Preseason NCAA Basketball Poll is released

[unccrombie]

:lol at kentucky tonight. mmmm back to the usual. my how i've missed this place

[kydmb99]

True, but I do know that Kentucky has a hell of a lot more talent than Gardner-Webb. I know that Kentucky paid their coach an ton of money on a new coach and have been holding him on a pedestal ever since he got there. I know that Gardner-Webb university wouldn't fill up a 4th of Rupp Arena.

I know that Kentucky should have beat Gardner-Webb.

Yes, and I know that as well. However, anyone who is thinking a coach is a failure or will be a failure after 2 games is ridiculous. The only reason this team will have a good season if it does is because of Gillispie, not in spite of him. UK's recruiting has without a doubt taken an upswing since he got there and that was problem #1 under the Tubby Smith era. Now obviously recruiting is only so important, but I think the guy will do great at UK. It's just going to take some time, and some bad losses like this one I'm afraid, to get there.

[justinandimcool]

Michigan State squeaked by D-II Michigan Tech by 6 in a dogfight. Wtf is up.

[unccrombie]

Michigan State squeaked by D-II Michigan Tech by 6 in a dogfight. Wtf is up.
same thing as with college football hopefully

[seekupig]

Gardner-Webb.



that is all... :lol

[seekupig]

all joking aside, i think Gillespie will get UK back to the top of college basketball. there will be a transition period while he's working in his system and players. it's not like he's walking into a situation of a coaching carousel where he's being handed a loaded team (Roy to UNC, Self to KU, Weber to Illinois). he proved his worth at A&M and will do the same at UK as long as the fans can be patient.

that being said, i can't say it's going to bother me to see them take some beatings on their way back...:D

[UNLTrpt]

Cowherd played a game this morning that was Division II or Sue you. He gave a name and you had to guess if it was a attorney's office or it was a division II school. It was pretty funny.

[GavMan33]

Wow, this is ridiculous.

First of all, Jon, you can't pass the Ohio State loss off just because it was an exhibition. It's still a loss to a no-namer, whether a regular season or a exhibition.....

What's this load about blaming a bad season on a former coach because of "his guys"? This happens EVERY year in college basketball. A coach is fired. A new coach his hired, and he has his own philosophy. The current players on the roster may not fit his philosophy. Depending on what kind of philosophy and how rounded the incomers are, it may or may not work. It doesn't mean you blame a season (or a game for that matter) on someone that is not there anymore. That's ridiculous.....:thumbsdow

[darbini]

The Gators will make the Sweet 16

[seekupig]

The Gators will make the Sweet 16 of the N.I.T.

i agree. :D

[GavMan33]

Billy the Kid! :bounce

[UNC41]

What's this load about blaming a bad season on a former coach because of "his guys"? This happens EVERY year in college basketball. A coach is fired. A new coach his hired, and he has his own philosophy. The current players on the roster may not fit his philosophy. Depending on what kind of philosophy and how rounded the incomers are, it may or may not work. It doesn't mean you blame a season (or a game for that matter) on someone that is not there anymore. That's ridiculous.....:thumbsdow

I agree. You don't blame Tubby, but this year will be a transition period and it wouldn't surprise me if Kentucky suffered a little because of it.

[seekupig]

I agree. You don't blame Tubby, but this year will be a transition period and it wouldn't surprise me if Kentucky suffered a little because of it.

:thumbsup

and as a Kentucky fan stated earlier in the thread, Tubby didn't leave a lot of top flight D1 talent. true, but that doesn't excuse losing to a DII school by 16 points in your own gym. he left more than enough to beat Gardner-Webb....

[willthethrill]

Ahh, too bad I missed last night. That looked fun. This really reminds me of UNC's situation in Roy's first year, although he had more talent than UK does.

As for G-W, go Bulldogs! G-W is about 30 minutes from my hometown. It is literally a cow pasture in Boiling Springs, NC. Git 'er done, Cleveland County.

[kydmb99]

:thumbsup

and as a Kentucky fan stated earlier in the thread, Tubby didn't leave a lot of top flight D1 talent. true, but that doesn't excuse losing to a DII school by 16 points in your own gym. he left more than enough to beat Gardner-Webb....

This is true, and I'm not blaming Tubby for this loss in particular, but if we do have a sub-par season it will be because of his shitty recruiting. I don't think it's any coincidence that the only two players that played worth a shit last night are the ones Gillispie brought in, who if we didn't have, we would be absolutely awful.

Gillispie has a VERY different approach than Tubby did. Apparently, Tubby's practices weren't that hard, and I've heard that really no matter what you did in practice, the same people were going to play each game. Gillispie runs the hell out of these players in practice, maybe to a fault, but they will adjust. Gillispie has had success every where he's gone, I see no reason why he won't at Kentucky. There's just a lot of lazy, selfish players left over from the Tubby era that need to change their ways.

[willthethrill]

they're not.... (unless this is wrong)

As of the beginning of the 2007-2008 season, Kentucky is the all-time winningest team in Division I Men's Basketball with 1,948 victories. The top 5 programs are:
1 - Kentucky - 1,948
2 - North Carolina - 1,914
3 - Kansas - 1,906
4 - Duke - 1,818
5 - St. John's - 1,705

Here's the current top 10 in wins.

Season Yrs. Won Lost Tied Pct.
1. Kentucky.......................................190 3 101 1,876 577 1 .765
2. North Carolina................................1911 94 1,827 677 0 .730
3. Kansas .........................................1899 106 1,825 762 0 .705
4. Duke............................................19 06 99 1,737 781 0 .690
5. St. John's (N.Y.).............................1908 97 1,668 784 0 .680
6. Syracuse.......................................190 1 103 1,630 752 0 .684
7. Temple.........................................189 5 108 1,623 888 0 .646
8. Pennsylvania..................................1897 104 1,572 886 2 .639
9. Indiana.........................................19 01 104 1,555 839 0 .650
10. Notre Dame.................................1898 99 1,548 851 1 .645


Hmm, it seems that the NCAA is a bit behind at updating this list. So is your list accurate and up-to-date Dustin?

EDIT: Mine was from '04. If that is correct, UNC has averaged 5 more wins a year than UK, the same average I predicted if UNC was to pass UK in 7 years. Interesting.

[TapNorris]

This is true, and I'm not blaming Tubby for this loss in particular, but if we do have a sub-par season it will be because of his shitty recruiting. I don't think it's any coincidence that the only two players that played worth a shit last night are the ones Gillispie brought in, who if we didn't have, we would be absolutely awful.

Gillispie has a VERY different approach than Tubby did. Apparently, Tubby's practices weren't that hard, and I've heard that really no matter what you did in practice, the same people were going to play each game. Gillispie runs the hell out of these players in practice, maybe to a fault, but they will adjust. Gillispie has had success every where he's gone, I see no reason why he won't at Kentucky. There's just a lot of lazy, selfish players left over from the Tubby era that need to change their ways.

Billy Clyde will get it turned around.

[mizzoudmbfan]

Heading to the arena.

Hopefully Anderson doesn't pull a Gillespie.

[MPizzle06]

Seeing UK lose to Gardner-Webb was a pretty sweet start to this general season :lol Hopefully we don't follow suit Sunday vs Northeastern

And who's excited for MAUI?? Should be some good games in Hawaii (boosting our RPI in a rebuilding year :hump. Never too early to be thinking about March)

[SoRight24]

The Heels finish up the exhibition slate tonight against Lenoir-Rhyne.

Finally, I hate the exhibition games.....

Can't wait for Wednesday night!

[willthethrill]

I know, I gave concert tickets away because I forgot it was the same night as the Davidson game.

[SoRight24]

I know, I gave concert tickets away because I forgot it was the same night as the Davidson game.

That's the spirit Will!

UNC > concerts. ;)

[thestand]

Anybody in here an ESPN Insider? If anyone is and is feeling kind today, would you mind PMing me the Blue Ribbon on Oregon?

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=3038983&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb %2finsider%2fnews%2fstory%3fid%3d3038983

Thanks, if anyone can.

[thestand]

It looks like we won't be starting any freshman tomorrow against Pepperdine, but Kent has already said Kamyron Brown, the best looking freshman, will come off the bench. Starters will 99.9% most likely be-

Tajuan Porter 14.6 PPG
Maarty Leunen 10.8 PPG
Malik Hairston 11.3 PPG
Joevan Catron 3.1 PPG
Bryce Taylor 14.1 PPG

I hope Catron improved in the off season. He was sluggish and looked really unpolished last year. Kent still wants to run fast pace, so most of the time we'll only have one "big" man out there (90% of the time Leunen). But if Catron has improved, I'd be all for having two big guys in there.

[thestand]

ESPN is saying that Oregon's 2008 freshman class will be a top 10. So psyched, as those kids will be my senior class (unless any go early, but with Kent at the helm and his complete focus on graduating his kids, I don't see that happen).

I'll stop the homer fest. :lol

[justinandimcool]

BEST NEWS EVER.

Apparently I have Fox College Sports Pacific, Central and Atlantic! I get to watch me some College Basketball today!!!!!!

Villanova vs Stony Brook
Washington State vs Eastern Washington


:multi

[HolyCow]

Blake Griffin is bloody awesome. Bloody freaking awesome.

[justinandimcool]

Where the HELL is my game?


Fucking. Cable.

[justinandimcool]

Thank god my game is here! Villanova looks great.

[SoRight24]

Thank god my game is here! Villanova looks great.

Finally!

I'm tired of hearing you bitch and whine about it. :lorraine :lol

[justinandimcool]

:lol Fuck you bro, you'd go crazy too if everyone else was watching CBB but you.

Stony Brook is hitting alot of threes, whereas Villanova is nothing on the perimeter- they're riding on guys like Cunningham are taking over the paint. Without anyone taller than 6-8 I'm not sure they'll be so efficient in the paint against bigger teams. Reynolds (or their many other guards) need to be more of a perimeter threat. Their defense is pretty solid, but their fast break looks very weak, which isn't good at all. Nobody's getting anything from outside. Not quick enough, not physical enough, not a fan after one half. Yes, one half :lol

[justinandimcool]

Just kidding. Just put the ball in Reynolds' hands in the open court transition, it's a guaranteed score. Hopefully they can muster the defense to get on the fast break. Still have to wait and see...

[justinandimcool]

Apparently Stony Brook is playing Kentucky in a couple weeks. They pretty much don't have a chance. Too small and too weak defensively inside (small swingmen are overpowering them), absolutely no inside game, not very quick at all on penetration. They rely pretty much on 23 foot jumpshots to put points on the board- Kentucky shouldn't have too much trouble. The name they've gotta shut down is Michael Tyree, who seems to be a sharpshooter.

[justinandimcool]

Villanova has improved in the second half so far now that they're moving the ball around. Still not impressed defensively though, although I'm majorly impressed by Scottie Reynolds being able to blow by people. I just don't think they have any consistent shooters (other than Shane Clark, apparently) or large enough post players. They don't have the defenders or the rebounders to initiate what seems to be a solid transition game. Ball movement and aggressive penetration in a halfcourt set seems like their only strengths.

[SoRight24]

I just realized that I'm getting this game as well.

I always forget about all those FSN channels cause they are like in the 300's.

Nova looks to be in control, as they should be against Stoney Brook.

[thestand]

I just got really excited about tomorrow. I think I might finally take the plunge and order Oregon's online network, which broadcasts every game (all major sports). It's like 150 a year, though.

[justinandimcool]

Bottom line for Villanova: Move the ball. They seem to hit their shots when they're open. Defense had it's sparks, but were very slow at times, I'll need to see a few more games. Without rebounding they'll need to get those steals to get the running game going.

[justinandimcool]

Now it's time for Washington State vs Eastern Washington! Love it.

[SoRight24]

Georgia Tech just lost to UNC Greensboro. :lol

[justinandimcool]

These white boys and Kyle Weaver at Washington State really know how to play basketball. Haven't seen a weak point yet. Great shooters, solid big guy in Baynes, Derrick Low is as multi-dimentional as a PG can get. I know it's EWU, but they've got the parts to compete with anyone. Really good. I'm scared.

[SoRight24]

These white boys and Kyle Weaver at Washington State really know how to play basketball. Haven't seen a weak point yet. Great shooters, solid big guy in Baynes, Derrick Low is as multi-dimentional as a PG can get. I know it's EWU, but they've got the parts to compete with anyone. Really good. I'm scared.

But seriously, they only have 28 points with 2 minutes left in the half, they don't have enough scorers.

[chiznaz]

A&M punched in their first win of the night. I'm in SA for the weekend and all I got here is NBA ball.

A&M plays in the preseason NIT tourny on Tues which I will be at.... can't wait:).

Mark Turgeon himself bought 10K worth of student tickets for the preseason NIT tip-off tourny. This guy is badass.

3 words to describe freshman Deandre Jordan. Above-The-Rim.

[justinandimcool]

But seriously, they only have 28 points with 2 minutes left in the half, they don't have enough scorers.

They win games with defense. 8th in Pac-10 offense last year, 2nd in defense. With guys like Weaver hitting shots, and Low/Cowgill legitimate shooters as well, the offense will only get better. They have the talent on both ends.

[thestand]

Time Warner refuses to let me buy the Fox Sports Net full package. What the hell. :lol

[JamesM]

Go Villanova! Nova Nation baby!

[GavMan33]

I'm drunk in Philadelphia for the weekend. Just wanted to check in that don;t do the draft without me/. I will be back in a normal state and bakc in NY on Monday. My boy['s 21st. Goodluck tio all in their first weekend of hoop. Hoper you alkll don';t end up luike Kentuycky or Ohiop St. or Michigan State. And for the recortd, I blame all of the craziness going on erarly to Appalachian State. They let these little no-name schoools believe it's possible to beat a big-timer. Xavier tomoirrow night vs. SE /Mirssouri St. God Bless me../...

[UNC41]

Michael Beasley puts up 32 points and 24 boards in his first college game. :eek

And Bob, :lol

[justinandimcool]

I'm drunk in Philadelphia for the weekend. Just wanted to check in that don;t do the draft without me/. I will be back in a normal state and bakc in NY on Monday. My boy['s 21st. Goodluck tio all in their first weekend of hoop. Hoper you alkll don';t end up luike Kentuycky or Ohiop St. or Michigan State. And for the recortd, I blame all of the craziness going on erarly to Appalachian State. They let these little no-name schoools believe it's possible to beat a big-timer. Xavier tomoirrow night vs. SE /Mirssouri St. God Bless me../...

:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

[justinandimcool]

Michael Beasley puts up 32 points and 24 boards in his first college game. :eek


:eek :eek :eek :eek :eek

[bubba40]

Decent win today. Great to be back watching my Hoyas.

[willthethrill]

I'm drunk in Philadelphia for the weekend. Just wanted to check in that don;t do the draft without me/. I will be back in a normal state and bakc in NY on Monday. My boy['s 21st. Goodluck tio all in their first weekend of hoop. Hoper you alkll don';t end up luike Kentuycky or Ohiop St. or Michigan State. And for the recortd, I blame all of the craziness going on erarly to Appalachian State. They let these little no-name schoools believe it's possible to beat a big-timer. Xavier tomoirrow night vs. SE /Mirssouri St. God Bless me../...

Easily tops my drunken post.

Psycho T was unstoppable last night. Shooting from the elbow with ease.

[SoRight24]

Easily tops my drunken post.

Psycho T was unstoppable last night. Shooting from the elbow with ease.

I am still worried about Weeze though, he is still struggling.

He has to come up big this year in order for us to be successful.

[thestand]

Game time.

[SoRight24]

Game time.

I love watching Oregon play.

Football and basketball.

If I had to pick another team to like other than UNC, it would be the Ducks. :thumbsup

[thestand]

Wow, just noticed USC lost. OJ Mayono.

[thestand]

Nearing halftime, and the seniors are stepping it up. Bryce Taylor with 11 points, Hairston with 9, Leunen with 7. Joevan Catron continues to piss me off to an insane extent. He's like a fucking bull out there. Can't make jumpers, can't do anything in the paint, and already has 3 fouls. I wish we had a reliable big man, but we don't.

And that freshman I was talking about earlier in the week, Kamyron Brown, looks to be the real deal. 3/4 FG, 1/1 3P, 2/4 FT, a handful of rebounds and assists. If he becomes a weapon, I think Oregon is a serious threat in the PAC 10.

[thestand]

Halftime, 53-23.

I think I feel good about that. :lol

Oh, and Bryce Taylor is the man of the day. 15 first half points. 6 FG, made his only 3P attempt, and made both of his FT attempts. Porter is having a quiet night, only 2 points. He's missed 3 3P attempts, and is 1/5 for FGs.

[justinandimcool]

I come home from a party to see this.

What the fuck.

[thehoss]

bob/brendan/anyone from around my area, jimmer fredette played 25 minutes tonight vs LBS(long beach state) and scored 9 pts, 3 dishes and a board. not bad for a freshman. he's expected to play ALOT this year. for those of you not familiar, he's a kid that graduated from glens falls high(my alma mater) last year in glens falls,ny. he had full rides to any big east school, and several acc schools, but due to religious reasons, chose byu instead.

[thestand]

bob/brendan/anyone from around my area, jimmer fredette played 25 minutes tonight vs LBS(long beach state) and scored 9 pts, 3 dishes and a board. not bad for a freshman. he's expected to play ALOT this year. for those of you not familiar, he's a kid that graduated from glens falls high(my alma mater) last year in glens falls,ny. he had full rides to any big east school, and several acc schools, but due to religious reasons, chose byu instead.Didn't he gash his head on another player in his last game? What was that all about?

[thehoss]

Didn't he gash his head on another player in his last game? What was that all about?

hahaha, yea, in an exhibition game, he was going for a steal, and had to get 14 stitches in his head. he got the stitches, came back on the court, tapped his coach on the shoulder and started jogging back out to check back in, and his coach had to pull him back and tell him he was done for the night. he had 13 first half pts that game. that occurred 2 minutes into the 2nd half. he's a tough bastard for only being 6'2

[thestand]

100-70 final. Taylor, Hairston, and Porter finish with 17 pts each. Freshman Longmire and Brown both had great games. 11 players got floor time. Catron continues to piss me off, though he did have 8 second half points.

[willthethrill]

I come home from a party to see this.

What the fuck.

Yea, interesting. Did you watch the game?

[justinandimcool]

No. They didn't fucking show it. Thank you, SoCal TV.

[justinandimcool]

Only top 25 team to lose this weekend. We are awesome.

[thestand]

Only top 25 team to lose this weekend. We are awesome.Not according to Taj Porter.
"A lot of Top 25 teams lost this week and we didn't want that to be us," Porter said. "We're just glad we got the first-game jitters out."
:lol

[justinandimcool]

Not according to Taj Porter.

:lol

Hah, to be fair he said this WEEK, whereas I said weekend. :)

[thestand]

Hah, to be fair he said this WEEK, whereas I said weekend. :)That adds what, one? :lol

Or am I forgetting someone?

[justinandimcool]

That adds what, one? :lol

Or am I forgetting someone?

Kentucky, Michigan State (though it didn't count), now USC.

tOSU (didn't count) and Georgia Tech aren't top 25 teams, but they both went down.

[justinandimcool]

OJ Mayo hit 12 of 27 shots for 32 points through 40 minutes on the floor.

27 shots. :lorraine

Davon Jefferson didn't play though, and Taj Gibson apparently wasn't that much of a factor offensively.

[UNC41]

Went and saw Tubby coach his first game yesterday. The Gophers looked better than I thought they would, especially defensively.

[justinandimcool]

Gonzaga looks like the same old team again, meaning very good. They've got this new guy Austin Daye who is dangerous from anywhere on the perimeter, bigger guys like Houldin and Heydvelt manning the paint, and Jeremy Pargo is definitely one of the best if not the best lesser-known PG in the country. Watch them. They're good.

Now it's Stanford vs my possible future school UC-Santa Barbara, which is possibly the best West Coast mid-major team behind Gonzaga. Let's see how this goes. One of the Lopez twins in ineligible this season, so that's definitely a bummer for them.

[justinandimcool]

By the way, I've been collecting college shirts lately, how do you guys (Travis, Bryan, Will, etc) think I look in this one (I'm on the left, btw)?

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/JeffreywithaQ/Just%20Pictures/JustinandJules.jpg


Ignore my douchebag friend. :lol

[chiznaz]

Mark Turgeon is an OFFICIAL BADASS.

A&M hosts the opening rounds of the preseason NIT tourny this Tues and Wed. Well student sports passes don't cover tickets to these games, meaning any student who wants to go has to buy a ticket (about $15 I think).

Well our head basketball coach Mark Turgeon payed $10,000 to cover all student for both days. Regardless if you purchased a sports pass, any student who walks up with a IF gets into both games for FREE. This guy is making a name for himself here already.

[thestand]

Tajuan Porter is the truth. The pressure has been put on him to replace Aaron Brooks, and he's stepping up just fine. Last night he had 17 points, and so far tonight-

4/8 FG, 3/5 3P, 3/4 FT, 0 fouls 14 pts

God yes.

[thestand]

It should be pointed out that Pacific has a player with the best name ever. Solomon Horsechief.

[thestand]

Tajuan Porter! :lol

Finishes the game with 28 points. Hairston steps it up again with 20, and Leunen with 17. Catron didn't piss me off too much today.

[willthethrill]

By the way, I've been collecting college shirts lately, how do you guys (Travis, Bryan, Will, etc) think I look in this one (I'm on the left, btw)?

Nice.:thumbsup Ever thought about coming out east?

Porter sounds like the real deal. Haven't been watching too much basketball because of the NFL and Saturday's lame ass game (UNC lost a heartbreaker to NC State), but I'm so excited for Wednesday. Might have to change my avatar to blue after todays performance.

[GavMan33]

I'm drunk in Philadelphia for the weekend. Just wanted to check in that don;t do the draft without me/. I will be back in a normal state and bakc in NY on Monday. My boy['s 21st. Goodluck tio all in their first weekend of hoop. Hoper you alkll don';t end up luike Kentuycky or Ohiop St. or Michigan State. And for the recortd, I blame all of the craziness going on erarly to Appalachian State. They let these little no-name schoools believe it's possible to beat a big-timer. Xavier tomoirrow night vs. SE /Mirssouri St. God Bless me../...

:rolleyes Is it bad that I don't remember this at all? Oh buddy.

Got tickets for Coaches vs. Cancer games this Friday at MSG. Get to see an upstart Gardner-Webb squad :lol

In other news, the curse of Appalachian St. continues, this time striking Justin's USC squad. I think it's also worth pointing out that Cincinnati lost 2 of 3 games this weekend to very shitty ballclubs (I forget who though, I can't tell you the last time I slept)....

Goodnight world

[willthethrill]

:rolleyes Is it bad that I don't remember this at all? Oh buddy.

Got tickets for Coaches vs. Cancer games this Friday at MSG. Get to see an upstart Gardner-Webb squad :lol

In other news, the curse of Appalachian St. continues, this time striking Justin's USC squad. I think it's also worth pointing out that Cincinnati lost 2 of 3 games this weekend to very shitty ballclubs (I forget who though, I can't tell you the last time I slept)....

Goodnight world

Hahaha, I love you Bob.

[SoRight24]

Nice.:thumbsup Ever thought about coming out east?

Porter sounds like the real deal. Haven't been watching too much basketball because of the NFL and Saturday's lame ass game (UNC lost a heartbreaker to NC State), but I'm so excited for Wednesday. Might have to change my avatar to blue after todays performance.

:thumbsup :thumbsup

Damn, that game sucked big time. A bullshit offsides call on the goal line and an obvious pass interference when Nicks got fucking KNOCKED down.

Horrible officiating. :thumbsdow

But I am also excited for Wednesday.

[GavMan33]

Mark Turgeon is an OFFICIAL BADASS.

A&M hosts the opening rounds of the preseason NIT tourny this Tues and Wed. Well student sports passes don't cover tickets to these games, meaning any student who wants to go has to buy a ticket (about $15 I think).

Well our head basketball coach Mark Turgeon payed $10,000 to cover all student for both days. Regardless if you purchased a sports pass, any student who walks up with a IF gets into both games for FREE. This guy is making a name for himself here already.

:thumbsup Hey this is pretty sweet. It's awesome that a coach would drop that out of his own pocket. Great thing for him, being new around College Station. He'll get a lot of great press, the student body will love it. Very well done :thumbsup

Glens Falls Jon, I did not see that. But so all you guys know, this Fredette kid is big. I mean maybe he's 6'4ish, but he's thick. The kid's a real ballplayer.

And you guys are right. :eek Michael Beasley. I'm really interested to see how my boys at X are going to defend him this New Year's Eve. The kid is obviously a beast.

I didn't realize that Stanford is as good as they are. I'll see them when they come here to Albany to play Siena.

In other news, Siena/Syracuse on tonight on ESPNU. This ESPNU thing is just gonna kill my grades now that the number of games I can see per week just doubled :lol

[seekupig]

I love watching Oregon play.

Football and basketball.

If I had to pick another team to like other than UNC, it would be the Ducks. :thumbsup

i'm really enjoying watching Kansas play right now.

football and basketball.

:D

[justinandimcool]

In other news, Siena/Syracuse on tonight on ESPNU. This ESPNU thing is just gonna kill my grades now that the number of games I can see per week just doubled :lol

:lol

Yeah the more I think about it, I'm lucky I don't have it. I spent 4 hours yesterday watching the games on FCS. Would've been 6 if I had ESPNU. Not good.


Duke vs New Mexico State tonight. Quite excited to see what the Dukies have. Paulus, Scheyer, Nelson, and apparently Jesus Christ aka Kyle Singler. I wonder if it translates to a great Duke team of old.

[thestand]

I didn't realize that Stanford is as good as they are. I'll see them when they come here to Albany to play Siena. See you there, man. No way I'm missing a chance of seeing a PAC10 team live this year.

[justinandimcool]

Stanford's weak spot is definitely guard play, all of which are made up of streaky shooters. They are 5x the team they are when Robin Lopez is on the floor, and 10x the team they are when Brook Lopez comes back in December assuming he passes his classes. They just need to hope both can stay out of foul trouble.

[SoRight24]

Duke is not impressive IMO.

They live and die by the three. That is pretty much ALL they do, they have no inside game whatsoever.

If they were playing a semi-decent team tonight, they would be losing.

[UNC41]

Duke is not impressive IMO.

They live and die by the three. That is pretty much ALL they do, they have no inside game whatsoever.

If they were playing a semi-decent team tonight, they would be losing.

I actually think they will be much better than last year's team after watching one half. They have more depth on the wing and are able to play a faster style of place while still playing very good defense. They will struggle with teams that have dominant inside presences, but look pretty good.

[SoRight24]

I actually think they will be much better than last year's team after watching one half. They have more depth on the wing and are able to play a faster style of place while still playing very good defense. They will struggle with teams that have dominant inside presences, but look pretty good.

Fools gold, the 3's aren't always going to fall.

What do they do when they can't hit three's?

[UNC41]

Fools gold, the 3's aren't always going to fall.

What do they do when they can't hit three's?

Henderson and Nelson can get to the basket with ease against most players. Nolan Smith should be capable of running the point better than Paulus. Singler didn't impress me, but I expect him to be much better.

I don't think they'll be world beaters, but could definitely see them as a second tier team. They hit less than a third of their 3s in the first half.

[UNC41]

Bad news for Kansas ...

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2007/nov/12/ku_guard_collins_miss_six_weeks_following_foot_sur/

[SoRight24]

Henderson and Nelson can get to the basket with ease against most players. Nolan Smith should be capable of running the point better than Paulus. Singler didn't impress me, but I expect him to be much better.

I don't think they'll be world beaters, but could definitely see them as a second tier team. They hit less than a third of their 3s in the first half.

I guess I am just a little biased too. ;)

I mean they will be a sweet 16 team, but I don't think they go farther than that.

[GavMan33]

I guess I am just a little biased too. ;)

I mean they will be a sweet 16 team, but I don't think they go farther than that.

Come on Travis. If I have the balls to say how Pedroia is a ROY, than you can go ahead and give Duke their due :lol

Watching Siena/Syracuse over on the U. Just gotta say that Paul Harris is such a great rebounding guard. Rebounding guards are very tough to find....

[justinandimcool]

Apparently Duke is good at intercepting passing lanes, and are a pretty good running team. I wonder if Paulus will continue to impress me this year.

You're right about them being to reliant on the long ball though Travis. But it's not like it's a huge problem. They've got more than enough to make up for it. They'll improve.

[GavMan33]

I can't believe you guys are watching a 30-point game at Cameron Indoor when you can watch a better game over on the U. Justin is the only one that I give a free pass to. The rest of you, what the hell are you doing? :lol

[justinandimcool]

I can't believe you guys are watching a 30-point game at Cameron Indoor when you can watch a better game over on the U. Justin is the only one that I give a free pass to. The rest of you, what the hell are you doing? :lol

:lorraine

[UNC41]

I guess I am just a little biased too. ;)

I mean they will be a sweet 16 team, but I don't think they go farther than that.

I can't believe you guys are watching a 30-point game at Cameron Indoor when you can watch a better game over on the U. Justin is the only one that I give a free pass to. The rest of you, what the hell are you doing? :lol

I don't get ESPN U. I am, however, watching Chuck rather than the Duke game.

[GavMan33]

I don't get ESPN U. I am, however, watching Chuck rather than the Duke game.

What is Chuck?

[SoRight24]

Come on Travis. If I have the balls to say how Pedroia is a ROY, than you can go ahead and give Duke their due :lol

Watching Siena/Syracuse over on the U. Just gotta say that Paul Harris is such a great rebounding guard. Rebounding guards are very tough to find....

Yeah yeah yeah. ;)

And I am watching the Cuse game now. My analysis? Syracuse has the ugliest jerseys ever again this year. :thumbsdow

[UNC41]

What is Chuck?

It's a new show on NBC. It's completely ridiculous ("geeky" guy has all of our government secrets in his head so helps solve crimes), but I am in love with the girl in the show and it's quirky and well written.

[GavMan33]

Yeah yeah yeah. ;)

And I am watching the Cuse game now. My analysis? Syracuse has the ugliest jerseys ever again this year. :thumbsdow

It's a new show on NBC. It's completely ridiculous ("geeky" guy has all of our government secrets in his head so helps solve crimes), but I am in love with the girl in the show and it's quirky and well written.

Yeah Syracuse went to the new-style jerseys late last season. The skin-tight tops with the unnecessarily baggy bottoms. The home jerseys say Orange on them. I'm interested how ugly the aways will be. Siena is fun to watch. Definitely fit the definition of a "run and gun" type team. Syracuse was playing in a 2-3 zone most of the night (we all know Boeheim loves his zones; when he went to the title game in 96, he rode the 1-3-1 the entire way). When Siena was most successful vs. the 2-3, they would sit their big fella on the logo (where the ACC is in the lane, for instance); he'd catch and reverse the other side for a trey. They'd get away from it, and that's when they got in trouble.

Good stuff, I'm gonna have to check out a little bit of Chuck next Monday night so I can see this lady friend....

[willthethrill]

I need a full game review. I'm stuck at work. How did dook play?

[GavMan33]

I need a full game review. I'm stuck at work. How did dook play?

I can give you Syracuse/Siena :lol

[justinandimcool]

Is this tOSU game worth failing my english/econ tests tomorrow?

I don't think so. I'll probably watch the second half.

[GavMan33]

:violent :violent

It's amazing how many people still say "Egg-zavier". What the hell is the issue? How do you pronounce "Xylaphone?" Do you say "Egg-zylaphone?" Or "Zylaphone?" You say "Zylaphone." Works the same way. Say "Zavier."

And these guys are college basketball analysts. They get paid to know college basketball. And they can't say these names. Grrrr :violent :violent

[justinandimcool]

It's not Eggzavier?

Holy shit :lol

[justinandimcool]

Gordon had 33 pts and 6 assists for Indiana. Flynn had 28 and 9.

These freshman guys are living up, so far.

[GavMan33]

It's not Eggzavier?

Holy shit :lol

Can you say douchebag? :lol :violent

[justinandimcool]

Can you say douchebag? :lol :violent

dow-cha-bag?

[GavMan33]

dow-cha-bag?

I never told you. Great game from Orange Juice and his Trojans over the weekend :thumbsup :lol

[justinandimcool]

I never told you. Great game from Orange Juice and his Trojans over the weekend :thumbsup :lol

I hate you.

[justinandimcool]

"Lewis he's been awesome lets it go...OHHHH!!!"

[UNC41]

Here's what I was thinking for the fantasy league ...
- We start six players (C, F, F, G, G, Utility); nine man rosters
- Points, boards and three point field goals are worth one point; assists and steals are worth two; blocks are worth three; elbowing Tyler Hansbrough in the face disqualifies your team that week
- Head to head scoring. You play a different team each week and rack up wins and losses before a tournament at the end of the year
- Scoring is determined by averaging the totals of each player per week; that way people don't get hosed if their studs play just one game
- Adds and drops can be done in a thread one of us creates for the league; first come, first serve basis

That's all I can think of. Opinions?

[willthethrill]

I might have to renege on my committment. I am really busy and if I'm going to do something like this, I have to do it full on.

[UNC41]

I might have to renege on my committment. I am really busy and if I'm going to do something like this, I have to do it full on.

Bullshit. I don't know if I mentioned it before, but your previous commit is like it is in the Army. If you go back on it you are dishonorably discharged from this thread. :eek

Seriously though, it wouldn't be a huge time commitment. You would just need to PM me your team each week or have the same lineup as the week before.

[willthethrill]

We'll see. Just let me know when it's time to start.

UCLA looks far from dominant. Playing good D, but if Youngstown State was any sort of a decent team they'd be leading.

EDIT: FUCK. Kevin Love just hit a three. Ugh.

[UNLTrpt]

Nebraska won their first game of the year on Saturday. San Antonio here we come!

[UNC41]

We'll see. Just let me know when it's time to start.

UCLA looks far from dominant. Playing good D, but if Youngstown State was any sort of a decent team they'd be leading.

EDIT: FUCK. Kevin Love just hit a three. Ugh.

They look good, not great, but are missing their floor general and leader. Youngstown State is terrible.

I would have loved to see Love in Carolina Blue. Although he looks a little chubby and wonder if he could have run the floor all game in Roy's offense. He's a beast on the boards though.

[SoRight24]

Here's what I was thinking for the fantasy league ...
- We start six players (C, F, F, G, G, Utility); nine man rosters
- Points, boards and three point field goals are worth one point; assists and steals are worth two; blocks are worth three; elbowing Tyler Hansbrough in the face disqualifies your team that week
- Head to head scoring. You play a different team each week and rack up wins and losses before a tournament at the end of the year
- Scoring is determined by averaging the totals of each player per week; that way people don't get hosed if their studs play just one game
- Adds and drops can be done in a thread one of us creates for the league; first come, first serve basis

That's all I can think of. Opinions?

Sounds good to me Bryan, how are we going to do the draft? AIM?

[UNC41]

"Love is tough, but Hansbrough would probably kill someone for the ball."

I love Jay Bilas. I know he's a Dookie, but I can't help it.

[justinandimcool]

I hate Love. But they sure look good, they'll be great by January. We can handle them though, as long as their jerseys don't say "Mercer". I gotta read Hamlet though, so enough of this game.

And Bryan, I'd be down, but not without some prizes :D

[SoRight24]

Derrick Rose, Eric Gordon, Kevin Love, OJ Mayo, say hello to the NBA Draft. ;)

[UNC41]

Yeah, we'll do the draft over AIM. Prizes are an idea. My first thought was winner chooses everyones (aside from second place) avatar for the first weekend of the tournament, but we've got multiple Carolina fans. Throw some thoughts out there.

And Trav, don't forget about Michael "30 and 20" Beasley.

[justinandimcool]

Anyone else sentimentally rooting for Wake this season? Fat chance, but what a great story that'd be.

[justinandimcool]

Yeah, we'll do the draft over AIM. Prizes are an idea. My first thought was winner chooses everyones (aside from second place) avatar for the first weekend of the tournament, but we've got multiple Carolina fans. Throw some thoughts out there.

And Trav, don't forget about Michael "30 and 20" Beasley.

I get first pick since I'm the youngest?

[UNC41]

Only if I can pencil in Mayo.

[justinandimcool]

Only if I can pencil in Mayo.

Sure.

I want Beastly.

[willthethrill]

I'll take the Gonzaga F, Shrooms Heytfelt.

[mizzoudmbfan]

DeMarre Carroll (http://mutigers.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/carroll_demarre00.html) had 23 points in just 21 minutes of PT this evening in his regular season debut as a Tiger (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/mizzou/story/4331BB366EEDCC898625738D00164E68?OpenDocument). Missouri took down Central Michigan 87-76 (http://mutigers.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/111207aae.html) in the opening round of the CBE Classic (http://www.gazellegroup.com/guardians/).

[UNLTrpt]

Nebraska!

[thestand]

Oregon sweeps the tournament. In the last game against W. Michigan, they never trailed. Hairston exploded, becoming the stud he was always supposed to be, with 29 points.

[GavMan33]

Bryan, I'm in as long as I don't have to do all that math you were talking about :lol

Oregon man (I don't know your name) I lied I won't be at the Siena/Stanford game. I didn't realize it was this weekend. I'll be down in NYC with my team. Gardner-Webb baby! :lol :thumbsup

[UNC41]

Bryan, I'm in as long as I don't have to do all that math you were talking about :lol

Oregon man (I don't know your name) I lied I won't be at the Siena/Stanford game. I didn't realize it was this weekend. I'll be down in NYC with my team. Gardner-Webb baby! :lol :thumbsup

It'll be easy. An hour a week. I don't have much going on this week and can draft pretty much whenever. Let's find a time and date.

[GavMan33]

It'll be easy. An hour a week. I don't have much going on this week and can draft pretty much whenever. Let's find a time and date.

My nighttimes get kinda dicey. I'm a basketball coach, so who really knows when practice is gonna be. I'd say we'd have to go around 9 or 10:00, but we have to think about Justin too (damn California). Since most of us are college kids anyway, I don't think it'd matter if we stretched it closer to 11 East Coast time (Bryan I believe you're Central).

Now tell me, we are just drafting whoever. Any team, any conference, any 9 players. Is that right?

[willthethrill]

I've got my avatar set for the season. I really love the old Rameses logo as opposed to the new one. Approve?

[SoRight24]

I've got my avatar set for the season. I really love the old Rameses logo as opposed to the new one. Approve?

:thumbsup :thumbsup

Man, that logo brings back some great memories.

I've got mine all set to go too. :thumbsup

[HolyCow]

This Thursday will show where OU is at with this team. Playing #3 Memphis will not be easy.

[willthethrill]

:thumbsup :thumbsup

Man, that logo brings back some great memories.

I've got mine all set to go too. :thumbsup

Oooo. I like the black. I might copy you.

EDIT: I done it. Very BA.

[justinandimcool]

What an exchange in Syracuse. Wowwww.

[justinandimcool]

My nighttimes get kinda dicey. I'm a basketball coach, so who really knows when practice is gonna be. I'd say we'd have to go around 9 or 10:00, but we have to think about Justin too (damn California). Since most of us are college kids anyway, I don't think it'd matter if we stretched it closer to 11 East Coast time (Bryan I believe you're Central).

Now tell me, we are just drafting whoever. Any team, any conference, any 9 players. Is that right?


Aww, baby :hug


I'm down, depends what time though :)

[justinandimcool]

Flynn's first FG of the night is a game winner from 23 feet. Hot damn.

[UNC41]

Syracuse is going to be the team I cheer for secondary to Carolina this year. I love Harris, Flynn and Greene. They could be terribly inconsistent, but I really like watching them play.

[GavMan33]

Syracuse is going to be the team I cheer for secondary to Carolina this year. I love Harris, Flynn and Greene. They could be terribly inconsistent, but I really like watching them play.

:violent

Syracuse is my true hatred in college basketball.

:violent

[UNC41]

:violent

Syracuse is my true hatred in college basketball.

:violent

I have a soft spot for point guards and Flynn is a treat to watch. And it's impossible to hate anyone who plays the game like Harris.

As for the fantasy league. Is requiring a certain number of mid-major players something you'd like? I had another crazy idea that I'll put in the thread I'm creating later tonight.

[GavMan33]

I have a soft spot for point guards and Flynn is a treat to watch. And it's impossible to hate anyone who plays the game like Harris.

As for the fantasy league. Is requiring a certain number of mid-major players something you'd like? I had another crazy idea that I'll put in the thread I'm creating later tonight.

I love guards too, and actually, I love Paul Harris. Like I said last night, rebounding guards are so hard to come by. The kid's a player. Jonny Flynn, I'm witholding judgement on at this moment.

Yeah, a floor of mid-major players would be cool. What do you think, 1/3 of your players have to be mid-major? 1/2? Your call. Looking forward to see your other crazy idea :lol

[justinandimcool]

I think I want a guy from Miami (Ohio) on my time ;)

[UNC41]

I love guards too, and actually, I love Paul Harris. Like I said last night, rebounding guards are so hard to come by. The kid's a player. Jonny Flynn, I'm witholding judgement on at this moment.

Yeah, a floor of mid-major players would be cool. What do you think, 1/3 of your players have to be mid-major? 1/2? Your call. Looking forward to see your other crazy idea :lol

Since you are our resident mid-major guy how does three guys, one in your starting lineup, sound?

[JamesM]

N-o-v-a!

[GavMan33]

I think I want a guy from Miami (Ohio) on my time ;)

This fuckin kid. Who lets him come in this room anyway? Any way we can get him banned from this goddamn thread?

[GavMan33]

Since you are our resident mid-major guy how does three guys, one in your starting lineup, sound?

I got you Bryan. Good hit.

[justinandimcool]

This fuckin kid. Who lets him come in this room anyway? Any way we can get him banned from this goddamn thread?

You couldn't thrive without me.

[GavMan33]

So Bryan, I'm reading through your guidelines again. We get 9 guys. I guess 3 will be from mid-major schools, and 1 of those will be 1 of 6 players to be started. Now what I want to know, those starters play for an entire week? Let's define a week as Monday thru Sunday (this is because the new rankings come out Monday morning).

What if a player is injured, and will miss significant time? IE-the kid from Kansas that's out for 6 weeks? I knoow you have a sub for him, but is there a way to put him on like IR and add a 10th player to your roster until he comes back?

As Orange Juice said earlier, Xavier 59-57 losers tonight in Oxford, Ohio. Xavier/Miami is a big rivalry game. That said, this is a bad loss. You don't think about it, but this is the 2nd game of the season, and this could have a major effect for this squad come March. It's only an hour busride back to Cincinnati, but I imagine it will feel much much longer tonight....

[SoRight24]

I'm riding the Oregon horse this year.

Other than the Heels, who of course always come first.

[clayj41]

I'm so excited for tomorrow night....here's to my glorious return in this thread!:multi :D

[GavMan33]

I'm riding the Oregon horse this year.

Other than the Heels, who of course always come first.

Damn all you guys. What's up with this shit? I'm all for finding a squad to keep up with throughout the season; don't worry, I'll be doing the same. For instance, I'm really digging the way my hometown Siena Saints are playin ball after the Syracuse game last night.

But what's up with this Oregon bandwagon, Syracuse bandwagon, etc. etc.? Come on now gentlemen. Let's get a little love for the X-Men. We all know that bitch out in Cali is watching Xavier closely :violent :lol

[GavMan33]

I'm so excited for tomorrow night....here's to my glorious return in this thread!:multi :D

Welcome back Clay. I do not remember where your allegience is though. I'm thinking Carolina, but remind me?

[clayj41]

Welcome back Clay. I do not remember where your allegience is though. I'm thinking Carolina, but remind me?

That is correct...just another Tar Heels fan.:lol

[chiznaz]

Went to the A&M game tonight. It was a lot of fun. A&M's team is going to be very different than last years team. Turgeon's offense is waayyyy different than the system Gillispie runs. We are much more athletic than last year ESPECIALLY in the 4 and 5 positions. Obviously we took a huge blow at point gaurd.

This team has the potential to be better than last years. It's dependent on our ability is pick up the new offensive system and defensive intensity.

Oh yeah.... DeAndre Jordan is a freak of an athlete. When he goes up for a dunk, your arm will break if you try to block it.

[GavMan33]

Went to the A&M game tonight. It was a lot of fun. A&M's team is going to be very different than last years team. Turgeon's offense is waayyyy different than the system Gillispie runs. We are much more athletic than last year ESPECIALLY in the 4 and 5 positions. Obviously we took a huge blow at point gaurd.

This team has the potential to be better than last years. It's dependent on our ability is pick up the new offensive system and defensive intensity.

Oh yeah.... DeAndre Jordan is a freak of an athlete. When he goes up for a dunk, your arm will break if you try to block it.

Generally, when a new coach comes in with a brand new offensive philosophy, the team struggles a bit. This will not happen at A&M this season? I don't know what Gillespie ran last year; you're saying this year's team is very athletic, so does this mean that Turgeon is really opening things up and letting them get out and run?

[thestand]

I'm riding the Oregon horse this year.

Other than the Heels, who of course always come first.
I have been extremely impressed with our squad this year. I think you're picking a good horse. :lol

[chiznaz]

Generally, when a new coach comes in with a brand new offensive philosophy, the team struggles a bit. This will not happen at A&M this season? I don't know what Gillespie ran last year; you're saying this year's team is very athletic, so does this mean that Turgeon is really opening things up and letting them get out and run?

This teams development is going to be similar to what Texas went through last year. Spent all preseason getting in sync and finding an identity and clicking by conference play.

Gillispie ran a high low type of offense. Work it inside, and shots will be created from working it to posts and kicking it back out. He also stressed a suffocating defense which lead to turnovers and easy fastbreaks. As a result, we had 2 big men as starters who did all of that, but weren't great floor runners. Our gaurds, especially our freshmen and soph, were athletic and fast, but slowed by this system.

Turgeon has come in figured out quick what we have. We have a 7' super athletic phenom freshman in DeAndre Jordan, some great athletic gaurds who are young, and an athletic bench. Our best player is a post in Joseph Jones who doesn't run the floor like some of the others. We still slow things down a bit and work the ball to him, but our offense has a ton of screen setting and driving the ball to the basket. Think Memphis. That is the type of offense and players we eventually would like to reach. The recruits that we signed today (early signing period was today) definitely fit that mold. We're going to have growing pains from a new system and young players, but it'll work out. We're still trying to find a solid PG for this year.

[willthethrill]

Damn all you guys. What's up with this shit? I'm all for finding a squad to keep up with throughout the season; don't worry, I'll be doing the same. For instance, I'm really digging the way my hometown Siena Saints are playin ball after the Syracuse game last night.

But what's up with this Oregon bandwagon, Syracuse bandwagon, etc. etc.? Come on now gentlemen. Let's get a little love for the X-Men. We all know that bitch out in Cali is watching Xavier closely :violent :lol

I'll give Xavier some love Bob. I'm not one to cheer for multiple teams in a sport, just whoever is playing dook.

Can't wait for 7pm tonight!!

[GavMan33]

I'll give Xavier some love Bob. I'm not one to cheer for multiple teams in a sport, just whoever is playing dook.

Can't wait for 7pm tonight!!

Tough first game for the Heels, that's for sure. Actually, I'll go ahead and say it. I think this is the toughest opening game a highly ranked team has played in several years. :thumbsup to the Heels for putting this test so early....

[UNC41]

Tough first game for the Heels, that's for sure. Actually, I'll go ahead and say it. I think this is the toughest opening game a highly ranked team has played in several years. :thumbsup to the Heels for putting this test so early....

Playing a team the quality of Davidson on a neutral court to open the year is no easy task. Curry can light it up and they are returning a lot of guys. I love that Roy is not afraid to leave Chapel Hill for non-conference games, unlike many coaches at bigtime programs.

Four hours ... :bounce :bounce :bounce

[dreamingtreeIU]

gotta love Dj white on the cover of SI

[willthethrill]

gotta love Dj white on the cover of SI
I wish we played you guys in the Challenge. I don't see why ESPN would deny a top 10 matchup for us to just whoop up on OSU.

Hour and a quarter. :bounce

[willthethrill]

Playing a team the quality of Davidson on a neutral court to open the year is no easy task. Curry can light it up and they are returning a lot of guys. I love that Roy is not afraid to leave Chapel Hill for non-conference games, unlike many coaches at bigtime programs.


Yea, not naming any names...

UNC is on the road playing Davidson, potentially Louisville in the Vegas Invitational, tOSU, UK, Penn, and Rutgers. And that's without a home game in between!

Needless to say, the home schedule for the Dome this year really sucks.

[justinandimcool]

All I have to say is UNC could've just as easily lost that game. Very sloppy offensively, and they were very inconsistent on defense. They made stops they needed to, but gave up some very easy ones, some of which luckily didn't go in. Lots of room for improvement.

[SoRight24]

Whew.....

Not much to say about that one except I'm VERY happy we got out of there with a W.

I could see this coming from a mile away though, from the way they looked in the exhibitions. I know exhibitions don't mean much but they played the exact same way. No flow on offense and nothing on the defensive end.

Very disappointed with Thompson tonight, he is officially in the doghouse.

Ellington saved us tonight, he played great.

Regardless, we got a win and we played horrible. I'll take it!

[SmoothD41]

i think Davidson could be a lot like last year's Butler team. They play good, fundamental basketball and they are pretty fun to watch.

UNC is going to be great this year. You can tell that this was their first game. I also think the refs were giving UNC quite a few calls.

[SoRight24]

With all of that being said, it was the first game of the year.

I can see we have the ability to be VERY good, so I'm not going to overanalyze everything from game 1.

We never play well in the first game, so quite frankly I'm glad we got the W.

[SoRight24]

And just so everyone remembers, Davidson returned all 5 of their starters from a 20 win team that almost beat Maryland in the NCAA's last year.

They are a VERY good team and will win a lot of games.

[willthethrill]

i think Davidson could be a lot like last year's Butler team. They play good, fundamental basketball and they are pretty fun to watch.

UNC is going to be great this year. You can tell that this was their first game. I also think the refs were giving UNC quite a few calls.

Couldn't disagree with you more. The refs were calling all kinds of silly touch fouls. UNC was getting called for a foul every time they touched somebody in the first half, especially on offense, and I think that hurt their rhythm.

Ty laid a terd and Deon played like Zoubek. :eek

Regardless, I'm super excited that Wayne played so well and very glad UNC got the win against a GOOD team. For all the layups Davidson missed, UNC missed just as many. The Santa Clara reference was scary to me.

[JamesM]

N-O-V-A! Go Wildcats!

[UNC41]

Lots of good tonight and just as much, if not more, bad. The Heels beat a very good Davidson team, who like UNC, did not play their A game. They didn't shoot as well as they are capable of, but there were very few shots that were uncontested. Here are my thoughts ...

- I could get used to seeing the Wayne we say tonight. He shot great, but I really loved how he created his own shot off the dribble. Once the UNC game was over tonight I watched the second half of the T-Wolves game and McCants played so similar to Weezy tonight it was crazy. Great to see.
- Bobby is healthy! He looked like '05 Bobby tonight and will be a fantastic guy coming off the bench at both the 1 and the 2
- Tyler was great in the first half. The second half not so much, but that is not going to be the norm
- Marcus played great defense on one of the three or four best 2 guards in the nation. That's exactly what we need from him this year. Alex played good defensively as well
- Danny was a spark who made some key plays. He had some big mistakes, a couple coming on questionable calls, but made his six consecutive points to give UNC the lead in the second half were huge
- I still don't get the second foul on Ty, but he did not look good until the final couple minutes of the game. If the Heels can beat a team like Davidson with that kind of game from Ty I'll take it. Fantastic defense late in the game though
- Deon sucked. I was so excited to see him after reading great things this summer, but he disappointed on both ends of the court

[willthethrill]

- I could get used to seeing the Wayne we say tonight. He shot great, but I really loved how he created his own shot off the dribble. Once the UNC game was over tonight I watched the second half of the T-Wolves game and McCants played so similar to Weezy tonight it was crazy. Great to see.
- Bobby is healthy! He looked like '05 Bobby tonight and will be a fantastic guy coming off the bench at both the 1 and the 2


Yes and yes. What you said about Bobby is exactly what I was thinking as he knocked down the trey.

I sure hope Wayne keeps it up. He balled like he, not Ty, was the potential first round pick.

[kydmb99]

Well....

Good news and bad news for UK...

Bad News - Best player is out for 4-6 weeks and we lost out on a top SF/PF recruit.

Good News - Signed two top 40 players for next season.

So-So day I suppose.

[UNC41]

Yes and yes. What you said about Bobby is exactly what I was thinking as he knocked down the trey.

I sure hope Wayne keeps it up. He balled like he, not Ty, was the potential first round pick.

I don't know if you saw it, but Bobby knocked down threes after both Danny's charge and first illegal screen foul. The big question mark on this team is supposed to be the three point shot, and if Bobby can hit it consistently I'll be ecstatic.

[willthethrill]

I don't know if you saw it, but Bobby knocked down threes after both Danny's charge and first illegal screen foul. The big question mark on this team is supposed to be the three point shot, and if Bobby can hit it consistently I'll be ecstatic.

Roy said it best: "We counted up as we were walking down here, we had 19 turnovers, but we had seven of them on offensive fouls, either charges or illegal screens. Everybody talks about our three-point shooting – if we take away three illegal screens, we made three three’s. Every time the guy called an illegal screen, we made the shot."

The made 3s really made me smile. So crucial for this team. Davidson was obviously protecting the middle which led to all those open 3s.

[UNC41]

Roy said it best: "We counted up as we were walking down here, we had 19 turnovers, but we had seven of them on offensive fouls, either charges or illegal screens. Everybody talks about our three-point shooting – if we take away three illegal screens, we made three three’s. Every time the guy called an illegal screen, we made the shot."

The made 3s really made me smile. So crucial for this team. Davidson was obviously protecting the middle which led to all those open 3s.

I love how honest Roy is with the media. He showed no hesitation toward calling Deon and Alex out tonight. He doesn't sugarcoat anything, which makes me love this quote ... "that’s the Wayne Ellington that I think we’re going to have all year long."

Another thing I loved was the play when Hansbrough dribbled out of the double team and hit Marcus for the easy layup. That's a play we wouldn't have seen a year ago in the post from Tyler.

[justinandimcool]

Washington's guard play looks strong as hell. Quick and pesky, good penetrators. Not sure about perimeter shooting.

Jon Brockman looks like he'll be a huge force towards March. Let's see if they can pull this off against Utah.

[justinandimcool]

Washington vs Texas A&M next Wednesday. Quite excited for that one.

[justinandimcool]

Brockman ends up with 31 points and 18 rebounds. Oh snap.

[SoRight24]

Lots of good tonight and just as much, if not more, bad. The Heels beat a very good Davidson team, who like UNC, did not play their A game. They didn't shoot as well as they are capable of, but there were very few shots that were uncontested. Here are my thoughts ...

- I could get used to seeing the Wayne we say tonight. He shot great, but I really loved how he created his own shot off the dribble. Once the UNC game was over tonight I watched the second half of the T-Wolves game and McCants played so similar to Weezy tonight it was crazy. Great to see.
- Bobby is healthy! He looked like '05 Bobby tonight and will be a fantastic guy coming off the bench at both the 1 and the 2
- Tyler was great in the first half. The second half not so much, but that is not going to be the norm
- Marcus played great defense on one of the three or four best 2 guards in the nation. That's exactly what we need from him this year. Alex played good defensively as well
- Danny was a spark who made some key plays. He had some big mistakes, a couple coming on questionable calls, but made his six consecutive points to give UNC the lead in the second half were huge
- I still don't get the second foul on Ty, but he did not look good until the final couple minutes of the game. If the Heels can beat a team like Davidson with that kind of game from Ty I'll take it. Fantastic defense late in the game though
- Deon sucked. I was so excited to see him after reading great things this summer, but he disappointed on both ends of the court

I agree with everything you said except for that.

Marcus was a step behind him all night, I've seen much better defensive performances from him.

[willthethrill]

Another thing I loved was the play when Hansbrough dribbled out of the double team and hit Marcus for the easy layup. That's a play we wouldn't have seen a year ago in the post from Tyler.

He almost missed it too. At that point Marcus had been open for about 5 seconds and I was yelling at an incredible volume at the TV. That play is there a lot, I hope he starts to see it more often.

[dmbigeyedphish]

He almost missed it too. At that point Marcus had been open for about 5 seconds and I was yelling at an incredible volume at the TV. That play is there a lot, I hope he starts to see it more often.

Did you see the announcers kiss ellington's ass for hitting that jump shot at the end of the game? I mean DAMN. Either way, UNC looked decent and so did Davidson...I actually fear them on our schedule.

On a side note: See my user title. Matt Moore. FOR THE WIN.

[UNC41]

I agree with everything you said except for that.

Marcus was a step behind him all night, I've seen much better defensive performances from him.

Curry had 24 points, but he didn't get anything easy. The guy is probably one of the five best two guards in the country so I didn't expect him to be completely shut down. Very few of his shots were uncontested.

[thestand]

EUGENE, Ore. -- Five players, including three from Chicago, signed letters of intent to play for the Oregon Ducks.

The Chicago-area signees include Josh Crittle, a 6-foot-8 forward-center from Hales Franciscan High School; Michael Dunigan, a 6-foot-10 center from Farragut High School; and Matthew Humphrey, a 6-foot-5 guard from Hales Franciscan.

"He's the most dominant big man we've ever had here," coach Ernie Kent said of Dunigan.

Additionally, the Ducks signed 6-foot-6 forward Drew Wiley from Thurston High School. Wiley averaged 24.8 points and 9.6 rebounds last season at McKenzie High School.

Guard Teondre Willams, 6-foot-4, also signed a letter of intent on Wednesday. He averaged 18 points per game and seven rebounds at Meadowcreek High School in Norcross, Ga.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=ncb&id=3111954

That is really impressive, and says a lot about the growing support for Kent. People in Eugene wanted his head a few years ago.

[UNC41]

The Jay Bilas chat right now is hilarious. He has no problem giving shit back to idiots. A couple of excerpts ...

Darby, WI: Jay - I know you didn't mean it this way, because you're consistent in the positive things you say about the Badger program; yet the national perception continues that UW gets by on "fundamentals". You're not a consistent top-20 program like Wisconsin is on fundamentals alone. When will Bo and the program get the recognition it deserves for having quality players (Devin Harris, Alando Tucker, etc.) as well as a quality program?

Jay Bilas: (3:11 PM ET ) Why is praising fundamentals a negative? I admire that. Nobody wins without outstanding players and talent. Nobody. Not Bo, not Wooden. You can lose with outstanding players, but you cannot win without them. Plus, I did not say "fundamentals alone". In fact, I did not say anything alone. I just admire the fundamental nature of their play. It is refreshning, and it still works. You should be proud of it. By the way, do you want people to stop referring to cheese?! Embrace it, baby!

John (Arizona): Why are you continuously giving a team so much credit for playing poorly?

Jay Bilas: (3:14 PM ET ) Who are you talking about? Carolina? Give me a break, bro!! Arizona looked worse playing Northern Arizona!! It is early in the season. We are projecting, and I think Carolina will get better. So will Arizona, but I think Carolina is the better team.

Daren (Rockville, Maryland): You currently have UNC #1. This after UNC, playing w/ pretty much a home crowd, plays poorly and had to shoot over 30 free throws to make up a 4 pt win? Sure down the road they may very well be the #1 team... but as of right now, should they be ranked #1?

Jay Bilas: (3:16 PM ET ) You're right. I now declare Gardner-Webb the top ranked team. I understand Carolina was not at its best. However, I can look beyond that. Lawson is far better than he played, and so is Carolina. And, if you are correct, what does that say about Davidson if they cannot win when Carolina played so "poorly"? Are you discounting how good they are?

[SoRight24]

The Jay Bilas chat right now is hilarious. He has no problem giving shit back to idiots. A couple of excerpts ...

Darby, WI: Jay - I know you didn't mean it this way, because you're consistent in the positive things you say about the Badger program; yet the national perception continues that UW gets by on "fundamentals". You're not a consistent top-20 program like Wisconsin is on fundamentals alone. When will Bo and the program get the recognition it deserves for having quality players (Devin Harris, Alando Tucker, etc.) as well as a quality program?

Jay Bilas: (3:11 PM ET ) Why is praising fundamentals a negative? I admire that. Nobody wins without outstanding players and talent. Nobody. Not Bo, not Wooden. You can lose with outstanding players, but you cannot win without them. Plus, I did not say "fundamentals alone". In fact, I did not say anything alone. I just admire the fundamental nature of their play. It is refreshning, and it still works. You should be proud of it. By the way, do you want people to stop referring to cheese?! Embrace it, baby!

John (Arizona): Why are you continuously giving a team so much credit for playing poorly?

Jay Bilas: (3:14 PM ET ) Who are you talking about? Carolina? Give me a break, bro!! Arizona looked worse playing Northern Arizona!! It is early in the season. We are projecting, and I think Carolina will get better. So will Arizona, but I think Carolina is the better team.

Daren (Rockville, Maryland): You currently have UNC #1. This after UNC, playing w/ pretty much a home crowd, plays poorly and had to shoot over 30 free throws to make up a 4 pt win? Sure down the road they may very well be the #1 team... but as of right now, should they be ranked #1?

Jay Bilas: (3:16 PM ET ) You're right. I now declare Gardner-Webb the top ranked team. I understand Carolina was not at its best. However, I can look beyond that. Lawson is far better than he played, and so is Carolina. And, if you are correct, what does that say about Davidson if they cannot win when Carolina played so "poorly"? Are you discounting how good they are?

Jay Bilas = my favorite dookie ever.

I love that guy. :thumbsup

I also find it funny that all of these other teams fans are getting a boner about how badly we played last night, and claiming we don't deserve to be #1.

It's ONE FREAKING GAME.

[UNC41]

Jay Bilas = my favorite dookie ever.

I love that guy. :thumbsup

I also find it funny that all of these other teams fans are getting a boner about how badly we played last night, and claiming we don't deserve to be #1.

It's ONE FREAKING GAME.

He's also made multiple boozing references, which is great. This answer pretty much sums up this part of the forum and sports discussion in general ...

No, thanks for the question. Thoughtful and with edge. I like it. Always remember one thing, the fun of this stuff is to have an opinion, back it up, and then have a drink afterward and watch the game. Next time we're in the same place, I'm buying.

[willthethrill]

Did you see the announcers kiss ellington's ass for hitting that jump shot at the end of the game? I mean DAMN. Either way, UNC looked decent and so did Davidson...I actually fear them on our schedule.

On a side note: See my user title. Matt Moore. FOR THE WIN.

I was kissing his ass for playing a great game.

And yes, we need to lose out and draft a workable team: aka start Matt Moore. But hey, Vinny's not all bad.

[dmbigeyedphish]

I was kissing his ass for playing a great game.

And yes, we need to lose out and draft a workable team: aka start Matt Moore. But hey, Vinny's not all bad.

Ellington's definitely a baller.

And so is Matt Moore.

[justinandimcool]

Damn, Gardner-Webb is really, really....white. Let's see how they do against UConn.

With Gwebb, Belmont, Mercer beating BCS teams so far, the Atlantic Sun Conference is on fire. New power conference? :lol

[justinandimcool]

Damn, UConn has some ugly uniforms.

[Mustang1]

Washington vs Texas A&M next Wednesday. Quite excited for that one.

Me too. A&M's strength is Jones and Jordan in the middle so it should be a great matchup.

[justinandimcool]

It'll be interesting to see Brockman face an actual post defense :thumbsup

To GWebb: THESE guys beat Kentucky?

[SoRight24]

It'll be interesting to see Brockman face an actual post defense :thumbsup

To GWebb: THESE guys beat Kentucky?

Kentucky is going to have a LONG year.

They lost Jodie Meeks for a month with a stress fracture the other night.

[justinandimcool]

Is MSG always this empty during Coaches vs Cancer games?

My biggest fear is CBB popularity waning :shrug

[justinandimcool]

GWebb throws up 4 shots in the paint and none of them draw iron :lol

*sigh*

UConn seems to be a good defensive team. Can't see anything special yet though.

[paris72]

How right you are! Man o man:BANG


Kentucky is going to have a LONG year.

They lost Jodie Meeks for a month with a stress fracture the other night.

[UNC41]

Memphis looks outstanding at times, mediocre at other times. That's what you expect early in the year. Dorsey looks great on defense, but that push to Griffin is exactly what you expect out of him. Rose hasn't wowed me, but there are glimpses of greatness there. Griffin has really impressed. He's a beast on the glass and has shown some great post moves. It's too bad he doesn't have much help.

[GavMan33]

Is MSG always this empty during Coaches vs Cancer games?

My biggest fear is CBB popularity waning :shrug

Short Answer: Yes

Longer Answer: I went to the 03 and 04 Preseason NIT (yes Carolina gentlemen I saw them win the whole thing and go on to suck the rest of the year :lol ) and I'm going tomorrow night. There's never anybody there. I don't really know why it doesn't draw because there are always outstanding teams. Well, except for college basketball "parity" with Gardner Webb :lol

[justinandimcool]

^ That sucks. Sounds like CBB doesn't have as huge of a following as I thought. Even the tourney games are never sold out.

And you're right Bry, I'm not sold on Memphis at all yet. They're good, but not great.

[UNC41]

^ That sucks. Sounds like CBB doesn't have as huge of a following as I thought. Even the tourney games are never sold out.

And you're right Bry, I'm not sold on Memphis at all yet. They're good, but not great.

It's early. People aren't in college basketball mode yet. Many aren't until NFL and college football ends. However, it's still kind of surprising they can't put more people in the Garden in a city the size of New York.

And don't discount Memphis. It's so early. They showed flashes where few teams in the nation could play with them. They haven't been consistent, but that's going to happen early in the season.

[justinandimcool]

It's early. People aren't in college basketball mode yet. Many aren't until NFL and college football ends. However, it's still kind of surprising they can't put more people in the Garden in a city the size of New York.

And don't discount Memphis. It's so early. They showed flashes where few teams in the nation could play with them. They haven't been consistent, but that's going to happen early in the season.

Yeah, I know they can beat almost anybody with their talent, they'll just have to do alot more this season for me to buy it completely.

And yeah, is it me or do March Madness games seem empty as well? It felt like it last year.

[GavMan33]

Yeah, I know they can beat almost anybody with their talent, they'll just have to do alot more this season for me to buy it completely.

And yeah, is it me or do March Madness games seem empty as well? It felt like it last year.

Justin-Just for the hell of it. When March comes around, go to the site where USC goes to (assuming there are no more losses to teams like Mercer ;) ). Then look up how much tickets would be to go to their first/second round games. It's astronomical. Doable, but not for people like us. You really have to know someone to get tickets, or not be afraid to drop a few hundred to go. Of course we'd all love to go, but most of us don't have that money.

I've been to 3 separate NCAA Tournaments; the 1995 both first/second rounds in Albany, NY, the 2003 Regional Semis/Finals in Albany, NY, and just the first round in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2006. All three times I knew people that were able to get tickets. I just can't pony up that kind of dough....

[chiznaz]

Justin-Just for the hell of it. When March comes around, go to the site where USC goes to (assuming there are no more losses to teams like Mercer ;) ). Then look up how much tickets would be to go to their first/second round games. It's astronomical. Doable, but not for people like us. You really have to know someone to get tickets, or not be afraid to drop a few hundred to go. Of course we'd all love to go, but most of us don't have that money.

I've been to 3 separate NCAA Tournaments; the 1995 both first/second rounds in Albany, NY, the 2003 Regional Semis/Finals in Albany, NY, and just the first round in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2006. All three times I knew people that were able to get tickets. I just can't pony up that kind of dough....

Exactly. I went last year to the regional finals b/c I got student tickets. Ourside of that, I only get tickets to NCAA events (in texas) b/c the family is in the sports industry. NCAA Final Four tickets are ridiculous in price.

[seekupig]

what a suprise..... i'm watching highlights of the KU game on Sportscenter last night and who was playing? Brandon Rush, back three weeks early from his knee surgery rehab! :multi :multi

Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk!!!

[darbini]

Go Gators! The freshman class are looking pretty damn good on the floor with Speights and Hodge, Saturday's game aginst 3-0 Rutgers should be a good early challenge to see where they stand. Billy D has them playing some great Florida basketball, almost 6 guys averaging double figures and assists are all around the court. Calathes and Parsons are ahead of the game, with Lucas and Allen coming up big. Whenever ya'll get a chance, check out this year's team. There will still be plenty of green behind their ears that will be exposed, but not as much as you think.

I still say Sweet 16!

[waywayNCSU]

JJ Hickson. 12-12 for 31 points.

Go Pack!

[jsilvia2]

JJ Hickson. 12-12 for 31 points.

Go Pack!
:thumbsup
He's already setting conference and school records

[GavMan33]

Exactly. I went last year to the regional finals b/c I got student tickets. Ourside of that, I only get tickets to NCAA events (in texas) b/c the family is in the sports industry. NCAA Final Four tickets are ridiculous in price.

Perfect example I forgot that you were in that exact predicament last season with the Aggies.....

[seekupig]

JJ Hickson. 12-12 for 31 points.

Go Pack!

wasn't on tv, but heard part of it on the radio. sounds like he may be the real deal....

couldn't tell on the radio, but who was playing defense on him last night? William or Mary? ;)

basketball season is much more tolerable in this area when the Wolfpack are good....:thumbsup

[waywayNCSU]

couldn't tell on the radio, but who was playing defense on him last night? William or Mary? ;)

basketball season is much more tolerable in this area when the Wolfpack are good....:thumbsup

:lol Both William and Mary. And they still couldn't stop him!

:thumbsup

[SoRight24]

JJ Hickson. 12-12 for 31 points.

Go Pack!

Although I hate State, it's exciting that both our football and basketball programs are on solid ground at the same time.

It makes the games worth something, and a heck of a lot more interesting. :thumbsup

I am looking forward to our matchups this season.

[waywayNCSU]

Although I hate State, it's exciting that both our football and basketball programs are on solid ground at the same time.

It makes the games worth something, and a heck of a lot more interesting. :thumbsup

I am looking forward to our matchups this season.

I agree. Though its easy for me to say since we won, that football game last week was one of the more exciting ones I've ever seen.

And I'm really looking forward to what this bball season has to offer, for the first time in a while.

[seekupig]

it's exciting that both our football and basketball programs are on solid ground at the same time.

if that's solid ground, what would you call the ground that Lawrence, KS is built on? :D

in all seriousness though, it is fun to see N.C. State be able to compete in basketball and football. now if those chumps in Durham could field a decent football team, this would be a great sports area most of the year....