Unofficial Official 2012-13 College Basketball Thread

[jbergey22]

Ohio State played well. Cant be too down about playing Duke at Cameron down to the wire like that.

The Badgers really let the B1G down. Still cant believe they lost at home to Virginia.

[Balldog]

I don't think OSU played well at all. I had low expectations going into this one but the shot selection was abysmal and the defensive rotation and pressure in the 2nd half was mediocre.

At one point there was 4 straight possessions without a pass!

Craft probably had his worst game as a Buckeye. He was 3 of 15 from the field and almost all 15 shots were uncontested. He has limited offensive ability. He and Scott were bad tonight, I suppose that we lost by 5 is somewhat comforting.

Matta can find away to scrap out wins so I am not worried. Indiana is class of the Big Ten right now and it isn't close.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

I think if Duke wins it will be 6-6. Assuming Penn State loses.

e: which I think the Big Ten retains the trophy or something if they tie, so... I dunno.

I think a tie means Maryland gets the trophy.

[HerRealName]

I'm more encouraged about OHio State's play than anything. Coach K decided to turn loose Craft and not help off of Thomas and it paid off last night. I don't think that will be an effective strategy for opponents this season but Craft was a mess last night. I'm really encouraged by the young guys' play other than Amir Williams. He has all the tools and close to zero feel for the game.

[HerRealName]

Dola... The improvement of Plumlee is impressive but how does he consistently shoot so well with such a flat shot? That kid can get up and down the court with the best of them though, I already dread facing Zeller. The top of the Big Ten is going to be fun to watch though.

[sterlingice]

WTH Creighton?

SI

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Balldog

Indiana is class of the Big Ten right now and it isn't close.

LOL!

Is this because ESPN tells you so?

Off of what has been played thus far I cant see how you can say "and it isnt close."

Indiana may be the best team in the conference when it is all said and done but counting out the other 3-4 solid teams in the B1G already is crazy. I still wonder if Indiana can play the defense needed to win the B1G. They look pretty on offense but a good opponent wont have too many issues scoring on them.

They have won a total of 4 Big Ten Road games over the past 3 years why not crown them the championships before the conference schedule even begins?

Gotta love the power of ESPN.

[Balldog]

I have watched Indiana, OSU, MSU, and Michigan all play several games to this point.

I don't see how anyone with a clear mind would argue that Indiana is not playing at a much higher level at this point.

Indiana's only weakness may be defense but this is still TBD. However OSU and MSU are not going to set any kind of scoring records.

Michigan is probably their biggest threat.

That said there is a lot of time left in the season.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Balldog

I have watched Indiana, OSU, MSU, and Michigan all play several games to this point.

I don't see how anyone with a clear mind would argue that Indiana is not playing at a much higher level at this point.

Indiana's only weakness may be defense but this is still TBD. However OSU and MSU are not going to set any kind of scoring records.

Michigan is probably their biggest threat.

That said there is a lot of time left in the season.

They played GTown on a neutral court and were taken to overtime. They beat a young and inexperienced NC team down at home. Take out the NC win which is only big because of the North Carolina name and not because of the team they are at this point in the season and 3 other teams in their conference have been just as impressive.

Indiana is one of 4 maybe 5 teams that could win the B1G this year. Based on recent history Michigan State and Ohio State would be safer bets. Indiana had the 64th best adjusted defense last year according to Ken Pomeroy. Unless they have made huge strides in that department, teams just arent National Championship contenders unless they are in the top 20 in adjusted defense.

[Balldog]

What does last year have to do with this year??

They held Gtown to 64 in regulation, NC to 59, THIS YEAR.

But your argument is they weren't great defensively last year???

The sample size is small but from what I have watched they are ahead of the rest of the conference.

MSU, OSU, and UM have to improve, they have a month to do it. It can happen...

Who do you think the 5th contender is? Minn or Illinois? Just curious...

Last year OSU was looking damn good in Nov/Dec then struggled late Jan/ early Feb before getting hot again. Won a share of the Big Ten by beating MSU.

It's a long season but right now Indiana looks damn good. I'll trust the eye ball test over stats from last year.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Some information related to the Dixon suspension. Most believe the info was pushed out to force the chancellor to make a decision quickly now that charges are not being filed.

Police report says MU’s Dixon accused of rape but not charged - KansasCity.com

Spot on as usual.

Michael Dixon no longer with Missouri Tigers - ESPN

[cartman]

Dola,

Still no word from the NCAA on Kabongo

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Balldog

What does last year have to do with this year??

They held Gtown to 64 in regulation, NC to 59, THIS YEAR.

But your argument is they weren't great defensively last year???

The sample size is small but from what I have watched they are ahead of the rest of the conference.

MSU, OSU, and UM have to improve, they have a month to do it. It can happen...

Who do you think the 5th contender is? Minn or Illinois? Just curious...

Last year OSU was looking damn good in Nov/Dec then struggled late Jan/ early Feb before getting hot again. Won a share of the Big Ten by beating MSU.

It's a long season but right now Indiana looks damn good. I'll trust the eye ball test over stats from last year.

They are starting 4 of the same players. Obviously offensively gifted but defensively challenged. They will improve naturally because of experience but jumping into the top 20 in defense would be a huge jump and not something that seems possible with Hulls out there.

Eye stats are the most bias way to judge a team. At any given point you can watch a team at their best or worst and have that memory in your head. Numbers tend to give a more clear picture.

Minnesota seems much improved this year. I dont know about contending for a B1G championship but they should certainly be a top 25 most of the year.

Many use adjusted defense to gauge defense these days as pace of play has a lot to do with how many points a team gives up. UNC will give up more points than Wisky most years but play better defense because of the tempo they play. Points allowed is kind of a poor way to judge a defense. You are missing too much information to judge a defense solely on that.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by cartman

Spot on as usual.

Michael Dixon no longer with Missouri Tigers - ESPN

Is this all that surprising now that the second accuser came to light? I would think not. It's pretty obvious that the chancellor said transfer or be booted.

Should be interesting to see how this changes things in regard to Jabari Brown. He's and Keion Bell are going to get more minutes to make their impact.

[Tigercat]

Keep an eye on LSU over the coming years. Right now they are 5-0 with one of the best recruiting classes in the nation for 2013. Now, 5-0 with their schedule shouldn't be significant at all except that this year should have been a HORRIBLE year. As an example, they have only one legit option at power forward on the team. The second true PF/C on the team is a walkon that never played basketball before college, who was asked to join the team while already on campus as a tall tuba player for the LSU band. No joke.

That LSU looks more than competently coached on the court, and given that Jones was the recruiting guru for Dale Brown back in the day... I think it means we could see a basketball resurgence in Baton Rouge down the line.

[Johnny93g]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

They played GTown on a neutral court and were taken to overtime. They beat a young and inexperienced NC team down at home. Take out the NC win which is only big because of the North Carolina name and not because of the team they are at this point in the season and 3 other teams in their conference have been just as impressive.

Indiana is one of 4 maybe 5 teams that could win the B1G this year. Based on recent history Michigan State and Ohio State would be safer bets. Indiana had the 64th best adjusted defense last year according to Ken Pomeroy. Unless they have made huge strides in that department, teams just arent National Championship contenders unless they are in the top 20 in adjusted defense.

Ya, I don't understand what last year has to do with it. I see what you said in your next post, and you have some points, but is it really that hard to believe a team can improve in a specific area, when they focused and worked on that area during the summer?

I just seems like wishful thinking to me.

[Johnny93g]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

Minnesota seems much improved this year. I dont know about contending for a B1G championship but they should certainly be a top 25 most of the year.

You obviously are ok with Minnesota seeming much improved this year. BTW, I agree, they have looked good.

Indiana seems much improved defensively. You disagree.

Why can you assume one thing, while discounting the other? Both have roughly the same evidence to base it on....

[Balldog]

The UNC tempo argument just lost me.

UNC will give up more points because of their tempo. Yet, two high tempo teams played - Indiana and UNC. UNC scored 59 points against the pedestrian Indiana defense.

So is it UNC will give up more but not score more?

I agree on the Minnesota point; but let's see they have always seemed to play well the drop off and be mid to bottom of the Big Ten under Tubby.

I'm not some Indiana fan with bias eyes, so I will trust what I see for now. I hope I am wrong.

[Balldog]

Oh and they have held all but 2 teams under 40% shooting...

Is that cause their tempo is forcing bad shots? So we should not consider it.

Their adjusted D is ranked 7th right now.

So at this point the stats and my eyes are pointing the same direction...

[Logan]

Missouri self-imposes penalties on two secondary violations - CBSSports.com

[Chief Rum]

I didn't point it point it out the other night, but the night after Josh Smith left the program and a couple days after Tyler Lamb left the program and UCLA suffered its most embarrassing cupcake loss to Cal Poly since the Lavinista days, UCLA went and actually played a zone and pounded Cal State Northridge the way a big time team should.

So I guess we'll see if Howland actually sticks with a zone or not. It's a troubling spot because a zone could conceivably save UCLA's season and Howland's job, but I don't know any fan of the program who thinks Howland remaining as the coach of the program is a good thing.

[molson]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

WTH Creighton?

SI

Nice start to the season for Boise St, that was actually the highest ranked team they've ever beaten in the history of the program. And it came a week after they lost to Michigan St. on the road by only 4.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Balldog

Oh and they have held all but 2 teams under 40% shooting...

Is that cause their tempo is forcing bad shots? So we should not consider it.

Their adjusted D is ranked 7th right now.

So at this point the stats and my eyes are pointing the same direction...

KenPom isnt up to date as of yet. Much of his early season ranking on based on his projections. Didnt it seem odd to you that Wisky is ranked 13th overall with a 4-3 record?

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Balldog

The UNC tempo argument just lost me.

UNC will give up more points because of their tempo. Yet, two high tempo teams played - Indiana and UNC. UNC scored 59 points against the pedestrian Indiana defense.

So is it UNC will give up more but not score more?

I agree on the Minnesota point; but let's see they have always seemed to play well the drop off and be mid to bottom of the Big Ten under Tubby.

I'm not some Indiana fan with bias eyes, so I will trust what I see for now. I hope I am wrong.

You dwell too much on 1 game. That is called cherry picking. Go to the Kem Pom website and check out NC's defensive rankings over the years and you would be shocked to know they are a regular in the top 20 in adjusted defense. You can also go back 10 years and see that teams not in the top 20 in adjusted defense usually flop come tourny time.

Indiana is fun to watch I dont think anyone would argue with that. Just saying its a bit premature to crown a team that has won 3 B1G road games the past 3 years and finished 64th in adjusted defense the prior year.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Johnny93g

You obviously are ok with Minnesota seeming much improved this year. BTW, I agree, they have looked good.

Indiana seems much improved defensively. You disagree.

Why can you assume one thing, while discounting the other? Both have roughly the same evidence to base it on....

What am I discouting?

I admitted that Indiana would be improved defensively based on experience. Its not improving from 25th to 15th. It is jumping from 64th which is very low for a championship contender.

Minnnesota jumping from NIT runner ups to a 5th best team in the B1G isnt all that unreasonable IMO.

[Balldog]

I'm done.

[Easy Mac]

Jesus Christ, these teams should be banned from playing any games in the future.

NCAAM Gamecast - Tennessee vs Georgetown

[Marmel]

Originally Posted by Easy Mac

Jesus Christ, these teams should be banned from playing any games in the future.

NCAAM Gamecast - Tennessee vs Georgetown

I'll drink to that!

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Easy Mac

Jesus Christ, these teams should be banned from playing any games in the future.

NCAAM Gamecast - Tennessee vs Georgetown

Dear lord that is horrible.

[tarcone]

I saw that score and was thinking it was Wisconsin.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by tarcone

I saw that score and was thinking it was Wisconsin.

Preach on, Brother!

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Preach on, Brother!

Who would've guessed that Virginia at Wisconsin wouldn't be the worst Slog Ball game of the week.

[britrock88]

Take it easy; it was only a 54-possession game.

[tarcone]

Iowa got back on the winnin track today. We beat up Texas A&M-Corpus Cristi.
Im very concerned about our rebounding. We are missing a 6'7"250 lb PF. We really struggle with rebounding.

South Dakota next on Tuesday. Then the Cyclowns next Saturday.

[Butter]

If you thought Georgetown-Tennessee was ugly, you should've seen Northern Illinois v. Dayton on Saturday night.

NIU got on the board less than a minute in, trailing 3-2 with 19:07 left in the first half. They didn't score again until 3:04 left in the first half.... a free throw. Then they made their final FG of the half at around the 2:35 mark. Halftime score: Dayton 26, NIU 5.

Now UD was playing some good defense (a result of losing at home to Weber State earlier in the week by a point), but not THAT good... NIU just wasn't getting any bounces. On the plus side, NIU won the second half... but still lost by 19.

[tarcone]

Iowa beat South Dakota by 24 tonight.
We switched our lineup a bit before the previous game. Clemmons was inserted into the lineup as the PG and Gesell was moved to SG.
Starting 3 freshmen a soph and a JR. It looks to be the right move.

[Wolfpack]

It's pretty obvious that State was wildly overrated at #6, but the game tonight against UConn probably confirms that their ranking as it is (#25) is closer to the truth. Once again, lethargic play out of the gate allows UConn to build up a decent early lead, but the State team that played in Ann Arbor came to this game as they battled back from an 11-point deficit to take the lead by halftime. However, this team needs to challenge itself by doing hare-brained things at times, so they never pull away from UConn and instead have to ride it out to the end before winning.

I will say that Richard Howell has turned into an absolute monster on the glass and his finishing around the basket has improved a lot from last year. Were it not for his play through the early stretch of the second half, it's very possible that this would've been a hard loss to absorb just before the easier December schedule that leads into conference play. CJ Leslie is also playing more like he did at the end of last year, including a spectacular coast-to-coast dunk.

The continuing worry is still the laziness that gets put on display at times, meaning they don't put some umph on their passes, don't move with purpose on either end of the floor as they should (unless in transition, in which case it's pretty much a shark feeding frenzy going after chum) or make a poor assumption that a deflection or rebound is coming right for them and they don't step to meet these plays and lose possessions as a result. This has been manifested pretty well in the play of Lorenzo Brown so far. He tries creatively thought out passes, but doesn't seem to put the necessary physical effort into it to see that it gets to his man, usually leading to a deflection and turnover. I also can't count the number of loose balls that State lost in the early going because the nearest State player thought he had an easy pickup of the ball only to see a UConn player streak in and take it or knock it away to a teammate.

[Izulde]

That 68-60 win over Portland was ugly, ugly, ugly. Thankfully Anthony Bennett was Anthony Bennett and Justin Hawkins was again a terrific 6th man.

I thought there was a chance UNLV might lose this one since it was the first road game of the season and against inferior competition (sorry, Portland).

We'll take the W.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Virginia leads Tennessee 25-16 at the half. This is on the heels of Vols 37-36 loss to Georgetown.

[tarcone]

Getting ready for Iowa/Iowa Stae on the BTN. Prior to the game the 2011 Iowa/Indiana game was shown. Iowa spanked the Hoosiers 78-66. Good stuff.
Hope Iowa does that to the Clowns tonight.

[tarcone]

Iowa down 36-35 at half. We were up by ten with about 3 minutes left in the half and ISU went on a run.
Good game. Very exciting. I suggest wathing if you have the BTN.

[tarcone]

Big win against a veteran team. Iowa beats the Clowns 80-71. The 3 freshmen had 31 points.
I really like the addition of Clemmons to the starting lineup. Gives us 3 players with PG experience.
Still need a 6'7" 250 lb power forward.

[cadmus2166]

Michigan with a convincing win over Arkansas, with all 5 starters scoring in double figures. This season is looking like it could be a pretty special one.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by cadmus2166

Michigan with a convincing win over Arkansas, with all 5 starters scoring in double figures. This season is looking like it could be a pretty special one.

Let's not get crazy here. Arkansas is a mid-tier team in the SEC who has NEVER won a road game under Mike Anderson. It was a three point game with seven minutes left. That should be frightening, not comforting if you're a Michigan fan.

[mauchow]

Wisconsin off to a sexy start against in state rival marquette. The lack of a pg showing up yet again. Koenig cannot come fast enough...

I'm close to saying that I'm nervous Bo's tourney streak may come to an end. Not quite there but if they lose to green bay or milwaukee that will be the start of the end.

Vander blue shooting the game of his life but even if he wasn't it'd still be ugly.

[cadmus2166]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Let's not get crazy here. Arkansas is a mid-tier team in the SEC who has NEVER won a road game under Mike Anderson. It was a three point game with seven minutes left. That should be frightening, not comforting if you're a Michigan fan.

It's not frightening at all to me. Michigan keeps finding ways to win. Yes, it was a close game for a majority of the game, but Michigan in the past has been susceptible to teams like Arkansas that like to press hard on "D".

Anyway, I'm not proclaiming that Michigan should be #1 or that they are even definitively the best team in the Big Ten. However, this is by far the most talent a Beilein coached team has ever had, and everyone appears to be embracing their roles and playing solid team basketball at this point. With that, combined with a 9-0 start, why shouldn't I be excited about this team?

[mauchow]

Well, we used to be known as a good free throw shooting team at Wisconsin --- but with Ryan Evans and others not able to make anything at all we shot 9 of 23 tonight including Evans going 1 for 9. WTF happened to that loser? He shot over 70% last year IIRC.

[MrBug708]

We somehow beat Texas, giving Howland a win that he doesn't need

[cartman]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

We somehow beat Texas, giving Howland a win that he doesn't need

Was pleasantly surprised with how the Longhorns played. For such an extremely young team, they are playing very good defense. Turnovers are what are killing them, and I don't see that turning around at all until the Kabongo situation gets resolved.

[hoopsguy]

Illini played some really good basketball this evening to win at Gonzaga. I know they hit 11 three pointers, but this wasn't a team solely living by the three like in some of their previous efforts. The Illini guards, especially Brandon Paul, really outclassed the Gonzaga guards - which was necessary since the Bulldogs' bigs were a ton better than what Illinois had to offer.

Bragging Rights game coming up soon, but first we get to take our shot at the team that bumped them from the NCAA tournament last season. Norfolk State, here we come!