Rd 1 - Mayo vs. Beasley

[korme]

Show down!

[Cringer]

I like mayo on sandwiches and stuff, but I have never heard of this beasley stuff. Does it taste good and have less fat?

[stevew]

at least we know which game Pat Riley will be at.

[Scarecrow]

just to thread-jack...

Beasley's staying.

[Eaglesfan27]

just to thread-jack...

Beasley's staying.

O.J. says he is as well. I don't believe either of them.

[mckerney]

just to thread-jack...

Beasley's staying.

I read Durant and Oden were staying too.

Just sayin'.

[Groundhog]

Beasley is a projected #1 and would be insane not to go. Mayo has fallen from a top-3 pick to a "lottery pick", but it's not a given that he'll improve that position regardless of how long he stays. He'd be crazy not to jump as well.

[Calis]

I can't imagine why Beasley would stay, except from what I've heard his Mom is pretty in love with Manhattan so maybe she's laying the law down on him.

I sure wouldn't count on it. I hope he does though, K-State doesn't get many chances for a player anywhere near his caliber, so it'd be nice to see him for two, I just don't see what he gains.

[illinifan999]

I can't imagine why Beasley would stay, except from what I've heard his Mom is pretty in love with Manhattan so maybe she's laying the law down on him.



That's an argument I'd love to have with my mom.

"Come on mom, just let me go to the NBA, please! I'll do the dishes for a whole month!"

[Groundhog]

"Mom, if you let me go to the NBA, I promise I'll buy you a nice big house, first pay cheque!"

[mauchow]

Who cares about this game, either one will lose to Wisconsin by 15+ points.

[mckerney]

Who cares about this game, either one will lose to Wisconsin by 15+ points.

I highly doubt that.

[mauchow]

Why? Since the Badgers have the best defensive team in the country. Flowers on Mayo or Landry on Beasley. USC would have a better chance at beating the Badgers but still, no chance.

[mckerney]

By 15? Wisconsin ain't playing weak Big Ten teams anymore. Wisconsin would be a favorite, but I don't believe that USC, who beat a UCLA team that's superior to Wisconsin, can't stay within 15.

Also, USC isn't a bad defense squad. Gibson on Butch, Mayo on Hughes. I'd be shocked if they play and UW blows them out.

[mauchow]

While yes, the Big 10 is weak, I don't think that a team with basically one star player will stand to have much of a chance against the Badgers. Offensively, the Badgers won't look good in people's eyes but they're much more impressive than most people think.

The Badgers offensive efficiency is in the Top 25 I believe. When you add in the fact that the Badgers have the #1 defensive efficiency that's a tough combo to beat. The Badgers don't foul much, they don't turnover much. Don't fall for all the hype that USC/KSU will upset the Badgers. The person who is leading the charge on that is absent minded Hubert Davis. The man thinks the Badgers struggle to score 50 points when its plain to see that they don't. Wisconsin averages 68 points per game, a tad bit over 50.

Anyhow, hop on the Badger Train and pick them to the Sweet 16 at least. Georgetown/Wisconsin will be a GREAT game to watch. Offensively and defensively good teams duke it out. Hopefully there won't be an upset with either team as I really want to see this matchup.

[mauchow]

I was probably being a little too much by saying the Badgers will win by 15 points or more. Vegas will probably favor the Badgers by 5-7 points but I think Wisconsin will be able to stretch that out a bit due to a foul advantage.

[Eaglesfan27]

Why? Since the Badgers have the best defensive team in the country. Flowers on Mayo or Landry on Beasley. USC would have a better chance at beating the Badgers but still, no chance.

Kansas State worries me, but I think USC will cruise past the Badgers with their level of athleticism.

[mauchow]

Flowers is a top three defender in the country(guards). Mayo is a great athlete but Flowers is a great defender. Everyone will see this, assuming USC gets by KSU. I think it'll be funny once everyone is shown how good the Badgers actually are. The Badgers play slow basketball but its nothing like it was during the Bennett era. Anyhoo, I'm so pumped for the tourney to start. I wish I could watch basketball all day on Thursday and Saturday, but I work both days.

[mckerney]

Anyhow, hop on the Badger Train and pick them to the Sweet 16 at least. Georgetown/Wisconsin will be a GREAT game to watch. Offensively and defensively good teams duke it out. Hopefully there won't be an upset with either team as I really want to see this matchup.

I dunno, I hopped on the Badgers One and Done Train last year and it was good too me. I may have to get another ticket this year.

I think the Badgers could have a more legit shot to make a run in a couple years when Jordan Taylor is a junior. Taylor is a legit point who's lightening quick in the Devin Harris mold. I don't think their current team is able to do much outside of the Big Ten.

[MrBug708]

Flowers is a top three defender in the country(guards). Mayo is a great athlete but Flowers is a great defender. Everyone will see this, assuming USC gets by KSU. I think it'll be funny once everyone is shown how good the Badgers actually are. The Badgers play slow basketball but its nothing like it was during the Bennett era. Anyhoo, I'm so pumped for the tourney to start. I wish I could watch basketball all day on Thursday and Saturday, but I work both days.

I think that if Flowers were in the PAC-10, he wouldn't even be top 3 defender :)

[mauchow]

Yeah, since guys like Neitzel and Gordon are completely awful players and Flowers has never faced any talent whatsoever.

[mauchow]

I dunno, I hopped on the Badgers One and Done Train last year and it was good too me. I may have to get another ticket this year.

I think the Badgers could have a more legit shot to make a run in a couple years when Jordan Taylor is a junior. Taylor is a legit point who's lightening quick in the Devin Harris mold. I don't think their current team is able to do much outside of the Big Ten.

Yep, I'll be curious to see how the Badgers are when he's a sophomore and Bohannon and Hughes are seniors. The Badgers have lots of height coming in over the next few years. The Badgers are definitely a team that seems to be becoming a top program year in and year out.

As for last years Badgers, while it was a disappointing tourney run it was somewhat expected as the Badgers lost out on Butch. He was an important piece of the team. He's not a great player by any means but he's about as steady as they come. No big moves underneath the hoops but he's a threat outside so he's valuable in more ways than one.

I'm a lot more confident in this year's team than last years, even without the likes of Tucker. Landry and Flowers are EXTREMELY gifted defenders and any team with one good guard and one good forward will have a tough time getting points against the Badgers.

I think I'm finished defending Wisconsin now. I just want people to realize that Wisconsin is better than most people think. Are they the #5 team in the country like the ESPN poll says? I think they're easily a top 10 team, so we'll see.

[MrBug708]

Yeah, since guys like Neitzel and Gordon are completely awful players and Flowers has never faced any talent whatsoever.

Has nothing to do with the quality of offensive players but the quality of defensive players in the PAC-10.

Westbrook, Collison, and Weaver, OH MY! :)

[Radii]

you're all a bunch of homers!!! None of those teams stands a chance against UNC in the final four anyway... oh wait. I'm a homer too, right. ;)


I have USC upsetting Wisconsin in my bracket, but that's more a factor of my bracket strategy than whether I favor one over the other. I consider Georgetown to be such a lock coming out of the bottom half of that bracket that even if I miss that upset pick, I'm only losing out on one game, so its a good spot to go for the upset.

[Chief Rum]

I can't imagine why Beasley would stay, except from what I've heard his Mom is pretty in love with Manhattan so maybe she's laying the law down on him.

I sure wouldn't count on it. I hope he does though, K-State doesn't get many chances for a player anywhere near his caliber, so it'd be nice to see him for two, I just don't see what he gains.

Isn't there a decent chance that no matter which way he goes he ends up in Manhattan? :)

[st.cronin]

I dunno, I hopped on the Badgers One and Done Train last year and it was good too me. I may have to get another ticket this year.

I think the Badgers could have a more legit shot to make a run in a couple years when Jordan Taylor is a junior. Taylor is a legit point who's lightening quick in the Devin Harris mold. I don't think their current team is able to do much outside of the Big Ten.

I agree with this. Wisconsin's a good team, but I don't think they're well designed to make a tourney run.

[NoMyths]

Go Wildcats!

[mauchow]

Well, right now the odds of Wisconsin winning the championship is better than every 2 seed and lower except Duke. So the #1 seeds and Duke only have better %'s right now.

The Badgers have a better chance of reaching the Final Four than Tennessee according to these same odds.

I cannot wait for this tournament to really start(not counting the Coppin State/Mary's game today). I wish I had Thursday off.. I've already got Friday off.

[st.cronin]

The Badgers have a better chance of reaching the Final Four than Tennessee according to these same odds.


That seems insane to me.

[mauchow]

http://teamrankings.com/ncbt/index.php

[Chief Rum]

http://teamrankings.com/ncbt/index.php

I believe those rankings aren't supposed to be a measure of a team's strength, but of their chances of winning the title or getting to successive rounds. That has as much to do with opponents as it does team strength/talent/ability.

Not saying you're wrong, mind you, but not sure that site really makes your argument too well.

[mauchow]

I wasn't trying to measure anything, just simply stating that the chances of Wisconsin winning are better than people are mentioning.

I'm a fan of Wisconsin, so my bias is there, but I feel I'm being realistic to think we can get to the Elite 8.

[sooner333]

Kansas State has been playing pretty poorly for three weeks. USC finished fairly strong--I feel like USC should win this game by 10. But, you never know...the x-factor for the Wildcats will be Bill Walker--he can be a headcase, but is really important for the team that he stay out of foul trouble.

[mauchow]

http://basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=252 - East/Midwest
http://basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=257 - South/West

Pomeroy picks Badgers to win it all. Hmmmmm

[Eaglesfan27]

http://basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=252 - East/Midwest
http://basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=257 - South/West

Pomeroy picks Badgers to win it all. Hmmmmm

And most "experts" are picking USC to beat the Badgers. I guess we'll see what happens this weekend :) If both teams get past their respective first opponents, I'd be glad to make you a sig bet ;)

[mauchow]

I'm not saying the Badgers will win it all(despite my picking them too, but I'm a little biased like that) but I know that USC will have their hands full with Wisconsin. By no means do I think USC is more athletic than the Badgers. Travon, Flowers, Landry are as good as athletes as anyone. Krabby is deceptively athletic and Butch is, well, Butch.

[korme]

The homerism from EF27, Bug, and mauboy in this thread is making me sick. :)

[korme]

Radii, too!

[Eaglesfan27]

The homerism from EF27, Bug, and mauboy in this thread is making me sick. :)

Not really. I've readily admitted that Kansas State scares me. They present some matchup issues for USC - USC could be 1 and done. I just think USC's athleticism will be a mismatch for Wisconsin despite what Mauboy says. I haven't made any predictions beyond Wisconsin because I doubt USC goes much beyond the Sweet 16.

[mauchow]

How many Badger games were you able to watch in Louisiana? How many USC games?

[Eaglesfan27]

How many Badger games were you able to watch in Louisiana? How many USC games?

Thanks to the Big Ten network as well as national coverage, I could have seen Wisconsin multiple times, but I only watched them twice. They looked good against subpar Big Ten teams.

USC I saw play about a dozen times this year - they are extremely athletic. How many times have you seen them play?

[hoopsguy]

I respect Pomeroy about as much as anyone who writes on college basketball, but if he is picking Wisconsin to win the title then he needs to put down the crack pipe.

When I looked at his rankings earlier this week I saw that Wisky was #4 overall and it made me think for a little while before moving USC past them in the 2nd round. When I look at that game I think it sets up lik ethe Arizona game two seasons ago. I know that Wisconsin has put together a terrific season, but I don't see the same kind of top-level talent that strings together multiple NCAA wins.

In terms of bracket picks I'm of the same mind as Radii - missing by one round on a team is not a big deal. So why not pick who I think wins the game rather than take the higher seed? I'll be happy to come back in this thread and admit I was wrong if Wisconsin makes it to the Elite 8.

[Karlifornia]

Yeah...it seems most people not in PAC-10 country watch PAC-10 games twice a season at most, but still like to sound like cbk scholars. To hell with them.

[mauchow]

I watched a handful of USC games. They aren't deep enough to beat a team like the Badgers, despite their supposed superior athleticism.

Pomeroy predicted the Badgers to have this record way back in December. Not too bad of a prediction when the Badgers were picked to be 5th place in the Big 10. *shrug*

Its going to be a heckuva tournament though. Have fun.

[Calis]

Go Wildcats!

Woot!

[mauchow]

bwahahaha

[NoMyths]

Wonderful win -- the first NCAA tournament win for us since 1988, long before I was a Wildcat myself. Heck, the AP story led with "Please meet the new Fab Five", which is silly but fun to read.

Of course, I'm biased -- I've got KSU winning the championship. :)

[Cork]

So much for Southern Cal. Guess we'll see Mayo in the pros next year.

-Cork

[korme]

All of you K-State fans can thank Bob Huggins for Bill Walker and his first half performance

[Eaglesfan27]

If Kansas State plays like they did last night, Wisconsin will lose to them by 15 or more.

[MrBug708]

So is Floyd going to LSU or Indiana?

[Eaglesfan27]

So is Floyd going to LSU or Indiana?

Shut up ;)

Unfortunately, I think he goes to LSU. I think he likes Louisiana and they have a huge amount of resources.

[wade moore]

Shut up ;)

Unfortunately, I think he goes to LSU. I think he likes Louisiana and they have a huge amount of resources.

Everyone in the CAA thinks Anthony Grant is going to LSU.

*shurg*

[Eaglesfan27]

If he doesn't take the LSU or Indiana job, I think Floyd is staying at USC for a long time which would be great.

[DeToxRox]

Floyd could buy.. er recruit some top tier talent back to the Bayou

[cartman]

Yeah...it seems most people not in PAC-10 country watch PAC-10 games twice a season at most, but still like to sound like cbk scholars. To hell with them.

quoted for posterity

[MrBug708]

If he doesn't take the LSU or Indiana job, I think Floyd is staying at USC for a long time which would be great.

Great for the PAC-10 :)

[BishopMVP]

Floyd could buy.. er recruit some top tier talent back to the BayouIf this is regarding OJ Mayo, I've always heard the story was Mayo's rep walked into Floyd's office and told him he'd be coming to USC for the publicity. Since it's not flattering for either side, I assume it was true.

[stevew]

Hopefully the refs don't call a bunch of ticky tack stuff on Beasley this game. Definitely looking forward to it, hoping that I get to see him play more this time.

[LloydLungs]

Floyd is an outstanding coach with a fatal flaw, that being the inability to handle huge egos. You will not find a guy with more nuts-and-bolts basketball coaching ability, and he did an absolutely incredible job at both UNO and Iowa State, but you're not generally having to deal with egos at places like that. This USC team looked a lot like Floyd's NBA Hornets team, where Baron Davis was essentially running things. O.J. Mayo was the coach of USC this year, not Floyd. Hopefully he leaves so Tim gets his team back and can shape his roster how he wants.

This season went EXACTLY like I thought it would for the Trojans.

[Eaglesfan27]

Not really. I've readily admitted that Kansas State scares me. They present some matchup issues for USC - USC could be 1 and done. I just think USC's athleticism will be a mismatch for Wisconsin despite what Mauboy says. I haven't made any predictions beyond Wisconsin because I doubt USC goes much beyond the Sweet 16.

I was wrong about Wisconsin. Wisconsin looks much better than I remember either of the previous times I saw them. I think this team would have given USC a very good game and most likely would have beat them.

[st.cronin]

I was wrong about Wisconsin. Wisconsin looks much better than I remember either of the previous times I saw them. I think this team would have given USC a very good game and most likely would have beat them.

They are playing sensational today, no doubt.

[cartman]

Wisconsin was the only team to beat the Horns in Austin this season.