Preseason NCAA Basketball Poll is released

[justinandimcool]

Texas A&M getting blown out to Texas Tech. That's 3 upsets today. Damn.


Ole Miss takes down a good Florida team. I haven't seen Miss play, but they look pretty legit so far.

[clayj41]

Hip. Check. Not to mention the jumpball. UNC got alot of breaks. :shrug

Like Dustin said, so did GT.

[justinandimcool]

Like Dustin said, so did GT.

Maybe, not too sure. GT had the most obvious no-calls against them anyways. They got away with a few, but they were all ticky tacks IMO. UNC got every call down low on their end. Free throw disparity was 16. Not like it means much but in a physical game like that, I don't know.

At the end of the day, Peacock should've hit that last 10 footer.

[UNC41]

Hip. Check. Not to mention the jumpball. UNC got alot of breaks. :shrug

They really let 'em play. The hip check could have been called, but I remember a very similar play in the first half at about halfcourt where I GT guy did something similar to Hansbrough. I can't argue the jump ball though.

:lol there were a lot of them both ways....

i'm just pissed right now. one of my friends bet me $100 before the season started that Kansas would lose before UNC. i've been teased by UNC twice in two weeks and it's really starting to get on my nerves.... i don't care about the rankings, they'll work that out on the court. i want my money... and now we've got our road rivalry game coming up this weekend. :BANG

I agree with you here Dustin. Carolina definitely did get some calls, but there was also that three possession series late in the second half that went ... lot of contact on Green as he makes layup, Green gets hammered as he misses a layup and charge called on Green when the GT help defender was still sliding into position.

Everybody except for Ty and Marcus need to get back in The Pit and spend the rest of the week on defense. Ty played fantastic on-ball defense and Marcus did a good job chasing Morrow around, but aside from that it was ugly.

[seekupig]

Everybody except for Ty and Marcus need to get back in The Pit and spend the rest of the week on defense.

:thumbsup i've been telling everyone i know around here that that's what's keeping the Tar Heels from being the "clear cut" #1 people think they are. everyone knows they can score, but it seems these days that everyone they play can score pretty good too. i know Roy will work it out in time for the tourney.... but i'd feel pretty good about KU's chances if we were to play the Heels this weekend.

[justinandimcool]

Classy speech by Bob Knight :thumbsup Congrats on 900.

[UNC41]

Wow. Just wow.

Not sure what to say about that. Carolina got away with it there.

UNC has to be going down soon. The interior is getting softer and easier to figure out with each game. If you play a physical game down low, you may not be able to overcome Psycho T, but certain teams like Clemson and GT can apparently match it. The running game and the backcourt defense is excellent as always, but rebounding is a concern, and getting Hansbrough some help as well.

Wanted to touch on this after going for a run. The schedule this week has hampered my workouts after work.

I partially agree with you here. Deon needs to toughen up, but I don't think UNC is necessarily soft inside. Alex is usually very tough inside. Tonight was a rare exception, and he was attending to family health issues during the Clemson game. Then you have Psycho T, who is, well, Psycho T.

:thumbsup i've been telling everyone i know around here that that's what's keeping the Tar Heels from being the "clear cut" #1 people think they are. everyone knows they can score, but it seems these days that everyone they play can score pretty good too. i know Roy will work it out in time for the tourney.... but i'd feel pretty good about KU's chances if we were to play the Heels this weekend.

It's a lot of inconsistency at some spots. Ty and Marcus are playing great defense, Alex is a very good defender and Hansbrough is a good defender who is great on the glass and scrapping for loose balls. Ellington has been very inconsistent. He is great on the ball at times, but then has games like tonight. Danny's on the ball defense is really the only weakness in his game and Deon needs to defend better.

Classy speech by Bob Knight :thumbsup Congrats on 900.

I can't help but love Knight. His interview after the game and press conference were hilarious.

[willthethrill]

I think the missed calls were pretty evenly distributed tonight. How many times did GT draw blood from T-Hans face and not get a foul called? Danny intercepting the alley with the guy tackling him from behind? The phantom charge that Bryan pointed out? Yea, you could've called something on Marcus there, but the game came down to GT getting a chance at the last shot and they didn't make it. Danny snagged the rebound and that was that.

I would agree that Kansas looks more impressive than UNC right now. KU has looked damned impressive. I still take solace in the fact that the '05 team looked like this at times, and that they didn't peak until the absolute right moment, the NCAA Tournament. I wonder if KU can keep up this fabulous run of basketball that they have had.

[seekupig]

and the new ESPN Power16 is released......

1. Kansas (5)
2. Memphis (3)
3. UNC (3)
4. UCLA
5. Tennessee
6. Duke
7. Washington St.
8. Indiana
9. Georgetown
10. Marquette
11. Michigan St.
12. Butler
13. Pitt
14. Mississippi
15. Wisconsin
16. Texas

http://sports-ak.espn.go.com/ncb/powerranking

[BreakFree27]

Big win for UMass last night! Beating Dayton was huge, now we just need to beat Xavier and URI when we play them and we should be all set.

[seekupig]

Big win for UMass last night! Beating Dayton was huge, now we just need to beat Xavier and URI when we play them and we should be all set.

that's it? sounds easy enough....

you also need to make sure you don't turn around and shit the bed against the A-10 doormats after a big win. one step forward, two steps back will not get you a ticket to the dance.....

[willthethrill]

and the new ESPN Power16 is released......

1. Kansas (5)
2. Memphis (3)
3. UNC (3)
4. UCLA
5. Tennessee
6. Duke
7. Washington St.
8. Indiana
9. Georgetown
10. Marquette
11. Michigan St.
12. Butler
13. Pitt
14. Mississippi
15. Wisconsin
16. Texas

http://sports-ak.espn.go.com/ncb/powerranking

I don't see where Memphis gets more votes than UNC, but I get KU at #1. Pretty solid list otherwise.

Also, no love from Hubert Davis, putting the Heels at #4. Several have UNC at #4 while several have UCLA at #2. What has UCLA definitively shown?

[GavMan33]

Big win for UMass last night! Beating Dayton was huge, now we just need to beat Xavier and URI when we play them and we should be all set.

Where have you been at? You be coming by when UMass wins; you gotta come by and talk A-10 hoop with me....

that's it? sounds easy enough....

you also need to make sure you don't turn around and shit the bed against the A-10 doormats after a big win. one step forward, two steps back will not get you a ticket to the dance.....

One step forward: Beating Syracuse
About four steps backward: Losing to IUPUI

:shrug

Xavier drops one to Temple last night, Dayton loses to UMass, and St. Joe's also loses to Charlotte. I can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing that the "top" teams in the conference (save UMass who won)

[GavMan33]

Big win for UMass last night! Beating Dayton was huge, now we just need to beat Xavier and URI when we play them and we should be all set.

Where have you been at? You be coming by when UMass wins; you gotta come by and talk A-10 hoop with me....

that's it? sounds easy enough....

you also need to make sure you don't turn around and shit the bed against the A-10 doormats after a big win. one step forward, two steps back will not get you a ticket to the dance.....

One step forward: Beating Syracuse
About four steps backward: Losing to IUPUI

:shrug

Xavier drops one to Temple last night, Dayton loses to UMass, and St. Joe's also loses to Charlotte. I can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing that the "top" teams in the conference (save UMass who won) are

[GavMan33]

Big win for UMass last night! Beating Dayton was huge, now we just need to beat Xavier and URI when we play them and we should be all set.

Where have you been at? You be coming by when UMass wins; you gotta come by and talk A-10 hoop with me....

that's it? sounds easy enough....

you also need to make sure you don't turn around and shit the bed against the A-10 doormats after a big win. one step forward, two steps back will not get you a ticket to the dance.....

One step forward: Beating Syracuse
About four steps backward: Losing to IUPUI

:shrug

Xavier drops one to Temple last night, Dayton loses to UMass, and St. Joe's also loses to Charlotte. I can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing that the "top" teams in the conference (save UMass who won) are losing. Any thoughts

[GavMan33]

Big win for UMass last night! Beating Dayton was huge, now we just need to beat Xavier and URI when we play them and we should be all set.

Where have you been at? You be coming by when UMass wins; you gotta come by and talk A-10 hoop with me....

that's it? sounds easy enough....

you also need to make sure you don't turn around and shit the bed against the A-10 doormats after a big win. one step forward, two steps back will not get you a ticket to the dance.....

One step forward: Beating Syracuse
About four steps backward: Losing to IUPUI

:shrug

Xavier drops one to Temple last night, Dayton loses to UMass, and St. Joe's also loses to Charlotte. I can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing that the "top" teams in the conference (save UMass who won) are losing. Any thoughts on

[GavMan33]

Big win for UMass last night! Beating Dayton was huge, now we just need to beat Xavier and URI when we play them and we should be all set.

Where have you been at? You be coming by when UMass wins; you gotta come by and talk A-10 hoop with me....

that's it? sounds easy enough....

you also need to make sure you don't turn around and shit the bed against the A-10 doormats after a big win. one step forward, two steps back will not get you a ticket to the dance.....

One step forward: Beating Syracuse
About four steps backward: Losing to IUPUI

:shrug

Xavier drops one to Temple last night, Dayton loses to UMass, and St. Joe's also loses to Charlotte. I can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing that the "top" teams in the conference (save UMass who won) are losing. Any thoughts on whether

[GavMan33]

Big win for UMass last night! Beating Dayton was huge, now we just need to beat Xavier and URI when we play them and we should be all set.

Where have you been at? You be coming by when UMass wins; you gotta come by and talk A-10 hoop with me....

that's it? sounds easy enough....

you also need to make sure you don't turn around and shit the bed against the A-10 doormats after a big win. one step forward, two steps back will not get you a ticket to the dance.....

One step forward: Beating Syracuse
About four steps backward: Losing to IUPUI

:shrug

Xavier drops one to Temple last night, Dayton loses to UMass, and St. Joe's also loses to Charlotte. I can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing that the "top" teams in the conference (save UMass who won) are losing. Any thoughts on whether it's

[GavMan33]

Big win for UMass last night! Beating Dayton was huge, now we just need to beat Xavier and URI when we play them and we should be all set.

Where have you been at? You be coming by when UMass wins; you gotta come by and talk A-10 hoop with me....

that's it? sounds easy enough....

you also need to make sure you don't turn around and shit the bed against the A-10 doormats after a big win. one step forward, two steps back will not get you a ticket to the dance.....

One step forward: Beating Syracuse
About four steps backward: Losing to IUPUI

:shrug

Xavier drops one to Temple last night, Dayton loses to UMass, and St. Joe's also loses to Charlotte. I can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing that the "top" teams in the conference (save UMass who won) are losing. Any thoughts on whether it's good

[GavMan33]

Big win for UMass last night! Beating Dayton was huge, now we just need to beat Xavier and URI when we play them and we should be all set.

Where have you been at? You be coming by when UMass wins; you gotta come by and talk A-10 hoop with me....

that's it? sounds easy enough....

you also need to make sure you don't turn around and shit the bed against the A-10 doormats after a big win. one step forward, two steps back will not get you a ticket to the dance.....

One step forward: Beating Syracuse
About four steps backward: Losing to IUPUI

:shrug

Xavier drops one to Temple last night, Dayton loses to UMass, and St. Joe's also loses to Charlotte. I can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing that the "top" teams in the conference (save UMass who won) are losing. Any thoughts on whether it's good or

[GavMan33]

Big win for UMass last night! Beating Dayton was huge, now we just need to beat Xavier and URI when we play them and we should be all set.

Where have you been at? You be coming by when UMass wins; you gotta come by and talk A-10 hoop with me....

that's it? sounds easy enough....

you also need to make sure you don't turn around and shit the bed against the A-10 doormats after a big win. one step forward, two steps back will not get you a ticket to the dance.....

One step forward: Beating Syracuse
About four steps backward: Losing to IUPUI

:shrug

Xavier drops one to Temple last night, Dayton loses to UMass, and St. Joe's also loses to Charlotte. I can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing that the "top" teams in the conference (save UMass who won) are losing. Any thoughts on whether it's good or bad?

[GavMan33]

Big win for UMass last night! Beating Dayton was huge, now we just need to beat Xavier and URI when we play them and we should be all set.

Where have you been at? You be coming by when UMass wins; you gotta come by and talk A-10 hoop with me....

that's it? sounds easy enough....

you also need to make sure you don't turn around and shit the bed against the A-10 doormats after a big win. one step forward, two steps back will not get you a ticket to the dance.....

One step forward: Beating Syracuse
About four steps backward: Losing to IUPUI

:shrug

Xavier drops one to Temple last night, Dayton loses to UMass, and St. Joe's also loses to Charlotte. I can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing that the "top" teams in the conference (save UMass who won) are losing. Any thoughts on whether it's good or bad?

[GavMan33]

Hm. Sorry all. It appears I really wanted to get my point across :lol

[willthethrill]

Hm. Sorry all. It appears I really wanted to get my point across :lol
:lol :lol :lol Shameless post-padder! :devil

[JamesM]

Jesus.


OK well Nova picked up their second double digit deficit come back last night against a sub-par record DePaul.

I'm really worried we're gonna be the Clemson of this year. Scottie Reynolds needs to step up from the sophomore he is and be bigger than that. 21 points last night was a good start. Can't argue too much with 12-3 though. Jay Wright needs to keep them fresh until March. I'm not gonna be too happy with another first round loss like against Kentucky last year........

In other news my Nova Nation t-shirt got in today.

[seekupig]

#12 Butler loses to Cleveland St.
#13 Marquette blown out by Louisville
#21 Rhode Island losing to St. Louis with 3 minutes to play....

WTF..... i love college basketball.... :lol

[GavMan33]

#12 Butler loses to Cleveland St.
#13 Marquette blown out by Louisville
#21 Rhode Island losing to St. Louis with 3 minutes to play....

WTF..... i love college basketball.... :lol

Louisville is starting to hit a little bit of a stride....

I've decided that this is not a good thing for the Atlantic 10 as SLU knocks off Rhode Island. And to be completely honest, I don't know how good Dayton is. They're still a bit suspect to me. I've been watching these guys for 4 years now, all the same cast of characters save Chris Wright. I'm not convinced....

[seekupig]

I've decided that this is not a good thing for the Atlantic 10 as SLU knocks off Rhode Island. And to be completely honest, I don't know how good Dayton is. They're still a bit suspect to me. I've been watching these guys for 4 years now, all the same cast of characters save Chris Wright. I'm not convinced....

i'm with you. i thought about it a little bit and i just don't see how it can be a good thing. the three A-10 teams that are ranked in the top 25 have all lost to unranked opponents in the last two nights. i think the A-10 is a much deeper conference than they're given credit for, but the fact remains that the selection committee is not going to view them beating on each other in the same light that they would the ACC or Big East. for the A-10 to get multiple bids (3 or more), those teams that already have quality non-conference wins have to beat everyone in that conference not in that group and must protect their home court in head to head games. in my opinion, these lower A-10 teams are stealing bids from their own conference every time they upset someone....

[UNC41]

Louisville is starting to hit a little bit of a stride....

I've decided that this is not a good thing for the Atlantic 10 as SLU knocks off Rhode Island. And to be completely honest, I don't know how good Dayton is. They're still a bit suspect to me. I've been watching these guys for 4 years now, all the same cast of characters save Chris Wright. I'm not convinced....

There's no way the A-10 beating up on its top teams is good. It is not going to be accepted as anything more than a mid-major conference this year. If Dayton, Xavier and Rhode Island can shine on a national stage it will do more to showcase the conference as having some very good teams and talent than an fairly evenly matched mid-major conference.

[thestand]

And the insane inconstancy continues for Oregon. :shrug

[SmoothD41]

nice road win at the barn for the Hoosiers. That place has been hell for IU ever since I can remember. I'm thrilled we found a way to grind out a factory with Gordon having his worst game of the season, commiting 25 turnovers, pretty poor defense, and some lopsided officiating.

DJ White is almost tied with Tom Coverdale for my favorite Hoosier of all time. He is a beast, and is turning himself into a mid 1st round pick.

[GavMan33]

There's no way the A-10 beating up on its top teams is good. It is not going to be accepted as anything more than a mid-major conference this year. If Dayton, Xavier and Rhode Island can shine on a national stage it will do more to showcase the conference as having some very good teams and talent than an fairly evenly matched mid-major conference.

I'm not asking for that, the Atlantic 10 will never be anything but a mid-major conference. You guys know I'm OK with that. I don't necessarily like the mid-major label for teams though. Xavier is in a mid-major conference, but is not mid-major. And that's the age-old discussion. And will never be agreed upon I'm sure.

In any case, I agree that it's important for UD, X, and URI to shine on a national stage. And now we have Dayton with a hard-fought win vs. URI, an inexplicable OT win vs. SLU, and now a loss at home to UMass. Xavier looked rather sloppy in two home wins vs. St. Bonaventure and Fordham before going on the road and losing to Temple. And now Rhode Island falls to 1-2 in the conference after losing at St. Louis tonight. And guess who's left standing? UNC-Charlotte, with a 2-point vs. Temple and a 4-point win vs. St. Joe's.

St. Joe's has to win games from here on out. They are a tourney-caliber team to me, but at 9-5 right now, they are hitting that breaking point awfully early on in the year....

My guess, regardless of how Xavier does at George Washington this weekend, is that there will be no Atlantic 10 teams in next week's Top 25 (MAYBE Dayton, like 24ish). Then next week's nationally-televised CSTV :rolleyes game between UD and X will determine who will be back in the Top 25 the next week.

Rhode Island, at 15-3, had a nice nonconference with wins vs. Providence and @ Syracuse. But those wins are only going so far now, and now after falling to 1-2 in the A-10, they are out of the Top 25 for awhile. Wil Daniels had a rough night tonight, and he'll come back, as will the rest of the Rams. But they will have to really play their way back in, and back into at-large contention....

As I said earlier, Dayton is still very suspect to me. Yes, they've only lost twice, early to George Mason, and now to UMass. But I've been watching this team, basically all the same guys, for several years now. Brian Roberts, as I've said, is now finally getting the recognition he deserves. But who else is there? Chris Wright will only take them so far. My other big fella I really like there is Charles Little. Other than that, not a lot, to me anyway.

The X vs. Temple game was not on here, I will be in the building on Saturday when GW plays host to Xavier. From what I've heard, Temple just put on a shooting clinic. Xavier will go as far as the balance will take us. We put 3 guys in double-figure scoring, with a fourth having 9 points. But Dionte Christmas (another well-kept A-10 secret) and Mark Tyndale came up with 23 and 22 points respectively. For a Xavier team that prides itself on the defensive side of the ball, that's horrible. Temple shot 51% for the game, 48% from 3-ball, 13/27.

Just gonna tack that one up to being one of those nights. Though I do have to say, it seemed an awful like when we got spanked at Arizona State. Temple when on a huge run, and it happened very quickly. Xavier was down 2, then down 6, and before you knew it down 12. It happened within only a few minutes.

Hopefully you all will wish me luck in that my flight to Baltimore is on-time, that Xavier gets a rousing victory on Saturday night, and that I don't get alcohol poisoning :thumbsup :D

[justinandimcool]

Arizona = lolz

Oregon = :freak

Two teams I can't figure out. They should be performing better than they are. The shots just aren't falling. Oregon is weak inside and overexploiting Porter, Arizona is inexperienced and seem to go away from exploting Budinger. Both are stacked with potential but haven't really found an "identity". Shame. Pac-10 is not as good as it was hyped at the beginning of the year.

[dreamingtreeIU]

nice road win at the barn for the Hoosiers. That place has been hell for IU ever since I can remember. I'm thrilled we found a way to grind out a factory with Gordon having his worst game of the season, commiting 25 turnovers, pretty poor defense, and some lopsided officiating.

DJ White is almost tied with Tom Coverdale for my favorite Hoosier of all time. He is a beast, and is turning himself into a mid 1st round pick.

that was our official worst game of the year, anyone watching knows that.

That being said, we won against an ncaa/nit caliber team on the road playing that bad. I feel good about our chances if we can get our newbies to play calmer.

[justinandimcool]

New avatar in preparation for the game Saturday.

It won't be easy shutting down Love as we're soft inside. I think we'll need to keep this low scoring to have a shot at the end, and I'd prefer to match whatever shooting spree UCLA puts up. Daniel Hackett needs to perform as a pass first guard and not shoot so much, and OJ has to hit the many shots he's taking. I expect an unsuspecting performer to come out of nowhere and have a big game. Gibson for once? Davon Jefferson? Maybe. If not, we fade into the realm of Bubble-world...

[seekupig]

I'm not asking for that, the Atlantic 10 will never be anything but a mid-major conference. You guys know I'm OK with that. I don't necessarily like the mid-major label for teams though. Xavier is in a mid-major conference, but is not mid-major. And that's the age-old discussion. And will never be agreed upon I'm sure.

:lol :lol

apparently Pat Forde lurks on ants....... from the latest "Forde Minutes"


Xavier (8) has gotten all feisty about being labeled a "mid-major" program -- to the point where the Musketeers protested their inclusion in the ESPN.com mid-major poll and rejected a Rivals.com mid-major Player of the Week honor for guard Drew Lavender (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=15145).


Didn't even matter that we had XU No. 1 in the mid-major poll. The Musketeers clearly feel that's like being named America's Sexiest Fat Person.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3196762&sportCat=ncb

[BreakFree27]

I'm not asking for that, the Atlantic 10 will never be anything but a mid-major conference. You guys know I'm OK with that. I don't necessarily like the mid-major label for teams though. Xavier is in a mid-major conference, but is not mid-major. And that's the age-old discussion. And will never be agreed upon I'm sure.

In any case, I agree that it's important for UD, X, and URI to shine on a national stage. And now we have Dayton with a hard-fought win vs. URI, an inexplicable OT win vs. SLU, and now a loss at home to UMass. Xavier looked rather sloppy in two home wins vs. St. Bonaventure and Fordham before going on the road and losing to Temple. And now Rhode Island falls to 1-2 in the conference after losing at St. Louis tonight. And guess who's left standing? UNC-Charlotte, with a 2-point vs. Temple and a 4-point win vs. St. Joe's.

St. Joe's has to win games from here on out. They are a tourney-caliber team to me, but at 9-5 right now, they are hitting that breaking point awfully early on in the year....

My guess, regardless of how Xavier does at George Washington this weekend, is that there will be no Atlantic 10 teams in next week's Top 25 (MAYBE Dayton, like 24ish). Then next week's nationally-televised CSTV :rolleyes game between UD and X will determine who will be back in the Top 25 the next week.

Rhode Island, at 15-3, had a nice nonconference with wins vs. Providence and @ Syracuse. But those wins are only going so far now, and now after falling to 1-2 in the A-10, they are out of the Top 25 for awhile. Wil Daniels had a rough night tonight, and he'll come back, as will the rest of the Rams. But they will have to really play their way back in, and back into at-large contention....

As I said earlier, Dayton is still very suspect to me. Yes, they've only lost twice, early to George Mason, and now to UMass. But I've been watching this team, basically all the same guys, for several years now. Brian Roberts, as I've said, is now finally getting the recognition he deserves. But who else is there? Chris Wright will only take them so far. My other big fella I really like there is Charles Little. Other than that, not a lot, to me anyway.

The X vs. Temple game was not on here, I will be in the building on Saturday when GW plays host to Xavier. From what I've heard, Temple just put on a shooting clinic. Xavier will go as far as the balance will take us. We put 3 guys in double-figure scoring, with a fourth having 9 points. But Dionte Christmas (another well-kept A-10 secret) and Mark Tyndale came up with 23 and 22 points respectively. For a Xavier team that prides itself on the defensive side of the ball, that's horrible. Temple shot 51% for the game, 48% from 3-ball, 13/27.

Just gonna tack that one up to being one of those nights. Though I do have to say, it seemed an awful like when we got spanked at Arizona State. Temple when on a huge run, and it happened very quickly. Xavier was down 2, then down 6, and before you knew it down 12. It happened within only a few minutes.

Hopefully you all will wish me luck in that my flight to Baltimore is on-time, that Xavier gets a rousing victory on Saturday night, and that I don't get alcohol poisoning :thumbsup :D

I don't see enough love for UMass in this post ;) If we play up to our full potential i think we will get into the tourney. How many teams do you think the A-10 will get in when it's all said and done?

[seekupig]

I don't see enough love for UMass in this post ;) If we play up to our full potential i think we will get into the tourney. How many teams do you think the A-10 will get in when it's all said and done?

three, four if one of the top three doesn't win the A-10 tourney.

[willthethrill]

three, four if one of the top three doesn't win the A-10 tourney.

Sounds right.

How you feelin' about tomorrow's matchup?

[seekupig]

Sounds right.

How you feelin' about tomorrow's matchup?

i'm assuming you're talking about KU vs. Mizzou..... i'm not feeling good at all. we're clearly the better team, but that doesn't matter in this matchup. Mizzou has ruined KU undefeated seasons in the past, and it wouldn't suprise me at all to see it happen again.

[willthethrill]

i'm assuming you're talking about KU vs. Mizzou..... i'm not feeling good at all. we're clearly the better team, but that doesn't matter in this matchup. Mizzou has ruined KU undefeated seasons in the past, and it wouldn't suprise me at all to see it happen again.

Yea, I will enjoy watching it. You guys haven't struggled at all compared to our ACC away games, so it'd be nice to see you sweat a little.

[seekupig]

Yea, I will enjoy watching it. You guys haven't struggled at all compared to our ACC away games, so it'd be nice to see you sweat a little.

let's not forget that KU played at Georgia Tech also. they made us sweat a bit... but not nearly as much as you guys.

as far as the KU/Mizzou game goes... it wouldn't suprise me a bit if they lost, but at the same time a 20+ point blowout by KU wouldn't suprise me either.

[UNC41]

let's not forget that KU played at Georgia Tech also. they made us sweat a bit... but not nearly as much as you guys.

as far as the KU/Mizzou game goes... it wouldn't suprise me a bit if they lost, but at the same time a 20+ point blowout by KU wouldn't suprise me either.

I've only see Georgia Tech play twice, and it boggles my mind they are 7-9.

KU is tough and should win, but much odder things happen rivalry games.

[seekupig]

just hijacked this off of another message board concerning the debate over who's #1. interesting.... hadn't really looked at it that way.


There is no right answer, yet, as to whom the best team is. It depends on what you value most:

• Statistically, Kansas has no peer. It's the only team in the country to rank in the top five in raw efficiency data on both offense (No. 4, at 1.191 points per possession) and defense (also No. 4, at 0.829 points allowed per possession).

• Aesthetically, Carolina looks the most like a No. 1. It has legitimate All-America candidates at power forward (Tyler Hansbrough), shooting guard (Wayne Ellington) and point guard (Tywon Lawson). And Sunday's comeback to stun Clemson on the road was nothing short of brilliant.

• Resume-wise, Memphis is the leader. The Tigers' high-quality victim list already includes Oklahoma, UConn and USC on neutral courts, and Georgetown and Arizona at home. Kansas (with only Arizona and USC) and UNC (with BYU, Clemson and Ohio State) don't stack up

[willthethrill]

just hijacked this off of another message board concerning the debate over who's #1. interesting.... hadn't really looked at it that way.


There is no right answer, yet, as to whom the best team is. It depends on what you value most:

• Statistically, Kansas has no peer. It's the only team in the country to rank in the top five in raw efficiency data on both offense (No. 4, at 1.191 points per possession) and defense (also No. 4, at 0.829 points allowed per possession).

• Aesthetically, Carolina looks the most like a No. 1. It has legitimate All-America candidates at power forward (Tyler Hansbrough), shooting guard (Wayne Ellington) and point guard (Tywon Lawson). And Sunday's comeback to stun Clemson on the road was nothing short of brilliant.

• Resume-wise, Memphis is the leader. The Tigers' high-quality victim list already includes Oklahoma, UConn and USC on neutral courts, and Georgetown and Arizona at home. Kansas (with only Arizona and USC) and UNC (with BYU, Clemson and Ohio State) don't stack up

Interesting. I can't wait to see Memphis v. Tennessee.

[seekupig]

ROCK, CHALK, JAYHAWK!!!!

[justinandimcool]

I love picture in picture.

USC up on UCLA on the left side, UNC down to Maryland on the right.

Love. It.

[seekupig]

i'm really starting to dislike Tyler Hansbrough. something about his act that really bugs me....he reminds me of a player that would fit in perfectly with Duke. :eek

[thestand]

I love picture in picture.

USC up on UCLA on the left side, UNC down to Maryland on the right.

Love. It.
And very quickly, neither are true. :shrug :lol

[GavMan33]

Checking in from Washington DC before I head in for the X @ GW game. To answer the above question, the A-10 who gets into the NCAAs question is still TBA. I think Xavier is definitely in. I think Dayton is definitely in. Hopefully URI gets on track in the conference, and hopefully UMass puts a great A-10 season together, and doesn't pull their annual conference tournament lose-in-the-first round bullshit again. So to me, it's 2, with more TBA....

Great Carolina/Maryland game.....

[thestand]

And very quickly, neither are true. :shrug :lolAnd they're true again! :lol

[RJ2kWJ]

Awwww poor Tyler and UNC :lorraine

[justinandimcool]

And they're true again! :lol

:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

Absolutely FANTASTIC finishes. I could not be happier with the USC victory, I can barely type coherently. I'm not sure how we managed to pull it out with a disparity of 20-ish in the offensive rebound category. UCLA just mismanaged the post and took bad shots, and we did an awesome job of moving the ball around (almost too awesome, OJ should do more with it). But holy shit, what a great great great win. I think this should put us back in the bubble.

And WOW. The North Carolina game. I actually had to turn off the picture in picture and focus on this one for the last 2 minutes. Doesn't surprise me that Osby was the one who sealed it. UNC can't just be athletic down there, at least defensively. You can't defend the post with athleticism. Tyler is a monster, but he's not strong enough to hold down the paint on his own defensively, although the switch there on the final play was textbook on MD's part. MD did hit a bunch of three's to get ahead early, which you can't really guard if the whole team is hot. So that was half the Terrapins winning it with an offensive flurry, and half UNC's weaknesses finally being exploited in their 3rd close game in ACC play.

Wow. I'm in a fantastic mood.

[unccrombie]

if anyone thought unc was an 18pt favorite going into this game like the line said, theyre dumb. personally, i figured maryland would win by 5-10. terrible transition offense today and weak defense as per late. you can't keep relying on the final shot, yet alone a psycho t 3, to win it

[unccrombie]

Awwww poor Tyler and UNC :lorraine
easy there, mr we could lose to clemson ;)

[unccrombie]

also of note, a&m gets BLOWN OUT 2 games in a row. yiiiiiiiikes :freak

[seekupig]

if anyone thought unc was an 18pt favorite going into this game like the line said, theyre dumb. personally, i figured maryland would win by 5-10. terrible transition offense today and weak defense as per late. you can't keep relying on the final shot, yet alone a psycho t 3, to win it

you thought an 11-7 Maryland team would stroll into the Dean Dome and beat the undefeated #1 team in the country? i'm not sure what you do for a living, but you need to move to Vegas. :lol

it wouldn't have suprised me on the road, but i never would have thought it could happen in Chapel Hill.

[UNC41]

UNC is getting everyone's A game and responding by playing their C game. You can't win in the ACC doing that.

Also, it's a tragedy Gus Johnson is in-studio today and not calling a game. That should never happen.

[unccrombie]

you thought an 11-7 Maryland team would stroll into the Dean Dome and beat the undefeated #1 team in the country? i'm not sure what you do for a living, but you need to move to Vegas. :lol

it wouldn't have suprised me on the road, but i never would have thought it could happen in Chapel Hill.
if you've been watchin our lovely team play the past week you'd say the same thing, but hey, i guess i just know when our time is up. just makes me a good sports better ;) and ill be an engineer in 2 years :lol

[seekupig]

if you've been watchin our lovely team play the past week you'd say the same thing

usually Roy coached team follow up a bad effort with a blowout win, not a home loss. i agree it was obvious that they were getting close to losing one the way they'd been playing, but i just didn't think Maryland @ home was when it would happen.

[kydmb99]

UNC is getting everyone's A game and responding by playing their C game. You can't win in the ACC doing that.

Also, it's a tragedy Gus Johnson is in-studio today and not calling a game. That should never happen.

:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup

[unccrombie]

i take back my duke comment from earlier :lol

[SmoothD41]

interesting day so far.

that'd be awesome if Duke lost, doesn't look like they will though.

serious question: Do UNC fans always cry after losses at home? Or was it just something about today? Honestly, just curious. I've never seen that before in a regular season game. It was weird. I can't decide if that is kind of cool because they care so much, or kind of pathetic, or both.

[unccrombie]

interesting day so far.

that'd be awesome if Duke lost, doesn't look like they will though.

serious question: Do UNC fans always cry after losses at home? Or was it just something about today? Honestly, just curious. I've never seen that before in a regular season game. It was weird. I can't decide if that is kind of cool because they care so much, or kind of pathetic, or both.
well the point was we shouldn't have lost, but we were going to. i believe it was a girl crying, and we all know theyre an inferior species at taking losses

[seekupig]

serious question: Do UNC fans always cry after losses at home? Or was it just something about today? Honestly, just curious. I've never seen that before in a regular season game. It was weird. I can't decide if that is kind of cool because they care so much, or kind of pathetic, or both.

if you noticed, it was only the fat chicks that were crying. the local Bojangles Chicken n' Biscuits has been running a promotion this season that everyone with a ticket to the game gets a free chicken biscuit after every Heels home win in which they score over 100 points. the loss, combined with no free food was just to much to for the big girls to take...

[unccrombie]

if you noticed, it was only the fat chicks that were crying. the local Bojangles Chicken n' Biscuits has been running a promotion this season that everyone with a ticket to the game gets a free chicken biscuit after every Heels home win in which they score over 100 points. the loss, combined with no free food was just to much to for the big girls to take...
we do the same thing here with SU, but its a free taco from taco bell after every home win. mmm i want me some taco bell now

[UNLTrpt]

if you noticed, it was only the fat chicks that were crying. the local Bojangles Chicken n' Biscuits has been running a promotion this season that everyone with a ticket to the game gets a free chicken biscuit after every Heels home win in which they score over 100 points. the loss, combined with no free food was just to much to for the big girls to take...

:lol

[seekupig]

next.

[UNC41]

i'm really starting to dislike Tyler Hansbrough. something about his act that really bugs me....he reminds me of a player that would fit in perfectly with Duke. :eek

Speaking of Duke ...

next.

This sounds like something a Duke fan would say. :lol :lol :lol

[UNLTrpt]

:rolleyes

only winless team in the Big 12.

:BANG

[justinandimcool]

Hey. UK/Fla in overtime. Awesome way to close out a crazy Saturday. Nice shot Romel.

[clayj41]

i'm really starting to dislike Tyler Hansbrough. something about his act that really bugs me....he reminds me of a player that would fit in perfectly with Duke. :eek

I get that people don't like him, and unless you're a UNC fan you shouldn't. That said, he's my all-time favorite Tar Heel. Even when he has a down game, he plays with such intensity and works his ass off.



Anyways, imagine how disappointed I was being at a wedding/reception all day and then coming home to find out the Heels had lost.:( Oh well, I've been more NFL oriented this last year anyway since the Packers have given me something to be excited about for the first time in 3 years. After they win the Super Bowl, I'll be all Tar Heels all the time.:D :D :D

[justinandimcool]

I'm surprised this thread isn't bursting with excitement. Such a crazy day.

Does anyone else start getting dizzy when thinking about the Big East?
Pitt beats Georgetown, loses to Cincinatti.
Louisville wins 4 in a row, loses to Seton Hall.
Talented teams like West Virginia, UCONN, Marquette, Notre Dame, Villanova all so inconsistent I can't figure out.

Same can be said for the Big XII. If you look at the standings, the top 4 goes as follows: Kansas, Baylor, Kansas State, Iowa State :lol. Texas A&M losing twice in a row is a mild shock, as well as Texas barely squeaking by Colorado. This has all the makings of a great 8 bid league, or an incosistent 3-4 bid league. Crazy stuff.

I'm not sure how UNC responds to not just the loss to Maryland, but the fact that they've had to grind out 3 tough conference games already. They look like a Final Four team, but they're not playing like one. They're struggling to consistently make plays. I'm sure they'll get it together, but I won't be surprised to see them lose 4-5 more games til March. I think they rely too much on their speed and athleticism and less on defense and coming up with rebounds, and they just end up being too sloppy at times.

The Pac-10 just got a little tighter after USC's upset, and Stanford sweeping the AZ teams after a tough loss to very inconsistent Oregon, who in turn lost to a very inconsistent Washington team. UCLA and Wazzou are still the frontrunners, with Stanford and Arizona State having lots of room for improvement as they stand in the middle of the pack. If our unexpected bubble teams USC, Arizona, and Oregon get their stride and prove that they're worth what we thought they were, we'll have some REAL fun in February. Hey, USC, who knew that a little more hustle and ball movement and less attitude from Daniel Hackett would do the job, eh?

Kentucky's done. Absolutely done. I'm sure everyone realizes that. Too many non-conference losses, they let two huge wins get away already in SEC play. They've found their heart, they're playing much harder and have more of an identity, but that won't mask the mid-major losses, nor the lack of talent/health. But as their stock plummets to record lows, Mississippi State is emerging after a slow start. Good to see that, they've got plenty of offensive and defensive weapons. Florida looks a little soft to me, but certainly enough to make some noise. Ole Miss and Vandy I'm still not sure about, but they've got the W/L records to give themselves the benefit of the doubt. And we all know Tennessee. I'm not sure the SEC is gonna be a noisemaker in March barring the Volunteers, but it'll sure be fun to watch.

Big 10. I think it's a 4 bid league- Indiana, Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan State. How these teams grow from good teams to great is what I'm watching for. They've all got the talent, the coaching. It's the conference I've seen the least of, and these guys stand out above the rest, so I'm interested to see how it unfolds.




And as I read this over, I realize that everyone knows all this. Yay.

[seekupig]

Speaking of Duke ...



This sounds like something a Duke fan would say. :lol :lol :lol

sorry.... i was drunk and relieved after the win at Mizzou and was trying to say something that wouldn't come off as being overly arrogant..... i guess i failed miserably. :lol

[seekupig]

so what does everyone think..... does Memphis make the obvious jump from #2 to #1 or does KU steal some of the votes that had been going to UNC and make the leap over Memphis? i think Memphis gets it, but it'll be closer than people think.

[GavMan33]

Checking in from our nation's capital (well, actually Northern Virginia, but whatever)

Xavier made enough plays last night to come out of a very hostile environment with a win at the Smith Center on the GW campus. The seniors, Josh Duncan, Stanley Burrell, and Drew Lavender, really stepped up to will this team to a victory. I've been to several X games @ GW now, and the GW students are great every time. GW hit some big shots down the stretch, and cut it to 67-66 with 1:20 to go. Man the place was rocking. It was a great thing to see Xavier win a close game, make the plays at the end....

By chance, I ran into Georgetown tickets yesterday too, and so went to the Verizon Center yesterday afternoon for Notre Dame @ Georgetown. I still don't know about Georgetown, and if they're as good as their ranking says. And Notre Dame could be an NCAA team; not necessarily on their performance last night, but over the last several games I've seen them play....

You'd think I'm a big Georgetown fan now, got tickets to tomorrow night's game here, against Syracuse. It's good stuff to be a college hoop fan :thumbsup

All you Carolina people, please relax. They weren't going to be undefeated. Neither will Kansas. Memphis has an opportunity. Nobody was worried at all, there was most likely no speech from your boy Roy, no nothing. Just go to practice the next day, business as usual. You can be worried if you choose due to effort (I didn't see the game, so I don't know what it looked like), but there's no reason to worry about a loss....

[UNC41]

sorry.... i was drunk and relieved after the win at Mizzou and was trying to say something that wouldn't come off as being overly arrogant..... i guess i failed miserably. :lol

I was just messing with ya ... :lol :lol

so what does everyone think..... does Memphis make the obvious jump from #2 to #1 or does KU steal some of the votes that had been going to UNC and make the leap over Memphis? i think Memphis gets it, but it'll be closer than people think.

Memphis probably will be #1, but Kansas definitely should be.

[bubba40]

Checking in from our nation's capital (well, actually Northern Virginia, but whatever)

Xavier made enough plays last night to come out of a very hostile environment with a win at the Smith Center on the GW campus. The seniors, Josh Duncan, Stanley Burrell, and Drew Lavender, really stepped up to will this team to a victory. I've been to several X games @ GW now, and the GW students are great every time. GW hit some big shots down the stretch, and cut it to 67-66 with 1:20 to go. Man the place was rocking. It was a great thing to see Xavier win a close game, make the plays at the end....

By chance, I ran into Georgetown tickets yesterday too, and so went to the Verizon Center yesterday afternoon for Notre Dame @ Georgetown. I still don't know about Georgetown, and if they're as good as their ranking says. And Notre Dame could be an NCAA team; not necessarily on their performance last night, but over the last several games I've seen them play....

You'd think I'm a big Georgetown fan now, got tickets to tomorrow night's game here, against Syracuse. It's good stuff to be a college hoop fan :thumbsup

All you Carolina people, please relax. They weren't going to be undefeated. Neither will Kansas. Memphis has an opportunity. Nobody was worried at all, there was most likely no speech from your boy Roy, no nothing. Just go to practice the next day, business as usual. You can be worried if you choose due to effort (I didn't see the game, so I don't know what it looked like), but there's no reason to worry about a loss....

GU is a only a good team right now, and still top 10 in the country (we'll likely be 8 or 9 I'd say when the new rankings come out tomorrow). Yet the ammount of potential we have to improve tremendously is staggering. We'll be one of the main competitors to go to San Antonio, I promise.

[bubba40]

UNC is getting everyone's A game and responding by playing their C game. You can't win in the ACC doing that.

Also, it's a tragedy Gus Johnson is in-studio today and not calling a game. That should never happen.

:thumbsup x 40

[GavMan33]

Since this place seems to be lacking in talks other than their respective teams, I'll give one. How about this Cincinnati team? They are clearly having identity issues. This is a team that went 5-7 in the nonconference season, with losses to teams like Belmont and Bowling Green. They have now gotten back to .500 at 9-9 thanks to a 4-2 start in the brutal Big East, with home wins against both Villanova and Pittsburgh. This is a team where there was a danger of UC winning 1-2 games in the Big East, and here they've won 4 of their first 6, not to mention a big win @ Louisville. Interesting....

[seekupig]

new coaches poll is up....

1. Memphis (21)
2. Kansas (10)
3. Duke
4. UNC
5. Tennessee

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/rankings?poll=2&year=2008&week=12

[seekupig]

the difference between being an elite program and a good program summed up perfectly by Calipari. fans usually want the #1 ranking, but coaches and teams generally don't want it because of the bullseye that comes with it.

" ... We played the No. 1 non-conference schedule in the country with Gonzaga and Tennessee still to come. We've taken care of business, done what we're supposed to do," Calipari said.
"So I'd tell those people to come in this locker room, look these players in the eye and tell them they don't deserve to be No. 1 right now."

:lol :lol

[willthethrill]

new coaches poll is up....

1. Memphis (21)
2. Kansas (10)
3. Duke
4. UNC
5. Tennessee

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/rankings?poll=2&year=2008&week=12

Oh man, I can't wait to pound their pansy ass at home. GOD.

Congrats on the win, Justin. USC looks to be NCAA bound for sure. I've been inactive this weekend because yesterday was my 21st b-day. I was not in capacity to be posting yesterday. :rolleyes

Anyway, it's gonna be really hard for UNC to win the ACC now, as Duke is looking unbeatable by everyone. We'll have to beat them both times, I'm afraid. Fine with me.

KU should be #1, but I'm sure Dustin will take #2 until the Final Four. It's a great place to be, just ask Raymond Felton.

[seekupig]

Oh man, I can't wait to pound their pansy ass at home. GOD.

Congrats on the win, Justin. USC looks to be NCAA bound for sure. I've been inactive this weekend because yesterday was my 21st b-day. I was not in capacity to be posting yesterday. :rolleyes

Anyway, it's gonna be really hard for UNC to win the ACC now, as Duke is looking unbeatable by everyone. We'll have to beat them both times, I'm afraid. Fine with me.

KU should be #1, but I'm sure Dustin will take #2 until the Final Four. It's a great place to be, just ask Raymond Felton.

:thumbsup

and i'm sure Conference USA will make this a reality. so long as Tennessee doesn't fuck it up for me.... :lol

[seekupig]

and the AP poll is out... a bit different, but a little better IMO...

1. Memphis (49)
2. Kansas (23)
3. Tennessee
4. Duke
5. UNC

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/rankings

[seekupig]

and the new bracketology is up as well.....

some changes at the #1's....

EAST - Tennessee
SOUTH - Memphis
MIDWEST - Kansas
WEST - North Carolina

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/bracketology

also, Duke is the #2 in the East with Tennessee....

and the #8/#9 teams in the Midwest are Villanova and Rhode Island.... two teams i want no part of in the second round. :BANG

and lastly, UCLA is the #2 in the West for the second year in a row.... UNC getting the shaft like KU did last year...

[UNLTrpt]

you going to come to Omaha if they get placed here?

[UNC41]

Bob picked a hell of a game to attend in DC. I can't believe Greene didn't touch the ball on that last possession.

[UNC41]

I CANNOT believe that shot didn't drop.

[willthethrill]

and the new bracketology is up as well.....

some changes at the #1's....

EAST - Tennessee
SOUTH - Memphis
MIDWEST - Kansas
WEST - North Carolina


Talk about my worst nightmare. Never thought I'd have to root against Tenn. this year. If we don't get the #1 East seed...arggghh! :BANG

[bubba40]

We survived. Much work to do.

[justinandimcool]

Georgetown hasn't looked convincingly good AT ALL the past two weeks, not against UCONN, definitely not against Pitt. The Syracuse game showed their weakness in the high post and the pick and pop plays. Any fast point guard can have a big game against them (Rose, Dyson, Flynn). That last shot would've been tits, though. Hoyas better watch themselves, like UNC their weaknesses are getting exposed. Better early in the season than late I suppose.

Ok State and Texas will go into 6 overtimes.

[JamesM]

Go Nova

[seekupig]

you going to come to Omaha if they get placed here?

if they can win four or five more in a row and look to be a lock for the #1 seed in the Midwest, i'm thinking seriously about it. what's the hotel situation like out there?

[UNC41]

Week 11 Ants NCAA Basketball Poll

1. Kansas (2) 50
2. Memphis 48
3. (tie) Tennessee 45
North Carolina 45
5. Duke 42
6. Washington State 39
7. (tie) UCLA 37
Indiana (37)
9. Wisconsin 33
10. Georgetown 32
11. Texas 31
12. Michigan State 29
13. Stanford 25
14. (tie) Mississippi 22
Vanderbilt 22
16. Butler 18
17. Pittsburgh 16
18. Texas A&M 14
19. Arizona State 13
20. (tie) Xavier 12
Dayton 12
22. (tie) Villanova 9
Clemson 9
24. West Virginia 5
25. Drake 3

Also Receiving Votes: Baylor 2

Participating Voters: UNC41, seekupig

[willthethrill]

Oops. Forgot about the poll. Drake??

[GavMan33]

Hm. Remember awhile ago I did the most exciting college hoop games I've ever been to? You can put last night's Syracuse @ Georgetown game right to the top of that list. Man that place was loud. Georgetown's 3 at the end of regulation and Cuse's 3 at the end of OT could have went in for either team. Not having a dog in the fight helps too. I could just sit back and watch a great college basketball game. Although I do hate Syracuse. A lot. But Donte Greene is on my fastasy team, it was interesting how awful I became. Every time Greene catches, I want him to shoot :lol

Will, in terms of your thoughts on Drake? 16-1, 7-0 in the MVC. Their only loss this year is @ St. Mary's. They beat both Iowa and Iowa State, and Iowa in turn beat Michigan State. They also beat a VERY good Illinois State team. They play @ Creighton tonight, I'm bummed it's not on TV. That should be a good one....

Washington, DC, where I saw 3 games. Not bad for a weekend huh?

[seekupig]

this Saturday, College Gameday will be in............. Carbonville, IL.

Creighton @ Southern Illinois. this one must have been planned a while ago.....

[willthethrill]

Wow. Nice scheduling. ESPN's trying to blur that mid-major line to cover itself I think.

[UNLTrpt]

if they can win four or five more in a row and look to be a lock for the #1 seed in the Midwest, i'm thinking seriously about it. what's the hotel situation like out there?

I'd say you're probably ok to get a hotel somewhere downtown if you book early. beginning of February. Your best bet though might be booking something in west omaha and just driving down to the arena.

[GavMan33]

Wow. Nice scheduling. ESPN's trying to blur that mid-major line to cover itself I think.

I don't know why, but it seems that there's much more uproar than ever before about the mid-major label. I don't know who wrote it, but at the beginning of the season, someone on espn.com wrote an article, about the mid-major rankings they were gonna do. The first paragraph explained that there were teams that they were not considering for these rankings; Memphis, Gonzaga, Xavier, Southern Illinois, maybe one or two others. Then the next week, Xavier was ranked in this poll. I heard that they decided it was too many teams with an "exemption", and I think they just went with Memphis and Gonzaga as exceptions.

I think Xavier was backed by many different teams, and the entire Atlantic 10 conference, when they refused that award for Drew Lavender a few weeks back. And Sean Miller, the head coach at Xavier, has spoken about how he does not like the label one bit.

Yes, Creighton/SIU for any of the last several years, would've been a PERFECT game to do as a mid-major Gameday thing. It just so happens that SIU is not good this year. Now you have to think that it'd be relatively easy for ESPN to change their plans and go somewhere else, but I'm with you. They probably want to appease some of these people about this whole mid-major deal....

[seekupig]

I don't know why, but it seems that there's much more uproar than ever before about the mid-major label. I don't know who wrote it, but at the beginning of the season, someone on espn.com wrote an article, about the mid-major rankings they were gonna do. The first paragraph explained that there were teams that they were not considering for these rankings; Memphis, Gonzaga, Xavier, Southern Illinois, maybe one or two others. Then the next week, Xavier was ranked in this poll. I heard that they decided it was too many teams with an "exemption", and I think they just went with Memphis and Gonzaga as exceptions.

I think Xavier was backed by many different teams, and the entire Atlantic 10 conference, when they refused that award for Drew Lavender a few weeks back. And Sean Miller, the head coach at Xavier, has spoken about how he does not like the label one bit.

Yes, Creighton/SIU for any of the last several years, would've been a PERFECT game to do as a mid-major Gameday thing. It just so happens that SIU is not good this year. Now you have to think that it'd be relatively easy for ESPN to change their plans and go somewhere else, but I'm with you. They probably want to appease some of these people about this whole mid-major deal....

this article probably isn't the one you're talking of, but i posted part of it last week.... here's the whole thing. it's from the Forde Minutes on espn.com....

Label conscious


Xavier has gotten all feisty about being labeled a "mid-major" program -- to the point where the Musketeers protested their inclusion in the ESPN.com mid-major poll and rejected a Rivals.com mid-major Player of the Week honor for guard Drew Lavender (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=15145).


Didn't even matter that we had XU No. 1 in the mid-major poll. The Musketeers clearly feel that's like being named America's Sexiest Fat Person.

But it got The Minutes thinking about how we should define high-major, mid-major and low-major programs.

You're a high-major program if:
• Dickie V comes to campus often enough to be on a first-name basis with the team's equipment manager.
• Your coach's suits cost more than a semester's room and board.
• Your players are mortified when they have to fly commercial.
• NBA scouts are always around. So are agent runners.
• Your star players come with a "support group" of family members, friends, hangers on, hustlers and "advisers" -- all of whom are very concerned about his "touches," some of whom are now employed by the basketball program, none of whom are concerned about his grade point average.
• Coach's weekly radio show is broadcast on at least five affiliates around the state.
• Your locker room is tricked-out enough to be featured on "Cribs."
• Boxes of new gear arrive from your apparel rep every other week.
• The academic support staff backs up its "No Power Forward Left Behind" marching orders by having enough tutors to double-team every player.
• You have at least one suit (assistant coaches, managers, trainers) on the bench per uniformed player.


In terms of on-court performance and fan support, these are your impostor high-major programs in high-major conferences: Penn State, Auburn, Oregon State , South Florida and Northwestern.

You're a mid-major program if:
• Your center is 6-foot-8, or a very stiff 6-10.
• Your players are all around long enough to declare a major and actually pursue a degree in it.
• Students spend days in advance of rare TV home game making occasionally clever (but mostly lame) acronym signs out of "ESPN." Students stay home for non-TV games.
• Your team flies Southwest, and tries like hell to get in the "A" boarding group.
• Every time you win 20 games, your coach is a flight risk to a high-major program.
• The same 10 people keep showing up at the local restaurant for the coach's radio show.
• The coach has to call his apparel rep instead of the rep calling him.
• Dickie V comes to your campus once every four years, and it's a big damn deal when he does.
• Your players have been told at least once in their lives that they're not good enough.
• You have two managers for the entire team.

Mid-major programs that belong on the high-major level, given their performance over time: Butler, Creighton, Southern Illinois and Xavier (happy now, Musketeers?). Gonzaga long ago graduated out of this classification. Memphis has been a high-major for decades but is sometimes guilty by mid-major association with C-USA riff-raff.


You're a low-major program if:
• Chemistry lab actually comes before basketball for some players.
• There is no coach's radio show.
• The coach leaves messages for his apparel rep but he never calls back.
• The coach's comp country club membership is at the local Elks Club.
• Dickie V couldn't find your campus with Mapquest and a GPS.
• Neither can NBA scouts. Or agent runners.
• Practices are open to the media, but only the student paper shows up.
• You dream of being the first 16 seed to beat a 1.
• You charter buses. Not airplanes.
• You have assistant coaches moonlighting as managers.

Low-majors that can play with the big boys most every year: Holy Cross, Winthrop, Penn and Oral Roberts.

[seekupig]

I'd say you're probably ok to get a hotel somewhere downtown if you book early. beginning of February. Your best bet though might be booking something in west omaha and just driving down to the arena.

how far is that? i like to drink. a lot.

[seekupig]

Kentucky ties up Tennessee at 54 with 5 minutes to play.....

[UNC41]

I've been trying to watch the Sopranos starting from the first season recently, but college basketball is getting in the way. :D

This could be a good finish in Lexington. Win or lose, Kentucky is definitely buying into what Gilipsie is selling.

[JRod1229]

gonna be a close finish... dont think the cats can keep it up though.. sadly

[seekupig]

I've been trying to watch the Sopranos starting from the first season recently, but college basketball is getting in the way. :D

This could be a good finish in Lexington. Win or lose, Kentucky is definitely buying into what Gilipsie is selling.

it amazes me that two people with as much dislike for Kentucky as you and i have been trying to convince some of the Kentucky fans (in their own poorly named thread.... :lol ) that it's going to be o.k. in Lexington if they're patient.....

[thestand]

C'mon Kentucky.

Never thought I'd have to type that. :lol

[JRod1229]

i think you only try to convince that whore bag... i know I have always bought into billy g... he's a stud... regardless of who wins... two games in a row, against superior talent, we've controlled the pace and the game... imagine what we can do when we get talent

[JRod1229]

C'mon Kentucky.

Never thought I'd have to type that. :lol

I appreciate it

[UNC41]

it amazes me that two people with as much dislike for Kentucky as you and i have been trying to convince some of the Kentucky fans (in their own poorly named thread.... :lol ) that it's going to be o.k. in Lexington if they're patient.....

:lol :lol

Ain't that the truth. I feel kind of dirty rooting for Kentucky tonight, but I have to.

[UNC41]

i think you only try to convince that whore bag... i know I have always bought into billy g... he's a stud... regardless of who wins... two games in a row, against superior talent, we've controlled the pace and the game... imagine what we can do when we get talent

Kentucky doesn't have elite talent on its roster, but I think you underestimate it. They struggled mightily early in the year, but I think a lot of that was a new coach and coaching philosophy.

[justinandimcool]

Should I lose any confidence in Tennessee? They really didn't play a bad game tonight. They weren't dominated in the paint, they got the fair share of three point attempts. UK just played well enough to keep up, I think.

[JRod1229]

UNC... I love your sig...

[JRod1229]

AHHH! please let this happen

[seekupig]

AHHH! please let this happen

and PLEASE DO NOT RUSH THE COURT! it's been a rough season, but you're still Kentucky.....

[JRod1229]

I agree.. please dont... certain teams cant do that... UNC, UK, Kansas, Duke, UCLA

[JRod1229]

best quote.. "This is what makes Kentucky... still Kentucky..."

[UNC41]

UNC... I love your sig...

Thanks. The one good thing to come out of NC State. :lol

Congrats on the win. Helps the Heels' chances as a No. 1.

[seekupig]

for the first time in my life, i'm happy after a Kentucky win.....:eek :ugh

i'm going to go bathe in gasoline now, i'll be back in a bit.

[JRod1229]

Yay!!!

[justinandimcool]

That was awesome.

[UNLTrpt]

how far is that? i like to drink. a lot.

http://www.qwestcenteromaha.com/default.asp?lnopt=4&sn1opt=2&sn2opt=1&sn3opt=1&bldgopt=1&month=1&year=2008&newsID=0

there aren't a lot of hotels within walking distance of the arena except the one connected to it. If you could book at #2 or #6 you'd be in perfect walking distance between the Qwest and the old market. The rates will be pretty high down there. In fact anywhere downtown you might get pretty high rates. One iidea though is to go across the river and stay in Iowa. There's a couple casinos over there and that might be the best time.

[kydmb99]

it amazes me that two people with as much dislike for Kentucky as you and i have been trying to convince some of the Kentucky fans (in their own poorly named thread.... :lol ) that it's going to be o.k. in Lexington if they're patient.....

I've never thought Gillispie wasn't the right man for the job... I questioned some things he did earlier in the season but have always thought he'd do some very good things at Kentucky. Was thrilled when he was hired and am still thrilled about it today.

I think you're thinking of that one bitch.... can't remember her name right now. :)

[seekupig]

http://www.qwestcenteromaha.com/default.asp?lnopt=4&sn1opt=2&sn2opt=1&sn3opt=1&bldgopt=1&month=1&year=2008&newsID=0

there aren't a lot of hotels within walking distance of the arena except the one connected to it. If you could book at #2 or #6 you'd be in perfect walking distance between the Qwest and the old market. The rates will be pretty high down there. In fact anywhere downtown you might get pretty high rates. One iidea though is to go across the river and stay in Iowa. There's a couple casinos over there and that might be the best time.

KU basketball, drinks, & poker. i may look into that.... thanks. :thumbsup

[UNLTrpt]

KU basketball, drinks, & poker. i may look into that.... thanks. :thumbsup

I'd say its max 10-15 minute drive from the casinos to the Qwest. If you want poker, the casino to go to is the Horseshoe about 2 y/o and about as close to a Vegas-style casino you'll find. There is also a Harrah's and an Ameristar casino. Horseshoe is the only one with poker, but is probably the most expensive of the 3. Ameristar has a fantastic sports bar. Harrah's is an adequate hotel as well.

[UNC41]

Adios OJ Mayo?

http://www.deuceofdavenport.com/2008/01/oj-mayo-just-ended-his-collegiate.html

[seekupig]

Adios OJ Mayo?

http://www.deuceofdavenport.com/2008/01/oj-mayo-just-ended-his-collegiate.html

interesting.... haven't seen anything on a major site yet, have you? you'd think Mello would know better for offering and OJ has to know better for taking them if it's true. that Reggie Bush shit still hasn't gone away, so USC is under a microscope. what an idiot..... if it's legit.

[UNC41]

interesting.... haven't seen anything on a major site yet, have you? you'd think Mello would know better for offering and OJ has to know better for taking them if it's true. that Reggie Bush shit still hasn't gone away, so USC is under a microscope. what an idiot..... if it's legit.

The guy is a moron.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-uschoops23jan23,1,26457.story?coll=la-headlines-sports

[seekupig]

just pulled this off of another site.....

OJ Mayo got free tickets to the LA Lakers vs. Denver game that was played on Monday from Carmelo Anthony, now the NCAA is looking into it.
According to the NCAA, students cannot receive free or reduced cost admission to professional sporting events from professional organizations. Basically if the NCAA considers Anthony to be an representaive of the Nuggets he can be in trouble. If the NCAA considers it a gift from a friend then he will most likely not be in any trouble.

http://serioushoopsblog.com/oj-mayo-in-trouble/

it'll be interesting to see how this plays out and how quickly it happens.

[seekupig]

CaroWhina.... :lol :lol

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6QMcxcpOn6s

[UNC41]

Who knows what's going to happen with OJ. Either way he was an idiot for taking the tickets not knowing what would happen.

And no YouTube at work, so I'm going to pretend it's One Shining Moment from '05.

[seekupig]

Who knows what's going to happen with OJ. Either way he was an idiot for taking the tickets not knowing what would happen.

And no YouTube at work, so I'm going to pretend it's One Shining Moment from '05.

sorry to ruin it for you, but it's the ugly chick crying after the Maryland game.... if you didn't know better you'd think it was the title game.... :lol

[UNC41]

sorry to ruin it for you, but it's the ugly chick crying after the Maryland game.... if you didn't know better you'd think it was the title game.... :lol

My theory is that was a Duke cheerleader trying to make look Carolina look bad.

[GavMan33]

So I woke up really late today, just made it to my 11am class :lol I haven't read anything today, and just hopped on here for the first time today. I DVR'd the 2nd half of the UK/Tennessee game, and I'm glad I did, sounds like a great ending....

[justinandimcool]

FUCK. They're gonna talk about it on PTI. Fuck fuck fuck. I hope nothing happens of this...

[GavMan33]

FUCK. They're gonna talk about it on PTI. Fuck fuck fuck. I hope nothing happens of this...

Did you think it would slip by the national news? :rolleyes

[justinandimcool]

When I first heard about it, I just thought it was a minor thing. Didn't think it was ESPN worthy.

[RJ2kWJ]

Random drunk thought while watching KU game....

These are the single two UGLIEST, and by ugly I mean hideous, b-ball courts in college rock.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/RJ2kWJ/floor4.jpg Boise St

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/RJ2kWJ/P1250434.jpg KU (Could that fuggin bird take up ANYmore court space???)

[GavMan33]

Random drunk thought while watching KU game....

These are the single two UGLIEST, and by ugly I mean hideous, b-ball courts in college rock.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/RJ2kWJ/floor4.jpg Boise St

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/RJ2kWJ/P1250434.jpg KU (Could that fuggin bird take up ANYmore court space???)

:lol :thumbsup

I've never seen the Boise St. one before. Wow that's rough :lol

[GavMan33]

Wow this would be awful for Villanova if the Wildcats drop this one....

[RJ2kWJ]

Wow this would be awful for Villanova if the Wildcats drop this one....

Real awful for them...

[UNLTrpt]

Random drunk thought while watching KU game....

These are the single two UGLIEST, and by ugly I mean hideous, b-ball courts in college rock.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/RJ2kWJ/floor4.jpg Boise St

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/RJ2kWJ/P1250434.jpg KU (Could that fuggin bird take up ANYmore court space???)

Boise St. is bad.

The bird is not THAT bad but not that great either.

Nebraska used to look cartoonish.
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/9467/zsjrnmcweeqrfdx20040215tt3.jpg

I mean...that looks like a basketball court for special ed kids. Who honestly thought it was a good idea to paint a basketball in the free throw circle.

[JamesM]

Holy fucking shit Nova.

[UNC41]

Wish I was watching Baylor/A&M ...

[UNC41]

3 OTs at College Station ... Damn. Anytime this happens ESPN should automatically switch to the game. I'd quit listening to the Heels on the radio for this.

[justinandimcool]

They're in their 4th OT. Fuck, I'm depressed. I got GTech/NC State. I want this one :lol :(

[UNC41]

They're in their 4th OT. Fuck, I'm depressed. I got GTech/NC State. I want this one :lol :(

If it goes 5 they have to say fuck this San Antonio/Los Angeles game.

[justinandimcool]

Holy shit. 5 overtimes. I'm suing ESPN if they don't show a replay tonight, wherever this is broadcasted.

[UNC41]

If the Gamecast is this exciting, I can't imaging watching ...

[justinandimcool]

Spurs/Lakers has been over for 11 minutes now. Give me a break.

[dreamingtreeIU]

the hoosiers dominated.....underrated

[UNC41]

the hoosiers dominated.....underrated

Indiana has beat absolutely nobody. They've got some nice pieces, but there is no way you can put them any higher than they are.

[justinandimcool]

Baylor wins too. Awesome. I need to see these guys play.

[justinandimcool]

Mbah M Boute and Mata-Real are injured. Let's see how this affects the Oregon game.

In other news- I'm attending my first college game next thursday: USC vs Arizona. All yall should drink up for me, I know I will :)

[seekupig]

the hoosiers dominated.....underrated


how so? of the teams ranked ahead of them, who do you think they should be ahead of?

Memphis
Kansas
Tennessee
Duke
UNC
Washington St.
UCLA

EDIT - after glancing at their schedule, i realized that the only game on their schedule they've played against a team that is currently ranked in the top 25 was Xavier, and that happens to be their only loss. IU is right where they should be....

[gbs3769]

We survived. Much work to do.
We gave that game to you.

Also, your student section was kind of weak before the game. I walked past them all waiting in line to get in the game holding up a "My two favorite teams are Syracuse and anyone who beats Georgetown and the best that they did was boo and a couple people spit beer on me. Oh, and some dumb girl tried to steal my t-shirt, but that was it.

- Primo

[gbs3769]

Hm. Remember awhile ago I did the most exciting college hoop games I've ever been to? You can put last night's Syracuse @ Georgetown game right to the top of that list.
Every single Syracuse/Georgetown game is a dogfight. Of course I am biased, but in my opinion it is the greatest rivalry in college basketball.

- Primo

[chiznaz]

A&M basketball has /wrists so far in conference play. I was flying back in from wichita and missed the game. Yay me! Yay A&M Basketball! Yay undisiplined defense, crappy offensive play, and poor free throw shooting!

[GavMan33]

Every single Syracuse/Georgetown game is a dogfight. Of course I am biased, but in my opinion it is the greatest rivalry in college basketball.

- Primo

:eek :rolleyes

With all due respect. And I'm not really a Big East guy, so I don't know. But I'd venture to say Villanova/St. Joe's is even bigger than Cuse/GTown....

[seekupig]

Every single Syracuse/Georgetown game is a dogfight. Of course I am biased, but in my opinion it is the greatest rivalry in college basketball.

yes, you are biased.

anyone that says anything other than Duke vs. UNC is wrong.

[UNC41]

yes, you are biased.

anyone that says anything other than Duke vs. UNC is wrong.

I'm biased and agree. :D

[SmoothD41]

how so? of the teams ranked ahead of them, who do you think they should be ahead of?

Memphis
Kansas
Tennessee
Duke
UNC
Washington St.
UCLA

EDIT - after glancing at their schedule, i realized that the only game on their schedule they've played against a team that is currently ranked in the top 25 was Xavier, and that happens to be their only loss. IU is right where they should be....

I don't think IU is underrated, but I do think they should be ahead of UCLA in both polls, and possibly Washington St. The next couple of weeks will prove how good they can be. Personally, I feel like they have a very realistic chance at being #1 at some point this season. We shall see. Right now, they should be no higher than 6 or 7 because they haven't proved a whole lot.

[GavMan33]

yes, you are biased.

anyone that says anything other than Duke vs. UNC is wrong.

On this "biggest rivalry in college hoop" Syracuse v. Georgetown hoopla. You know about the hypothetical list of things you have to experience in college basketball before you die? The Bucket List if you will? Sit in the student section at Alumni Fieldhouse at St. Joseph's, go to the Big East Tournament at MSG, go to a game at Hinkle Fieldhouse, etc.? Where in there does it say anything about Georgetown or Syracuse, let alone playing each other? There are almost definitely numerous mentions of both Duke and Carolina.

Any others? I'm interested in hearing what you guys think? I'm putting in:

-Sitting in the student section at St. Joe's at Alumni Fieldhouse
-Going to the Big East Tournament at MSG
-Going to a Big 5 game at The Palestra
-Going to a game at Hinkle Fieldhouse (Butler)
-And I'll throw in Going to a game at Phog Allen....

[seekupig]

I don't think IU is underrated, but I do think they should be ahead of UCLA in both polls, and possibly Washington St. The next couple of weeks will prove how good they can be. Personally, I feel like they have a very realistic chance at being #1 at some point this season. We shall see. Right now, they should be no higher than 6 or 7 because they haven't proved a whole lot.

that would require both Kansas and Memphis losing two games and Indiana running the table from this point forward....... very unlikely.

[GavMan33]

how so? of the teams ranked ahead of them, who do you think they should be ahead of?

Memphis
Kansas
Tennessee
Duke
UNC
Washington St.
UCLA

EDIT - after glancing at their schedule, i realized that the only game on their schedule they've played against a team that is currently ranked in the top 25 was Xavier, and that happens to be their only loss. IU is right where they should be....

One of the IU guys in here awhile ago insinuated about how bad a loss the loss to Xavier was. Although it will go down as we get further into conference play, X is currently ranked #18 in the RPI, and ranked #23 in the country coming into tonight's heavy-weight tilt at home vs. #16 Dayton. Now IU may or may not have played a great game. But I'm here to tell you that the Xavier guys were so excited to play that game knowing that they could win. And I'd be very surprised if IU looked past X; and if they did, well that's their youth showing through....

That said, IU MAY BE a Sweet 16 team. I'm leaning toward a Round of 32 team. How's that for an early prediction? :thumbsup

[seekupig]

On this "biggest rivalry in college hoop" Syracuse v. Georgetown hoopla. You know about the hypothetical list of things you have to experience in college basketball before you die? The Bucket List if you will? Sit in the student section at Alumni Fieldhouse at St. Joseph's, go to the Big East Tournament at MSG, go to a game at Hinkle Fieldhouse, etc.? Where in there does it say anything about Georgetown or Syracuse, let alone playing each other? There are almost definitely numerous mentions of both Duke and Carolina.

Any others? I'm interested in hearing what you guys think? I'm putting in:

-Sitting in the student section at St. Joe's at Alumni Fieldhouse
-Going to the Big East Tournament at MSG
-Going to a Big 5 game at The Palestra
-Going to a game at Hinkle Fieldhouse (Butler)
-And I'll throw in Going to a game at Phog Allen....

Pat Forde did his own list..... :lol


10. Re-enacting Jimmy Chitwood's winning shot at Hinkle Fieldhouse (9).


9. Waving the wheat in Phog Allen Fieldhouse (10).


8. Doing the Soulja Boy dance with Bo Ryan (11). Watch this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TajSyEm-Qg) to practice your steps.


7. Feeling the brotherly love at a Big Five game in The Palestra (12).


6. Being the shirtless "O" to the shirtless "V" of Bruce Pearl (13) at a Tennessee women's game.


5. Appearing in "One Shining Moment" (14).

4. Singing "My Old Kentucky Home" on Senior Day at Kentucky, then watching the game with Ashley Judd (15).

3. Performing as the Stanford Tree (16) for a game.


2. Camping out in Krzyzewskiville (17) before a Duke-Carolina game at Cameron Indoor.


1. Watching a game with John Wooden (18).

Minutes readers are encouraged to send in their own bucket lists, possibly for compilation in a future Forde Minutes column.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3207618&sportCat=ncb

[justinandimcool]

Wow, Deron Washington is a fucking PUNK. I'd be embarrassed of him, if I were a VT fan.

[RJ2kWJ]

:) Ahhhh what would a game at VT be without some typical Va Trash classiness

[SmoothD41]

One of the IU guys in here awhile ago insinuated about how bad a loss the loss to Xavier was. Although it will go down as we get further into conference play, X is currently ranked #18 in the RPI, and ranked #23 in the country coming into tonight's heavy-weight tilt at home vs. #16 Dayton. Now IU may or may not have played a great game. But I'm here to tell you that the Xavier guys were so excited to play that game knowing that they could win. And I'd be very surprised if IU looked past X; and if they did, well that's their youth showing through....

That said, IU MAY BE a Sweet 16 team. I'm leaning toward a Round of 32 team. How's that for an early prediction? :thumbsup

I hope you're not referring to me....I never said it was a bad loss. All I said was it was IU's only real test at that time, and they weren't able to win it. Xavier flat out dominated IU that night. They are a very good team.

I could see IU getting bounced in the sweet 16, but I could also definitely see Gordon and DJ carrying them all the way to the Final Four. Unbelievable 1-2 punch right there, right up there with the best, if not THE best, in the country.

[GavMan33]

I hope you're not referring to me....I never said it was a bad loss. All I said was it was IU's only real test at that time, and they weren't able to win it. Xavier flat out dominated IU that night. They are a very good team.

I could see IU getting bounced in the sweet 16, but I could also definitely see Gordon and DJ carrying them all the way to the Final Four. Unbelievable 1-2 punch right there, right up there with the best, if not THE best, in the country.

Xavier beats the shit out of Dayton tonight at Cintas Center, I think it was 69-43, or something like that. Brian Roberts has 5 points and 1 rebound. BANG!

I see you with Gordon and DJ. I just have a hard time relying on youth. It's very rare to have guys like Carmelo Anthony or Mike Bibby....

[thestand]

Oregon should really reconsider this gameplan of leading for 80% of the game and then losing it in the last 2 minutes. It isn't exactly paying off. :BANG :BANG :BANG

[justinandimcool]

:BANG Oregon.

[BreakFree27]

Gav Man, what are your thoughts on Sunday's big matchup?

i will be in attendance at the Mullins Center in Amherst, and i am pumped. it is move in day for the campus after winter break and the game is at 12 so i will be leaving Maine at 5 am to get there for the game, i just hope a lot of students come early. UMass is coming off a bad loss to St. Joe's after big wins over Dayton and Charlotte, whereas you guys are coming off a huge win (? didn't see the final) over Dayton. If UMass brings their "A" game, i think we will be fine as long as we hit shots down the stretch and rebound. This would be HUGE if we won this game in terms of NCAA tourney hopes.

Should be a good one.

[dreamingtreeIU]

I hope you're not referring to me....I never said it was a bad loss. All I said was it was IU's only real test at that time, and they weren't able to win it. Xavier flat out dominated IU that night. They are a very good team.

I could see IU getting bounced in the sweet 16, but I could also definitely see Gordon and DJ carrying them all the way to the Final Four. Unbelievable 1-2 punch right there, right up there with the best, if not THE best, in the country.


na he's talking about me when i said that there is no way ANY iu basketball team should ever lose to xavier. Xavier is and has been my 2nd favorite team for years. My final 2 choices in schools were IU and Xavier. I've said this multiple times, he's just using this as a chance to act like IU fans think Xavier is shitty. :monkey

[seekupig]

:) Ahhhh what would a game at VT be without some typical Va Trash classiness


because we all know the Blue Devils wrote the book on class..... :rolleyes

Gerald Henderson cheap shots Hansbrough
http://youtube.com/watch?v=K4lS7wjkBwY

the Laettner chest stomp on Akimu Timberlake in the '92 tourney.


the list goes on, but those are the ones