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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Arena The Madness Has Begun!: NCAA Basketball Discussion

Discussion in 'Community' started by Dal--Intrepid, Nov 17, 2006.

  1. Dal--Intrepid

    Dal--Intrepid Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2002
    Men's hoops from around the country! This is the catch-all thread from the preseason NIT to the Final Four! There are some conference-specific threads in the Arena also, so keep an eye for them as well!
     
  2. Yodave27

    Yodave27 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 2, 2001
    Yay, another thread where the team I root for is terrible!

    Go Red Storm! I was actually ashamed to be an alumni after the Maryland game.

    Good God.
     
  3. Rogue...Jedi

    Rogue...Jedi Administrator Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2000
    There obviously aren't enough of us around here.

    I got really upset with Fox Sports South last night, they were supposed to be showing the USC-USC game (no, not a typo - South Carolina @ Southern Cal) but they showed some stupid quotes show instead. And I drove home specifically to watch that game.

    And it would have been worth watching too, even if it would have meant a lack of sleep last night - it had a 10:30 start and went into overtime when Tre Kelley missed a layup as time expired, but Carolina won it in overtime anyways. Bryce Sheldon, our shooting guard from that area, hit 6-8 from behind the arc and finished with 22 points, Tre Kelley had 26 including I think 11 in overtime, and freshman Brandis Raley-Ross scored 17 as well - he's the only freshman on the team I'm remotely pleased with right now.

    At least this kinda makes up for that absolutely pitiful showing against UC Irvine on Tuesday.
     
  4. Dal--Intrepid

    Dal--Intrepid Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2002
    Is the Red Storm really that bad this year or was that just a bad night all around? I knew Maryland had some returning talent, but they looked like world-beaters last night during the time I watched. I guess these type of games are to be expected early in the season but I was shocked by that result.
     
  5. Rogue...Jedi

    Rogue...Jedi Administrator Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2000
    I've seen a bit of Maryland this year, and they've looked quite impressive. I didn't see last night's game, but I'd say it was at least as much Maryland being good as anything to reflect poorly on St Johns. I think Maryland's going to be back into the thick of the ACC race - not that they'll challenge UNC yet, but up there in the race again. Forget the NIT - that team's going back to the NCAAs.

    EDIT: What do y'all think of the idea of my creating a JC NCAA BBall Top 15/25 poll thread like the football one I just made?
     
  6. Jedi_Master_Conor

    Jedi_Master_Conor Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 24, 2005
    Go Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale Salukis! [face_peace]
     
  7. Rogue...Jedi

    Rogue...Jedi Administrator Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2000
    How do the Salukis look this year? They've had some pretty good teams in recent years, but I really don't know much about what they've got right now.
     
  8. Dal--Intrepid

    Dal--Intrepid Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2002
    Well I caught the first half of Maryland/Mich. St. and about the first 10 minutes was some of the most beautiful basketball I've seen by both teams. Then the second 10 minutes was about as sloppy as I can remember. Then I fell asleep because I had a pounding headache and didn't catch the second half. :(
     
  9. Rogue...Jedi

    Rogue...Jedi Administrator Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2000
    St Johns played a great game with Texas last night, they botched their last second attempt to win, but otherwise were quite impressive.

    As was Kevin Durant. He simply could not miss - three times when Texas had the ball I said "Give it to Durant", and all three times, he got the ball and nailed a 3. I can easily see why he's a favorite to win freshman of the year.

    There are a TON of good freshman this year, all over the place.
     
  10. Herman Snerd

    Herman Snerd Jedi Master star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 31, 1999
    It sounded like Ohio State looked pretty darn good last night. Part of me wonders just how good they can be once Oden can play.
     
  11. Rogue...Jedi

    Rogue...Jedi Administrator Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2000
    Lets just say theres a reason they were ranked so highly ;)
     
  12. Herman Snerd

    Herman Snerd Jedi Master star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 31, 1999
    OSU has tons of young talent, but that doesn't always translate into wins.

    Just compare the talent between Kansas and ORU. On paper ORU should have been run off the court.
     
  13. Rogue...Jedi

    Rogue...Jedi Administrator Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2000
    Talent doesn't translate into wins every night, but it does translate into wins as a whole. If Kansas and ORU played a 100 times, Kansas would win the vast majority of them. Doesn't stop ORU from beating Kansas on a one-time basis.

    Obviously.


    South Carolina beat Lipscomb today, playing the same 5 players the entire second half. I'm convinced that we have the absolute worst 3-point defense in the country (I dont want to see what shooters like Chris Lofton will do to us - drop 50 on 15-18 3-point shooting?). Still, we definitely started to look better, and we had 4 players with at least 16 points - Tre Kelley had 16, true freshman Brandis Raley-Ross had 17 (and I'm convinced he's starting the next game, because he's looked so good out there, second time he's scored 17 already this year), redshirt freshman Dominique Archie had 20 points/10 boards (through the first 3 games he'd scored a total of 7... bout time he showed up), and Brandon Wallace had 20 points as well, a career high for him. Still, we got a long ways to go. Anytime Lipscomb shoots 13-27 from behind the arc on you, somethings wrong.
     
  14. heels1785

    heels1785 Skywalker Saga + JCC Manager / Finally Won A Draft star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2003
    Marquette has just established a 2-pt lead halfway through the second half vs. the craptacular Dookies.

    However, to adequately beat them down, they'll first have to dislodge Dick Vitale's lips from Mike Krydsjkgbdsfasdadgfsjkkgwki's ass.
     
  15. heels1785

    heels1785 Skywalker Saga + JCC Manager / Finally Won A Draft star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2003
    Marquette 73, Duke 62

    [face_flag]
     
  16. Rogue...Jedi

    Rogue...Jedi Administrator Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2000
    I thought that Marquette team was underrated going into the season, and I stand by that - Dominic James is one of, if not the, best point guard in the country. And the rest of that backcourt is pretty darn good too. I was actually worried when James went down late in the second half before it became clear that it was just cramps, and that he would be fine (and he did come back in after that). They'll be a fun team to watch all year, and I look forward to watching plenty more of their games.

    Duke made a number of mistakes tonight, which they will certainly do on more than one occasion this year - its what happens when you have a really young team. Tonight the shots just weren't falling, particularly not for McRoberts, though I was glad to see him finally be agressive like he needs to be. Too many unforced turnovers was what really doomed them, though, but I think when the freshman gain some experience and Paulus really starts getting into the flow of the game it'll improve - Paulus is definitely still showing the effects of that foot injury at the beginning of practice. Lance Thomas is starting to look better, though, the last couple of nights, particularly against Air Force, which is another team to watch out for - very senior laden and experienced, which is why they'll be able to sneak up on a lot of teams that have much more talent than they do. Plus, they run that improved (IMO) version of the Princeton offense - great ball movement with lots of backdoor cuts and at a faster pace than the standard Princeton style offense.


    And it always amuses me how many UNC fans absolutely hate Dick Vitale, who has a Tobacco Road bias, which applies just as much to UNC as Duke. Then again, there are plenty of Duke fans who hate him too. I actually like him, but only in limited amounts.
     
  17. Dal--Intrepid

    Dal--Intrepid Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2002
    I like Vitale fine. He's actually up everyone's @ss IMHO. I just want to tell him he has the job, so quit sucking up. My Vitale story: He was doing a book signing at the student store at UNC and everyone was sort of shouting out questions that he was answering as he signed. Somebody asked about how Bobby Hurley will be in the pros, and he went into his typical "PTPer, dominator, etc." spiel about how great Hurley would be in the pros, which of course was met with boos and laughter at a UNC store. I was next in line and said, "You realize he's from Dook and he'll be injured and likely out within a couple of years." He looked at me and whispered, "You're probably right, but I can't say that out loud. I don't want to jinx the young man." I replied, "He's from Dook and he's going pro. He's already jinxed." Then he whispered, "Let's just say he'll be remembered as a great college player." [face_laugh]


    Three great games last night. My remote was on fire. The bonus was watching both Dook and Kensucky lose on the same night. Also I loved watching GT making the ACC look good. Dook had no consistency last night. Nelson came out like he was gonna drop 30 but disappeared after the first 5 minutes and McRoberts was aggresive, but he still plays like a role player. "K" needs to kick his tail and convince him he's the star player Dook needs because the entire team strikes me as all role players with no true leader. McRoberts should be that. James was absolutely sick and made Paulus his play thing. Paulus is gonna realize what it's finally like to be a point guard in the ACC when you don't have two All-Americans on your team to pad your stats. As for the reverse alley-oop by McRoberts/Nelson - =D= . Nasty.
     
  18. Rogue...Jedi

    Rogue...Jedi Administrator Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2000
    James was absolutely sick and made Paulus his play thing.

    Agree with the first part, but it wasn't Paulus guarding him most of the time - Nelson was on him a lot, McClure spent some time guarding him (don't like that matchup at all..), and Paulus and Scheyer split most of the rest of the time.

    As for the reverse alley-oop by McRoberts/Nelson - =D= . Nasty.

    Yeah, that was definitely nasty. One of the best plays I've seen this year, certainly.
     
  19. heels1785

    heels1785 Skywalker Saga + JCC Manager / Finally Won A Draft star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2003
    Jay Bilas is what Dick Vitale should aspire to be.
     
  20. Rogue...Jedi

    Rogue...Jedi Administrator Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2000
    A Duke grad who does everything he can to show that he doesn't have a Duke bias? :p

    I have mixed feelings about Bilas - there are times when he sounds intelligent and times when he really doesn't.

    Gonzaga and UNC playing an excellent game right now, with the Zags up 6 with 2:30 to go, after UNC jumped out to a 10-0 lead (doesn't that feel like forever ago) and Gonzaga roared back to lead by as much as 15, I think. Heytvelt and Bolden have both looked pretty good for the Zags, and Tyler Hansborough (sp? that doesn't look right but I dont remember off the top of my head) has been a nonfactor for most of the game.

    EDIT: Gonzaga 82, UNC 74. Great game. The Heels will bounce back, although heels is gonna have to pick his priorities when UNC plays UT for the consolation game :p

    Oh, and if I heard them right earlier, Gonzaga's now like 7-1 or so against the ACC.
     
  21. Dal--Intrepid

    Dal--Intrepid Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2002
    It's easy to tell a team that's been reading its press clippings. Or at least players that have. The freshmen are not really running plays, they're just trying to out-talent their competition. Wright had a good game, but it was a tremendously forced game. He was basically a black hole once the ball got in there. Brent said it best, he needs to learn to play a 2-man game with Tyler and things will open up for both of them.

    When we were at the Gardner-Webb game the other day, I told my wife if we played the same way against Gonzaga, it probably wouldn't be a good thing. They didn't run much of anything against GW either, but they didn't really have to.
     
  22. Rogue...Jedi

    Rogue...Jedi Administrator Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2000
    Very true, Dal. But Roy'll get them in shape before ACC season, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.
     
  23. heels1785

    heels1785 Skywalker Saga + JCC Manager / Finally Won A Draft star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2003
    Well, needless to say, my head just about exploded on Thanksgiving Eve watching that horrendously lazy Carolina defense loaf around for the first half against Gonzaga, and then all of our freshmen forcing bad shot after shot, it was absolutely enraging.

    However, Butler beats Gonzaga to win the Preseason NIT, and Carolina beat Tennessee (had to root for the Heels, Rogue), to get 3rd. Not terrible, but we are going to absolutely step it up with number 3 Ohio State on the horizon next Tuesday. Defensively, I swear, if our guards keep stepping out to force penetration when there is NOBODY there to support on defense (as we did against Gonzaga, ALL NIGHT), Ohio State is going to laugh at us and whip us by 20, Gonzaga kept getting layup after layup after layup.

    Time for Roy to buckle down with these young kids, and bench some of them if necessary. They've all got insane talent and upside, but aside from Wright, they are a collective abomination in man-to-man defense, and unlike Winthrop, Gonzaga exposed it.

    Offensively, tonight was better, but we've got to learn to beat the trap zone, Gonzaga ate us up on Wednesday with that, and forced us to fire off rampant threes, almost all of which we missed. Hansborough cannot be held to ten points in any circumstance, I was very surprised that Roy didn't run some rotation offense to place picks on that behemoth from Gonzaga that absolutely shut down our star in order to free him up.

    Oh, and we can't miss 12 free throws in a game decided by 8 points. Terrible.

    Anyways, we got third, and Tennessee, mainly my football school but also I'm a big Bruce Pearl fan, got fourth. Not bad, but I expect MUCH better from both schools, especially Carolina.
     
  24. Dal--Intrepid

    Dal--Intrepid Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2002
    And that's after a win:


    North Carolina coach Roy Williams was blunt with his team after its latest victory.

    "I told them to go home and for Christmas ask for some brains," Williams said after the second-ranked Tar Heels beat No. 22 Tennessee 101-87 on Friday night in the third-place game of the NIT Season Tip-Off. "One of the parents heard me say that and said, `Good. That doesn't cost very much."'

    [face_laugh] [face_laugh] [face_laugh] =D=



     
  25. Rogue...Jedi

    Rogue...Jedi Administrator Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2000
    [face_laugh]

    Thats priceless. Although I suspect he might have been talking more about the Gonzaga game, though I didn't actually see the UT game.

    EDIT: Duke back in action tonight, I hope that FSS actually shows it this time (still bitter over the USC-USC matchup not being shown here)