Ch...ch...ch...choke

[e0y2e3]

Man that was hard to watch.

Rough year in Madison for the Bucks.

[swerb]

Not a choke. That's a great basketball team and a hard venue to win at.

But not a great defensive performance. Matta's gonna go nuts with the film on this one. They really had a hard time adapting to the Wisconsin bigs jumping out to the perimeter. And Jordan Taylor was outstanding.

Still believe this is the best team in the country, but savvy ole Bo Ryan did kinda give the country a little roadmap on how you can beat this team.

[e0y2e3]

I would only call it a choke job because when you are up 15... well.

Still up six with six minutes left......

The Bucks HAD that game. Let the crowd get to em.

[e0y2e3]

And yeah, perimeter D was insanely bad. Epically even.

Craft man. That kid is gonna be so good in a few years. Favorite player on the team, hands down.

[swerb]

That's why homecourt at big time DI college basketball games is the biggest HC advantage in all of sports IMO.

Crowd aside, you just can't give that team so many outside jumpers. Wisky was 12-24 from three, with many of them coming in the final six minutes. That was the difference. We outplayed em for 34 min.

[daddywags]

Eh, it happens somewhere along the line almost every season. They had three guys go insane from the three point line who aren't 50%+ 3-point shooters. I'd probably give them those shots if/when we play them again. My two take-aways: 1. As long as we stay in the top 4 we'll be okay for the tournament; and 2. Sullinger is good, but I don't think he's top 3 draft pick good.

[e0y2e3]

Oh to be clear, this loss is nothing but good.

Was fearing turning into 05-06? Illinois all year.

This *should* expose an area of weakness pre tourney (rotating on bigs that can shoot the three) and really isn't a big deal.

Aside from the $$$$$$$$$$$$ I have riding on OSU finishing above KU in the final AP poll.

[statmasta]

I'd like to see Matta run plays specifically for Jon Diebler. All of his shots come off of the remnants of broken plays and Sullinger double teams. He's arguably the best shooter in the history of the Big Ten, and he never has a play run for him. Matta needs to utilize him more. You're wasting his skill to have your offensive plays completely ignore your best shooter.

[JoJo White]

Still believe this is the best team in the country

Texas and Kansas would run a train on Ohio State.

[swerb]

Still believe this is the best team in the country

Texas and Kansas would run a train on Ohio State.

Brilliant analysis JoJo.

Sincerely,

Northern Iowa and Wake Forest

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Ehhh it was as close to a choke as you can get. This was a game I had circled on the schedule as an L, nobody wins there. I hope we can return the favor here in CLB.

[skatingtripods]

Ehhh it was as close to a choke as you can get. This was a game I had circled on the schedule as an L, nobody wins there. I hope we can return the favor here in CLB.

Neutral court or in Columbus, they beat Wisconsin by 10 easy.

I'm not sure Ohio State could beat Kansas 3 out of 10 times, but all it's going to take is one time if the bracket shakes out that way.

As for Texas, just 21.7% of their total points come from 3. If Ohio State were to play zone against them, or even mix up defenses, Texas would have a hard time scoring. I like Ohio State's ability to make shots in a close game.

[peeker643]

This was a game I had circled on the schedule as an L...

People are missing the pertinent fact that CDT spends his days circling games on the calendar like some half-assed Notradumbass.

Guy knows nothing about pizza or monkeys but circling games on his Shawn Cassidy calendar he's got down pat.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

This was a game I had circled on the schedule as an L...

People are missing the pertinent fact that CDT spends his days circling games on the calendar like some half-assed Notradumbass.

Guy knows nothing about pizza or monkeys but circling games on his Shawn Cassidy calendar he's got down pat.

Who the fuck is Shawn Cassidy?

All I do is circle games on calenders. Because it obviously takes a fucking psychic to think "Hey Matta has never won in Wisco, this one is probably gonna be a loss".

You scoundrel, you know nothing about what I know about stuff.

What kind of douche wears sunglasses inside anyways?

Go fuck your Free Stamp you bald turd.

[Squints]

These pasty, dairy farming, cheese eating, whole milk drinking mothers have our number. A choke only because they were up by 15 well into the second half. But I, like CDT circled this game as a loss as all of our teams from football/basketball to women's pistol seem to lose up there. At Wisconsin and at The Barn have given Matta fits since he's been here. One loss, now that unreal expectation is off their backs and they can focus on maintaining their #1 seed and the first two games at the Q.

[peeker643]

Fer crissakes.

I refuse to sit here and explain who Shaun Fucking Cassidy was ( I mean 'is') to some pizza no nothing who hates monkeys and who circles goddamn games on calendars.

You probably live closer to the Free Stamp than I do and I wear sunglasses inside because of a rare and potentially deadly neurological disorder you insensitive prick.

Yeah....Don't feel so good about that comment now do ya? Knowing I could drop over dead at any second leaving you with 1perry and Timmah as the only online pals you have.

You know nothing about neurological disorders that involve light sensitivity.

I don't think the internet is big enough to list the stuff you know nothing about. Jesus, I'm arguing with a Pils drinker. That says it all. Drink a fucking porter like a real working class Irishman you dumb German giant.

[noles1]

Still believe this is the best team in the country

Texas and Kansas would run a train on Ohio State.

This same Kansas that looks like shit against a messy K-State team???

Remove foot from mouth, JoJo...

[Triple-S]

That says it all. Drink a fucking porter like a real working class Irishman you dumb German giant.

hey, hey, hey, hey now

us germans have worked hard to try to earn the right to racial slurs.

it's Kraut. get it right.

[JoJo White]

I'm not sure Ohio State could beat Kansas 3 out of 10 times, but all it's going to take is one time if the bracket shakes out that way.

Absolutely right. In a 1-game playoff, Ohio State could certainly upset KU. Just look what happened tonight - letdown city and K-State playing for its tourney lives and KU will no longer be #1. No biggie though and it's a good bet that KU will retain its top spot in the RPI until the tourney unless something crazy happens.

As for Texas, just 21.7% of their total points come from 3. If Ohio State were to play zone against them, or even mix up defenses, Texas would have a hard time scoring. I like Ohio State's ability to make shots in a close game.

Nobody this year has made shots against Texas and I have no reason to believe Ohio State would fare any better vs. Texas, unless it's a fluke. UT is by far the best defensive team in the country and even on nights this season when the offense hasn't been clicking, the team gets it done by strangling the opponent. The defense is historically good and if UT can hit their FTs (not a given) they're damn near unbeatable.

Consider the weekend articles on Prospectus:

http://www.basketballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=636

Piggybacking on Ken Pomeroy’s post on the historically insane defense being played by Texas right now, I resolved to add an exclamation point to his headline the moment I saw the following number:

1.02

That’s the average number of points the Longhorns’ conference opponents are scoring on possessions where they do not commit a turnover (what I call an effective possession). In other words, if every team that played Texas was given a magic pill that would make it impossible for them to give the ball away, ever, those teams would still be scoring just 1.02 points per trip. That would make UT the second-best D in their league, behind Kansas. An imaginary Texas D with zero turnovers forced over 653 possessions would actually be better than 10 out of 11 real-world Big 12 defenses.

Mindful of this, I want to pose a question. Is this the best defense we’ve seen in recent years?

Not yet. It’s only Valentine’s Day, and there’s still hoops to be played. But if the Longhorns finish the regular season with anything like the numbers they’re carrying right now, then the answer to that question will be yes.

In particular the field-goal defense being played by Rick Barnes‘ team is little short of astonishing. No major-conference defense over the past five seasons has been able to do what Texas is doing this year. I’ll keep these lists short by including just the top three teams, but keep in mind Texas 2011 ranks No. 1, No. 2, and No. 1 on rankings that have 365 teams each (73 major-conference teams, five seasons including 2011 so far).

http://www.basketballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=638

[noles1]

So Texas and KU have very good defensive teams against an utterly shitty Big 12 conference. Consider me minimally impressed.

Fact is KU's schedule has been cushioned with home games and with teams like Memphis & Arizona who haven't been anyone of significance this year. This KU team is going to struggle with good guard play and teams that are athletic. Pullen's game last night is an example.

As for Texas, I'll give them more credit cause they have went places to play some extremely good competition but when push comes to shove, I am not in love with their inability to shoot the basketball outside of 10 ft. And I have seen enough of Rick Barnes to never think upset potential.

The tourney so many times comes down to matchups so it's impossible to say one way or the other until the draw but to say that Texas and KU are head and shoulders above the OSU, Duke, Pitt & ND's is just flat wrong.

[jb]

Wow JoJo.

Was above the fray as only epic college teams go undefeated, and I'm not even sure tOSU is "great" enough to win a title, let alone epic. Plus ur disrespect of what is a very good tOSU team by any objective measure I just wrote off to ur brand of Big 10 hatoraide showmanship.

But holy crap, ur Jayhawks' pimpin' has to be one of the most ill timed posts this side of Whack-phist's Michigan football infatuation in the day.

What a complete mollywhompin' beat down at the hands of a very mediocre team that's probably playing for a trip to MSG instead of the NCAA's.

KU. Pffffffffffffffffffft.

Molly whomped.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Fer crissakes.

I refuse to sit here and explain who Shaun Fucking Cassidy was ( I mean 'is') to some pizza no nothing who hates monkeys and who circles goddamn games on calendars.

You probably live closer to the Free Stamp than I do and I wear sunglasses inside because of a rare and potentially deadly neurological disorder you insensitive prick.

Yeah....Don't feel so good about that comment now do ya? Knowing I could drop over dead at any second leaving you with 1perry and Timmah as the only online pals you have.

You know nothing about neurological disorders that involve light sensitivity.

I don't think the internet is big enough to list the stuff you know nothing about. Jesus, I'm arguing with a Pils drinker. That says it all. Drink a fucking porter like a real working class Irishman you dumb German giant.

You ain't be having no disorder.

Porter....... Sure right after I dig up Vercingetorix. (like you have any clue to who that is). You love that Free Stamp, it's all you ever talk about.

Plisner is the working class German's beer.

Your pro monkey and barbarian drink angle is concerning. Sasquatch 4 ever. I'll kick a dumb baboon right into a damn pizza overn that I invented in 1822 outside a small bar in Worthington.

Fucking Irish...... YOU PEOPLE VOTED FOR HUBERT HUMPHREY AND YOU KILLED JESUS!

[JoJo White]

So Texas and KU have very good defensive teams against an utterly shitty Big 12 conference. Consider me minimally impressed.

Well golly gee, I guess UT and KU will have to live with being a 1 seed in the tourney even without your seal of approval. I think they'll be OK.

Go look up Ohio State's SOS and compare it to KU and UT.

Then look up the number of Big 12 and Big 10 teams in the RPI top 50 and then splain to me how the Big 10 is vastly superior.

[JoJo White]

But holy crap, ur Jayhawks' pimpin' has to be one of the most ill timed posts this side of Whack-phist's Michigan football infatuation in the day.

KU has never won the national championship without losing to K-State during the season, so they just wanted their bases covered.

Besides, K-State's relatively pedestrian record is more a function of a tough schedule (top 10 in the country). THey'll be in the tournament, don't you worry.

[jb]

But holy crap, ur Jayhawks' pimpin' has to be one of the most ill timed posts this side of Whack-phist's Michigan football infatuation in the day.

KU has never won the national championship without losing to K-State during the season, so they just wanted their bases covered.

Besides, K-State's relatively pedestrian record is more a function of a tough schedule (top 10 in the country). THey'll be in the tournament, don't you worry.

That's your rationalization for a molly whomp by a 15 - 9 team?
C'mon danimal. It didn't look good at all.

PS - I kind of take the Kenny Rogers' gambler approach to the whole SOS thing. Let's see what happens post season to teams and conferences. There'll be time enough for counting, when the dealings done.

[danwismar]

So Texas and KU have very good defensive teams against an utterly shitty Big 12 conference. Consider me minimally impressed.

Well golly gee, I guess UT and KU will have to live with being a 1 seed in the tourney even without your seal of approval. I think they'll be OK.

Go look up Ohio State's SOS and compare it to KU and UT.

Then look up the number of Big 12 and Big 10 teams in the RPI top 50 and then splain to me how the Big 10 is vastly superior.

Totally agree that the Big 10 ain't what it was cracked up to be. After the top three teams, it's a sea of mediocrity. MSU sucking really hurt the overall look of the conference.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

This Bucks/Sparty game is pretty damn sloppy.

[hermanfontenot]

This KU team is going to struggle with good guard play and teams that are athletic.

You could have written this about pretty much every KU team going back to when Jacque Vaughn was there.

Only question is which 8/9 seed takes out the Jayhawks this season.

[jb]

So Texas and KU have very good defensive teams against an utterly shitty Big 12 conference. Consider me minimally impressed.

Well golly gee, I guess UT and KU will have to live with being a 1 seed in the tourney even without your seal of approval. I think they'll be OK.

Go look up Ohio State's SOS and compare it to KU and UT.

Then look up the number of Big 12 and Big 10 teams in the RPI top 50 and then splain to me how the Big 10 is vastly superior.

Totally agree that the Big 10 ain't what it was cracked up to be. After the top three teams, it's a sea of mediocrity. MSU sucking really hurt the overall look of the conference.

Historically, IU and UM have to resurface for the Big 10 to be what it should be.

[skatingtripods]

So Texas and KU have very good defensive teams against an utterly shitty Big 12 conference. Consider me minimally impressed.

Well golly gee, I guess UT and KU will have to live with being a 1 seed in the tourney even without your seal of approval. I think they'll be OK.

Go look up Ohio State's SOS and compare it to KU and UT.

Then look up the number of Big 12 and Big 10 teams in the RPI top 50 and then splain to me how the Big 10 is vastly superior.

Oh, you mean according to Ken Pomeroy, where Ohio State's SOS is .6890 for 30th and Texas's is .6810 for 39th? How about Kansas at .6867 for 33rd?

Highest strength of schedules of teams relevant to this discussion:

Michigan State .8285 (1st)
Illinois .7857 (6th)
Minnesota .7696 (8th)
Michigan .7458 (12th)
Purdue .7373 (13th)
Iowa .7254 (19th)
Kansas St .7239 (20th)

Yes, the B10 is inferior and plays weaker competition. Excellent analysis.

[jb]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Boom.

Roasted.

[JoJo White]

So Texas and KU have very good defensive teams against an utterly shitty Big 12 conference. Consider me minimally impressed.

Well golly gee, I guess UT and KU will have to live with being a 1 seed in the tourney even without your seal of approval. I think they'll be OK.

Go look up Ohio State's SOS and compare it to KU and UT.

Then look up the number of Big 12 and Big 10 teams in the RPI top 50 and then splain to me how the Big 10 is vastly superior.

Oh, you mean according to Ken Pomeroy, where Ohio State's SOS is .6890 for 30th and Texas's is .6810 for 39th? How about Kansas at .6867 for 33rd?

Highest strength of schedules of teams relevant to this discussion:

Michigan State .8285 (1st)
Illinois .7857 (6th)
Minnesota .7696 (8th)
Michigan .7458 (12th)
Purdue .7373 (13th)
Iowa .7254 (19th)
Kansas St .7239 (20th)

Yes, the B10 is inferior and plays weaker competition. Excellent analysis.

Heh - good find. I was referring at Sportsline RPI, but there are so many different rankings out there; hell, Sagarin has KU with the toughest schedule of the 3.

[JoJo White]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Boom.

Roasted.

Stop pretending like you know anything about CBB. You haven't watched a game since the days that Antoine Jobert was eating donuts during timeouts.

[peeker643]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Boom.

Roasted.

Stop pretending like you know anything about CBB. You haven't watched a game since the days that Antoine Jobert was eating donuts during timeouts.

Mmmm.....Donutsssss.....

[skatingtripods]

Heh - good find. I was referring at Sportsline RPI, but there are so many different rankings out there; hell, Sagarin has KU with the toughest schedule of the 3.

Thanks. Figured I'd use Pomeroy against you since you cited him earlier. Dude's site is incredible.

Sagarin matters way more than Pomeroy. So I guess you've got that going for you.

[jb]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Boom.

Roasted.

Stop pretending like you know anything about CBB. You haven't watched a game since the days that Antoine Jobert was eating donuts during timeouts.

+ for The Judge take.