College Sports Arena

by **waborat** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 11:56 am

With a little more than a month to go before Selection Sunday, it sure looks like this could be a repeat of last year's "throw a dart and see where it sticks" national champion prediction???

Even better yet is watching these schools battle for seed position with what's been recently happening...This past week alone we had the following top teams lose: Duke gets slaughtered by Clemson & then the Tigers get beat by Florida St, Louisville gets beat by UConn, Wake doesn't show up against the 'Canes, Marquette loses a squeaker, Butler & Xavier finally lose conference games, the Illini croak against a crummy Badger squad, Tubby's Team & Purdue both lose twice (is this Big 11 football now?) and 'Cuse & Zaga both lose to top teams...wow, what a week!!!

The week before you had Pitt, Michigan St, UCLA & LSU all losing...

The top team's futures look like this:

-UConn is rolling in a strong Big East, but they've got Syracuse, Marquette & 2 games against Pitt yet
-Oklahoma has a hot Kansas team and road games against Texas & Mizzou
-North Carolina has 2 tough road games this week against Dook & Miami plus the regular season finale vs Dook again
-Pitt has Marquette and the deuce against UConn

Looks like another wild ride to determine #1 this year?

About the only thing I'd put my $$$ on is Memphis will go undefeated in CONF-USA and will snag another 1 or 2 regional seed

by **skatingtripods** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 1:56 pm

Don't forget that Texas is absolutely free falling and has lost three straight to unranked teams.

I wouldn't be shocked to see Oklahoma slip up at Baylor. They're a lot better than people realize. Notre Dame has a shot to get back into strong contention for a bid if they upend Louisville this week at home. I don't see it happening, but it is possible.

The midmajors have some really good shots this year at being Elite Eight teams. Teams like BYU, Siena, UNLV, Creighton, and the like all have shots to be that cinderella team this year.

by **waborat** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 3:46 pm

Skating Tripods wrote:Don't forget that Texas is absolutely free falling and has lost three straight to unranked teams.

I wouldn't be shocked to see Oklahoma slip up at Baylor. They're a lot better than people realize. Notre Dame has a shot to get back into strong contention for a bid if they upend Louisville this week at home. I don't see it happening, but it is possible.

The midmajors have some really good shots this year at being Elite Eight teams. Teams like BYU, Siena, UNLV, Creighton, and the like all have shots to be that cinderella team this year.

Didn't even touch on most of the mid-majors, but I agree with ya (don't forget Utah St)...

Kept the Irish out because I just don't see anyway they get things turned around here soon

by **HoodooMan** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 4:17 pm

With a little more than a month to go before Selection Sunday, it sure looks like this could be a repeat of last year's "throw a dart and see where it sticks" national champion prediction???

A year in which all four #1 seeds go to the Final 4 is a "throw a dart" year?

Plus, Kansas was due, in a 3rd-year-in-a-row-that-I-picked-them kind of way.

Anyway, I've watched an obscene amount of college basketball this year, because 1) the NFL season ended three weeks early this year (don't know how more of you didn't figure this out) and 2) I'm determined to win my pool this year over a bunch of yinzers, so that someone from Cleveland can finally beat someone from Pittsburgh at something. (The $1000ish wouldn't suck either.)

My thoughts at the moment:

-It's hard for me to get behind a team for which FT disparity seems to be its greatest strength. That, and a 7ft stiff who gets exposed against every high post team UCONN plays. I'm withholding final judgment until I see them against PITT, but as of now my feeling is that some team is going to get Thabeet out of his comfort zone and UCONN isn't going to the Final 4.

-I love Oklahoma. Blake Griffin is insane (his brother doesn't suck either). Willie Warren is a stud of a wing player. Patillo is a great glue guy. They're getting good outside shooting from Crocker & Johnson. They're good defensively. They play smart and take good shots in crunch time. Their quality of competition has been lacking in a weak year for the Big 12, but otherwise I don't know what there is to not like about this group. (caveat: I've been fooled by Big 12 teams on a regular basis for the past 5 years or so.)

-UNC on paper seems to have all the pieces, but for some reason I just don't get that great of a feeling about them. Hansbrough's good, but is he going to match up well against the likes of Griffin, Adrien, and Blair? I don't see it. Lawson can certainly match up against Price & Fields, but I didn't like seeing the way his personal matchup against Teague distracted him from the game itself in UNC's loss to Wake. Ellington's hot right now, Green's a good complimentary player, they obviously have a lot of talent, but I just don't see them meshing well enough to beat out the best of the best this year.

-Duke at #4 is a joke. There's no way they deserve a ranking so high at the moment. Henderson is an amazing talent, but he disappears too often. Singler is a wing player stuck in a post player's undeveloped body. Paulus has the face of a squirrel.

-Louisville's good enough to beat anybody. I love Terrence Williams' game. But I think the UCONN loss shows just how dependent their offense is on Williams being in the game. The stretches he wasn't in there, they looked completely lost. Even when he's in the game, they're often far too content to jack up threes despite the fact that they aren't a good outside shooting team.

-PITT looks very good. Blair is a bad man. Young & Fields don't suck. I just can't pick them, because the of the yinzer-weighted pool I'm in. Still, I'll probably at least have them going to the Final 4.

After the top ranked teams, I'm really intrigued by UCLA based on what I saw in the one game I've watched them play so far (finally got around to seeing them play against ND this past weekend), but I'm waiting to see them again against ASU & UW (both of whom they've already lost to) before getting too excited. Against ND, they looked to me like the 2nd or 3rd best team in the country. And I think the Pac 10 might be a little underrated this year. (Washington looks really good to me too).

My semi-sleeper right now is St. Mary's, if Patrick Mills can come back 100% before the tournament. They were the better team against Gonzaga before he broke his wrist, and for a while it looked like Simpson might carry them past Gonzaga on his own.

My ultimate enigma right now is Syracuse. That, to me, is a team that on paper (and often, on the court too) looks like it should be right up there with the best teams in the country, and they just... keep... losing.

And your team most likely to see its season go down in flames in the first week of February is Marquette.

by **waborat** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 4:53 pm

HoodooMan wrote:
With a little more than a month to go before Selection Sunday, it sure looks like this could be a repeat of last year's "throw a dart and see where it sticks" national champion prediction???

A year in which all four #1 seeds go to the Final 4 is a "throw a dart" year?

THAT'S exactly why it was...

It's been a looonnngggggg time since you had multiple people still alive in the bracket pools with all 4 teams going into the final weekend...Kansas, Memphis, UCLA or UNC could have won that thing and the final got to OT...Hence, throw a dart

BTW, nice post

by **Guest** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 10:46 am

March Madness is easily my favorite sporting event of all time.
This year will be no different and I can't wait for it to start.
UConn and UNC have to be considered favorites but we'll wait and see.
F Duke.

by **waborat** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 11:24 am

Totally agree with you Spoon on MM being THE best sporting event of the year!!!

In fact, I'm in the minority loving this time of the year in sports...from mid-winter thru early spring you've got:

NFL playoffs
Daytona 500
NCAA conference championships & Tournament
Opening Day
The Masters
NBA playoffs begin
Kentucky Derby

I like the smorgasboard of events instead of what seems like a cerebral overload of football in the fall (unless the Tribe's in the playoffs)...don't get me wrong I'm addicted to the pigskin, but like my wife says, "these are my methadone months"

BTW, my early top 4 seeds would be UNC, UL, OU & UConn/or PITT

by **dmiles** » Wed Feb 11, 2009 1:16 am

Man I hardly watch college ball anymore (I'm 40). A random Buckeyes game if we get one out here and I am around but that's about it. I was a decent HS player, could have played D3, and used to love all levels of basketball, but I just kind of went away over the last 5-6 years. However come March I am plopped down watching everything I can.

by **Indyan** » Wed Feb 11, 2009 1:53 pm

Great thread! I'm excited to see how it all takes shape this year. In years past I've watched tons of games and felt like I knew the college landscape much better. This year due to a variety of circumstances I've caught far fewer games. So keep piling on the discussion, I need to cram! :pop:

I do think Oklahoma has an easier road than others looking for a #1 seed. I'm excited to see if Aldredge (sp?) from Kansas can slow down OU's Griffin.

Lost deep in the shadows of some other games tonight is Xavier at Dayton. Both have some impressive wins and I think should both make the tournament, but life outside the big 6 is dicey. An ill-timed skid can really hurt, even if it's just dropping a few places in seeding. After tonight, one of these two will be riding a 2 game losing streak.

by **skatingtripods** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 10:19 pm

Skating Tripods wrote:Notre Dame has a shot to get back into strong contention for a bid if they upend Louisville this week at home. I don't see it happening, but it is possible.

Notre Dame up 22 early in the 2nd half.

If they get another big win and then win a game or two in the Big East tourney, I can't see them being held out. They're SOS is too strong.

by **waborat** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 9:21 am

Gettin crazier with last night's Louisville blowout loss & UCLA falling

by **pup** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:17 am

waborat wrote:Gettin crazier with last night's Louisville blowout loss & UCLA falling

Can someone explain to me what UCLA has done THIS season to deserve the #6 ranking? Didn't last night's loss drop them to 0-3 versus ranked teams? First, three games against ranked teams? Golly. And to have not beaten any of the 3 you have played? And you are the 6th best team in the country?

If I am wrong about the ranked team, my bad. I could have sworn I saw that scroll across ESPN yesterday.

by **waborat** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:45 am

Pup wrote:

Can someone explain to me what UCLA has done THIS season to deserve the #6 ranking? Didn't last night's loss drop them to 0-3 versus ranked teams? First, three games against ranked teams? Golly. And to have not beaten any of the 3 you have played? And you are the 6th best team in the country?

If I am wrong about the ranked team, my bad. I could have sworn I saw that scroll across ESPN yesterday.

Relax Pup, what do coaches know about basketball anyways, huh?

They are "only" #11 in the AP and my feeling is they should be more like 16, 17 ish before last night's game...they do have a strong RPI, but like you said they haven't beaten anybody except a ND squad who was playing terrible until they decided to make the hoops 3' wide the other night in South Bend...It seems like the reason that they're so high is potential (for whatever reason?) with their weak conference, speed & athletism...One of the announcers the other day during the ND game said that they are right behind the top 3 or 4 teams in the nation when their shots are falling...well duh, who isn't?

by **Triple-S** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 12:29 pm

Purdue's recent slide I think has been mainly attributed to Hummel being rested for the past couple of weeks. I think Painter wants him back to healthy when Tourney time starts.

by **Guest** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 1:53 pm

I still want to know why they even have rankings in hoops.
Doesn't the team that wins the tourney get crowned the champs??????????

Website · by **Jennifer** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 6:13 pm

Pup wrote:
waborat wrote:Gettin crazier with last night's Louisville blowout loss & UCLA falling

Can someone explain to me what UCLA has done THIS season to deserve the #6 ranking? Didn't last night's loss drop them to 0-3 versus ranked teams? First, three games against ranked teams? Golly. And to have not beaten any of the 3 you have played? And you are the 6th best team in the country?

If I am wrong about the ranked team, my bad. I could have sworn I saw that scroll across ESPN yesterday.

I looooove UCLA today -- they lost today to the Arizona Wildcats.

Speaking of Zona it looks like the impossible is going to happen just when I was getting ready to try to con Rich into running an obituary on the end of a dynasty.

The Cats currently have the longest current consecutive tourney appearance streak at 24 with the record being 27 (the run began in 1985 -- I was born in 1983 so I can't remember them never being in the tourney). The stuff that went down with Lute last year and the beginning of this year decimated the team and threatens its "elite" program status.

Not too long ago Zona was 11-8 with another tourney bid looking higly unlikely. With seven wins in a row, a respectable 18-8 record and a good chance of winning 20 it now looks like they are once again tourney bound.

Reports of Zona's demise were premature.

And I don't care that no one else on this board cares. :wow:

(Why is the tongue sticking out emoticon titled "wow?")

by **waborat** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 3:14 pm

Wrap up of last week's top losers:

-Louisville decides to keep their minds in KY and gets blown out at ND
-Dook goes down twice and the majority of basketball fans celebrate across the nation
-Clemson can't get out of the win/loss alternating trend
-Wake proves the ACC is UNC and no one else
-Nova beats Marquette early in the week and hits the "trap" at Mountaineer Country
-Marquette could have a long February ahead
-Kansas loses their first conference game against a pretty good Mizzou squad
-Xavier loses the battle of OH against Dayton
-Pup calls out UCLA and they don't disappoint in losing both games
-Butler hit the wall vs Ill-Chi?

Looking forward to tonight's marquee with PIT/UCONN and Wednesday's matchup between OKL/TEX...this weekend has WAKE/DUKE & ILL/tOSU, not to mention the bracketbuster games

Website · by **Jennifer** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 4:56 pm

UCLA is 20th in AP and 15th in USA/ESPN

Ohio State, 31,35

Arizona, 29, 33

by **waborat** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 8:45 am

The week just started and we already have had the #1 & #6 teams fall...

Really liked the way Purdue looked last night as they manhandled the Sparties on both ends...they just might take away the Big 11 title which looked like a lock for MSU a few weeks ago?

But, after watching PIT/UCONN the other night I'd say neither of these teams yesterday would come close to playing in their league

by **jordan kramer** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 3:25 pm

Pitt will win the National Championship this year. mark it down. (cash)

by **waborat** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 9:59 am

Last night Illinois & Butler fall...

How do the Illini only score 33 pts against PSU at home?!?!? Was the shotclock even working last night? 15 of 50 shooting? Sweet Georgia Brown!!!

This team was starting to look like they were getting things together and then this? With the way PUR has stepped up I have to believe that the Big 11 conference tourney is up for grabs this year

Ohio State can't seem to defend the 3 as NW outshoots them last night...last week they looked like a lock for the tourney, but after the last 2 losses they are probably no better than a bubble team now? They better get it together with IL, PSU & PUR all coming up next week...ugh

by **HoodooMan** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 11:51 am

How do the Illini only score 33 pts against PSU at home?!?!?

They're in the Big 10, that's how. If a team isn't capable of boring you into a coma, it's kicked out of the conference.

Three tough games in OU's next four. I think they'll lose one and UNC will take back the #1 ranking, hold on to it, and end up as the #1 overall seed in the tournament.

by **Triple-S** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 2:30 am

Been fun watching Purdue this season. Great part about this, is this team is still fairly young and Painter is starting to get some what of a grip on Indiana recruiting wise thanks to IU's going down much like Michigan football.

I see them making the Sweet 16 this year with a bit of luck. :).

by **waborat** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 10:24 am

Triple-S wrote:
I see them making the Sweet 16 this year with a bit of luck. :).

I never make any predictions until I see the bracket match ups for the tourney, but I do like what PUR is doing this year...possible sleeper

BTW, last night XAV loses to a terrible Charlotte squad and falls behind Dayton in the ATL10 and UCLA FINALLY beats a good team this season against WASH...

Next up: Bracket Busters

by **4thQtrGlory** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 2:43 pm

I know its easy to pick a #1 seed, but i really dont see anyone knocking off Pitt this year

by **waborat** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 2:51 pm

4thQtrGlory wrote:I know its easy to pick a #1 seed, but i really dont see anyone knocking off Pitt this year

Couldn't get the Louisville & Nova feeds last month, huh ;-) ;) :wink:

#1 seed is still questionable with another match against UConn and the Big Beast tourney coming up?

by **HoodooMan** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 6:35 pm

#1 seed is still questionable with another match against UConn and the Big Beast tourney coming up?

Anyone's season can self destruct, but I have a hard time seeing anyone outside of the current Top 4 securing a #1 seed.

Maybe if OU loses two out of their three upcoming games against TEX, KAN, and MO; maybe then Memphis has a case, but I'd still give OU the nod. Besides their win over the overrated Gonzaga Bulldogs, what's Memphis' best win this season? UC? TEN?

Regarding the original point that no one's going to beat PITT, I'm surprised anyone would see it that way. For me, the top 4 teams are really, really close to one another (as well as a significant step above everyone else), and I think it's going to come down to who has the tougher road. Though, I do still see a few teams like LOU, UCLA, and MSU as having the ability to get hot and compete with those Top 4.

by **waborat** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 2:19 pm

Are We Having Any Fun Yet?

What a day yesterday brought with OU & NC deciding they didn't want to be #1 (although I give OU props for playing very well without Griffin) and allowing PITT to leap frog all of them until they most likely meet UCONN again in 2 weeks?

MARQ gets a big win, but might not win another game the rest of the way?

UCLA loses yet again to a weak WASH ST team

St Mary's & Butler make their statements in big BB victorys

With what transpired yesterday could be just what MSU was waiting for to grab one of the top 4 seeds in the tourney and can MEM pleeeeeease move to a new conference already?

Really looking forward to the DUKE/WAKE, NOVA/CUSE & OSU/ILL games today...must win for the Bucknuts

by **Triple-S** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 11:58 pm

Purdue-Meatchicken on ESPN.

I know that as an Ohioan it's my sworn duty to hate the maize and blue, but I never really understood why sometimes. I looked into the crowd a few minutes ago and saw all the smug arrogant fans, and now I get it again.

Here's to Purdue and TOSU beating Meatchicken here now, up until the end of time. :cheers:

by **Triple-S** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 6:34 pm

Good game to the Buckeyes..

But Purdue looked very good yesterday. I was impressed with JaJuan Johnson the most, and the defense of this team is pretty incredible, looked like 7 guys on the court at the same time against the buckeyes, it was THAT good.

Also, no disrespect to my Buckeye brethern, I root for you guys 363 days of the year, but B.J. Mullens came off as a bit of a douche yesterday when he was trash talking down 10 points in the 2nd half.

by **GreatGoo** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 9:32 pm

My spartans locked up at least a share of the big ten championship. Always exciting to win the big ten!

:woot:

by **WarAdmiral** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 10:03 pm

Interesting tournament predictor in link. Has OSU as the 34th team to make it at the moment. CSU is #71 :-( :sad: :(

http://www.unf.edu/~jcoleman/dance.htm

by **fundamentals** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 2:12 pm

Mr. Gillispie's troops in the Bluegrass State better pick it up.
Losing to Georgia at home isn't going to help matters.

by **WarAdmiral** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 8:00 pm

fundamentals wrote:Mr. Gillispie's troops in the Bluegrass State better pick it up.
Losing to Georgia at home isn't going to help matters.

It is crazy. I called my cousin this morning, and he wouldn't even talk about Gillispie. All kind of rumors floating about players leaving, and BCG getting out.

The program is a mess. BCG reminds of mumbles and his go around here in Cleveland. You see sparks of genius from him, but the media is like sharks in the water for his blood. The fanbase has turned against him, at least those with internet access.

by **HoodooMan** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:06 pm

With the regular season a wrap:

-Despite them losing to PITT twice, I'm much higher on UCONN than I was a month ago. PITT & Sam Young, in particular, seem to be a bad matchup for them, however. I no longer think Thabeet is a stiff. He has some heavy feet, but he truly does a remarkable job of controlling his body and blocking shots without making contact, though those heavy feet still make him vulnerable to high post offenses. The thing about UCONN that's made the biggest impression on me this year is the way they manage to stay close in games in which the opposition looks like it's firing on all cylinders, then pull away at the end. It FEELS like their opponent is playing great, but there UCONN is, quietly down 2-4pts, steady as can be. Against everyone but PITT, they seem to play this way and win at the end, and the FT shooting advantage probably plays a big role in that. I've still yet to see them really look spectacular, but it's a team that's very consistent and just has a quiet confidence about it, and I like that. As long as PITT's on the other side of the bracket, I think they have a hell of a chance to go to the final game.

-It was disappointing to see OU play as sloppily as they did against MO recently, but when Blake Griffin's head is right, I still love OU for all the same reasons I did a month ago. I do think Blake Griffin has struggled a bit against opponents with a lot of size (length in particular--the guy from A&M gave him some trouble, Pittman from TEX seemed to bother him a little before the concussion in their last meeting), so I could see UCONN with Thabeet, Adrien, and Edwards being a bad matchup for OU, but I think I like how they match up against the other top teams. I think they're similar to UNC in many ways, but better. And I think Griffin/Blair, Patillo/Young, Johnson/Fields, Warren/WhoeverTF he's matched up with, works in OU's favor.

-I still basically feel the same way about UNC as well. Obviously, they have a lot of talent and are as good offensively as anyone, but I don't see the kind of chemistry that I think they'd need against the top teams in the country. That, and I think the ACC's a bit overrated this year, which I think has inflated their record. The common thread to teams beating UNC this year seems to be an opponent's guard lighting it up against them, and I think UCONN's Price/Walker & OU's Warren/Johnson/Crocker would be up to the task--if not someone sooner (Marquette, I think, could be a nightmare matchup for UNC as a 4/5 seed). However, I think UNC would probably have plenty of firepower to get past PITT, despite Blair manhandling Hansbrough inside.

-And PITT's still very good, but not a consideration for me, since half of the people in the pool I'm going to be in are likely to pick them. I think in their last game against UCONN the stat of them being 3-3 in games in which Blair has 4 fouls or more and 21-0 in their other games suggests that Blake Griffin and his ability to get opposing big men into foul trouble could be a problem for them if such a matchup was to occur, and it certainly doesn't hurt to have a stud G/F tweener like Terrence Williams to contain Sam Young. I could see Texas being a very tricky matchup for them as an 8/9 seed.

I'm leaning UCONN or OU to win it all, but I don't have that strong a feeling for either one. I would just be very surprised if anyone other than UCONN, OU, UNC, or PITT won it this year. While there are several teams I could see taking down any of those four, I don't see anyone else being consistent enough to sustain a run to win the whole thing. But teams like Louisville, MSU, Washington, and St. Mary's (still my favorite sleeper--and probably destined to be the cliche sleeper pick before the tournament) could all make their fair share of noise on their way out.

by **waborat** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 6:01 pm

With UNC losing today, we might as well have 8 #2 seeds...all #1's are now going in on expectations only

IMO, if Louisville wins the Big Beast tomorrow than they should get the overall #1...no one else deserves it after this week

by **HoodooMan** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 6:14 pm

IMO, if Louisville wins the Big Beast tomorrow than they should get the overall #1...no one else deserves it after this week

This week has been insane. I don't remember anything like this in previous years.

ACC: UNC & WF out, Duke in a close one right now with Maryland.
Big East: PITT & UCONN out.
Big 12: OU & KU out.
Pac 10: Washington & UCLA out.
Big 10: MSU out.
SEC: LSU out.

But should this week really matter THAT much more than any previous week this season? Like the one in which Louisville was blown out of the building by freaking Notre Dame?

If Louisville can finish tonight against Syracuse, I think the #1 seeds go to UNC, PITT, Louisville, and I'd guess Memphis over UCONN. If Syracuse manages to beat them, I think the #1s go to UNC, PITT, Memphis, and UCONN.

And yeah, it's looking like one hell of a crapshoot this year, though I still believe that one of the Big 4 for most of this season (UNC, PITT, OU, UCONN) will win it all. However, the gap between those four teams and everyone else doesn't feel as significant as it did before this week.

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