Author Topic: 2008-09 Men\'s College Basketball Thread (Read 18563 times)

Drew_Kingsley · « **Reply #60 on:** February 16, 2009, 03:05:15 pm »

Quote from: NickNels;219895

So Duke only drops 3 spots in the polls despite 2 losses this week? Wow! These guys must be good.

Unfortunately, every sport has certain conferences or teams that get preferential treatment from the voters, both deserved and not. In basketball, those conferences are the Big East and ACC.

In this case, No. 6 Duke lost to No. 3 North Carolina, so the voters\' first thoughts are "Carolina is really good", so North Carolina benefits (they actually gained ground on 25-1 Oklahoma, which picked up its 12th and 13th consecutive wins this week), while Duke doesn\'t slip too far down the rankings. But if, for example, No. 11 Missouri loses to No. 2 Oklahoma, the voters\' first thoughts will be "Missouri isn\'t really that good", and Missouri will fall significantly, while Oklahoma won\'t benefit very much.

You\'ll see this principle in action after Connecticut stomps Pittsburgh tonight :drew:

The Big 12 and SEC get this same treatment in football, and (pointing this out just because I\'m a dork) the Pac-10 and SEC get this treatment in volleyball.

Gordo · « **Reply #61 on:** February 16, 2009, 07:44:54 pm »

I think Big10 football is the most explicit example of your point (which I agree with) Drew.

However, I don\'t see Oklahoma as a stone-cold number 2. If they played in the Big East or ACC this year they\'d have 3 losses at the very least. They\'ve won plenty of close games and come tourney time they will faulter. This is, however, coming from an avid UNC fan who sees the TarHeels as the best team in team in the nation. So yes, I\'m biased. In a weaker conference with a weaker schedule Oklahoma has won only 12 of its 25 games by more than 10 points where UNC has won 21 of 23 by more than 10 points. Just sayin.

Drew_Kingsley · « **Reply #62 on:** February 16, 2009, 09:59:07 pm »

Quote from: Drew_Kingsley;219897

You\'ll see this principle in action after Connecticut stomps Pittsburgh tonight :drew:

Well, may as well call myself out on this... I never thought that Connecticut would play that badly. Thabeet played like shit, and his fourth (bullshit) foul creates a real "what if" moment for fans who want to complain. Adrien\'s OK final numbers don\'t reflect the awful game he played. Stanley Robinson looked like he was going to be the spark plug in the opening minute, then vanished for the next 39. Thabeet needs to learn how to sell the DeJuan Blair shoulderblock move... it\'s a legit offensive foul, but it will only draw a whistle if the defender hits the floor. Blair is a monster, though. His numbers (and Thabeet\'s numbers) definitely proved that tonight.

SlimPickens · « **Reply #63 on:** February 16, 2009, 10:30:42 pm »

Thabeet didn\'t play badly, he got shut down. I think there\'s a difference.

Spacey · « **Reply #64 on:** February 17, 2009, 06:59:44 am »

Last night was a great representation of what the Big East and College Basketball this year is all about. Any team in the Big East is capable of winning versus a league opponent.

booztravlr · « **Reply #65 on:** February 17, 2009, 09:11:25 am »

Quote from: Spacey;219948

Last night was a great representation of what the Big East and College Basketball this year is all about. Any team in the Big East is capable of winning versus a league opponent.

I wouldn\'t downplay the Pittsburgh win like that. They were once ranked #1 and only have 2 losses on the season. Your statement applies more to South Florida beating Marquette or Georgetown winning at UConn. Those are games that no one expected the underdog to win.

Yoda · « **Reply #66 on:** February 17, 2009, 09:20:40 am »

UConn loss = :beerban:

NickNels · « **Reply #67 on:** February 17, 2009, 10:01:13 am »

Last night\'s game was a definite reality check. I will give Pittsburgh all the credit in the world -- they shut us down. We were largely unable to get the shots agaisnt Pitt that we have been getting the last 7 or 8 games.

Thabeet was absolutely bullied by Blair. He took it right at the big man and pushed him around easily. This is what I was worried about and talked about earlier in this thread. Thabeet struggles against elite centers...but this was actually worse and exposed another weakness in his game. Thabeet usually struggles to come out and defend against centers that can shoot, but Blair took it right at him and was successful. The good news is there are few centers in the league as big and strong as Blair...the bad news is we could potentially see Pitt as much as 3 more times before it\'s all over.

This is a game where we really needed our guard play to step up, both on offense and defense. Price stepped up offensively, but still took a lot of bad shots. I also expected a little more out of Kemba (who didn\'t play terribly), but he really showed that he was still a Freshman out there. We really missed Dyson last night...not only offensively, but he is easily our best perimeter defender.

One big criticism I have of the game is the officiating. After letting both teams really play in the first half, it seemed like a complete 180 in the second half. TOns of fouls called including a lot of ticky-tac stuff (on both sides). The first half had a much better flow and was much more enjoyable to watch.

Spacey · « **Reply #68 on:** February 17, 2009, 11:31:04 am »

Quote from: booztravlr;219966

Quote from: Spacey;219948
Last night was a great representation of what the Big East and College Basketball this year is all about. Any team in the Big East is capable of winning versus a league opponent.

I wouldn\'t downplay the Pittsburgh win like that. They were once ranked #1 and only have 2 losses on the season. Your statement applies more to South Florida beating Marquette or Georgetown winning at UConn. Those are games that no one expected the underdog to win.

I think we have a misunderstanding. I mean exactly what you say.

The Big East is a tough conference and any team regardless of their rank is capable of beating another Big East opponent.

NickNels · « **Reply #69 on:** February 25, 2009, 03:21:42 pm »

Pitt loses @ Providence last night!

UCONN has a chance to regain the top spot in the land with a win @ Marquette tonight! No easy task, but with Calhoun looking for career win 800 it will be extra motiviation to get it done.

zuke583 · « **Reply #70 on:** February 25, 2009, 03:38:17 pm »

Quote from: NickNels;221011

Pitt loses @ Providence last night!

UCONN has a chance to regain the top spot in the land with a win @ Marquette tonight! No easy task, but with Calhoun looking for career win 800 it will be extra motiviation to get it done.

we better win...i heard he makes more than $1.6M/year

seriously, as nice as it would be, i could give a shit about the top spot in the land. i\'d rather they lose now if it helps them gel by the time they get to the big dance. being #1 in february doesn\'t really do it for me...especially having been to the mountain top twice in the last decade

Drew_Kingsley · « **Reply #71 on:** February 25, 2009, 03:41:20 pm »

Quote from: NickNels;221011

Pitt loses @ Providence last night!

UCONN has a chance to regain the top spot in the land with a win @ Marquette tonight! No easy task, but with Calhoun looking for career win 800 it will be extra motiviation to get it done.

So sour that ESPN was airing Penn State/Ohio State instead of Pitt/Providence... my landlord needs to get better cable.

I wouldn\'t bet on Connecticut tonight, as I don\'t think they have figured out who they are without Jerome Dyson. From what I have seen of Marquette (which, admittedly, is just one game), the Golden Eagles have the offense to beat anybody in Division I and the defense to lose to just about anybody in Division I. I\'m hoping for a 94-92 shootout tonight... and if the Huskies could be the 94, that would be even better.

NickNels · « **Reply #72 on:** February 25, 2009, 03:46:32 pm »

Quote from: zuke583;221014

Quote from: NickNels;221011
Pitt loses @ Providence last night!

UCONN has a chance to regain the top spot in the land with a win @ Marquette tonight! No easy task, but with Calhoun looking for career win 800 it will be extra motiviation to get it done.

we better win...i heard he makes more than $1.6M/year

seriously, as nice as it would be, i could give a shit about the top spot in the land. i\'d rather they lose now if it helps them gel by the time they get to the big dance. being #1 in february doesn\'t really do it for me...especially having been to the mountain top twice in the last decade

Why wouldn\'t you want to be #1? Why do you think losing is going to help them to gel? We are significantly more talented than Marquette...who lost to SOuth Florida (ugh)! I\'m looking for a strong performance worthy of being top in the country and the big east...believe it or not a win for Marquette would make them the #1 seed. We don\'t need that.

Each game I look for indicators of improvement, so in this sense I agree with you ZUke. I would be less excited to see a win where we lean completely on Thabeet, Price, and Adrien vs. a game where we see (significant) improvement from Sticks, better defense from Kemba, and some leadership from Austrie!

SlimPickens · « **Reply #73 on:** February 25, 2009, 03:50:28 pm »

Quote from: zuke583;221014

Quote from: NickNels;221011
Pitt loses @ Providence last night!

UCONN has a chance to regain the top spot in the land with a win @ Marquette tonight! No easy task, but with Calhoun looking for career win 800 it will be extra motiviation to get it done.

we better win...i heard he makes more than $1.6M/year

seriously, as nice as it would be, i could give a shit about the top spot in the land. i\'d rather they lose now if it helps them gel by the time they get to the big dance. being #1 in february doesn\'t really do it for me...especially having been to the mountain top twice in the last decade

I agree. #1 in the polls means very little to meet right now. However, I don\'t want to see them lose any of their remaining games. These last 3 games should give you a pretty clear picture of how well they will play in the tourney.

zuke583 · « **Reply #74 on:** February 25, 2009, 03:57:42 pm »

sometimes a loss can help motivate and galvanize a team

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Author Topic: 2008-09 Men\'s College Basketball Thread (Read 18563 times)