This is the time of year when every diehard college basketball fan is suddenly saddened. He is forced to watch the NBA, which he considers second-rate basketball viewing. Every Saturday, he misses the sound of Dickie V and Digger arguing about whom will win on that particular day. I am one of those people. I thrive on the game of college basketball. It's a necessity in my life. I guess I'll have to pay attention to my Suns now, but I'd much rather watch Duke or Memphis play.
The purpose of this blog is to recap the memories of this season. It is also to list what I believe to be some of the best players and teams in the country. But, first, I'd like to say how enjoyable this season was. Great freshmen, a lot of elite teams, and a nice cinderfella run in March. The upsets weren't as plentiful as some would hope but it was still a good tournament.
This year was chalk full of games between closely matched teams. We had the pleasure of watching #2 Duke take down #3 North Carolina. We also saw one of the most hyped regular season games ever in #1 Memphis versus #2 Tennessee. Quite recently, we watched games such as #10-seeded Davidson lose a close one to eventual champion, Kansas. But what topped them all? The National Championship game in San Antonio. The Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Memphis Tigers in a thrilling overtime event.
I am aware that many of you reading this blog also read my thirteen Game-Planning blogs I posted throughout the year. In those, I previewed 63 games. My record was 39-24 and went undefeated only one week. My bright spots had to have been picking Vanderbilt over Tennessee and Texas over the heavily-favored UCLA Bruins.
To start the lists, I will give you my Top Twenty Players from the 2007-08 college basketball season. Before you jump into that, however, check out a Bruce Pearl pregame speech...
20. Russell Westbrook, UCLA Soph. Guard. This breakout star has been possibly the biggest reason the Bruins had such a successful year. He was a stat stuffer who helped on both ends of the floor in any way he could. To not put him on this list would be wrong as he had as good a year as any of these guys save the top five or so.
Stats: 13 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl
19. A.J. Abrams, Texas Jr. Guard. He was the shooter that thrived off Augustin's penetration. Their weave offense was effective partly because of this guy and that is why he makes the list. He had two games with 30+ points and fourteen games in which he reached the 20-point mark.
Stats: 17 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 spg, 2 apg
18. Darrell Arthur, Kansas Soph. Forward. Last year, Arthur was playing behind a couple different big guys. This year, however, he has flourished into a top big man in the country. In the National Championship, he got Joey Dorsey in foul trouble and proceeded to dominate the game finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds. He would have been higher if he had stayed more consistent throughout the year.
Stats: 13 ppg, 6 rpg, 1 bpg
17. Brook Lopez, Stanford Soph. Forward. The highlight of the season for Brook almost had to be the effort he put forth in the NCAA Tournament against Marquette. He put up 30 points, which included the game-winning shot. He is a very talented player but probably needs to average more rebounds per game with his kind of height. If he does, the Pac-10 better watch out.
Stats: 19 ppg, 8 rpg, 2 bpg, 79% FT%
16. Scottie Reynolds, Villanova Soph. Guard. The Virginia native was a huge factor for the Wildcats on both ends of the floor. He had eleven games with 20+ points and seven games with 3+ steals. Without him, I doubt they would have made it out of the first round of the tournament. He had a very solid game against Clemson with 21 points.
Stats: 16 ppg, 3 apg, 3 rpg, 2 spg
15. D.J. White, Indiana Sr. Forward. He was the force inside for the roller coaster ride that was the Indiana Hoosiers basketball season. White averaged a double-double per game and was possibly more valuable to the team than the fabulous freshman, Eric Gordon. The difference between the two was consistency in which the senior had the edge.
Stats: 17 ppg, 10 rpg, 2 bpg, 61% FG%
14. Ty Lawson, North Carolina Soph. Guard. The leader of one of the best fastbreaks in the nation and a key contributor to a team that made it to the Final Four before losing to the champion Jayhawks. In games that Lawson had at least five assists, the Tar Heels were undefeated. To leave him off this list would be an injustice. He deserves it and had a fantastic season. I can only hope he doesn't turn pro and stays a few more years.
Stats: 13 ppg, 5 apg, 3 rpg, 2 spg
13. Chris Lofton, Tennessee Sr. Guard. What started as a year full of Player of the Year consideration ended as a disappointment. Tennessee lost in the Sweet 16 and Lofton struggled during the beginning of the year. Nonetheless, he had a good finish to the year save the NCAA Tournament in which he averaged a paltry 10 points per game.
Stats: 16 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 apg, 38% 3p%
12. Mario Chalmers, Kansas Jr. Guard. The Final Four Most Outstanding Player comes in at #12 on my list. Some would disagree but I believe it's about right. I mean, he did have eight games in which he was held to single digits in scoring. In the tournament though, he really stepped up his game. Chalmers averaged 15 points, 3 steals, and 3 assists on the road to a National Championship.
Stats: 13 ppg, 4 apg, 3 rpg, 3 spg, 47% 3p%
11. Shan Foster, Vanderbilt Sr. Guard/Forward. Most guys who average 20 points in a tough conference will make this list. Foster was huge at times for the Commodores. He scored 20+ point in his last six regular season games including outbursts of 42 against Mississippi State and 32 against Tennessee, both tournament teams.
Stats: 20 ppg, 5 rpg, 2 apg, 47% 3p%
10. Darren Collison, UCLA Jr. Guard. After missing a couple games early in the year, he returned to lead the Bruins to a 29-4 record when he took the floor. His high point came when he hit the game-winning runner against Texas A&M in the tournament. He finished the game with 19 points. Also, Collison scored 20+ points on six occasions, all of which were victories.
Stats: 15 ppg, 4 apg, 3 rpg, 2 spg, 53% 3p%
9. Eric Gordon, Indiana Fr. Guard. He was probably one of the top five most prolific scorers in college basketball this past season but really looked like an inexperienced freshman at times and that is why he is relatively low at #9. When he was healthy, Gordon was held to single digits in scoring only once.
Stats: 21 ppg, 3 rpg, 83% FT%
8. Derrick Rose, Memphis Fr. Guard. This guy is one of the fastest and most exciting players to watch and I have had the pleasure of watching him throughout the season. His averages are extremely good for someone that young in basketball and showed poise at times during the NCAA Tournament. #8 is a good spot for him.
Stats: 15 ppg, 5 apg, 5 rpg, 47% FG%
7. Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis Jr. Guard. CDR was the best scorer to reach the Final Four, in my opinion. He averaged a remarkable 28 points per game in the tournament and really stepped it up when it counted. He even drew a couple box-and-ones against him which allowed his teammates to get open and score. Memphis better hope CDR stays for next season.
Stats: 18 ppg, 4 rpg, 41% 3p%, 54% FG%
6. Kevin Love, UCLA Fr. Center. Love has led the Bruins to the Final Four and has averaged a double-double along the way. Without him, I doubt UCLA makes it past the Sweet 16. Not only did he score and rebound, but he also drew double teams that opened it up for other players on his team.
Stats: 18 ppg, 11 rpg, 60% FG%, 35% 3p%
5. Luke Harangody, Notre Dame Soph. Forward. It's ironic that one of the best player in the country had his best game of the year in a losing effort. I am, of course, referring to when Gody had 40 points and 12 rebounds against Louisville. However, it should be noted that he scored in double figures every game except one this season.
Stats: 20 ppg, 11 rpg, 50% FG%
4. D.J. Augustin, Texas Soph. Guard. This player is the best point guard in college basketball. He is my choice for the Cousy Award and has reached 10 assists in a game four times this year. D.J. can also boast the fourteen times he has scored at least 20 points in a game this past season.
Stats: 19 ppg, 6 apg, 3 rpg, 38% 3p%
3. Stephen Curry, Davidson, Soph. Guard. The best scorer in the country comes in at #3. He has scored in double digits every single game and had a 7-game streak of 20+ points. Curry has also scored 35+ points in six games. His run in the NCAA Tournament was nothing short of spectacular and an argument could be made for him to appear higher on this list.
Stats: 26 ppg, 5 rpg, 3 apg, 2 spg, 44% 3p%
2. Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina Jr. Forward. Possibly the hardest worker in the country is #2 because of how important he was to North Carolina's deep tournament run this season. He scored in double figures for points every single game he played in this season and grabbed 15+ rebounds in three games. In my opinion, Psycho T could have easily been number one on this list. It was almost a toss-up.
Stats: 23 ppg, 10 rpg, 2 spg, 81% FT%
1. Michael Beasley, Kansas State Fr. Forward. Believe it or not, this freshman's campaign was even more impressive than that of Kevin Durant last year. He scored in double digits every game except one in a loss to Xavier. Beasley even pulled down double digits in rebounding in all but four games. It's too bad he can't stay a couple more years on a college campus.
Stats: 26 ppg, 12 rpg, 2 bpg, 38% 3p%, 53% FG%
Now is the time for me to hand out the 2008 College Basketball Awards. Enjoy...
The Petey Sessoms Award: Every year, this award is presented to the relatively unknown player coming from a small conference that plays extremely well against the big schools in the NCAA Tournament. I would like to give credit to fellow FanNation member, Agganis Lives, for the idea of this award. So without any further delay, the award goes to Stephen Curry of Davidson. He averaged 32 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals in his four tournament games. The runner-ups for this award were Tyrone Brazelton and Courtney Lee, both of Western Kentucky.
The Bob Cousy Award: This is an annual award given to the best college point guard in the country. My pick, which is the same as the Basketball Hall of Fame's pick, is D.J. Augustin of Texas. I ranked him as the fourth best player in college earlier in this blog. He averaged 19 points and 6 assists this season. The runner-ups for this award are UCLA's Darren Collison, North Carolina's Ty Lawson, Memphis's Derrick Rose, and Davidson's Jason Richards.
The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award: This particular award goes to the most dominant big man in college basketball each year. There was a lot of competition for it this year but it rightfully is awarded to Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina. He averaged 23 points and 10 rebounds per game this season and was never held to less than 12 points in a game. The runner-ups for this award were UCLA's Kevin Love, Notre Dame's Luke Harangody, and Indiana's D.J. White.
The Pistol Pete Award: Each year, I give this to the best scorer in college basketball. It does not necessarily go to the player with the best average though. The winner is Kansas State's Michael Beasley. He averaged 26 points per game and had thirteen games in which he scored 30 or more points. The runner-ups were Lester Hudson of UT-Martin and Stephen Curry of Davidson.
The Oscar Robertson Award: This final award goes to that player who led his team in every way possible: scoring, rebounding, passing, playing defense, etc. The winner of the Robertson Award goes to Memphis's Derrick Rose. He is the second freshman to receive an award (the other was Beasley). Rose gets this one due to his all-around good averages of 15 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds. The runner-ups for this award were Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook of UCLA, Mario Chalmers of Kansas, and Scottie Reynolds of Villanova.
For the final part of this blog, I give to you the Top Ten Teams of the college basketball season...
10. Xavier (30-7)- The Musketeers are tenth in my rankings after falling to UCLA in the Elite Eight. They were led by Josh Duncan (12 pts, 5 reb) and Drew Lavender (11 pts, 5 ast). I doubt they will make it this far next season due to the losses of both Duncan and Lavender. Nonetheless, they had a very good run this year and had impressive wins over Indiana, Virginia, and Dayton (twice).
9. Wisconsin (31-5) - After claiming the Big Ten Championship, the Badgers proceeded to advance to the Sweet 16 before falling to Davidson. In my opinion, they had the best team in the conference and, despite not having the most talent, won games that got them such a successful season. They were led by Brian Butch (12 pts, 7 reb), Trevon Hughes (11 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast), and Marcus Landry (11 pts, 6 reb).
8. Tennessee (31-5) - Most teams would look upon being the best team in their conference and making it to the Sweet 16 as an accomplishment. Sadly, for the Vols, this year was full of expectation and they failed to meet most of it. They were led by Chris Lofton (16 pts), Tyler Smith (14 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast), and Wayne Chism (10 pts, 6 reb).
7. Louisville (27-9) - The Cardinals, after a extremely slow start, finished the season strong and proved to be the team everyone had expected entering the year. They finished 12-3 after their sixth loss at UConn. Some of those twelve wins included Marquette, Georgetown, Pitt, Notre Dame, and Tennessee. They were led by a plethora of players including Padgett (11 pts, 5 reb), Clark (11 pts, 8 reb), Williams (11 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast), Smith (11 pts, 4 reb), and Caracter (8 pts, 5 reb).
6. Davidson (29-7) - The Wildcats had a very impressive season for one of the smallest schools in Division I. After getting ripped off and been given a 10 seed, they rallied behind sharpshooter, Stephen Curry (26 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast), and senior leader, Jason Richards (13 pts, 8 ast, 3 reb), to advance all the way to the Elite Eight before falling at the hands of eventual champion, Kansas. They finished with a perfect conference record of 20-0.
5. Texas (31-7) - The Longhorns lost their conference championship and lost their regional final. However, their season was nothing short of remarkable for what was considered to be a down year following the loss of superstar Kevin Durant. They were a guard-heavy team led by D.J. Augustin (19 pts, 6 ast), A.J. Abrams (17 pts), and Damion James (13 pts, 10 reb).
4. North Carolina (36-3) - After clinching a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Tar Heels proceeded to demolish their opponents until the Final Four was reached. They then were routed by the champion Jayhawks. They were led by Tyler Hansbrough (23 pts, 10 reb), Ty Lawson (13 pts, 5 ast, 3 reb), and Wayne Ellington (17 pts, 5 reb). North Carolina were the ACC Tournament Champions and the Charlotte Regional Champions.
3. UCLA (35-4) - Yes, I'll admit it. I picked this very team to win the NCAA Tournament. They had a good run, too, before falling short in the Final Four for the third straight year. Nonetheless, they were regional and conference champions and claimed a #1 seed in the tourney. They were led by Kevin Love (18 pts, 11 reb), Darren Collison (15 pts, 4 ast, 3 reb), Russell Westbrook (13 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast), and Josh Shipp (12 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast).
2. Memphis (38-2) - The Tigers had the most wins for a college team in history yet they didn't quite get what they wanted as they lost to Kansas in the National Championship. The Achilles' heel of this team took 39 games before it caught up to them as they gave away the game on free throws. Memphis was led by Chris Douglas-Roberts (18 pts, 4 reb), Derrick Rose (15 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast), and Joey Dorsey (7 pts, 10 reb).
1. Kansas (37-3) - National Champions. I'm pretty sure that sums up the entire season for these guys. Nothing is more gratifying than winning it all before leaving the school for either the NBA or the working world. They beat the best of the best in defeating two #1s in the tournament. They were led by Mario Chalmers (13 pts, 4 ast, 3 reb), Brandon Rush (13 pts, 5 reb), and Darrell Arthur (13 pts, 6 reb). Congratulations, Kansas.
Now, I could write a couple thousand words describing how fantastic March Madness was and recapping all the entertaining games and plays that occured. However, I think that one simple video from YouTube would bring it all together very nicely. Enjoy and have a great week!
----- -----
Showing posts with label Memphis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Memphis. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Jayhawks Cut Down the Nets
As all of you know, Kansas defeated Memphis 75-68 in overtime last night. If you did not know that, where the hell have you been? At any rate, we got to see a nice little collapsing done by the Tigers in the last 2:12 of regulation. They were up by nine points and just needed to make their free throws to win the National Championship and go 39-1. After making all four free throws in the first two times they were fouled, Memphis shot themselves in the foot. They went 1-5 on free throws in the end of regulation and gave Kansas a chance at the end only being down by three. The Jayhawks came down and got the ball to the Most Outstanding Player, Mario Chalmers, who sank a tough three-pointer to tie the game and send it into overtime.
In the extra session, Kansas made sure they took advantage of Joey Dorsey not being in the game. Their first eight points of overtime were scored on either dunks or layups. The momentum shifted and the Kansas Jayhawks were National Champions. Now I'm about to tell you the little reasons as to why Memphis lost and why Kansas won this game.
I know Kansas was playing pretty good defense, but Derrick Rose needed to assert himself on the offensive end much earlier in the game than midway through the second half. For awhile, Rose looked as if he didn't want any part of playing in the game. He was passing up shots left and right and wasn't even attempting to drive on his man. Their somewhat large lead in the last two or three minutes was credit to his stepping up on offense when Kansas went box-and-one on Chris Douglas-Roberts.
One of Kansas's goals for the second half was to get the big guys for Memphis in serious foul trouble. They accomplished that goal. Joey Dorsey fouled out with 3:36 to go in the game. Kansas outrebounded the Tigers 11-4 for the rest of the game. I can't help but think that wouldn't have happened had Dorsey still been in there.
Next I would like to take the time to credit the Jayhawks with fantastic defense. When the shot clock was dwindling down they put enormous pressure on Memphis's offense. This caused tough shot attempts that usually did not go in. In transition, Kansas recorded a lot of steals by picking the Memphis guards' pockets. Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins had four and three steals in the game, respectively.
The announcers kept mentioning how terrible Kansas was shooting from deep. What about Memphis? They were only two percent better. The difference, however, is that the Tigers shot TEN MORE three-pointers than the Jayhawks. Not it looks as if Kansas didn't shoot that bad considering what Memphis was doing, right? I thought Coach Cal could have gone to his bench a little more though. Only six players logged more than five minutes in the game. Last time I checked, Memphis goes a whole hell of a lot deeper than that. Mack and Kemp were the two, especially, that could have been very useful down the stretch.
Bottom line is this: the game was won and lost on coaching decisions. In my opinion, Bill Self outcoached John Calipari and that was the difference in the game. Two big things down the stretch made this clear. The first was when Memphis was up three right before Chalmers hit the game-tying three-pointer. Calipari should have had his team fouling so Kansas could only get two points. He had three timeouts; he could have used one to make it very clear to his players (Derrick Rose, I'm looking at you) that they needed to foul in that particular situation. The second thing was the strategy for the last play in regulation after Kansas tied it up with two seconds to go. They could have thrown the ball to halfcourt, which they did, AND CALLED A TIMEOUT! This would give them the chance to draw up a game-winning play from 45 feet, instead of 90.
It's not all bad for Memphis though. Derrick Rose proved that he is a freshman and will make mistakes in huge games like this. All that aside, he had a pretty fantastic end to regulation. He finished the game with a MOP-worthy 18 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals. Chris Douglas-Roberts was also sensational with a game-high 22 points. On the opposite side of this, Darrell Arthur was fantastic scoring 20 points for the winners. Chalmers, Brandon Rush, and Sherron Collins all finished in double figures for scoring.
So congratulations to the Kansas Jayhawks and to Bill Self for coaching a great game and having his players ready to go. Congratulations to the Memphis Tigers on a successful season. 38-2 is nothing to be ashamed of. I'll have a blog coming out later this week with team and player ranking to finish the season. Have a good week!
----- -----
Poll Results: When asked who would win the Charlotte Regional, 50% of voters were right in saying North Carolina would come out victorious. The other 50% said Tennessee would win it. They were, in fact, wrong.
In the extra session, Kansas made sure they took advantage of Joey Dorsey not being in the game. Their first eight points of overtime were scored on either dunks or layups. The momentum shifted and the Kansas Jayhawks were National Champions. Now I'm about to tell you the little reasons as to why Memphis lost and why Kansas won this game.
I know Kansas was playing pretty good defense, but Derrick Rose needed to assert himself on the offensive end much earlier in the game than midway through the second half. For awhile, Rose looked as if he didn't want any part of playing in the game. He was passing up shots left and right and wasn't even attempting to drive on his man. Their somewhat large lead in the last two or three minutes was credit to his stepping up on offense when Kansas went box-and-one on Chris Douglas-Roberts.
One of Kansas's goals for the second half was to get the big guys for Memphis in serious foul trouble. They accomplished that goal. Joey Dorsey fouled out with 3:36 to go in the game. Kansas outrebounded the Tigers 11-4 for the rest of the game. I can't help but think that wouldn't have happened had Dorsey still been in there.
Next I would like to take the time to credit the Jayhawks with fantastic defense. When the shot clock was dwindling down they put enormous pressure on Memphis's offense. This caused tough shot attempts that usually did not go in. In transition, Kansas recorded a lot of steals by picking the Memphis guards' pockets. Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins had four and three steals in the game, respectively.
The announcers kept mentioning how terrible Kansas was shooting from deep. What about Memphis? They were only two percent better. The difference, however, is that the Tigers shot TEN MORE three-pointers than the Jayhawks. Not it looks as if Kansas didn't shoot that bad considering what Memphis was doing, right? I thought Coach Cal could have gone to his bench a little more though. Only six players logged more than five minutes in the game. Last time I checked, Memphis goes a whole hell of a lot deeper than that. Mack and Kemp were the two, especially, that could have been very useful down the stretch.
Bottom line is this: the game was won and lost on coaching decisions. In my opinion, Bill Self outcoached John Calipari and that was the difference in the game. Two big things down the stretch made this clear. The first was when Memphis was up three right before Chalmers hit the game-tying three-pointer. Calipari should have had his team fouling so Kansas could only get two points. He had three timeouts; he could have used one to make it very clear to his players (Derrick Rose, I'm looking at you) that they needed to foul in that particular situation. The second thing was the strategy for the last play in regulation after Kansas tied it up with two seconds to go. They could have thrown the ball to halfcourt, which they did, AND CALLED A TIMEOUT! This would give them the chance to draw up a game-winning play from 45 feet, instead of 90.
It's not all bad for Memphis though. Derrick Rose proved that he is a freshman and will make mistakes in huge games like this. All that aside, he had a pretty fantastic end to regulation. He finished the game with a MOP-worthy 18 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals. Chris Douglas-Roberts was also sensational with a game-high 22 points. On the opposite side of this, Darrell Arthur was fantastic scoring 20 points for the winners. Chalmers, Brandon Rush, and Sherron Collins all finished in double figures for scoring.
So congratulations to the Kansas Jayhawks and to Bill Self for coaching a great game and having his players ready to go. Congratulations to the Memphis Tigers on a successful season. 38-2 is nothing to be ashamed of. I'll have a blog coming out later this week with team and player ranking to finish the season. Have a good week!
----- -----
Poll Results: When asked who would win the Charlotte Regional, 50% of voters were right in saying North Carolina would come out victorious. The other 50% said Tennessee would win it. They were, in fact, wrong.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Volunteers On Top
As almost all of you probably already know, Tennessee defeated Memphis 66-62 last night as the #2 team in the nation upset the undefeated #1 team. Coming into the game, all of America was thinking that the Tigers had the rebounding edge in the game. Shockingly, they were outrebounded by Tennessee 46-31 as JaJuan Smith and J.P. Prince led the way with 10 and 8 rebounds, respectively.
You know, there's a saying: live by the three, die by the three. I would say that's what happened to Memphis in the game. They started the game 7 of 11 from deep, but somehow they only had a two or three possession lead over the Vols. Bruce Pearl had the perfect gameplan. It was to pack it in with a 2-3 zone so Memphis couldn't drive. He was relying on his team's ability to hold off the Tigers' initial shooting surge and just stay in the game. They did and when Memphis went cold, Tennessee took over the game.
Memphis really struggled from the line...more than usual. They shot a horrendous 47% from the charity stripe. There are a couple of positives that Memphis can take from this game though. They shot terribly in the second half. They missed a ton of free throws. They didn't execute. They didn't rebound like they normally do. But somehow, someway it was still a one or two possession game down the stretch. If the Tigers play to their full potential, there is not one team in the country that can beat them.
The Tigers definitely proved that they can shut down any top scorer in the country. Their defense on Chris Lofton was nothing short of spectacular. They held him to seven points on 2-11 shooting and didn't even let him make one three. I would also like to comment on J.P. Prince. He was the spark off the bench that Tennessee needed. I've seen him have two great games so far this season and his 13 points and 8 rebounds against the #1 team in the nation was amazing. Derrick Rose, playing in the first huge game of his career, came up huge for Memphis. He started the game making two three-pointers and continued that to finish with 23 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals in 31 minutes of play. Chris Douglas-Roberts also had a decent game with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals.
The player of the game has to be, in my opinion, Tyler Smith of Tennessee. He ended up with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. Most important of those 16 points were the two recorded on a turnaround jumper with thirty seconds left to play in the game. In my opinion, he was the key in keeping the Vols in the game when Memphis was shooting the ball so well in the first half.
The last two things I would like to mention are free throw shooting and Doneal Mack. With the free throws, Tennessee was 4-4 in the last five minutes while Memphis was ony 1-5 in that same time period. Ironic considering what Coach Calipari was quoted as saying before the game which was basically him telling the media that Memphis will make their free throws down the stretch and that free throws is not a concern with the team. What is he watching? They were terrible from the line against UAB down the stretch as well! Finally, I'd like to talk about the bad shooting game that Memphis's "sharpshooter", Doneal Mack, had. He couldn't get his shot going for his life. He was 0-6 on field goals and 0-5 from the field.
That's all I have to say about this game. Congrats, Tennessee but I still think Memphis will be the team to beat in March. The Volunteers are #1 for the first time in men's basketball history and Memphis's home winning streak (the longest in the country) has come to an end.
----- -----
You know, there's a saying: live by the three, die by the three. I would say that's what happened to Memphis in the game. They started the game 7 of 11 from deep, but somehow they only had a two or three possession lead over the Vols. Bruce Pearl had the perfect gameplan. It was to pack it in with a 2-3 zone so Memphis couldn't drive. He was relying on his team's ability to hold off the Tigers' initial shooting surge and just stay in the game. They did and when Memphis went cold, Tennessee took over the game.
Memphis really struggled from the line...more than usual. They shot a horrendous 47% from the charity stripe. There are a couple of positives that Memphis can take from this game though. They shot terribly in the second half. They missed a ton of free throws. They didn't execute. They didn't rebound like they normally do. But somehow, someway it was still a one or two possession game down the stretch. If the Tigers play to their full potential, there is not one team in the country that can beat them.
The Tigers definitely proved that they can shut down any top scorer in the country. Their defense on Chris Lofton was nothing short of spectacular. They held him to seven points on 2-11 shooting and didn't even let him make one three. I would also like to comment on J.P. Prince. He was the spark off the bench that Tennessee needed. I've seen him have two great games so far this season and his 13 points and 8 rebounds against the #1 team in the nation was amazing. Derrick Rose, playing in the first huge game of his career, came up huge for Memphis. He started the game making two three-pointers and continued that to finish with 23 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals in 31 minutes of play. Chris Douglas-Roberts also had a decent game with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals.
The player of the game has to be, in my opinion, Tyler Smith of Tennessee. He ended up with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. Most important of those 16 points were the two recorded on a turnaround jumper with thirty seconds left to play in the game. In my opinion, he was the key in keeping the Vols in the game when Memphis was shooting the ball so well in the first half.
The last two things I would like to mention are free throw shooting and Doneal Mack. With the free throws, Tennessee was 4-4 in the last five minutes while Memphis was ony 1-5 in that same time period. Ironic considering what Coach Calipari was quoted as saying before the game which was basically him telling the media that Memphis will make their free throws down the stretch and that free throws is not a concern with the team. What is he watching? They were terrible from the line against UAB down the stretch as well! Finally, I'd like to talk about the bad shooting game that Memphis's "sharpshooter", Doneal Mack, had. He couldn't get his shot going for his life. He was 0-6 on field goals and 0-5 from the field.
That's all I have to say about this game. Congrats, Tennessee but I still think Memphis will be the team to beat in March. The Volunteers are #1 for the first time in men's basketball history and Memphis's home winning streak (the longest in the country) has come to an end.
----- -----
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
----- -----
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
----- -----
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Game-Planning 10
Many of you will be lying around this weekend with nothing to do. You'll be feeling sorry for yourself even though you have absolutely no control over what weekends will feature football. This weekend, sadly, does not. On the flip side, that gives you all the more reason to watch college basketball (or you could try some other ideas that Mac thought of). So here are the games that you should check out...
1st Quarter- Gonzaga at Memphis
Winner: Memphis
Why They'll Win: I'm predicting a Tiger win to keep the undefeated season alive. This is really their last tough game before the big showdown against the highly-ranked Tennessee Volunteers. Memphis is led by Chris Douglas-Roberts (17 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast), Derrick Rose (14 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast), and Joey Dorsey (7 pts, 10 reb). They are currently ranked #1 in both polls and they've only been in one game that they won by less than ten points. The Tigers are a scoring machine as they have scored at least 90 points on five occasions and average 81 points per game. They shoot 36% from deep and 47% from the field. Now, I've said it all year long and I'll say it again: free throw shooting will be the death of this team. They shoot a terrible 59% from the charity stripe. Concerning Gonzaga, they're led by Matt Bouldin (15 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast), Josh Heytvelt (12 pts, 5 reb), and Jeremy Pargo (11 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast). The Bulldogs were ranked at the beginning of the season but have fallen out of the top 25 due to their four losses to Texas Tech, Washington State, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. They, too, average a good amount of points per game with an average of 76. I expect this game to be highly competitive and very high scoring.
When To Watch: Saturday, January 26th at noon eastern time on ESPN.
2nd Quarter- Doubleheader
Game 1: UConn at Indiana
Winner: Indiana
Why They'll Win: The Hoosiers are ranked #7 and the Huskies are unranked, but don't think that means this game will be easy for Indiana. We've already seen UConn give Memphis, Gonzaga, Georgetown, and Marquette trouble. They even posted a nice victory over Cincinatti. They're led by Jeff Adrien (14 pts, 9 reb, 2 ast), A.J. Price (14 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast), and Hasheem Thabeet (11 pts, 8 reb). Indiana is led by the inside-outside tandem of D.J. White (17 pts, 10 reb) and Eric Gordon (22 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast) and will be the two that UConn needs to keep in check. If they dont, the Huskies have no shot at winning this one.
When To Watch: Saturday, January 26th at 1pm eastern time on CBS.
----------------------------------------
Game 2: Washington at Arizona
Winner: Arizona
Why They'll Win: The 11-7 Huskies will travel to Arizona to face the 12-6 Wildcats in what should be a very good game. I'm picking Arizona for two reasons in this game and it doesn't have much to do with team talent because they're too close to choose. Washington is 1-2 on the road and Arizona is 7-2 at home. Therefore, my winner will be the team that plays well at home. Nonetheless, Washington's leader is Jon Brockman (19 pts, 12 reb), who I think is one of the more underrated big men in the nation this year. Arizona is led by a trio of players in Jerryd Bayless (19 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast), Chase Budinger (17 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast), and Jordan Hill (14 pts, 8 reb).
When To Watch: Saturday, January 26th at 3pm eastern time on FSN.
Halftime Thoughts-
CollegeHoops.Net's Hot Topic of the Week: Mississippi State's winning streak is what has everyone buzzing right now. I'll be honest and admit that I don't know a whole lot about this team; I did, however, decide to do some research. The Bulldogs are 4-0 in the SEC and have won all of their past eight games. Their best player is probably Jamont Gordon, who averages 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. Mississippi State is not a very good three-point shooting team though (33%) and are an even worse free throw shooting team (60%). I don't see this team getting all that far in March but this is definitely a team to watch.
3rd Quarter- Texas Tech at Texas
Winner: Texas
Why They'll Win: Quite frankly, the Longhorns aren't as good as I thought they were. Yes, D.J. Augustin (21 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast) and A.J. Abrams (18 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast) are very, very talented in the backcourt, BUT Connor Atchley, their big guy, is somewhat reminiscent of Mehmet Okur in the way he prefers to stand out by the three-point line and shoot from there, which could be the main reason he only averages 6 rebounds per game. Nonetheless, Texas has won their last two games by two points each time over Oklahoma State and Colorado. They are a surprising 3-1 against ranked teams while the Red Raiders are 2-2 against those ranked in the top 25. Bobby Knight's team is led by Martin Zeno (17 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast), Alan Voskuil (13 pts, 4 reb), and John Roberson (12 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast). The bad news about these three is that they are all guards. That is the reason Texas will win this game. The Longhorns don't really have a solid post presence but neither does Texas Tech.
When To Watch: Saturday, January 26th at 8pm eastern time on SNY.
4th Quarter- Duke at Maryland
Winner: Duke
Why They'll Win: I know my choice may seem like a homer pick but it really isn't. The last time I picked a team that gave UNC trouble to beat Duke I was wrong (see Duke-Clemson), and I've learned from my mistakes. The difficulty in picking this game is very great though. You don't know which Maryland team will come to play on any given day. Will it be the team that knocked off #1 North Carolina? Or will it be the team that lost to Virginia Commonwealth, Ohio, and American University? Thoughts aside, the Terrapins are led by Greivis Vasquez (17 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast) and James Gist (15 pts, 8 reb). As for Duke, they will suffocate the Maryland guards on defense and they won't stop attacking when on offense. Look for the Blue Devils to get Gist in foul trouble very early on. This will negate any frontcourt advantage Maryland had coming into the game. Duke is led by DeMarcus Nelson (14 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast), Kyle Singler (13 pts, 6 reb), and Gerald Henderson (13 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast). This should be one of the better games of the weekend.
When To Watch: Sunday, January 27th at 6:30pm eastern time on FSN.
Overtime- Villanova at Pitt
Winner: Villanova
Why They'll Win: I am not impressed by this Pitt team at all and apparently neither are other coaches. The Panthers are ranked 17th in the Coaches' Poll and have lost both Levance Fields and Mike Cook to injury. They are now led by freshman DeJuan Blair (12 pts, 9 reb) and Sam Young (19 pts, 7 reb). Due to the injuries I mentioned a sentence or two ago, Pitt is without a playmaker on offense. Ronald Ramon is the only other possible option for that position. If 'Nova actually won this game, it would be considered an upset according to the polls, but not an upset in my mind. Yes, they have three conference losses already, but they've posted nice wins over Pitt earlier in the year and Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. The Wildcats are led by the super sophomore, Scottie Reynolds (17 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast), and the junior, Dante Cunningham (11 pts, 7 reb). Those two form one of the better inside-outside tandems in the country along with Neitzel-Morgan of MSU and Gordon-White of Indiana.
When To Watch: Wednesday, January 30th at 7pm eastern time on ESPNU.
Double Overtime- Texas at Texas A&M
Winner: Texas A&M
Why They'll Win: I already explained the Longhorns earlier in this post so I'll spend most of this blog space writing about the Aggies of Texas A&M. Simply put, A&M will win if they get DeAndre Jordan the ball inside and Joseph Jones has a decent game because, as I mentioned before, Texas lacks a solid interior player. My main concern is that Turgeon's squad has lost each of their last three games to Baylor, Kansas State, and Texas Tech. My question is when will we see the A&M team that won 15 of their first 16 games of the season with wins over Ohio State and Washington? Finally, they are led by Josh Carter (14 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast), Joseph Jones (11 pts, 5 reb), and DeAndre Jordan (10 pts, 7 reb).
When To Watch: Wednesday, January 30th at 9pm eastern time on ESPN2.
That would be the end of this week's edition of Game-Planning. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Here's a video to pass the time between now and the Gonzaga/Memphis game...
Have a good weekend, everyone!
----- -----
1st Quarter- Gonzaga at Memphis
Winner: Memphis
Why They'll Win: I'm predicting a Tiger win to keep the undefeated season alive. This is really their last tough game before the big showdown against the highly-ranked Tennessee Volunteers. Memphis is led by Chris Douglas-Roberts (17 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast), Derrick Rose (14 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast), and Joey Dorsey (7 pts, 10 reb). They are currently ranked #1 in both polls and they've only been in one game that they won by less than ten points. The Tigers are a scoring machine as they have scored at least 90 points on five occasions and average 81 points per game. They shoot 36% from deep and 47% from the field. Now, I've said it all year long and I'll say it again: free throw shooting will be the death of this team. They shoot a terrible 59% from the charity stripe. Concerning Gonzaga, they're led by Matt Bouldin (15 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast), Josh Heytvelt (12 pts, 5 reb), and Jeremy Pargo (11 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast). The Bulldogs were ranked at the beginning of the season but have fallen out of the top 25 due to their four losses to Texas Tech, Washington State, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. They, too, average a good amount of points per game with an average of 76. I expect this game to be highly competitive and very high scoring.
When To Watch: Saturday, January 26th at noon eastern time on ESPN.
2nd Quarter- Doubleheader
Game 1: UConn at Indiana
Winner: Indiana
Why They'll Win: The Hoosiers are ranked #7 and the Huskies are unranked, but don't think that means this game will be easy for Indiana. We've already seen UConn give Memphis, Gonzaga, Georgetown, and Marquette trouble. They even posted a nice victory over Cincinatti. They're led by Jeff Adrien (14 pts, 9 reb, 2 ast), A.J. Price (14 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast), and Hasheem Thabeet (11 pts, 8 reb). Indiana is led by the inside-outside tandem of D.J. White (17 pts, 10 reb) and Eric Gordon (22 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast) and will be the two that UConn needs to keep in check. If they dont, the Huskies have no shot at winning this one.
When To Watch: Saturday, January 26th at 1pm eastern time on CBS.
----------------------------------------
Game 2: Washington at Arizona
Winner: Arizona
Why They'll Win: The 11-7 Huskies will travel to Arizona to face the 12-6 Wildcats in what should be a very good game. I'm picking Arizona for two reasons in this game and it doesn't have much to do with team talent because they're too close to choose. Washington is 1-2 on the road and Arizona is 7-2 at home. Therefore, my winner will be the team that plays well at home. Nonetheless, Washington's leader is Jon Brockman (19 pts, 12 reb), who I think is one of the more underrated big men in the nation this year. Arizona is led by a trio of players in Jerryd Bayless (19 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast), Chase Budinger (17 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast), and Jordan Hill (14 pts, 8 reb).
When To Watch: Saturday, January 26th at 3pm eastern time on FSN.
Halftime Thoughts-
CollegeHoops.Net's Hot Topic of the Week: Mississippi State's winning streak is what has everyone buzzing right now. I'll be honest and admit that I don't know a whole lot about this team; I did, however, decide to do some research. The Bulldogs are 4-0 in the SEC and have won all of their past eight games. Their best player is probably Jamont Gordon, who averages 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. Mississippi State is not a very good three-point shooting team though (33%) and are an even worse free throw shooting team (60%). I don't see this team getting all that far in March but this is definitely a team to watch.
3rd Quarter- Texas Tech at Texas
Winner: Texas
Why They'll Win: Quite frankly, the Longhorns aren't as good as I thought they were. Yes, D.J. Augustin (21 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast) and A.J. Abrams (18 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast) are very, very talented in the backcourt, BUT Connor Atchley, their big guy, is somewhat reminiscent of Mehmet Okur in the way he prefers to stand out by the three-point line and shoot from there, which could be the main reason he only averages 6 rebounds per game. Nonetheless, Texas has won their last two games by two points each time over Oklahoma State and Colorado. They are a surprising 3-1 against ranked teams while the Red Raiders are 2-2 against those ranked in the top 25. Bobby Knight's team is led by Martin Zeno (17 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast), Alan Voskuil (13 pts, 4 reb), and John Roberson (12 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast). The bad news about these three is that they are all guards. That is the reason Texas will win this game. The Longhorns don't really have a solid post presence but neither does Texas Tech.
When To Watch: Saturday, January 26th at 8pm eastern time on SNY.
4th Quarter- Duke at Maryland
Winner: Duke
Why They'll Win: I know my choice may seem like a homer pick but it really isn't. The last time I picked a team that gave UNC trouble to beat Duke I was wrong (see Duke-Clemson), and I've learned from my mistakes. The difficulty in picking this game is very great though. You don't know which Maryland team will come to play on any given day. Will it be the team that knocked off #1 North Carolina? Or will it be the team that lost to Virginia Commonwealth, Ohio, and American University? Thoughts aside, the Terrapins are led by Greivis Vasquez (17 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast) and James Gist (15 pts, 8 reb). As for Duke, they will suffocate the Maryland guards on defense and they won't stop attacking when on offense. Look for the Blue Devils to get Gist in foul trouble very early on. This will negate any frontcourt advantage Maryland had coming into the game. Duke is led by DeMarcus Nelson (14 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast), Kyle Singler (13 pts, 6 reb), and Gerald Henderson (13 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast). This should be one of the better games of the weekend.
When To Watch: Sunday, January 27th at 6:30pm eastern time on FSN.
Overtime- Villanova at Pitt
Winner: Villanova
Why They'll Win: I am not impressed by this Pitt team at all and apparently neither are other coaches. The Panthers are ranked 17th in the Coaches' Poll and have lost both Levance Fields and Mike Cook to injury. They are now led by freshman DeJuan Blair (12 pts, 9 reb) and Sam Young (19 pts, 7 reb). Due to the injuries I mentioned a sentence or two ago, Pitt is without a playmaker on offense. Ronald Ramon is the only other possible option for that position. If 'Nova actually won this game, it would be considered an upset according to the polls, but not an upset in my mind. Yes, they have three conference losses already, but they've posted nice wins over Pitt earlier in the year and Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. The Wildcats are led by the super sophomore, Scottie Reynolds (17 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast), and the junior, Dante Cunningham (11 pts, 7 reb). Those two form one of the better inside-outside tandems in the country along with Neitzel-Morgan of MSU and Gordon-White of Indiana.
When To Watch: Wednesday, January 30th at 7pm eastern time on ESPNU.
Double Overtime- Texas at Texas A&M
Winner: Texas A&M
Why They'll Win: I already explained the Longhorns earlier in this post so I'll spend most of this blog space writing about the Aggies of Texas A&M. Simply put, A&M will win if they get DeAndre Jordan the ball inside and Joseph Jones has a decent game because, as I mentioned before, Texas lacks a solid interior player. My main concern is that Turgeon's squad has lost each of their last three games to Baylor, Kansas State, and Texas Tech. My question is when will we see the A&M team that won 15 of their first 16 games of the season with wins over Ohio State and Washington? Finally, they are led by Josh Carter (14 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast), Joseph Jones (11 pts, 5 reb), and DeAndre Jordan (10 pts, 7 reb).
When To Watch: Wednesday, January 30th at 9pm eastern time on ESPN2.
That would be the end of this week's edition of Game-Planning. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Here's a video to pass the time between now and the Gonzaga/Memphis game...
Have a good weekend, everyone!
----- -----
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Game-Planning 8: Midterm Edition
I know that a lot of the people reading this blog are current students so I will not disappoint and will aptly name this the Midterm Edition of Game-Planning. Yeah, I know all of you nerds (shout out to chrono) are exempt but I don't want to hear it. After you're done reading this blog, you should go hit the books. Admit it, you are amidst the wonderful procrastination stage of your studying for exams. Anyways, I don't want to get in the way of the process so I'll just start the part of the blog people like to read.
1st Quarter- NC State at North Carolina
Winner: North Carolina
Why They'll Win: The favorite will win this game, but not by as big a margin as many are predicting. This will be a very close game. The Wolfpack are 11-3 currently and are led by freshman J.J. Hickson (17 pts, 8 reb), senior Gavin Grant (14 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast), and sophomore Brandon Costner (11 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast). They defeated a tough Villanova team on the road and took down mid-major Davidson by one point at home. Embarrassing are their losses to New Orleans and East Carolina. NC State shoots a below average 30% from deep, 71% from the charity stripe, and 46% from the field. Being led by a freshman to go up against the #1 team in the country doesn't sound all that good to me, which is why I chose UNC to win this one. The Tar Heels are an undefeated 16-0 (coincidence with the Patriots record, I swear) and are #1 in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls. They're led by Tyler Hansbrough (22 pts, 10 reb), Wayne Ellington (18 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast), and Ty Lawson (14 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast). Sadly (or joyously for Duke fans), they've been stumbling as of late. After leaving the state of South Carolina with a not-so-convincing victory over Clemson, UNC proceeded to defeat North Carolina-Asheville...by only twelve points.
When To Watch: Saturday, January 12th on ESPN at noon eastern time.
2nd Quarter- Washington St. at UCLA
Winner: UCLA
Why They'll Win: Washington State, in my opinion, is the most overrated team in the top ten and this game will prove that. I'm saying the Bruins will take this game by a minimum of 12 points. The Cougars are led by Derrick Low (13 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast), Kyle Weaver (12 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast), and Aron Baynes (12 pts, 7 reb). Their "big" notable win? That would be their win over Gonzaga. They've had close games with Air Force, Baylor, and Washington. Washington State shoots 34% from long range, 77% from the free throw line, and 50% from the field. UCLA, however, is one of the better teams in the country and is poised to make a deep run come tourney time. They're led by freshman sensation Kevin Love (17 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast), Josh Shipp (15 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast), and Darren Collison (12 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast). They have impressive wins over Stanford, Davidson, Michigan State, and Maryland. Their only loss came at the hands of Texas on a last second lay-up.
When To Watch: Saturday, January 12th on FSN at 2:30pm eastern time.
Halftime Thoughts-
In the new power rankings by Luke Winn of SI.com, he put Memphis first, North Carolina second, and Kansas third. For RIGHT NOW, there couldn't be a more perfect top three. He definitely hit the nail on the head. However, I do think he has Tennessee a bit too high at number four, but I digress...
CollegeHoops.net's Hot Topic of the Week: The top fifteen in the nation is what has this particular message board buzzing as if it's a bee's nest in the summer. The person who posted had Kansas first, UCLA second, Memphis third, and UNC fourth. Some other interesting choices were Xavier at 9 and West Virginia at 15, both of which I think are too high for them as of now. I would like to hear your opinion on it.
My next topic of discussion has absolutely nothing to do with today's college basketball. Instead, we're going back a few years to talk about the greatest in history. (Author's Note: Special thanks to Andy Katz for helping me with this topic.) I will attempt to countdown the top three. This is very tough to try and put these in any order but here goes:
3. Lew Alcindor, UCLA, 66-67; 29 ppg on way to 30-0 record.
2. Pete Maravich, LSU, 69-70; 44.5 ppg while shattering scoring record.
1. Oscar Robertson, Cincy, 57-58; 35.1 ppg and 15.2 rpg made this year remarkable.
3rd Quarter- Georgetown at Pitt
Winner: Georgetown
Why They'll Win: You may know me to be not the biggest fan of the Hoyas this season if you've read any of my previous posts. However, they're facing a Pitt team that has lost two of their last four games after losing players to injuries. G'Town is 12-1 right now and are led by Roy Hibbert (12 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast), DaJuan Summers (12 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast), and Jonathan Wallace (11 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast). The Hoyas do not have really a big win on their schedule (in fact, they don't have a win against an opponent that is currently ranked) and this is their best opportunity. The Panthers shoot 35% from deep, 71% from the line, and 47% from the field. They're led by Sam Young (18 pts, 7 reb) and DaJuan Blair (12 pts, 10 reb), and they've lost Levance Fields and Mike Cook to injuries. Prior to that though, they had an impressive win over the Duke Blue Devils. Nonetheless, I don't see Georgetown losing this game.
When To Watch: Monday, January 14th at 7pm eastern time on ESPN.
4th Quarter- Ohio State at Michigan State
Winner: Michigan State
Why They'll Win: Both teams are undefeated in conference play, yet I'm definitely giving the edge to the Spartans in this one. They rely on the play of Raymar Morgan (18 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast) and Drew Neitzel (13 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast). Their only loss to date is their 5-point defeat at the hands of UCLA. Michigan State has posted wins over NC State, BYU, and Texas. They shoot 36% from behind the three-point line, 75% from the stripe, and 50% from the field. If you stop the inside-outside tandem of Neitzel and Morgan, you stop this team. However, it's easier said than done. The 12-3 Buckeyes will have their hands full in this one and will make it interesting. The fabulous freshman, Kosta Koufos, leads the frontcourt with his 15 points and 7 rebounds per game. Jamar Butler (14 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast) has also been vital for this young Ohio State team. They have six players averaging 22+ minutes per game. Their three losses came to Texas A&M, North Carolina, and Butler (all ranked), but they can boast their wins over Syracuse and Florida.
When To Watch: Tuesday, January 15th at 7pm eastern time on ESPN.
Yes, I know this post is coming a little late so I decided to give you a link to recaps of the past games on Thursday night that you may have missed if you've been living under a rock.
A) West Virginia at Louisville
B) Illinois at Wisconsin
C) Washington State at USC
And here's a video for the road. It's the top ten NBA plays of the year 2007. Enjoy.
That ends this edition of Game-Planning. I hope you liked it, but don't spend too much time in front of the tube this weekend. You need to study!
----- -----
1st Quarter- NC State at North Carolina
Winner: North Carolina
Why They'll Win: The favorite will win this game, but not by as big a margin as many are predicting. This will be a very close game. The Wolfpack are 11-3 currently and are led by freshman J.J. Hickson (17 pts, 8 reb), senior Gavin Grant (14 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast), and sophomore Brandon Costner (11 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast). They defeated a tough Villanova team on the road and took down mid-major Davidson by one point at home. Embarrassing are their losses to New Orleans and East Carolina. NC State shoots a below average 30% from deep, 71% from the charity stripe, and 46% from the field. Being led by a freshman to go up against the #1 team in the country doesn't sound all that good to me, which is why I chose UNC to win this one. The Tar Heels are an undefeated 16-0 (coincidence with the Patriots record, I swear) and are #1 in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls. They're led by Tyler Hansbrough (22 pts, 10 reb), Wayne Ellington (18 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast), and Ty Lawson (14 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast). Sadly (or joyously for Duke fans), they've been stumbling as of late. After leaving the state of South Carolina with a not-so-convincing victory over Clemson, UNC proceeded to defeat North Carolina-Asheville...by only twelve points.
When To Watch: Saturday, January 12th on ESPN at noon eastern time.
2nd Quarter- Washington St. at UCLA
Winner: UCLA
Why They'll Win: Washington State, in my opinion, is the most overrated team in the top ten and this game will prove that. I'm saying the Bruins will take this game by a minimum of 12 points. The Cougars are led by Derrick Low (13 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast), Kyle Weaver (12 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast), and Aron Baynes (12 pts, 7 reb). Their "big" notable win? That would be their win over Gonzaga. They've had close games with Air Force, Baylor, and Washington. Washington State shoots 34% from long range, 77% from the free throw line, and 50% from the field. UCLA, however, is one of the better teams in the country and is poised to make a deep run come tourney time. They're led by freshman sensation Kevin Love (17 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast), Josh Shipp (15 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast), and Darren Collison (12 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast). They have impressive wins over Stanford, Davidson, Michigan State, and Maryland. Their only loss came at the hands of Texas on a last second lay-up.
When To Watch: Saturday, January 12th on FSN at 2:30pm eastern time.
Halftime Thoughts-
In the new power rankings by Luke Winn of SI.com, he put Memphis first, North Carolina second, and Kansas third. For RIGHT NOW, there couldn't be a more perfect top three. He definitely hit the nail on the head. However, I do think he has Tennessee a bit too high at number four, but I digress...
CollegeHoops.net's Hot Topic of the Week: The top fifteen in the nation is what has this particular message board buzzing as if it's a bee's nest in the summer. The person who posted had Kansas first, UCLA second, Memphis third, and UNC fourth. Some other interesting choices were Xavier at 9 and West Virginia at 15, both of which I think are too high for them as of now. I would like to hear your opinion on it.
My next topic of discussion has absolutely nothing to do with today's college basketball. Instead, we're going back a few years to talk about the greatest in history. (Author's Note: Special thanks to Andy Katz for helping me with this topic.) I will attempt to countdown the top three. This is very tough to try and put these in any order but here goes:
3. Lew Alcindor, UCLA, 66-67; 29 ppg on way to 30-0 record.
2. Pete Maravich, LSU, 69-70; 44.5 ppg while shattering scoring record.
1. Oscar Robertson, Cincy, 57-58; 35.1 ppg and 15.2 rpg made this year remarkable.
3rd Quarter- Georgetown at Pitt
Winner: Georgetown
Why They'll Win: You may know me to be not the biggest fan of the Hoyas this season if you've read any of my previous posts. However, they're facing a Pitt team that has lost two of their last four games after losing players to injuries. G'Town is 12-1 right now and are led by Roy Hibbert (12 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast), DaJuan Summers (12 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast), and Jonathan Wallace (11 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast). The Hoyas do not have really a big win on their schedule (in fact, they don't have a win against an opponent that is currently ranked) and this is their best opportunity. The Panthers shoot 35% from deep, 71% from the line, and 47% from the field. They're led by Sam Young (18 pts, 7 reb) and DaJuan Blair (12 pts, 10 reb), and they've lost Levance Fields and Mike Cook to injuries. Prior to that though, they had an impressive win over the Duke Blue Devils. Nonetheless, I don't see Georgetown losing this game.
When To Watch: Monday, January 14th at 7pm eastern time on ESPN.
4th Quarter- Ohio State at Michigan State
Winner: Michigan State
Why They'll Win: Both teams are undefeated in conference play, yet I'm definitely giving the edge to the Spartans in this one. They rely on the play of Raymar Morgan (18 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast) and Drew Neitzel (13 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast). Their only loss to date is their 5-point defeat at the hands of UCLA. Michigan State has posted wins over NC State, BYU, and Texas. They shoot 36% from behind the three-point line, 75% from the stripe, and 50% from the field. If you stop the inside-outside tandem of Neitzel and Morgan, you stop this team. However, it's easier said than done. The 12-3 Buckeyes will have their hands full in this one and will make it interesting. The fabulous freshman, Kosta Koufos, leads the frontcourt with his 15 points and 7 rebounds per game. Jamar Butler (14 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast) has also been vital for this young Ohio State team. They have six players averaging 22+ minutes per game. Their three losses came to Texas A&M, North Carolina, and Butler (all ranked), but they can boast their wins over Syracuse and Florida.
When To Watch: Tuesday, January 15th at 7pm eastern time on ESPN.
Yes, I know this post is coming a little late so I decided to give you a link to recaps of the past games on Thursday night that you may have missed if you've been living under a rock.
A) West Virginia at Louisville
B) Illinois at Wisconsin
C) Washington State at USC
And here's a video for the road. It's the top ten NBA plays of the year 2007. Enjoy.
That ends this edition of Game-Planning. I hope you liked it, but don't spend too much time in front of the tube this weekend. You need to study!
----- -----
Saturday, January 5, 2008
The Good & The Bad of The Top 8
So here I was at my computer. Sitting. I was trying so very hard to think a good blog idea that people will read. Then it hit me. Break down what's good and what's bad about the AP Top 8. However, some may have opened this thinking I was referring to college football. I am most certainly not. I'm talking basketball. You can leave this page. Now, for those of you who actually want to read this blog, continue on. But, first, here are the eight teams that will face my criticism.
1. North Carolina Tar Heels (14-0; 1,772 votes)
2. Memphis Tigers (12-0; 1,744 votes)
3. Kansas Jayhawks (13-0; 1,667 votes)
4. Washington State Cougars (12-0; 1,534 votes)
5. UCLA Bruins (13-1; 1,499 votes)
6. Michigan State Spartans (12-1; 1,419 votes)
7. Georgetown Hoyas (10-1; 1,324 votes)
8. Tennessee Volunteers (12-1; 1,259 votes)
I'll start with number eight and work my way down the list in descending order.
#8 Tennessee Volunteers
Key Players: Chris Lofton (15 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast), J.P. Prince (14 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast), Tyler Smith (13 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast).
The Good: It's truly a collective effort with this group. They have six players averaging at least 8 points per game, and eight players are averaging at least 18 minutes of playing time. This all indicates that Bruce Pearl is getting his players to buy into the kind of system he wants them to play, which is to pressure the team on defense and run with the ball when they get it. After suffering a 19-point loss to #16 Texas, Tennessee has won seven straight games with wins over Xavier and Gonzaga. They have a couple tough tests coming up with Mississippi, Vanderbilt, and Ohio State.
The Bad: Chris Lofton is not playing the basketball he's capable of playing out on the court. His sophomore and junior seasons were successful when he averaged 17 and 21 points, respectively. However, there has been a significant drop-off and he's averaging only 15. He has had four games with ten or less points. He only had four all of last season, two of which came when he was injured. Next is the problem I have with their frontcourt. Their "big guy" down low is only 6'9", and he's only averaging five rebounds. Their next tallest guy is Tyler Smith who, at 6'7", is putting up decent numbers but still lacks the great rebounding total (his average is 6). That will kill them against a good rebounding team like Mississippi.
March Forecast: I see this team making a run to the Sweet 16, but not much farther than that. As I mentioned earlier, they just don't have a good interior player.
#7 Georgetown Hoyas
Key Players: DaJuan Summers (13 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast), Roy Hibbert (12 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast), Jonathan Wallace (10 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast).
The Good: The Hoyas are 11-1 and look ready to run the table in the Big East, as long as Pitt stays out of their way. They are 7-0 at home this season and have very good depth with nine players averaging at least 18 minutes of play per game. Patrick Ewing Jr. has been playing pretty well as of late as well. In the big game with Memphis, he posted a nice stat line of 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. His problem? Shooting from the outside. Back to the team as a whole though, Georgetown has outscored their opponents by an average of 73-52 since the loss to Memphis.
The Bad: The have played a weak schedule so far with the exception of Memphis, whom they lost to. Roy Hibbert was downright terrible in that game as well with only 6 points, 6 rebounds, 0 free throws attempted, 3 turnovers, and 4 personal fouls. Of the top 8 teams, I think Georgetown is the second weakest behind Washington State. I watched the entire game against the Tigers, and NOT ONE player stepped up for them at the end. They don't have a go-to player, and, in my humble opinion, Roy Hibbert is overrated.
March Forecast: Not much more than a Sweet 16 for this team. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they got knocked off in one of the early rounds.
#6 Michigan State Spartans
Key Players: Raymar Morgan (18 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast), Drew Neitzel (14 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast).
The Good: Raymar Morgan has emerged as a threat down low and has combined with Neitzel to form one of the better inside-outside combinations in the country. They've had a couple good wins as well, which include beating Texas, BYU, and NC State. They lost to highly-ranked UCLA by only five points. They have a very good chance at winnning the Big Ten with their biggest opponents being Indiana and Wisconsin. Goran Suton is doing a decent job for the Spartans on the boards, averaging 8 rebounds per game to go along with his 9 points.
The Bad: If Morgan or Neitzel has a rough game, then the team may be in serious trouble. Against Kevin Love and UCLA, Morgan went for only 10 points and 2 rebounds, well below his season averages. They lost that game. It's their major area of concern when they lean so heavily on two players like that.
March Forecast: This team is definitely capable of getting to the Elite 8, depending on the draw. They may even sneak into the Final Four. Now winning when they get that far? It most likely will not happen because teams with good big men will start to shut down Morgan.
#5 UCLA Bruins
Key Players: Kevin Love (17 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast), Josh Shipp (15 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast), Russell Westbrook (12 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast).
The Good: What's not to "love"? (pun not intended) The Bruins have impressive wins over Michigan State, Stanford, Cal, Davidson, and Maryland, all of which may be dancing come March. They have a big game coming up against #4 Washington State. It will be a tough test and will prove how serious of contenders they are. More good news is that this team has recovered from most of the injuries they had earlier in the season. Darren Collison is back averaging 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. UCLA has eight players averaging at least 18 minutes of PT, and five players are averaging double figures in points.
The Bad: This team falters once in awhile from behind the arc. Against Texas, the shot a whopping 29% from deep. The inexperienced Love also has trouble in big games, which is natural for freshmen like himself. He had only 11 points and 5 rebounds in the game. Another underclassman, Westbrook, had trouble scoring only 7 points and 2 rebounds. These young guys for UCLA have trouble when the games become more meaningful. I just hope for their sake they don't crumble at the end of the season when even more pressure is put on them.
March Forecast: This team is very skilled, and I'd say they are a Elite 8/Final Four team depending, of course, on who stays healthy and who responds well at the end of games.
#4 Washington State Cougars
Key Players: Derrick Low (13 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast), Kyle Weaver (12 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast), Aron Baynes (12 pts, 7 reb).
The Good: The Cougars have six players logging a lot of minutes for them right now (22+). All six are averaging at least 9 points per game. They are riding a 13-game winning streak (they're undefeated) and have posted wins over Washington and Gonzaga to name a few. The have two big games coming up against USC and UCLA. As a team, Washington State shoots 77% from the line, 34% from deep, and 50% from the field, all of which are decent numbers. They defeat their opponents by an average score of 69-50. The Cougars have held their opponents under 50 points seven times in thirteen games, which is a credit to their defense. They average 7 steals and 4 blocks per game.
The Bad: Their cupcake schedule will be the downfall of them. They've been playing teams like Boise State, Mississippi Valley State, Baylor, Portland State, Citadel, North Carolina A&T, etc. They could quite possibly lose four of their next five games and fall tremendously in the rankings. Washington State has one, maybe two, good teams they've played, and they've only won by an average of four points.
March Forecast: The Sweet 16 will be as far as this team will go. Struggling with teams like Air Force and Baylor, the Cougars can't compete with the powerhouses of tough conferences.
#3 Kansas Jayhawks
Key Players: Darrell Arthur (14 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast), Darnell Jackson (13 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast), Mario Chalmers (12 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast).
The Good: Kansas is 14-0 and have wins over Arizona, USC, Georgia Tech, and Boston College. They've won those games by an average of ten points. They also have depth. Eight Jayhawks average 17+ minutes of playing time. Kansas also averages 11 steals and 6 blocks per game. They shoot 39% from deep and 53% from the field. And, finally, they've scored 85 points or more in nine of their fourteen games. This team can put the ball in the basket better than a lot of teams that are ranked this high.
The Bad: Free throw shooting is crucial come tournament time. Kansas shoots just 64% from the charity stripe. Darrell Arthur averages a horrid 3.1 turnovers to every assist. Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun aren't much better. Back to the free throw concern though, their best player at shooting them is Brandon Rush...at 76%. They haven't one guy that they can depend on to sink free throws at the end of games. This problem will be the death of the team.
March Forecast: Elite 8 or a Final Four is where this team will probably be at the end of March. However, as I mentioned earlier, they won't make it to the National Title Game because of their free throw shooting.
#2 Memphis Tigers
Key Players: Chris Douglas-Roberts (17 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast), Derrick Rose (14 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast), Joey Dorsey (8 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast).
The Good: This team may very well be the most talented team in the entire nation. They may also be the best team in the nation. The Tigers go about 9 or 10 deep, but they'd almost have to with the frenetic pace that they play at. It's hard enough for teams to keep up with them, let alone actually beating them at the end of the game when Memphis still has fresh legs coming in and the other team is tired. They shoot a lot of three-pointers and are decent at making them with 37% of them making it through the hoop. Memphis averages 9 steals and 7 blocks per game, which have only helped them to their fantastic 13-0 start. Of all the undefeated teams left, I think they have the best shot of anyone at going the distance undefeated. The Tigers have had impressive wins over Oklahoma (by 10), UConn (by 11), USC (by 4), Georgetown (by 14), and Arizona (by 13).
The Bad: Free throw shooting should be a major concern of John Calipari. His team shoots an absolutely abysmal 57% from the line. Their best is Doneal Mack with 75%. However, NOT ONE other person on the team shoots even 70%. The only other possible problem for Memphis is the incredibly weak conference schedule. They play in Conference-USA, which doesn't boast many top teams, yet they have managed nice wins over tough teams in their non-conference schedule.
March Forecast: The Final Four and beyond for Memphis. They are definitely one of the two best teams in the country. After watching the Clemson vs. North Carolina game recently, it's very possible to say they are the BEST team in the country.
#1 North Carolina Tar Heels
Key Players: Tyler Hansbrough (22 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast), Wayne Ellington (18 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast), Ty Lawson (13 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast).
The Good: If not for the loss of Bobby Frasor, I may be even more excited about the chances this team has at a national title. With the scare that was provided to UNC by Clemson recently, I think this makes the Tar Heels even more dangerous when March rolls around. They've proved that they can come through in the clutch. North Carolina basically has six players that receive most of the playing time and contribute most of the scoring. As a team, they shoot 38% from deep, 74% from the line, and 50% from the field. Danny Green and Wayne Ellington are the ones you need to watch out for when they spot up from deep during a game. North Carolina has beaten, most notably, Davidson, BYU, Ohio State, Valparaiso, and Clemson. However, none of those teams are currently ranked with the exception of Clemson.
The Bad: They've had a weak non-conference schedule as they have faced a total of ZERO ranked teams. They also are without the services of Bobby Frasor, as I mentioned earlier. If Lawson gets in foul trouble, they don't have a reliable backup point guard to go to. Those are my only two worries with this deep, well-coached, and experienced Tar Heel team.
March Forecast: Anything less than being at the Final Four will be a huge disappointment for this team. I don't see them falling out early in March either.
That's all I have to say in regards to the main premise of this blog. But I'm not done, and you should definitely not stop reading this blog. I will now talk about my overly premature Final Four picks. It's very early, but I'll go with North Carolina and Memphis as the sure ones. I'll put Kansas in their as well. For the fourth spot, I don't think it will be anyone else that was mentioned in this blog. It may be UCLA or Michigan State, but I'll go with the Texas Longhorns. D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams make this one of the tougher backcourts to defend in the country. For more on the very impressive Clemson/UNC game, click on this link. Have a good day!
Poll Result- 60% of voters thought that Pitt would make it as far as the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament this year while 20% thought they would lose in the 1st or 2nd round. Also worth mentioning is the 20% that thinks the Panthers are going to make it to the Final Four this season.
----- -----
1. North Carolina Tar Heels (14-0; 1,772 votes)
2. Memphis Tigers (12-0; 1,744 votes)
3. Kansas Jayhawks (13-0; 1,667 votes)
4. Washington State Cougars (12-0; 1,534 votes)
5. UCLA Bruins (13-1; 1,499 votes)
6. Michigan State Spartans (12-1; 1,419 votes)
7. Georgetown Hoyas (10-1; 1,324 votes)
8. Tennessee Volunteers (12-1; 1,259 votes)
I'll start with number eight and work my way down the list in descending order.
#8 Tennessee Volunteers
Key Players: Chris Lofton (15 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast), J.P. Prince (14 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast), Tyler Smith (13 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast).
The Good: It's truly a collective effort with this group. They have six players averaging at least 8 points per game, and eight players are averaging at least 18 minutes of playing time. This all indicates that Bruce Pearl is getting his players to buy into the kind of system he wants them to play, which is to pressure the team on defense and run with the ball when they get it. After suffering a 19-point loss to #16 Texas, Tennessee has won seven straight games with wins over Xavier and Gonzaga. They have a couple tough tests coming up with Mississippi, Vanderbilt, and Ohio State.
The Bad: Chris Lofton is not playing the basketball he's capable of playing out on the court. His sophomore and junior seasons were successful when he averaged 17 and 21 points, respectively. However, there has been a significant drop-off and he's averaging only 15. He has had four games with ten or less points. He only had four all of last season, two of which came when he was injured. Next is the problem I have with their frontcourt. Their "big guy" down low is only 6'9", and he's only averaging five rebounds. Their next tallest guy is Tyler Smith who, at 6'7", is putting up decent numbers but still lacks the great rebounding total (his average is 6). That will kill them against a good rebounding team like Mississippi.
March Forecast: I see this team making a run to the Sweet 16, but not much farther than that. As I mentioned earlier, they just don't have a good interior player.
#7 Georgetown Hoyas
Key Players: DaJuan Summers (13 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast), Roy Hibbert (12 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast), Jonathan Wallace (10 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast).
The Good: The Hoyas are 11-1 and look ready to run the table in the Big East, as long as Pitt stays out of their way. They are 7-0 at home this season and have very good depth with nine players averaging at least 18 minutes of play per game. Patrick Ewing Jr. has been playing pretty well as of late as well. In the big game with Memphis, he posted a nice stat line of 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. His problem? Shooting from the outside. Back to the team as a whole though, Georgetown has outscored their opponents by an average of 73-52 since the loss to Memphis.
The Bad: The have played a weak schedule so far with the exception of Memphis, whom they lost to. Roy Hibbert was downright terrible in that game as well with only 6 points, 6 rebounds, 0 free throws attempted, 3 turnovers, and 4 personal fouls. Of the top 8 teams, I think Georgetown is the second weakest behind Washington State. I watched the entire game against the Tigers, and NOT ONE player stepped up for them at the end. They don't have a go-to player, and, in my humble opinion, Roy Hibbert is overrated.
March Forecast: Not much more than a Sweet 16 for this team. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they got knocked off in one of the early rounds.
#6 Michigan State Spartans
Key Players: Raymar Morgan (18 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast), Drew Neitzel (14 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast).
The Good: Raymar Morgan has emerged as a threat down low and has combined with Neitzel to form one of the better inside-outside combinations in the country. They've had a couple good wins as well, which include beating Texas, BYU, and NC State. They lost to highly-ranked UCLA by only five points. They have a very good chance at winnning the Big Ten with their biggest opponents being Indiana and Wisconsin. Goran Suton is doing a decent job for the Spartans on the boards, averaging 8 rebounds per game to go along with his 9 points.
The Bad: If Morgan or Neitzel has a rough game, then the team may be in serious trouble. Against Kevin Love and UCLA, Morgan went for only 10 points and 2 rebounds, well below his season averages. They lost that game. It's their major area of concern when they lean so heavily on two players like that.
March Forecast: This team is definitely capable of getting to the Elite 8, depending on the draw. They may even sneak into the Final Four. Now winning when they get that far? It most likely will not happen because teams with good big men will start to shut down Morgan.
#5 UCLA Bruins
Key Players: Kevin Love (17 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast), Josh Shipp (15 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast), Russell Westbrook (12 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast).
The Good: What's not to "love"? (pun not intended) The Bruins have impressive wins over Michigan State, Stanford, Cal, Davidson, and Maryland, all of which may be dancing come March. They have a big game coming up against #4 Washington State. It will be a tough test and will prove how serious of contenders they are. More good news is that this team has recovered from most of the injuries they had earlier in the season. Darren Collison is back averaging 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. UCLA has eight players averaging at least 18 minutes of PT, and five players are averaging double figures in points.
The Bad: This team falters once in awhile from behind the arc. Against Texas, the shot a whopping 29% from deep. The inexperienced Love also has trouble in big games, which is natural for freshmen like himself. He had only 11 points and 5 rebounds in the game. Another underclassman, Westbrook, had trouble scoring only 7 points and 2 rebounds. These young guys for UCLA have trouble when the games become more meaningful. I just hope for their sake they don't crumble at the end of the season when even more pressure is put on them.
March Forecast: This team is very skilled, and I'd say they are a Elite 8/Final Four team depending, of course, on who stays healthy and who responds well at the end of games.
#4 Washington State Cougars
Key Players: Derrick Low (13 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast), Kyle Weaver (12 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast), Aron Baynes (12 pts, 7 reb).
The Good: The Cougars have six players logging a lot of minutes for them right now (22+). All six are averaging at least 9 points per game. They are riding a 13-game winning streak (they're undefeated) and have posted wins over Washington and Gonzaga to name a few. The have two big games coming up against USC and UCLA. As a team, Washington State shoots 77% from the line, 34% from deep, and 50% from the field, all of which are decent numbers. They defeat their opponents by an average score of 69-50. The Cougars have held their opponents under 50 points seven times in thirteen games, which is a credit to their defense. They average 7 steals and 4 blocks per game.
The Bad: Their cupcake schedule will be the downfall of them. They've been playing teams like Boise State, Mississippi Valley State, Baylor, Portland State, Citadel, North Carolina A&T, etc. They could quite possibly lose four of their next five games and fall tremendously in the rankings. Washington State has one, maybe two, good teams they've played, and they've only won by an average of four points.
March Forecast: The Sweet 16 will be as far as this team will go. Struggling with teams like Air Force and Baylor, the Cougars can't compete with the powerhouses of tough conferences.
#3 Kansas Jayhawks
Key Players: Darrell Arthur (14 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast), Darnell Jackson (13 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast), Mario Chalmers (12 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast).
The Good: Kansas is 14-0 and have wins over Arizona, USC, Georgia Tech, and Boston College. They've won those games by an average of ten points. They also have depth. Eight Jayhawks average 17+ minutes of playing time. Kansas also averages 11 steals and 6 blocks per game. They shoot 39% from deep and 53% from the field. And, finally, they've scored 85 points or more in nine of their fourteen games. This team can put the ball in the basket better than a lot of teams that are ranked this high.
The Bad: Free throw shooting is crucial come tournament time. Kansas shoots just 64% from the charity stripe. Darrell Arthur averages a horrid 3.1 turnovers to every assist. Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun aren't much better. Back to the free throw concern though, their best player at shooting them is Brandon Rush...at 76%. They haven't one guy that they can depend on to sink free throws at the end of games. This problem will be the death of the team.
March Forecast: Elite 8 or a Final Four is where this team will probably be at the end of March. However, as I mentioned earlier, they won't make it to the National Title Game because of their free throw shooting.
#2 Memphis Tigers
Key Players: Chris Douglas-Roberts (17 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast), Derrick Rose (14 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast), Joey Dorsey (8 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast).
The Good: This team may very well be the most talented team in the entire nation. They may also be the best team in the nation. The Tigers go about 9 or 10 deep, but they'd almost have to with the frenetic pace that they play at. It's hard enough for teams to keep up with them, let alone actually beating them at the end of the game when Memphis still has fresh legs coming in and the other team is tired. They shoot a lot of three-pointers and are decent at making them with 37% of them making it through the hoop. Memphis averages 9 steals and 7 blocks per game, which have only helped them to their fantastic 13-0 start. Of all the undefeated teams left, I think they have the best shot of anyone at going the distance undefeated. The Tigers have had impressive wins over Oklahoma (by 10), UConn (by 11), USC (by 4), Georgetown (by 14), and Arizona (by 13).
The Bad: Free throw shooting should be a major concern of John Calipari. His team shoots an absolutely abysmal 57% from the line. Their best is Doneal Mack with 75%. However, NOT ONE other person on the team shoots even 70%. The only other possible problem for Memphis is the incredibly weak conference schedule. They play in Conference-USA, which doesn't boast many top teams, yet they have managed nice wins over tough teams in their non-conference schedule.
March Forecast: The Final Four and beyond for Memphis. They are definitely one of the two best teams in the country. After watching the Clemson vs. North Carolina game recently, it's very possible to say they are the BEST team in the country.
#1 North Carolina Tar Heels
Key Players: Tyler Hansbrough (22 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast), Wayne Ellington (18 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast), Ty Lawson (13 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast).
The Good: If not for the loss of Bobby Frasor, I may be even more excited about the chances this team has at a national title. With the scare that was provided to UNC by Clemson recently, I think this makes the Tar Heels even more dangerous when March rolls around. They've proved that they can come through in the clutch. North Carolina basically has six players that receive most of the playing time and contribute most of the scoring. As a team, they shoot 38% from deep, 74% from the line, and 50% from the field. Danny Green and Wayne Ellington are the ones you need to watch out for when they spot up from deep during a game. North Carolina has beaten, most notably, Davidson, BYU, Ohio State, Valparaiso, and Clemson. However, none of those teams are currently ranked with the exception of Clemson.
The Bad: They've had a weak non-conference schedule as they have faced a total of ZERO ranked teams. They also are without the services of Bobby Frasor, as I mentioned earlier. If Lawson gets in foul trouble, they don't have a reliable backup point guard to go to. Those are my only two worries with this deep, well-coached, and experienced Tar Heel team.
March Forecast: Anything less than being at the Final Four will be a huge disappointment for this team. I don't see them falling out early in March either.
That's all I have to say in regards to the main premise of this blog. But I'm not done, and you should definitely not stop reading this blog. I will now talk about my overly premature Final Four picks. It's very early, but I'll go with North Carolina and Memphis as the sure ones. I'll put Kansas in their as well. For the fourth spot, I don't think it will be anyone else that was mentioned in this blog. It may be UCLA or Michigan State, but I'll go with the Texas Longhorns. D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams make this one of the tougher backcourts to defend in the country. For more on the very impressive Clemson/UNC game, click on this link. Have a good day!
Poll Result- 60% of voters thought that Pitt would make it as far as the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament this year while 20% thought they would lose in the 1st or 2nd round. Also worth mentioning is the 20% that thinks the Panthers are going to make it to the Final Four this season.
----- -----
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Game-Planning 7
Hey everyone, I hope you had a happy and safe New Year's Eve. It's been awhile since I've made a post; I was pretty busy over the break. Nonetheless, I'm back now and I'm ready to feed you with some college hoops information. This is the time of the year when it starts to heat up. Conference games begin. Some tough non-conference games are scheduled. So without further adieu...
1st Quarter- Kansas at Boston College
Winner: Kansas
Why They'll Win: The Eagles are 8-1 at home this season with their lone home loss coming to Providence by nine points. They're led by Tyrese Rice (20 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast) and Shamari Spears (12 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast). BC doesn't have much down low as they only have one starter over 6'6". The Kansas Jayhawks, however, have THREE starters over 6'6". I think size will be the difference-maker in this one, and Boston College will be handed their third loss of the season on Saturday. Kansas is led by Darrell Arthur (13 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast), Mario Chalmers (12 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast), and Darnell Jackson (12 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast). They run a nice hi-lo motion offense that should spell trouble for BC if Kansas has a decent shooting night.
When To Watch: Saturday, January 5th at noon eastern time on ESPN.
2nd Quarter- Louisville at Kentucky
Winner: Louisville
Why They'll Win: Isn't this game always a treat to watch? Rick Pitino goes back to his old college to coach against for their arch rival. Well, things aren't very perfect for either team this year. Pitino and Louisville were a highly-ranked team to start the season but have faltered somewhat with losses to BYU, Dayton, Purdue, and Cincinatti. Kentucky brought in a new coach, Billy Gillispie, that was supposedly the coach who would turn around the program. However, they've put up a paltry 6-6 record with losses to Gardner-Webb, UAB, and San Diego to name a few. Anyways, the Wildcats are led by Patrick Patterson (18 pts, 8 reb, 2 ast) and Joe Crawford (16 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast). The Cardinals are headed by a group of guys that it is near impossible to only choose a few. They have EIGHT players averaging at least 16 minutes per game so they have quite the depth on their roster. I think Louisville will pull out the win against against a rival school in a hostile environment.
When To Watch: Saturday, December 5th at 4pm eastern time on CBS.
Halftime Thoughts-
As of now it looks as if six, maybe seven, conference will draw at least three bids in the NCAA Tournament when March rolls around. Of course, it's a long season and anything can happen. Not surprising are the conference such as the ACC, Big East, Big 12, Pac-10, and Big Ten. Surprising is the Atlantic-10. On a side note, it's interesting that the SEC has a good chance at having less teams dancing come tourney time than the A-10!
CollegeHoopsNet.com's Hot Topic of the Week: Mid-Season All-American talk is buzzing through the online forums as you read this. Making the CollegeHoopsNet's list were DJ Augustin, Eric Gordon, Shan Foster, Michael Beasley, and Kevin Love. Interesting that there is not even one ACC or Big East player on there, and three freshman made the list. I could, however, see putting Trent Plaisted of BYU in there over Love. Plaisted is having a phenomenal season and I'm very impressed with his play.
Can the Memphis Tigers go into the regular season undefeated? Quite frankly, it's probably too early to call, but I'll try anyways. They still have Gonzaga, Houston, and Tennessee left on their schedule. I can't really imagine them losing to anyone else on their schedule, but you never know. Houston will be an interesting matchups because BOTH teams absolutely love to get the ball up the floor as fast as possible. We'll just have to wait this one out.
3rd Quarter- Pittsburgh at Villanova
Winner: Villanova
Why They'll Win: I worry about the Panthers. They've lost both Mike Cook and Levance Fields, and they suffered a loss to Dayton. Also worth mentioning is that they were down at halftime in their last game...against Lafayette. I can't see Pitt pulling out a W on Saturday. Everything seems to be against them. They have no momentum whatsoever and are struggling with every team they play. Villanova, on the other hand, has been led by Scottie Reynolds (17 pts, 5 ast, 3 reb) to not only a 10-2 record but also a #17 ranking in the AP poll. They are fresh off a loss to DePaul, a conference foe, and it's only natural that they'll come out with a chip on their shoulder next game. Coming into that game, they were riding a nice 6-game winning streak. Jay Wright will have his players focused, and Pitt is in trouble.
When To Watch: Sunday, December 6th at noon eastern time on MSG.
4th Quarter- Marquette at West Virginia
Winner: West Virginia
Why They'll Win: Some of you may be thinking why I even have this matchup in my blog. Well, the Golden Eagles are ranked 10th, and the Mountaineers are one of the more dangerous teams in the Big East, in my opinion. They are a solid 10-3 and are led by Alex Ruoff (16 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast) and Joe Alexander (15 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast). Coach Huggins' squad has had a couple tough losses so far such as a 2-point loss to Tennessee and a 6-point loss to Oklahoma. They didn't come to mess around, and Huggins will have these kids ready to not lose their THIRD game in a row. West Virginia is in the middle of a tough stretch of games right now that started with Oklahoma and will end with Syracuse on January 13th. It's important for them to regain focus or they could fall tremendously in the next couple weeks.
When To Watch: Sunday, December 6th at 2pm eastern time on MSG.
That is the end of this edition of Game-Planning. Come back next week for another set of game that you won't want to miss. I hope you have a good weekend, but don't spend too much time in front of the television.
----- -----
1st Quarter- Kansas at Boston College
Winner: Kansas
Why They'll Win: The Eagles are 8-1 at home this season with their lone home loss coming to Providence by nine points. They're led by Tyrese Rice (20 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast) and Shamari Spears (12 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast). BC doesn't have much down low as they only have one starter over 6'6". The Kansas Jayhawks, however, have THREE starters over 6'6". I think size will be the difference-maker in this one, and Boston College will be handed their third loss of the season on Saturday. Kansas is led by Darrell Arthur (13 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast), Mario Chalmers (12 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast), and Darnell Jackson (12 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast). They run a nice hi-lo motion offense that should spell trouble for BC if Kansas has a decent shooting night.
When To Watch: Saturday, January 5th at noon eastern time on ESPN.
2nd Quarter- Louisville at Kentucky
Winner: Louisville
Why They'll Win: Isn't this game always a treat to watch? Rick Pitino goes back to his old college to coach against for their arch rival. Well, things aren't very perfect for either team this year. Pitino and Louisville were a highly-ranked team to start the season but have faltered somewhat with losses to BYU, Dayton, Purdue, and Cincinatti. Kentucky brought in a new coach, Billy Gillispie, that was supposedly the coach who would turn around the program. However, they've put up a paltry 6-6 record with losses to Gardner-Webb, UAB, and San Diego to name a few. Anyways, the Wildcats are led by Patrick Patterson (18 pts, 8 reb, 2 ast) and Joe Crawford (16 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast). The Cardinals are headed by a group of guys that it is near impossible to only choose a few. They have EIGHT players averaging at least 16 minutes per game so they have quite the depth on their roster. I think Louisville will pull out the win against against a rival school in a hostile environment.
When To Watch: Saturday, December 5th at 4pm eastern time on CBS.
Halftime Thoughts-
As of now it looks as if six, maybe seven, conference will draw at least three bids in the NCAA Tournament when March rolls around. Of course, it's a long season and anything can happen. Not surprising are the conference such as the ACC, Big East, Big 12, Pac-10, and Big Ten. Surprising is the Atlantic-10. On a side note, it's interesting that the SEC has a good chance at having less teams dancing come tourney time than the A-10!
CollegeHoopsNet.com's Hot Topic of the Week: Mid-Season All-American talk is buzzing through the online forums as you read this. Making the CollegeHoopsNet's list were DJ Augustin, Eric Gordon, Shan Foster, Michael Beasley, and Kevin Love. Interesting that there is not even one ACC or Big East player on there, and three freshman made the list. I could, however, see putting Trent Plaisted of BYU in there over Love. Plaisted is having a phenomenal season and I'm very impressed with his play.
Can the Memphis Tigers go into the regular season undefeated? Quite frankly, it's probably too early to call, but I'll try anyways. They still have Gonzaga, Houston, and Tennessee left on their schedule. I can't really imagine them losing to anyone else on their schedule, but you never know. Houston will be an interesting matchups because BOTH teams absolutely love to get the ball up the floor as fast as possible. We'll just have to wait this one out.
3rd Quarter- Pittsburgh at Villanova
Winner: Villanova
Why They'll Win: I worry about the Panthers. They've lost both Mike Cook and Levance Fields, and they suffered a loss to Dayton. Also worth mentioning is that they were down at halftime in their last game...against Lafayette. I can't see Pitt pulling out a W on Saturday. Everything seems to be against them. They have no momentum whatsoever and are struggling with every team they play. Villanova, on the other hand, has been led by Scottie Reynolds (17 pts, 5 ast, 3 reb) to not only a 10-2 record but also a #17 ranking in the AP poll. They are fresh off a loss to DePaul, a conference foe, and it's only natural that they'll come out with a chip on their shoulder next game. Coming into that game, they were riding a nice 6-game winning streak. Jay Wright will have his players focused, and Pitt is in trouble.
When To Watch: Sunday, December 6th at noon eastern time on MSG.
4th Quarter- Marquette at West Virginia
Winner: West Virginia
Why They'll Win: Some of you may be thinking why I even have this matchup in my blog. Well, the Golden Eagles are ranked 10th, and the Mountaineers are one of the more dangerous teams in the Big East, in my opinion. They are a solid 10-3 and are led by Alex Ruoff (16 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast) and Joe Alexander (15 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast). Coach Huggins' squad has had a couple tough losses so far such as a 2-point loss to Tennessee and a 6-point loss to Oklahoma. They didn't come to mess around, and Huggins will have these kids ready to not lose their THIRD game in a row. West Virginia is in the middle of a tough stretch of games right now that started with Oklahoma and will end with Syracuse on January 13th. It's important for them to regain focus or they could fall tremendously in the next couple weeks.
When To Watch: Sunday, December 6th at 2pm eastern time on MSG.
That is the end of this edition of Game-Planning. Come back next week for another set of game that you won't want to miss. I hope you have a good weekend, but don't spend too much time in front of the television.
----- -----
Friday, December 21, 2007
Game-Planning 6: Christmas Edition
Are you ready? For the special occasion, I'll have 6 games that will be good for two weeks. It's going to be a great time to be a fan of basketball and these games are all must-see events.
1st Quarter- Georgetown at Memphis
Winner: Memphis
Why They'll Win: Can Memphis push the tempo? If they can, Georgetown is in trouble. Hibbert is the Hoyas' main man. Everything they do goes through him. But he is NOT very good at running the floor. Also, when he's in foul trouble, the entire team stalls. They practically seem helpless out on the floor. The attacking Tigers will force Hibbert into committing some cheap fouls out there. Georgetown has five players averaging 9+ points per game (the leader is Hibbert with 13), and the rebounding load is carried by both Roy Hibbert (7) and DaJuan Summers (6). Important to mention is the Hoyas' 52% free throw shooting. They don't have a guy making 75% of his free throws and Hibbert is only making 52% of his. My suggestion? Foul him when he has position. Now, for Memphis, all I can say is don't blink because you might miss something great. This team plays faster than any team I've seen before. They are led by junior Chris Douglas-Roberts (17 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast) and freshman Derrick Rose (16 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast). The Tigers' main rebounders are Robert Dozier (7 per game) and Joey Dorsey (9). Lastly, Memphis is a very deep team. They'd almost have to be with their style of play though. They have nine players averaging at least 10 minutes per game and six guys averaging at least 20 minutes per game.
When To Watch: Saturday, December 22nd on ESPN at noon eastern time.
2nd Quarter- Tennessee at Xavier
Winner: Xavier
Why They'll Win: Chris Lofton is Tennessee's leading scorer. He was a preseason player of the year favorite. He's now shooting a paltry 35% from deep and 36% from everywhere else. That's what worries me about the Volunteers. Coming into the season, everyone knew Lofton was their key guy, yet he has struggled so far. He has scored 10 or less points three times this year and has only reached 20 points in a game twice. He's already averaging fewer minutes, points, assists, and steals this year. It hardly sounds like he should even be mentioned with the likes of Michael Beasley and D.J. Augustin. Tennessee is 10-1 and have struggled against teams like West Virginia, Chattanooga, and Western Kentucky. Xavier, however, has been surprising in a very good way this season. They've worked their way to 24th in the Coaches' Poll and are playing very well. The Musketeers are led by Drew Lavender (12 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast), C.J. Anderson (11 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast), and Derrick Brown (11 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast). Of the six players averaging 20+ minutes per game, FIVE are upperclassmen.
When To Watch: Saturday, December 22nd on ESPN at 2pm eastern time.
Halftime Thoughts-
Other games that you may want to watch this weekend that could be fairly good games will be Miami (Ohio) at Kansas (Saturday, 1:00 PM, ESPN FullCourt/Regional TV) and Florida at Ohio State (Saturday, 4:00 PM, CBS). You'll get to see a couple good freshmen play including OSU's big man, Kosta Koufos.
Rotoworld.com Hot Topic: Does Texas deserve to be the #1 team? My answer: no. Yes, they have defeated two Top 10 teams this season, but look at who's ahead of them in the polls. Can you justify putting them ahead of Kansas or Memphis or North Carolina? Definitely not. D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams are playing very well for the Longhorns, but they are lacking a solid post presence. I think you need a decent big man (a la Hansbrough) to be put number one and have the title of the best team in the entire nation.
The famous Wizard of Westwood, John Wooden, recently spoke out about the game of basketball. He said the referees need to call traveling, carrying, and moving screens. He also spoke about his dislike of fancy dunks that are performed quite often anymore. Do I agree with this? It's hard to tell. Yes, calling the rules more closely would change the game, but what about all these players in the NBA like Allen Iverson who have made a living off carrying the ball to get by a defender for a layup. What happens to the Dunk Contest? All of this only hurts the money that the game of basketball is bringing in. Should it happen? Possibly. Will it happen? Heck no!
3rd Quarter- Texas at Michigan State
Winner: Texas
Why They'll Win: The Longhorns, as I mentioned before, are led by D.J. Augustin (20 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast) and A.J. Abrams (19 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast). Their leading rebounder is Damion James with 10 rebounds per game. Also, you can't leave Connor Atchley alone behind the arc. He's shooting 63% from deep this season. Texas sits at 11-0 right now with impressive wins over Tennessee and UCLA. In those games, Augustin has really stepped up as the Horns' leader out on the court. He managed a game-winning assist to beat the Bruins. Can Drew Neitzel match up with Augustin? It'll be tough to do for the entire game considering that D.J. is averaging 36 minutes per game and Neitzel is only getting 29 minutes each game. Nevertheless, the Spartans have a very good chance at winning this one and it will most likely come down to the wire. They're led by Raymar Morgan (17 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast), Neitzel (15 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast), and Goran Suton (9 pts, 9 reb, 2 ast). Michigan State is decent down low but if Neitzel is on Augustin then who picks up Abrams on the perimeter? Chris Allen?
When To Watch: Saturday, December 22nd at 6:30pm eastern time on ESPN2.
4th Quarter- Tennessee at Gonzaga
Winner: Gonzaga
Why They'll Win: Well, I've already talked about Tennessee, so I'll just start with Gonzaga and make this one pretty quick and to the point. The Bulldogs are led by Jeremy Pargo (13 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast), Matt Bouldin (13 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast), and freshman Austin Daye (12 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast). Granted, they've had some tough losses to Texas Tech, highly-ranked Washington State, and, most recently, Oklahoma, but I think that gives them all the more reason to come out gunning for Tennessee. Gonzaga has not lost two games in a row all season. In the game immediately following a loss, they've outscored their opponents by a score of 167-123. This is their time.
When To Watch: Saturday, December 29th 4pm eastern time on ESPN2.
Overtime- Arizona at Memphis
Winner: Memphis
Why They'll Win: I talked quite a bit about Memphis in the 1st Quarter so I don't think there's anything else that's essential to know. But here is what you need to know about Arizona. They're led by two underclassmen, Jerryd Bayless (19 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast) and Chase Budinger (16 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast), which gives me even more reasons to pick Memphis in this one. Their leading rebounder is a sophomore, Jordan Hill, and do you really expect him to dominate Joey Dorsey in the post? I sure as hell don't. Worthy of mention is their depth, however. They have eight solid guys that can play and contribute to the team's success.
When To Watch: Saturday, December 29th ESPN2 at 10pm eastern time.
2nd Overtime- Kansas State at Xavier
Winner: Kansas State
Why They'll Win: I guess we're getting some repeat teams here. I've talked earlier in this post about Xavier; therefore, I will fore go the breakdown of their team and head straight for Kansas State. My theory is this: Xavier will be feeling great about their big win over Tennessee. They'll come to play Kansas State and they'll fall apart in the early going. The Wildcats had some close games with Oregon and George Mason (both of which are quality teams). Their offense is based solely on Michael Beasley as he contributes 25 (and 14 reb) of the team's 78 points on average, which comes out to about 1/3 of his team's offensive production. But you can't just bypass the play of Bill Walker (13 pts, 7 reb), who is having quite the season as well.
When To Watch: Monday, December 31st at 7pm eastern time on ESPNU.
That concludes this edition of Game-Planning and I'll see you again in two weeks. Until then, you should keep up on college basketball at March Madness All Season.
----- -----
Poll Results- Will Kidd be traded? If so, where? 60% of voters thought he would be traded to a Western Conference team while 40% of voters thought he would be traded to an Eastern Conference team. Therefore, a whopping 0% of those who voted thought he would stay in New Jersey.
1st Quarter- Georgetown at Memphis
Winner: Memphis
Why They'll Win: Can Memphis push the tempo? If they can, Georgetown is in trouble. Hibbert is the Hoyas' main man. Everything they do goes through him. But he is NOT very good at running the floor. Also, when he's in foul trouble, the entire team stalls. They practically seem helpless out on the floor. The attacking Tigers will force Hibbert into committing some cheap fouls out there. Georgetown has five players averaging 9+ points per game (the leader is Hibbert with 13), and the rebounding load is carried by both Roy Hibbert (7) and DaJuan Summers (6). Important to mention is the Hoyas' 52% free throw shooting. They don't have a guy making 75% of his free throws and Hibbert is only making 52% of his. My suggestion? Foul him when he has position. Now, for Memphis, all I can say is don't blink because you might miss something great. This team plays faster than any team I've seen before. They are led by junior Chris Douglas-Roberts (17 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast) and freshman Derrick Rose (16 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast). The Tigers' main rebounders are Robert Dozier (7 per game) and Joey Dorsey (9). Lastly, Memphis is a very deep team. They'd almost have to be with their style of play though. They have nine players averaging at least 10 minutes per game and six guys averaging at least 20 minutes per game.
When To Watch: Saturday, December 22nd on ESPN at noon eastern time.
2nd Quarter- Tennessee at Xavier
Winner: Xavier
Why They'll Win: Chris Lofton is Tennessee's leading scorer. He was a preseason player of the year favorite. He's now shooting a paltry 35% from deep and 36% from everywhere else. That's what worries me about the Volunteers. Coming into the season, everyone knew Lofton was their key guy, yet he has struggled so far. He has scored 10 or less points three times this year and has only reached 20 points in a game twice. He's already averaging fewer minutes, points, assists, and steals this year. It hardly sounds like he should even be mentioned with the likes of Michael Beasley and D.J. Augustin. Tennessee is 10-1 and have struggled against teams like West Virginia, Chattanooga, and Western Kentucky. Xavier, however, has been surprising in a very good way this season. They've worked their way to 24th in the Coaches' Poll and are playing very well. The Musketeers are led by Drew Lavender (12 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast), C.J. Anderson (11 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast), and Derrick Brown (11 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast). Of the six players averaging 20+ minutes per game, FIVE are upperclassmen.
When To Watch: Saturday, December 22nd on ESPN at 2pm eastern time.
Halftime Thoughts-
Other games that you may want to watch this weekend that could be fairly good games will be Miami (Ohio) at Kansas (Saturday, 1:00 PM, ESPN FullCourt/Regional TV) and Florida at Ohio State (Saturday, 4:00 PM, CBS). You'll get to see a couple good freshmen play including OSU's big man, Kosta Koufos.
Rotoworld.com Hot Topic: Does Texas deserve to be the #1 team? My answer: no. Yes, they have defeated two Top 10 teams this season, but look at who's ahead of them in the polls. Can you justify putting them ahead of Kansas or Memphis or North Carolina? Definitely not. D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams are playing very well for the Longhorns, but they are lacking a solid post presence. I think you need a decent big man (a la Hansbrough) to be put number one and have the title of the best team in the entire nation.
The famous Wizard of Westwood, John Wooden, recently spoke out about the game of basketball. He said the referees need to call traveling, carrying, and moving screens. He also spoke about his dislike of fancy dunks that are performed quite often anymore. Do I agree with this? It's hard to tell. Yes, calling the rules more closely would change the game, but what about all these players in the NBA like Allen Iverson who have made a living off carrying the ball to get by a defender for a layup. What happens to the Dunk Contest? All of this only hurts the money that the game of basketball is bringing in. Should it happen? Possibly. Will it happen? Heck no!
3rd Quarter- Texas at Michigan State
Winner: Texas
Why They'll Win: The Longhorns, as I mentioned before, are led by D.J. Augustin (20 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast) and A.J. Abrams (19 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast). Their leading rebounder is Damion James with 10 rebounds per game. Also, you can't leave Connor Atchley alone behind the arc. He's shooting 63% from deep this season. Texas sits at 11-0 right now with impressive wins over Tennessee and UCLA. In those games, Augustin has really stepped up as the Horns' leader out on the court. He managed a game-winning assist to beat the Bruins. Can Drew Neitzel match up with Augustin? It'll be tough to do for the entire game considering that D.J. is averaging 36 minutes per game and Neitzel is only getting 29 minutes each game. Nevertheless, the Spartans have a very good chance at winning this one and it will most likely come down to the wire. They're led by Raymar Morgan (17 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast), Neitzel (15 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast), and Goran Suton (9 pts, 9 reb, 2 ast). Michigan State is decent down low but if Neitzel is on Augustin then who picks up Abrams on the perimeter? Chris Allen?
When To Watch: Saturday, December 22nd at 6:30pm eastern time on ESPN2.
4th Quarter- Tennessee at Gonzaga
Winner: Gonzaga
Why They'll Win: Well, I've already talked about Tennessee, so I'll just start with Gonzaga and make this one pretty quick and to the point. The Bulldogs are led by Jeremy Pargo (13 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast), Matt Bouldin (13 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast), and freshman Austin Daye (12 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast). Granted, they've had some tough losses to Texas Tech, highly-ranked Washington State, and, most recently, Oklahoma, but I think that gives them all the more reason to come out gunning for Tennessee. Gonzaga has not lost two games in a row all season. In the game immediately following a loss, they've outscored their opponents by a score of 167-123. This is their time.
When To Watch: Saturday, December 29th 4pm eastern time on ESPN2.
Overtime- Arizona at Memphis
Winner: Memphis
Why They'll Win: I talked quite a bit about Memphis in the 1st Quarter so I don't think there's anything else that's essential to know. But here is what you need to know about Arizona. They're led by two underclassmen, Jerryd Bayless (19 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast) and Chase Budinger (16 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast), which gives me even more reasons to pick Memphis in this one. Their leading rebounder is a sophomore, Jordan Hill, and do you really expect him to dominate Joey Dorsey in the post? I sure as hell don't. Worthy of mention is their depth, however. They have eight solid guys that can play and contribute to the team's success.
When To Watch: Saturday, December 29th ESPN2 at 10pm eastern time.
2nd Overtime- Kansas State at Xavier
Winner: Kansas State
Why They'll Win: I guess we're getting some repeat teams here. I've talked earlier in this post about Xavier; therefore, I will fore go the breakdown of their team and head straight for Kansas State. My theory is this: Xavier will be feeling great about their big win over Tennessee. They'll come to play Kansas State and they'll fall apart in the early going. The Wildcats had some close games with Oregon and George Mason (both of which are quality teams). Their offense is based solely on Michael Beasley as he contributes 25 (and 14 reb) of the team's 78 points on average, which comes out to about 1/3 of his team's offensive production. But you can't just bypass the play of Bill Walker (13 pts, 7 reb), who is having quite the season as well.
When To Watch: Monday, December 31st at 7pm eastern time on ESPNU.
That concludes this edition of Game-Planning and I'll see you again in two weeks. Until then, you should keep up on college basketball at March Madness All Season.
----- -----
Poll Results- Will Kidd be traded? If so, where? 60% of voters thought he would be traded to a Western Conference team while 40% of voters thought he would be traded to an Eastern Conference team. Therefore, a whopping 0% of those who voted thought he would stay in New Jersey.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Game-Planning 4
Welcome to this edition of Game-Planning. We've got some good games on the schedule that you need to watch this week. But you don't want to watch them with no prior knowledge of the teams so here ya go.
1st Quarter- Michigan St. at BYU
Winner: BYU
Why They'll Win: Upset alert. The Brigham Young Cougars are a very, good team this year. They had an impressive game against North Carolina in which two players for BYU made very big impressions on me. One was Trent Plaisted, whose name will forever remained etched in my memory from that night alone. The big man scored 24 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, outdoing All-American Tyler Hansbrough. Prior to that game, he led his team to an upset of Louisville, a game that he had 21 points and 12 rebounds. Currently, he's averaging 18 points and 9 rebounds, just shy of a double-double. The second player I was surprised by was a sophomore sharpshooter by the name of Jonathan Tavernari. In the UNC game, he had 18 points on 6 threes. He also had a good showing against Pitino's squad when he scored 29 points (5 threes). Ben Murdock leads the team in assists (5 a game) for the 20th-ranked Cougars. Regarding Michigan State, I am worried with their play recently. The Spartans defeated Bradley by...six? Terrible for such a highly-ranked team. They are led by sophomore Raymar Morgan (18 pts, 8 reb) and senior Drew Neitzel (14 pts, 5 ast). Honestly though, I don't think Morgan will do very well against Plaisted underneath. Besides the two previously mentioned, no other Michigan State player is averaged double figures in points. Their leading rebounder is Goran Suton (9 per game). Michigan State is currently ranked ninth in the AP Poll.
When To Watch: Saturday, December 8th at 4pm eastern time on Versus.
2nd Quarter- Marquette at Wisconsin
Winner: Marquette
Why They'll Win: Coming off a big win over UW-Milwaukee, the Golden Eagles are led by Jerel McNeal (16 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast) and Dominic James (15 pts, 3 ast). Marquette's leading rebounder is Lazar Hayward (6 a night). Also worth mentioning is that they have five players averaging 23+ minutes per game. They'll be going up against an Alando Tucker-less Wisconsin led by Trevon Hughes (17 pts, 5 reb) and Brian Butch (13 pts, 9 reb). Other than that, the Badgers don't have much to go to. Marcus Landry and Michael Flowers are both giving them a little bit averaging 9 points per contest. The Golden Eagles have a good inside-outside duo, but Wisconsin doesn't have a true point guard. No one is averaging more than three assists per game. I've seen Marquette and Wisconsin both play against Duke and it's safe to say that the former looked a lot better. This could be closer than some think though.
When To Watch: Saturday, December 8th on ESPN2 at 6pm eastern time.
Halftime Thoughts-
I would like to take the time to mention Arizona's 6'3" guard, Jerryd Bayless. I've mentioned him a couple of times but never really told you much about him. He's a freshman and deserves to have his name up there with guys like Singler of Duke, Gordon of Indiana, and Love of UCLA. In the last two games, he's averaged 24 points and 4 assists. He put up 26 on one of the best teams in the country in Texas A&M. His team is 5-2, thanks in large part to his 20 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds he's averaging each game. Interestingly enough in the Wildcats' two losses, Bayless is averaging 20 points. Anyways, you should definitely keep an eye on this guy.
Author's Note: Starting this edition, every Game-Planning blog will feature the Rotoworld.com Hot Topic.
Rotoworld.com Hot Topic: Hitting all over the message boards is freshman Eric Gordon. (It seems I only talk about freshman as of late.) Up until a few days ago, Gordon hadn't scored less than 20 points in a collegiate game; Tennessee State put an end to that. He's averaging 24 points per game and is shooting 50% from deep. Also take notice of his 84% average from the line and 54% average on field goals. This guy is off to a fantastic start and is must-see TV right now.
Who's the nation's number 1 team? North Carolina? Memphis? Maybe even Kansas? In my opinion, it's Memphis. They play a brand of basketball that seems nearly impossible to defend. The ony flaw in their system is that they're vulnerable if they have an off-shooting night (as a team; it doesn't happen very often). However, the leadership of Rose, Douglas-Roberts, and Dorsey will help them in key games. Derrick Rose is already playing like an experience-laden senior. Douglas-Roberts has proved to be the go-to-guy when the Tigers need a bucket down the stretch. And, finally, Dorsey is the man coming up with key rebounds and blocks, the little stuff a team needs to win.
3rd Quarter- Boston College at Maryland
Winner: Maryland
Why They'll Win: The talk this year is all about the freshman, yet it's important to remember last year's fabulous freshmen as well. One of them, you may remember, was Greivis Vasquez. He was pretty good then, but he's even better now. This year, he's scoring 16 points, dishing out 6 assists, and grabbing 5 rebounds per game. Vasquez is 6'5", and he'll be matched up against the 6'1" Tyrese Rice (20 pts, 6 ast, 4 reb). I think this one easily goes to Vasquez because of his height and quickness which will wreak havoc against the much shorter Rice. The Terrapins also have James Gist (14 pts, 7 reb) and Eric Hayes (12 pts, 6 ast, 4 reb). Boston College hasn't faced a ranked opponent yet and that will hurt them in this game. Their team is very young. They only have three upperclassmen on the team. Three of the starters are freshman as well. All of this doesn't bode well against Maryland. The Eagles' leading rebounder is Shamari Spears (10 per game).
When To Watch: Sunday, December 9th at 8pm eastern time on FSN.
Sadly, there isn't another good game this week so your college basketball viewing may be a little slow for the next few days. Don't worry; there will be plenty of matchups for the next edition of Game-Planning. To make it up to you, I thought I would find some good videos from YouTube for you to enjoy.
I know you may not want to hear it, but I'll remind you of it again. The V Foundation, started by the late Jimmy Valvano, is raising money for cancer research so that one day we will be saved from this disease. If you would like to donate money, please click here. Have a good weekend!
Poll Results: In the latest poll, I questioned readers on who the best team in college basketball was. Memphis got 28% of the vote and UCLA had 14% of it but the winner was, in fact, Other with 57% of the vote. I must have forgot a team or something. haha
----- -----
1st Quarter- Michigan St. at BYU
Winner: BYU
Why They'll Win: Upset alert. The Brigham Young Cougars are a very, good team this year. They had an impressive game against North Carolina in which two players for BYU made very big impressions on me. One was Trent Plaisted, whose name will forever remained etched in my memory from that night alone. The big man scored 24 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, outdoing All-American Tyler Hansbrough. Prior to that game, he led his team to an upset of Louisville, a game that he had 21 points and 12 rebounds. Currently, he's averaging 18 points and 9 rebounds, just shy of a double-double. The second player I was surprised by was a sophomore sharpshooter by the name of Jonathan Tavernari. In the UNC game, he had 18 points on 6 threes. He also had a good showing against Pitino's squad when he scored 29 points (5 threes). Ben Murdock leads the team in assists (5 a game) for the 20th-ranked Cougars. Regarding Michigan State, I am worried with their play recently. The Spartans defeated Bradley by...six? Terrible for such a highly-ranked team. They are led by sophomore Raymar Morgan (18 pts, 8 reb) and senior Drew Neitzel (14 pts, 5 ast). Honestly though, I don't think Morgan will do very well against Plaisted underneath. Besides the two previously mentioned, no other Michigan State player is averaged double figures in points. Their leading rebounder is Goran Suton (9 per game). Michigan State is currently ranked ninth in the AP Poll.
When To Watch: Saturday, December 8th at 4pm eastern time on Versus.
2nd Quarter- Marquette at Wisconsin
Winner: Marquette
Why They'll Win: Coming off a big win over UW-Milwaukee, the Golden Eagles are led by Jerel McNeal (16 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast) and Dominic James (15 pts, 3 ast). Marquette's leading rebounder is Lazar Hayward (6 a night). Also worth mentioning is that they have five players averaging 23+ minutes per game. They'll be going up against an Alando Tucker-less Wisconsin led by Trevon Hughes (17 pts, 5 reb) and Brian Butch (13 pts, 9 reb). Other than that, the Badgers don't have much to go to. Marcus Landry and Michael Flowers are both giving them a little bit averaging 9 points per contest. The Golden Eagles have a good inside-outside duo, but Wisconsin doesn't have a true point guard. No one is averaging more than three assists per game. I've seen Marquette and Wisconsin both play against Duke and it's safe to say that the former looked a lot better. This could be closer than some think though.
When To Watch: Saturday, December 8th on ESPN2 at 6pm eastern time.
Halftime Thoughts-
I would like to take the time to mention Arizona's 6'3" guard, Jerryd Bayless. I've mentioned him a couple of times but never really told you much about him. He's a freshman and deserves to have his name up there with guys like Singler of Duke, Gordon of Indiana, and Love of UCLA. In the last two games, he's averaged 24 points and 4 assists. He put up 26 on one of the best teams in the country in Texas A&M. His team is 5-2, thanks in large part to his 20 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds he's averaging each game. Interestingly enough in the Wildcats' two losses, Bayless is averaging 20 points. Anyways, you should definitely keep an eye on this guy.
Author's Note: Starting this edition, every Game-Planning blog will feature the Rotoworld.com Hot Topic.
Rotoworld.com Hot Topic: Hitting all over the message boards is freshman Eric Gordon. (It seems I only talk about freshman as of late.) Up until a few days ago, Gordon hadn't scored less than 20 points in a collegiate game; Tennessee State put an end to that. He's averaging 24 points per game and is shooting 50% from deep. Also take notice of his 84% average from the line and 54% average on field goals. This guy is off to a fantastic start and is must-see TV right now.
Who's the nation's number 1 team? North Carolina? Memphis? Maybe even Kansas? In my opinion, it's Memphis. They play a brand of basketball that seems nearly impossible to defend. The ony flaw in their system is that they're vulnerable if they have an off-shooting night (as a team; it doesn't happen very often). However, the leadership of Rose, Douglas-Roberts, and Dorsey will help them in key games. Derrick Rose is already playing like an experience-laden senior. Douglas-Roberts has proved to be the go-to-guy when the Tigers need a bucket down the stretch. And, finally, Dorsey is the man coming up with key rebounds and blocks, the little stuff a team needs to win.
3rd Quarter- Boston College at Maryland
Winner: Maryland
Why They'll Win: The talk this year is all about the freshman, yet it's important to remember last year's fabulous freshmen as well. One of them, you may remember, was Greivis Vasquez. He was pretty good then, but he's even better now. This year, he's scoring 16 points, dishing out 6 assists, and grabbing 5 rebounds per game. Vasquez is 6'5", and he'll be matched up against the 6'1" Tyrese Rice (20 pts, 6 ast, 4 reb). I think this one easily goes to Vasquez because of his height and quickness which will wreak havoc against the much shorter Rice. The Terrapins also have James Gist (14 pts, 7 reb) and Eric Hayes (12 pts, 6 ast, 4 reb). Boston College hasn't faced a ranked opponent yet and that will hurt them in this game. Their team is very young. They only have three upperclassmen on the team. Three of the starters are freshman as well. All of this doesn't bode well against Maryland. The Eagles' leading rebounder is Shamari Spears (10 per game).
When To Watch: Sunday, December 9th at 8pm eastern time on FSN.
Sadly, there isn't another good game this week so your college basketball viewing may be a little slow for the next few days. Don't worry; there will be plenty of matchups for the next edition of Game-Planning. To make it up to you, I thought I would find some good videos from YouTube for you to enjoy.
I know you may not want to hear it, but I'll remind you of it again. The V Foundation, started by the late Jimmy Valvano, is raising money for cancer research so that one day we will be saved from this disease. If you would like to donate money, please click here. Have a good weekend!
Poll Results: In the latest poll, I questioned readers on who the best team in college basketball was. Memphis got 28% of the vote and UCLA had 14% of it but the winner was, in fact, Other with 57% of the vote. I must have forgot a team or something. haha
----- -----
Friday, November 30, 2007
Game-Planning 3: Jimmy V Edition
Yes, over fourteen years ago the late Jimmy Valvano gave a speech for the ages. Everyday we should laugh, think, and cry. Those were the words he preached to us before his passing. So, without any further delay I would like to start this edition of Game-Planning.
1st Quarter- Duke at Davidson
Winner: Duke
Why They'll Win: Most of you are probably asking why I even chose this game. Well, I've got a couple reasons for you. One, this Davidson team is the team that gave North Carolina so much trouble earlier in the season. Two, Duke is on the verge of getting back to where they were two years ago. And, three, I honestly can't wait to see the backcourts go head-to-head. To me, Davidson, has the best mid-major backcourt in the entire country featuring Richards and Curry. Starting with the former, Richards is the senior point guard with the Wildcats and is currently averaging 11 points and 9 assists. The shooting guard, Stephen Curry, is averaging an astonishing 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists as a sophomore. These two are a great duo and one can only wonder how they will do against Duke's Paulus and Nelson. After reading that you most likely think that Davidson sounds as if they're the clear winner. Hardly. The frontcourt is where the Blue Devils will dominate. One of the most potent freshman in the nation, Kyle Singler (14 pts, 7 reb), fellow freshman Taylor King (11 pts, 51% from deep), and Lance Thomas (6 pts, 3 reb) are the leaders for them down low. Two of the three (King and Singler) can stretch the defense from three as well.
When To Watch: Saturday, December 1st at noon eastern time on ESPNU.
2nd Quarter- Gonzaga at Connecticut
Winner: Connecticut
Why They'll Win: UConn is back...enough to pull out a win over the Bulldogs. At 5-1, the Huskies are hardly the team of last year. They are led by A.J. Price (13 pts, 5 ast, 4 reb), Hasheem Thabeet (11 pts, 10 reb), and Jerome Dyson (14 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast). They have 6 players averaging at least 20 minutes a game and are poised to be back atop the Big East this year. Gonzaga is ranked 19th as I type this and are fresh off an overtime win over St. Joe's. Their backcourt is headed by Matt Bouldin (14 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast) and Jeremy Pargo (11 pts, 5 ast, 4 reb). Down low is the sensational freshman, Austin Daye, who's putting up 14 points and 5 rebounds per contest. The Bulldogs' only loss so far has come at the hands of Bob Knight and Texas Tech. However, their wins are unimpressive. Montana, Idaho, and UC Riverside started off their year. They have what you'd call a cupcake schedule to start the season.
When To Watch: Saturday, December 1st on ESPN at 3:30pm eastern time.
Halftime Thoughts-
Who would have thought BYU would have been in the game with North Carolina in Las Vegas last Saturday? Wait a second, who even thought they would make it past Louisville in the semifinals? I'm guessing not too many of you did. Well, I can guarantee you that they aren't any kind of one-hit wonders. The Cougars are here to stay...for the season, anyways. Currently, they are ranked 21st in the Associated Press poll. BYU is led by junior big man Trent Plaisted (19 pts, 9 reb), who some consider to be the Tyler Hansbrough of the West, and sophomore sharpshooter Jonathan Tavernari (17 pts, 6 reb). The latter made 6 threes against UNC, including 5 in the first half, to account for all of his points in the game. The former was even more magnificent in the game, scoring 24 points and grabbing 17 rebounds.
The burning question in Westwood right now is whether or not the Bruins will be able to recover from all these injuries they're suffering right now. Aboya, Roll, and, most significant, Collison are all recovering. The team's bright spot is obviously freshman Kevin Love, who's putting up 18 points and 11 rebounds (both team highs). Some would consider Collison's 14 points and 5 assists as a reason to answer yes to the question but you have to remember that it was against a less than formidable opponent in George Washington.
I will conclude the Halftime Thoughts by saying the Big Ten/ACC Challenge is a joke and it isn't very competitive. In nine consecutive years, the Atlantic Coast Conference has made buffoons out of their opposing conference and this year is no different. Quite Simply, the Big Ten can't match the talent of the ACC. College basketball should find another conference duel. Suggestions? I was thinking an ACC/Pac-10 one would be intriguing or even a ACC/Big East Challenge. Anything but what they have now.
3rd Quarter- Kansas at USC
Winner: Kansas
Why They'll Win: The Jayhawks are sitting pretty at number four in both polls with a 6-0 record. Sherron Collins (16 pts, 5 ast, 4 reb), Mario Chalmers (12 pts, 5 ast, 3 reb), and three other Kansas players are averaging double figures in points. Darrell Arthur leads the team in rebounding with 6 a game and Chalmers is their best threat from behind the arc (he's shooting 48% on 23 attempts). USC is led by their ballhog-at-times OJ Mayo. Yes, he's averaging 21 points and 5 rebounds yet only 3 assists to almost 5 turnovers. To top it all off, Mayo has shot 116 times this year. Next on the team would be Dwight Lewis with (get ready for it) 58 times! As a point guard, OJ's job is distributing the ball yet no one else is getting shots. That's ludicrous. I'm predicting that Kansas will win by 10-15 points.
When To Watch: Sunday, December 2nd at 2pm eastern time on FSN.
4th Quarter- Texas at UCLA
Winner: Texas
Why They'll Win: I'm calling the upset here. The Bruins (as I mentioned before) are hampered by injuries. The Longhorns, to the contrary, seemed to have forgotten all about Kevin Durant. A.J. Abrams has picked up the scoring load averaging 21 points and D.J. Augustin (18 pts, 7 ast) is looking as if he's a little Steve Nash clone out on the floor. Three other players are always scoring in double figures for Texas, a feat that would not be possible without the departure of a certain superstar. But enough with the allusions, let's move on to UCLA. Kevin Love is the main man for the Bruins this year. As I mentioned before, he's scoring 18 points and 11 rebounds per game. Three other players (Shipp, Collison, Westbrook) are also averaging double figures in points. Mata-Real is helping out Love with the rebounding which is evident from his 7 rebounds per game average.
When To Watch: Sunday, December 2nd on FSN at 8pm eastern time.
Overtime- USC at Memphis
Winner: Memphis
Why They'll Win: I don't think this will be much of a game mainly because I don't think the Trojans have the talent or coaching to compete with Memphis. Calipari has his men running his system (Princeton on steroids) perfectly. Chris Douglas-Roberts is the scorer on the team averaging 22 points to go along with 6 boards. The fabulous freshman, Derrick Rose (17 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast), is leading the break for the Tigers; Joey Dorsey and Robert Dozier are shouldering the rebounding load averaging 9 and 8 rebounds, respectively. Of their six games, Memphis have only scored under 80 points once and have eclipsed the century mark twice.
When To Watch: Tuesday, December 4th at 9pm eastern time on ESPN.
Here's a video every single reader should watch. It's Jim Valvano's 1993 ESPY speech.
To donate money to the V Foundation, go to the website by clicking here. Have a nice weekend, everyone.
----- -----
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)