maildude
Postal Paranoiac
And right away the sports media questions Ohio State.
The Big10 is hated throughout the sports media world. And it makes whenever a Big10 team wins all that much sweeter.
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2010-2011 NCAA Basketball Thread
- Thread starter turtle825
- Start date
And right away the sports media questions Ohio State.
The Big10 is hated throughout the sports media world. And it makes whenever a Big10 team wins all that much sweeter.
Michigan State lost by 20 late Wednesday to an Iowa team that not only opened the season with a loss to South Dakota State, but also lost eight of its first nine league games, and is still in the Big Ten cellar.
The Spartans have gone from promising to questionable to bad to worse in a span of three months. They've gone from No. 2 to playing like a piece of No. 2, and that's not supposed to happen anywhere - especially not in East Lansing, where Izzo has coached 15 seasons and never had a losing Big Ten record despite an assortment of obstacles on a nearly annual basis. One way or another, Izzo always figures it out. The guy lost his starting point guard in the second round of the NCAA tournament and still made the Final Four last year, which is among the reasons I've given the Spartans the benefit of the doubt to date. I don't care if it's a broken Blu-ray player or dysfunctional basketball team, my assumption has always been that Izzo can and will fix it.
However, The Spartans have dropped four of their past five, and they haven't won a single game in regulation in more than a month. Furthermore, with several more tough matchups ahead, it appears that Izzo is on track to record his first losing league mark and miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1997.
Yes, the Spartans lost Chris Allen in the preseason and Korie Lucious last week, but the problems at Michigan State run way deeper and are much less tangible. This team has leadership issues and mental hurdles more than physical limitations, and the unraveling really should be a lesson for fans of all other teams that are losing games their rosters suggest they shouldn't lose.
Michigan State was once ranked as high as No. 2 but now the Spartans are coming off a blowout loss at Iowa and "reeling," according to their coach who has acknowledged he's "confused." In other words, even the basketball genius that is Tom Izzo doesn't know how to fix his mess of a team because sometimes things that should work on paper just don't work on the court.
Such is the case at Michigan State this season; the Spartans are 5-5 in the Big Ten and staring at 5-6. They're undeniably and deeply broken, and perhaps irreparably so.
I feel for you, maildude.
The Spartans have gone from promising to questionable to bad to worse in a span of three months. They've gone from No. 2 to playing like a piece of No. 2, and that's not supposed to happen anywhere - especially not in East Lansing, where Izzo has coached 15 seasons and never had a losing Big Ten record despite an assortment of obstacles on a nearly annual basis. One way or another, Izzo always figures it out. The guy lost his starting point guard in the second round of the NCAA tournament and still made the Final Four last year, which is among the reasons I've given the Spartans the benefit of the doubt to date. I don't care if it's a broken Blu-ray player or dysfunctional basketball team, my assumption has always been that Izzo can and will fix it.
However, The Spartans have dropped four of their past five, and they haven't won a single game in regulation in more than a month. Furthermore, with several more tough matchups ahead, it appears that Izzo is on track to record his first losing league mark and miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1997.
Yes, the Spartans lost Chris Allen in the preseason and Korie Lucious last week, but the problems at Michigan State run way deeper and are much less tangible. This team has leadership issues and mental hurdles more than physical limitations, and the unraveling really should be a lesson for fans of all other teams that are losing games their rosters suggest they shouldn't lose.
Michigan State was once ranked as high as No. 2 but now the Spartans are coming off a blowout loss at Iowa and "reeling," according to their coach who has acknowledged he's "confused." In other words, even the basketball genius that is Tom Izzo doesn't know how to fix his mess of a team because sometimes things that should work on paper just don't work on the court.
Such is the case at Michigan State this season; the Spartans are 5-5 in the Big Ten and staring at 5-6. They're undeniably and deeply broken, and perhaps irreparably so.
I feel for you, maildude.
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
Ahem....I haven't gotten involved in this thread because I usually get sucked into these things pretty deep (see the NCAA football thread for example) but I was just reviewing this Big 10/ACC lovefest here and I cannot believe that NO ONE is giving any love to my beloved Texas Longhorns!! :wtf: Have any of you watched this team play this year? They aren't just beating other teams (good ones too....North Carolina, Missouri, Texas A & M, Kansas), they are crushing them.
Rick Barnes may not be the best Xs and Os coach on the planet but he has assembled one helluva good basketball team this year. Jordan Hamilton is unstoppable when he has his shot going and Tristan Thompson is a beast down low (and he's only a freshman!). Cory Joseph and J'Covan Brown are shooting lights out, Dogus Balbay is possibly the best passer in the NCAA and Gary Johnson is a tough, physical force on rebounds. Their defense is smothering other teams. In the game against Kansas (played in Lawrence where the Jayhawks had a 55 game winning streak and where the Longhorns have NEVER won a game in recorded history), they came back from an early 18-3 deficit and totally dominated Kansas in the second half to win going away, 74-63. Impressive to say the least.
Watch out for these guys. If we can beat Kansas on the road, we can beat anyone.
Hook 'em!!
Rick Barnes may not be the best Xs and Os coach on the planet but he has assembled one helluva good basketball team this year. Jordan Hamilton is unstoppable when he has his shot going and Tristan Thompson is a beast down low (and he's only a freshman!). Cory Joseph and J'Covan Brown are shooting lights out, Dogus Balbay is possibly the best passer in the NCAA and Gary Johnson is a tough, physical force on rebounds. Their defense is smothering other teams. In the game against Kansas (played in Lawrence where the Jayhawks had a 55 game winning streak and where the Longhorns have NEVER won a game in recorded history), they came back from an early 18-3 deficit and totally dominated Kansas in the second half to win going away, 74-63. Impressive to say the least.
Watch out for these guys. If we can beat Kansas on the road, we can beat anyone.
Hook 'em!!
PG Larry Drew II leaves UNC:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=6089805
Not too surprised Larry decided to pack his bags, considering that he fell out of favor in Roy Williams' rotation recently, although I have to give Larry credit for playing solid backup minutes the last 3 games.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=6089805
Not too surprised Larry decided to pack his bags, considering that he fell out of favor in Roy Williams' rotation recently, although I have to give Larry credit for playing solid backup minutes the last 3 games.
Washington seemed like a lock to win the Pac-10 one week ago - now the Huskies just seem like a mess.
They lost at unranked Washington State last Sunday, at not-even-close-to-being-ranked Oregon State on Thursday, and, most recently, at so-far-from-being-ranked-it's-not-even-funny Oregon today. In other words, the Washington Huskies are impersonating the Washington Wizards, and now they're now 15-7 overall, 7-4 in the Pac-10. That record puts Lorenzo Romar's team third in the league standings - behind Arizona (19-4, 8-2) and UCLA (16-7, 7-3) - and it means Washington is certain to exit the Top 25 polls on Monday.
And let's not attribute this downward spiral to the loss of Abdul Gaddy.
His torn ACL didn't help, no question, but the Huskies were 5-1 with wins over Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon State and Oregon in their first six games without Gaddy. Now they're on a 3-game losing streak thanks to back-to-back losses to the same Oregon State and Oregon teams they handled confortably last month.
The good news? The Huskies' next two games, and five of their final eight are at home. The bad news? The Huskies are now two games back of Arizona with a game at Arizona still to play, which could result with at least 5 league losses.
They lost at unranked Washington State last Sunday, at not-even-close-to-being-ranked Oregon State on Thursday, and, most recently, at so-far-from-being-ranked-it's-not-even-funny Oregon today. In other words, the Washington Huskies are impersonating the Washington Wizards, and now they're now 15-7 overall, 7-4 in the Pac-10. That record puts Lorenzo Romar's team third in the league standings - behind Arizona (19-4, 8-2) and UCLA (16-7, 7-3) - and it means Washington is certain to exit the Top 25 polls on Monday.
And let's not attribute this downward spiral to the loss of Abdul Gaddy.
His torn ACL didn't help, no question, but the Huskies were 5-1 with wins over Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon State and Oregon in their first six games without Gaddy. Now they're on a 3-game losing streak thanks to back-to-back losses to the same Oregon State and Oregon teams they handled confortably last month.
The good news? The Huskies' next two games, and five of their final eight are at home. The bad news? The Huskies are now two games back of Arizona with a game at Arizona still to play, which could result with at least 5 league losses.
If you saw what Kansas did to Missouri and what Pittsburgh did to West Virginia Monday night, you'll probably understand why both schools may be headed toward #1 seeds in next month's NCAA tournament, and why both programs are basketball powers that won't disappear as long as Jamie Dixon and Bil Self are in charge.
Kansas beat Missouri even though its top prospect, Josh Selby, is sidelined with a foot injury, while Pittsburgh won at West Virginia even though its leading scorer, Ashton Gibbs, is sidelined with an MCL injury (and served me some humble pie on the way).
A team playing without a key player typically struggles, at least against a quality opponent (and especially on the road). But the #2 Jayhawks looked unbelievably sharp in a win over #20 Missouri, and the #4 Panthers were just as tough as ever (and way tougher than the Mountaineers) in a win at West Virginia. It was impressive stuff and a testament to Self and Dixon's ability to plug reserves (like Mario Little) into key roles and continue without really missing a step.
No Selby? No problem.
No Gibbs? No problem.
Kansas and Pittsburgh both turned in the type of performances that enhance the opinions of believers and convert any remaining skeptics. More important, they each added another quality win to their bodies of work - the type of quality win that figures to help them earn #1 seeds on Selection Sunday.
Kansas beat Missouri even though its top prospect, Josh Selby, is sidelined with a foot injury, while Pittsburgh won at West Virginia even though its leading scorer, Ashton Gibbs, is sidelined with an MCL injury (and served me some humble pie on the way).
A team playing without a key player typically struggles, at least against a quality opponent (and especially on the road). But the #2 Jayhawks looked unbelievably sharp in a win over #20 Missouri, and the #4 Panthers were just as tough as ever (and way tougher than the Mountaineers) in a win at West Virginia. It was impressive stuff and a testament to Self and Dixon's ability to plug reserves (like Mario Little) into key roles and continue without really missing a step.
No Selby? No problem.
No Gibbs? No problem.
Kansas and Pittsburgh both turned in the type of performances that enhance the opinions of believers and convert any remaining skeptics. More important, they each added another quality win to their bodies of work - the type of quality win that figures to help them earn #1 seeds on Selection Sunday.
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
:why:
From a Boomer??? Blasphemy!!!!!
I know, I know... but have you seen our season?
I'm a Big-12 guy and I certainly can't root for Texas, so every year I seem to jump on the Jay Hawk ban wagon. :o
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
I know, I know... but have you seen our season?
I'm a Big-12 guy and I certainly can't root for Texas, so every year I seem to jump on the Jay Hawk ban wagon. :o
LOL....you're only doing that because the Kansas football team usually SUCKS. And yes, I'd be seriously disappointed in you if you suddenly started rooting for Texas. The only time I have EVER rooted for OU was in the NC (football) game against Florida three years ago....and we all know how that turned out! :1orglaugh
In all seriousness, it appears that Kansas and Texas are clearly the elite of the Big 12. If things play out as they are now, they should both be #1 seeds in the tournament....quite an accomplishment from a conference that has taken some serious criticism after losing Nebraska and Colorado, both of which have never been basketball powers.
Tough losses Northern Iowa & Wichita St. suffered on Tuesday night - it looks to me that with the 3-team MVC race between UNI, Wichita St., and Missouri St., only 1 team is gonna emerge from that group as part of the revamped 68-team tournament in March, regardless of the results of the MVC tournament.
Tonight!!!!
Gonna be watching in real-time so no one can ruin it for me. :tongue:
Too bad they both can't loose.
It will be an interesting matchup between Duke and North Carolina tonight, that's for sure.
Meanwhile, N.C. State fans debate their future with the head coaching position, possibly disuccing whether notable coaches such as Rick Barnes, Jamie Dixon, or Sean Miller would be available. N.C. State is almost certainly headed for another coaching search, considering skipper Sidney Lowe is 2-7 in the ACC in the 5th year of a tenure that has never produced anything better than a ninth-place finish in the league. Next week or next month, barring an unimaginable turnaround, he'll be fired, at which point Rick Barnes, Sean Miller and Jamie Dixon will all stay put regardless of whether they're approached about what is the worst great-paying job in America.
Yes, N.C. State is the worst great-paying job in America (outside of President of the United States). The passion from the fan base combined with the location of the campus make it a difficult situation, which is why coaches who are accomplished, comfortable and already at a nationally relevant program would be foolish to seriously consider a move that requires them to settle in next door to Coach K and Roy Williams because it will inevitably lead to them being graded on the Duke and UNC curve by the Wofpack fanbase.
Sooner or later N.C. State fans will realize they're the ugly duckling in the state of North Carolina's college hoops region.
For any coach applying for N.C. State, enter at your own risk. You've been warned.
Meanwhile, N.C. State fans debate their future with the head coaching position, possibly disuccing whether notable coaches such as Rick Barnes, Jamie Dixon, or Sean Miller would be available. N.C. State is almost certainly headed for another coaching search, considering skipper Sidney Lowe is 2-7 in the ACC in the 5th year of a tenure that has never produced anything better than a ninth-place finish in the league. Next week or next month, barring an unimaginable turnaround, he'll be fired, at which point Rick Barnes, Sean Miller and Jamie Dixon will all stay put regardless of whether they're approached about what is the worst great-paying job in America.
Yes, N.C. State is the worst great-paying job in America (outside of President of the United States). The passion from the fan base combined with the location of the campus make it a difficult situation, which is why coaches who are accomplished, comfortable and already at a nationally relevant program would be foolish to seriously consider a move that requires them to settle in next door to Coach K and Roy Williams because it will inevitably lead to them being graded on the Duke and UNC curve by the Wofpack fanbase.
Sooner or later N.C. State fans will realize they're the ugly duckling in the state of North Carolina's college hoops region.
For any coach applying for N.C. State, enter at your own risk. You've been warned.
Solid road win Georgetown picked up at Syracuse; it honestly felt like I was watching a Big 10 game at the Carrier Dome with both teams playing solid defense - that is until the Orange faltered during the last minutes of the game.
So yeah, Syracuse has some flaws, but flaws that can be corrected in time of the Big Dance. If they can find a way to get a more consistent deep threat in the backcourt and get more spacing on the offensive end, it'll be much easier for that squad to score more points, compared to their 56-point output last night.
So yeah, Syracuse has some flaws, but flaws that can be corrected in time of the Big Dance. If they can find a way to get a more consistent deep threat in the backcourt and get more spacing on the offensive end, it'll be much easier for that squad to score more points, compared to their 56-point output last night.
Kendall Marshall was not great in his first game against Duke; he missed nearly three times as many shots as he made, missed just as many free throws as he made, let Nolan Smith get 34 points, and his team lost.
In other words, North Carolina's new starting point guard isn't ready for All-America honors just yet, but he's obviously talented, super heady and already a difference-maker even on nights when the box score doesn't support that opinion. If you watched the game, you saw it.
Apparently, UNC was having Larry Drew II issues, not starting point guard issues. However, the Heels may now have backup point-guard issues, and that's where Drew's departure potentially hurts, because what happens when Marshall gets into foul trouble or turns an ankle? One of those things will happen at some point, almost certainly. For UNC's sake, they just better hope it doesn't happen in a must-win situation like, say, the NCAA tournament.
So if you want to worry about the Tar Heels, worry about that, but there's no longer a need to question whether the Tar Heels have a starting point guard who is capable of leading them deep into the NCAA tournament because it's now clear they do. Marshall isn't Raymond Felton or Ty Lawson, and he's a bit of a mess defensively, but he is certainly better than the Larry Drew option.
Bottom line, Marshall gives UNC a chance to be really good, and that's an inspiring thing, because it was something Drew never did and almost certainly was never gonna do.
In other words, North Carolina's new starting point guard isn't ready for All-America honors just yet, but he's obviously talented, super heady and already a difference-maker even on nights when the box score doesn't support that opinion. If you watched the game, you saw it.
Apparently, UNC was having Larry Drew II issues, not starting point guard issues. However, the Heels may now have backup point-guard issues, and that's where Drew's departure potentially hurts, because what happens when Marshall gets into foul trouble or turns an ankle? One of those things will happen at some point, almost certainly. For UNC's sake, they just better hope it doesn't happen in a must-win situation like, say, the NCAA tournament.
So if you want to worry about the Tar Heels, worry about that, but there's no longer a need to question whether the Tar Heels have a starting point guard who is capable of leading them deep into the NCAA tournament because it's now clear they do. Marshall isn't Raymond Felton or Ty Lawson, and he's a bit of a mess defensively, but he is certainly better than the Larry Drew option.
Bottom line, Marshall gives UNC a chance to be really good, and that's an inspiring thing, because it was something Drew never did and almost certainly was never gonna do.
I'm not sure how I should feel about controversy surrounding the 4-point play druing Rutgers' last second victory against #10 'Nova. Perhaps if 'Nova closed out the game better with their 13-point lead with 4 minutes left in the game, they wouldn't be in that 4-point play spot. On the other hand, the officials should've swallowed their whistles on that play; I didn't see enough contact to whistle a foul, and that "foul" should never be called - ever.