up the play and sure enough, the defender plowed into the screener. Only the ref refused to call the foul and UNC lost. Over the years, I've seen teams try that play dozens of times and while there is often contact, I've never seen a ref call the foul -- until now.

BTW, great turnaround in the UCLA Oregon game. The Ducks are up 19 at the half in Pauley, but UCLA rallies to win on Dick Enberg Night.

Oh my!

[dukelifer]

Semi Ojeleye with a big night. 30 points. The kid looks like a body builder.

[dukelifer]

Josh Jackson for Kansas is really good. Maybe the number 1 pick.

[burnspbesq]

Gonzaga - St. Mary's is turning into a really good game. Joe Rahon, who was such a pain in the neck when he was at BC, is still a pain in the neck for the Gaels.

If you're not sure how big Karnowski is, get a look at him next to Bilas. He's HUGE.

[whereinthehellami]

Virginia Tech's coach, Buzz Williams, is an interesting interview (http://virginiatech.sportswar.com/article/2017/02/15/tech-talk-live-virginia-tech-mens-basketball-ncaa/), scroll down to read his thoughts on the difficulty of trying to turn VT around.

I love this part, Buzz is talking about a conversation with freshman Khadim Sy (aka Dream) about playing Pitt...

“I thought UVa. was the best he’s played and at Pitt was the worst he’s played. That’s probably what you would anticipate from a freshman who played in front of the best crowd at home he’s played in. I don’t know if he’s played in an overtime game, he may have been on the bench during one. Then, ‘Hey Dream, this sometimes happens, we’re going to leave tomorrow after you get out of class and then we’re going to play the next day. It’s not going to be on ESPNU, it’s going to be on ESPN2 and those guys that you’re going to guard, they’re 25 years old and their record is 3-9, and they know that they don’t know who you are, so they’re going to try and shove it up your nose. Does that make sense Dream? That’s the scouting report.’

‘Yes Coach, I understand.’

‘No, you don’t. No, you don’t. But I’ll give you a chance out there pal.’

[OldPhiKap]

Virginia Tech's coach, Buzz Williams, is an interesting interview (http://virginiatech.sportswar.com/article/2017/02/15/tech-talk-live-virginia-tech-mens-basketball-ncaa/), scroll down to read his thoughts on the difficulty of trying to turn VT around.

I love this part, Buzz is talking about a conversation with freshman Khadim Sy (aka Dream) about playing Pitt...

“I thought UVa. was the best he’s played and at Pitt was the worst he’s played. That’s probably what you would anticipate from a freshman who played in front of the best crowd at home he’s played in. I don’t know if he’s played in an overtime game, he may have been on the bench during one. Then, ‘Hey Dream, this sometimes happens, we’re going to leave tomorrow after you get out of class and then we’re going to play the next day. It’s not going to be on ESPNU, it’s going to be on ESPN2 and those guys that you’re going to guard, they’re 25 years old and their record is 3-9, and they know that they don’t know who you are, so they’re going to try and shove it up your nose. Does that make sense Dream? That’s the scouting report.’

‘Yes Coach, I understand.’

‘No, you don’t. No, you don’t. But I’ll give you a chance out there pal.’

Liking Buzz is one of my guilty pleasures.

[grad_devil]

Liking Buzz is one of my guilty pleasures. May be the only ex-heel coach I like. Yup, pretty sure about that.

Are you confusing Buzz Williams with Buzz Peterson? I did not know there was a uNC-CH connection with Buzz Williams.

I've been wrong before; but it's been a while...

[jv001]

Liking Buzz is one of my guilty pleasures. May be the only ex-heel coach I like. Yup, pretty sure about that.

OPK, you have gone and made me have to think if I like Buzz anymore. I did not know he was a former cheat asst. coach. Who was the head coach back then? GoDuke!

[sagegrouse]

Are you confusing Buzz Williams with Buzz Peterson? I did not know there was a uNC-CH connection with Buzz Williams.

I've been wrong before; but it's been a while...

Buzz's bio from Wikipedia (yes, I give 'em a few bucks):


1994–1998 Texas–Arlington (assistant)
1998–1999 Texas A&M–Kingsville (assistant)
1999–2000 Northwestern State (assistant)
2000–2004 Colorado State (assistant)
2004–2006 Texas A&M (assistant)
2006–2007 New Orleans
2007–2008 Marquette (assistant)
2008–2014 Marquette
2014–present Virginia Tech

Not sullied a bit by UNC.

[Billy Dat]

Liking Buzz is one of my guilty pleasures.

Don't falsely accuse the Buzzard with UNC affiliation!!!! No need to feel guilty, OPK. I think, maybe you are thinking of Friend-of-MJ Buzz Peterson who was never as good a college coach as Williams but did play at UNC. I, too, am a big Buzz W fan.

[OldPhiKap]

Are you confusing Buzz Williams with Buzz Peterson? I did not know there was a uNC-CH connection with Buzz Williams.

I've been wrong before; but it's been a while...


OPK, you have gone and made me have to think if I like Buzz anymore. I did not know he was a former cheat asst. coach. Who was the head coach back then? GoDuke!


Buzz's bio from Wikipedia (yes, I give 'em a few bucks):


1994–1998 Texas–Arlington (assistant)
1998–1999 Texas A&M–Kingsville (assistant)
1999–2000 Northwestern State (assistant)
2000–2004 Colorado State (assistant)
2004–2006 Texas A&M (assistant)
2006–2007 New Orleans
2007–2008 Marquette (assistant)
2008–2014 Marquette
2014–present Virginia Tech

Not sullied a bit by UNC.


Don't falsely accuse the Buzzard with UNC affiliation!!!! No need to feel guilty, OPK. I think, maybe you are thinking of Friend-of-MJ Buzz Peterson who was never as good a college coach as Williams but did play at UNC. I, too, am a big Buzz W fan.

Yup, yup, yup and yup. Dumb mistake on my part. Glad to see four folks jump on the mistake in the time it took me to delete it! DBR reflexes are quick.

[jv001]

Yup, yup, yup and yup. Dumb mistake on my part. Glad to see four folks jump on the mistake in the time it took me to delete it! DBR reflexes are quick.

Now I can go back to liking this Buzz again. GoDuke!

[yancem]

Yup, yup, yup and yup. Dumb mistake on my part. Glad to see four folks jump on the mistake in the time it took me to delete it! DBR reflexes are quick.

You're not the only one that made that mistake. I also confused the two Buzzes. I feel a little better about VaTech now!!!

[devildeac]

Yup, yup, yup and yup. Dumb mistake on my part. Glad to see four folks jump on the mistake in the time it took me to delete it! DBR reflexes are quick.

They might even be quicker than Mrs. OPK in that capacity. :p

[Indoor66]

Now I can go back to liking this Buzz again. GoDuke!

...And you don't have to feel dirty about it. :p:cool:

[OldPhiKap]

They might even be quicker than Mrs. OPK in that capacity. :p

Psssst. Not even close. Mrs. OPK knows I'm wrong before I open my mouth. Hell, she knows I'm wrong before I think it.

Her wrong-o-meter runs like a well-oiled machine.

[BD80]

Psssst. Not even close. Mrs. OPK knows I'm wrong before I open my mouth. Hell, she knows I'm wrong before I think it.

Her wrong-o-meter runs like a well-oiled machine.

That's a bit like using a divining rod on a boat at sea ...

[devildeac]

Psssst. Not even close. Mrs. OPK knows I'm wrong before I open my mouth. Hell, she knows I'm wrong before I think it.

Her wrong-o-meter runs like a well-oiled machine.

She must be related to Mrs. dd. :rolleyes:

[Olympic Fan]

I was looking at the top teams this morning and a very odd thing struck me -- how many top teams are 22-5 at this moment.

Obviously, Duke is 22-5, but so is Louisville, Kentucky, Baylor, Wisconsin, Purdue, Maryland, Florida, Kentucky, Creighton, VCU, Dayton, Akron and Illinois State.

Also, UNC is listed at 23-5, but they are actually 22-5 because their win over Chaminade (a Non-Division 1 team) doesn't count.

The only P6 teams BETTER than 22-5 are:

Villanova 26-2
Arizona 25-3
Kansas 24-3
UCLA 24-3
Oregon 24-4

[jv001]

Psssst. Not even close. Mrs. OPK knows I'm wrong before I open my mouth. Hell, she knows I'm wrong before I think it.
Her wrong-o-meter runs like a well-oiled machine.

There are times that "you must spread" should not be allowed to pop up and this is one of them. I think it's a woman thing because my wife is too quick to tell me I'm wrong, even when I haven't finished my sentence.

Does your wife have a problem answering a yes or no question? My golfing buddy and I were discussing this the other day. My wife refuses to answer yes or no. It's not in her nature. He said his wife is the very same way. That's the reason for my asking. If I knew how, I would start a poll and see what others say about this subject. GoDuke!

[OldPhiKap]

Does your wife have a problem answering a yes or no question? My golfing buddy and I were discussing this the other day. My wife refuses to answer yes or no. It's not in her nature. He said his wife is the very same way. That's the reason for my asking. If I knew how, I would start a poll and see what others say about this subject. GoDuke!

Mrs. OPK has no problem saying no. Even if it's not really a question.

(Mrs. OPK gives direct answers to direct questions; she is pretty frank which I really appreciate)



And to Oly's post -- glad to see UNC having a win on the court not count in the record books. Get used to it, scumbags.

[JStuart]

She must be related to Mrs. dd. :rolleyes:

Or mine, who is 'Often wrong, but never in doubt'

[curtis325]

I was looking at the top teams this morning and a very odd thing struck me -- how many top teams are 22-5 at this moment.

Obviously, Duke is 22-5, but so is Louisville, Kentucky, Baylor, Wisconsin, Purdue, Maryland, Florida, Kentucky, Creighton, VCU, Dayton, Akron and Illinois State.

Also, UNC is listed at 23-5, but they are actually 22-5 because their win over Chaminade (a Non-Division 1 team) doesn't count.

The only P6 teams BETTER than 22-5 are:

Villanova 26-2
Arizona 25-3
Kansas 24-3
UCLA 24-3
Oregon 24-4


Also Kentucky. :)

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Right about now Shaka must we wondering "why oh why did I leave VCU for this?"

[TexHawk]

Right about now Shaka must we wondering "why oh why did I leave VCU for this?"

Tevin Mack, Eric Davis, and Kerwin Roach were all Top 50 recruits that Shaka signed in 2015. Jarrett Allen and Andrew Jones were Top 20 in a loaded 2016 class. Sure, a few Barnes guys left early (or were run off), but there is talent in Austin. Shaka (mostly) made this bed.

Nobody believed they would contend, but surely that squad is better than 10-18 (4-11), hovering around #200 in AdjO.

(Now watch them beat KU on Saturday, which they seem to do somewhat regularly with bad teams.)

[Olympic Fan]

BTW, was anybody else watching the West Virginia-Texas game Monday night when Bob Huggins took his dive?

Huggy Bear briefly collapsed on the sideline just before halftime, clutching his chest. Not serious -- he stayed on the floor and coached the second half.

Afterwards, Huggins said his defibrillator went off and the shock knocked him off his feet.

[Neals384]

There are times that "you must spread" should not be allowed to pop up and this is one of them. I think it's a woman thing because my wife is too quick to tell me I'm wrong, even when I haven't finished my sentence.

Does your wife have a problem answering a yes or no question? My golfing buddy and I were discussing this the other day. My wife refuses to answer yes or no. It's not in her nature. He said his wife is the very same way. That's the reason for my asking. If I knew how, I would start a poll and see what others say about this subject. GoDuke!

Just to be sure I understand, Mrs. neals will provide a quite long winded explanation of her thought process, focusing on exactly why I should have known she didn't want fries with that (or did, depending on mood) and needn't have asked in the first place, and if at the end of all that I still want a clear yes or no, I must be one or more of the following: dense, male or not listening. Right on all three counts!

[rsvman]

There are times that "you must spread" should not be allowed to pop up and this is one of them. I think it's a woman thing because my wife is too quick to tell me I'm wrong, even when I haven't finished my sentence.

Does your wife have a problem answering a yes or no question? My golfing buddy and I were discussing this the other day. My wife refuses to answer yes or no. It's not in her nature. He said his wife is the very same way. That's the reason for my asking. If I knew how, I would start a poll and see what others say about this subject. GoDuke!

My wife suffers from "indirect speak," which is pretty common, I think. Example:

Her: "Grass sure is looking a little long...."
Me, glancing out the window: "Yup."


:cool:

[gam7]

Did anyone else catch the UCLA-Arizona State game tonight? UCLA won 87-75 (http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game?gameId=400915686). Ho-hum, nothing to see here, right?

Except this: Bobby Hurley made his first substitution of the game with 13 minutes left... in the SECOND half. That sixth man played a total of one (1) minute and was subbed back out for the dude he checked in for. There were no other substitutions for ASU. The box score for ASU (linked above) shows four guys with 40 minutes, one guy with 39 minutes, and one bench player with 1 minute.

Quote from Hurley: “I rarely came out of the game when I played and maybe that was my thought for the five guys tonight,” said Hurley “At one point we were going to go the bench in the first half and none of the guys wanted to come out. They’re warriors.”

My immediate thoughts on this:

1. I don't think I have ever seen this before.

2. I think I would put this almost (but not quite) in the same weirdness category as the Loyola (Md.) holding Steph Curry scoreless at Davidson game where Jimmy Patsos double teamed Curry for the entire game, no matter what, to the point that Curry started just running to the corner on offense, creating a 4 on 3 with the remaining players. (Curry finished with 0 points on 0-3 shooting. And Davidson won by 30.)

3. Whatever Bobby needed to tell the subbed starter must have been really important.

4. Bobby might be taking Coach K's lessons on rotation management just a bit too seriously.

[Olympic Fan]

My immediate thoughts on this:

1. I don't think I have ever seen this before.




You're not old enough ...

in 1969, Duke beat No. 13 South Carolina in the ACC Tournament semifinals and neither team subbed the entire game. Every starter on both teams went 40 minutes. And while it wasn't a racehorse game, it wasn't a slowdown either -- Duke won 68-59.

And you can't blame that one on K -- it was Vic Bubas vs. Frank McGuire

Actually, Frank McGuire was quite famous in his day for riding his starters into the ground -- he was even more reluctant to go to his bench than K.

Note: The 1970 ACC title game almost topped the 69 Duke-South Carolina.

NC State's Norm Sloan went with five guys the entire way in an overtime game -- all 45 minutes without a sub. South Carolina actually made one sub -- John Roche. What happened was that Roche sprained his ankle (badly) the night before, So McGuire started Bob Carver in his place. After two minutes, he put Roche in and he went the final 43 minutes. That was the only sub of the game.

One more bit of coincidence -- that '69 South Carolina team that lost to Duke in the semifinals without a sub went to the NIT that year where they lost in the second round to Army on a night when an unknown Army guard named Mike Krzyzewski shut down John Roche.

[rasputin]

You're not old enough ...

in 1969, Duke beat No. 13 South Carolina in the ACC Tournament semifinals and neither team subbed the entire game. Every starter on both teams went 40 minutes. And while it wasn't a racehorse game, it wasn't a slowdown either -- Duke won 68-59.

And you can't blame that one on K -- it was Vic Bubas vs. Frank McGuire

Actually, Frank McGuire was quite famous in his day for riding his starters into the ground -- he was even more reluctant to go to his bench than K.

Note: The 1970 ACC title game almost topped the 69 Duke-South Carolina.

NC State's Norm Sloan went with five guys the entire way in an overtime game -- all 45 minutes without a sub. South Carolina actually made one sub -- John Roche. What happened was that Roche sprained his ankle (badly) the night before, So McGuire started Bob Carver in his place. After two minutes, he put Roche in and he went the final 43 minutes. That was the only sub of the game.

One more bit of coincidence -- that '69 South Carolina team that lost to Duke in the semifinals without a sub went to the NIT that year where they lost in the second round to Army on a night when an unknown Army guard named Mike Krzyzewski shut down John Roche.

OF, I vaguely recall an ACC Tournament game that went into overtime, South Carolina got the ball, and Roche dribbled for nearly five minutes, holding for the last shot. Anybody remember any details of that game?

[Olympic Fan]

OF, I vaguely recall an ACC Tournament game that went into overtime, South Carolina got the ball, and Roche dribbled for nearly five minutes, holding for the last shot. Anybody remember any details of that game?

That sounds like the 1970 ACC title game.

I actually misstated that game -- it was TWO overtimes. Every State starter played 50 minutes ... four South Carolina starters played 50 minutes and Roche played 48.

I believe what you are recalling is the end of the first overtime. At the end of regulation, with the score tied at 35-all, Roche dribbled away the last 80 seconds, then missed a shot at the buzzer.

There was some action early in the first OT. But with the score tied 37-all, South Carolina held the ball for the final 3:42 before Roche again missed at the buzzer.

The game ended in the second 0T ... South Carolina was up 39-38 with under 30 seconds left when Ed Leftwich stole the ball from Bobby Cremins near midcourt and went in for an uncontested layup with 22 seconds left. Roche missed another jumper ... Tom Owens missed a follow shot and that was pretty much it (although there was a bunch of action at the other end as Paul Coder missed a free throw and there were about three ball exchanges under the State basket before the buzzer sounded).

[gam7]

That sounds like the 1970 ACC title game.

I actually misstated that game -- it was TWO overtimes. Every State starter played 50 minutes ... four South Carolina starters played 50 minutes and Roche played 48.

I believe what you are recalling is the end of the first overtime. At the end of regulation, with the score tied at 35-all, Roche dribbled away the last 80 seconds, then missed a shot at the buzzer.

There was some action early in the first OT. But with the score tied 37-all, South Carolina held the ball for the final 3:42 before Roche again missed at the buzzer.

The game ended in the second 0T ... South Carolina was up 39-38 with under 30 seconds left when Ed Leftwich stole the ball from Bobby Cremins near midcourt and went in for an uncontested layup with 22 seconds left. Roche missed another jumper ... Tom Owens missed a follow shot and that was pretty much it (although there was a bunch of action at the other end as Paul Coder missed a free throw and there were about three ball exchanges under the State basket before the buzzer sounded).

I forgot to mention another immediate thought I had, which was "I bet Olympic Fan has seen this before and can cite specific examples."

[-jk]

I forgot to mention another immediate thought I had, which was "I bet Olympic Fan has seen this before and can cite specific examples."

Yeah... Sumner, too.

Both jewels (amber? ;)) 'round here!

-jk

[Rich]

Does their home loss last night knock them out of a 1 seed for the tourney?

[Olympic Fan]

Does their home loss last night knock them out of a 1 seed for the tourney?

It should ... but it doesn't change much.

The Pac 12's best team (looking like Oregon over UCLA and Arizona) gets the No. 1 in the West and Gonzaga is No. 2.

[rsvman]

BYU's victory over the Zags is huge to me, given that my dad was a professor at BYU, I am an alumnus, and my eldest son is a current student there.
Go Cougs!

[duketaylor]

On top of the Zags losing, Purdue lost and Michigan State beat Wisky (so, IMO, MSU is now in). Will be some interesting bracketology tomorrow.

[WVDUKEFAN]

Does their home loss last night knock them out of a 1 seed for the tourney?

It should.

[Atlanta Duke]

Was not certain it merited its own thread but I wanted to link a good article at SI.com on Semi Ojeleye. Good to read the transfer is working out well for him at SMU.

From Duke to SMU, Semi Ojeleye's long, crooked journey is finally paying off

Ojeleye has gone from consensus top-40 recruit to afterthought in Durham to one of the nation’s most important performers, averaging 18.2 points and 6.6 rebounds and compiling 6.1 Win Shares overall—a figure that tied for third nationally to start the week, trailing only Villanova’s Josh Hart and Gonzaga’s Nigel Williams-Goss, a pair of surefire All-Americans.

Article properly focuses on Semi's accomplishments at SMU, but he does share this observation on the difficulties encountered by the 2013-14 Duke team

He was a seldom-used freshman watching from the sideline as the Blue Devils suffered one of the program’s most stunning NCAA tournament failures: A 78–71 loss to 14th-seeded Mercer in 2014. It was no doubt a shock. But all year, Ojeleye felt older players on the roster struggled to communicate with the younger classes. He promised himself he would keep all lines open at all times when he was a veteran.

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2017/02/28/semi-ojeleye-smu-mustangs

I have not followed SMU at all, but FWIW Seth Davis has listed the Mustangs on his list of 8 teams (which does not include Duke or Kentucky) most likely to win the NCAA tournament.

Here’s the designated sleeper. The Mustangs only have seven scholarship players and no bona fide five man, but they have great overall team size, they’re tough, they’re smart and they’re highly unusual.

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2017/03/01/ncaa-tournament-national-title-contenders-kansas-unc-ucla-villanova