Official 2009-10 College Basketball Thread

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Well, at least it isn't a story that should come as a big shocker.

It's reached the point that I think Pearl probably needs to go unless he can find a way to recruit at least a few players who aren't stoners or just straight up thugs. UT may very well have the lowest character basketball team in D1 at this point and it's been headed in that direction for a while now.

There's a reason I've not fully gotten into UT basketball, despite their recent success.

The W&M team that I am SUPER into couldn't be more opposite.

[DataKing]

Kansas with a blowout win on the road at Temple today. This feels like a team that is finally figuring out just how good they can be. Usual solid efforts from Aldrich, Collins, Henry, and the Morris twins playing at home back in Philly. But the guy who really stood out for me was Brady Morningstar. He demonstrated his value on the defensive end, shutting down Juan Fernandez for large portions of the game.

[hoopsguy]

The Illini lose a near-home game against Gonzaga in OT. They just did not come out to play, spotting the Zags 21 points before battling back. In fact, the Illini had a lead before giving it up in the last couple of minutes and needing a three to force the extra five minutes.

Lots of good to take away from the game, but honestly this does not look like a tournament team right now. The defense really is not very good, the effort is not consistent for 40(+) minutes, and the end-of-game possessions were pretty lousy. If this were just a one-game issue then maybe I would feel like I'm being too hard on the home team, but these weaknesses have been there for the last 45 days now.

[the_meanstrosity]

Originally Posted by DataKing

Kansas with a blowout win on the road at Temple today. This feels like a team that is finally figuring out just how good they can be. Usual solid efforts from Aldrich, Collins, Henry, and the Morris twins playing at home back in Philly. But the guy who really stood out for me was Brady Morningstar. He demonstrated his value on the defensive end, shutting down Juan Fernandez for large portions of the game.

I don't know that they figured out anything, but they were certainly more motivated than they've shown in some of the lesser games. I know Coach Self called them out after their last win for being too soft and not hustling hard enough for the 50/50 balls. Today's win was a good win, but they've got a tough road when the conference starts. Sadly, their last real non-conference test was supposed to be Tennessee, but that game won't be what it should have been given the recent arrests in Vols land.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

One helluva Big 12 opener in store in Columbia a week from today. Kansas State, with a win this week against South Dakota, will come into Columbia having won 10 straight against a Mizzou team that will likely be on a 7 game winning streak and holds the 3rd longest home court winning streak in the nation at 29 games in a row.

Mizzou absolutely steamrolled Georgia today. The young guys continue to play well and Laurence Bowers continues to put up good numbers of late down low. Great to see them hitting their stride just in time for conference play.

[Schmidty]

The MSU - Tech game is giving me a heart-attack, but I think it's a fun game to watch for other people.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

The MSU - Tech game is giving me a heart-attack, but I think it's a fun game to watch for other people.

This is the basketball thread...

[Schmidty]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

This is the basketball thread...

Just realized that.

[wade moore]

Wow...

Top 5 RPI as of Sunday, 1/3/2010:

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by wade moore

Wow...

Top 5 RPI as of Sunday, 1/3/2010:

I'm assuming your expressing surprise about W&M. Shouldn't be all that surprising.

1. If you win games and have a high SOS, you'll get a high RPI. New Mexico, Butler, and VCU are other good examples of that thus far.

2. The strength of the CAA is another big part of that.

Of course, the unfortunate part for a fan like you is that your RPI can go nowhere but down once you enter conference play since opponent record plays such a big part in your RPI rating. So enjoy it now.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

I'm assuming your expressing surprise about W&M. Shouldn't be all that surprising.

1. If you win games and have a high SOS, you'll get a high RPI. New Mexico, Butler, and VCU are other good examples of that thus far.

2. The strength of the CAA is another big part of that.

Of course, the unfortunate part for a fan like you is that your RPI can go nowhere but down once you enter conference play since opponent record plays such a big part in your RPI rating. So enjoy it now.

Well, there's more to the wow as I mentioned earlier.

This team has never been to the NCAA Tourney. Has never won the regular season of the CAA, and I'm not sure about conferences before that. Has had a winning record Twice in the last 20-25 years...

So, there's more packed in there than the straight math.

And yeah, I know it only goes down - although it did go up after a conference game on Saturday, I realize that in the long-run it goes down. It helps that teams we beat (Wake Forest, Richmond, etc) continue to do well.

[Karlifornia]

Just let Wade enjoy this. He's a supremely loyal W & M fan/alum, and they're having a good season. I know when I see Stanford's name in any rankings, it's pretty cool. Imagine how cool it is for a fan of a team like William & Mary.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by Karlifornia

Just let Wade enjoy this. He's a supremely loyal W & M fan/alum, and they're having a good season. I know when I see Stanford's name in any rankings, it's pretty cool. Imagine how cool it is for a fan of a team like William & Mary.

+1

[wade moore]

I forgot to add - we were picked 11th in the 12 team conference .

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Karlifornia

Just let Wade enjoy this. He's a supremely loyal W & M fan/alum, and they're having a good season. I know when I see Stanford's name in any rankings, it's pretty cool. Imagine how cool it is for a fan of a team like William & Mary.

Oh, I'm not downplaying it in any way. It's fantastic. It's actually a great year for a team like this to do so well. With three power conferences distancing themselves from the other conferences in the RPI thus far, there's a real good opportunity for 2-3 conferences that you wouldn't expect to get an at-large bid to actually get one this year as long as they play well in conference play.

I guess I was just surprised that Wade was shocked that his team was so high. They deserve it from what they've done thus far.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by wade moore

Well, there's more to the wow as I mentioned earlier.

This team has never been to the NCAA Tourney. Has never won the regular season of the CAA, and I'm not sure about conferences before that. Has had a winning record Twice in the last 20-25 years...

So, there's more packed in there than the straight math.

And yeah, I know it only goes down - although it did go up after a conference game on Saturday, I realize that in the long-run it goes down. It helps that teams we beat (Wake Forest, Richmond, etc) continue to do well.

And "we" are one of 5 teams that have been around for 50+ years and never been in the tourney (I realize you mentioned the tourney, but not the other bit of trivia)

[Wolfpack]

It's important to make your free throws in order to win games. It's also important to know the game is truly not over until the horn sounds. If you don't know what this is about, just tune into SportsCenter tonight or tomorrow and I'm sure one of the top 10 plays (if not #1 itself) will make this point abundantly clear using the end of the Florida-NC State game as Exhibit A.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Oh, I'm not downplaying it in any way. It's fantastic. It's actually a great year for a team like this to do so well. With three power conferences distancing themselves from the other conferences in the RPI thus far, there's a real good opportunity for 2-3 conferences that you wouldn't expect to get an at-large bid to actually get one this year as long as they play well in conference play.

I guess I was just surprised that Wade was shocked that his team was so high. They deserve it from what they've done thus far.

Well, again, my shock is about how well we're playing - not about what the RPI number is based on that play.

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

And "we" are one of 5 teams that have been around for 50+ years and never been in the tourney (I realize you mentioned the tourney, but not the other bit of trivia)

I mentioned it earlier in the thread, didn't want to be a broken record .

[Big Fo]

Nice 30 footer from Goudelock to send College of Charleston into overtime against North Carolina.

[Big Fo]

Awesome win for my Cougars.

[sterlingice]

Wow. Down 10 with 4 to go and still winning.

Even more impressive with this stat:

Free Throws

24-34 (70.6%)

3-6 (50.0%)

Guess who had the 34 attempts? Hint: I doubt it was Charleston.

SI

[wade moore]

Welp, it was fun while it lasted.

W&M loses a conference game to UNCW 60-61.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

Nice 30 footer from Goudelock to send College of Charleston into overtime against North Carolina.

That was one HELL of a shot, WOW!

[JonInMiddleGA]

Georgia Tech loses to UGA 73-66.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Georgia Tech loses to UGA 73-66.

Amazing how things swing so quickly. UGA was destroyed by Mizzou, then turns around and beats Georgia Tech.

Arkansas gave Texas a good test as well tonight. Final margin was 11, but it was a 2 point game within the last two minutes.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Amazing how things swing so quickly. UGA was destroyed by Mizzou, then turns around and beats Georgia Tech.

Not the least bit surprising to me. Tech hasn't won in Athens since the mid-70's, and not only can Mark Fox outcoach Paul Useless but so could Samantha Fox, Bernard Fox, Michael J. Fox, the Fabulous Mister Fox, and the late great Redd Foxx.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Not the least bit surprising to me. Tech hasn't won in Athens since the mid-70's, and not only can Mark Fox outcoach Paul Useless but so could Samantha Fox, Bernard Fox, Michael J. Fox, the Fabulous Mister Fox, and the late great Redd Foxx.

But he couldn't outcoach Wofford in the exact same arena earlier this year..

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

But he couldn't outcoach Wofford in the exact same arena earlier this year..

Wofford had 8 turnovers, Tech had 20. One team played within themselves, the other has no coaching and is prone to bouts of complete ineptitude.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Not the least bit surprising to me. Tech hasn't won in Athens since the mid-70's, and not only can Mark Fox outcoach Paul Useless but so could Samantha Fox, Bernard Fox, Michael J. Fox, the Fabulous Mister Fox, and the late great Redd Foxx.

SI

[the_meanstrosity]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Amazing how things swing so quickly. UGA was destroyed by Mizzou, then turns around and beats Georgia Tech.

Arkansas gave Texas a good test as well tonight. Final margin was 11, but it was a 2 point game within the last two minutes.

You can't compare scores when it comes to rivalry like games. Credit Texas with doing what it takes to win a tough game on the road.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Watched the 2nd half of that KU-Cornell game last night. I knew that would be a tough game for KU. I didn't realize that everyone outside of Collins would suddenly forget how to make a 15-foot uncontested shot. Henry also showed a lot of freshman nerves last night in taking some ill-advised shots that could have cost KU the game. If nothing else, it gives Self plenty of ammo in practice this week. Also pretty humorous to hear the beaker fans finally utter a nervous 'Rock Chalk Jayhawk' chant with a couple of seconds left in the game.

Interesting names at the top of the current home court winning streak list.....

#1 Kansas (51)
#2 Missouri (29)

Really excited about the KSU-MU matchup on Saturday. Good chance to see these teams get a feel for where they stand right now.

[DataKing]

You had to figure Cornell would be a tough game. What I did not expect was for practically everybody but Collins to sh*t the bed on the offensive end of the floor. And the way Cornell's outside shooters were dropping threes in the first half...I was having flashbacks of McNamara in the the KU/Syracuse national championship game.

The Jayhawks ramped up the defense in the second half, and it's good to know they can do that even when there's a lid on the basket at the other end. But still, lay this victory solely at Collins' feet. Without him taking over the way he did, not only would it have been the end of KU's home winning streak, but it would have been an embarrassing loss at that.

Tons of credit to Cornell though. It's easy to see why they're expected to win the Ivy League again. Obviously they don't have the athleticism of a bigger program, but they've got great outside shooters, a legit 7-footer who can play defense in Jeff Foote, they play great fundamental basketball, and they get back on defense.

[sovereignstar]

Anyone notice this event last night?

Seattle University 99, Oregon State 48.

Oregon State needs a government bailout - CBSSports.com

I told you before the season that the Pac-10 would stink, and I've reminded you -- because it's consistently reminded us -- pretty much every week since. Wednesday's games did nothing to alter my opinion. The preseason favorite, California, lost at home to a UCLA team with a losing record just four days after the Pac-10's only ranked school, Washington, lost at home to an Oregon team that 64 of the 65 AP voters omitted from their most recent ballots.

Again, it's just terrible.

Wednesday provided a new low point.

And it wasn't Cal's loss to UCLA.

It was Oregon State's 99-48 loss to Seattle.

That's Seattle as in the Seattle Redhawks, who entered with a 6-9 record featuring double-digit losses to Oklahoma State, Portland, Cal Poly, UC-Davis, Loyola-Marymount, and Harvard. Understand, it would be difficult to lose by 51 to Kansas or Texas or Kentucky, and maybe even the Celtics. So how the Beavers lost to a Seattle team without a conference -- seriously, Seattle isn't even in a conference -- is the latest sign that the second year of the Craig Robinson era isn't going well.

Oregon State is now 6-8 overall, 0-2 in the Pac-10.

If there's a cash-for-clunkers program in college hoops, President Obama's brother-in-law could sure use it.

[Karlifornia]

I'm pretending the PAC-10 doesn't even exist in hoops this year. Pretty awful.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by Karlifornia

I'm pretending the PAC-10 doesn't even exist in hoops this year. Pretty awful.

Yep, but a heck of a win for Cameron Dollar as he helps guide Seattle U to full Division 1 status.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Interesting names at the top of the current home court winning streak list.....

#1 Kansas (51)
#2 Missouri (29)

#3 Dayton (28)

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

#3 Dayton (28)

Just curious. What is Dayton's all-time home winning streak record? Didn't know if this was the longest or if they had longer. Mizzou's longest is 34, so they're getting close to breaking that one.

[Butter]

I believe this is the longest.

[whomario]

Anyone seen Elias Harris play recently ? I´m just not finding the time to watch any games late at night (here) ...
Slotted just outside the lottery of the 2010 draft by draftexpress (makes sense kind of since he´s old for a freshman) by now and turning quite a few heads with his play.
One stinker against Duke (like the whole team), other than that rock solid to great apparently.

Now another highly regarded young german freshman named Christian Standhardinger will make his debut for Nebraska after having to sit out 15 games due to the NCAAs bogus rules/rulings on foreign player´s amateur status (play with 1 "pro" in a team and you are considered a professional as well and thus you have to sit out ...)
Now can play and is expected to play heavy minutes immediately, according to some the best offensive player on the roster as a freshman.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by whomario

Now another highly regarded young german freshman named Christian Standhardinger will make his debut for Nebraska after having to sit out 15 games due to the NCAAs bogus rules/rulings on foreign player´s amateur status (play with 1 "pro" in a team and you are considered a professional as well and thus you have to sit out ...)

Now can play and is expected to play heavy minutes immediately, according to some the best offensive player on the roster as a freshman.

No disrespect to Christian and what he can do, but being the best offensive player on Nebraska is not exactly a lofty position to obtain.

[whomario]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

No disrespect to Christian and what he can do, but being the best offensive player on Nebraska is not exactly a lofty position to obtain.

yeah well, not a team i followed really but upon checking their scores seem a bit low indeed

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by whomario

yeah well, not a team i followed really but upon checking their scores seem a bit low indeed

We'll put a positive spin on it. He's got a chance to be a team leader on the offensive and defensive end.

They actually rely a lot on their defense because of their lack of scoring. They try to keep the scoring down and slow down the pace of play. Given that Christian is a big guy, that may allow him to be on the court more than a team that runs a lot.

[whomario]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Given that Christian is a big guy, that may allow him to be on the court more than a team that runs a lot.

Actually i hope he plays the 3 mostly but he could also very well play the 4 in a fast-paced offense. His natural spot down the road when he returns to Europe and plays for the national team eventually should be the 3 (don´t think he has NBA calibre talent really), although it is beyond strange that basically 4 of the 5 best german prospects that feature on draft pages all are SF/PF hybrids more suited for the 3 eventually (Harris, Standhardinger, Benzing, Lischka with the 5th Pleiß a center)...

He has a nice frame for his size and lacks quickness to guard perimeter guys, but is very much capable scoring on the drive and has a good jump shot from 3 (about 1/3 of his attempts came from downtown in his lower league in germany on a good clip of 43%). He is definitely going to help them offensively no matter what spot he´s going to play (3 or 4) , defensively it´ll need some adjustment and some good scheming.

[hoopsguy]

Originally Posted by whomario

Anyone seen Elias Harris play recently ? I´m just not finding the time to watch any games late at night (here) ...
Slotted just outside the lottery of the 2010 draft by draftexpress (makes sense kind of since he´s old for a freshman) by now and turning quite a few heads with his play.
One stinker against Duke (like the whole team), other than that rock solid to great apparently.

He was a load against the Illini. Showed he was either stronger/faster than the guys we sent at him, depending on the matchup. They don't look for him in that offense as often as they should. When the guards did get the ball inside they were looking for Sacre most of the time. So Harris was left to create his own offense a lot of the time, and he did a nice job of it. I would expect he could put up some big numbers when his teammates decide to make him a focal point of their attack.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

I'm assuming your expressing surprise about W&M. Shouldn't be all that surprising.

1. If you win games and have a high SOS, you'll get a high RPI. New Mexico, Butler, and VCU are other good examples of that thus far.

2. The strength of the CAA is another big part of that.

Of course, the unfortunate part for a fan like you is that your RPI can go nowhere but down once you enter conference play since opponent record plays such a big part in your RPI rating. So enjoy it now.

The thing is that the CAA's conference RPI isn't that bad (10th). It's better than Conference USA, WAC, and WCC. VCU has helped that out a lot and I believe Old Dominion won a decent road game earlier in the year.

If they can beat both those teams (especially on the road), their RPI should stay somewhat high. I wouldn't be surprised if they can stay in the top 50 with a decent conference record and higher if they can get by with only a few losses in conference play.

Problem is that RPI doesn't matter anymore since too many mid-majors and small schools got in when it did.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

The thing is that the CAA's conference RPI isn't that bad (10th). It's better than Conference USA, WAC, and WCC. VCU has helped that out a lot and I believe Old Dominion won a decent road game earlier in the year.

If they can beat both those teams (especially on the road), their RPI should stay somewhat high. I wouldn't be surprised if they can stay in the top 50 with a decent conference record and higher if they can get by with only a few losses in conference play.

Problem is that RPI doesn't matter anymore since too many mid-majors and small schools got in when it did.

FWIW, W&M already beat VCU once (at home). However, since this discussion we lost to conference opponent UNCW (about RPI 150 at the time). We've since won a game against a low RPI opponent and sit somewhere around 18 in the RPI.

We can't lose to anymore of these low RPI conference foes, especially at home. Picking up wins @ODU and @VCU would certainly go a long way for chances in March.

[RainMaker]

Yeah, basically if you can just win the games against the low RPI schools, you won't fall too far. Road wins are big though with RPI so those games @ODU and @VCU would really help (especially the VCU one).

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Yeah, basically if you can just win the games against the low RPI schools, you won't fall too far. Road wins are big though with RPI so those games @ODU and @VCU would really help (especially the VCU one).

Well, VCU is now 1-3 in the conference (although still 50 RPI) and has a lot of question marks right now.

But we play @VCU on 1/20, so we'll see.

[RainMaker]

Speaking of VCU, saw Eric Maynor the other night for the Thunder and he was impressive. Hit a couple 3's and ran the offense well.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Bruce Pearl has tossed Tyler Smith off the Tennessee b-ball team. Felony gun possession and marijuana. Sounds like the resume of a NBA 1st round selection to me.