Thursday, February 21, 2008

Game-Planning 13

Number One versus Number Two. Does any other game really compare this weekend? It could be considered the second biggest game of the year after the National Championship. Both teams hail from Tennessee. The Volunteers and the Tigers. Every other matchup this week pales in comparison.

Interestingly enough, this is the fifth time ever that the #1 and #2 teams in the AP poll met in the regular season. Even more, in the previous four times the #2 team is 0-4. #1 seems to dominate the series but, of course, for a team like Memphis, who plays in a "weak" conference, it is very possibly, even likely, for Tennessee to win.

I'd also like to mention the recent struggles of the Duke Blue Devils. They've lost their last two games to (no mistake) Wake Forest and Miami. They have been outscored by fourteen points in those two games and it's had me wondering if Duke even has enough to make it to the Elite Eight.


1st Quarter- #2 Tennessee at #1 Memphis

I've already explained what makes this matchup so huge. 1 vs. 2. There isn't anything bigger in sports than the top two teams squaring off. Memphis will be running the high-powered and newly-famous Dribble Drive Motion Offense. They are led by Chris Douglas-Roberts (18 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast), Derrick Rose (14 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast), and Joey Dorsey (7 pts, 11 reb, 1 ast).

Tennessee, on the other hand, will be pressing on defense and pushing the ball on offense just like the Tigers. Spectators should expect a high-scoring affair in this one. The Volunteers are led by Chris Lofton (15 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast), JaJuan Smith (14 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast), and Tyler Smith (13 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast). Lofton, after having a slow start to begin the season, is averaging 19 points in his last nine games and has reached the 20-point plateau in six of those games.

In my opinion, it will be interesting to see how each team guards the other's top scorer. For Memphis, they will attempting to shut down the senior sharpshooter, Lofton. For the Vols, they will have the job of stopping Douglas Roberts, or more popularly known as CDR. Douglas-Roberts is averaging an astounding 28 points in his last three games.

Neither of these teams really had a dominant big man to utilize on offense so look for both to rely heavily on their guards and the three-point shot. Memphis averages 8 three-pointers per game; Tennessee is somewhat better at the long ball as they make 9 threes per contest. Keys to the game will definitely be the three-pointer, pressure defense, and the scoring of CDR and Lofton.

I shall be picking Memphis to win this game. Calipari will be getting his 401st coaching victory and the #1 team will then be 5-0 agains the #2 team all time. This game can be viewed Saturday, February 23rd at 9pm eastern time on ESPN. Simply put, you cannot, under any circumstances, miss this game.


Author's Note: I now understand that the rest of this blog may be a let-down due to the awesomeness of the 1st Quarter game.


2nd Quarter- Arizona at #17 Washington State

I suggest that after you finish up watching the Memphis-Tennessee game that you flip over to FSN to catch the second half of this game. It probably will, however, take some getting used to as these teams don't get out and run nearly as much as the top two teams in the country do.

Last time these two teams met, Arizona left with a 76-64 victory over Wazzou. In that game, Chase Budinger and Jerryd Bayless combined for 45 points. The Wildcats are led by Bayless (21 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast), Budinger (17 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast), and Jordan Hill (13 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast). The Cougars, however, are led by Derrick Low (14 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast), Kyle Weaver (11 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast), and Taylor Rochestie (10 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast) in the backcourt. Down low, Aron Baynes (11 pts, 6 reb, 0 ast) is the key man for Washington State.

Both teams have decent big guys, but neither has a dominant one. Currently, Arizona is on a two-game losing streak and WSU has a four-game winning streak. The Cougars need to win this game if they'd like to contend with Stanford and UCLA for the Pac-10 crown and the number one seed going into the conference tournament. I am picking Washington State to win this game. They are at home and Arizona hasn't been playing very well as of late. Tune in to watch this game Saturday, February 23rd at 10pm eastern time on FSN.


The Halftime Show

So there I sat, wondering what the hell I'm going to write about for three paragraphs for the Halftime Show. All of a sudden, it came to me. I'll be talking about the best unranked teams in college basketball. The first team that is definitely worth mentioning is Arizona. They play in one of the toughest conferences in the nation and have a respectable record of 16-10. The Wildcats have knocked off formidable opponents such as USC, Washington State, and Texas A&M. Arizona also has two possible All-Americans on their team.

The second team that I will talk about is Clemson. Their record is 19-7 and have five players averaging in double figures for points (leading scorer: K.C. Rivers- 15 ppg). The Tigers have played North Carolina very tough two times in a row and have knocked off Virginia, Purdue, and Mississippi State to name a few. This is my dark horse pick come tournament time. They have the talent to make it to the Elite Eight.

The final team I will mention is Baylor. They have a record of 17-8 in the tough Big 12 conference. Yes, the Bears have lost their last four games and six of their last seven but if they pull it together for March they can definitely be dancing for awhile. They lead a balanced attack and, like Clemson, have five players averaging in double figures for points (leading scorer: Curtis Jerrells- 15 ppg). However, if they don't shape up, they won't even make the tournament.


3rd Quarter- #10 Xavier at Dayton

After starting 14-1, Dayton has lost seven of their last ten games and appear to be giving the Selections Committee an easier job come March. However, this time they will have the home crowd behind them and will want revenge for the embarassing 69-43 loss suffered to Xavier in their first meeting this season. In that game, the Flyers shot an abysmal 30% from the field and were outrebounded 38-22. This time Dayton will need to turn it around.

The Flyers are led by Brian Roberts (19 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast). Pulling down the rebounds and helping out with the scoring load will be Chris Wright (10 pts, 6 reb), Marcus Johnson (9 pts, 5 reb), and Charles Little (8 pts, 5 reb). The Musketeers, on the other hand, are led by playmaking point guard Drew Lavender (11 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast) and senior swingman Josh Duncan (12 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast). Xavier's squad features four MORE players that average in double figures for points (Raymond, Brown, Anderson, Burrell) and two that average 6+ rebounds (Brown, Anderson).

Alas, the home court advantage and vengeance will not be enough for the stumbling Dayton Flyers. I am picking Xavier to win this game. Be sure to tune in and watch Sunday, February 24th at 2pm eastern time on CSTV.


4th Quarter- #2 Tennessee at #16 Vanderbilt

Coming off the big game at Memphis, Tennessee has to travel to Vandy. In my opinion, Vanderbilt's home arena is one of the toughest to play at in college basketball because it's different. The shot clocks aren't in the same place, the benches are down by the baselines, and the court is just more open as the fans sit back farther from the action than normal. All of this is playing against the Vols chances. Oh, wait, did I mention that the Commodores are 16-0 at home this season?

Tennessee is led by, as I mentioned earlier, Lofton, JaJuan Smith, and Tyler Smith. They have NINE players averaging at least five points per game. Vanderbilt, however, is led by Shan Foster (19 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast) and Andrew Ogilvy (17 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast). Recently, they have defeated Kentucky...by 41 points! In that game, Ogilvy was a complete force as he finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds in only 24 minutes of playing time.

Vanderbilt is 16-0 at home. Tennessee is 9-1 on the road. Both average over eighty points per game on offense. Vanderbilt will win. The game will be aired Tuesday, February 26th on ESPN at 9pm eastern time. This is a must-see game as it is vital to the SEC standings. If Vandy can pull off the upset, then it will give teams like Mississippi State and Kentucky a chance to knock the Vols down and out of first place.


The Postgame Video Vault





I couldn't resist with that last video. haha

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