Other People's NCAA Hoops - 2019-2020

[sagegrouse]

Time for this thread, which I did not see on the list.

[accfanfrom1970]

Not sure if this is the place, read about Cassius Winstons brother being hit and killed by an Amtrack train. Sad news.

[sagegrouse]

Zachary Winston, a sophomore basketball player at Albion College in Michigan, was hit by a train (https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/28050139/brother-michigan-state-cassius-winston-dies-struck-train) and killed last night in Albion. Heartfelt condolences to Cassius and the family -- this is really tough. A third brother, Khy, is also a basketball player at Albion. Khy is a freshman.

Sad news.

[MChambers]

The Albion Department of Public Safety is saying that Zachary Winston deliberately walked in front of the train. How horrible for him and his family.

https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/local/michigan/cassius-winston-brother-dies-hit-by-train/69-a64eefee-7375-4924-a221-2cd65c635008

[MChambers]

Northwestern and Chris Collins somehow lost at home to Merrimack, in Merrimack's second game as a Division 1 team. Wow.

[DU82]

The Albion Department of Public Safety is saying that Zachary Winston deliberately walked in front of the train. How horrible for him and his family.

https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/local/michigan/cassius-winston-brother-dies-hit-by-train/69-a64eefee-7375-4924-a221-2cd65c635008

And the train crew.

[TheOldBattleship]

Down goes Kentucky! Evansville takes the Cats down in Rupp! Wow. Did NOT see that one coming.

[TKG]

Down goes Kentucky! Evansville takes the Cats down in Rupp! Wow. Did NOT see that one coming.

For a bit of cheap entertainment head over to Rupp Rafters (https://kentucky.forums.rivals.com/forums/rupp-rafters-basketball-forum.26/) (Cats Pause) for the fans’ reaction.

[robed deity]

For a bit of cheap entertainment head over to Rupp Rafters (https://kentucky.forums.rivals.com/forums/rupp-rafters-basketball-forum.26/) (Cats Pause) for the fans’ reaction.

My favorite is they "need to play more fast paste."

[OldPhiKap]

Lemme know when they start a “should Cal retire?” thread. Until then, our board should not cast stones.

[roywhite]

My favorite is they "need to play more fast paste."

Current thread titles:

Worst loss in UK history?

Usually Positive, That Was Pathetic

If you're not sick of it, I can't help you.

Swaggy Cal strikes again

Will this game convince Cal to get kids that can score??!!!

[proelitedota]

Looks like they had to shut the board down. lol

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Lemme know when they start a “should Cal retire?” thread. Until then, our board should not cast stones.

Let me know when this board has threads even remotely like those........until then..........no analogy.

[fidel]

I urge everyone to read the 'fast paste (https://kentucky.forums.rivals.com/threads/we-need-more-fast-paste-to-our-offense.307838/)' thread over there. A few great posts.

[AGDukesky]

I watched most of the 2nd half of the Oregon-Memphis game. Oregon was clearly the better team at execution while Memphis is very athletic but undisciplined right now. Wiseman was a bit off after sitting most of the first half with two early fouls. He physically reminds me of Dwight Howard with less post game but more perimeter skill. However, he showed little ability to generate his own offense other than putbacks and did not have much of an impact on defense. You can see why the NBA covets him but I was not overly impressed. Boogie Ellis hit a nice 3 early in the half and then basically disappeared after getting a dunk attempt pinned to the backboard/rim. Based on this one game, I’m glad we have Stanley - however, we might need Boogies shooting at some point.

[UrinalCake]

I don’t see an AP poll thread so I guess I’ll ask this here. We are going to take over the #1 spot next week, barring a shocking upset to Georgia State. Many of us feel undeserving of that ranking based on what we have seen from our team. Who does everyone think the #1 team *should* be? Not based on actual results or win/loss record, but who you think the best team is? In other words, if the tournament were to be played today, who would be your pick to win it?

[AGDukesky]

Although I’d prefer our team not have the pressure of being #1, there is not a team that deserves it more. Unless you subscribe to the defending champ should be #1 till it loses philosophy...

[BeachBlueDevil]

I don’t see an AP poll thread so I guess I’ll ask this here. We are going to take over the #1 spot next week, barring a shocking upset to Georgia State. Many of us feel undeserving of that ranking based on what we have seen from our team. Who does everyone think the #1 team *should* be? Not based on actual results or win/loss record, but who you think the best team is? In other words, if the tournament were to be played today, who would be your pick to win it?

That is a hard question.... Especially this year, because I haven't seen anyone play yet that is head and shoulders above the rest. I mean, I could say Virginia. They have only given up 68 points through 2 games. But they played Syracuse ( how good are they?) and JMU. Not exactly murders row, but still impressive defense.

I could also say Louisville. But again, who have they played and would I be buying into the hype that has somewhat surrounded them thus far.

Finally, I could say Duke. An impressive win over Kansas where they played excellent defense on a neutral court and two blowout wins against lesser opponents. But is that enough of a sample size for me to tell you definitively they should be number 1? No.

Rankings in November is a useless exercise. I really don't think they should be done until January because that's when a majority really starts paying attention to college basketball.

[SkyBrickey]

I guess I’ll say Duke because I can’t pick a team who I think would beat us.

I think this feeling of, How can we be #1?, is two things. One is a bit of a hangover effect of not having superstars Zion or RJ. And two is seeing our defense ahead of our offense as much as it is.

The offense will develop and even seemed to take a step forward last night. There’s a pretty high ceiling and I just love the fact that we can wear down teams playing pressure D at the same level for 40 minutes. Haven’t had that with a Duke team since when?

[sagegrouse]

I urge everyone to read the 'fast paste (https://kentucky.forums.rivals.com/threads/we-need-more-fast-paste-to-our-offense.307838/)' thread over there. A few great posts.

"Fast paste" has potential -- could it be the new "amphibious?"

And the OP repeated the spelling in his rejoinder to the critics.

[duke2x]

"Fast paste" has potential -- could it be the new "amphibious?"
And the OP repeated the spelling in his rejoinder to the critics.

There's a difference between a university player and a poster that may not have graduated from a rural KY high school yet--perhaps even Bracken County. The former should know better. The latter obviously doesn't and may have eaten some of that fast paste.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

There's a difference between a university player and a poster that may not have graduated from a rural KY high school yet--perhaps even Bracken County. The former should know better. The latter obviously doesn't and may have eaten some of that fast paste.

Taking that comment a little too seriously, aren't ya?

[Papa John]

Current thread titles:

Worst loss in UK history?

Usually Positive, That Was Pathetic

If you're not sick of it, I can't help you.

Swaggy Cal strikes again

Will this game convince Cal to get kids that can score??!!!


Change the name of the school and the name of the coach and this could be a listing of threads in pretty much any teams' fan discussion board after a loss.



I don’t see an AP poll thread so I guess I’ll ask this here. We are going to take over the #1 spot next week, barring a shocking upset to Georgia State. Many of us feel undeserving of that ranking based on what we have seen from our team. Who does everyone think the #1 team *should* be? Not based on actual results or win/loss record, but who you think the best team is? In other words, if the tournament were to be played today, who would be your pick to win it?

Yes, we'll be #1. Yes, we deserve to be, based on the rankings and results thus far. No, it doesn't matter one iota—as we all know, it only matters who's #1 at the end of the season. And 3 games is too small a sample size to pick a 'best team'—which is why we're looking at an AP poll with a 1-loss previously #1 MSU and UK... They should wait a couple months before ranking teams, like they do now with the football playoff rankings...

[left_hook_lacey]

After reading the 'fast paste' thread, I can't tell if the guy is a genius troll, or if I should feel sorry for him.

Either way, it's no reason to come unglued.

[Truth&Justise]

Down goes Kentucky! Evansville takes the Cats down in Rupp! Wow. Did NOT see that one coming.

As far as substantive takeaways from that game: Evansville played a smaller lineup, and routinely attacked Kentucky forward Nate Sestina off the dribble. Sestina is a grad transfer from Bucknell, and while he is a versatile offensive player, he doesn't appear to have the quickness to stay in front of attacking wings. He'd do better as a center (6'9" 234 lbs), but Kentucky was sticking with Nick Richards at center (and will soon get EJ Montgommery back from injury).

The other stuff is a bit flukey--everyone has bad games from time to time, though it is certainly hilarious to see it happen here--but Sestina's inability to stay in front of drivers is a structural problem Kentucky will have to address.

[Troublemaker]

I don’t see an AP poll thread so I guess I’ll ask this here. We are going to take over the #1 spot next week, barring a shocking upset to Georgia State. Many of us feel undeserving of that ranking based on what we have seen from our team. Who does everyone think the #1 team *should* be? Not based on actual results or win/loss record, but who you think the best team is? In other words, if the tournament were to be played today, who would be your pick to win it?

Heck, why couldn't Duke be the favorite? Our defense would probably be too much to handle for many of these early-season offenses. As it was against Kansas.

But obviously what matters is where we stack up after several months of development and teams gaining cohesiveness. Hopefully we won't need to force 20+ turnovers to beat good teams in March.

[SavDukeGrad]

VCU upset #23 LSU last night, in a homecoming for Will Wade. Apparently there is no love lost between VCU and their former coach. Hilariously, VCU students trolled Wade dressed as FBI agents and even jokingly attempted to hand cash to players. Lots of articles and pictures floating around about it, here's one:

https://247sports.com/Article/vcu-basketball-fans-troll-lsu-with-fbi-agent-costumes-will-wade-investigation--138541517/

[devildeac]

VCU upset #23 LSU last night, in a homecoming for Will Wade. Apparently there is no love lost between VCU and their former coach. Hilariously, VCU students trolled Wade dressed as FBI agents and even jokingly attempted to hand cash to players. Lots of articles and pictures floating around about it, here's one:

https://247sports.com/Article/vcu-basketball-fans-troll-lsu-with-fbi-agent-costumes-will-wade-investigation--138541517/

That's one of the best troll jobs I've heard about in a long time. LMAO.

[BD80]

After reading the 'fast paste' thread, I can't tell if the guy is a genius troll, or if I should feel sorry for him.

Either way, it's no reason to come unglued.

Definite genius. Figured out how to paste to a thread.

On a related note: my car in high school had fast brakes …


Is brunch brakefast?

[CoachJ10]

Just was giftwrapped a win courtesy of the zebras @ Seton Hall. Their manhandling of people and getting away with it chaps my hide. The Seton Hall coach showed way too much restraint. His team got hosed.

[Green Wave Dukie]

After reading the 'fast paste' thread, I can't tell if the guy is a genius troll, or if I should feel sorry for him.

Either way, it's no reason to come unglued.


Left Hook - totally agree. They just need to brush off the loss and keep moving.

[AGDukesky]

Just was giftwrapped a win courtesy of the zebras @ Seton Hall. Their manhandling of people and getting away with it chaps my hide. The Seton Hall coach showed way too much restraint. His team got hosed.

Although I agree MSU is allowed to be too physical, I didn’t see a blatant foul on either of those last two plays- but I was surprised the refs let the plays go. I also thought the Spartans were the better team and Seton Hall stayed in it due to hero ball by Powell, which eventually cost them when he forced it into a defense who knew what was coming. It was difficult to watch because I like seeing MSU lose, but I want it to have as few losses as possible when Duke plays there.

[English]

Change the name of the school and the name of the coach and this could be a listing of threads in pretty much any teams' fan discussion board after a loss.




Yes, we'll be #1. Yes, we deserve to be, based on the rankings and results thus far. No, it doesn't matter one iota—as we all know, it only matters who's #1 at the end of the season. And 3 games is too small a sample size to pick a 'best team'—which is why we're looking at an AP poll with a 1-loss previously #1 MSU and UK... They should wait a couple months before ranking teams, like they do now with the football playoff rankings...

The AP ranks college football starting as early as it does with hoops...except it arguably actually means something because, with fewer games and less opportunity to correct a bad result early in the season, football teams can cost themselves from the jump. The CFP committee can say they don't pay attention to rankings when making their own later in the season, but I don't buy it. It's human nature.

Rankings in college hoops are largely just an exercise to catalyze interest throughout the season, and I'm all for it. What's the value of sports fandom if you can't argue about meaningless fluff for an entire season (and offseason)?! It's why I don't understand some posters around here who go out of their way to denigrate Duke's top-5 ranking early each season or why anyone would care. It's just fun to debate with friends (and annoying coworkers) about why your team is ranked too low, your rivals are ranked too high, and who is a fraud in the top-25 in November, December, and January.

[English]

That tOSU beadown of Nova on Wednesday night was something to behold. I don't take much from it on either side beyond that a team playing a true home game can catch fuego early and the opponent basically has no shot. Nova looked bad on both ends, but Ohio St was torching the nets and built an insurmountable lead from the tip. It was impressive. Reminded me a bit of what the natty champs Nova team did to KU (or am I think of OU?) in their NCAAT game a couple of years ago.

I suspect neither tOSU is as good as it looked, nor is Nova as ineffectual as it looked. I'm just so glad college hoops is back and we get some random top-25 matchups to keep our attention when our guys aren't playing. Curious is that Nova-tOSU matchup is a home-and-home. Not sure why Jay Wright would play @tOSU otherwise, rather than a neutral.

[Faustus]

There's some Big East-Big Ten/Eleven/Whatever Challenge going on this week that has given us some pretty interesting games, and the OSU-Villanova game was one of those - I'd guess one-off match-ups without return games the next year between the exact same teams.

This is why there was that quite good Mich. St.-Seton Hall game last night, two teams who can actually make 3s (we better be at our best when we go to East Lansing if they shoot that well again), but also a not very good Georgetown team handled easily even at home by Penn State, the perpetual 'sleeping giant' of college b-ball, and Depaul surprisingly slamming Iowa. And interesting to see Wojo's Marquette come from way behind to catch and beat Purdue, a shell of last year's team that couldn't hit anything in the 2nd half.

[Faustus]

Oh, Chris Collins' Northwestern also beat an evidently quite bad Providence in this challenge too, and Northwestern really needed that after losing their opener to mighty Merrimac. Yikes.

[OldPhiKap]

losing their opener to mighty Merrimac. Yikes.

ask the Monitor.

[devildeac]

ask the Monitor.

Ironclad response, as usual/expected, from OPK.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Ironclad response, as usual/expected, from OPK.

NW's shots must have been clanking off the iron......

[Faustus]

Ah, but certainly you all know the Merrimac's name had been changed to CSS Virginia (no doubt pronounced Vuh- JIN- yah with a nice drawl), so see what you can do with THAT... (and let's see if Tony Bennett's kids clang more off the rim this year than last)

[HereBeforeCoachK]

That's one of the best troll jobs I've heard about in a long time. LMAO.

EPIC......and by epic, I mean the variation of epic that requires an F for spelling.....

[devildeac]

Ah, but certainly you all know the Merrimac's name had been changed to CSS Virginia (no doubt pronounced Vuh- JIN- yah with a nice drawl), so see what you can do with THAT... (and let's see if Tony Bennett's kids clang more off the rim this year than last)

Ooh, a challenge. I've got this:

For your Civil War knowledge, I'll warship the water on which you walk.

[duke4ever19]

Although I agree MSU is allowed to be too physical, I didn’t see a blatant foul on either of those last two plays- but I was surprised the refs let the plays go. I also thought the Spartans were the better team and Seton Hall stayed in it due to hero ball by Powell, which eventually cost them when he forced it into a defense who knew what was coming. It was difficult to watch because I like seeing MSU lose, but I want it to have as few losses as possible when Duke plays there.

In high school, we had one humongous guy on our team who went on to play offensive lineman for a decent DII school. He was our 'let 'em play' secret weapon. Put him in the game with about 5 minutes left and dare the refs to keep calling the game the same way. If the refs shifted into 'let 'em play,' we put the hulk on the court and watch the opposing center get that deer in the headlights look.

All that to say, 'let 'em play' tends to help the team which prefers to play physical. At least on the high school level, we had coaches smart enough to take advantage of it by putting in the football team.

[UrinalCake]

I'm bored so I'm watching Kansas with the comfortable lead over ETSU. They really need to rename that arena "The Maui Jim Maui Gym." Why hasn't this happened already?

[JasonEvans]

As a reminder, this happens starting today... some pretty good teams in this tourney:

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wXRGaj9-knan28DUrMTEH_GvQdU=/0x0:1000x1294/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1000x1294):format(webp):no_upsca le()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19407418/2019_maui_invitational_bracket.jpg

[Natty_B]

As a reminder, this happens starting today... some pretty good teams in this tourney:

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wXRGaj9-knan28DUrMTEH_GvQdU=/0x0:1000x1294/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1000x1294):format(webp):no_upsca le()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19407418/2019_maui_invitational_bracket.jpg

Oddly Duke visits both Game 2 teams next week.

[JasonEvans]

Worth noting some other good T-giving tournaments.

I think the toughest to pick is the Emerald Coast Classic. The 4 teams playing are FSU (#17 in KenPom) and Tennessee (#18) and then VCU (#32) against Purdue (#10). Good luck picking a winner in that one!

The Battle For Atlantis (featuring a certain bunch of cheating liars) has a very strong field. Look at this and then think about the fact that someone is going to go 0-3 in this tourney (probably Southern Miss) and three teams will go 1-2. Ouch!
https://www.atlantisbahamas.com/storage/media/legacy/atlantis/Battle_4_Atlantis/2019-b4a-bracket.jpg

-Jason "they call it Feast Week for a reason!" Evans

[MChambers]

As a reminder, this happens starting today... some pretty good teams in this tourney:

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wXRGaj9-knan28DUrMTEH_GvQdU=/0x0:1000x1294/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1000x1294):format(webp):no_upsca le()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19407418/2019_maui_invitational_bracket.jpg

I dunno, only two teams (Kansas and MSU) in the top 40 in KenPom. VPI just below that, at 41. Lots of bubble teams, like Georgia, Dayton, and BYU. (And if Greenberg were still coaching VPI, they'd be on the bubble automatically._

[budwom]

LOL at the term Emerald Coast, had to look that one up.....I guess they didn't want to have a tournament called the Redneck Riviera Classic, eh?

[brevity]

UAB plays at Rupp Arena tonight. Dare to dream...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgi3vL9pxhI

That was the winning play, but not the play I remember from that 2004 NCAA Tournament second round game. You can find that UAB crosscourt reverse pass and dunk here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyKsOwfeXRo).

[TheOldBattleship]

Wow, tough, tough news for Georgetown. Akinjo and LeBlanc both off the team (https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/28213901/georgetown-finish-season-james-akinjo-josh-leblanc). That's probably sinking their (otherwise reasonably strong) NCAA chances. No details out there yet as to why.

[dukelifer]

Wow, tough, tough news for Georgetown. Akinjo and LeBlanc both off the team (https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/28213901/georgetown-finish-season-james-akinjo-josh-leblanc). That's probably sinking their (otherwise reasonably strong) NCAA chances. No details out there yet as to why.

Maybe academics? That time of year.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Maybe academics? That time of year.

Highly unlikely unless it is for cheating. Exams start soon so usually academic issues arise after end-of-semester grades are finalized, in about 2-3 weeks.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Maybe academics? That time of year.

Academics? What do you mean? Is that still a thing?

[dukelifer]

Academics? What do you mean? Is that still a thing?

I heard it was a thing but then again I could be mistaken.

[jwillfan]

Maybe academics? That time of year.

Allegations of assault for 3 players but not Akinjo

https://sports.yahoo.com/resurgent-georgetown-beset-legal-trouble-021348927.html

[dukelifer]

Allegations of assault for 3 players but not Akinjo

https://sports.yahoo.com/resurgent-georgetown-beset-legal-trouble-021348927.html

Well that is not good.

[sagegrouse]

Wow, tough, tough news for Georgetown. Akinjo and LeBlanc both off the team (https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/28213901/georgetown-finish-season-james-akinjo-josh-leblanc). That's probably sinking their (otherwise reasonably strong) NCAA chances. No details out there yet as to why.


Allegations of assault for 3 players but not Akinjo

https://sports.yahoo.com/resurgent-georgetown-beset-legal-trouble-021348927.html

Akinjo is not implicated in anything -- he expressed a desire to transfer at the end of the semester. Apparently LeBlanc is also interested in transferring, but he was implicated in some incidents that occurred near the Georgetown campus and resulted in restraining orders . Galen Alexander and Myron Gardner were also named -- but are still on the team.

[dukelifer]

Akinjo is not implicated in anything -- he expressed a desire to transfer at the end of the semester. Apparently LeBlanc is also interested in transferring, but he was implicated in some incidents that occurred near the Georgetown campus and resulted in restraining orders . Galen Alexander and Myron Gardner were also named -- but are still on the team.

Akinjo might see a difficult year or two ahead and may want to get on a higher profile team. He has talent and I am sure will get a lot of interest.

[proelitedota]

Charles Southern over Missouri tie our SFA game for the biggest upset in the last 15 seasons.

[proelitedota]

More context for our SFA upset, they're the number 1 team in the nation at forcing TOs. They're a good team that I believe will eventually end up in the Kenpom top 100 in the nation.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Charles Southern over Missouri tie our SFA game for the biggest upset in the last 15 seasons.

I suspect it will get just as much coverage as ours.

[brevity]

Charles Southern over Missouri tie our SFA game for the biggest upset in the last 15 seasons.

Not the first time Duke and Missouri have shared the same misfortune (https://www.oregonlive.com/collegebasketball/2012/03/lehigh_norfolk_stun_ncaa_tourn.html).

[ChillinDuke]

Wow, tough, tough news for Georgetown. Akinjo and LeBlanc both off the team (https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/28213901/georgetown-finish-season-james-akinjo-josh-leblanc). That's probably sinking their (otherwise reasonably strong) NCAA chances. No details out there yet as to why.

I just saw this. Brutal for GTown.

They felt like a good team and one with solid tourney hopes. I was also hoping to hang our hat on that as a reasonably quality win come seeding time, but it looks like that will now fade off into the noise.

- Chillin

[Saratoga2]

I watched a good bit of the Louisville/Michigan match last night. Louisville seemed to be playing an effective Pack-Line defense, which worked well for them as it might against any team that struggles hitting the three. This year the three is further out on the perimeter so the Pack-Line should be even more effective. I wonder how difficult this scheme is to master.

[TheOldBattleship]

I just saw this. Brutal for GTown.

They felt like a good team and one with solid tourney hopes. I was also hoping to hang our hat on that as a reasonably quality win come seeding time, but it looks like that will now fade off into the noise.

- Chillin

Well, in the midst of the ACC/Big10 noise tonight, huge win for Georgetown tonight, post-Akinjo/LeBlanc, against a previously undefeated OK State team (#26 in KenPom, even after the loss). McClung with 33 and Yurtseven with 19/9/3. One... interesting, we'll say, note: both Myron Gardner and Galen Alexander, the two non-Josh LeBlanc guys who are having the legal issues, played tonight. I know basically nothing about the situation, but strikes me as, at the very least, not the best look for the program to play those guys given the alleged nature of the incident.

[JasonEvans]

both Myron Gardner and Galen Alexander, the two non-Josh LeBlanc guys who are having the legal issues, played tonight. I know basically nothing about the situation, but strikes me as, at the very least, not the best look for the program to play those guys given the alleged nature of the incident.

I get "innocent until proven guilty" in a court of law but that does not apply to a University or to the privilege of wearing a college basketball uniform. These players have been accused in a formal police report of sexual assault. Perhaps Georgetown has knowledge of some exculpatory evidence that will show the accuser(s) to be lying but -- at the moment -- this is an exceedingly bad look for the program. It would appear Georgetown values winning games over the safety of the community. I predict that if the assault claims prove to be true, folks are going to lose jobs over this.

[jaytoc]

Yes, shocked, to learn that a big-time college athletic program might value wins over integrity.

As to the safety of the community, in a narrow sense community safety is unaffected by whether these two play (other than to assume that if they are in attendance at the game, either playing or sitting on the bench, they aren't out and about making mischief). In a broader sense, of course, the decision to continue to play these two is a bad look that sends the wrong message to the community at large. Perhaps in that sense, there is indirect impact on community safety.

[MChambers]

Barry Svrluga rips into Georgetown: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/georgetown-opted-against-transparency-what-were-able-to-see-doesnt-look-good/2019/12/05/61c0a4b6-177a-11ea-8406-df3c54b3253e_story.html

[SavDukeGrad]

Barry Svrluga rips into Georgetown: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/georgetown-opted-against-transparency-what-were-able-to-see-doesnt-look-good/2019/12/05/61c0a4b6-177a-11ea-8406-df3c54b3253e_story.html

Do we know anything about why Akinjo is transferring? I think he is very talented. If his situation is totally unrelated to the criminal charges filed against the other 3, it’s a shame he has been caught up in this, whether it was intentional or not. Good article.

[TruBlu]

Yes, shocked, to learn that a big-time college athletic program might value wins over integrity.

As to the safety of the community, in a narrow sense community safety is unaffected by whether these two play (other than to assume that if they are in attendance at the game, either playing or sitting on the bench, they aren't out and about making mischief). In a broader sense, of course, the decision to continue to play these two is a bad look that sends the wrong message to the community at large. Perhaps in that sense, there is indirect impact on community safety.

Um, to whom might you be referring?:rolleyes:

[tbyers11]

Do we know anything about why Akinjo is transferring? I think he is very talented. If his situation is totally unrelated to the criminal charges filed against the other 3, it’s a shame he has been caught up in this, whether it was intentional or not. Good article.

No one seems to exactly why Akinjo is transferring but it has been clarified by Georgetown (further clarification in Twitter thread from Sam Vecenie (https://twitter.com/Sam_Vecenie/status/1201958472926945280)) that Akinjo is not in any way involved in the criminal allegations against LeBlanc and others.

Agree that Georgetown screwed up pretty big by lumping the Akinjo transfer news with the LeBlanc transfer/allegations news in the same initial statement (or non-statement)

[MChambers]

Do we know anything about why Akinjo is transferring? I think he is very talented. If his situation is totally unrelated to the criminal charges filed against the other 3, it’s a shame he has been caught up in this, whether it was intentional or not. Good article.

Not as far as I know. He just expressed an interest in transferring. No reason given.

[arnie]

Um, to whom might you be referring?:rolleyes:

Same color blue?

[MartyClark]

I'm watching Boston College beat Notre Dame.

Derryck Thornton looks good. It will be interesting to see how he plays at CIS in a few weeks. Seems like a good kid who may have finally found his game.

[AGDukesky]

I'm watching Boston College beat Notre Dame.

Derryck Thornton looks good. It will be interesting to see how he plays at CIS in a few weeks. Seems like a good kid who may have finally found his game.

Good for him! Hope he doesn’t go too crazy against us, but against the rest of the league have at it.

[Rich]

I'm watching Boston College beat Notre Dame.

Derryck Thornton looks good. It will be interesting to see how he plays at CIS in a few weeks. Seems like a good kid who may have finally found his game.

I hope the Crazies treat him kindly. I was disappointed when he left, but I don't blame him - he seemed to get some bad advice from family members and he seemed to leave on good terms, even going to the banquet after his announcement.

[Troublemaker]

I hope the Crazies treat him kindly. I was disappointed when he left, but I don't blame him - he seemed to get some bad advice from family members and he seemed to leave on good terms, even going to the banquet after his announcement.

Derryck probably would prefer a good ribbing. The opposite of love isn't hate; it's indifference. If the Crazies don't do anything and are seemingly oblivious to him having played at Duke before, such that it conjures up feelings that he's a nobody now, that might sting worse.

[duke2x]

Derryck probably would prefer a good ribbing. The opposite of love isn't hate; it's indifference. If the Crazies don't do anything and are seemingly oblivious to him having played at Duke before, such that it conjures up feelings that he's a nobody now, that might sting worse.

The students won't be there. The game is NYE at 6 PM.

[buddy]

Yes, shocked, to learn that a big-time college athletic program might value wins over integrity.

As to the safety of the community, in a narrow sense community safety is unaffected by whether these two play (other than to assume that if they are in attendance at the game, either playing or sitting on the bench, they aren't out and about making mischief). In a broader sense, of course, the decision to continue to play these two is a bad look that sends the wrong message to the community at large. Perhaps in that sense, there is indirect impact on community safety.

I seem to remember about 13 years ago a major university cancelled an entire program because of horrendous allegations. If memory serves, the allegations were unfounded and the accused reportedly received multi-million dollar settlements from said university. I don't presume to know what happened with the G'town players, only that "guilty until proven innocent" is not good policy.

[camion]

Rescuing this thread from page 2 with:
Penn State 76
Maryland 69

:D

[fan345678]

Rescuing this thread from page 2 with:
Penn State 76
Maryland 69

:D

With every "way too early top 25" that came out for this year, I was thinking two things:

1) Louisville? OK, but...really?
2) Maryland? OK, but...really?

The day of my vindication has come.

[JasonEvans]

I think it is now Ohio State's turn to be the hunted.

-Jason "they play Kentucky in 10 days..." Evans

[AGDukesky]

I think it is now Ohio State's turn to be the hunted.

-Jason "they play Kentucky in 10 days..." Evans

Agreed, despite Kansas currently being ahead in the polls it has to be Ohio State you would think as an undefeated team with better wins.

[Truth&Justise]

Late in Illinois' upset win over Michigan, freshman center Kofi Cockburn celebrated an and-1 a little too enthusiastically and struck referee Lewis Garrison:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozF7yk2W8WU

Garrison missed the remainder of the game, leaving only two officials to call the final minutes.

[BD80]

Late in Illinois' upset win over Michigan, freshman center Kofi Cockburn celebrated an and-1 a little too enthusiastically and struck referee Lewis Garrison:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozF7yk2W8WU

Garrison missed the remainder of the game, leaving only two officials to call the final minutes.


COLD COCKburn

[Saratoga2]

Surprised Duke moved down 2 from 7th to 9th despite two teams ahead losing and Kansas having been beaten by Duke. Our two last wins were road games as well and the opponents weren't chopped liver like Farleigh Dickenson for instance. It won't matter in the long run but it does smell of some pretty poor judgment.

[Stray Gator]

Surprised Duke moved down 2 from 7th to 9th despite two teams ahead losing and Kansas having been beaten by Duke. Our two last wins were road games as well and the opponents weren't chopped liver like Farleigh Dickenson for instance. It won't matter in the long run but it does smell of some pretty poor judgment.

Where do you see Duke ranked 9th? In the most recent polls, after beating Michigan State and Virginia Tech on their respective home courts last week, Duke moved up from 10th to 7th in the AP Poll, and from 8th to 5th in the Coaches' Poll. With this week's losses by Louisville, Maryland, and Michigan, I would expect Duke to move up another 2 or 3 notches when those polls are updated early next week.

[JasonEvans]

Where do you see Duke ranked 9th? In the most recent polls, after beating Michigan State and Virginia Tech on their respective home courts last week, Duke moved up from 10th to 7th in the AP Poll, and from 8th to 5th in the Coaches' Poll. With this week's losses by Louisville, Maryland, and Michigan, I would expect Duke to move up another 2 or 3 notches when those polls are updated early next week.

Duke is also #1 in ESPN's BPI, #2 in KenPom, #2 in the Massey composite, and #5 in TRank... so the computers loooove us.

[AGDukesky]

Where do you see Duke ranked 9th? In the most recent polls, after beating Michigan State and Virginia Tech on their respective home courts last week, Duke moved up from 10th to 7th in the AP Poll, and from 8th to 5th in the Coaches' Poll. With this week's losses by Louisville, Maryland, and Michigan, I would expect Duke to move up another 2 or 3 notches when those polls are updated early next week.

My guess is the person saw the CBS Sportsline poll which still has Duke 9th

[Stray Gator]

My guess is the person saw the CBS Sportsline poll which still has Duke 9th

Okay. That "poll" -- which appears to be nothing more than Gary Parrish's personal rating -- seems like an outlier, which might explain why it's not ordinarily on my radar.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/rankings/

[OldPhiKap]

Okay. That "poll" -- which appears to be nothing more than Gary Parrish's personal rating -- seems like an outlier, which might explain why it's not ordinarily on my radar.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/rankings/

But where does Lunardi have us?

{ducks}

[robed deity]

Duke is also #1 in ESPN's BPI, #2 in KenPom, #2 in the Massey composite, and #5 in TRank... so the computers loooove us.

At #34, I also note who the computers DON'T like.

[Saratoga2]

Where do you see Duke ranked 9th? In the most recent polls, after beating Michigan State and Virginia Tech on their respective home courts last week, Duke moved up from 10th to 7th in the AP Poll, and from 8th to 5th in the Coaches' Poll. With this week's losses by Louisville, Maryland, and Michigan, I would expect Duke to move up another 2 or 3 notches when those polls are updated early next week.

Should have icluded the link.


https://thespun.com/college-hoops/cbs-new-no-1-college-basketball-top-25-poll

[brevity]

Surprised Duke moved down 2 from 7th to 9th despite two teams ahead losing and Kansas having been beaten by Duke. Our two last wins were road games as well and the opponents weren't chopped liver like Farleigh Dickenson for instance. It won't matter in the long run but it does smell of some pretty poor judgment.


Should have icluded the link.


https://thespun.com/college-hoops/cbs-new-no-1-college-basketball-top-25-poll

Here is the link to Gary Parrish’s full Top 25+1 rankings:
https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/college-basketball-rankings-ohio-state-takes-top-spot-in-top-25-and-1-after-louisvilles-loss-to-texas-tech/

It shows no movement for Duke, so Parrish must have had them ranked 9th in his previous poll.

Indeed, if you look at his archive (https://www.cbssports.com/writers/gary-parrish/), he updates his poll several times a week. That poll above isn’t even his most recent; he has since moved Michigan down after their loss to Illinois.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Wow...Congrats to Wake! Huge win over a ranked Xavier! ACC!!

[JasonEvans]

This is officially the "no one is any good" season of college basketball. After Lousiville lost last week, everyone started talking about how great Ohio State was. I listened to multiple podcasts where they were anointing the Buckeyes as the clear #1 team in the land. They were super experienced and playing great D (and we all know that D never takes a night off). They were Kenpom's #1 team by a fairly wide margin. If you listened to the pundits, it was a crime that Ohio State was ever outside of the top 10.

Well, today OSU lost to Minnesota by 13 points, 84-71. OSU trailed throughout the contest. The final margin wasn't swelled by late free throws, Minnesota led by double digits the entire second half. And I should be clear about something, this wasn't some coming out party for an overlooked Minnesota team. The Golden Gophers were 4-5 coming into this game. Their losses are all respectable (Oklahoma, Butler, Utah, Depaul, and Iowa) but this was still a team with 5 losses already... this team was ranked #74 in KenPom coming into this game.

So, who is the #1 team in the land? I dunno. KenPom will probably still list the Buckeyes with Duke #2. The polls are likely to elevate Kansas, though their neutral court loss to the Blue Devils would argue against them being ranked higher than Duke. Also, Kansas' best win is an OT victory over Dayton. I know Dayton is pretty good this year, but I sorta feel like you need to beat one of the best to lay claim to being the best.

To me, the bottom line right now is that there is no #1 team... at least not in the traditional sense of a great team that can be counted on to beat all but the best competition. There are several teams that are really good, but I don't think anyone is great this season.

[UrinalCake]

I kind of wish OSU had been ranked #1 this week, just so they could have been the fourth #1 team to lose to an unranked team this season (is that right?)

[pfrduke]

I kind of wish OSU had been ranked #1 this week, just so they could have been the fourth #1 team to lose to an unranked team this season (is that right?)

But then Louisville’s loss wouldn’t have counted, so it still would have been 3. Both teams lost this week and only one of them could be #1 (I guess, technically, there could have been a tie, but that scenario seems extraordinarily unlikely).

[-jk]

Not sure if this has been noted, but with all the upsets in the Bigger whatever, if Northwestern upsets Mich St tomorrow, they'll have a 14-way tie, with everyone 1-1.

Go Chris!

-jk

[devildeac]

Not sure if this has been noted, but with all the upsets in the Bigger whatever, if Northwestern upsets Mich St tomorrow, they'll have a 14-way tie, with everyone 1-1.

Go Chris!

-jk

Which would also place the #5, 7, 14, 15 and 23 teams in the AP Poll in first and last place in their league simultaneously. ;):rolleyes:

[YmoBeThere]

After last night’s loss to Loyola(Ill.), I think it is finally settling in to some people’s minds that the Stackhouse era at Vandy will not start of with a 20 win season and a trip to the NCAA. After an early 4-1 start against the easiest schedule at the time in NCAA basketball, there were rumblings of what great improvement this team was over last year. I’m just hoping we don’t o’fer the conference slate again.

Yes, I did not pick my grad school based on their athletic prowess.

[TKG]

I did not see this posted anywhere else on DBR, so I thought I would mention it here:

Kentucky lost another game to an unranked opponent (Utah). The UK website is a fun way to ease into your day.

[MChambers]

I did not see this posted anywhere else on DBR, so I thought I would mention it here:

Kentucky lost another game to an unranked opponent (Utah). The UK website is a fun way to ease into your day.

Kentucky gets to play an angry Ohio State Saturday. Kentucky is down to #37 in T-Rank after last night.

[robed deity]

I did not see this posted anywhere else on DBR, so I thought I would mention it here:

Kentucky lost another game to an unranked opponent (Utah). The UK website is a fun way to ease into your day.

I watched the whole game. I was distracted by the sideshow of Walton and Pasch for a lot of it, but managed to see one mediocre team play horribly to go down big to another mediocre team, then come back, only to blow it down the stretch.

[Hingeknocker]

James Wiseman just announced that he's withdrawing from Memphis amid his eligibility issues to prepare for the NBA Draft.

This sucks.

[Natty_B]

Wowwwwwwwwwwww

https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1207748317876277250

[CameronBornAndBred]

Wowwwwwwwwwwww

https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1207748317876277250

Guessing there's more to it, like he didn't bother going to class or something.

[MChambers]

Guessing there's more to it, like he didn't bother going to class or something.

Maybe Cole Anthony advised him to do it?

Just kidding, of course. Anthony seems like he'll play when he's healthy.

[lotusland]

Guessing there's more to it, like he didn't bother going to class or something.

Should have gone to Cheater Hill. No class and a phat, I mean, Fats car.

[Billy Dat]

Last night, Arizona State lost to St.Mary's 96-56. That is a bad look for Bobby's squad, but the game is worth noting because an ASU non-starter, Alonza Verge Jr., exploded off the bench to score 43 of ASU's 56 points. That is just bizarre.


https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/pac12/2019/12/19/arizona-state-alonzo-verge-jr-43-points-off-bench/2698931001/

[Tooold]

And #1 goes down again. Kansas loses to Villanova in a nail biter. Seems as if the refs were trying to give it to Kansas, but their poor FT shooting helped to do them in.

[scottdude8]

Time for Gonzaga to ascend to No. 1 and probably stick there for a while now. With their non-conference resume it’s gonna take a complete collapse for them to not be No. 1 out west come March.

[dukebluesincebirth]

Now Gonzaga will be #1 all season because they don’t play anyone in their conference.

[dukelifer]

Guessing there's more to it, like he didn't bother going to class or something.

That is my guess.

[dukelifer]

Now Gonzaga will be #1 all season because they don’t play anyone in their conference.

They are a pretty decent team - in this wide open year. But yes- looks like 3 more spots for the 1 seeds.

[MChambers]

They are a pretty decent team - in this wide open year. But yes- looks like 3 more spots for the 1 seeds.

Long way to go in the regular season, and T-Rank predicts that Gonzaga will lose three more times, so I wouldn't say they are a lock for a top seed.

[Saratoga2]

And #1 goes down again. Kansas loses to Villanova in a nail biter. Seems as if the refs were trying to give it to Kansas, but their poor FT shooting helped to do them in.

They probably will stay ahead of Duke since this was a close loss on the road and their other loss was close to Duke.

[AGDukesky]

San Diego State might be the real deal. Impressive 28-point win over the same Utah team that just beat Kentucky...

[MChambers]

San Diego State might be the real deal. Impressive 28-point win over the same Utah team that just beat Kentucky...

But they’re only #25 in KenPom. #10 in T-Rank, however.

[BlueDevil16]

They probably will stay ahead of Duke since this was a close loss on the road and their other loss was close to Duke.

Not sure if this is a joke but a 2 loss team will be below a one loss Duke now

[AGDukesky]

But they’re only #25 in KenPom. #10 in T-Rank, however.

Schedule is not the greatest but the results are solid

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

They probably will stay ahead of Duke since this was a close loss on the road and their other loss was close to Duke.

Duke doesn't have a loss as good as Kansas's.

[brevity]

They probably will stay ahead of Duke since this was a close loss on the road and their other loss was close to Duke.


Duke doesn't have a loss as good as Kansas's.

Yeah, Kansas now has TWO of the better losses in the country. Compare to Auburn, which has no good losses at all. Sound logic for keeping the Jayhawks on the #1 seed line.

We may not want to talk about this, but what about UNC? They have FIVE losses, and I may be biased, but I thought all of those losses were good. I dare anyone to find a team with as many losses to really savor and appreciate.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Yeah, Kansas now has TWO of the better losses in the country. Compare to Auburn, which has no good losses at all. Sound logic for keeping the Jayhawks on the #1 seed line.

We may not want to talk about this, but what about UNC? They have FIVE losses, and I may be biased, but I thought all of those losses were good. I dare anyone to find a team with as many losses to really savor and appreciate.

That's building a one seed resume.

[BD80]

San Diego State might be the real deal. Impressive 28-point win over the same Utah team that just beat Kentucky...

A win over Kentucky might not be that big a deal ...


... what about UNC? They have FIVE losses, and I may be biased, but I thought all of those losses were good. I dare anyone to find a team with as many losses to really savor and appreciate.

I'd still like to see them pad their resume in this respect ...

[Saratoga2]

St John over Arizona. Building their resume.

[dukelifer]

Yeah, Kansas now has TWO of the better losses in the country. Compare to Auburn, which has no good losses at all. Sound logic for keeping the Jayhawks on the #1 seed line.

We may not want to talk about this, but what about UNC? They have FIVE losses, and I may be biased, but I thought all of those losses were good. I dare anyone to find a team with as many losses to really savor and appreciate.

Certainly savored and appreciated by a certain fan base. A good loss to Clemson at home would be very much enjoyed by another fan base.

[JasonEvans]

But they’re only #25 in KenPom. #10 in T-Rank, however.

Oh those are old advanced metrics... the computers are starting to fall in love with SDSU. NET has them #2, TRank has them #4, and Sagarin has them #5. Pomeroy at #17 seems to be a bit of an outlier.

As I said elsewhere... their two conference games with Utah St are the only time they will play a top 50 team the rest of the this year. There is decent chance they will go undefeated. They are also not going to play a single ranked team all season. The best wins they will have are against BYU and Iowa.

-Jason "I'm starting to think the West is really likely to be Gonzaga #1 and SDSU #2" Evans

[MChambers]

Oh those are old advanced metrics... the computers are starting to fall in love with SDSU. NET has them #2, TRank has them #4, and Sagarin has them #5. Pomeroy at #17 seems to be a bit of an outlier.

As I said elsewhere... their two conference games with Utah St are the only time they will play a top 50 team the rest of the this year. There is decent chance they will go undefeated. They are also not going to play a single ranked team all season. The best wins they will have are against BYU and Iowa.

-Jason "I'm starting to think the West is really likely to be Gonzaga #1 and SDSU #2" Evans

Come on, those were Saturday's KenPom and T-Rank rankings. Old? Don't think so.

SDSU did jump up quite a bit based on last night's game, tho.

Their tempo is Bennettesque, however. They also foul a lot, and do a lousy job of getting to the line.

Even with that weak schedule, T-Rank predicts two losses.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

SC 70 @ Virginia 59

Hmmm

[roywhite]

SC 70 @ Virginia 59

Hmmm

Of interest, South Carolina shot 55.1% FG on their way to 70 points and a win at Virginia.

The Cavs are mortal; can Bennett put together a conference contender with this group?

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Of interest, South Carolina shot 55.1% FG on their way to 70 points and a win at Virginia.

The Cavs are mortal; can Bennett put together a conference contender with this group?

Well these "home games" without the students can catch a team flat......and for a terrible shooting team like SC to shoot like that....had to be very above average day for them and very sub par game for UVa defense. I don't see UVa as anywhere near the top ten in the nation.

[devildeac]

Of interest, South Carolina shot 55.1% FG on their way to 70 points and a win at Virginia.

The Cavs are mortal; can Bennett put together a conference contender with this group?

Doesn't matter too much to me as long as they beat the cheats whenever they play them.

9F

[roywhite]

Doesn't matter too much to me as long as they beat the cheats whenever they play them.

9F

Well, 1-0 for the Cavs vs the Cheats so far, with the win on Dec. 8 in Hoo-ville.

Next is Feb. 15 at the Dean's Myth Center.

Perhaps 3 wins if they can somehow draw the Cheats in the ACC Tournament...say as a 2-seed vs a 7-seed?

[arnie]

SC 70 @ Virginia 59

Hmmm

Sure looks like Duke and Ville are heads above the ACC rest. Probably won’t work out that way, but no one else is doing anything to prove otherwise.

[BD80]

Well, 1-0 for the Cavs vs the Cheats so far, with the win on Dec. 8 in Hoo-ville.

Next is Feb. 15 at the Dean's Myth Center.

Perhaps 3 wins if they can somehow draw the Cheats in the ACC Tournament...say as a 2-seed vs a 7-seed?

I want unc playing the first day of the ACC Tournament and no more. Not even qualify for the NIT.

[Saratoga2]

Sure looks like Duke and Ville are heads above the ACC rest. Probably won’t work out that way, but no one else is doing anything to prove otherwise.

NC State played well against Auburn. They are a decent team.

[budwom]

I want unc playing the first day of the ACC Tournament and no more. Not even qualify for the NIT.

I haven't been to the ACC Tournament since The Great and Horrific Dilution, but I must say I always enjoyed watching the unc faithful trudge towards the exits after an early demise.

[TKG]

West Virginia beats Ohio State.

With Louisville’s loss to Kentucky, yesterday, we might move to #2 in the polls this week.

[EKU1969]

Florida A&M knocks off Iowa State at Iowa State...go figure! Which, gives FAMU a 2-9 record and, 2 consecutive wins!

[lotusland]

Of interest, South Carolina shot 55.1% FG on their way to 70 points and a win at Virginia.

The Cavs are mortal; can Bennett put together a conference contender with this group?

The Gamecocks followed up their win at UVA with a home loss to Stetson.

[EKU1969]

The Gamecocks followed up their win at UVA with a home loss to Stetson.

2019 kinda ended with a thud for some programs. Wow!

[TKG]

Colorado beat #4 Oregon: 74-69

[DU82]

Colorado beat #4 Oregon: 74-69

They were favored by one last night. Not technically an upset based on Las Vegas.

[Hartford Dukie]

Wisconsin 61

Ohio State 57

Game at Columbus

[OldPhiKap]

Wisconsin 61

Ohio State .57

Game at Columbus

Rough week for The OSU.

[devildeac]

Rough week for The OSU.

Might make even more folks move to SC next week...

;)

[OldPhiKap]

Might make even more folks move to SC next week...

;)

The Upstate, particularly . . . .

[devildeac]

The Upstate, particularly . . . .

They'd probably like it a lot, especially if they could read some two year old beer reviews from the area by mattman91...

(I'll wager there are about 3 or 4 DBR readers who'll understand that reference...)

[arnie]

NC State played well against Auburn. They are a decent team.

Not so sure about that. They have exactly one win of note - Wisconsin with all other wins against nobodies. They’ve played GaT, WF and Clemson in ACC and are 1-2. I see them finishing between 8-10 in ACC and not making the tourney.

[TKG]

Georgia over #9 Memphis 65-62 in Memphis.

[chrishoke]

Wojo taking Jay Wright to the woodshed 62-48 with 3 to go

[AGDukesky]

Two Top 10 teams losing at home, it might be a good day for Duke to be on the road...

[Saratoga2]

Fla St beat up on Louisville. Two losses in a row for Louisville.

[weezie]

Wojo taking Jay Wright to the woodshed 62-48 with 3 to go

Shocking!

The "Coach Of The Decade" gets a rump kick?!

[Dukehk]

This year is literally wide open.

Legitimately could be 6-8 teams that could win the tourney.

So important to go into March healthy and with a hot streak.

[Dukehk]

Shocking!

The "Coach Of The Decade" gets a rump kick?!

That antoine kid we tried to recruit is averaging 1.9ppg.

Was he injured? Is he injured?

Thats shocking for a top 15 recruit on an average team.

[chrishoke]

Two Top 10 teams losing at home, it might be a good day for Duke to be on the road...

Three top ten teams lose, two at home and one on the road by double digits to an unranked team.

[SavDukeGrad]

Ashton Hagans was injured when Kentucky defeated Missouri today. Calipari has updated that it’s just an ankle sprain, and he’ll be back. But all of BBN was holding their breath, because he went to the locker room holding the back of his ankle and everyone feared an Achilles injury.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Not so sure about that. They have exactly one win of note - Wisconsin with all other wins against nobodies. They’ve played GaT, WF and Clemson in ACC and are 1-2. I see them finishing between 8-10 in ACC and not making the tourney.
So, the usual for the Pack. (Sorry, Packman...)

[scottdude8]

I think Ol Roy is gonna have an aneurism. He had to use a timeout in the first ten minutes! Only took 19-2 to get him to do it... sorry, but that’s just stubborn, bad coaching.

This could be a fun appetizer before our game tonight :)

[chrishoke]

Mich State blows out Mich 87-69 in East Lansing.

[scottdude8]

Mich State blows out Mich 87-69 in East Lansing.

My Wolverines need Isiah Livers back pronto. With him they can space the floor as well as anyone in the country, opening up opportunities for Teske and allowing Simpson to create for others primarily rather than having to force shots. Michigan is a legit Sweet 16 caliber team with Livers, but probably just a first weekend caliber team without him.

How Michigan’s season goes from here depends a lot on his timetable for return, which is still largely unknown. And in the B1G things could snowball quickly.

[Billy Dat]

Watching Kentucky vs Georgia where Kentucky is putting the finishing touches on a nice conference road win. They posted some remarkable free throw stats about the Wildcats:

From the Free Throw Line:
-The team is shooting 80%, tied for 4th in the country
-They get to the line 23 times a game
-They make 18 per game
-25% of their points are coming at the line

[A-Tex Devil]

Shaka Smart may get the Steve Alford treatment if Texas loses to a bad K-State team this week. I already think he's a dead man walking, and there are assistants on the bench that could close out the season.

He's a great guy, but has proven to be an empty suit from a basketball fundamentals and development perspective. His offensive game plan is to ignore a potentially solid potential pick and roll combo (other than maybe one or two plays a game) and just chuck threes, either at beginning of shot clock, or at the end of the shot clock. There are rumors, possibly pure speculation, that Clemson might go after him, but I don't know why they would.

[AGDukesky]

I turned on the 2nd half of the Memphis-Wichita State game and cannot believe this is the matchup of two top 25 teams. Both teams have been terrible. College basketball is truly way down if these are legitimately two of the better teams in the country...

[dukelion]

I turned on the 2nd half of the Memphis-Wichita State game and cannot believe this is the matchup of two top 25 teams. Both teams have been terrible. College basketball is truly way down if these are legitimately two of the better teams in the country...

Memphis really shouldn't be ranked since Wiseman left and if you look at both teams metrics via the various efficiency sites it's really a pretty mediocre match up in general.

As an aside, I know a lot of people were upset when Boogie Ellis left after Stanley committed but man.....he's been absolutely terrible while getting loads of minutes in a starting role. Going into tonight he was shooting 31.5% from the floor, 32.7% from three and 60% from the line.....and tonight he went goose egg from the floor and finished with two points.....ouch.

Thanking our lucky stars for Cassius.

[dukelion]

I turned on the 2nd half of the Memphis-Wichita State game and cannot believe this is the matchup of two top 25 teams. Both teams have been terrible. College basketball is truly way down if these are legitimately two of the better teams in the country...

And conversely just watched a great top 25 match up between Oregon and Arizona.......Oregon won in a wild OT game. These two teams are definitely top 25 worthy.

[arnie]

And conversely just watched a great top 25 match up between Oregon and Arizona....Oregon won in a wild OT game. These two teams are definitely top 25 worthy.

Top 25 worthy? Walton has seen Oregon, Kansas and Kentucky in person and says Ducks are better (when they’re playing well). As stated on DBR often, he also proclaimed the PAC 12 “conference of champions” and threw in their “dominance of college basketball”. That’s kind of like saying Duke football is always going to the Rose Bowl.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Top 25 worthy? Walton has seen Oregon, Kansas and Kentucky in person and says Ducks are better (when they’re playing well). As stated on DBR often, he also proclaimed the PAC 12 “conference of champions” and threw in their “dominance of college basketball”. That’s kind of like saying Duke football is always going to the Rose Bowl.

To be fair, "Conference of Champions" is their (self proclaimed) nick name.

Sort of like calling a BMW an "ultimate driving machine." It isn't true, but it's branding.

Sidenote: is Duke NOT going to the Rose Bowl this year? I've been watching my ESPN alerts waiting for game time.

[arnie]

To be fair, "Conference of Champions" is their (self proclaimed) nick name.

Sort of like calling a BMW an "ultimate driving machine." It isn't true, but it's branding.

Sidenote: is Duke NOT going to the Rose Bowl this year? I've been watching my ESPN alerts waiting for game time.

When I read my copy of the TV Guide I’ll let you know the game time.

[CameronBornAndBred]

In the polls thread, we were talking about Gonzaga, and their weak schedule. Some folks brought up that they have to play both BYU and St. Mary's, neither of which impress me, so I don't expect them to knock the Zags from their #1 spot.
Anyway, those two played last night, with the Gaels winning by three, 87-84. BYU is now 12-5, St. Mary's is 15-3.
BYU is the first to have their shot at Gonzaga, next Saturday. The rest of the Zags' schedule, as stated in that other thread, has so many cupcakes that they might as well be playing in a bakery.

[Truth&Justise]

Trevion Williams, Purdue's starting PF, was having a good season for a so-so Purdue team, averaging 9.5 points and 7 rebounds per game. Purdue, which was a buzzer-beater away from the Final Four last year, is struggling after the departures of Carsen Edwards and Ryan Cline.

Well, Williams turned into superman last night, turning in a monster game of 36 points & 20 rebounds (https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=401166159), as Purdue came up just short in double OT against Michigan. For good measure, his 2 assists were also a team-high for the night. No idea where this game came from, but he was a beast.

[thedukelamere]

Memphis really shouldn't be ranked since Wiseman left and if you look at both teams metrics via the various efficiency sites it's really a pretty mediocre match up in general.

As an aside, I know a lot of people were upset when Boogie Ellis left after Stanley committed but man....he's been absolutely terrible while getting loads of minutes in a starting role. Going into tonight he was shooting 31.5% from the floor, 32.7% from three and 60% from the line....and tonight he went goose egg from the floor and finished with two points....ouch.

Thanking our lucky stars for Cassius.

Count me in that boat, but after watching some of the Memphis/Wichita State game I just don't know how he would have fit on this years team... I think it was a blessing in disguise for both parties. Maybe a summer learning our system would have had him playing a different role, but with JGold's emergence and the triumvirate of Joey/AO/Hurtsogood taking turns spacing the floor, Boogie seems like he would have seen a limited role and transfer aspirations.

Also, Purdue and Michigan was a fun one to watch last night... I couldn't tell with my blue-tinted glasses on if it was good defense or sloppy offense, but there were stretches over the course of the game that were as ugly as a uNC AFAM final.

[jv001]

Top 25 worthy? Walton has seen Oregon, Kansas and Kentucky in person and says Ducks are better (when they’re playing well). As stated on DBR often, he also proclaimed the PAC 12 “conference of champions” and threw in their “dominance of college basketball”. That’s kind of like saying Duke football is always going to the Rose Bowl.

Bill Walton was one of the best college basketball players I've seen, but as an announcer, he is the worst of the worst. He sounds like he's high on drugs and alcohol. As someone once told me, "you have to be drunk to stand a drunk in your crowd". I don't drink anymore but if I did, there's not enough pot and beer in the world to make me want to be around him. I guess this needs to be in the announcer thread, so I'll leave now.

GoDuke!

[Hingeknocker]

Bill Walton was one of the best college basketball players I've seen, but as an announcer, he is the worst of the worst. He sounds like he's high on drugs and alcohol. As someone once told me, "you have to be drunk to stand a drunk in your crowd". I don't drink anymore but if I did, there's not enough pot and beer in the world to make me want to be around him. I guess this needs to be in the announcer thread, so I'll leave now.

GoDuke!

Obviously YMMV, but I love watching games with Walton. Why else would I stay riveted to some random West Coast game of questionable quality?

As for the bolded: for me, that's a feature, not a bug

[tbyers11]

Obviously YMMV, but I love watching games with Walton. Why else would I stay riveted to some random West Coast game of questionable quality?

As for the bolded: for me, that's a feature, not a bug

I agree with this take. If I'm watching some random PAC12 game of marginal interest to me I find Walton's babbling stream of consciousness schtick entertaining.

However, if he were announcing a Duke game I would not appreciate it in the slightest and would probably mute

[JasonEvans]

as Purdue came up just short in double OT against Michigan.

Just wanted to mention something truly amazing happening in the Big Ten right now. Have any of you looked at the standings lately?

https://i.ibb.co/Ssd0Gsx/Capture.png

Remember when every pundit on the planet was insisting that Ohio State was the best team in the land? Well, they are second to last (yikes, Chris Collins' boys are struggling) in the B!g. But, the more remarkable thing is at the top.

Raise you hand if you had Rutgers and Penn State as legit Big Ten contenders this season? Hmmmm, I don't see any hands raised. Penn State is 26 in Kenpom and 23 in the NET... Rutgers is 34 and 21 in the NET. Penn State has made the NCAA tourney twice in the past 24 years. Rutgers last made it in 1991, almost 30 years ago! I sense some coach of the year candidates coming from these Big Ten clubs.

-Jason "meanwhile, the ACC has only 3 teams in the top 40 in the NET: Duke 2, Lou 17, FSU 18... then VT 49, NCSt 51, Virginia 64, and Pitt 69... five bids for the ACC? Heck, we may not even get 4!" Evans

[Hingeknocker]

I agree with this take. If I'm watching some random PAC12 game of marginal interest to me I find Walton's babbling stream of consciousness schtick entertaining.

However, if he were announcing a Duke game I would not appreciate it in the slightest and would probably mute

Does anyone know if Walton has done any Duke games lately? Maybe he was there for the PK80 games a couple years ago? I had a newborn at the time so my recollection of those games outside of massive comeback victories is essentially zero.

The quality of color commentating is generally bad enough that I really don't think Walton - for all his peculiarities - would actually be a downgrade for a game I cared about.

[arnie]

Just wanted to mention something truly amazing happening in the Big Ten right now. Have any of you looked at the standings lately?

https://i.ibb.co/Ssd0Gsx/Capture.png

Remember when every pundit on the planet was insisting that Ohio State was the best team in the land? Well, they are second to last (yikes, Chris Collins' boys are struggling) in the B!g. But, the more remarkable thing is at the top.

Raise you hand if you had Rutgers and Penn State as legit Big Ten contenders this season? Hmmmm, I don't see any hands raised. Penn State is 26 in Kenpom and 23 in the NET... Rutgers is 34 and 21 in the NET. Penn State has made the NCAA tourney twice in the past 24 years. Rutgers last made it in 1991, almost 30 years ago! I sense some coach of the year candidates coming from these Big Ten clubs.

-Jason "meanwhile, the ACC has only 3 teams in the top 40 in the NET: Duke 2, Lou 17, FSU 18... then VT 49, NCSt 51, Virginia 64, and Pitt 69... five bids for the ACC? Heck, we may not even get 4!" Evans
I have to believe the better of State/VaT will get in. But nothin beyond that unless random team goes on a tear.

[Tooold]

Wow! MD was destroyed by unranked Iowa! What a week!

[MChambers]

Just wanted to mention something truly amazing happening in the Big Ten right now. Have any of you looked at the standings lately?

https://i.ibb.co/Ssd0Gsx/Capture.png

Remember when every pundit on the planet was insisting that Ohio State was the best team in the land? Well, they are second to last (yikes, Chris Collins' boys are struggling) in the B!g. But, the more remarkable thing is at the top.

Raise you hand if you had Rutgers and Penn State as legit Big Ten contenders this season? Hmmmm, I don't see any hands raised. Penn State is 26 in Kenpom and 23 in the NET... Rutgers is 34 and 21 in the NET. Penn State has made the NCAA tourney twice in the past 24 years. Rutgers last made it in 1991, almost 30 years ago! I sense some coach of the year candidates coming from these Big Ten clubs.

-Jason "meanwhile, the ACC has only 3 teams in the top 40 in the NET: Duke 2, Lou 17, FSU 18... then VT 49, NCSt 51, Virginia 64, and Pitt 69... five bids for the ACC? Heck, we may not even get 4!" Evans

Yes, the Big Ten, the Big 12, and the Big East are the best conferences this year. The ACC is at best #4, barely better than Walton’s conference of champions. T-Rank shows this very clearly here: http://www.barttorvik.com/trank.php?year=2020&conyes=1#

Very sad for the ACC.

[Hartford Dukie]

I would imagine I will have tomatoes thrown at me for saying this, but I would not make any assumptions about UVA. The matrix has them as an 8th seed - but a number of projections - including Jerry Palm at CBS -- has them out - and Linardi today has them on the bubble as a 10th seed and one of the last four byes. A couple of more BC results and they may well be on the other side of the bubble.

And what resume building win do they have so far?

The have 2 games each vs us, FSU and Louisville - let's see how many Ws they get.

[sagegrouse]

Yes, the Big Ten, the Big 12, and the Big East are the best conferences this year. The ACC is at best #4, barely better than Walton’s conference of champions. T-Rank shows this very clearly here: http://www.barttorvik.com/trank.php?year=2020&conyes=1#

Very sad for the ACC.

(Gee, I thought we agreed to confine "Woe is me" topics to Duke football. ;))

I dunno, MChambers. When I look at KenPom and compare the ACC, the Big East and the Big 12, each has four teams in the KenPom top 40. The four ACC and Big 12 teams have comparable Adj. Efficiency Margins -- the top Big East teams lag well behind.

We aren't comparing the bottoms of the leagues, are we? What purpose would that serve?

[arnie]

I would imagine I will have tomatoes thrown at me for saying this, but I would not make any assumptions about UVA. The matrix has them as an 8th seed - but a number of projections - including Jerry Palm at CBS -- has them out - and Linardi today has them on the bubble as a 10th seed and one of the last four byes. A couple of more BC results and they may well be on the other side of the bubble.

And what resume building win do they have so far?

Cheats?😏

[Bluedog]

I would imagine I will have tomatoes thrown at me for saying this, but I would not make any assumptions about UVA. The matrix has them as an 8th seed - but a number of projections - including Jerry Palm at CBS -- has them out - and Linardi today has them on the bubble as a 10th seed and one of the last four byes. A couple of more BC results and they may well be on the other side of the bubble.

And what resume building win do they have so far?

The have 2 games each vs us, FSU and Louisville - let's see how many Ws they get.

UVa's challenges this year are further evidence of how amazingly difficult it is to have sustained excellence year-after-year like Coach K does at Duke, particularly with defections. I mean, people thought pre-season UVA was a top team....Coach K figures out a way to almost always be a top 3 seed no matter the roster and who left. Truly amazing (but something we take a bit for granted).

[YmoBeThere]

The bright spot in a dismal couple of years for Vandy basketball is potentially out for the rest of season with a stress fracture in his foot. He was currently 5th in the nation in scoring at 23 points per game.

[YmoBeThere]

I would imagine I will have tomatoes thrown at me for saying this, but I would not make any assumptions about UVA. The matrix has them as an 8th seed - but a number of projections - including Jerry Palm at CBS -- has them out - and Linardi today has them on the bubble as a 10th seed and one of the last four byes. A couple of more BC results and they may well be on the other side of the bubble.

And what resume building win do they have so far?

The have 2 games each vs us, FSU and Louisville - let's see how many Ws they get.

I'm okay with this. I always found it difficult to watch them(UVA). While it may be winning basketball, I always found it to be rather ugly.

[MChambers]

(Gee, I thought we agreed to confine "Woe is me" topics to Duke football. ;))

I dunno, MChambers. When I look at KenPom and compare the ACC, the Big East and the Big 12, each has four teams in the KenPom top 40. The four ACC and Big 12 teams have comparable Adj. Efficiency Margins -- the top Big East teams lag well behind.

We aren't comparing the bottoms of the leagues, are we? What purpose would that serve?

The top three (and maybe four) of the ACC are fine, if not great, and match up okay with the top four of the other conferences, but the middle and the bottom of the ACC are awful, as bad as they've ever been. The weakest team in the Big East (Depaul at #68) would be above average (6th, in fact) in the ACC. It's not just the bottom of the ACC that's horrible. It's the middle, too.

The purpose of looking at the overall strength of the conferences, I suppose, is to evaluate the records of the top teams. If Duke goes 18-2 in the ACC, as T-Rank predicts, that's a very impressive number in a typical year. This year, not so much.

[arnie]

My 2nd favorite team (Auburn: it changes every year based on previous tourney results) may be for real. They are crushing a fairly good UGA team and will remain undefeated.

[Steven43]

Duke goes 18-2 in the ACC, as T-Rank predicts, that's a very impressive number in a typical year. This year, not so much.
Okay, what if you were to drop the “very” part? Would you consider Duke going 18-2 in the ACC this season to at least be impressive? 18-2 in the ACC in ANY season seems very impressive to me.

[MChambers]

Okay, what if you were to drop the “very” part? Would you consider Duke going 18-2 in the ACC this season to at least be impressive? 18-2 in the ACC in ANY season seems very impressive to me.

Yes, but it's worth noting that, in addition to the weakness of the ACC, the unbalanced schedule is in Duke's favor, with the Devils playing the two other top teams once each, both in Cameron, and playing that no-account team from Chapel Hill twice.

[TKG]

Ohio State loses, again. The Hoosiers put it on the Buckeyes in the 2H.

[Tooold]

Ohio State lost to Indiana today. Maryland lost to Iowa yesterday. Do these upsets prove the depth of the B1G, or do they suggest that some of the “stronger” B1G teams are actually not so strong?

OSU is now 1-4 in conference play....how will they keep a top 25 ranking if they don’t get out of the cellar of their own conference?

[Steven43]

Yes, but it's worth noting that, in addition to the weakness of the ACC, the unbalanced schedule is in Duke's favor, with the Devils playing the two other top teams once each, both in Cameron, and playing that no-account team from Chapel Hill twice.
Fair points, but still, 18-2 in the ACC would be damn good, regardless of the circumstances. When is the last time a team had a 90% win percentage in the ACC?

[Hingeknocker]

Ohio State lost to Indiana today. Maryland lost to Iowa yesterday. Do these upsets prove the depth of the B1G, or do they suggest that some of the “stronger” B1G teams are actually not so strong?

OSU is now 1-4 in conference play...how will they keep a top 25 ranking if they don’t get out of the cellar of their own conference?

Outside of Michigan State, I'm not sure any B1G team has a case for being "great" this year. I would have heard an argument for Maryland...before they got stomped by an Iowa team that is without its best player for the rest of the year (Jordan Bohannon elected to sit out the rest of the year with an injury and will take a medical redshirt. He'll be a 5th year senior next year with a ton of other returning players. Watch out for the Hawkeyes in 2021.)

Most of rest of the B1G is solidly above average. They'll get a ton of tournament bids and their average KP ranking will look great. I'm not sure that means the conference is really that great. Would you rather have a bunch of teams ranked in the KP 30s? Or a bunch in the Top 10? Obviously the ACC is down this year but for the last several years, what I considered far and away the best conference in America had 3 teams parked atop the KP rankings.

[EKU1969]

Also, Kansas lost at home to Baylor! Not much of an upset, except it was at Kansas...did Huggie’s rant about officiating inside Allen Fieldhouse have any bearing? Inquiring minds want to know😂😇😜

[Tooold]

Would you rather have a bunch of teams ranked in the KP 30s? Or a bunch in the Top 10? Obviously the ACC is down this year but for the last several years, what I considered far and away the best conference in America had 3 teams parked atop the KP rankings.

I’m with you. I’d much rather have several teams at the top.

My frustration stems from my belief that upsets can be viewed either way...as proof of conference depth or as proof that the top teams aren’t so great and therefore the conference isn’t so great. And my (unsubstantiated) feeling that upsets in the ACC are often portrayed by the media as the latter...evidence that the ACC is actually not so strong. Just heard again on ESPN that the B1G is by far the best conference and their “top end talent” is far above everyone else’s. In my mind, the jury is still out.

[brevity]

Also, Kansas lost at home to Baylor! Not much of an upset, except it was at Kansas...did Huggie’s rant about officiating inside Allen Fieldhouse have any bearing? Inquiring minds want to know😂😇😜

Not sure if the KenPom standings reflect this outcome, but...

At this moment, Baylor (KenPom #4) has 2 wins against the KenPom top 5 (#2 Kansas, #5 Butler), 3 wins against the top 10 (#10 Arizona), and 5 wins against the top 25 (#22 Villanova, #25 Texas Tech). The Big 12 (with ten teams) has a double round robin schedule, so they face Kansas and Texas Tech again (both at home) and #11 West Virginia twice. By this measure, their worst remaining opponent is #89 Kansas State (twice). Their only loss is to #44 Washington.

By comparison, Duke (KenPom #1) also has 2 wins against the KenPom top 5 (#2 Kansas, #3 Michigan State) but then their next best wins are #51 Georgetown and #54 Virginia Tech. Presently their best remaining opponents are #7 Louisville, #13 FSU, #36 Virginia, and #48 NC State. By this measure, their worst remaining opponent is a rematch at #131 Boston College. Their only loss is to #128 Stephen F. Austin.

It's hard to emerge from the shadow of Kansas over the conference season, but we have to start taking Baylor seriously. If both teams do about the same for the rest of the regular season, one could argue that Baylor deserves a higher placement in the 1-68 hierarchy.

[TKG]

Nice to see Gonzaga facing another tough WCC opponent in LMU. How do the Zags manage to muster the strength to meet the formidable challenges of their conference?

[TKG]

Purdue thumps Michigan State.

[EKU1969]

Michigan St and Michigan lose; Wichita St and Memphis survive; and Colorado beats Utah by 39! Crazy year!

[SavDukeGrad]

Just when I thought South Carolina had blown it and let Kentucky come back from a deficit to tie and send the game to overtime, SC hits a deep three at the buzzer to win by 3!

[sagegrouse]

Tuesday, January 15 Top 25 upsets:

#4 Auburn (at Bama)
#5 Butler (hosting the Hall)
#10 Kentucky (at the Gamecocks)
#16 Wichita State (at Temple)
#25 Creighton (at Georgetown)

Who'd I miss?
-------------

#2 Baylor won at home

[EKU1969]

Tuesday, January 15 Top 25 upsets:

#4 Auburn (at Bama)
#5 Butler (hosting the Hall)
#10 Kentucky (at the Gamecocks)
#16 Wichita State (at Temple)
#25 Creighton (at Georgetown)

Who'd I miss?
-------------

#2 Baylor won at home

Not amongst the ranked, but Evansville lost by 23 to Indiana St, kinda making the defeat of Kentucky even larger🤭

[OldPhiKap]

I want no part of Dayton come March.

[chrishoke]

Right now all six top twenty five teams that are playing are losing, two by double digits.

[devildeac]

Right now all six top twenty five teams that are playing are losing, two by double digits.

That might overload the "I'm Not Gonna..." thread. :eek:

[TKG]

Ohio State loses again, falling to Penn St. 90-76. Maybe now the Buckeyes will actually fall out of the Top 25.

[TKG]

#4 Auburn loses by 22 to unranked Florida.

[TKG]

#5 Butler loses by double digits to unranked DePaul.

[TKG]

#12 West Virginia loses to unranked Kansas State by 14.

[OldPhiKap]

#4 Auburn loses by 22 to unranked Florida.


#5 Butler loses by double digits to unranked DePaul.


#12 West Virginia loses to unranked Kansas State by 14.

Good thing we’re playing a ranked team!

[YmoBeThere]

After 1,080 games, Vanderbilt, one of 3 teams along with UNLV and Princeton to make at least 1 3 pointer in every game of the 3 point era, goes 0 for 25 from 3 tonight.

[UrinalCake]

Baylor held a healthy lead for most of the game against Oklahoma, but it was close. OK had a three-on-one break with 10 seconds left and could have tied it with a layup, but instead chose to kick it out for a transition three that missed. I guess you go for the win on the road, but a gut-wrenching missed opportunity.

Baylor looks physical and athletic, exactly the type of team that gives us trouble.

[weezie]

...Baylor looks physical and athletic...

Yes indeed. They are big, thick guys. Slow but powerful.

[OldPhiKap]

Yes indeed. They are big, thick guys. Slow but powerful.

Oddly, “slow” and “thick” are the two adjectives most often used to describe me.

[camion]

Oddly, “slow” and “thick” are the two adjectives most often used to describe me.

Me too.

Also, my bones are enormous.

[BD80]

Oddly, “slow” and “thick” are the two adjectives most often used to describe me.

I don't understand ...

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Yes indeed. They are big, thick guys. Slow but powerful.

I need to get my mind out of the gutter...

[devildeac]

I don't understand ...

10132

[OldPhiKap]

10132

winner. (Can't spork)

[devildeac]

winner. (Can't spork)

But I'll take:

10133

...with seasoned fries, slaw and half and half iced tea, please.

:D

[JasonEvans]

Baylor looks physical and athletic, exactly the type of team that gives us trouble.

It is fairly unlikely that Duke and Baylor will meet outside of a Final Four. I guess a regional final is possible, but somewhat unlikely. If we face them, it will be at a point where all the teams are really, really good.

[OldPhiKap]

But I'll take:

10133

...with seasoned fries, slaw and half and half iced tea, please.

:D

Don't we need to have like three field goals in a game or something to get that?

And they are taking opinions on whether fries should have ketchup or not on the LTE.

[devildeac]

Don't we need to have like three field goals in a game or something to get that?

And they are taking opinions on whether fries should have ketchup or not on the LTE.

1. My vague memory is three touchdowns does the trick for free food but it might be for fries only and exclusively at McDonald's.

2. Ymm, Beer and fries would be a much better discussion.

[OldPhiKap]

Ymm, Beer and fries would be a much better discussion.

Well, my comments were based on a trip to Belgium. Pretty sure beer, fries, waffles and chocolate were all involved. Probably in that order.

No ketchup though.

[Stray Gator]

Well, my comments were based on a trip to Belgium. Pretty sure beer, fries, waffles and chocolate were all involved. Probably in that order.

No ketchup though.

Don't forget the mussels, which I believe are customarily slotted between beer and fries.

[BD80]

Don't forget the mussels, which I believe are customarily slotted between beer and fries.

Mussels? This isn't the fitness thread!

[OldPhiKap]

Don't forget the mussels, which I believe are customarily slotted between beer and fries.

Yes they were, and very tasty.

Bruges was great, and probably would have missed it but for some helpful folks on DBR (Stray probably amongst them, I think he's given me some good ideas for an upcoming Budapest trip too IIRC). DBR is a great collection of folks with very wide interests and experiences.

Oh, and on topic -- 9F.

[Stray Gator]

. . . Bruges was great. . . .

Indeed. For those of us who dwell on this side of the pond, and who find Europe attractive largely because the rich historic character of the "old town" architecture, along with the museums and castles/fortresses and churches/cathedrals/abbeys/temples, afford an opportunity to "step back in time" and feel as though we've entered a portal to a "storybook reality" not available here, there may be no more immersive experience than visiting Bruges. Inside the egg-shaped area that comprises traditional Bruges is a near-perfect preservation of a small medieval city that was the product of so many influences that it could almost be regarded as a model of "European culture," if there were such a thing. If you go, be prepared to take lots of photos.

Fortunately for us -- or unfortunately if you happen to be there when the streets and canals are teeming with tourists -- it is also a welcome destination for visitors from the New World who are spoiled by creature comforts, with ample accommodations ranging from 5-star hotels to quaint B&Bs offering all the modern amenities. And to top it off, the beer, and the mussels with fries, and the waffles, and the chocolates, and the warm hospitality of the residents are beyond praiseworthy.

OPK, let us know if you enjoy your visit to Budapest. And for your next adventure, let me recommend the 17-day excursion we took this past summer: A few days in St. Petersburg, followed by a Viking River Cruise along the "Waterways of the Tsars," culminating with a few days in Moscow. There's no other way to say it: Russia is magnificent and fascinating. And with reasonable planning and preparation, it's now a surprisingly easy and comfortable trip for English-speaking tourists.

[OldPhiKap]

Indeed. For those of us who dwell on this side of the pond, and who find Europe attractive largely because the rich historic character of the "old town" architecture, along with the museums and castles/fortresses and churches/cathedrals/abbeys/temples, afford an opportunity to "step back in time" and feel as though we've entered a portal to a "storybook reality" not available here, there may be no more immersive experience than visiting Bruges. Inside the egg-shaped area that comprises traditional Bruges is a near-perfect preservation of a small medieval city that was the product of so many influences that it could almost be regarded as a model of "European culture," if there were such a thing. If you go, be prepared to take lots of photos.

Fortunately for us -- or unfortunately if you happen to be there when the streets and canals are teeming with tourists -- it is also a welcome destination for visitors from the New World who are spoiled by creature comforts, with ample accommodations ranging from 5-star hotels to quaint B&Bs offering all the modern amenities. And to top it off, the beer, and the mussels with fries, and the waffles, and the chocolates, and the warm hospitality of the residents are beyond praiseworthy.

OPK, let us know if you enjoy your visit to Budapest. And for your next adventure, let me recommend the 17-day excursion we took this past summer: A few days in St. Petersburg, followed by a Viking River Cruise along the "Waterways of the Tsars," culminating with a few days in Moscow. There's no other way to say it: Russia is magnificent and fascinating. And with reasonable planning and preparation, it's now a surprisingly easy and comfortable trip for English-speaking tourists.

Your description of Bruges is perfect.

Would love to retrace your steps in Russia, that is certainly a dream trip!

[DUKIE V(A)]

It is fairly unlikely that Duke and Baylor will meet outside of a Final Four. I guess a regional final is possible, but somewhat unlikely. If we face them, it will be at a point where all the teams are really, really good.

I may be the only one but I have not been overly impressed by Baylor in the two times I watched them (including the second half last night). I still have yet to see a team that has more upside than Duke. Go Duke! 😀

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

A lot of talk about the Laettner love tap on Timberlake from the UK game in 92 today after an Illinois player did something similar.

https://sports.yahoo.com/illinois-alan-griffin-channels-christian-laettner-stomps-on-purdue-opponents-chest-020715036.html

Once again, I’d like to bring up that Laettner’s move was in retaliation for Farmer’s cheap shot shove to the back that sent Christian to the floor several plays earlier. To paraphrase Chris Rock, I’m not saying he should have stepped on him... but I understand.

[scottdude8]

I like to think I'm one who can admit when he was mistaken. While I'm nowhere near giving up on Juwan Howard, I have to tip my hat to those on the board who tried to temper my unfettered optimism on Howard's upside. Indeed, Michigan's latest stretch (including the current three game losing streak) has shown he still has a long way to go before cementing himself as a legitimate college head coach.

Now, Michigan's struggles over the past month must be taken with a HUGE grain of salt, because the injured Isaiah Livers is easily Michigan's best scorer, and perhaps their most talented player (senior PG Zavier Simpson and senior C Jon Teske are probably more important, and "better" at this stage in their careers, but certainly not as talented). Without Livers there's no one on the team who can truly create their own offense consistently (Simpson and Teske can, but only in the right matchups, and the lack of Livers' shooting on the floor means opponents can key on them and minimize their particular skillsets). But it was disheartening to see the lack of life in my Wolverines in their loss to Penn State last night (https://www.mlive.com/wolverines/2020/01/i-just-dont-understand-it-juwan-howard-laments-michigans-lack-of-communication.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=aanews_sf&fbclid=IwAR0BOitdj1pMitliLk16cEZup1HEzmub31nrhwDuk 9VVLrvwlx1zbVOUtgw).

What's more concerning is that Howard's post-game quotes sound suspiciously like those from someone eight miles away from Durham:

"It's very challenging to come up here and have to talk about a lack of communication," Howard said. "I don't understand why (it's a problem). It's too late in the season for (me) to have to beg our guys to communicate on defense. … It's a lost art in the game. We have to bring it back. … It's surprising that some of our guys don't like talking on defense or assume a player knows exactly what the opponent will do. There's a lot of guessing going on and I just don't understand it."


I'm hoping that quotes like that are going to be the exception and not the norm from Juwan. I still think Michigan is a second-weekend caliber team with Livers as well. But right now the Wolverines are trending in the wrong direction, and if they can't get things on track at home on Saturday against a ranked Illinois team, they may find themselves squarely on the bubble.

[MChambers]

I like to think I'm one who can admit when he was mistaken. While I'm nowhere near giving up on Juwan Howard, I have to tip my hat to those on the board who tried to temper my unfettered optimism on Howard's upside. Indeed, Michigan's latest stretch (including the current three game losing streak) has shown he still has a long way to go before cementing himself as a legitimate college head coach.

Now, Michigan's struggles over the past month must be taken with a HUGE grain of salt, because the injured Isaiah Livers is easily Michigan's best scorer, and perhaps their most talented player (senior PG Zavier Simpson and senior C Jon Teske are probably more important, and "better" at this stage in their careers, but certainly not as talented). Without Livers there's no one on the team who can truly create their own offense consistently (Simpson and Teske can, but only in the right matchups, and the lack of Livers' shooting on the floor means opponents can key on them and minimize their particular skillsets). But it was disheartening to see the lack of life in my Wolverines in their loss to Penn State last night (https://www.mlive.com/wolverines/2020/01/i-just-dont-understand-it-juwan-howard-laments-michigans-lack-of-communication.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=aanews_sf&fbclid=IwAR0BOitdj1pMitliLk16cEZup1HEzmub31nrhwDuk 9VVLrvwlx1zbVOUtgw).

What's more concerning is that Howard's post-game quotes sound suspiciously like those from someone eight miles away from Durham:


I'm hoping that quotes like that are going to be the exception and not the norm from Juwan. I still think Michigan is a second-weekend caliber team with Livers as well. But right now the Wolverines are trending in the wrong direction, and if they can't get things on track at home on Saturday against a ranked Illinois team, they may find themselves squarely on the bubble.

Takes a big person to admit he/she might be wrong! What kind of bus do the Wolverines use? Sounds Howard is ready to roll.

[scottdude8]

Takes a big person to admit he/she might be wrong! What kind of bus do the Wolverines use? Sounds Howard is ready to roll.

That was exactly my concern. Change the color of blue and those quotes could've easily been attributed to Ol' Roy. Now, there are important differences between Howard and Roy: when a guy who's been around for 30 years says something like that, he knows he's throwing his guys under the bus. I'm inclined to give Howard the slightest benefit of the doubt considering last night was probably his most frustrating loss of his young career. He's also shown a tendency to let things slip in interviews (he's been reprimanded a couple times already by the NCAA for accidentally referring to recruits by name). All that said, I would rather my coach say, "We weren't communicating well, which is frustrating, but we're going to emphasize that in practice all week in preparation for a tough game Saturday"... not "I just don't get it!".

Still a long way to go before we can deem Howard's first season a success or failure, and an even longer way before we can fully judge his coaching potential (I'd argue we won't be able to truly judge that until he gets his own recruiting class or two under his belt). But last night was clearly a step back.

[tommy]

That was exactly my concern. Change the color of blue and those quotes could've easily been attributed to Ol' Roy. Now, there are important differences between Howard and Roy: when a guy who's been around for 30 years says something like that, he knows he's throwing his guys under the bus. I'm inclined to give Howard the slightest benefit of the doubt considering last night was probably his most frustrating loss of his young career. He's also shown a tendency to let things slip in interviews (he's been reprimanded a couple times already by the NCAA for accidentally referring to recruits by name). All that said, I would rather my coach say, "We weren't communicating well, which is frustrating, but we're going to emphasize that in practice all week in preparation for a tough game Saturday"... not "I just don't get it!".

Still a long way to go before we can deem Howard's first season a success or failure, and an even longer way before we can fully judge his coaching potential (I'd argue we won't be able to truly judge that until he gets his own recruiting class or two under his belt). But last night was clearly a step back.

Scottdude I think you and I are the only ones on here who care much about Michigan basketball, but I look forward to your posts on it. This team obviously needs to get Livers back pronto, as this season is hanging in the balance. Hard to believe after where they were after Atlantis, but the Big 10 season has been brutal so far.

Here's the thing: I don't get what's going on with this team. Last night Zavier Simpson took 23 shots. That can't happen. His overall percentage for the season isn't terrible, but he makes a lot of layups and his little hook, so what's his percentage on everything else? It can't be good. You can't have such a poor shooter taking that many shots. He now has taken the most shots of anyone on the team over the whole season. Ridiculous. I know some of it is due to the inconsistency of Brooks (43% overall but 39% on 3's) and Wagner is worse, but come on. I think this team should be running the offense through Jon Teske. He should be getting the most shots. He will get buckets and get the other team's bigs in foul trouble, as he is huge and has moves. You'd think that Juwan Howard, supposedly a big-man oriented coach, would run it through Teske, especially with Livers out, but he's not. I think that's a strategic error that's really hurting the team.

And then what about Wagner? He almost went pro in Europe and was recently discussed in terms of being an NBA player, but sorry I just don't see it with this guy. I see him kind of like Alex O'Connell. Long, good athlete, but just doesn't hit nearly enough of his shots, and doesn't do anything else out there to contribute to make up for it. Dude was 1 for 8 from 3 point land last night and is shooting 30% from 3 for the year, and 41% overall. I think Michigan should use him like O'Connell. Off the bench. If he comes in and hits a couple of shots, fine. Keep him in. Ride him if he's hot, and he can give you 15 or even 20 points. If he's doinks his first couple of shots, sit him on the bench and put in someone who can be more productive. I happen to like David DeJulius. He has good athleticism and pretty good handle, and has some shake to his game. None of which Wagner has. Juwan needs to make some adjustments, with or without Livers, or this season will be a lost one.

[scottdude8]

Scottdude I think you and I are the only ones on here who care much about Michigan basketball, but I look forward to your posts on it. This team obviously needs to get Livers back pronto, as this season is hanging in the balance. Hard to believe after where they were after Atlantis, but the Big 10 season has been brutal so far.

Here's the thing: I don't get what's going on with this team. Last night Zavier Simpson took 23 shots. That can't happen. His overall percentage for the season isn't terrible, but he makes a lot of layups and his little hook, so what's his percentage on everything else? It can't be good. You can't have such a poor shooter taking that many shots. He now has taken the most shots of anyone on the team over the whole season. Ridiculous. I know some of it is due to the inconsistency of Brooks (43% overall but 39% on 3's) and Wagner is worse, but come on. I think this team should be running the offense through Jon Teske. He should be getting the most shots. He will get buckets and get the other team's bigs in foul trouble, as he is huge and has moves. You'd think that Juwan Howard, supposedly a big-man oriented coach, would run it through Teske, especially with Livers out, but he's not. I think that's a strategic error that's really hurting the team.

And then what about Wagner? He almost went pro in Europe and was recently discussed in terms of being an NBA player, but sorry I just don't see it with this guy. I see him kind of like Alex O'Connell. Long, good athlete, but just doesn't hit nearly enough of his shots, and doesn't do anything else out there to contribute to make up for it. Dude was 1 for 8 from 3 point land last night and is shooting 30% from 3 for the year, and 41% overall. I think Michigan should use him like O'Connell. Off the bench. If he comes in and hits a couple of shots, fine. Keep him in. Ride him if he's hot, and he can give you 15 or even 20 points. If he's doinks his first couple of shots, sit him on the bench and put in someone who can be more productive. I happen to like David DeJulius. He has good athleticism and pretty good handle, and has some shake to his game. None of which Wagner has. Juwan needs to make some adjustments, with or without Livers, or this season will be a lost one.

Glad to hear someone enjoys my Michigan tangents!

You're actually echoing a lot of thoughts I had when I was chatting with my Dad (a Michigan alum and season ticket holder... if you watch Michigan games you've 100% seen him on TV as his seats are center court two rows behind the students, haha). My frustration after Penn State was less that we lost, but more how we looked losing, and specifically the fact that it seems like we've had the same offensive problems game after game without adjustment. If a player is only going to be out a couple games I understand a coach not wanting to change his system too much and ruin continuity, but Livers has now been our long enough that adjustments should've been made.

I agree that Teske should be the focal point of this offense, but I think that there may have been a conscious effort to throttle down his usage a bit. Why? Well, last year he was statistically one of the best defensive big men not just in the B1G, but in the country. This season he's been historically bad during Big Ten play, and the only logical explanation is fatigue: now that he's the first or second offensive option, and not the fifth, he's exerting a lot of energy on the offensive end and can't go full bore on defense. The fact that Colin Castleton hasn't quite developed enough to give him a real 10 minutes on the bench has meant we've had to go with Austin Davis, who while improved is so limited that he can't play more than 5 minutes or so and give Michigan a real chance to win. So while feeding Teske may be an answer on offense, I'm not sure it's an answer for Michigan to win more games.

I think the more likely scenario is using some different lineups, which we have the personnel to do. The "small-ball" lineup worked quite well in the win against Purdue, but we haven't gone back to it for more than a couple minutes a time since. I'd love to see more of a "four around 1" offense with DeJulius in instead of Johns. I love Johns, but he's a complimentary player, especially offensively, while DeJulius has shown an ability to generate his own shot. There are also benefits to having Zavier try to get open off the ball occasionally.

I'd also love to see a "true" small ball lineup with Johns at the 5: I think this is our best option to get Teske some real rest. That lineup would need some creativity on defense to help Johns in the post, but having Johns man the high-post offensively and do some pick and rolls has potential.

Regarding Wagner specifically, I'm not so down on him. I just think it's clear he's adjusting to the style of American basketball, including the physicality. Remember, when Mo came to Ann Arbor he had similar hype, but similar struggles in his freshman year before blossoming. I think the expectations were just a tad high for Franz as a freshman, although I think he has to be a key cog in this team for it to be a second weekend caliber team in March. I also like DeJulius, but he and Wagner fill very different roles. I'm not sure he and Franz are quite interchangeable, but I'd like to see him seeing more of the floor as well. Early in the season he was playing great as a "microwave" sixth man, but Howard seems to have lost the confidence in him. Keep the starting lineup as is, but get DeJulius in 4-5 minutes in after he's seen the flow of the game, in my opinion.

Honestly, at this point I'd just like to see Howard try SOMETHING new to fix the offensive issues if Livers is going to be out any longer. The time has long past to keep trying the same ideas over and over. All this may be for moot if Livers is close to returning, which it sounds like it is, but I want to see Coach Howard earn his job with some X's and O's.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Big news out of Lexington. Freshman forward Khalil Whitney is leaving the Wildcats. Whitney came into college as a top 10 prospect and immediately started for the Wildcats. A lot of people pegged him as a lottery pick in the NBA Draft before his college career began. He then proceeded to look like he had no idea what he was doing on a basketball court. He hasn't shown any shooting ability from the free throw line or behind the arc. He hasn't been much of a rebounder even though he is a physically gifted wing/forward. He's been passed over in the lineup by other freshmen, including Keon Brooks, Jr. and Johnny Juzang. Neither of those two were 5-star prospects and project as multi-year guys at Kentucky.
Yesterday, Kentucky had two commits, forwards BJ Boston and Terrence Clarke, both named to the McDonald's All-American game and they both look like they will start from Day 1 next season. The writing was on the wall that Whitney wasn't going to get much time the rest of this season and he'd be at the end of the bench to start next season. Tough spot for the kid.

Going forward, that leaves Calipari with a relatively thin team of just 8 scholarship players. The backcourt has been the best part of the team and Cal will use all three of Immanuel Quickley, Ashton Hagans, and Tyrese Maxey. Quickley can really shoot the ball and has played quite well off the ball as a scoring guard in the 2015 Quinn Cook role. Hagans is still a great defender and has progressed as a lead PG, dishing out a ton of assists. But he's not figured out how to score and is barely a better shooter than he was last year. He's hitting his free throws this year, though, so a team might take a flier on him in the 2nd round in hopes that his 3-point shooting comes around in time a la De'Aron Fox. Maxey is the most dynamic of scorers on the team, but he's been shooting it below 30% from 3 on the season overall and is a tweener in the NBA. He projects as a Lou Williams type in the NBA as a guy that can get hot off the bench. Is that a lottery pick selection, though? All 3 will likely test the NBA draft process and I wouldn't be surprised to see at least 2 if not all 3 leave Kentucky at the end of the year.

Up front, Nick Richards has honestly developed into a reliable and quite good college center. He's tall and long and has been about the most consistent player on the Kentucky roster. EJ Montgomery and grad transfer Nate Sestina have been ok in complementary roles. Montgomery has gotten the most starts this year while Sestina is starting to get more playing time as his 3-point shot is starting to fall. I suspect that Richards will finally go pro after his junior year this year. He'll probably be one of those guys that plays in the NBA for 15 years and has a good game every now and then, like Ian Mahinmi. Sestina is a grad transfer and will be gone after this season. I suspect that Montgomery returns and will start the year at the center position. Maybe he'll develop a shot in time, something he supposedly had in high school.

So that means UK will bring in the #1 class in the country next year but will lose one grad transfer, probably 2 or maybe even all 3 of their guards, and most likely their starting center. I expect their roster will look something like this:

PG: Devin Askew, Immanuel Quickley
SG: BJ Boston, Johnny Juzang, Dontaie Allen (RS-FR after suffering an injury late in high school)
SF: Terrence Clarke, Keion Brooks Cam'Ron Fletcher
PF: Isaiah Jackson, Lance Ware
C: EJ Montgomery

Boston can really shoot the ball, but Clarke was not known as a shooter in high school and more of an athlete. Jackson and Montgomery are not shooters. That puts a lot of pressure on Askew to both stretch the floor and run the offense. It's kind of a typical Kentucky team of late. There's a lot of talent there, but there are questions all over the place. Do the pieces fit? Will all those wings be happy sharing minutes? Can the frontcourt be trusted?

I suspect that the team will be ranked in the top 5 to start the season but might skid in the teens throughout the year unless they add Jonathan Kuminga or a really good grad transfer.

[JasonEvans]

EJ Montgomery has to be one of the most disappointing top 10 (according to RSCI) recruits of Cal's Kentucky tenure. I mean 7ppg and 5.5rpg from a soph is ok, but not from a kid that most had pegged as a OAD stud. I wonder how his career would have gone differently if he had joined the Tre/Zion/RJ/Cam group text and come to Duke.

-Jason "on a per minute basis, Montgomery's stats and metrics are pretty measurably worse than Javin DeLaurier" Evans

[tommy]

Glad to hear someone enjoys my Michigan tangents!

You're actually echoing a lot of thoughts I had when I was chatting with my Dad (a Michigan alum and season ticket holder... if you watch Michigan games you've 100% seen him on TV as his seats are center court two rows behind the students, haha). My frustration after Penn State was less that we lost, but more how we looked losing, and specifically the fact that it seems like we've had the same offensive problems game after game without adjustment. If a player is only going to be out a couple games I understand a coach not wanting to change his system too much and ruin continuity, but Livers has now been our long enough that adjustments should've been made.

I agree that Teske should be the focal point of this offense, but I think that there may have been a conscious effort to throttle down his usage a bit. Why? Well, last year he was statistically one of the best defensive big men not just in the B1G, but in the country. This season he's been historically bad during Big Ten play, and the only logical explanation is fatigue: now that he's the first or second offensive option, and not the fifth, he's exerting a lot of energy on the offensive end and can't go full bore on defense. The fact that Colin Castleton hasn't quite developed enough to give him a real 10 minutes on the bench has meant we've had to go with Austin Davis, who while improved is so limited that he can't play more than 5 minutes or so and give Michigan a real chance to win. So while feeding Teske may be an answer on offense, I'm not sure it's an answer for Michigan to win more games.

I think the more likely scenario is using some different lineups, which we have the personnel to do. The "small-ball" lineup worked quite well in the win against Purdue, but we haven't gone back to it for more than a couple minutes a time since. I'd love to see more of a "four around 1" offense with DeJulius in instead of Johns. I love Johns, but he's a complimentary player, especially offensively, while DeJulius has shown an ability to generate his own shot. There are also benefits to having Zavier try to get open off the ball occasionally.

I'd also love to see a "true" small ball lineup with Johns at the 5: I think this is our best option to get Teske some real rest. That lineup would need some creativity on defense to help Johns in the post, but having Johns man the high-post offensively and do some pick and rolls has potential.

Regarding Wagner specifically, I'm not so down on him. I just think it's clear he's adjusting to the style of American basketball, including the physicality. Remember, when Mo came to Ann Arbor he had similar hype, but similar struggles in his freshman year before blossoming. I think the expectations were just a tad high for Franz as a freshman, although I think he has to be a key cog in this team for it to be a second weekend caliber team in March. I also like DeJulius, but he and Wagner fill very different roles. I'm not sure he and Franz are quite interchangeable, but I'd like to see him seeing more of the floor as well. Early in the season he was playing great as a "microwave" sixth man, but Howard seems to have lost the confidence in him. Keep the starting lineup as is, but get DeJulius in 4-5 minutes in after he's seen the flow of the game, in my opinion.

Honestly, at this point I'd just like to see Howard try SOMETHING new to fix the offensive issues if Livers is going to be out any longer. The time has long past to keep trying the same ideas over and over. All this may be for moot if Livers is close to returning, which it sounds like it is, but I want to see Coach Howard earn his job with some X's and O's.

Good post. Teske is averaging the same number of minutes (28) as last year, and shooting a higher percentage than he did last year (52% this season) on more shots. To me, that should mean feed him the ball more, not less, especially when your shooters are struggling. You're quite correct that opposing big men have been torching the Wolverines this year -- and Howard has not changed much in terms of giving Teske some help -- but I think one good way to help would be to get those big guys off the floor. Go at them at the other end with Teske. Make them play defense. Tire them out. Get them in foul trouble. Turn the tables on what's been happening.

I do agree with you that the lack of big man help is hurting. I never have liked Castleton. He's just too skinny and weak. I won't be surprised to see Dickinson challenge him for big minutes next year. And now it seems like the staff is realizing that too; hence Davis getting more minutes.

Totally agree with you that I'd like to see Juwan make some X and O adjustments for this team, as what he's been doing is not working. But isnt that also what Martelli is there for? Shouldn't he be making some of these suggestions to the young coach before he, Martelli, gets an offer to be a Head Coach again somewhere this off season, which I bet he will?

And as for Wagner, the jury is very much out on him. He may turn out to be a player, but right now he's not contributing much. If his shot isn't falling, and it hasn't been, what else does he bring? Disappointing and I know the Michigan faithful feel that way too.

[tommy]

Big news out of Lexington. Freshman forward Khalil Whitney is leaving the Wildcats. Whitney came into college as a top 10 prospect and immediately started for the Wildcats. A lot of people pegged him as a lottery pick in the NBA Draft before his college career began. He then proceeded to look like he had no idea what he was doing on a basketball court. He hasn't shown any shooting ability from the free throw line or behind the arc. He hasn't been much of a rebounder even though he is a physically gifted wing/forward. He's been passed over in the lineup by other freshmen, including Keon Brooks, Jr. and Johnny Juzang. Neither of those two were 5-star prospects and project as multi-year guys at Kentucky.
Yesterday, Kentucky had two commits, forwards BJ Boston and Terrence Clarke, both named to the McDonald's All-American game and they both look like they will start from Day 1 next season. The writing was on the wall that Whitney wasn't going to get much time the rest of this season and he'd be at the end of the bench to start next season. Tough spot for the kid.

Going forward, that leaves Calipari with a relatively thin team of just 8 scholarship players. The backcourt has been the best part of the team and Cal will use all three of Immanuel Quickley, Ashton Hagans, and Tyrese Maxey. Quickley can really shoot the ball and has played quite well off the ball as a scoring guard in the 2015 Quinn Cook role. Hagans is still a great defender and has progressed as a lead PG, dishing out a ton of assists. But he's not figured out how to score and is barely a better shooter than he was last year. He's hitting his free throws this year, though, so a team might take a flier on him in the 2nd round in hopes that his 3-point shooting comes around in time a la De'Aron Fox. Maxey is the most dynamic of scorers on the team, but he's been shooting it below 30% from 3 on the season overall and is a tweener in the NBA. He projects as a Lou Williams type in the NBA as a guy that can get hot off the bench. Is that a lottery pick selection, though? All 3 will likely test the NBA draft process and I wouldn't be surprised to see at least 2 if not all 3 leave Kentucky at the end of the year.

Up front, Nick Richards has honestly developed into a reliable and quite good college center. He's tall and long and has been about the most consistent player on the Kentucky roster. EJ Montgomery and grad transfer Nate Sestina have been ok in complementary roles. Montgomery has gotten the most starts this year while Sestina is starting to get more playing time as his 3-point shot is starting to fall. I suspect that Richards will finally go pro after his junior year this year. He'll probably be one of those guys that plays in the NBA for 15 years and has a good game every now and then, like Ian Mahinmi. Sestina is a grad transfer and will be gone after this season. I suspect that Montgomery returns and will start the year at the center position. Maybe he'll develop a shot in time, something he supposedly had in high school.

So that means UK will bring in the #1 class in the country next year but will lose one grad transfer, probably 2 or maybe even all 3 of their guards, and most likely their starting center. I expect their roster will look something like this:

PG: Devin Askew, Immanuel Quickley
SG: BJ Boston, Johnny Juzang, Dontaie Allen (RS-FR after suffering an injury late in high school)
SF: Terrence Clarke, Keion Brooks Cam'Ron Fletcher
PF: Isaiah Jackson, Lance Ware
C: EJ Montgomery

Boston can really shoot the ball, but Clarke was not known as a shooter in high school and more of an athlete. Jackson and Montgomery are not shooters. That puts a lot of pressure on Askew to both stretch the floor and run the offense. It's kind of a typical Kentucky team of late. There's a lot of talent there, but there are questions all over the place. Do the pieces fit? Will all those wings be happy sharing minutes? Can the frontcourt be trusted?

I suspect that the team will be ranked in the top 5 to start the season but might skid in the teens throughout the year unless they add Jonathan Kuminga or a really good grad transfer.

I saw Sierra Canyon play in person last night (they only won by 3), and BJ Boston is indeed a sweet shooter but he's much more than that. He's a very smooth and skilled offensive player with a good handle as well. He's skinny, but it doesn't matter. He can score in a variety of ways and he's going to be a star. He's not as long as Brandon Ingram, but his game reminds me of Brandon's, but I'd say a little more advanced at this stage.

Zaire Williams is a slightly taller carbon copy of Boston, but his shot isn't quite as reliable. The two of them together on the break in a high school game is frankly absurd.

By the way, Sierra Canyon also has a center who emigrated just two years ago from China. He is 7'3" and 300 pounds. In high school. Slow and lunky, but soft hands and a nice touch.

[DavidBenAkiva]

I saw Sierra Canyon play in person last night (they only won by 3), and BJ Boston is indeed a sweet shooter but he's much more than that. He's a very smooth and skilled offensive player with a good handle as well. He's skinny, but it doesn't matter. He can score in a variety of ways and he's going to be a star. He's not as long as Brandon Ingram, but his game reminds me of Brandon's, but I'd say a little more advanced at this stage.

Zaire Williams is a slightly taller carbon copy of Boston, but his shot isn't quite as reliable. The two of them together on the break in a high school game is frankly absurd.

By the way, Sierra Canyon also has a center who emigrated just two years ago from China. He is 7'3" and 300 pounds. In high school. Slow and lunky, but soft hands and a nice touch.

I brought up the shooting with Boston as that has been somewhat of a bugaboo for UK during Cal's tenure. They figured out shooting last year with Tyler Hero and PJ Washington. This year, it's been more inconsistent. Quickley and Sestina have connected from deep recently, but Maxy and Hagans are not. That really bogs down their offensive ability as teams can zone them with success. It mitigates their athletic advantages. I don't see UK's team next year shaping up to have a particularly good shooting profile, either, unless Boston is capable of stretching teams all on his own like Malik Monk did his year in Lexington.

[hallcity]

Allegedly Whitney tweeted this about a year ago while he was still in HS (and then deleted it):

"All of these five stars go to one team and try to team up. Nobody wants to fight and develop through adversity."
https://kentucky.forums.rivals.com/threads/kahlil-whitney-shots-at-duke.282674/

It wasn't clear who he was referring to at the time. Ironic in retrospect.

[OldPhiKap]

EJ Montgomery has to be one of the most disappointing top 10 (according to RSCI) recruits of Cal's Kentucky tenure. I mean 7ppg and 5.5rpg from a soph is ok, but not from a kid that most had pegged as a OAD stud

To be fair, those would be his numbers as a junior under Roy.

[Acymetric]

I don't think these announcers understand what possession is.

[MChambers]

I don't think these announcers understand what possession is.

Sure seemed that way, until the fifth replay.

[Acymetric]

Sure seemed that way, until the fifth replay.

Kentucky player takes like 4 dribbles and then passed the ball to another guy.

Announcers: "I just don't see how you could say they ever had possession there"